Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History

A pastor, noted speaker, and author of numerous articles, Tim Challies is a pioneer in the Christian blogosphere. Tens of thousands of people visit Challies.com each day, making it one of the most widely read and recognized Christian blogs in the world. Tim is the author of several books, including Visual Theology and Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History. He and his family reside near Toronto, Ontario.

Introduction

A Brief Overview of Christian History

The Objects

1.Roman Context
Object: Augustus of Prima Porta
City: Vatican City
Location: Vatican Museum
Date: 1st century

2.Transmission of Scripture
Object: Rylands Library Papyrus P52
City: Manchester, United Kingdom
Location: Rylands Library, University of Manchester
Date: 125-150

3.Persecution
Object: Alexamenos Graffito
City: Rome, Italy
Location: Palatine Antiquarian Museum
Date: 200

4.Theological Orthodoxy
Object: Dogmatic Sarcophagus
City: Vatican City
Location: Vatican Museum
Date: 330-350

5.Vulgate
Object: The Book of Kells
City: Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Location: Trinity College Library
Date: 800
Also look for: The Book of Armagh which is housed in the same library. It contains the earliest version of St. Patrick’s Confession.

6.The Crusades
Object: TBD
City: London, United Kingdom or Jerusalem, Israel
Location: TBD
Date: 1200

7.A Vernacular Bible
Object: John Wycliffe’s Pulpit
City: Lutterworth, United Kingdom
Location: St Mary’s Church
Date: 1320-1384

8.Reformation Forerunners
Object: TBD
City: Konstanz, Germany (or Prague, Czech Republic)
Location: Jan Hus Museum (or City of Prague Museum)
Date: 1369-1415

9.The Printing Press
Object: The Gutenburg Bible
City: Austin, Texas (or Paris, France)
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Center (or Bibliothèque nationale de France)
Date: 1455

10.Ad Fontes
Object: Novum Instrumentum Omne
City: Basel, Switzerland
Location: University of Basel Library
Date: 1516

11.Reformation
Object: The Indulgence Box
City: Wittenberg, Germany
Location: Lutherhaus
Date: 1517

12.Unleashing the Word
Object: Tyndale New Testament
City: London, United Kingdom
Location: British Library
Date: 1526

13.Reformed Theology
Object: John Calvin’s Chair
City: Geneva, Switzerland
Location: St Pierre Cathedral
Date: 1509-1564

14.Defender of the Faith
Object: TBD - related to Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, or Catherine of Aragon
City: London, United Kingdom
Location: London Museum or British Museum
Date: 1491-1547

15.Counter-Reformation
Object: St Francis Xavier’s Forearm
City: Rome, Italy
Location: Church of the Gesu
Date: 1506-1552
Additional Information: This church also contains the remains of St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, and The Triumph of Faith over Heresy which shows Mary casting Luther and Hus out of heaven.

16.The Huguenots
Object: TBD
City: Mialet, France
Location: Musée du Désert
Date: 1550
Also: Visit Musee Protestant in La Rochelle (Protestant History Museum) and Musée Jean Calvin in Noyon.

17.King James Bible
Object: King James Bible, first edition
City: Baltimore, Maryland
Location: Stevenson University Library
Date: 1611

18.Puritanism
Object: The Works of William Perkins
City: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Location: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Library
Date: 1558-1602

19.The Baptists
Object: Baptismal Pool
City: Dalwood, United Kingdom
Location: Loughwood Meeting House
Date: 1653

20.The Great Awakening
Object: Whitefield Rock
City: West Brookfield, Massachusetts
Location: Foster Hill
Date: 1740

21.Hymnody
Object: Olney Hymns
City: Harvard, Massachusetts
Location: Harvard University, Houghton Library
Date: 1779

22.The Modern Missions Movement
Object: William Carey’s Writing Desk
City: Serampore, India
Location: Carey Museum
Additional Information: Angus Library at Regent’s Park College in Oxford, England, has a large collection that includes William Carey’s Bible, shew board, a first edition of his Bengali New Testament, and the couch upon which he died.
Date: 1792

23.The Black Church
Object: Lemuel Haynes’ Sermon Manuscript
City: Worcester, Massachusetts
Location: American Antiquarian Society
Date: 1805

24.The Church in Asia
Object: Hudson Taylor’s Tombstone
City: Zhenjiang, China
Xuan De Church
Date: 1853-1905

25.The Heart of Africa
Object: David