Moses of Crete was hailed as the new Moses by many Jews of the fifth Century but instead led his followers to disaster on the island of Crete. He had promised to part the Mediterranean Sea - just like the original Moses had allegedly parted the Red Sea - and lead his people back to Israel. On the day however, the miracle never manifested itself and the followers who obeyed his command to jump off a cliff were either drowned or dashed to pieces on the rocks below the cliff. These events happened during the reign of the (Eastern Roman Emperor) Theodosius II (Theodosius the Younger).

Slavery - one of the prime examples of man’s inhumanity to man and something that was obviously practised widely during the period of early Christianity. But what did the early Church have to say about it? Well in this video we’ll take a look at where and how the various Councils and synods organised by the Church during the fourth and fifth centuries and beyond mention the practice of keeping slaves and slavery in general. Many of the most important decisions regarding the future direction of Christianity were taken in these various synods and this was especially so in the ecumenical councils held after Constantine became the Emperor. So these meetings were important events in shaping modern Europe and Christianity in general and of course European thinking.

The regulation of slavery in the Old Testament and the implicit acceptance of the practice in the New Testament is arguably the most contentious issue in the Bible.

You would think Jesus, supposedly God incarnate and who grew up studying the Jewish scriptures, would condemn the practice of slavery outright and in very clear and unmistakable terms considering its pervasive nature in not just Greco-Roman but Jewish society of that time. But in fact, Jesus never condemns slavery at all. However, the acceptance of the practice - both implicit and explicit - can be found not just in the Old Testament scriptures but also in the New Testament in the writings of St. Paul for example.