Go Along To Get Along

      Climbing my own Jones surname family tree, it would often come to mind what it took to survive through all the generations. At times, it was certainly more difficult when things joined together leading to questions about how my Y-DNA was going to make it?  This was certainly true during the 400 years of Roman military occupation that my Celtic ancestors kept that DNA flowing down the branches.

      Remembering a friend that I played softball during my younger years (now more than half a century ago) a thought came to mind. It was called slow pitch, and our Church league usually did pretty well. A good pitcher he was, and could get the ball over the plate a variety of ways. Usually playing shortstop, we would carry on during a game. The amazing thing was that this fellow only had one arm. It didn't seem to bother him catching, throwing, battling, and all the things that I took for granted. Never really asking how he lost his right arm just below the elbow, he would often tell me, "go along to get along". This 400 hundred year period my Celtic ancestors shared the game of life with thousands of military players, they would have certainly had to agree with my friend.

      Our old friend Tacitus of posts May 13th and 14th wrote of those on the Island:

           "Nature has willed that every man's children and kindred should be his dearest objects. Yet these are torn from us by conscriptions to be slaves elsewhere. Our wives and our sisters, even though they may escape violation from the enemy, are dishonored under the names of friendship and hospitality. Our goods and fortunes they collect for their tribute, our harvests for their granaries. Our very hands and bodies, under lash and in the minds of insult, are worn down by the toil of clearing forest and morasses. Creatures born to slavery are sold once for all, and are, moreover, fed by their masters, but Britain is daily purchasing, is daily feeding, her own enslaved people."

      How would you get along?

Birth and Death Simultaneously

      Just as the birth of a new state religion (Christianity) was being instituted by the Emperor Constantine, (Edit of Milan 313 A.D.), the very city he resided (Rome) was about to reach its death.  In 330 A.D., he transferred the seat of government to Byzantium (Constantinople), and the center of Roman glory was never to be the same. At least, for the first time, all roads did not lead here.

      Religious truth versus political power became a new dynamic. By 392 A.D., Theodosius declared all heathen sacrifices to be high treason. Other folks questioned this Roman Empire thing, and began all sorts of problems for this city. (Rome) All Legions were called home to try and defend this Empire. This withdrawal produced a new set of problems for my Celtic ancestors. The 20th Legion stationed around my families' homeland was one of the last to leave the Island. Left alone to defend themselves in 410 A.D., they faced their own invaders the Picts and Scots (Irish). Retired military folks and civic administrators tried to organize the home folks. The sons of my family had gone with their Legion. What were the remaining Celtic folks to do?

Moving On Up

      From the mountain cave of Antony (272 A.D.) in Egypt, to the central monastic life of Martin at Tours (ca, 371 A.D.), it took roughly a century to get things moving toward my Celtic ancestors. The life of both these men are presented in Butler's Lives of The Saints, edited by Michael Walsh. The cover of my copy is shown.

      On page 16 it states that Anothy lived to 105 years. Not bad for a fellow who lived on bread and water some of the time. Now Martin of Tours (called Gaul at his time) is given a few more pages, 371- 373. It appears he was a soldier in the Roman army before he took this new belief called Christianity. No telling who might join this movement called monks. Bet you a lot of these folks were introverts. The move of Christianity to the northwest section of my family's mountains took a bit more time to arrive.  The arrival of this belief system and a discussion is found in the text by Salway (pp.236-239, and pp. 512-529) which is presented in the post of May 7th. It can also be found in the text by Jones and Mattingly (pp. 295-298) shown on post June 3rd, and the text by Blair (pp.145-147) shown on post May 28th. Moving on up from Egypt to the NW section of Wales is yet to come. 

  

Two Different Pathways

       The three hundred or so years before this new sect (Christianity) became the official religion of the Roman world, there were many difficult experiences. The call to follow Jesus began around Jerusalem ca. 33 AD.  and spread to Judea, then to Sameria, and then to Antioch in Syria, where they were first identified as Christians ca. 43-44 A.D. Considered aliens in the Roman world, they spread about in various directions often hiding themselves among the masses. One pathway went north, and another pathway went south. The northern route from Syria, to Derbe/Lystra, to Phrygia/Galatia, to Mysia and Macedonia took the more densely populated pathway. The southern route from Jerusalem, Alexandria and Libia, then to Cyrenaica, was much less occupied by dense populations.

      My Celtic ancestors came under the influence of the southern route. Far removed from the bustle of mankind, the first of this Alexandra influenced movement, (called Hellenistic), was an Egyptian named Antony. (d.356 A.D.) He sought solitude in the wilderness of upper Egypt. Ascetic it was called. Making isolation in caves first choice, he believed this was the best place for contemplation about this new religion. Of course he was soon joined by others which began to gain momentum, founding a system of societies called "Monks". Interestingly, the word comes from the Greek word monos meaning alone. Thus Antony has become known the father of all monks. A monastery became a cluster of these individuals which moved across the North African coast. 

     The following figure shows the two pathways looking down from above. The Mediterranean Sea is colored gray. The horseshoe shaped land is colored white. North is the top, and south is toward the bottom of the figure.