Forbidden beliefs
Step back into the gritty tapestry of 6th century Byzantium, where beliefs weren’t just personal but the epicenter of fierce family feuds.
Humans seek truth.
We want to know the purpose of life and the meaning for our existence. Uncertainty can lead to angst and frustration.
Distress and confusion about TRUTH can lead to emotional turmoil. What is true? One person says one thing, another says the opposite.
And two opposites cannot be true, right?
Beliefs shape our interactions with others. It can strain relationships and lead to misunderstandings and strong disagreements.
Believing in something that is forbidden can wreck havok on one’s identity, forcing individuals to balance being true to their convictions with conforming to what others want.
In Trunk of Scrolls, the characters clash over forbidden beliefs.
I’m a purist in my stories. So when I set out to write a novel about this time period, I had to show what was there. Like a time portal, I made Trunk of Scrolls filled with AUTHENTICITY.
The 6th century Anatolia was a hotbed of DEBATE over the NATURE OF CHRIST.
Monophysites denied that Jesus could be God and human at the same time.
Chalcedonian Christians confirmed what the Council of Chalcedon had determined in 451 AD—the Bible firmly declares he is both God and Man.
This DEBATE was a big deal to the people who lived in the time—and even severed families.
EMPEROR Justinian was Chalcedonian and his wife EMPRESS Theodora was a Monophysite.
Whether Jesus was just man or just God or both God and man matters. Your take on Chalcedon, your take on Jesus Christ, determines the character of the God you worship.
Trunk of Scrolls characters take on this DEBATE. Usually topics like this are AVOIDED in novels. But the Chalcedon/Monophysite FACE-OFF had to be a part of this book—because it was a part of life in Byzantium.
Trunk of Scrolls Kickstarter launches January 9, 2024.
Get ENTRANCED by the story and MOVED by the conflict over faith and heresy. DISCOVER how Chalcedon changes lives and why it’s important to know if your beliefs are TRUE.
This is the third of five articles featuring the “forbidden” elements of Trunk of Scrolls: Paths of Faith and Fire: FORBIDDEN ELEMENTS SERIES
