Synopsis
An African born in Cyrene, in present-day Libya, Mark carried the teachings of Jesus to Africa and founded the Coptic and the Greek Orthodox churches of Alexandria, Egypt, more than 300 years before the conversion of the main continent of Europe. These churches proclaim that he wrote the first Gospel, became the first bishop of Alexandria and for a time retired to Cyrene, before returning to Alexandria where he was martyred. The apostle Matthew brought Christianity to the southern reaches of the Nile to Sudan and Ethiopia, where it continues to exist to this day, 2000 years later, as does the Church of St Thomas in India, founded by that apostle. The missionary work of Mark and Matthew, their courage and martyrdom is traced in this volume, Number Four of the Cyrenian Chronicles.
About the Author
Xavier Carelse was a retired university professor, who specialised in industrial physics and electronic engineering. He had published scientific papers, academic books and textbooks, some with his wife, Orseline, a biochemist. He addressed conferences and workshops in Africa, the United States, Europe and Asia. Born in Kimberley, South Africa, on 11th March 1933, he was a descendent of the Indonesians who were transported as slaves to the Dutch trading post at the southern tip of Africa, present-day, Cape Town. He was truly a representative of the "Rainbow Nation", having ancestors derived from indentured Indians, English mercenaries and Griquas, people of Dutch and Khoisan descent. In 1954, he graduated from the University of Fort Hare, founded in 1916, the oldest modern university for Africans. After 70 years living and working in five countries in Africa, and travelling to seventeen, he acquired a deep knowledge and direct experience of the diverse cultures and achievements of Africans. He believed that this has often been hidden by Africans themselves, or usurped or distorted by others. In 2015, Xavier Carelse's alma mater, the University of Fort Hare, in South Africa, awarded him the degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa), for his achievements and his contribution to Africa in the fields of science, education and cultural development. He joins the ranks of Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Miriam Makeba and many other Africans whom this institution has honoured. Xavier Carelse's four historic novels, The Children of Ham, The Voyages of the Iyanda, Redemption and, the Scribe and the Tax Collector, have been set at the height of the Roman Empire, and affirmed his mission to correct misrepresentations of African achievements in the fields of technology, trade, structures of government, and religion. On the 26th March 2017, Xavier Carelse passed away.
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