This section contains 1,464 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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Overview
One could call Rabban Bar Sauma a "reverse Marco Polo": whereas Polo traveled from West to East, Bar Sauma's trek took him from what is now Beijing to the Bourdeaux region in France; and whereas Polo went on business, the priest Bar Sauma was on a religious mission. Of course, Polo and his journey are much better known, because they exposed technologically backward Europeans to the sophistication of Asia; but Bar Sauma, too, helped open the way for greater contact between continents and cultures.
Background
Bar Sauma (c. 1220-1294) belonged to the Nestorians, a sect named after the Persian priest Nestorius (d. 451). The latter, who became bishop of Constantinople, taught that Christ had two separate identities, one human and one divine...
This section contains 1,464 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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