July 23, 2011

The country that have enriched Europe

Despite the fact that Macedonia fulfilled all conditions for starting the negotiations for full membership in the European Union, the gateway for entry into the Union for Macedonia is still wide shut because of the genocidal requests from one of the Union member countries - Greece.

All EU politicians and officials have to understand that Macedonia is part of Europe and that the European Union would not be complete until Macedonia became a full member of that same Union. And not just because Macedonia is a European country, but because Macedonia has given a huge and invaluable contribution for Europe to become what it is today.

Lets see with what the Macedonians and Macedonia indebted Europe.

Harold Lamb in his book "Alexander of Macedon" (1924) mentions that agriculture in Europe started exactly on the territory of Macedonia:

"Macedonia is the place where the first agricultural village in Europe was founded, which dates from around 6620 BC"

This means that all other nations in Europe in that period permanently moved from one place to another and were not related to a particular territory as the population of this village was connected with the territory of Macedonia.

The agriculture even today is a branch that engaged many of the Macedonia's citizens. The climatic conditions in Macedonia are ideal for growing many crops, and prodicing healthy organic food.

The agriculture provided conditions for permanent setting and creating artistic objects as the sculpture Adam of Macedonia, which dates from the 6th millennium BC. At the world archaeological symposium in Croatia in 2002, this sculpture was declared as one of the world's ten most important archaeological finds.

The archeological site of Kokino is one of the oldest astronomical observatories in the world, old more than 3800 years. In 2005 NASA ranked Kokino among the four most important ancient observatories.

The agriculture also contributed for the founding of the first true state in Europe.

This confirms Peter Green in his book "Alexander of Macedon 356-323 BC: A historical biography" (1974):

"Macedonia was the first large territorial country with effective centralized political, military and administrative structure on the European continent."

This facts are also mentioned by the authors Fritz. M. Heichelheim and Cedric A. Yeo in their book "History of the Roman people: (p. 148):

"Ancient Macedonia was unique in Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean that appeared and worked as a state with all state attributes ... That was one people, talking in same language, having the same religion, the same culture and customs... In one word a true nation state... In Ancient Macedonia there was only one law that applied in all its territory."

It is absurd that for the oldest state in Europe, the gateway for entry into the European Union to be kept closed?

But Macedonia is not just mentioned as the oldest country on the European continent, but a country what with its culture enriched Europe as Haarman Harold says in his book "Early civilization and literacy in the Mediterranean world" (1996):

"The Balkan with its center in Ancient Macedonia was the hearth where the oldest civilization was born which with its cultural values has enriched Europe and the world, has given it the alphabet on the basis of which the Latin alphabet was later created."

The highly developed civilization of the Macedonians is confirmed by the expert of ancient Macedonia - Eugene Borza in his book "Before Alexander, constructing Ancient Macedonia" - 1999 (page 89):

"The Ancient Macedonians had a highly-developed civilization since ancient times."

In the history for a long time the Romans were considered as the inventors of cement. But recently the Greek archaeologist Angeliki Kottaridis for the BBC said that not the Romans, but probably the Macedonians are those who have invented the cement, three centuries before the Romans did.

Macedonians led by Alexander III of Macedon - one of the greatest generals and kings in the history of mankind, over three hundred years before Christ created the largest empire in the world, which was larger than the European Union is today.

And unlike the declarative stands of the European Union for respecting the minority rights and daily violating the same minority rights for the Macedonians by two of its member states - Greece and Bulgaria, in the empire of Alexander III of Macedon each nation was respected as a separate with all its attributes.

Today the population in Europe is predominantly Christian (Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants ...). Recently OSCE unanimously adopted a resolution against intolerance and discrimination of Christians.

But do the European politicians know that this process of Christianization of Europe began precisely because of the request of a Macedonian, that the first Christian church in Europe appeared in Macedonia, and that the Macedonians were the first people in Europe, who accepted Christianity.

That is said in the Holy Book, the works of the Holy Apostles, describing the event known as the Macedonian cry:

"16:9 During the night Paul had a vision. A man from Macedonia was standing there and pleading with him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"

16:10 As soon as he had seen the vision, we immediately looked for a way to go to Macedonia, because we were convinced that God had called us to tell the people there the good news."

The question how St. Paul knew that the man who was standing before him really was a Macedonian, F. F. Bruce provides the answer:

It is suffice it to mention that the man said "Come over to Macedonia and help us." As T. W. Manson said at this place 25 years ago "if someone came to me and said come to Scotland and help us, I guess it's Scot regardless of whether wearing kilt and playing bagpipes to prove his identity."

After this St. Paul went to Macedonia and following the ancient route of Via Egnatia arrived in the city of Philippi - founded by the macedonian king Philip II of Macedon in 356 BC.

Not far from the city, St. Paul had an official meetings with several Macedonian (native) women. Some of the women founded the church in Philippi, the first Christian church on the European continent. Their leader was the Macedonian woman Lydia, which is considered to be the first woman in Europe, which accepted Christianity (According to the book by F.F. Bruce - St. Paul in Macedonia).

If the Macedonian did not call St. Paul to come to Macedonia, if the first Christian church was not founded in Macedonia and if the Macedonians did not accepted Christianity, who knows whether Europe today would be mostly Christian.

The creation of the Cyrillic alphabet which is used by several European countries is also associated with Macedonia.

The fresco "The Lamentation of Christ" at St. Panteleimon church in Nerezi, Macedonia (1164), is considered as direct predecessor and forerunner of the European Renaissance.

The specialist of Byzantine Art - Tania Velmans in her book "The Art of the Mediterranean - a renaissance of East and West, 1250-1490" the Renaissance began in Macedonia in 1295:

"Renaissance in Europe began with the fresco representing the Mother of Jesus in the church Perivlepta, Ohrid."

Considering all these facts, Republic of Macedonia must be accepted as a full member of the European Union, under its constitutional and historical name, and with all its culture and tradition. With that the European Union would not only help Macedonia, but rather will help itself to be enriched with all the previously mentioned cultural values and historical advantages.

Aleksandar Stevanov

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