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1. |
The Cross
05:28
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October the 28th, 312, the Milvian bridge, near the city of Rome:
Roman legions of Constantine the Great:
"Raise the Cross, raise the Cross, raise the Cross, raise the Cross!"
Gaius, a soldier:
"I hear them chanting but I remain silent…
I wonder why our emperor has decided to choose another God
A god that we don't know anything about
They told us to do this, so like every soldier, I obey without dissent, I obey without meaning
The meaning of my life… I am so young now but so many men I have already killed…
Since I was a child, I've wondered if the gods are real!
So why would this one be different?"
Roman legions of Constantine the Great:
"Raise the Cross, raise the Cross!
And with this sign we shall win!
Raise the Cross! Raise the Cross! Raise the Cross!
And with this sign you shall die!"
Gaius:
"How strange are the gods who want the death of thousands of men like me…
I am so sad of this madness that shall come soon because I saw this so many times
I read the story of the Roman Empire, I learnt it from my father,
He told me about the gods, his doubt about their existence
He observed the same things, new emperor, new conquest, new gods, old pain
I must remember this, I must choose the freedom of reason!
Attack!
Battle rages on, I see the bridge of Milvian and my emperor is winning
Maxentius is drowning, Constantine looks at me and I can see our future, being chanted by the legions."
Roman legions of Constantine the Great:
"We are the soldiers of a new god
We are the soldiers of a new god
Raise the Cross, raise the Cross
This god shall kill them all!
This god shall kill us all!"
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2. |
You Were Not
03:18
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In February 313, the edict of religious tolerance for Christians was proclaimed by Constantine the Great in Milan.
In 324, Constantine the Great, the western roman emperor, defeated Licinius, the eastern roman emperor, and thus became sole emperor of the Roman Empire. Between these two dates, Christians beliefs had been spreading in the empire.
In the year 324, Gaius is stating the beliefs about the nature of Jesus Christ and the other gods of polytheistic religions:
"-Every god born of a lie
Every god born of a lie
Eleven years ago my emperor Constantine the Great proclaimed the edict of religious tolerance
Our civilization is full of myths
So many gods, goddesses and their children
Every one of them has a personal story full of wonders,
Betrayals, mysteries and mystifications
Miraculous births, healing miracles, good shepherds,
Resurrection of the dead, tongues of wisdom and virtues
Incarnation of a god as a man as usual
He is like every other (god)
In this world
You were not the only one
You were not the only one, son of a god
In our mystic world
You were not the only one
You were not the only one, son of a lie
A father in the sky, a virgin mother, twelve disciples
Angels, animals, parables, all his life is full of
Miracles, mysteries and mystifications
Miracles, mysteries and mystifications
Miracles, mysteries and mystifications
Son of Nothingness, Son of Emptiness, Son of Illusion
You were not the only one, son of a god, son of a lie
Sol Invictus, Mithras, Dionysus, Osiris, Asclepius, Attis, Adonis…
Born from the human mind and imagination
Like the Christian god and his son Jesus Christ
In this world
You were not the only one
You were not the only one, son of a god
In our mystic world
You were not the only one
You were not the only one, son of a lie
The gods are humans' creation."
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3. |
Credo Quia Absurdum
06:11
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(The lyrics are based on the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, elaborated during the Council of Nicaea in July 325 and the Council of Constantinople in July 381.)
After the promulgation of the Nicene Creed in July 325, Gaius is reading some parts of the Nicene Creed:
Solo: Kiato Luu
"-We believe in one God, the Almighty Father
The maker of heaven and earth
The founder of everything visible and invisible
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God…"
-Is there any sense?
"And in Him who was born of the Father before all ages
God from God, light of light
True God from true God
Born not made
Consubstantial to the Father
Namely, of the same substance with the Father…"
-That does not make any sense but…
Their faith is a sword
A shield against common sense
My duty was to keep the light of reason for my son."
Voices chanting from a house near by:
"Credo quia absurdum…"
Gaius:
"A savior incarnated by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin?
Buried and rose from the dead?
A god who is three but one? One but three?
It is so absurd but common people are easily mystified
They will wait for resurrection of the dead for a very long time…
But in my old days,
I feel that this belief will embrace and set ablaze the world because
Their faith is a sword
A shield against common sense
My duty was to give the light of reason to my son."
Voices chanting from a house near by:
"Credo quia absurdum…"
Solo: Kiato Luu
Gaius:
"Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Their creed, Their faith, Our doom
Freedom, awareness, knowledge, philosophy,
Reason, science, our lights, our fight, our life!"
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4. |
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May the 22nd, 337, city of Constantinople, (capital of the Roman Empire since 330), Emperor Constantine is dead.
Flavius, son of Gaius, is speaking about Constantine and his reign:
Twenty five years ago, it was a constellation of churches in private houses.
Then myriads of churches rose up high beside the old temples in the empire.
Constantine supported the Church financially, granted privileges to clergy,
Promoted Christians to high office
And returned properties confiscated during the Great Persecution
He took the gold from the temples and created a new coin
Without the symbols of the old gods
The Chi Rho between his hands
Christian symbols were everywhere
To unify the Church is to unify the empire
The Bishops and priests take more and more
Power and authority
Fighting heretics
They are spreading the pestilence
Contagion, contamination, religion of the disease
They are spreading the pestilence
Infection, among society, religion of the deceased
He shut down the gladiator games,
He authorized donations to the Church,
Expressed his disgust for acts of sacrifice and idol worship, misguided rites and ceremonials
He legislated against magic and private divination,
He even gave orders for the pillaging and the tearing down of temples.
The persecuted are becoming the persecutors!
God of Christians, Gods of Pagans
Won't save us now because we are alone in this world and we decide!
Solo: Kiato Luu
They are spreading the pestilence
Contagion, contamination, religion of the disease
They are spreading the pestilence
Infection, among society, religion of the deceased
They are spreading the pestilence
Rejection, among society, denial of religions
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5. |
To Deny
02:44
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February the 19th, 356, Flavius, son of Gaius, is speaking about the anti-pagan legislation of the emperor Constantius II, son of Constantine.
We have assimilated so many beliefs from so many peoples,
So many gods and goddesses we have made our own, our own way of life.
Our natural tolerance for other beliefs is under attack.
For so many years now, the persecuted are in fact the persecutors
Constantius carries on the policy of his father
Christian madness is growing everywhere in the empire
Temples are shut down
Death penalty for those who performed and attended pagan sacrifices and the worshipping of idols
Many of the pagan temples, tombs and monuments are being vandalized, looted, desecrated, destroyed by the Christians
But we are many to fight them
Fight against obscurantism!
Fight against obscurantism!
To forbid the gods
To deny the gods
To forget the gods
Fortunately, pagan governors and magistrates have engaged in passive resistance
But we are few without the sickness of religion
The propagation of the Christian disease is more dangerous than the pagan beliefs
Because so many deny the light of reason and common sense
To forbid the gods
To deny the gods
To forget the gods
To forbid the gods
To deny the gods
Let all superstitions cease
One day, their god will be forgotten
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6. |
The Silent Oblivion
07:15
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In the year 370, in Alexandria, Egypt, Flavius is writing a letter to his son Marcus:
My son, years have passed and this is my last breath,
I give you the last spark of the light of reason and common sense,
and I know it will shine in your mind
In this old country, the ancestral Egypt, I can feel the weight of ages
So many gods, so many beliefs disappeared in the sands of time
When I look to those majestic pyramids,
I can see the eternal fight against vanity and death by the forgotten ones
How many men have died for this?
How many men die for this?
How many will die for the silent oblivion?
When I look to those forgotten divinities,
I can hear the silent oblivion
Alexandria has known many fights for religious beliefs
Pagans against Christians against Jews
Nothing but hatred for only illusion
What we call god today will be called idol tomorrow
What we call religion today will be called superstition tomorrow
What we call dead today will remain dead tomorrow
What we call dead today will remain dead tomorrow
How many men have died for this?
How many men die for this?
How many will die for the silent oblivion?
When will our divinities be forgotten?
Will you hear their silent oblivion?
My son, I leave this world, light of heart
As I reach my final destination,
The silent oblivion of the universe
Like many did before me and many will do after…
Because I know you will live your life enlightened by awareness and reason
I hope you will live free of illusion, free of all kind of superstition
Free of the fear of death and the unknown
And one day, maybe, one day humanity will be free
Free to be rid of the gods
Free to live for itself…
Solo: Marvin Monternault
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7. |
Witness
04:14
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The Edict of Thessalonica, issued on 27 February 380 by three reigning Roman Emperors, Gratian, Valentinian and Theodosius made Nicene Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire.
Marcus, son of Flavius, is speaking about the changes he has observed in the roman society:
After fourteen years of relative respite
There has been a renewal of persecution against paganism and Christian heretics
Christianity has now become the state religion of the empire
And I am the witness of their faith
And I am the witness of this change
They called themselves martyrs but few of them have died in the last three hundred years
But I guess numerous non-Christians will carry on dying
Because this totalitarian belief is on the throne
Emperors have come more and more under the bishops' influence
Infamy has been proclaimed for the opponent
So many have lost their civil rights and have been cast out of city life
Christian thinkers are making a mockery of culture, reflection and science
To be stupid is to be Christian
Bow down to the Lord in Heaven but mostly for those on earth
Slavery is losing ground but free men are browbeaten by the landowners
A new way of life is spreading in the empire
Supported by a doctrine of submission, guilt, disgust of sexuality
And fear of reprisal in this life and the so-called next (one)
A society of love that is turning into hate
A society of joy that is turning into woe
A society of peace that is turning into war
A society of life that is turning into death
And I am the witness of their faith
And I am the witness of this change
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8. |
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381-391, promulgation of many laws against Christian heretics, confiscation of numerous heretic churches in the empire
386-387, destruction of the temple of Zeus-Belos in Apamea, Syria, by Christians
388, destruction of a synagogue in Callinicum, Syria, by Christians
389-391, promulgation of the Theodosian decrees which established a practical ban on paganism
391, destruction of the temple of Serapis in Alexandria, Egypt, by Christian monks and roman soldiers
Marcus is speaking about those events which occurred during the reign of Theodosius I and Valentinian II:
Emperors are advised by Ambrose, the bishop of Milan
They have proscribed pagan sacrifices
And have forbidden anyone to visit the temples
And have criminalized magistrates who do not enforce anti-Pagan laws
Rise of terror, rise of intolerance
Rise of terror, rise of intolerance
A heavy fine of gold for anyone who makes blood sacrifices in temples and shrines
Income for pagan temples is over and done with
But this new god is as useless as the old ones
Because illness, tyranny, dearth and death are everywhere
Armies of fanatic monks driven by their bishops
Speech of hatred and madness is spreading in the air like flies, like plague, again
Desecration of pagan images, statues, temples, shrines,
Destruction and madness are spreading again, and again
Temples in ruins, gods in disgrace
Fallen society, we are in disgrace
Rise of terror, rise of intolerance
Rise of terror, rise of intolerance
Rise of terror, rise of intolerance
Rise of terror, rise of intolerance
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9. |
To Glorify
12:51
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8 November 392, paganism is now totally forbidden in public and private forms, it has become a "religio illicita".
Marcus is speaking about the victory of Christianity to become the one and only religion of the Roman Empire:
Marcus:
-"So many years after the proclamation of Christianity as a "religio illicita",
Pagan religion is enduring the same.
Every public and private ritual of pagan worship is forbidden.
Every temple is closed
No fire for the Lares
No wine for the Genius
No incense for the Penates
All forms of divination are proscribed
The death penalty for anyone who honors the old gods"
Soldiers of Theodosius the First:
-"We are the only way to follow and the light that burns everything
The cross is the holy sign of the victory of truth over sin and superstition"
Theodosius the First:
-"Soldiers of God, Christ, Holy Spirit"
Soldiers of Theodosius the First:
-"We are ready to fight, ready to kill and die for the one true God and his paradise
For the glory of our Lord, we shall put them all into the fire"
Marcus:
-"Theodosius the First proclaimed the catholic orthodoxy as a universal tyranny
One God, one faith, one church shall bind them all in chains
One way of thinking, one way of living, one way straight to hell"
Soldiers of Theodosius the First:
-"We are the only way to follow and the light that burns everything
The cross is the holy sign of the victory of truth over sin and superstition
The sign of God, Christ, Holy Spirit, a cross chosen to deny and to glorify
The sign of God, Christ, Holy Spirit, a cross chosen to deny and to glorify
For the glory of our Lord, we shall put them all into the fire"
Solo: Kiato Luu
Marcus:
-"I proclaim the resistance against obscurantism
Against the madness of all religions
I want to rid this empire of fear, intolerance and fanaticism
And one day, maybe, this world shall be a world of reason and common sense,
A world of freedom of choice
Freedom to believe or not to believe"
Theodosius the First:
-"By the will of God, we shall force them all to enter into the Great Church
By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall save them all from their spiritual poverty
And for those who opposed a futile resistance
God shall bring down his divine retaliation
We shall kill them all, heretics, apostates, pagan followers
And a righteous sin shall bind the others in chains forever
Blood of Christians was the greater seed of the empire
We are now everywhere
And the blood of all others shall be for the greater good of God
Amen"
Soldiers of Theodosius the First:
-"We are the only way to follow and the light that burns everything
The cross is the holy sign of the victory of truth over sin and superstition
Theodosius the First:
-"Soldiers of God, Christ, Holy Spirit"
Soldiers of Theodosius the First:
-"We are ready to fight, ready to kill and die for the one true God and his paradise
We are the voices of emptiness, nothingness and illusion
The sign of God, Christ, Holy Spirit, a cross chosen to deny and to glorify
The sign of God, Christ, Holy Spirit, a cross chosen to deny and to glorify
For the glory of our Lord, we shall put them all into the fire"
Ambrose, bishop of Milan:
-"In this world, there is only one God
God is the One and His love is the law and by this love, we shall force them all to have faith
In this world, there is only one choice,
You must believe in the One True God or you must die!"
Soldiers of Theodosius the First:
-"Believe or die, believe or die, believe or die
Die!"
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Lavadome productions Czechia
Death Black Metal label.
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