The Cross & The Coliseum
Last month I had the opportunity to stand in the Coliseum in Rome for the second time in my life. It's an impressive structure, and in many ways still stands as one of the iconic symbols of what has been known for centuries as "The Eternal City ." As my wife and I walked around the Coliseum I discovered a cross that had been erected and dedicated during the tenure of Pope John Paul II . I snapped the photo that you see to your left. It sort of spoke to me. Let me explain why by way of sharing a brief history of the Coliseum itself. The Coliseum was completed in 80 A.D. begun by the emperor Vespasian in 72 A.D. and finished by the emperor Titus . The original name was the Flavian Ampitheater , a name derived from the family name of it's builders--Flavius. Most historians believe that the name "Coliseum" came from the giant statue of Nero that stood outside of it, a statue modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes . Nero's successors refashioned...