Sultan Mohamed IV letter to the Cossacks from 1675

And some info about the letter....
"In 1675 (Evarnickij 1895:517) or 1678 (Golobuckij 1957:320), the Sultan of Turkey and the Crimean Khan are said to have unsuccessfully attacked the Zaporozhian fortress of Sic' (Russian Sec') Following this fiasco, the Sultan of Turkey supposedly sent a threatening missive to the Zaporozhian cossacks demanding their submission to him, to which the cossacks replied with an abusive parody of the Sultan's letter."

Here is the letter of the Sultan.....

 The Original:

The Transliteration:

The Transliteration:

Cups found in the Samoil's fortress

Macedonian fugitives in Austria

"Austria: Vienna, Prague, Hungary, Bohemia, and the Danube; Galicia, Styria, Moravia, Bukovina, and the Military Frontier." by J. G. Kohl, 1844, page 269.

Hellenism in the Balkan Penisula and Asia Minor

Macedonians were recognized by the Greek Professor of History at the University of Athens, George Soteriadis, in 1918. In his book “An Ethnological Map Illustrating Hellenism In The Balkan Peninsula And Asia Minor” he recognizes the Macedonians under the term “Macedonian Slavs” and gives statistical information about the Macedonians and were they live according to his Ethnological Map.

History of the Christian Church - James Craigie Robertson

Page 369

Page 385

Page 386

1. Basil the Macedonian Emperor of the Byzantine Empire was a Slav.
2. Cyril and Methodius were natives of Salonika and were of Slavic decent.
3. There was a Macedonian dialect of Slavonic.
All this written in a book from 1862!

From the book “History of the Christian Church” Volume II Part 1, By James Craigie Robertson, 1862, page 369, 385 and 386.

Confession of an Greek

In the ancient times the criteria for being Greek was "Greek by culture".
In the Byzantine times the word Greek had a religious meaning including the followers of paganism, an ancient religion. So in the middle ages we speak about "Greek by religion"
In the first period of the Ottoman era there was no such thing as "Greek". The determination "Greek" appears after the "New Greek enlightenment" at the end of 18th century (Elliniki Nomarhia, Rigas etc.). The criteria then was "Greek by ethnicity". Today's Greek state follows the racist law of "Greek by blood". A public declaration that you are Greek, the assistance of local state trustees who verify your healthy national beliefs, along with a document that one of your ancestors was recorded somewhere as Greek are the necessary conditions for one to qualify to be Greek. I have seen some funny discussions between ex-soviet citizens on how they would be recognized as Greeks. "My uncle was Greek, and you?" "The cousin of my aunt" was Greek, etc, etc.

The criteria of what is Greek changes from time to time throughout history.
Greek by culture
Greek by religion
Greek by ethnicity
Greek by blood

How can you claim continuity of a group of people throughout time since the criteria to define this group has changed 4 times in this course of history?

Josephus Flavius

Quote:
Florus contrived another way to oblige the Jews to begin the war

When he understood their intentions, he asked:


Quote:
Had I perceived that you were all zealously disposed to go to war with the Romans

and than elaborated why they do not have to do so, and gave them numerious comparations with other People and Nations under Roman empire:
 
Quote:
While those Athenians, who, in order to preserve the liberty of Greece, did once set fire to their own city; who pursued Xerxes, that proud prince, when he sailed upon the land, and walked upon the sea, and could not be contained by the seas, but conducted such an army as was too broad for Europe; and made him run away like a fugitive in a single ship, and brake so great a part of Asia at the Lesser Salamis; are yet at this time servants to the Romans; and those injunctions which are sent from Italy become laws to the principal governing city of Greece. Those Lacedemonians also who got the great victories at Thermopylae. and Platea, and had Agesilaus [for their king], and searched every corner of Asia, are contented to admit the same lords. Those Macedonians also, who still fancy what great men their Philip and Alexander were, and see that the latter had promised them the empire over the world, these bear so great a change, and pay their obedience to those whom fortune hath advanced in their stead. Moreover, ten thousand ether nations there are who had greater reason than we to claim their entire liberty, and yet do submit. You are the only people who think it a disgrace to be servants to those to whom all the world hath submitted.

Quote:
What therefore do you pretend to? Are you richer than the Gauls, stronger than the Germans, wiser than the Greeks, more numerous than all men upon the habitable earth? What confidence is it that elevates you to oppose the Romans? Perhaps it will be said, It is hard to endure slavery.

 and the wow part comes here:

Quote:
Yes; but how much harder is this to the Greeks, who were esteemed the noblest of all people under the sun! These, though they inhabit in a large country, are in subjection to six bundles of Roman rods. It is the same case with the Macedonians, who have juster reason to claim their liberty than you have.

It seems for Flavious the Greeks and the Macedonians are two separate people other wise he would not enumerate them one after the other...