Participants: Pr. Bill Santos (Host)
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201301
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00:01 It is Written Canada television program.
00:03 My name is Bill Santos. 00:05 Thank you so much for joining us. 00:07 You know, earlier this year, I had the awesome privilege of visiting 00:11 Portugal. 00:12 And while there, our crew taped a program that we're going to show you right 00:18 now. 00:19 I hope you enjoy It is Written live from Portugal. 00:28 >>Bill: I want to welcome you to this week's program. 00:30 We are coming to you from what is referred to as the Iberian Peninsula, more 00:34 specifically the nation of Portugal. 00:38 On today's program, The Birth of A Nation - It Is Written from Portugal, 00:42 begins right now . 01:03 I am so happy that you joined us this week. 01:06 As I mentioned in the introduction we are in Portugal taping special 01:09 episodes of our program. 01:11 This is a real thrill for me to be here in Portugal because it is the 01:15 birthplace of my parents. 01:18 My mom and dad were born in Portugal and in 1958 they immigrated to Canada, 01:23 my brother and I were both born in Canada in Toronto - but we have never lost 01:29 the connection to our Portuguese roots and heritage. 01:34 On today's program I want to share with you some of the incredible history of 01:38 this nation. 01:40 Portugal happens to be one of the oldest nations in Europe. 01:44 Portugal has been an independent nation since 1143. 01:51 In about 1000 BC the Celtic peoples entered the Iberian Peninsula. 01:55 They were skilled ironworkers and goldsmiths and they cremated their 02:00 dead. 02:02 They integrated with the indigenous inhabitants who were already known as 02:05 "Iberians", thus some early writers referred to these newcomers as 02:10 "Celtiberians". 02:12 In the northern forests of Iberia they found everything necessary for 02:16 their animals, and evidence of the importance of herding is found in the 02:22 large number of granite sculptures of certain animals, especially pigs, 02:26 that are present in the area. 02:29 These pigs are said to have been associated with fertility, authority and 02:34 power. 02:35 The veneration of animals was not unique to the Iberian Celts, since Irish 02:40 Celts also kept sacred cattle, and "royal" oxen, swine and sheep. 02:46 Well the Celts lived in villages like this one of round stone houses - these 02:52 fortified settlements were called "castros". 02:57 This embryo of a town, in the rough design of a Celtic castro, is more 03:01 than two thousand years old. 03:04 This settlement was protected by walls, and there were also sheds for 03:08 the cattle. 03:11 This place is called Citânia de Briteiros it is one of the most 03:16 interesting examples of the castro culture that developed in the Iberian 03:21 Peninsula in the second century BC. 03:26 These settlements were situated at great heights so their inhabitants could 03:30 keep watch for potential invaders. 03:34 Many of Portugal's present cities have their origins in these castros. 03:43 Evora is one of Portugal's finest and most delightful towns. 03:47 It is a true open-air museum with a large number of wonderfully preserved 03:52 monuments and buildings of public interest that led UNESCO to protect it as a 03:58 World Heritage Site. 04:01 Each age has left its trace on Evora. 04:04 It was the Celts who named it Ebora and the Romans gave it its most famous 04:09 landmark, the Roman Temple of Diana. 04:14 Dating from the 2nd century, it is one of the Iberian Peninsula's best 04:19 preserved Roman monuments, raised on a 3m high stone platform, with 14 of the 04:24 original 18 granite Corinthian columns still standing. 04:31 The Romans overran Gaul (today's France) in seven years, but it took them 04:36 almost two centuries to completely take over Iberia. 04:44 The Romans settled everywhere, but their numbers in the north were 04:47 comparatively small. 04:48 The south was more to their liking, which was better for growing wheat, 04:52 olives, and grapes. 04:55 They eventually imposed their language upon the entire peninsula, and 04:58 their code of law was applied, which was also ultimately formed the 05:02 basis of the Portuguese legal code. 05:04 Forums, temples and law courts were built in the cities, large-scale 05:09 agriculture was conducted. 05:11 Roads and bridges (still in evidence throughout Portugal) were created, as 05:16 well as a system of large farming estates called Latifundios still seen in 05:20 the area of Alentejo. 05:27 This here is Conímbriga, the best-preserved Roman ruins in Portugal, the 05:31 largest Roman settlement in Portugal. 05:34 Conímbriga was built in layers, and some of the earliest layers date back 05:38 to the 9th century B.C. 05:41 The Romans arrived in the 2nd century A.D., conquering the Celtic 05:45 inhabitants and establishing a city that grew and flourished. 05:49 The life of the Romans in Conímbriga can be traced in the house of Cantaber, 05:54 the residence of a nobleman and one of the largest houses ever 05:59 discovered in the western Roman empire. 06:02 The opulent villa included its own bathing complex, a sophisticated heating 06:06 system, ornamental pools and gardens. 06:09 The mosaics here on this entire site are in almost-perfect condition, 06:15 which, incredibly, they are detailed and colourful designs that include 06:21 motifs of beasts and hunting scenes and mythological themes. 06:27 There are also ruins of the temples, a forum, an aqueduct, water conduits, 06:32 drains, an elaborate piping system that heated the town's public and 06:36 private bathrooms. 06:40 Conímbriga was destroyed during the Barbarian Invasions in 468 A.D. 06:47 The first hordes of Barbarians, the Suevi and the Vandals, they 06:52 penetrated the peninsula in around 409 A.D., with the Suevi, who settled 06:59 predominantly in the North and Northwest, making what is now the Portuguese city 07:05 of Braga as their capital. 07:07 Now, the German rulers didn't completely sweep away the Romans. 07:12 You see, they maintained certain parts of their civilization, which they 07:16 had come to admire. 07:18 Now, visibly, you could tell them apart very easily. 07:20 The Germans tended not to cut their hair, while the Romans would definitely 07:25 clip theirs. 07:26 Probably the greatest contribution made by the Suevi was in the area of 07:32 land usage and the introduction of the quadrangular plow. 07:37 As mentioned earlier, the Suevi, who maintained residences in the North 07:42 and Northwest, did so because there, the climate and the soil was more 07:47 conducive to the kinds of crops that they would grow. 07:53 In 516 it was the turn of the Visigoths. 07:55 The Visigoths were commissioned to expel the other Barbarians. 08:01 They soon overpowered both the Alans and the Vandals, but the suppression of the 08:07 Suevi proved no easy matter,and it was not until 585 that this was 08:11 accomplished. 08:12 The Visigoths then dominated the region but only for a little more 08:18 than a century, roughly until 711. 08:22 Now we are standing at the ruin of an old Visigothic temple - a chapel from the 08:28 7th century. 08:30 It is called the Igreja da Sao Joao -- the church of Sao Joao. 08:35 It is believed to be one of the oldest in all of Portugal and it is a 08:40 classic example of Visigothic architecture. 08:49 In 632 AD, after the death of the Prophet Mohammed his followers undertook a 08:54 program of world conquest in the name of Allah and Islam. 08:57 By 700, their forces swept across North Africa and subdued Morocco. 09:04 They crossed into what is now Spain in 711, and over the years subjugated 09:09 almost the entire peninsula with incredible speed. 09:13 However, as opposed to the previous invaders of Iberia, these Muslims (who 09:18 were named "Moors" by the Christians) chose to settle mostly in the 09:23 south. 09:25 We are here in the town of Sintra. 09:28 And here in the town of Sintra you have the castle of the Moores. 09:31 Or what the Portuguese call castelo da moores. 09:34 It's located at the top of the hill and it's a symbol that denotes Muslim and 09:41 Islamic domination in Portugal. 09:45 With the Moors came some technical advances. 09:49 The Moors fortified several cities, works of irrigation from Roman days 09:54 were restored and perfected, water power was used to drive milling 10:00 machinery and the use of linen paper made the multiplication of books 10:04 much easier than in the days of parchment rolls. 10:09 As a result, literacy was widespread. 10:16 Christians continuously tried to get rid of the Moores, and the first 10:19 attempt is said to have been as early as ten years after their invasion. 10:24 This was when a man named Pelagio won the first Christian victory against 10:29 the hated invaders in the north of Iberia. 10:32 Though the military significance was small at the time, it lifted 10:36 Christian morale. 10:38 Over the years, the Christians re-conquered several areas from north 10:42 to south of the peninsula. 10:45 In 1095 Alfonso VI of Leon, decided to bring this region under more 10:51 direct control of his family. 10:53 To Urraca, his legitimate daughter he assigned Galicia, as far south as 10:57 Lima. 10:59 She had married Raymond, son of the Count of Burgundy, thereby 11:03 establishing a link with the kings of France. 11:06 The Portucalense County he gave to his illegitimate daughter, Dona Teresa, 11:12 married to Henrique, also from the House of Burgundy. 11:17 From her patrimony and dynasty the future Portuguese monarchy 11:22 directly descended. 11:24 Now this here is the castle at Guimaraes - it is very likely that this 11:29 was the residence of Count Henrique and the birthplace of his son 11:34 Afonso Henriques. 11:39 On the death of her husband, Count Henrique, Dona Teresa attempted to 11:43 rule the Portucalense County herself, assuming the title of queen. 11:47 She had her eye on Galicia and to that end she married a Galician 11:51 nobleman by the name of Count Fernao Peres de Trava. 11:56 The Portucalense nobility feared they might become subject to the Galicians; 12:00 many of the leading nobles took up arms against Dona Teresa - the opposition 12:07 forces were led by her son Dom Afonso Henriques. 12:13 In June of 1128 the two parties met on this field for the Battle of Sao 12:19 Mamede. 12:21 The Portucalense were the victors. 12:23 Dom Afonso Henriques expelled his mother and her consort, and took over 12:28 the reins of the government. 12:29 This place marks the birthplace of Portugal! 12:37 The 57 year reign of Dom Afonso Henriques provided continuity and a firm 12:41 basis for his State. 12:43 He was peacefully succeeded by his eldest son Dom Sancho I - he 12:50 gained the nickname "O Povoador" meaning he encouraged land 12:54 settlement. 12:56 He continued his father's policy of administering the new kingdom through 13:00 councils elected by the principal towns and villages. 13:04 Now right behind me, this is the monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra. 13:08 Construction began in 1131 under the patronage of Dom Afonso Henriques. 13:15 Among some of the famous scholars of the monastery school was St Anthony of 13:21 Lisbon, who joined the Franciscan order at Coimbra. 13:25 The king also commissioned royal tombs - And today, the bodies of Afonso 13:31 Henriques and Sancho I, the first kings of Portugal, rest here. 13:41 One last story before we close - "Agora é tarde; Inês é morta" ("It's too 13:45 late; Inês is dead") is a Portuguese saying used in everyday life. 13:50 It has been in use for more than 550 years - it refers to one of the most 13:56 tragic heroines of Portuguese history. 13:59 Inês Pérez de Castro was the daughter of the powerful Pedro Fernandes 14:05 de Castro, an illegitimate grandson of King Sancho IV of Castile. 14:11 She arrived in Portugal in 1340 as a lady-in-waiting to her cousin, Princes 14:17 Constança of Castile, who was to marry the heir to the Portuguese throne, Dom 14:23 Pedro (son of King Dom Afonso IV). 14:28 But immediately the crown prince set his eyes on Inês' and fell in love 14:32 with her. 14:33 Dom Pedro married the Castilian Princes in 1340. 14:37 But on 13 November 1345, she died, shortly after giving birth to her third 14:44 child, Prince Dom Fernando. 14:48 Since he was no longer married, Dom Pedro went after Inês, brought her 14:55 back to Portugal and they settled her in Coimbra, where they would live 15:00 together openly. 15:03 Inês lived here in the Palace of the Convent of Santa Clara-a-Velha, and 15:08 this is where she received the love letters Pedro wrote. 15:13 You see, legend has it that he used to send her his love letters through a 15:17 small pipe carried away by the waters from Quinta do Pombal springs - today 15:23 Quinta das Lágrimas - to the Palace of Santa Clara-a-Velha. 15:35 Meanwhile Dom Pedro became increasingly close to Inês' brothers who tried 15:40 to convince him to claim the throne of Castile, thus endangering the 15:45 already fragile relations between Portugal and that neighbouring kingdom. 15:50 Soon Dom Pedro was persuaded by their arguments and declared 15:55 himself a pretender to the thrones of León and Castile. 15:59 It became evident to the Portuguese King and aristocracy that the 16:05 Castro clan would end up dragging the future monarch and his kingdom 16:10 into the fights of their neighbours. 16:14 These fearsome prospects led the King and his advisers to look for ways 16:20 to free the Prince from the damaging influence of the Castro clan. 16:25 Well the death of Inês started to be seen as a solution. 16:31 Initially, Dom Afonso IV was reluctant to agree to such an extreme action 16:38 against the mother of his grandchildren, but on 7 January 1355, while Pedro 16:46 was away from home, the King called his counsellors to a meeting 16:50 here in the Castle of Montemor-o-Velho, at the end he finally decided to 16:59 send three of his counsellors - Pêro Coelho, Álvaro Gonçalves and Diogo 17:04 Lopes Pacheco - to Coimbra, in order to kill Inês. 17:13 As soon as assassins and the king arrived here, at the Palace of the Convent 17:18 of Santa Clara-a-Velha, Inês appeared surrounded by her children and 17:22 appealed to King Dom Afonso IV. 17:25 You see the King had been struggling between the needs of the state and his 17:29 feelings as a grandparent. 17:32 Finally, he left the room, saying to the counsellors: "Do whatever you want". 17:38 As soon as the King had turned his back, the sentence was carried out: 17:43 Inês de Castro was executed. 17:46 When Dom Pedro heard that Inês had been killed, the terrible news drove him 17:50 into a fury. 17:52 Knowing that his own father had ordered the killing, Dom Pedro staged 17:57 a revolt against the King. 17:59 For several months, with the support of the Castro brothers, his troops swept 18:03 through the country and laid siege to the city of Porto. 18:07 Finally, the Queen, Dom Pedro's mother, intervened to end the revolt and 18:12 bring about a reconciliation between father and son. 18:16 Dom Pedro formally promised to forgive the incident. 18:21 Two years pass, Dom Afonso IV died and Dom Pedro succeeded to the 18:28 Portuguese throne. 18:29 As soon as he was crowned in 1357, and in spite of his promises of 18:34 forgiveness, King Dom Pedro I arrested two of Inês' assassins. 18:41 He then had them tortured and executed in a barbaric but highly symbolic way: 18:48 from one of the men who had killed the love of his life, his heart was ripped 18:56 out of his body through his back, and from the other, the heart was 18:59 pulled out through the chest. 19:02 All this happened in front of the Royal Palace, where the King was able to watch 19:08 the terrible scene while having dinner! 19:14 On 12 June 1360, the King announced that, some years earlier, he had married 19:20 Inês in a secret ceremony in the town of Bragança. 19:25 The bishop of Guarda, and one of his servants, were presented as witnesses of 19:30 the wedding - although neither one of them seemed to remember the date when 19:34 it had taken place. 19:37 Nevertheless, Inês de Castro was declared Dom Pedro's legitimate wife 19:42 and therefore the lawful Queen of Portugal. 19:46 The King then ordered her body to be exhumed and taken from the Palace of 19:53 Santa Clara in Coimbra to this location here, the Monastery in Alcobaça to 20:00 the place called the tomb of kings, where she was buried in an extraordinary 20:06 ceremony, on 2 April 1361. 20:16 I hope you're enjoying the program from Portugal. 20:19 We're about to go into the monastery there in Alcobaça and show you the 20:24 unique layout of the tombs of Dom Pedro and Inês. 20:28 And I just wanted to let you know that we weren't able to go in with our 20:33 regular equipment, and so you know, the sound may not be the quality that we 20:37 would've liked, but I hope you enjoy this special segment. 20:45 The king Dom Pedro commissioned this elaborate tomb, marble 20:51 tomb, for his wife, Inês de Castro. 20:56 The placement of the tombs here in the church of Santa Maria is really 21:00 quite interesting. 21:02 You have at this end the tomb of the queen, Inês de Castro. 21:06 And straight across, right at the other end of the church, we're going to see 21:15 the tomb of the king, Dom Pedro. 21:20 Now, there's a lot of theories around why the placement is kind of 21:26 unique in this way. 21:28 It has led many to believe that Dom Pedro and Inês de Castro believed in the 21:36 resurrection of the dead at the second coming of Christ. 21:40 And by placing the tombs in this position, at the day of the resurrection, 21:46 the first thing that they will see when they come out of the tombs will be 21:49 each other. 21:51 One of the things that leads people to believe that is that on this end 21:54 of the tomb here. I'm not sure if you're going to be able to see it. but down 22:03 below on what they call here the wheel of life is inscribed, "Until the end 22:10 of the world. 22:13 " You see, Dom Pedro and Inês de Castro believed, like Paul, when he wrote 22:19 to the Thessalonians: "For the Lord himself will descend with the voice of 22:24 the archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise 22:30 first. 22:32 " 22:33 Isn't that incredible? 22:35 Here you have this earthy king that has engraved into his tomb the promise 22:43 of the resurrection at the second coming of Jesus Christ. 22:46 This earthly king will one day, the Bible says, will bow down before the King 22:52 of kings when Jesus returns. 22:56 And when he returns, Paul tells us that he will come with the voice and with 23:01 the shout and with the trumpet of God. 23:04 And the dead in Christ will resurrect. 23:09 You see, that means if you have lost a loved one, you know, someone that you 23:13 would give every earthly possession you have to embrace one more time, the 23:20 Bible says that one day, by God's grace, that loved one will be put back into 23:28 your arms. 23:30 How? 23:32 Well, the Bible gives us the answer. 23:33 It says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God. 23:36 " In other words, the Bible is telling us that we need to align things in 23:41 our life in the right sequence with Jesus at the head, with Jesus being the 23:46 most important thing. 23:48 And if you and I do that, if we commit our lives and our desires to Jesus and 23:54 make him Lord of our life, then we can live our life in the assurance that, 24:00 should we sleep before Jesus returns, that we will be ones that will be 24:07 awakened when He comes to spend an eternity with Him. 24:13 That's the desire of my heart, and I pray that it is the desire of your 24:17 heart. 24:18 You know, folks approach me all the time and they say, "Hey, Bill, what do 24:22 all these things that I see happening around me, what do they mean? 24:26 You know, this crisis there in Syria, the Boston Marathon bombing, these 24:31 wacky diseases that seem to be popping up. 24:34 What does it mean? 24:36 " You know that our ancestors, you know, maybe they were brighter than we 24:39 are, because when they would face these types of questions, do you know 24:43 where they would go? 24:44 They would go back to the Word of God. 24:46 They'd go to the Bible. 24:48 And they would use the Bible as their textbook and look for answers to 24:51 these dilemmas, to these questions. 24:54 And that's exactly what we should do. 24:57 Friday night, October the 18th, at 7:00 o'clock, at the Belleville Seventh-Day 25:02 Adventist Church, I am going to begin a series of Bible prophecy seminars. 25:08 You know, each night, we're going to tackle a different Bible prophecy. 25:13 And as we go through those prophecies, we're going to be looking for answers to 25:18 questions like, you know, "Who is the Antichrist? 25:21 And what is the battle of Armageddon? 25:23 And what happens to us when we die? 25:26 And how do we know when Jesus will return? 25:28 " If you've been wrestling with those questions and you've wondered, "What 25:32 does the Bible have to say about those? 25:34 " you're going to want to join us, beginning Friday, October the 18th, at the 25:38 Belleville Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 7 p.m. 25:41 I hope you'll be there. 25:43 Let's have a word of prayer. 25:45 Gracious, loving heavenly Father, thank you for your goodness, your mercy, your 25:48 kindness. 25:50 Thank you for sending Jesus. 25:52 Father, I pray that everyone within the sound of my voice that has 25:56 chosen Jesus may be ready to meet him when he comes in the clouds of heaven 26:01 and spend an eternity with our Lord and Saviour. 26:06 In His name we pray, amen. 26:27 You know, ever since I was a little boy, I've been hearing the story of Dom 26:29 Pedro and Inês, the story of the love between the two of them. 26:32 But what particularly intrigues me is their belief in the resurrection 26:38 of the dead in Christ at the second coming. 26:42 Now, I know this is a topic that has caused a lot of confusion for many, 26:46 many Christians. 26:47 If you would like to better understand this, well, we have some 26:50 resources to help you. 26:53 We'd like you to spend time in Scripture to truly understand what the Bible 26:57 says to those who die. 27:00 Here is the information you need to get your study help. 27:53 Well, I'm so glad you joined us on this week's program. 27:55 And I hope you enjoyed this special broadcast from Portugal. 27:59 If you'd like to see it again or refer it to a friend, you can visit our 28:03 website, itiswrittencanada.ca. 28:06 You know, while on the website, you can also send us a prayer request, and 28:11 the staff back at the office, every morning, come together and pray 28:15 over those requests. 28:16 And if you feel so moved, you can also send a donation to support our 28:21 ministry. 28:22 Well, that's all from Portugal this time. 28:24 I hope you'll join us again next time. 28:26 In the meantime, remember, it is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, 28:32 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06