Christopher Columbus, the Christ-Bearer

Christopher. In Latin, it is said "Christo-ferens" which means Christ-bearer. Did Christopher Columbus live up to his name? Was Jesus on his mind at all? Did God have anything to do with his discovery of America?

Today my children and I talked about this ancient adventurer. In my researching and planning of what I would teach, I learned much that astonished me. Let me share some of this with all of you.

From the time he was a little boy, Columbus wanted to be a sailor. Not only did he dream of such a future, but he worked hard preparing for it. He was basically self-taught at home, devouring any book having to do with geography and navigation. As a young man, Columbus felt that God spoke to him, telling him that He would cause his "name to be proclaimed throughout the world" and give him "the keys of the gates to the ocean which were closed with strong chains".

Columbus was only 14 when he set off sailing with some other men. One day, his ship was attacked by pirates, whom he fought but was overtaken. The ship was wrecked, yet God saved Columbus. He held onto an oar and ultimately landed in Portugal. Though this seemed to be a horrible occurrence, Columbus soon realized that God had arranged everything for the best. In those days, Portugal was the biggest sea power in in the world and the captains in this country sailed their ships to far places in search of new land.

In Portugal no one doubted that the world was round and so geographers created globes. Columbus had come from an area where he had been laughed at with his professions that the earth wasn't flat. Now here in Portugal, he could study all the various sized globes!
Columbus also married a woman of high birth in this country, and for this reason, among others, became highly respected.

Christopher had heard stories of Lief Erikson and his desire to bring the Christian faith to Greenland, but how a storm had tossed his ship about the ocean. Lief had eventually landed on a strange coast on the other side of the ocean. When Columbus heard these stories, a fire was lit within him. He felt as if the Lord had chosen him to sail west across the sea to carry the Christian faith to the heathens. In fact, he later wrote: "It was the Lord who put in my mind the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit...No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if the intention is purely for His holy service." (Written in Columbus' Book of Prophecies)

Christopher Columbus first asked the king of Portugal for help for his voyage. After a time, the king refused him and claimed that it cannot be done since it had never been done before. So Columbus went to Spain where there ruled a king with a queen at his side who was known for her virtue and wisdom. Queen Isabella wanted to share her faith with the people in the East who had never heard about Christ, but at that time her kingdom was engulfed in a war.

Columbus waited seven years, during which time his money dwindled. He took his son and together they began begging their food. One day they came to a convent and there one monk took notice of Columbus. This man was struck with his dignity and said of Columbus, he is no ordinary beggar. The monk had connections with the Queen (either he knew her personally or knew her priest personally, my studies did not make this clear to me). Through him, a good word was put in for Columbus.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella finally won the war and summoned Columbus. They were so happy that they agreed to all his requests and the queen said that she would even sell her jewels to help him. So before dawn on Friday, Aug. 3rd, 1492, Columbus led his men to church and prayed for a safe and prosperous voyage.

While on the expedition, the sailors became increasingly worried. Columbus kept the faith though, believing God would bring them to land. His crew wanted to turn back for home, though, and threatened to throw Christopher into the sea and take over the ships. So he finally agreed to turn back, but asked them to just give him three more days. If they did not come to land in three days (which would be October 12th), they would return home. It was after this agreement was made that the wind suddenly picked up and sped the ships through the water. By the second day they began to see sticks floating and land birds flying above.

Before dawn on the third day, October 12th, the first sight of land was made! Just in time!

When the crew made land, they stuck a cross into the sand and Columbus fell to his knees with all his men, thanking the Lord for having brought them safely to the island. He named the place "San Salvador" which means Holy Savior.

Columbus later moved on to discover other new areas and one night while he was sleeping, his ship struck a coral reef and broke into pieces. The Indians there came to help him and also told him that there was gold in the mountains. Columbus again marveled at how God had arranged everything for the best. Just as when the pirates attacked long ago, he had lost his ship but now had gained a gold mine for Spain. Both times God had used something horrible and turned it around for the good.

On his way back to Spain, there was a bad storm and Columbus was not sure if he would live through it, as he wrote a letter and put it in a bottle. In the letter, he spoke of his trust in God. Yet I am afraid his love for God may have begun to fall second to his love for the gold. There is evidence in his life later, and lack of evidence of God's hand for that matter, that Columbus allowed pride and greediness to get a foothold in his soul. No, he was not a perfect man but it is evident that his discovery of new land was both led by God and done for God.

Washington Irving wrote of Columbus: "Whenever he made any great discovery, he celebrated it by solemn thanks to God. The voice of prayer and melody of praise rose from his ships when they first beheld the New World, and his first action on landing was to prostrate himself upon the earth and return thanksgivings."

Columbus wrote that in naming the first island San Salvador, he was "thus bestowing upon it the name of our holy Savior under Whose protection I made the discovery." Regarding the natives, he wrote, "I made them many presents of useful things which I had carried with me, for the purpose of gaining their affection, in order that they may received the faith of Jesus Christ..."

About the voyage, Columbus wrote, "The Lord often granting to men what they never imagine themselves capable of effecting...even in that which appears impossible...in this manner has it happened to me who have succeeded in an undertaking never before accomplished by man...and now ought the King, Queen...as well as the whole of Christians, to give thanks to our Savior Jesus Christ who has granted us such a victory and great success...Let Christ rejoice upon earth as He does in heaven, to witness the coming salvation of so many people."

Amen.

I want to leave you all with one last quoted paragraph from my childrens' old history book:

"As you grow older and read larger histories than these, you will find that seldom has a great man or woman brought to the world any great new truth, that ignorant and superstitious people did not scoff at it and make the life of the brave discoverer one of persecution."

I believe this is a true conclusion; but thanks be to God that we are more than conquerors through our faith in Jesus!