The artist Jacopo Zucchi was born in Italy in 1540 and passed away in 1596. He was a painter in the 16th century. When I went to the Yale Art Museum, I saw his painting “The Assembly of the Gods”. The painting was created in 1575, which was the period of the renaissance. It was located in the second floor in the ‘European Art’ collection area.…
Mark Tranvik does an amazing job in translating Martin Luther's treatise: The Freedom of a Christian, where Luther contrasts countless religious components - the body (the inner person) and soul (the other person), and faith and works, - these subjects Luther's uses as an attempt to strengthen and return the Christian faith to its true origin. He argues that works have no effect in obtaining righteousness or salvation, instead it is a natural product of humanity. Instead, acknowledging that salvation is and righteousness is solely attainable through faith, which is the only true way humans can reconcile with God. For all rulers, nobles, Roman Catholic officials - all Christians alike- are held to the same standards of spirituality and faith. Luther is successful in his argument of faith over bodies of work to obtain salvation, when he draws support from scripture and historical context of that time.…
Introduction The author, John N. Oswalt, book The Bible Among the Myths begins with the assertion of how unique the Christian-biblical worldview of ancient stories is a myth and that Jesus Christ is not real no more than Zeus or Osiris being real. Oswalt write that there is a lack of understanding about what constitutes a myth, as some people think it is simply a stories that are false. Oswalt also stated that the book primarily because of the changes between the characteristics of Ancient Israelite way of thought was so different from that of their neighbors West Semitic religions, today’s society, that are naive and the unique features of the Old Testament view of reality are thought to be explicable “on the basis of evolutionary change.” As…
John Kennedy Toole can be, in my opinion, described as one of the most brilliant- and tragic- authors of the 20th century. He is most famous for the novel A Confederacy of Dunces, which won a posthumous Pulitzer. The story of how The Neon Bible came to be published is complex, but The Neon Bible begins at the end of the story, with the main character on a dark train, headed to a place even he doesn't know. We know the resolution before we even know who our protagonist is, or why he is running away. Quickly, however, he reflects on his life and we learn about him, how he got there, and how he grew up.…
As main stream denominations continue to shrink and modern day evangelicalism has morphed into something more politically and conservatively centered, I found “Rescuing Jesus; How People of Color, Women and Queer Christians are Reclaiming Evangelism”, by Deborah Jian Lee, enlightening, profound and hopeful as it centers on new, out of the box ways in which people generally pushed into the margins, are redefining their evangelical Christianity. “Evangelicalism is anything but a monolith; it is a vastly diverse landscape”. Meaning, not all evangelicals are the same and perhaps what we think of them or how we envision them is way off the mark.…
The Bible was written so that the common man could understand it and follow its commandments. The people also showed a greater interest in their reasoning, rather than the quest for true understanding. Through the use of science, one is able to eliminate ambiguous language and communicate in a more finite and precise language, thus eliminating the…
Hesiod 's Theogony and the Book of Genesis, came from two very distinct cultures. Hesiod’s Theogony is the Greek account of the creation of earth and humankind, while The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, which also stands as an account of creation. There are a number of profound similarities and differences between the creation stories contained in Hesiod 's Theogony and the biblical book of Genesis. The similarities and differences between these works may reflect a great cultural similarity between human kind, and can reflect social understandings and interpretations of the outside world.…
Plato’s Timaeus is a Socratic dialogue in which the philosopher Timaeus explains the origins and composition of creation. Genesis 1, The Story of Creation, is part of the Hebrew Bible, it was composed around 1200 B.C.E., and influenced by other cultures of the time. Both Timaeus and Genesis 1 explore God’s relationship to creation and the natural world. However, the description of God and the cosmos differs between Timaeus and Genesis 1.…
How We Got the Bible by Neil R. Lightfoot is a book that provides answers to many questions that a person may have about the Bible. In this book you will learn about what materials were first used to write down the words of scripture, and many more interesting things about the Bible that you might not have known, as Neil R. Lightfoot discusses the origin, the passing down of the bible from generation to generation, and the different translations of the Bible. This book could also be used for a class study, at the end of every chapter there is a summary and some discussion questions. This book makes a good group read, and can also be a book that you can read on your own if you wanted.…
The Bible is made up of 73 books all based on the word of God. The 73 books are divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is written before Christ whereas the New Testament is written after Christ. Together the testaments combine to create the Holy Bible. The Christian faith is based on the readings of the Bible, because it is said that god spoke to the prophets making the Bible a Sacred Scripture.…
and their struggle for a new world of life , freedom and solidarity. The poor believe and trust in the word of the Bible as light and strength for their liberation struggle. Reporting what the people say in the base communities about this reading of the Bible, Carlos Masters indicates its significance and scope. 1. The Bible is read not only as a history of the past, but also and especially as a mirror of history occurring today in the life of the people 2.…
The story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 of the Hebrew Bible is a brief but complex moment within the larger story of human development throughout the book of Genesis. At first reading the story appears entirely pessimistic in nature, but through close reading of the text, the nature of the story begins to change. In this essay, I argue that humankind’s creation of the Tower of Babel was motivated more so through an unconscious desire to be closer to God, who had become physically absent from people and the Earth since the flood in Genesis 7, rather than being motivated by hubris and self-glorification. Furthermore, I argue that God’s subsequent scattering of humanity across the Earth with different languages was not a punishment against…
Introduction The Tanak is one of the most common names used to describe the Jewish Bible. It is also known in Protestant circles as the beginning books of the Bible, which is also called the Old Testament. No matter what name this section is given, it is a complex set of books with multiple authors, written in diverse languages, and has a history all its own. Yet, with proper study, much about the text can be discovered because many try to translate the original Hebrew and Aramaic as accurately as possible.…
What is the main significant information? What are the assumption if there are, and why the writer…
Christians must use their understanding of humanities relationship with God, in order to fulfill His orders to take responsibility for the community of creation. Pope Francis’ Encyclical letter ‘Laudato Si’ aims to bring light current destruction of our global creation. Christian anthropology gives an understanding of the human person, formed through interactions and relationships with others. Christians have formed these interactions to form relationships with creation. The Encyclical refers to the term ‘creation’ in a broader context, referring not only to human’s relationship with the environment, but with God and with neighbours as well.…