The Roman church had not yet been visited and had no New Testament because the gospels were not yet being circulated in their final written form. Thus, this letter may well have been the first piece of Christian literature the Roman believers had seen. In Roman culture to choose to be a servant was unthinkable. Paul was a Roman citizen but chose to be entirely dependent on and abide in Christ Jesus (Romans 1:1). Paul’s impact was made known because of his citizenship and willingness to serve and obey Jesus…
From a lamp post that was there from the beginning and the girl that finds it to a talking lion that all you want to do is love and a witch that had the power to free the world over C.S. Lewis has brought us one of the world's greatest book series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Although C.S. Lewis is recognized throughout the world as a great Christian thinker, philosopher, apologist and writer, his theology often fails to meet the standards of most Evangelicals and is often at odds with the broader Evangelical community. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland in the winter of 1898. Lewis was the son of a clergyman and a mathematician. Lewis’s father, Albert James Lewis, was a clergyman.…
1. Share your observations and impressions of the book and Lewis’s argument. The book "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis offers an insight into the Christian world that I, and many other teenagers and even adults, probably have never even thought about or considered. When first reading the book I was frustrated with C.S. Lewis. The way he explained things made me feel as if he was trying to reach out to me, and any other reader, as if we were completely clueless to Christianity.…
However, during his teenage years, he became a professed atheist. Later in his life, he returned to Christianity and became famous for detailing his spiritual journey (Epperson, Gray, Hall, 45). In the article, “What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ” C.S. Lewis shares his personal beliefs about Christianity and provides valuable persuasions to refute certain non-Christian beliefs. The basis of C.S Lewis argument is that readers must accept or reject the story of what God intends to make of us.…
The world has an instinct to search for a higher power. Some people deny the power, but others embrace it. C.S. Lewis was one of many well known authors that wove his beliefs into his writings. Readers of Lewis’ famous children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia, can see parallel images of the Christian faith, specifically through the character of Aslan. Aslan is a lion that is known as the creator and savior in the Narnian world, much like Jesus Christ in the Christian faith.…
In Dante’s Inferno, Dante states that pitying those damned in Hell is impious and highly discouraged. This is exemplified through the multiple instances of pity and its consequences throughout the book and through Virgil’s guidance. In this essay, I will discuss pity’s role within the Inferno and how it is proven to be a sign of impiety. Pitying the sinful never has positive consequences and surprisingly turns the person pitying the damned into a sinner themselves as they are restricting themselves from growing and learning from the sinners’ mistakes. Pity is a complicated concept.…
In the books, The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction and The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction, both authors provide their readers with the significant characteristics of the Aztec and Roman empires and also the untold stories of how powerful these civilizations stood. The Roman Empire by Christopher Kelly, informs his readers of the Roman Empire. He emphasizes the challenges and achievements that this civilization has made. The Aztecs by David Carrasco, points out the wins of the Aztec Civilization. Despite different viewpoints of Aztec culture, Carrasco uses evidence to back up his argument of the significance and importance of the Aztec empire.…
Throughout history people have been fighting over if God exists or not. Two of those people are named C.S. Lewis, who believed that God exists, and Sigmund Freud, who believed that God does not exist. According to Armand Nicholi, Freud and Lewis thought the question of God was the most important question in the world. Out of the two, one of them had a stronger case for his worldview.…
Early Christians in ancient Roman society faced many difficulties. If Roman citizens were caught practicing Christianity they were condemned to a gruesome death, feeding Christians to the lions was a common form of entertainment for the Emperor. Perpetua and Felicity were two Roman’s who were martyred because of their beliefs in God and His son, Jesus Christ. Roman society rejected Perpetua and Felicity because their faith went against the emperor and many Roman values, when these two women converted they the left their Roman culture behind and traded it in for entry into God’s kingdom.…
And while trust in human reason and hope for happiness in this world faded during the last centuries of the Roman Empire, a new view of the world began to establish its roots - Christianity. This view had emphasized escape from the world of coercion and a growing connection with higher existence. In response to the decline of Hellenism, Christianity offered a reason worth living to the spiritually disappointed polytheistic followers and the Greco-Roman world: hope in personal immortality. Triumph of Christianity marked a break with classical antiquity and a new stage in the evolution of the West because there was a fundamental difference between the classical and the Christian understanding of God, the individual and the purpose of life.…
A Plea for the Christians was written by Athenagoras the Athenian in 177 A.D. This was written to the emperor and his co-ruler son as a plea for Christianity. The purpose of A Plea for the Christians was to show the ridiculousness and cruelty against Christians (Knight). A Plea for the Christians begins with Athenagoras explaining the three pagan accusations against Christians: atheism, incest and cannibalism. He used Greek philosophy and Christian theology to support his plea while writing respectfully to the emperor and his accusers. Athenagoras talks about the accusation of atheism, and outlines the Christian beliefs of God.…
The mistake made by some is how each sees God differently and believe in God. Lewis shared in "The Rival Conceptions of God" that practicing atheist believe that all other religions are wrong, no exceptions (Lewis, 2009). Lewis shared that humanity was thought to be divided into majority and minority. Lewis shared that the majority believe there is a God or Gods that exist and a few, the minority, believe there is no God (Lewis, 2009). Christianity is among the majority which includes Greeks, Romans, and Platonists.…
In 313 CE, centuries after the start of Christianity, The Edict of Milan, passed by Emperor Constantine, lawfully allowed the practice of Christianity and legally allowed churches to be built. Before the Edict of Milan, Christians were often persecuted if they were caught practicing Christianity or if they refused to bow down to images of the Emperor. When Emperor Constantine was first appointed in 305, he battled against many other Emperors in a fight to gain land and power. One of these battles, the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, ultimately changed his views of Christianity. Right before this battle, Constantine had a vision where he saw, “a cross superimposed on a noon sun and inscribed with the words, ‘By this conquer’.”…
The Odyssey portrays Greek civilization while the Aeneid portrays Romans. Both of these epics have been used to portray the differences between each civilization, and in this essay I will be comparing how Virgil uses literary parallels from Homer 's, The Odyssey, to prove the point that Roman civilization is much more…
One of the main points addressed at the council was the heretical teaching of Arianism. Arianism is the belief that Jesus Christ, while more divine than man, is subservient to God, and not part of the holy trinity. This theological division roared into the spotlight from a sermon given by then Bishop St. Alexender. Alexender proclaimed that the father, the son, and the holy spirit are one in the same and equal to one another, or better known as homoousion. A local Pastor named Arius (no stranger to controversy himself) immediately responded by labeling Alexander's statement Sabellianism, a belief that had already been denounced at that time.…