Archangel

Michael the archangel, the enforcer of God’s law and judgement is viewed by many as the closest one ever gets to such supreme power. What many do not seem to realize is that this same power takes a human form in a sheriff. In a society where law is to be considered above all else, a sheriff; the upholder law is the physical manifestation of justice. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is told from the perspective of a then six year old Scout and takes place in the southern town of…

Adrienne Rich, born in 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland, died in 2012, was an influential poet and essayist, as well as feminist and political activist. Rich was the eldest of two daughters, and was largely influenced by her parents. Her father, Arnold Rice Rich was the Chairman of Pathology at Johns Hopkins, and always encouraged Adrienne to read and write her own poetry as much as possible. Her early influences include Arnold, Blake, Keats, and Tennyson. Her mother was a concert pianist and…

On the west slope of Mt. Helikon, below the acropolis of ancient Steirion, atop an ancient temple to Demeter2 lies the monastery of Hosios Loukas (See Fig. 1). It is enclosed by a wall and comprises two- and three-story blocks of cells, a bell-tower at the South West corner, the Refectory on the South side and the two adjoining churches at the center of the enclosure. The monastery was founded by the hermit Loucas Stereiotis, who lived in the area from 945 CE until the day of his death, in 953CE…

“rulers”, kings”, “stars”, and “sons” who had geographical rule over the nations of the earth. These same parallels appear in Psalm 82 and in other places of scripture . They would also become to be known by other names such as “Watchers” and “archangels”. They are commonly referred to as angels although angels are not part of the divine council “proper”, but are servants of the divine council at large. The Semitic view is that they were lesser gods, even if they were not true…

The primal and violent nature of man has been exploited by governments throughout the ages. These evolutionary-based characteristics were fueled by propaganda and religiously-based arguments in an effort to mobilize the citizenry of the countries and enact “total war.” World War I was one of the first of its kind to utilize modern warfare that had soldiers fighting at higher stakes than ever before. Millions died at the hands of chemical and technological modern warfare and the inherent,…

Trumpets (trump) are inseparably linked to the time period when the Antichrist shortly rules before the return of the Lord. The voice of God Himself sounds like the voice of a trumpet. When the apostle John was on the Isle of Patmos, he heard from the Lord Jesus Christ, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet.” (Rev. 1:10). The book of Revelation presents three sets of seven judgments the Lord will bring about in the time just prior…

In Utopia, More decides to have Utopia apologized and advocated for by one Raphael Hythloday. Raphael, being the archangel most associated with healing (as in the book of Tobias), is an appropriate name for a man that More and Giles believe would be well suited to solve the world’s—or at least, a nation’s—problems as a statesman or a chancellor in the service of a king…

Throughout the years, African Americans have always wanted to live the American Dream. Fences by August Wilson is a play about a man, Troy Maxson, who never gets his chance to play in the major league simply because he is African American. Throughout the story, Troy uses baseball as an analogy for his life. Troy is very reluctant to let his son, Cory, play football in college while his wife, Rose, just wants what is best for her only child. In this story, the character’s can be classified by the…

There is a famous passage in Second Isaiah, composed during or after the Exile, which is sometimes cited as a Jewish rebuke to the Zoroastrian idea of a dualistic God: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." (Isaiah 45:7) This passage, which is a major source for Jewish speculation on the source of good and evil in the world, denies the Zoroastrian idea of a God who is the source only of "good" and favorable things. The…

William Blake was a radical poet who encompassed the ideals of the Romantic Era while also promoting social change with his work. The first goal of the Romantic Movement, God in nature, is a huge part of Blake’s writings. He was also a strong believer in the second objective, putting desire back into the world. Besides that, he also wrote about social issues that he thought should be changed. Blake was a revolutionary poet who fully embraced the spirit of the Romantic Era and radical ideas.…