Origen

Just as in Origen’s interpretation, the ‘majority interpretation’ finds Jesus to be commanding his disciples to “leave behind all worldly commitments” even those involving “family”, such as the obligation of secondary burial. Additionally, just like Origen, the ‘majority interpretation’ seems to assume that the burial will fall on the shoulders of someone else, in this case the “spiritually…

In The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity, David Brakke argues for an approach for the rethinking of Gnosticism and its rejection by the Church. Gnosticism reveals as a diverse set of beliefs different from that of the early Christians. This book displays scholarly debates on the interpretation of Gnosticism and the ancient Christians. Some scholars argue that Gnosticism is a mark of imperfection and individuals should simply ignore it. On the other hand, modern scholars…

Introduction According to the Christian doctrine of creatio ex nihilo, creation is ontologically dependent on its Creator. This means that “God, in creating the universe, was not constrained by the limitations of the already existing stuff from which the universe was to be fashioned, but was free to bring into existence a universe in which the divine will was recognizably embodied and enacted” In these two tenets, it is affirmed that God was not forced by any inner or outer necessities to…

Concepts of Creativity Over Time “Poiein”,to make, “techne”, to make things according to rules, “facere”, man made, “creatio”, creation from nothing, “excogitation”, to think up, “de novo creat”, to create anew. These Greek and Latin terms represent, quite literally, the origins of the word “creativity”, although they also embody the evolution of the concept itself. Poiein was used by ancient Greeks to refer to poetry, and illustrates their belief that creativity, and the creator, were of divine…

Cortes first encountered the practice of human sacrifices in Cozumel and his absolute horror at what he witnesses fueled his religious ideals. He described the human sacrifices he saw, in which the still beating heart was removed from a living person, like this, “kneaded with the blood of human hearts taken from the breasts of living persons, from which a paste is formed in a sufficient quantity to form large statues. When these are completed, they make them offerings of the hearts of other…

Introduction The book of Revelation, referred to by many other names, the Apocalypse of John, Revelation to John, or simply Revelation is final book of the New Testament. Moreover, Revelation crosses three literary genres including epistolary, apocalyptic, and prophetic. Due in part to the variety of Revelation, it should come as no surprise that there are a multitude of different views on the interpretation of Revelation. This paper will focus primarily on four of the main viewpoints, Preterist…

Plate Armor and The Hundred Years War One of the first well known conflicts where chainmail, hauberks, and counter-weaponry clashed is The Hundred Years War from 1337-1453, which pitted the French against the English. With limited protection from the chainmail, the advent of plate armor began during this long series of battles, and the weapon of choice became the crossbow, which by the 15th century was made entirely of steel, increasing its power and range significantly. While historical…

This paper is an evaluation of the Christian concept of the Trinity. We will first define the term and examine Scriptural support, then review the initial historical development of the Trinity including heretical errors. We will switch to discussing the post-Schism adoption, further evolution and new heresies relating to the Trinity during that period. And finally, the paper will close with a personal appraisal and application. Trinity Terminology and Scriptural Support To begin, let’s define…

Introduction to the Book of Philippians Introduction Paul’s short epistle to the Philippians was in essence a thank you letter to a church in Philippi that he himself had established sometime during his second missionary journey (Acts 16:12). The tone of the epistle is apparent, Paul regards the Philippi church dear to his heart and it is also apparent that the church’s sentiments towards Paul are similar (Phil 1:7). The epistle is Paul’s response to the Philippi church where he takes the time…

Complementary Field Exam RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN: APPROACHES, INTERPRETATIONS, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS Race and ethnicity are both important aspects of identity in the modern world. Given their centrality in today’s identity politics, the study of race and ethnicity has naturally found its way into the pages of studies on the ancient Mediterranean. The Greeks and Romans are thought to have been the progenitors of ideas and philosophies which the modern “Western” world…