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Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Silent Movie Genres
In the early twentieth century, close to
twenty-six million people attended nickelodeons weekly. Gross receipts totaled close to 100 million
dollars yearly. The frequent movie watchers were immigrants, the working class,
or the unemployed. The silent films could be understood by all; however, the
middle and upper class did not attend the early film showing as they would not
have been caught dead in the disreputable nickelodeons. During the silent
picture era, movie studios produced three main categories of films. The
western, slapstick comedy, and romance genres were used repeatedly during the
early motion picture production.
Western films were very popular due to a
number of factors. First, directors of western films, such as John Ford and
W.D. Griffith, went to great lengths to include footage of the surrounding land
and its beauty when editing their films. The public was not as well traveled in
the early years of this century, and it enjoyed watching films of places they
had not been. A central theme of the western film was good versus evil.
Frequently, the climax included a villain who had terrorized a town in a fight
or shootout involving the sheriff or the "good guys." Men enjoyed
westerns, as the stars in the movies were men they could identify with or
emulate.
Another category of the film story line
was the slapstick comedy. Early on, film producers saw that poking fun at
people involved in everyday life circumstances could be profitable. In the
movie, The Kiss, the actor takes great care in smoothing out his voluminous
mustache before planting his lips on his costar's cheek. Many times, the star
of the comedy was involved in a man versus nature scenario. He might be seen
running from an animal or trying to get out of the way of an avalanche. The
harder he tried to overcome the situation, the worse the situation became.
Other comedies revolved around chase scenes and people fighting over a
particular object. Comics were quite physical and acrobatic and took great
pride in trying to amuse the audience with their facial expressions.
Romance films by far were the most
popular due to several factors. Early women stars were perfect for bringing
femininity to the big screen. Clara Bow, silent movie actress, portrayed much
more than the girl next door. Bow's character liked men a lot, did not mind
being kissed, and often exposed various parts of her anatomy in order to get
the man. Before the moral codes of today's films, the director could specialize
in eroticism and visual beauty to heighten the emotions of the audience.
Romance films always had happy endings that left their viewers with feelings of
optimism. Other films called cliffhangers ended before the boy-gets-girl
scenario, asking the audience to return the following week to see its
conclusion. This left the viewers contemplating the happy ending for its
favorite stars. Romance films were and still are very popular on the wide
screens.
Silent films, unfortunately, are no
longer made. Their success ended with the development of the radio. Viewers
wanted to hear what the actors were saying; therefore, the film industry
started production of talkies, though voiceless films were understood
everywhere and were intelligible in all languages. Their themes were universal
and common to all populations. Today's audience still just as easily
understands the westerns, romances, and comedies of the past.
The Commanding Heights: Battle of Ideas
For a long time
now, our economy has been shaped and modified, based on the ideas of various public
intellectuals-“intellectual heroes”, these people have been very influential in
various country’s policies, a lot of them have been involved in debates and
battles-which is inevitable, because human beings do not think the same way,
hence; they have different views and ideas on things.
A major subject
that has attracted a lot of idealist has been the issue of the World Economy.
There has been a battle over the world economy for so long, which has resulted
to bubbles and bust of the economy of different countries; a lot of countries
have faced the problem of hyper-inflation, recession, etc.
Two of the great
economists of the twenty century were John Maynard Keyes and Friedrich August
Hayek. They were friends, but intellectual rivals. Keynes helped allied
governments to defend freedom by planning their wartime economics, his ideas
affected the theory and practice of modern macro-economics. He advocated the
use of fiscal and monetary measures to mitigate the adverse effects of economic
recessions and depression. He believed that the market economics will go into
excesses, so government can step in. On the other hand, Hayek thought that
government interference in the economy was threat to freedom.
Keynes went to
Cambridge, and he was well-known in London for making a fortune in the stock market;
lost it all, and then made it back. He advised the British government on how to
organize its war economy. He later joined the British Peace Relegation in
France at the end of WW1. In 1936, he showed governments how to manage
economies to spend more in good economy and cut spending on bad economy. He
helped to create the World Bank and the IMF. Hayek
joined the Libertarians, who believe that people needed to be free from
government interventions; they believed that markets work, but the governments
do not. He believed that central planning was the first step to a totalitarian
state.
Winston Churchill
was opposed to government planning and later one-third of the world adopted
Socialism, while others adopted Capitalism; this resulted into the Cold War.
The war made the German economy to disintegrate, their currency became
worthless. India also became an independent nation, and it had a good economy,
which became a model for new independent nations.
Some of the world leaders that were
affected by these ideas were Richard Nixon, who was the President of the United
States, during the 1971 inflation and Britain was also facing unemployment and
inflation. He was a Keynesian. Another person was Margaret Thatcher, who
attended oxford and had been deeply influenced after reading Hayek’s book, she
later became Prime minister of Britain. Her government invented Privatization,
it put the commanding heights of the British economy up for sale and two-third
of state industries was sold to become private sectors. Jimmy Carter tried to
follow Keynes formula, but it did not work. Ronald Reagan used Hayek’s theories
and inflation was gone in 1982. His tax cuts led to huge deficits, but it later
started to grow again.
In conclusion, the
battle of ideas has helped to shaped the modern economy, and helped to put in
place, various policies, but in this time that the world is facing a different
type of recession, this ideas have not in any way help to solve the problem at
hand. It will take the ideas of a new set of idealist to end this recession.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
FACTS ABOUT THE SHROUD OF TURIN
Was the Shroud image the original image upon which all Byzantine icons were based? The icon pictured here is the Sinai Icon from the Monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai Peninsula. It was created around 550 AD and has numerous "points of congruence" to the Shroud image. It curiously was crafted only 25 years after the Image of Edessa was discovered in 525AD. The field of Iconography suggests that the Shroud Image was the "Image not made by hands" from which all icons drew their inspiration. Was that inspiration what we know today as The Shroud of Turin?
Fast forward to France in the Middle Ages for now because that is where the fully documented and continuous history of the Shroud begins. But there is more to the story on the Shroud's probable history. We'll get to that later.
1353: The Shroud's fully documented history began in Western Europe when it was revealed by Geoffrey DeCharney in Lirey, France.
1452: DeCharney's granddaughter sold the cloth to the Duke of Savoy in exchange for two castles. It remained in the Savoy family until 1982 when it was officially willed to the Catholic church although it had custodial care of the Shroud for centuries.
1532: The burial linen was severely damaged by fire in Chambery, France. Thought to be arson the very security measures in place to protect it from theft thwarted the Shroud's rescue until it was too late to prevent severe damage. Theories about the fire somehow altering the carbon date of the cloth have proven to be erroneous. More on that later.
1534: The Shroud was repaired by the Poor Claire Nuns who were skilled in making textile repairs. The holes from the fire were patched and the entire cloth was attached to a backing cloth for support. This repair now looms large as the carbon dating tests of 1988 are called into question as having dated a medieval reweave rather than the original cloth of the Shroud. This now is the most credible explanation as to what the labs dated and why they were wrong.
1578: The cloth was moved to Turin, Italy for safe keeping and remains there until this day. It is kept in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and is only brought out for public display on rare occasions. The next public exhibition will be held in 2020.
The history of the Shroud prior to 1353 is not fully documented, but a significant historical trail allows for the following reconstruction of the cloth's early history.
70AD: Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Empire. The "Legend of King Abgar" suggests the Shroud was taken to Edessa (now Urfa, Turkey) sometime prior to this date. The King was miraculously healed of leprosy after gazing upon a mysterious image and converted to Christianity. The first church outside the Holy Land was reported to have been built in Edessa in the early second century. Later that century persecutions would sweep the Roman Empire. The mysterious cloth would be hidden away inside the fortified wall surrounding the city and forgotten for 300 years.
525: A severe flood destroyed most of Edessa. During the rebuilding of the walls, a metal box containing the mysterious cloth was rediscovered. By this time the Emporer Constantine had declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire (330AD). It was safe to reveal the image without fear of the persecutions. It became known throughout the Byzantine world as "The Image of Edessa" and later was called the "Mandylion". It was described as "The true likeness of Christ, not made by human hands."
944: The Byzantine Imperial Army invaded Edessa for the express reason of retrieving the cloth from the city which had fallen to Islam. In exchange for gold and 200 prisoners of war, the cloth was delivered to the army without a fight. It was taken to Constantinople (now Istanbul) and presented to the Emperor. August 16th of 944, with great ceremony, the cloth was draped over the Emperor's throne and crowned with his crown. The sermon that night was delivered by Gregory the Arch Deacon of the Hagia Sophia, the great cathedral. In that sermon he points to both the face and side wound of the image declaring it to be that of Christ.
1204: Constantinople was invaded by the Fourth Crusade. After laying siege to the city for two years, they finally breached the walls and ended up burning down nearly half the city. In the carnage nearly everything of value was stolen. All the silver and gold were taken by the Venetians who had funded the campaign but the French desired the "relics of the saints" and, according to a letter to the pope written in 1205, "Most holy of all, the cloth in which our Lord was wrapped after his death and before the resurrection". The Mandylion as it was then known had disappeared and most likely in the hands of the French.
1204 to 1353: One of several gaps in the history of the Shroud, evidence suggests it was secretly kept by the Knights Templars for safe keeping. The Templars offered protection for items of great value. They had castles all over France and Europe and specialized in offering safe passage to pilgrims making their way to he Holy Land. They would a small army of "warrior monks" to accompany the pilgrims on their trek by land or sea. Such protection came at a price and the Templars became wealthy with land, castles and gold. They had the means to keep the safe the booty stolen from Constantinople.
1307: It was in this year that the King of France conspired with the Pope to bring down the Templars. They had become too rich and too powerful. The King had borrowed heavily from them to finance his war with England. It was decided that the Pope would issue a decree to have all Templars arrested and their property confiscated. It was Friday the 13th, 1307 when over 15,000 Templars were arrested in France on the same day and thrown into prisons. As part of the French Inquisition, the Catholic Church's crusade against heresy, they were all made to confess under torture to various heresies. One of those heresies was that they "worshiped" a mysterious image.
Two leaders of the Templars, Geoffrey DeCharney and Jacques DeMolay were burned at the stake for their "heresy".
1353: The Shroud is revealed in public for the first time at a small collegiate church in Lirey, France. Who owns it? None other than Geoffrey DeCharney. A coincidence? Not likely. Although how the Shroud came into his hands is not completely known, he was obviously a descendant to the Geoffrey DeCharney who was burned at the stake less than 50 years prior.
It is from this point that the history of the Shroud is without dispute. Did the Templars have it? We can only speculate. Was it the same cloth as the Mandylion that disappeared in 1204? It sure sounds like it from descriptions. Was it the same cloth that was revealed in 525 and heralded as the "True Likeness of Christ"? Was it the same image that was delivered to King Abgar in the First Century which brought about his healing of leprosy?
We can not answer these questions with certainty but only with probability. The pollen trail confirms this same historical trail. The evidence from Iconography also confirms it. Other evidence indicates its origin in Israel, its manufacture in the Middle East, and its correlation with other Jewish burial shrouds and burial practices.
1898: The Shroud was photographed for the first time by Secondo Pia. These first pictures led to the discovery that the image on the cloth is actually a negative. In other words, the image becomes positive only when the light values are reversed in a photographic negative. This discovery startled the scientific community and stimulated worldwide interest.
1931: Guisseppe Enrie photographed the Shroud again with more advanced film technology confirming that the Shroud is indeed a negative image. Copies of Enrie's photos were circulated throughout the world prompting more scientific inquiry and interest.
1950: Dr. Pierre Barbet, a prominent French Surgeon, published his landmark book, A Doctor at Calvary documenting 15 years of medical research on the Shroud image. He described the physiology and pathology of the man on the Shroud as "anatomically perfect".
1973: Max Frei, a noted Swiss criminologist, was given permission to take dust samples from the Shroud which contained pollen. He discovered 22 pollen species from plants that are unique to areas around Constantinople and Edessa, and 7 pollen species from plants common mostly to the Middle East. The pollen trail confirmed the historical trail.
1975: Air Force scientists John Jackson and Eric Jumper, using a sophisticated image enhancement analyzer (VP-8) designed for the space program, discovered the Shroud image contained encoded 3-D data not found in ordinary reflected light photographs. This discovery indicated that the cloth must have wrapped a real human figure at the time the image was formed.
1978: The Shroud was on public exhibit for the first time since 1933 and was displayed for six weeks. Over 3 million people passed through the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist to view it behind bullet proof glass. At the close of the exhibition, 40 scientists comprising the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP), mostly from the United States, analyzed the Shroud for five continuous days (122 hours) working in shifts around the clock.
1980: In June, National Geographic magazine published a landmark article on the Shroud further propelling the cloth into a science superstar calling it "One of the most perplexing enigmas of modern times".
1980: This same year, microscopist Walter McCrone who was not part of the Shroud Project was given several fibers to analyze. After finding iron oxide particles and a single particle of vermillion paint, he broke ranks with the Shroud scientists who had agreed to make all findings public the following year. McCrone proposed that the Shroud was a painting of red ochre paint created from iron oxide particles suspended in a thin binder solution. However McCrone's findings in no way agreed with any of the highly sophisticated tests conducted by two dozen other scientists. McCrone jumped the gun for the sake of getting his own publicity. His claims have all been dismissed.
1981: After three years analyzing the data The Shroud of Turn Research Project (STURP) made their findings public at an international conference in New London, CT. All the scientists agreed upon the following statement: "We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist. The blood stains are composed of hemoglobin and give a positive test for serum albumin."
1988: The Shroud was carbon dated by three laboratories in Oxford, Zurich and Arizona. They indcated a date range from between 1260 to 1390 making the cloth only about 700 years old. This earth shattering news seemed to contradict the conclusions of STURP which gave support to the Shroud's possible authenticity. This new data posed a great dilemma for proponents of the Shroud and further complicates an explanation for the Shroud's existence.
The Shroud cannot be explained in a medieval context because it demonstrates medical knowledge and artistic expertise unknown until centuries later. If it was not made by an artist then what is it? Was it a custom crucifixion performed to mimic that of Jesus? Knowledge of Roman crucifixion practices was totally unknown in the Middle Ages. There are dozens of reasons why a medieval date doesn't fit the evidence.
1997: Noted Israeli Botanist and a professor at Hebrew University, Avinoam Danin confirmed Dr. Alan Whanger's discovery of flower images on the Shroud. He also verified that several pollen were from plants that grow only around Jerusalem.
2000: Shroud researchers Joseph Marino and Sue Benford present a landmark paper at an international conference in Ovieto, Italy. Their paper would present initial evidence that the area of the Shroud cut for carbon dating in 1988 was actually a medieval reweave. See Latest News for more details.
2002: The Shroud was secretly restored amidst much controversy. All the burns and patches were removed. The shroud was attached to a new backing cloth as well. Most researchers feel the restoration was unnecessary and that much important data will be lost to future researchers. See Latest News for more details.
2004: Redeeming what may have been lost during the restoration, textile expert Mechthild Flury-Lemberg revealed that the seam on the Shroud that runs the entire length known as the side strip is typical of burial Shrouds found in Masada. This further supports the Shroud's ancient origin. See Latest News for more details.
2004: Another result of the restoration was the discovery of the Shroud's double face image. Italian scientists, Giulio Fanti and Roberto Maggiolio of Padova University were able to analyze scans of the backside of the Shroud after it was removed from the backing cloth. This had never been done before. The previous backing cloth had been attached since 1534 as part of the restoration following the fire of 1532. Examining the scans revealed faint superficial images of the face and hands. The image occurs only on the top surface of the fibers, similar to the front side of the Shroud but there is no coloring of the threads in between. This enhances the mystery of image formation and makes it that much more difficult to ascribe the Shroud to the work of an artist. See Latest News for more details.
2004: Thermal Chemist, Dr. Raymond Rogers, retired Fellow with the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory proves using samples from the area cut for carbon 14 dating and samples from the main body of the Shroud that the sample cut in 1988 for C-14 dating was in fact a medieval reweave confirming Marino and Benford's hypothesis presented in 2000. Rogers also determined the evidence of a madder root dye used to blend in the color of newer threads with the more yellowed threads of the original Shroud. He also found cotton in the C-14 sample but not from the main body of the Shroud indicating both cotton and flax were used in the repair. Lastly and most importantly, he found that 37% of the vanillin remained intact in the lignon from the C-14 fibers whereas the vanillin content from the main body of the Shroud had decayed to 0%, similar to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Not only does this new evidence show that the carbon dating tests were severely flawed by dating an erroneous sample, but that the evidence also shows the main body of the Shroud is much older as indicated by the lack of vanillin. This critical research is precisely the kind of micro-chemical analysis the carbon dating labs were supposed to do in 1988, prior to taking the sample according to the original protocol, but failed to follow.
The carbon dating tests of 1988 have been thoroughly and completely invalidated by good science rather than the shoddy and arrogant effort demonstrated by the carbon labs in 1988. The cloud has been lifted.
Team Scientists Represented:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- New England Institute of Medicine
- Sandia Laboratories
- U.S. Air Force Academy
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Santa Barbara Research Institute
- Nuclear Technologies Corp.
- Colorado State University
Tests performed in 1978 include:
- Particle analysis
- Chemical analysis
- Blood analysis
- Photo microscopy
- Spectroscopy
- X-ray radiography
- Infra-red thermography
- X-ray fluorescence spectrometry
- Scanning photography from infra-red to ultra violet
- And others
Primary Test Results:
X-Ray Fluorescence
- Result: No detectable difference in elemental composition between image and non-image areas.
- Conclusion: No inorganic pigments present.
- Result: No density discontinuities associated with body image.
- Conclusion: No substances manually applied to cloth.
- Result: No spectral characteristics of stains, dyes or pigments were detected in image or non-image areas.
- Conclusion: No typical artistic substances are on the cloth .
- Result: No evidence of aromatic dyes or amino acids.
- Conclusion: No collagen binder as would be used with paint .
- Result: Microscopic dirt particles found solely on the dorsal foot imprint.
- Conclusion: Can be explained only by the folding of a barefoot man in the Shroud.
- Purely superficial -- penetrates only top 3 microfibrils
- Yellowing of image is uniform in intensity
- No capillary action apparent
- Fibrils not cemented to each other
- No substances between threads
- No directionality to image
- No Outline to image
STURP findings, published in 1981, contain the following results:
- "No pigments, paints, dyes, or stains have been found on the fibrils. X-ray fluorescence and microchemistry preclude the possibility of paint being used as a method for creating the image."
- "It is clear that there has been a direct contact of the Shroud with the body, which explains certain features such as the scourge marks, as well as the blood. However, while this type of contact might explain some features of the torso, it is totally incapable of explaining the image...there are no chemical or physical methods known which can account for the totality of the image..."
- "We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist. The blood stains are composed of hemoglobin and give a positive test for serum albumin."
Additional Facts From STURP and other Researchers:
Textile Analysis:
- No similar material found from Medieval times.
- Threads hand woven - pre 12th Century
- Unique manufacture indicates a Middle East origin
- The cloth measures exactly 2 x 8 Syrian cubits, a Middle East measurement.
- Travertine Aragonite limestone particles indigenous to caves surrounding Jerusalem
- Outside pollen are mineral coated whereas inside pollen are uncoated
- Suggests placement in damp tomb or cave
The image density corresponds to a mathematical gradient related to distance between body and cloth. “Confirmation that the Shroud covered a body shape at the time of image formation.” -Dr. John Jackson
The Blood:
 |
|
The Wounds are consistent with the Gospel account of Christ’s ordeal:
- Crown of thorns
- Bruising of face
- Shoulder abrasions
- Knee abrasions
- Scourge marks
- Nail wounds in wrist & feet
- Wound in side
- Legs not broken
- Uncanny comparisons to Ancient Icons.
- Evidence indicates the Shroud was the model upon which Byzantine icons were based beginning in the 6th Century.
- “The peculiarities are so distinctive and prevalent that it seems doubtful they could be mere imagination or coincidence.” -Ian Wilson
Four Possibilities:
- A Medieval work of art
- A Medieval “Custom Crucifixion”
- Someone else who died by crucifixion in the 1st century
- The actual burial Shroud of Christ
10 Interesting Bible Facts About Jesus
There are so many amazing and interesting facts in the Bible. Check out this list of ten interesting facts about Jesus.
The Name Jesus
Jesus is the English transliteration of the Greek name Iesus. Joshua is the English transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshuah. Both Jesus and Joshua mean Yahweh saves or Jehovah is salvation. The name Jesus appears in the Bible more than 900 times. [Transliteration means that the word is not translated from one language to another, but tries to represent the same letters/characters from one language to another. Pronunciation may or may not be preserved.]
The Word Christ
Christ is not actually a name, but a title. When the Bible talks about the Messiah in the Old Testament, it is referring to the same title as the New Testament calls Christ. Both Messiah and Christ mean anointed one. Jesus was anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) and was the promised redeemer. The first promise of a redeemer in the Bible was in Genesis 3:15. The word Christ appears in the Bible more than 500 times.
Jesus’ Titles For Himself
Jesus said He was the bread of life and the living bread (6:35, 48, 51). He was the light of the world (John 8:12). Jesus was the good shepherd (John 10:11, 14). Jesus outright claimed to be the Son of God (John 10:36). He also liked to call himself the Son of man (Matthew 20:28). He said He was the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Foods Jesus Ate
Jesus ate bread (Matthew 26:26), which has been a common food throughout history. He ate clean meats such as lamb (Luke 22:15) and fish (Matthew 14:19). He may have eaten eggs because of His statement that eggs is a good gift (Luke 11:12, 13). The Old Testament says that Jesus would eat butter and honey (Isaiah 7:15). Luke 24:42 and43 says that Jesus ate broiled fish and honeycomb after His resurrection.
Jesus Was a Carpenter
Jesus was known to be a carpenter (Mark 6:3). This indicates that He not only grew up in the house of a carpenter (Matthew 13:55), but He worked in the trade at least long enough that people knew Him to be a carpenter too. There is a question of exactly what the word translated as carpenter really means. The Greek word is tekton, which is a generic word for anyone who makes things. This was applied to craftsmen of various objects. Early writings, tradition and culture indicate that Jesus probably worked with wood in some form. Therefore carpenter is a fine translation of this word.
Jesus’ Birthday
Jesus’ birthday is generally celebrated on December 25 each year. However, the Bible does not tell us exactly when His birthday was. Various scholars have put the Birth of Christ sometime in winter or early spring. We celebrate His birth at Christmas, but there is no record in the Bible of the early Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Jesus and John the Baptist
John the Baptist was Jesus’ second cousin. Mary (the mother of Jesus) and Elisabeth (the mother of John) were cousins (Luke 1:36). John was about 6 months older than Jesus (Luke 1:36). In John chapter 1 when John the Baptist declares Jesus as the Lamb of God (v. 36) this is probably not the first time they met. They were likely together often as children and young men growing up.
Jesus’ Family
Jesus had several half-brothers and sisters ( Matthew 12:46-47; 13:55-56). At least some of his brothers were named James, Joses, Simon and Judas. His sisters are not named in the Bible. History says that James became the head of the church in Jerusalem.
Jesus Was Passionate
Some portrayals of Jesus in films and popular culture have Him walking around like a disconnected being who is hanging around to solve problems. However, the Bible shows some very passionate scenes from the life of Christ. He overthrew the tables of the money changers in the temple (Matthew 21:12, 13). He was moved to tears at the news of Lazarus’ death (John 11:35). The Bible says many times that Jesus was moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36-38; 21:12, Mark 1:41 and others).
Jesus and Simon
There was a man conscripted to help Jesus carry the cross up to Golgotha. This man’s name was Simon (Matthew 27:32). This man was from Cyrene which was also called Niger in Acts 13:1. This is not in the country known as Niger today. Rather he was from the country of Libya. Simon had two sons who were apparently known to the early church. Mark 15:21 says that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus as if the readers of the Gospel would know those two men.
Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/10-interesting-bible-facts-about-jesus/#ixzz243CZUXKa
King Solomon, the wisest of all men, built the Temple in Jerusalem and reigned over Israel's golden age.
Before David dies, he appoints as king his son Solomon, who is 12 years old at the time, with these words:
"I go the way of all the earth. You shall be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes and His commandments and His testimonies. As it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn." (1 King 2:2-3)
This classic blessing is often quoted by fathers to their sons on the day of their Bar Mitzvah. It restates the cardinal rule that has guided the Jewish people from the time of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai: in order to prosper keep the Torah.
Shortly after Solomon is anointed king, God appears to him in a dream in which He invites Solomon to make a request for himself. Solomon answers:
"I am but a small child ... Give therefore your servant an understanding heart to judge your people..."
His request pleases God who tells him:
"Because you have not requested riches and honor but only that which would benefit all the people, I will give you not only an understanding heart like none other before or after you ... but also riches and honor like no other king in your days." (1 Kings 3:7-13)
Born in 848 BCE, Solomon dies at age 52 in 796 BCE, ruling as king for 40 years -- the best years in all of Israel's history -- 40 years of peace and prosperity. He is known as chacham mi'kol ha'adam, "wisest of all the men." The Bible relates that kings from all over the world came to hear his wisdom, which included not only Torah wisdom, but also wisdom in secular knowledge and science. 1
His fame spread through all the surrounding nations. He composed 3,000 parables, and 1,005 poems. He discoursed about trees, from the cedars of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows from the wall. He also discoursed about animals, birds, creeping things and fish. Men of all nations came to hear Solomon's wisdom, as did all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 5:11-14)
THE TEMPLE
The crowning achievement of Solomon's reign is the building of the Temple which his father, King David, had dreamt about.
As we learned in the last installment in this series, King David brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem's Mount Moriah -- "the gate of heaven" -- but because he had been a warrior who had blood on his hands, he was not permitted by God to erect the Temple. However, this is left for his son to accomplish, which he does.
The Bible devotes several chapters (II Kings 5-7) to the construction of this most important building to the nation of Israel -- the place of communion between the Jewish people and God. It tells that the entire Temple both inside and outside, including floors and doors were overlaid with gold. Besides this there were bronze structures such as columns, an immersion tank, and basins. The magnificent structure took seven years to build.
When it is finished, Solomon dedicates the Temple:
"Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built? Yet have regard for the prayer of Your servant, and for his supplication, O Lord my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer, which Your servant prays before You today; that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may listen to the prayer ... of your people Israel ..." (1 Kings 8:27-29)
THE PINNACLE
This is the pinnacle of Jewish history. Everyone is united. Their neighbors don't bother the Jews -- in fact, they come to learn from the Jews. There is peace and prosperity.
This is as good as it gets for Israel-the closest ancient Israel gets to achieving the Messianic ideal of creating an ideal nation that is alight to the nations. This is the zenith. So why doesn't this golden age last?
Solomon makes one serious mistake. In violation of the Torah's prohibition He takes too many wives. In fact, he has 700 wives and 300 concubines.
If we go back to the Book of Deuteronomy where the idea that Jews would one day want a king is first discussed, Moses warns that the king should not have too many horses or too many wives (Deut. 17:17). The great Torah commentator Rashi tells us that this means no more than 18, and that King David had only six.
The Torah placed limits on the number of wives and wealth the king could have so that he would stay focused on his responsibilities and not be distracted and corrupted by materialism and power. Solomon was certainly aware of these prohibitions, but felt that his great wisdom and spirituality would enable to handle these challenges and be an even greater king. Unfortunately, he did not foresee the problems that some of his many foreign wives would cause. 2
The first question is why did Solomon "need" so many wives? The answer has nothing to do with love. Throughout history the overwhelming reason for marriage amongst nobility and royalty was to create political alliances.
The Middle East in Solomon's time is made up of many city-states and all the kings of these city-states want to send their daughters to marry King Solomon and in this way form an alliance with him. Solomon may also have had an additional reason-his marriages to these foreign wives were his way of bringing these nations closer to God. 3
Before we can deal with the problems some of these wives caused, we have to deal with a bigger question. King Solomon married Gentile women? Obviously not. Before they married the king they had to convert to Judaism. But that leads to another question. The Talmud states:
We (the Jewish people) will not accept converts in the Messianic Era, similarly, they did not accept converts, neither during the time of [King] David, nor during the time of [King] Solomon. (Avodah Zarah 3b)
The motivation to convert should come solely out of a love of truth and a sincere desire to join the Jewish People despite the tremendous obligations that a Jewish lifestyle entails and the external dangers that the Jewish People have always faced. In short-the prospective convert must demonstrate total commitment in spite of any difficulties or danger. The past reign's of David and Solomon and especially the future Messianic Era are unique, idyllic periods when the Jewish people enjoy peace, prosperity and a unique leadership role amongst the nations. During these periods there were (and will be) many people who wished to join the Jewish People, not out a desire for truth, but rather for benefit. Such insincere conversions were not accepted, and will not be accepted in the future.
So how did King Solomon marry foreign women? The answer is that an exception was made for the future wives of the king and a special court was set up to handle their conversions. Since many of these weddings were arranged for political reasons it is certain that some of the conversion were not entirely sincere nor did all Solomon's wives completely abandon their idolatrous practices.
As with Moses and David, we again see the incredible level of accountability that these great leaders are held to. For a wife of King Solomon, prophet, wisest of all men, King of Israel, to worship idols is an inexcusable mistake that Solomon is held directly accountable for.
In his old age, his wives turned away Solomon's heart after other gods. (1 Kings 11:4-5).
This, of course, does not mean that King Solomon became an idolater, but the Bible uses these harsh words because he did not prevent his wives from carrying on their idolatrous practices. As a king, he is held responsible for the actions of those under his influence.
One of the greatest leaders of the Jewish people, a man on his spiritual level -- who wrote the Song of Songs, the Book of Ecclesiastes, and the Book of Proverbs -- must be suffering eternal pain in heaven knowing what has been written about him in the Bible.4
Not only is criticism of Solomon harsh, but as with other great Jewish leaders, so are the consequences of his mistakes. The Bible ends Solomon's story relating that God was angry with him and told him:
"Since you are guilty of this, and you have not kept My covenant and My laws ... I will tear the kingdom away from you ... But I will not do this in your time, for the sake of your father David. Instead, I will tear it away from your son ... I will give your son one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen." (1 Kings 11:9-13)
It is clear from this how much God loved King David and how completely He had forgiven him for his faults. It is also clear that hard times are coming for the Jewish people as the kingdom of Israel is about to be torn in half.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
10 Amazing Bible Facts
The Bible has so many amazing facts. Here is a list of ten of them.
1 – The Writing of the Bible
The Bible was written over a 1600 year period by approximately 40 men. The time of the writing was from 1500 BC to AD 100.
2 – The Divisions of the Bible
While the Bible is 1 book, it contain 66 smaller books. The books of the Old Testament were written before the birth of Jesus Christ and the New Testament covers the life of Christ and beyond.
3 – Chapters and Verses
Each of the books, except 5, are divided into chapters and verses. The 5 which aren’t divided by chapters are Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude. These are short books which only have verse divisions.
Chapters were introduced to the Bible in 1238 by Cardinal Hugo de S. Caro. Verse divisions were not added until 1551 by Robertus Stephanus.
4 – The Longest and Shortest of the Bible
The longest chapter if the Bible is Psalm 119 with 176 verses. The shortest chapter is Psalm 117 with only 2 verses. Incidentally, the middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 118.
The longest book of the Bible is Psalms with 150 chapters, or psalms. It contains 43,743 words. The shortest book is 3 John with only 1 chapter and 299 words.
The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9 with 90 words. The shortest verse is John 11:35 with only 2 words, “Jesus wept.”
5 – The Bible Claims to be God’s Word
There are many books written about and by various religions. But the Bible is the only one which claims to be the actual words of God. Those who believe the Bible also believe that God inspired various people through the years to write down His actual words for mankind. The Bible says more than 3,000 times “thus saith the Lord.” It claims that the words which follow are quotes from God.
6 – The Bible is Historically Accurate
There were several secular historians who wrote about the events of the New Testament at the same time the Bible was being written. Josephus is the most well-known of them. He was a Jewish historian. Tacitus was a Roman historian who would have no benefit from not telling the truth. Both these men, as well as others, can be used to back up the historical accuracy of the Bible.
There are historical discoveries regularly coming to light that continue to support the accuracy of the Bible. Merrill Unger, who compiled a Bible dictionary wrote, “Old Testament archeology has rediscovered whole nations, resurrected important peoples, and in a most astonishing manner filled in historical gaps, adding immeasurably to the knowledge of Biblical backgrounds.”
7 – The Business of the Bible
There are more than 168,000 Bibles either sold or given away per day in the United States according to the Gideons, Wycliffe International and the International Bible Societies.
Historically it has been said that the Bible is the most sold book of all time. It is regularly on various best seller lists.
The Bible has been translated into more than 1,200 languages.
8 – The Bible Never Contradicts Itself
There are no contradictions in the Bible. Various people claim to find contradictions but they have to take verses out of context to do so. When looking at the Bible as a whole and understanding its teachings there are no contradictions. This is amazing when one considers that the Bible was written over such a long period of time.
9 – The Prophecies of the Bible
There are more than 3,200 verses with fulfilled prophecy either within the Bible itself or since the Bible was written. But there are still more than 3,100 verses with unfulfilled prophecies.
10 – The Writers of the Bible
While there were at least 40 different people who wrote parts of the Bible, some were more prolific than others. The Apostle Paul wrote at least 13 books of the Bible. He may have also been the author of the book of Hebrews. Moses wrote the first 5 books.
The Bible attributes more than 3,000 proverbs to King Solomon. These are not all written in the book of Proverbs. However, most of that book is said to be the proverbs of Solomon.
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