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watchingblsnowandforever · 5 months ago

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We Are Ep. 11

Part 2

Hello again!!!

Here's part 1 of this post. It's not necessary to read that, but this does follow directly from there.

Warning: long post 😊😅

And again, we see Phum coming here for no reason but to drop Peem off.

Also, he usually just stayed in the car previously, but now he's walking with Peem all the way.

I reckon we'll be seeing much more of Phum appearing in front of the Fine Arts building for nothing but to drop off or talk to his boyfriend Peem, in a slight reflection of all the times he came here to take Peem off somewhere to make him do something for him.

And I can't wait for it. <3

Q: something very gay is going on here hmm 🤨

Be glad it's Q (who has enough tact to ask you about it in private) and not Toey who'd immediately call y'all out 😭

He played in water all day with Phum and then they cuddled all night. Next question.

Poor Peem 😭

You just confessed you woke up together 😭

And you think someone as smart (most of the times) as Q wouldn't catch on?

[Also, just an observation: Peem is painting a scenery with water here too.]

Beer knows everything. 😌

He's the only one in their combined friend groups with two braincells, and he has no difficulty calling out his friends (Phum) when they're being idiots.

And again 😭

I see it's not your turn with the braincell yet, Peem

Also, the chicken sounds in the background I was dying 😭😂

Phum's backstory was painful to hear, but I kind of expected something like this. It would explain his attachment to plushies, his fear of losing people and behaviour that might seem "childish".

SO CUTE OH MY GODS

Q gives his beloved pencil case to his beloved nong Toey to draw on, and what does Toey do? Make the most adorable doodle of his beloved P'Q 😭👍🏼

Seriously though, this is really good, and it also probably has a beautiful symbolism that I'm too lazy to go into right now 😭

Coming from Q that means a lot. And Toey knows that very well.

Again, what secretly, you're both about as subtle as the glaring sun on a hot summer day.

And it's time you two idiots (affectionate) get your shit together and kiss as boyfriends (gods know you've kissed as... whatever you are right now more times than I can keep count).

Yeah! You're talking nonsense, Phum, it's obvious you fell first!

*sigh* honestly though, at this point, I don't know how, but they managed to be worse than even ChainPun.

Jokes apart, I know they're both a bit insecure, and they didn't get off to the best start. But I hope that in the next ep, they'll realize they're both head over heels for the other and finally start dating.

Also, about time Peem finally accepted Phum as his personal driver <3

That scene in the shop was very sweet too, and most PhumPeem scenes in this ep had me going all gooey and mushy hehe

This show I calling me out 🥲

But I'm even worse because I can only make Maggi (with or without added condiments) 😭

Do y'all see the importance of this moment?!

Phum in the painting studio?!

This painting studio is Peem's safe space, and he's allowing Phum in there willingly.

Slowly, but surely, he's letting Phum in, and starting to accept that yes, this guy is an idiot, but he's an idiot Peem really really likes.

I knew this was coming but that didn't mean I was ready for it 🫣😳

TanFang are absolutely slaying

Love them. <3

This scene is a goddamn masterpiece. It rendered me speechless. What am I supposed to say to that?

Peem's soft little "You did a great job, getting through those times." has me in a chokehold. The nose boop, the kiss- I'm screaming crying rolling around on the bed.

Tried to do a confident walk away but the gate was in his way 😭

Peem is me though, I bump into things like thrice a day at the least.

He- 😶

I gasped at this scene, because you realize what this means right?

This painting, that was ruined due to Phum, that he had to painstakingly repaint while having to obey Phum's whims, this painting that represents his comfort (I don't know shit about art interpretation, but in grade 12 I had friends who'd taken art and I learnt a couple things from them), that represents himself, and in this painting, he adds bright red roses, for the ones that Phum gave him when he was driving him back because he was absolutely wasted, the roses he didn't have the heart to throw out.

And he's drawing these red roses to represent Phum, to show that inexplicably, but undeniably, Phum is a part of his life now; a part he likes enough to embed in one of his most prized paintings (as assumed from various context clues and such along the series). And when he does, he thinks of how Professor Po said "Every work you create contains a piece of you".

If this doesn't show that despite his caustic and sarcastic exterior, Peem is a sappy mushy romantic at heart (he is a Fine Arts student after all), I don't know what does.

This moment felt so poetic (I literally could write a poem about it and it still wouldn't be able to capture the raw beauty and vulnerability and love of this scene.)

Update: I really did write a poem about it 😭

I really like this scene.

Apart from not leaving Kluen hanging, and making sure he knows, this moment is also about Peem admitting to himself aloud, that yes, he does like Phum. He's slowly getting out of De Nile.

He didn't have to say this, but he did. To gently reject Kluen and tell himself that there was no going back now.

Matt: what in the gay chicken-

Toey: ooh this seems interesting. will they kiss? 👀

Poor Chain 😭

Let him enjoy being shipped with his husband bestie!

And all the while these two are having a staring contest to decide who'll tell their friends.

Beer knows exactly what's going on.

This moment is everything to me (other than the one in the painting studio of course).

Peem tried to muster the courage to tell all his friends that he and Phum were... well, more than enemies or friends at least, but he couldn't.

And Phum, my beloved, while more than a little emotionally constipated, he has consistently tried to tell Peem what he feels. And now, he's the one outright saying he likes Peem in front of everyone. He's the one saying "okay, if you can't, I will." And I love him for it. He does it while staring right at Peem too.

Live Reactions of Friends Who Just Found Out that the Guy Who Ruined Other Guy's Painting and The Other Guy, Who Kicked Him In The Balls For It, Have Fallen Victim to the BL Laws and Are Now Very Much In Love.

Beer: knew it 😌

Fang: my little brother?!

Tan: YOU AREN'T SWORN ENEMIES?!

Matt: I have to deal with another couple?? 🥺🥲

Q: I'm not drunk enough to deal with this shit.

Toey: wait... I WAS RIGHT?!!

That freaking cliffhanger though 🥲

It's better now but at the moment I wanted to commit homicide 😭

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, Q's "RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY SALAD?!" expression is just too hilarious 😭😂

So that's all for ep 11, see you next week!

And if you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here, have a burger and some fries 🍔🍟

[If you want, my previous posts: Ep. 8 Ep.9 Ep.10]

#we are the series #we are #we are series #thai bl #watching bls: we are #let's talk bl #phumpeem #qtoey #tanfang #chainpun

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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 2 years ago

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Devotional Hours Within the Bible by J.R. Miller

The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 3:13 to Matthew 4:11)

The beginning of Christ’s ministry was marked by two important events His baptism and His temptation. These were thirty silent years, without any manifestation of Divine power, except the beautiful, sinless life which Jesus lived. We must think of those years, however, as part of the Incarnation. The Divine character was revealed not only in miracles and heavenly teachings but in sweet, beautiful living.

John said that he was not worthy to unloose the shoes of the Coming One. Now when he recognizes this glorious One waiting before him to be baptized, he shrinks from the performance of the rite. He would have refused. “I have need to be baptized of You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus insisted on receiving baptism from John. “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” The words are full of meaning. The event was of great importance in the life of Jesus.

For one thing, it was the identifying of Himself with humanity. He stood for us men and our redemption. He had no sin but His people were sinful and He died for them. It was also the acceptance by Jesus of His Messianic work. The years of preparation were ended, and the time had come for Him to begin His public ministry. The call came, bidding Him turn away from His quiet life and manifest Himself to His people. We can think of Him shutting up the carpenter’s shop and leaving it forever. Then He stood before the Baptist at the Jordan and was baptized. He had a glimpse that hour of all that lay before Him in His Messianic ministry. The shadow of the cross fell upon the green banks and on the flowing water, fell also upon the gentle and lowly soul of Jesus as He stood there. He knew for what He was being baptized the mission of redemption. We do not know to what we are devoting ourselves, what our consecration may mean when we stand up and give ourselves to God. In a certain sense we go forth in the dark. Yet we may trust God with the guidance of our lives and should devote ourselves to the will of God without question or condition.

John obeyed the wish of Jesus and baptized Him. The baptism of Jesus became the occasion of a Divine testimony to His Sonship. Luke tells us that as He was being baptized He prayed, and as He prayed the heavens were opened unto Him. Prayer brought down upon Jesus, the Holy Spirit. This was Heaven’s answer to Christ’s consecration. This was the Divine anointing for His public ministry. Instead of a horn of oil poured upon His head, the mere emblem of grace, He received all the fullness of the Spirit.

The Spirit came in the form of a dove. It is usual to think of the dove as in its nature, in some way a symbol of the character and disposition of the Spirit. Dr. Horton quotes an old commentator: “The dove is a lover of men and bears ills patiently; for, robbed of its young, it endures and lets the robbers approach it just the same; it is the purest of creatures and delights in sweet fragrances.” The first mention of the dove in the Bible is as a messenger of good news, bearing an olive leaf. An old legend relates that when Jesus was dying a dove sat on the cross above His head, and the legend has been interpreted to mean that even after the blood of the Lamb of God was given to redeem the world, it is needful that the Spirit shall come to soften men’s hearts and incline then to yield to God.

There was another manifestation at the baptism first, the open heavens, second, the descending of the Spirit, then a voice. The voice was the testimony of the Father to His Son. “This is My beloved Son, in who I am well pleased.” From Matthew’s account it would seem that the voice spoke to the people, declaring to them that Jesus was the Messiah. From Luke’s Gospel it would appear that the words were spoken to Jesus Himself, assuring Him of His mission and of the Father’s pleasure in Him. This was the real, the inner meaning of the baptism of Jesus. From this time, His consciousness of messianic authority was clear.

After this came the temptation. It was necessary that Christ should be tempted, before He offered Himself as the Redeemer of sinners. The first Adam was tried in Eden and failed. The second Adam must also be put to the test, before he could go forth as Lord of men. Several reasons may be suggested why He must be tempted. One was because He was human and must meet every human experience. His temptations were real He “ suffered being tempted.” Another reason was that until He had met and overcome the tempter, He was not ready to offer Himself to men as a strong and victorious Savior. The Holy Spirit is not the tempter but it is said expressly that Jesus was led by the Spirit, driven, Mark says, to be tempted. He must be tried, tested, proved before He went forth to His messianic work.

We know now that Christ is able to deliver us out of the hands of Satan, and to defend us against his fiercest assaults. But if He had not Himself been put to the test, in all points tempted like as we are yet without sins (Hebrews 4:15), we could not have had this perfect confidence. Another reason why Jesus was tempted, was that He might understand from personal experience, the nature and power of His people’s temptations, and thus be able to sympathize with them in their struggles. In the Epistle to the Hebrews we are told that because of His earthly experience of temptation, He can now in heaven be touched with the feelings of our infirmities .

There are very practical lessons we may learn from this narrative of our Lord’s temptation. One is that Satan times his temptations to our hours of weakness, or our period of special stress. He does not tempt us with something we do not want but with something that appeals to our cravings at the time. Jacob cold not have brought Esau’s birthright for a thousand bowls of pottage, if Esau had not been hungry that day. Satan watches, and when he finds us exhausted and weary he takes advantage of our condition. He comes to the boy when he is lonesome and homesick, tempting him to seek companions that will ruin him.

Jesus was hungry after His long praying and fasting and Satan tempted Him to use His Divine power to turn stones into bread. Many temptations come to people who are hungry. They are tempted to be dishonest, to take employment that is sinful, or in some other way to sell themselves to get bread. We need to be watchful against the tempter always but especially in the times of our weakness and craving.

Why would it have been wrong for Jesus to exert His Divine power to provide bread for His hunger? Is it wrong to feed one’s hunger? Jesus afterwards made bread by miracle, to feed the hunger of thousands. Why would it have been a sin for Him, to supply bread in this supernatural way for Himself when He was hungry? For one thing, it would have been receiving direction from the Evil One, instead of from His Father. Another reason was that He was in this world to live as men live. If He had used His Divine power to help Himself over the hard points of human experience, He would not have understood our life, for we cannot do this. Therefore, He never wrought a miracle for Himself. He met life just as we must meet it, enduring hunger, thirst, weariness, pain, wrong, without having recourse to supernatural power. Still further, it would have been distrusting His Father, for Him to make bread of the stones. He was under the Divine Care, and God had given Him no command to turn stones into bread. He must wait until His Father provided for His hunger.

The answer of Christ to Satan’s temptation, is very suggestive. He said that man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word of God. Our physical needs are not our only needs. Sometimes men excuse their sin by saying, “Well, I must live,” as if hunger excused theft or fraud. But it is not true that we must continue to live, or that living is in itself the best thing for us. It is true, however, that we must obey God’s commandments and do His Will. We would better any day starve than commit even the smallest sin to get food. Getting bread should not be our first object in living indeed, it is not our business at all. Life’s first duty is to obey every Word of God, and then God will provide for our needs.

The second temptation was to presumption. The tempter asked Christ to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, quoting words from an old Psalm (Psalms 91) to prove that he would not be hurt but that God would take care of Him. Thus, the tempter whispered, He would prove to the people that He was their Messiah. What would have been wrong in this? Jesus said it would have been tempting God. If the Father for any reason had commanded Him to leap from the pinnacle into the street, then He could have claimed the promise of protection. But if He had thus accepted the suggestion of the tempter, the promise would have been void. We cannot claim protection in danger which we enter without the Divine bidding. Only when God sends us and guides us do we have the Divine shelter about us.

The third temptation was the boldest of all. Christ had just entered upon His public ministry, and at the end of it He saw the cross. Satan suggested to Him the worldly way of honor and power instead of the lowly way of suffering, sacrifice and shameful death. This temptation Satan uses continually with men. He shows them visions of wealth, of worldly success, and says: “Now all this may be yours I will give it all to you. True, you must give up some of your old notions. You must get over some of you scruples. But throw these away and this door is open to you, and see where the path leads to all splendor and brilliance. You will be a millionaire. You will be highly esteemed. You will have all the pleasure you want.”

Too many people yield to this temptation. The old ways of prayer, obedience, simple honesty and faithfulness, seem dull in contrast with the flowery paths which the vision shows. Yes but we must look on to the end, beyond the glamour of the tempter’s vision before we can conclude that what Satan promises will be a good thing for us.

#James Russell Miller #Devotional Hours Within the Bible #The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus #Matthew 3:13 to Matthew 4:11 #December 7 #2022

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jagi11 · 2 years ago

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"Kashika" Appreciation Post

Something weird happened lately.

As some of you might know, I'm a Project Sekai player. And lately, VBS got a new event song, called "Kashika", or "Suspended Animation". It made a great impression on me and I think it's my new fav VBS event song. Like, it was very delicate, but had so much power at the same time! And as an MMD creator, I love this MV animation-wise - I think it really shows how creative the team has gotten over time. Like, words can't describe how much I love the Sekai version.

But then, the official version got released.

I've never been so speechless.

There is a difference between Sekai versions and official versions. When you have a Sekai version, you interpret the song through the characters. Basically, you can't fully appreciate ID Smile without knowing Mizuki's relationship issues and how they can't find a way to both stay true to themselves and live a good social life. You can't fully appreciate Bug without knowing that Mafuyu is constantly controlled by her mother, who's made her the emotionless and suffering being she is, and this is the "administraitor" she's singing about. And, just like that, your interpretation of Kashika relies on your knowledge of Akito's story.

The official - or "producer" - versions don't obey such rules. They're fully independent from their side of being "character songs". And that lets you perceive them differently.

What I like is that when both Ryo Haruka and Miku sing, it doesn't feel like they're just singing. It's not an MV for a song. It's a story. A story about loneliness, but wanting to live. And the music video also encapsulates it, to an unbelievable extent for a commissioned song.

Now, for lack of better terms, I'm gonna call the characters Rabbit Girl and Lizard Boy (I don't know if they have official names). They do seem to care for one another, but they both have problems that made them drift apart from each other. Lizard Boy seemed not to pay enough attention to the Rabbit Girl, and she didn't want to confront him about it, distancing herself instead. Lizard Boy has his ears covered, and Rabbit Girl doesn't open her eyes, except for when she casts the boy away. I think this is intentional, as it presents both of them as being unable to notice certain things, mainly about each other.

At this point I have to point out that I love is that the song is a duet of the producer and the Vocaloid. This isn't like the VBS cover. The characters do voice their feelings, through the singers, yet they don't have any, let's say, "tag" attached. I think this makes the song much stronger in meaning, as it can speak to anyone.

At this point in the video, the symbolism of the heart is very much present in the story that's being told. Both the characters seem to have a half of a heart-shaped gem. And this gem shows that they're incomplete without each other. In a similar way, I want to believe that all the other gems represent all the other people in those characters' life, mainly the ghost-like figures. Some of the gems are broken, some are pearl-like. All of them are important, all of them are formed into notes of a song. And yet one person sticks out. It's those two for each other, yet they drifted apart.

They both want to go back to each other. And when it happens, you really do feel the sheer power power of this song.

It's pitch black. The Rabbit Girl is at her lowest point. And at that moment, she realises that she made a mistake. That the reason for her rage was that she felt left out. And that she longs for connections with others. And so, she reaches out, letting the light shine through, opening herself to the Lizard Boy, literally, as he is let to go inside the giant body that the girl resides in.

The beat is there, they keep screaming, the chorus of so many people sings. I checked the wiki, there are 16 people singing at once, including VBS voice actors, various producers and Kagamine Len for God's sake. You can feel the sheer willpower of the Lizard Boy as he jumps in to see the girl.

And then, they connect, hug each other, and form a heart, an anatomically correct heart for the body to have.

They have been designed in such a way so that when they hug, they form the shape of a human heart. Which is not a cartoonish heart that's the symbol of love, not the one that was present throughout the whole video. It's a realistic one, one that gives life to the body.

The whole song was about loneliness. And about desire to live, even when you feel like you shouldn't. About wanting to move your heart.

They connected, and they made the heart beat.

So, you can say, connections make you truly live.

I'm a very pathetic human being, I tend to cry a lot.

Jagi's song appreciations series: [Magical Girl and Chocolate] [I’m Glad You’re Evil Too] [Kashika] [Bug]

#I love doing those appreciation posts. I can let all my love for a song out #but I wonder. why does it always have to be about connections? and love? and trust? hm.#maybe I just love punishing myself #vocaloid #hatsune miku #miku hatsune #vivid bad squad #vbs #遼遼 #haruka ryo #song analysis #jagi talks about stuff

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impalementation · 3 years ago

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Do you think that Buffy has if not negative then very critical framing of religion? seasons 5-7 are loaded with biblical subtext, and stuff like Caleb and the bringers, who are literally blinded and mute in their devotion and whom I interpreted as criticising religious establishments, or Glory, who intentionally(?) conflates Devil with God, lead me to believe so. None of it is surprising given the existentialist nature of the show, but I wonder if belief in something bigger than oneself can be framed as anything other than philosophical suicide. Apologies in advance if it's a dumb question, just wanted to know what you think.

I do think Buffy is critical of religion, yes. Though I think what it's most critical of is the idea of stagnant, dogmatic, or coercive approaches to meaning. And religion is more of a subset of that, or way of representing or referencing it.

So for example, "stagnant" meaning might be something like the symbol of a cross or the ideal of sacrificial heroism. It's stuff people who consume Western culture are so used to that it almost doesn't mean anything anymore. Or it's meaning that's taken for granted and not examined. But what if a cross didn't represent Christian theology anymore, but a concept like tradition? What if you sacrificed yourself and then you came back, and it was awful?

Then "dogmatic" meaning is stuff people believe because they think they're supposed to. Things like Giles thinking that the Cruciamentum is just what's done. Or Caleb's rants about the impurity of women that reference the idea of Christian dogma.

And of course "coercive" meaning is meaning one has been forced to obey. In Buffy's case, the Slayer tradition of a single hero is something she's been forced into. And religion, similarly, has a history of forcing itself on other people. Which the show will also reference, with things like the Knights of Byzantium that recall the Crusades. Among many other things.

One of the reasons I think the show uses Christian--and even more specifically, often Catholic--references most often in this critical way, is because Christianity is culturally powerful in the West (and therefore most familiar to the writers), and particularly institutionalized. Many of the things people in the West think of as just “morality” is in fact Christian morality with the serial numbers filed off. Meaning that Christianity is particularly well-positioned to stand in for automatic and dogmatic approaches to meaning and power. I think that the show is also particularly critical of Christian theology because it sees shame and purity as essential elements of Christian belief, which it in turn sees as antithetical to the quest for self-knowledge and acceptance that defines the show. Buffy not feeling shame over her power is at odds with a belief system that (again, in the view of the show) casts female power or desire for knowledge as the root of human sin.

(Not to obnoxiously plug myself, but I talk about this in more depth in my video for “The Harvest” if you haven’t watched it. If you want to know more about it.)

But the show also doesn’t just use Christianity and religion to make these points; it doesn’t criticize it alone. It uses genre conventions the same way--that is, it treats the tropes of things like horror or heroism as another form of stagnant mythology to shake up and subvert. It also criticizes secular institutions and abuse of power as much as religious ones. The Initiative or the Council are both corrupt institutions. Or the Mayor is a corrupt authority figure. And none of those villains are directly related to religion. Which is why I see religion as a subset of what the show is targeting rather than the main focus.

That said. Just because it criticizes and subverts these things doesn’t mean the show is actually against horror, mythology, meaning, or power in and of themselves. I mean it’s a mythological horror show about power and how to create meaning. The problem with these calcified forms of meaning, in the view of the show as I see it, is that they get in the way of finding the true version. Or a version that is true for an individual. So I think it’s deliberate that the show doesn’t strictly say that there isn’t a God, even if it doesn’t strictly say that there is one either. Which is to say, to address the last bit of your ask, I don’t think the show is opposed to the belief in something bigger than oneself. After all, the show itself clearly reflects a system of values. What I think it’s opposed to is a manner of belief. Which human religion lends itself towards.

If you’re asking for my own personal philosophical take though, hoo boy. It’s not a dumb question at all, but I think too big of a topic for me to do justice to just now.

#gen

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audarkmist · 4 years ago

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Cherry Picking or Proper Theology?

A lot of misinformed individuals think Christians are “cherry picking” when they don’t follow many Old Testament Commands. This includes fabrics, crops, eating habits and so on. Someone asked me to explain this so think of this as a Q&A with a long A.

See, I’ve noticed how a lot of people are unaware of the “covenant theology”. It’s one way to explain a core difference between Christianity and Judaism. Some denominations will call this “different administrations of a covenant” and other’s call a similar interpretation as “dispensations”. No matter these slight differences of interpretations they all agree something fundamental changed after the incarnation of Christ.

As an overview, Jesus Christ kept the law for us Christians. He fulfilled the entire Old Testament requirement for us. It means we are symbolically dead and raised again with Christ with His righteousness imputed to us. The focus now is to obey Christ who is the final authority of Christians.

What do I mean? Let’s say you have a tenant who owns your rented property. He gives you a notice that one day he will change his terms of agreement to live on his property. When the new rental agreement comes do you start following the new terms or continue in the old terms?

In the Old Covenant there are the Old Testament laws. The 613 laws of works were given that one might be saved.

There is a slight difference between the Covenant theology and the New Covenant theology.

Covenant theology: “Holds that the Mosaic Law can be divided into three groups of laws — those regulating the government of Israel (civil laws), ceremonial laws, and moral laws. The covenant of grace, then, does not set aside the covenant of works but rather fulfills it”. In this theology only the moral law continues in such a way that is not the means of salvation but a by-product of it.

New Covenant theology: Holds “that one cannot divide the law up in that way, as though part of the Mosaic Law can be abrogated while the rest remains in force. They say that the New Testament clearly teaches that the Mosaic Law is superseded by Christ. It is, in other words, no longer our direct and immediate source of guidance. In this view the Mosaic Law has been replaced by the law of Christ”. They make a distinction between the “spirit of the law” per say and the law. “The cancellation of the Mosaic Law does not mean that the eternal moral law is itself canceled. Rather that God gave us a different expression of his eternal moral law — namely, the Law of Christ. The spirit of the law remains intact. So the question: Where do we look to see the expression of God’s eternal moral law today — do we look to Moses, or to Christ? We look to Christ”.

I. Bible introduces two covenants (contracts).

The new covenant is written on a Christian’s heart and in the New Testament. It may include Old Testament laws that can be suggested in the lens of the new covenant. God regenerates the heart of a person who repents to give them the ability to keep the new covenant law. So, let us talk about the new covenant or “contract” between mankind and God.

Hebrews 8:6-13 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Christ is said to be our new merciful husband instead of the old husband which was the law. Christ completed the law on our behalf then joined us to Him in his death and resurrection.

Romans 7:1-6 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

II. The Bible Explains The Purpose of the Old Law

The law was to show us none can be justified by the law because trying to be good in a forced way only leads people to failure. Christ came to give us a new law with more grace that is written on our hearts. He regenerates and sanctifies us to have the ability to keep his law.

Romans 7:7-13 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

Galatians 3:21-24 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, ***enslavers***, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Well according to these verses it was laid down for the lawless ungodly sinners to limit their evil. The Old Testament was just the place holder or bandaging that held everything together until the proper time. Once Christ came the real surgery so to say was performed to actually address these important matters.

Examples of Changes:

I will give some examples of what fundamentally changed in the new covenant with Christians. Keep in mind that when I have spoken to Jewish people they say that not every one of the Old Testament 613 commands are for Christians but for their covenant with God. We have our own covenant which has a lot of overlap but it’s still different.

A) Removing the requirement for the Sabbath Day to favor mercy.

Matthew 12:7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

Mark 2:27-28 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Luke 14:3-6 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” And they could not reply to these things.

Matthew 12:10-13 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? – so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.

~ Is the Sabbath completely gone? ~

Matthew 11:28-29 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

In Hebrews there is talk of a symbolic Sabbath where we rest in God. A rest for our souls. Many people when they are saved talk about feeling like they are finally at peace. The war inside has ceased and they have found rest for their souls in the promises of God. The Sabbath day is technically ~today~ if you hear God`s voice.

Hebrews 4:1-3,7-11. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.Again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

B) Removing the dietary restrictions in favor of symbolic inward purity.

Matthew 15:11-12,15-19 “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said,“Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

First of all it doesn’t seem to be that strict of a law since in the Old Testament there appears to be a few places of exceptions. This is because this is not a moral law. The worst consequence for violating eating something unclean in the Old covenant was to be “unclean until evening”.

Deuteronomy 12:15,22 “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. The unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and as of the deer. Just as the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat of it. The unclean and the clean alike may eat of it.

Now if these verses weren’t clear enough there are many verses in the new covenant about all foods becoming clean more explicitly.

Acts 10:13-15 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

Romans 14:6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Romans 14:20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.

1 Corinthians 10:25-26 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

Mark 7:19 “Since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

~ Is the clean and unclean law completely gone? ~

As we have seen the law of cleanliness is about what comes out of our mouths now (our words and actions) rather than what goes in (food). It’s not symbolic cleanliness of what we expel from our mouths.

C) Removing circumcision for symbolic inward heart circumcision.

1 Corinthians 7:19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

Kind of strange since circumcision was a command right? Well it’s not part of the new commands in the new covenant.

~ Is circumcision completely removed? ~

It was just an outward demonstration of the inward change. It has now become symbolic to mean the circumcision of the heart.

Romans 2:28-29 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Galatians 6:14-15 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

It’s not even a new concept as it was foretold and prophecies in the Old Testament. The symbolic meaning is to love God and cut away any idols in our heart. It hasn’t come out of thin air.

Deuteronomy 30:6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Hebrews 10:1-2 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?

What does all of this mean?

By the end Christians are Christians and not what is called “Messianic Jews” for a reason. Messianic Jews are just Jewish people who believe in Jesus as the son of God. Christians for centuries and scholars alike conclude two distinct covenants (at least in form). Christians have essentially died to the Old Testament laws symbolized by our baptism. Christ is our law.

Whether one thinks the proper interpretation of these passages is to conclude Dispensationalism, New Covenant Theology or just Covenant is not my concern. The point here is that all these views uphold a novelty. I didn’t touch much on dispensationalism. I’m sure a dispensationalist can touch on it or have written about it online. The fact of the matter is that there is a fundamental difference between the Old and New Testament.

I will I say know I haven’t even mentioned everything that has changed. I think you get the point by now that things are becoming “more symbolic” to inward change rather than outward change. This removes all the Jewish cultural laws that were not moral laws to favor mercy and inward transformation of the heart.

Christ describes the Old Testament laws as a mere shadow of the New Testament laws. It was never meant to be the end all of the covenant between God and man.

I asked Jewish people myself if God intends those Old Testament commands to be for Christians. They say it`s only for the Jewish people not for Christians. God made a covenant with one country (Israel). He made another one with the world through Christ. This was God’s plan from eternity past.

The old covenant has passed away now that the new covenant has come. Updating the terms and services is a concept we see all the time with companies. This is not something unfamiliar. I said even tenant can make two different contracts with two different individuals or at different times. Why would I obey the covenant that was given to someone else? Why would I obey the old “terms and services”? Think about it.

Before I end off, I want to mention I am no wise an expert in scripture. I just know the basics of my own faith.

Sources underneath >>>

Christian sources.

1. John Piper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR6l87FiR_8

2. John Piper 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFAoRtU7n-k

3. Mike Winger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI5wiDTHpgE

4. Bible coalition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of43B-oTc-o

5. Illbehonest: https://youtu.be/YM8_n1G3wAk

6. Illbehonest 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVEJPRhb3Yk

7. Illbehonest 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ddPHTceuvU

8. Bible project: https://youtu.be/3BGO9Mmd_cU

9. Got Christian Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org/covenant-theology.html

10. Desiring God: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-does-john-piper-believe-about-dispensationalism-covenant-theology-and-new-covenant-theology

Atheist source.

1. https://youtu.be/xHXNJaqi2XA

Bonus: Abolish the law?

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-did-jesus-mean-when-he-said-not-iota-not-dot-will-pass-law-until-all-accomplished/

#atheist #atheism #theism #agnostic #christianity

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nerdygaymormon · 4 years ago

Note

So, I know the Church places,a lot of emphasis on getting married in the temple, and I think somewhere I heard it was necessary to achieve the highest level of glory, but recently I've been considering the label a romantic for myself and I was wondering what my place in the church would be. Is marriage really necessary for exaltation?

I wrote a very long response, and then at the end figured out the answer I should give you.

Listen to your heart. What is the Spirit trying to whisper to you?

Since you’re aro, check out the apostle Paul’s message in I Corinthians chapter 7. He says if you’re ace/aro, great! God has work for you. In fact, Paul seems to value being ace/aro over being married.

———————————————————————

I’ll still share the really long answer about whether marriage is necessary for exaltation,

I’ll begin with the Church’s answer. Then I’ll provide some historical context. And finally, I’ll share my thoughts.

———————————————————————

I suppose we should begin by defining what the LDS Church means by someone being exalted.

They will live in the presence of Jesus and God (which means living in the highest level of heaven)

They will become gods (children of God grow up to be like God)

They'll be united with their spouse for eternity, and linked to their righteous children and others through sealings

They will have eternal offspring (Wendy Watson Nelson is quoted in a 2020 manual for Sunday School teachers as saying marital sex "will continue eternally")

They'll receive everything Jesus and God have--power, glory, dominion and knowledge

Two of the items on the list involve being married/sealed together, which is why the LDS Church puts such an emphasis on this.

For those who are unmarried, or whose marriages aren't sealed in the temple, they can still make it to the highest kingdom of heaven but they will not be exalted, they'll be ministering angels

———————————————————————

In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), a person has to strictly observe all the Jewish laws involving sacrifice, prayer, and observance of holy days.

These laws cover everything from what clothes a person can wear, what they eat for lunch, and even if it’s okay to have sex with your wife when she is menstruating. God is very involved in the details.

These laws could be considered the "covenant path" of the Jewish faith.

—————————

Jesus & his apostles reject the idea that people have to keep all the Jewish laws in order to be saved in heaven.

Rather than a bunch of boxes to check, Jesus taught there's simply 2 great commandments.

The first is to love God above all else.

The second is to work diligently for the welfare of others, especially the poor, outcasts, strangers, foreigners, marginalized and even those who are our hated enemies. In other words, help God accomplish His great work, which is us.

—————————

This idea that Jesus rejected following strict laws and covenants, along with the command to love God, it lead to the Christian teaching of people being "saved" through their faith in Jesus.

First, a person has to believe that Jesus is the Son of God

Next, they must believe that they can't go to heaven unless Jesus saves them

Then they ask Jesus to come into their life by prayer. They admit that they've sinned and ask for forgiveness and pledge to follow Jesus for the rest of their life. This is often referred to as being "born again"

Finally, they are baptized as a sign of their commitment to Christ (baptism is not a requirement to get into heaven, but is a way to follow Christ’s example and show they've had a significant spiritual experience)

—————————

Joseph Smith taught that most people go to heaven, and that heaven has layers.

To get to the highest level we must complete certain ordinances and live a certain way. President Nelson refers to this as the "covenant path."

Faith in Jesus (not an ordinance, but a requirement to begin this path)

Repentance (not an ordinance, but having a desire that to do better)

Baptism by immersion (symbolic of our repentance that washes us clean and saves us from eternal death to eternal life)

Laying on of Hands to receive the Holy Ghost

Melchizedek Priesthood ordination (for men only)

Washing & Annointing ordinance

Endowment ceremony

Celestial Marriage (sealed to spouse in the temple)

Sealing to parents (done in the temple, or if your parents were sealed to each other at the time of your birth, you were born sealed to them)

These collectively are known as the saving ordinances.

For people who died without completing this list of ordinances, these can be performed vicariously for them at the temple (except for the ordination to the Melchizedek priesthood).

—————————

Since Joseph Smith put this new path of ordinances in place, there’s been a big change. For decades, "Celestial Marriage” meant polygamy, without it exaltation was not possible.

Since the Church was forced to stopped practicing polygamy, we've changed how we interpret the scriptures that talk about celestial marriage.

—————————

In order to go to the temple to receive the saving ordinances necessary for exaltation, the Church requires we pass a worthiness interview. I suppose that in a sense, these are changes as to who qualifies to be exalted. This additional list of requirements includes:

follow the Word of Wisdom

sustain the current prophet and apostles

obey the law of chastity

pay a full tithe

attend church meetings and partake of the Sacrament

if divorced, pay your child or spousal support

wear the temple garments

———————————————————————

A Safeguard

There's many people who find themselves outside of this Covenant Path.

Many lived and died without knowing anything of Christ, and we do not have records for them and thus can’t do temple work for them

Some people are specifically forbidden by the Church from completing the requirements for exaltation

Queer people

In the past, people of African heritage were also forbidden by the LDS Church

Given there's an obvious lack of fairness and opportunity, there has to be a way to fix things, otherwise God would be very unjust.

I believe this idea has influenced the LDS concept of the Millennium, which is a period of 1,000 years of peace after Christ comes again.

The Church believes that during the Millennium, people will be taught the gospel, repent, marry, raise children. The temples will be busy with resurrected people getting temple ordinances done.

People who died single will have an opportunity to find someone to marry.

Some people believe that queer people will not be queer anymore and this will make it so they can find someone to marry and be sealed together.

———————————————————————

My thoughts.

We know next to nothing of heaven and post-mortal life, yet we speak about it in very definitive terms--what it’s like, who’ll be there, what they’re doing.

—————————

I know we often speak of the highest level of heaven as very exclusive, but I’ve had the opportunity to speak with several Seventy and an apostle and they speak of the Millennium as the great hope.

Parents with wayward children should have hope, the lesbian should have hope, all will be made right, we all will have an opportunity to develop and grow. It sounds like everyone will be exalted if they want to be.

While I don’t quite agree with all the ways they think things will be fixed in the Millennium, I can get on board with the idea that God will make things right.

For example, the idea of a queer genocide that wipes out all LGBTQIA+ people and replace them with a cishet version of the person just doesn’t sit well with me.

What I do believe is that any blessing a person should’ve had during their lifetime will be made available to them.

—————————

Something about the idea that in heaven married couples are having sex and creating babies for eternity is a little weird to me. Do women like the idea of an eternity of pregnancy? Imagine an eternity of morning sickness and child birth as your destiny.

Mormon scriptures teach that we all began as intelligences, without beginning or end. God came and organized intelligences into spirits. In that way we’re God’s spirit children. Does that sound like sex? It doesn’t to me. I don’t know when celestial sex became the Church’s explanation of what it means to organize intelligences.

—————————

The ideas of what exaltation is causes leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to struggle with the idea of people who are ace, trans, gay, aro and so on. They see themselves in the idea of heaven and not the rest of us.

Their idea of what exaltation means makes them see no space for queerness in God’s Plan.

That’s pretty bold to deny the existence of God’s diverse creations. Here we are, we exist, we are known, yet rather than expand the Plan, to find how we can fit into the Plan, they choose not to see us.

—————————

It makes me very sad to think our Heavenly Parents might have set up a plan that would cause most of their children to not be exalted, and that means they’d never get to see those children or speak with them again, yet that’s what many Church members seem to believe.

If our Heavenly Parents are supposed to be a model for us on how to be parents, most humans would reject the idea of setting up a plan to make their kids fail so they would never see or speak to them again. That's the opposite of what we'd consider good parenting.

—————————

While I find meaning in the ordinances performed by the LDS Church, I'm more inclined to believe what Jesus taught on the matter--Love God, love & lift those in need. Jesus called this "true religion" and those who follow it will find they do well in heaven, no matter what earthly church or religion they belong to.

I think of the story of 3 eighteen-year-olds who carried members of the Martin Handcart Company across the icy waters of the Sweetwater River. Those young men died from the extreme exposure, and upon hearing of what they did, Brigham Young wept and said they’d be exalted for their sacrifice. Their exaltation wasn’t dependent on being married or having the Melchizedek priesthood. Service & sacrifice for people in need was enough.

I imagine Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and others who've spent their life developing Christlike traits (regardless of whether they were Christian) will be much further ahead when the Millennium arrives. It only takes a few hours to complete the ordinances, and so much longer to become the kind of person who can be exalted.

I suspect a lot of Mormons will be surprised to find that their ordinances weren't enough to qualify them for exaltation

—————————

Since I'm forbidden by the Church from being sealed to a husband, I instead focus on being a good person, on helping others, on being a great uncle and a good neighbor and friend.

Is marriage really necessary for exaltation? I don’t know.

I don’t know what heaven is like, there’s some Mormon beliefs about heaven that I really like, such most everyone goes to heaven, and we can be together with the people we most love.

While I don’t know much about heaven, I think we can know things about God’s character, and that’s what causes me to question some of what is taught about heaven & marriage and a Plan that excludes queer people.

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tawakkull · 3 years ago

Text

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 136

Khulla (Sincere Friendship)

Khulla means sincere friendship. It can also denote brother/sisterhood, or loyal friendship. Some have interpreted khulla as penetrating into the depth of something to change its nature, or enveloping it from all sides so that it gains a second nature. The Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, who always lived in the horizon of contentment, realized his spiritual essence or reached the rank of sincere or intimate friendship with God by means of the extraordinary radiances from God Almighty, and by experiencing continuous inner revolutions; it was thus that he reached his horizon of perfection in feeling, thought, endeavor, and preaching. Finally, he became the voice of a different nature, proclaiming God, the Ultimate Truth, by whatever he did and wherever he was. In return, God chose him as His intimate friend and called him “My intimate friend.”

Compared with sincere or intimate friendship’s influence on and penetrability into the heart, love invades the “pupil of the heart,” or the “seed of the heart,” which is regarded as the core of the spiritual intellect, and gives it its own color, and makes it speak in its own language. In a heart which moves and groans with love of God, nothing remains of anything other than God, and all other interests than that felt in God vanish one after the other, with the result that it is only He Who is felt, thought of, and talked about.

Sincere friendship (with God) was entrusted to the Prophet Abraham’s nature as a seed. It was an initial donation bestowed on Him in acknowledgement of his relationship with God Almighty and a gift given to him by the All-Merciful for his ingrained loyalty to Him. This initial gift or donation also symbolized that he would become an imam (leader) for those who would follow him. However, ignoring the gifts and favors particular to it, this intimate friendship with God manifested itself in the Lover and Beloved of God, upon him be peace and blessings, in the form of love as a special Divine regard or consideration for his transcending knowledge of God and intimacy with Him.

Sincere friendship is pure loyalty. As for love, it is passion, yearning, and consumption or burning. For this reason, sincere friendship is primarily marked by enthusiasm and thankfulness and then with sadness or sorrow. In other words, while it is enthusiasm and thankfulness that prevails most in people of sincere friendship, the people of love are known with remembrance, reflection, and continuous sorrow. How interesting it is that the Master of creation, upon him be peace and blessings, lived in continuous sorrow marked with hope, prayer, and entreaty.

God’s Messenger was a loving and loved one whose sincere friendship was transformed into love and zeal or enthusiasm, and he was aware of being honored with such a favor. He knew that the Almighty loved him beyond all modalities of quality and quantity, and constantly breathed love beyond measure. He demanded no station, no rank, no rewards. He had perfect knowledge of the One Whom he worshipped and so he worshipped Him, deepened his faith with knowledge of Him, and ran in the tracks of more and more knowledge. As his knowledge increased, he loved Him more, from the bottom of his heart, without expecting any return and without taking reunion with Him into consideration, and with the most serious self-possession of worship and servanthood. It was God Almighty’s extraordinary consideration for that Owner of the most powerful will among creation and a favor of His above all favors that the Prophet Muhammad was able to love and yearn for Him in a way befitting His Grandeur. He was the peerless hero of this highest rank. It was also he, upon him be blessings and peace to the fullness of the heavens and the earth, who gave sincere friendship the color of his sincerity and crowned that deep loyalty in human essence with love, yearning, and enthusiasm.

It is unquestionable that sincere friendship is a great rank and gift. All instances or breezes of familiarity, intimacy, inner peace and reassurance, and contentment that blow into the hearts of the faithful servants of God, the Ultimate Truth, are each an embroidery in the fabric of sincere friendship, or a spark from the love of or yearning for God. Moreover, the spiritual pleasures generated by this friendship, love, and yearning are a particular or universal manifestation of Divine consideration for turning toward that station, and breezes that blow on the slopes of the heart. As for love, it is the basic weft of that fabric, and it is the flame which produces that spark of sincere friendship. It is a fact that Divine acts are free from pursuing any ulterior motives, but we can say that the brightest wisdom in the creation of the universe is love. The series of creation appeared because of the Creator’s sacred love for His Art and His will to see it, and He has given the one who loves and is loved by Him most its most important, greatest result.

Sincere or intimate friendship is a means of spiritual reconciliation, agreement, and harmony between creatures on account of its essential elements of mutual familiarity and accord. For this reason, the Prophet Abraham, the sincere Friend of the All-Merciful, upon him be peace, who is regarded as the hero of sincere friendship, was a comprehensive example and leader for those who were to come later; he was one who was able to concentrate all hearts upon a certain common point. The Qur’an describes this quality of the Prophet Abraham with the following expression of appreciation: “Indeed I will make you an imam (leader) for all people” (2: 124). Indeed, he is a leader for all who will succeed him in respect of the essence or spirit of the Religion. This spirit or essence is fully developed to its final borders by means of the noblest Leader or Guide of all, who is God’s beloved and the greatest of the universal men, upon him be peace and blessings.

As clearly demonstrated by his blessed life, the noble Prophet Abraham, the sincere Friend of the All-Merciful, upon him be peace, was a pursuer of deeper and deeper contentment. As for the blessed, noblest Lover and Beloved of God, as stated in verse, “In the assembly of honor, composed of the loyal and truthful, in the Presence of the One, All-Omnipotent, Sovereign” (54: 55), he is the king seated on the throne of the greatest loyalty and truthfulness. He—the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings—was such a light-diffusing observed of Divine truths, setting his feet at the farthest point that his eyes reached, that he was not only at the unattainable peaks through his exceptional conceptions and observations, but also he is the most advanced of all, who “saw that which no other eyes have ever seen or will ever see, heard that which no other ears have ever heard or will ever hear, and witnessed that which no one else has ever conceived of or will ever conceive of.”

Pursuing the utmost friendship and loyalty was God’s special favor on God’s blessed Friend, the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, while having an established position of friendship, loyalty, and love in God’s Presence is the rank of the Master of creation, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. However, as stated in “Follow, then, their guidance!” (6: 90), the one who has an established position was ordered to follow, and indeed did follow, in one respect the one who was in constant pursuit of and realized God’s special friendship. This was like a king following the principle, “The host’s leadership in the Prayer is preferable,” while visiting one of his subjects, and suggesting that the host should lead the Prayer.

In another sense, a sincere friend is one who is such a faithful companion that he shares the secret atmosphere of his friend and feels his love in the depths of his heart. It is an indubitable fact that few persons have ever been able to realize such a degree of loyalty and devotion. The Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, is certainly the greatest hero of this realization, as he was particularly chosen for this special merit and had the mission of representing it in the best way. That sincere Friend of the All-Merciful is the brightest example of sincere friendship because he was perfectly loyal to his Friend, as stated in “Abraham, who discharged his due, fulfilling all his duties to perfection” (53: 37); and he was extremely sensitive in grasping the subtlety in obedience to God’s every order. Also, having assigned all his faculties, including his heart, intellect, logic, and reasoning to the fulfillment of his duty, he called to the truth and proclaimed the Divine Oneness out loud wherever and in whatever circumstances he was, addressing all the outer and inner senses and faculties of his most stubborn audience, and endured all the hardships and evils he encountered with the utmost submission to and reliance on God. In addition, he entered the fire of Nimrod with a smile on his lips, and he spent his life migrating from one place to another for God’s sake, leaving behind his beloved wife and little, beloved son in a completely desolate valley on God’s order. Furthermore, as clearly stated in the verse, “Then when both had submitted to God’s will, and Abraham had laid him down on the side of his forehead.…” (37:103), he showed no hesitation in obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son Ishmael, the fruit of his heart, the one who was a monument of forbearing and mildness and whom God had willed to be the start of a bright future.[1] He spent all his wealth in God’s cause and the needy. In short, the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, was a perfect example in the human realm to represent the way of God. Having reached the horizon where he could be the pride of all other Prophets except the last and greatest one, he became the one whose prayer, “And grant me a most true and virtuous renown among posterity” (26: 84), was accepted. Accordingly, all the followers of the Divine Religion to come after him would remember and mention him with prayers and as an excellent memory. Being one of the most distinguished, Abraham was a brilliant fruit of the Prophets who had preceded him and the luminous seed for his successors, including particularly the greatest of them, upon him be peace and blessings. When his Lord told him, “Submit yourself wholly (to your Lord),” he responded, “I have submitted myself wholly to the Lord of the worlds” (2:131). Such Prophetic submission was a spirit or seed in Abraham, upon him be peace, and it has become a blessed tree in the Pride of Humankind, upon him be peace and blessings, and a table in the Community of Muhammad as the fruit of adherence to him. The Qur’an indicates this fact as follows: If they still remonstrate with you, say (to them, O Messenger): “I have submitted my whole being to God, and so have those who follow me” (3:20).

When the basic elements of sincere friendship penetrate the outer and inner senses and faculties of heroes of nearness to God, they save such people from partial thoughts about things and events, causing them to reach the horizon of unity in all their sensations, impressions, perceptions, considerations, logical or rational comments, and evaluations. These heroes are raised, each according to their own capacity, to a comprehensive observation of things with their reason, mind, senses, consciousness, hearts, and secrets, and this causes them to observe through the telescope of their outer and inner senses indescribable scenes, multifarious but one within the other, and bearing the stamp of the same One Maker.

Every traveler who advances along the way of sincere friendship views existence from the horizon of the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, and travels around the axis of his sainthood, which is embedded in Abraham’s Prophethood. In proportion to their ability to develop the spirit of sincere friendship, they are aware of existence as a whole, which they perceived as fragmentary or compartmentalized before. They are able to observe the drops as an ocean in one piece, and as if looking on everything from a point above, they feel that all things are interconnected with one another, all voice the same meaning, point to the same truth, and say, “God is the One, Unique,” in the language of order, good composition, and harmony, and all are enraptured with the universal testimony.

The view and perception of such travelers display manifestations of Divine Attributes of Glory, and they see all existence with the view of the All-Merciful. They are sincerely compatible with the whole of creation. They know every thing to be a part of themselves, they embrace all affectionately, sensing all things as a sibling, and referring the intentions, thoughts, convictions, and comments of others to the judgment of the All-Knowing of all the unseen. They call everyone to their embrace and to the truth, like Mawlana Jalalu’d-Din ar-Rumi, and they tolerate every improper behavior toward themselves. For they are God’s faithful vicegerents traveling in the horizon of sincere friendship vast in proportion to the comprehensiveness of mercy, and they are mirrors of God’s Attributes of Glory held up against all existence. They reflect the Divine Names in their acts and manners, and they observe all things through the different windows of their faculties. Like two eyes seeing the same thing, such travelers see all things as if a single entity but with different depths.

Sainthood marked with sincere friendship of God is the best of sainthood. It is true that there is no limit to nearness to God because of His being infinite, but every individual human being has a limit of perfectibility according to his or her capacity, which marks the boundary of every traveler who is endowed with knowledge of God. For this reason, even when a traveler reaches the seventh heaven through the sainthood of God’s sincere friendship, this forms a limit for them. If there is a single exception to this, it is the position of the one, namely the Prophet Muhammad, who is distinguished by having all human virtues to the highest degree and al-Maqam al-Mahmud.[2] The All-Bounteous Lord of the worlds honored the Prophet Muhammad with extra favors, and he reached a point where space ends in infinity, the body is identical with the soul, and all secrets are manifest. It is a point that is impossible for even the angels or other spirits ever to reach.

God Almighty distinguished each Prophet with a particular virtue in which he excelled above the others. For example, the Prophet Adam, upon him be peace, was distinguished with the utmost purity and called the Pure One; the Prophet Noah, upon him be peace, was God’s Confidant; the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, excelled others in sincere friendship; the Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, was one to whom God spoke in a particular way from behind a veil, and called the Addressee of God; and the Prophet Jesus, upon him be peace, was a Spirit breathed by God. The most distinguishing mark or virtue particular to our Master, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is love—and the title, the Beloved of God, is particular to him.

During his Ascension, God’s last and greatest Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, found each Prophet in relationship with God Almighty at the level of the heaven which symbolized his particular position among the Prophets. For example, he visited the Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, at the sixth level of heaven, and the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, at the seventh. He advanced further and further until he reached the highest tower of the pure spirit beings amidst the welcoming voices of angels. He arrived at the point described as, “two bow-length’s nearness, or even nearer,” and he was honored with a special Revelation revealed with no words or speech. Through the lenses of his fully developed faculties, he observed all that is invisible, heard all that is inaudible, and knew all that is unknowable, to others. Going beyond the Garden or Paradise of Refuge and Dwelling, he reached the Sidrat al-Muntaha,[3] marking the highest point of rise for a created being.

Our Master, upon him be peace and blessings, left the way he followed open to those who would succeed him and follow that way in the shade of his sainthood. He was perfectly generous so that anyone who would follow him could benefit from the favors to come from God along his way.

It is by virtue of the Prophet Muhammad’s mission that all saints can feel sincere friendship with God according to the capacity and rank of each; believers feel brother/sisterhood and loyal friendship with each other; and thanks be to God, those serving the Qur’an follow the way and style of the Prophet Abraham, which was developed by our master, upon him be peace and blessings. Bediüzzaman deems such brother/sisterhood that arises from sincere friendship to be indispensable to the service of the Qur’an and to being a good Muslim, and he regards it as a character of belonging to the Milla(way and nation) of Abraham, which is characterized by purity of intention and absolute devotion to God’s Oneness. He says:

Our way is the closest friendship. Friendship requires being the closest, most self-sacrificing friend, the most appreciative companion, and the most magnanimous brother or sister. The very basis of this form of friendship is heartfelt sincerity. One who destroys this sincerity falls from the pinnacle of friendship. They may possibly fall to the bottom of a very deep pit. They cannot find anything in between to cling on to.[4]

According to Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, this fall is destructive deviation and means straying from the right path.

O my God! Equip my soul with righteousness and piety and purify it. You are the Best in purifying it, and You are its Guardian and Master.

And bestow the best of blessings and the most perfect of salutations and the most excellent peace upon the Start of the Prophethood and its Seal, and on his Family and Companions, all valuable and faithful.

[1] Here, the writer refers to the Prophet Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice his elder son Ishmael on God’s order. This was a great trial for both Abraham and Ishmael, upon them be peace, involving many instances of wisdom. By unhesitatingly obeying God’s order, both Abraham and Ishmael, upon them both be peace, were greatly rewarded. God appointed Ishmael as a Prophet and made him the origin of a holy line which finally gave birth to the greatest of creation, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings.

[2] Having al-Maqam al-Mahmud, which belongs to the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, and literally means the position or station of being praised, is being one specially praised by God and the whole body of the believers, by virtue of which he will be honored with permission to intercede on behalf of all the people on the Place of Supreme Gathering. Humankind, who will have been gathered on the Place of Supreme Gathering after the Resurrection, will be allowed to advance toward the other realms of the Hereafter through his intercession.

[3]Sidrat al-Muntaha signifies the boundary between the realms of Divinity and creation, which marks the highest point of any created being’s rise and nearness to God.

[4] Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Lemalar (“The Gleams”), The Twenty-First Gleam, The Fourth Principle.

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michelles-garden-of-evil · 4 years ago

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Episode 24 Review: Top 5 Reasons Why the Holly Portrait Subplot Doesn’t Work

Welcome back to Maljardin, where the melodramatic master Jean Paul Desmond is God and the Devil is a snarky talking portrait.

Speaking of portraits, today we will be looking at the subplot about Tim’s portrait of “Erica” (or, rather, of Holly) and the main things that are wrong with it. This subplot is, in my opinion, the worst in the Maljardin arc and I’ve been holding off on writing a detailed explanation of why I feel that way until my review of this episode, which mostly centers around the damned Holly portrait.

The portrait, circa Episode 18. There aren’t any good shots of it from Episode 24, so I had to settle for this one.

To recap: After the death of Erica Desmond, her husband Jean Paul hired Tim Stanton, a young artist in debt to the mob, to paint a portrait of her. Erica being both dead and encased in a cryonics capsule which both Jean Paul and THE DEVIL JACQUES ELOI DES MONDES refuse to open, Tim must instead use young heiress Holly Marshall as his model until Erica comes back to life as Jacques promised that she would.

Sound like a reasonable plan? No? I didn’t think so, either, and now I shall explain why. Here are the top five reasons why I think this subplot is stupid:

#5: Holly neither looks like Erica, nor knows what Erica looked like.

This screencap is actually from Episode 13, but I’m including it because it’s relevant.

I sometimes wonder if this criticism is unfair, because the only viewers up to this point in the show’s broadcast history who would have seen Erica were the viewers of Episodes 1, 2 (where Tim shows Alison his sketch of her), and 4. In the first scene of Episode 4, the Cryonics Society froze her corpse in the cryonics capsule, meaning that anyone who started watching after that scene would not have seen her face before Tim got his assignment from Jean Paul. Even so, neither Erica resembled Holly, which makes it absurd for her to sit for it. Why not have Alison pose instead when she’s not working? After all, they are sisters and they share a strong family resemblance according to the original pilot script. Holly barely resembles either Erica beyond being pretty.

Tim’s sketch of Erica from Episode 2, with a screencap of Alison from Episode 17 for comparison. With its upturned nose and full lips, the sketch is clearly intended to resemble Dawn Greenhalgh (Alison) and not Sylvia Feigel (Holly).

Because Holly hardly looks a thing like her, Tim complains in Episode 13 that he “can’t use her for anything but position and play of light.” In spite of this, later episodes including Episode 24 show that he has painted a sort of semi-abstraction of Holly’s face, with features about halfway between those of Holly and those of Erica. This means that he’s only making more work for himself for when Jacques brings Erica back to life--if he brings her back to life--because he will need to paint over the semi-abstraction with Erica’s face. In short, he’s wasting his time.

Besides, it’s unclear why Holly doesn’t know what Erica looked like if Erica was a very famous actress and she and her husband were stalked by the paparazzi until they escaped to Maljardin (as previous episodes have indicated). Surely she would have seen a photo of Erica in the newspaper at some point, or her face on the poster for one of her plays, or something. I realize that’s not the same as seeing someone in real life, but it’s just odd that she doesn’t know.

#4: Tim doesn’t have even a photo of Erica with him and so has to rely mostly on memory.

He even says so in Episode 13: “I have to depend on my memory of your wife and that sketch I made of her at the café,” he tells Jean Paul (or, rather, Jacques while he is possessing him). As we saw in that episode, opening the cryonics capsule and posing Erica’s thawed-out corpse for Tim is too devilish even for Jacques, so the starving artist is left with a dilemma. Jean Paul, being a fancy rich guy of noble descent, naturally assumes that any criticisms of his assignment is just a case of beggars trying to be choosers and ignores them; in his mind, he did him a favor by paying his debts and taking him to his island, so Tim should obey his every whim without question. But the truth is that Jean Paul has no understanding of how artists work, nor why Tim needs the real Erica to complete the painting, and he may not even understand the creative process behind painting a portrait.

This could make for interesting social commentary if the writers had had Tim take a good hard look at the situation and realize that Jean Paul is not just imprisoning him on the island but flat-out exploiting him. They could have made his subplot about class conflict, the establishment’s lack of empathy towards creative types, or both. However, they choose not to use the subplot for such commentary, instead going in a much more conventional direction.

#3: The Holly portrait is mostly used to drive a clichéd romantic subplot.

Two people meet and hate each other at first sight--or at least pretend to--although they are clearly attracted to each other. They argue, bicker, treat each other indifferently at best and abuse each other at worst, until one day they realize that they have fallen in love. When was the first time you read or saw this story? Do you even remember the first time? Most likely you don’t, because the exact same plot has been used and reused so many times since Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing premiered that Western media is saturated with it. It’s not a bad plot in and of itself, but it’s been overused so much that you can usually see it coming from a mile away. When Tim and Holly first bickered over her being too young to order booze, I predicted that they were setting up a romance between them. There are many signs: Tim confesses to Vangie that he feels sorry for Holly, Elizabeth suspects that he’s hitting on her, and, while she claims to dislike them both, Holly seems slightly less irritated by Tim than by her former captor, Matt Dawson. Ian Martin was clearly setting up a romance between the heiress and the artist, who are gradually bickering less and less: a telling sign that they are getting closer to falling in love.

As creepy as it is and as much as I don’t want them to get together, I actually find the Matt/Holly subplot more interesting to watch than Tim/Holly. Danny Horn of Dark Shadows Every Day may have written about how “groovy priest attracted to the beautiful young girl that he wants to take care of” is an old soap cliché, but I’ve seen it done far less often, which I suspect has something to do with all the church scandals in the past twenty years. The Belligerent Sexual Tension plot, on the other hand, is still very popular, so it feels less fresh to me than Matt and Holly’s subplot. (That doesn’t mean that I don’t still think he should leave her alone. Personally, I ship Reverend Dawson with his right hand and I think they ought to stay together.)

#2: The use of the Holly portrait on the show doesn’t connect to the show’s use of portraits for symbolism.

This one is really nitpicky and based mostly on my personal interpretation, but bear with me. Although far more complex than the Dark Shadows ripoff that many critics reduce it to, Strange Paradise nevertheless relied on many of the same tropes and themes, including the way its writers used portraits. On Dark Shadows, the writers often used a trope that Cousin Barnabas of the Collinsport Historical Society blog calls the “Portrait as Id,” meaning the use of paintings to symbolize and illustrate the truth about whatever character they represented. We see this in Strange Paradise as well with the portrait of Jacques, who tells Jean Paul that he is “the man you are, the man you might have been,” implying that the ostensibly good Jean Paul is not so different from his evil ancestor. Later on after Robert Costello becomes producer and the show becomes more like Dark Shadows, we’ll meet another character whose portrait does not turn out as intended because of the evil in said character’s heart, which also connects to this idea of portraits reflecting hidden reality. Although the conjure doll also resembles and represents Jacques, he does not generally use it to communicate with Jean Paul the way he does with the portrait. This makes sense, given that the doll and silver pin ended his life, while the portrait was painted at some point while he was alive.

In contrast to the portraits mentioned above, Holly’s portrait does not convey any additional information about either her or Erica. Because it represents the late Mrs. Desmond in name only, the Holly portrait says nothing about Erica’s id, her personality, or the state of her soul. It doesn’t even say very much about Holly. Instead, it’s mostly just used as an excuse to force Holly and Tim to interact with each other and bicker until they can finally admit that they’re in love.

#1: It goes (almost) nowhere.

And when it does finally go somewhere, it’s only relevant for a few episodes before it’s forgotten about. Holly’s participation in the portrait sittings soon becomes completely irrelevant, much like so many of the show’s early subplots which Late Maljardin’s headwriter Cornelius Crane chose to ignore. I suspect that the Holly portrait would have eventually became more significant in the main plot had Martin not been fired around Week 9. We may never know how it would have become so, nor how significant it would have become in his original outline. Who knows? Perhaps Martin would have crafted a shocking plot twist involving Holly that justified its existence. Perhaps he would have connected the portrait and its eventual fate somehow to the nightmare she had about Tarasca, having it reveal some terrifying truth about Maljardin’s past. At the very least, he might have used it to cement the romance between Tim and Holly. But instead the subplot ends with little payoff.

Tim on his subplot.

Still, despite the focus on the Holly portrait, this episode isn’t entirely a waste. Raxl saves it with her pleas to the Serpent and her attempt to contact the Conjure Woman, in all her scenery-chewing, melodramatic glory. There’s also a scene where Holly pressures her to read the two Tarot cards--the King of Swords (whom Matt identifies as Jean Paul) and the Queen of Cups (whom he interprets as Holly)--that she dropped on the floor earlier in the scene “just for kicks,” and she refuses, shouting “No!” repeatedly. If you love Raxl like I do, you’ll enjoy her scenes. They’re not Best of Raxl material, but they’re fun.

So long until my next review, which will cover Episode 25, followed by Week 5′s long overdue Bad Subtitle Special. I know that this is a change of pace from my usual recap-style reviews, but I really wanted to go into more detail about why I don’t like Tim’s subplot. I hope you enjoyed this post and I’ll see you again soon.

Coming up next: Elizabeth continues her attempted seduction of Jean Paul as we explore inter-generational conflict on Maljardin.

{ <- Previous: Episode 23 || Next: Episode 25 -> }

#strange paradise #soap opera #review #ian martin #maljardin arc #week 5 #episode 24 #foxless episodes #analysis #list #conjure doll and silver pin #the damned holly portrait #dark shadows #matt/his right hand #scenery chewing #soap opera tropes #speculation on ian martin's original story #symbolism #tarot

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zayashmaya · 5 years ago

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dipping my toe into clown lore

@clusband my ode to u

i was gonna make a much longer post about this but i have a really important exam in the middle of august so I'm too anxious to focus on anything else but i wanna spout some clown lore that’s gonna appear in my fic

see below for information on the human carnival festival, its ties to saturnalia and the feast of fools, and how i think purplebloods share similar practices.

warning: mentions of violence

i’ve been digging around the web to learn more about the carnival festival that is celebrated globally in human culture. why do we go apeshit with cool costumes and indulge in our base desires during this holiday? what the fuck is it even for?

turns out, it’s rooted in religion! who knew dressing in skimpy outfits and partying would be tied to god. i knew, that’s who. here we go -

carnival seems to be a christianized version of saturnalia, a festival thrown by the romans to celebrate their god saturn. in much the same fashion as modern times, it was a big party with lots of fun and food and gambling and maybe a human sacrifice thrown into the mix, complete and total meltdown of morality, nothing too spicy. people also gave gifts and allowed their slaves to be seen as equals during this holy day. a person is nominated to be the king of saturnalia to oversee the festivities and act as the event organizer. this role might have also been used to instigate whimsical activities, because according to wikipedia (i know, crucify me for using it as a source): ‘His capricious commands, such as "Sing naked!" or "Throw him into cold water!", had to be obeyed by the other guests at the convivium: he creates and (mis)rules a chaotic and absurd world.’

but wait, there’s more! remember that human sacrifice i mentioned? yeah, it’s the king of saturnalia. At the end of 30 days from the start of the festival, their throat is slit on the altar of saturn. According to James Frazer:

We are justified in assuming that in an earlier and more barbarous age it was the universal practice in ancient Italy, wherever the worship of Saturn prevailed, to choose a man who played the part and enjoyed all the traditionary privileges of Saturn for a season, and then died, whether by his own or another's hand, whether by the knife or the fire or on the gallows-tree, in the character of the good god who gave his life for the world.

saturnalia, and in particular the role of the king of saturnalia, has been compared to yet another holiday - the feast of fools and all that it entails. it’s not totally understood what the feast of fools was originally meant to celebrate or how it was done, because historical texts kinda slacked on being historical and there were a lot of people who condemned this practice and consequently talked a lot of shit that may not have been true. this festival seems to have started off as a relatively harmless celebration within the church where men of lower rank would switch roles with the higher ups, possibly to symbolize humility and bringing down the mighty.

the role reversal is very similar to what was done during saturnalia. furthermore, saturnalia was followed by the celebration of the calends of january, where a lot of the same sort of customs were upheld - slaves allowed to be free during festivities, homes were decorated, gifts were exchanged, etc. it seems that this is where christmas stems from. anyway, the theme of “power, dignity and impunity ... [being] briefly conferred on those in a subordinate position” is a common theme among all of these holidays. once again, it’s not really clear where the feast of fools came from or why it was created, but the influences are all there.

historians propose that the theme of role reversal among all of these holidays might be a mockery of those who were displeased with social order. by displacing those who were in power and partaking in the madness during these festivals, it was probably a message to people to show how crazy society would become, and that this was the future they would find themselves in, if everything was switched. or, here’s another theory by Victor Turner:

The order we are mocking is important but not ultimate; what is ultimate is the community it serves; and this community is fundamentally egalitarian; it includes everyone. Yet we cannot do away with the order. So we periodically renew it, rededicate it, return it to its original meaning, by suspending it in the name of the community, which is fundamentally, ultimately of equals, and which underlies it.

anyway, back to the feast of fools. humans were and always will be baboons, so while the feast of fools was largely condemned by the rest of the church, rich civilians were like ‘dudes lets get funky’ and started partying. i can’t summarize what follows well enough, because here is a great description from oxford bibliographies:

While the liturgical Feast of Fools struggled for survival inside the churches, unrelated festivities of bourgeois confraternities of fools outside the churches burgeoned. Dressed in motley costumes with ass’s ears, secular fools had their own distinct traditions of parades, comic performances, and mimicry. Subsequent scholarship largely confused the two traditions, prompting considerable misreading of the older ecclesiastical records and contributing to the mistaken but widespread view that the Feast of Fools was little more than a disorderly clerical revel.

sounds familiar? very much like saturnalia, y'all. history constantly repeats and reinvents itself a la stealing cultures and rebranding it as a new thing.

somewhere in this absolute mess of history developed yet another tradition that is eerily similar to the king saturnalia - the role of the lord of misrule. a peasant or sub-deacon would be randomly appointed to preside over festivities, and it seems to have been during christmas. ALL of these things converge and influence each other and all happen around the same time (like decemberish), which is why it’s so hard to make sense of what’s what. anyway, wiki says that the lord of misrule “was an officer appointed by lot during Christmastide to preside over the Feast of Fools”. since the feast of fools became bastardized by secular influences, the holiday became one of revelry and weird shit going down. The lord of misrule called people to disorder, just like the king of saturnalia. thankfully, i can't find reports of the lord of misrule being a human sacrifice.

so where am i headed with this? i think this all SCREAMS purpleblood antics.

as a spin-off from this post, imagine a festival where all purplebloods on alternia gather in the ancient city where the grand highblood once ruled. the lord of misrule is chosen among the clowns that were left abandoned in the city due to their mental instability. this role is immensely sacred to the clowns, because they revere the unstable purplebloods and would gladly follow their commands. as i said in that linked post, the unstable purplebloods are considered to be particularly blessed by the messiahs and are seen as prophets and guides. the chosen lord of misrule cannot really command the festivities because of their degenerated mental state, so there are priests appointed to interpret their word (like Chahut).

the clowns bring captured lowbloods with them to the festival, and for this short period, they are allowed to be treated as equals. unbeknownst to them, they will eventually be sacrificed. their blood is used to paint the new clown initiates during the initiation ceremony at the end of the festival, in much the same way Chahut baptized mc during her route. as a final blessing to the clowns and to mark the end of the festival, the lord of misrule is sacrificed, and their blood is spilled on a sacred altar that runs down into a pool of purple blood left over from past lords. i dont know what this would be for yet. maybe the initiates have to drink from there, like how eating bread and drinking wine is considered consuming the body and blood of christ. maybe it symbolizes them growing closer to the messiahs.

i’ll probably come up with more lore, but here it is for now.

#y'all what the fuck is this #i really sat here and wrote a book when i should be doing work #I'm sorry if this makes no sense #my mind was racing #homestuck #lore #headcanons #imagines #purplebloods #gods and monsters

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sparda3g · 5 years ago

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Attack on Titan Chapter 122 Review

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Ever since the anime season this year ended, the momentum has been phenomenal. Some would believe this would not only lose it but fall off of a cliff alas jumping the shark. Fans have followed since the beginning and remain loyal to this day. After 122 chapters, I can safely say this series still got it. That itself is amazing, but what this chapter delivered is unfathomable. It didn’t just deliver the explanation we have long desired for, it rewarded us for being loyal to this very day.

It opens up with Frieda and Historia’s flashback, centering on the story of a young girl who was loved by everyone. She was called Ymir. She was deemed as “ladylike;” an inspirational figure if you may call her. As fans know, she is the founder of the Titans. They also know her loyalty is to the Royal Family alas a slave. Basically, her figure can be seen as a role model, but her background and history say otherwise. It transition to Ymir’s backstory and from there, the truth is far colder than I can imagine.

It’s heartbreaking, disturbing, and probably the darkest of the series, and that says a lot. As the chapter’s title implies, it takes place 2,000 years ago. Ymir was only a child; a slave who worked hard in the midst of agonizing environment. Throughout the backstory, she never speak a word, but her expression tells tons. This is Isayama’s finest artwork delivery. The amount of effort put in is astonishing, and it only gets better.

The king wanted the culprit who set the pigs free and all the slaves pointed at her. We don’t know if she was even the culprit, but the painted image of everyone backstabbing her for the “greater good” is hard-hitting. She must take the fall and so, she accepted it. That’s purely corrupted and disheartening. Blame a child for your foolish act. But it didn’t matter; the king took it and free her to the forest, where she will be running from death by her own people.

I like to point out how disturbing it is to use the phrase, “You are free,” in a very cruel manner. It makes me believe the ending page of the series is about her. It’s still a speculation, but the chance has increased. Her suffering aches me and the flashback just started, let alone her character. She found the giant tree and entered inside for shelter. But instead, she fell down to the river with a supernatural object that resembles a spinal cord swimming towards her. They fused without a dance and thus, a titan is born. What a great sequence.

I love how it plays off as a phenomenal event and rightfully so. It’s the beginning of everything. It has to be treated as the second coming or the Holy Grail. It’s interesting to see a supernatural element in this series. Granted, a lightning strike, changing into a giant form, and Shifters wielding a special power are supernatural, but this is the origin, before titan became a thing. It has to start somewhere, so this is acceptable. I strongly doubt we will see more of supernatural entity like aliens. This is more of mythology use, the Tree of Life if you may, and Isayama is no stranger.

One would think Ymir’s life would turnaround for the better with her newfound ability. It did not; amazingly, it’s much worse. The King paid much “respect” towards her, thanks to her titan power. By that logic, this means she is “rewarded” to be his wife. The sad part is, earlier in the chapter, she witnessed a wedding that was presented as a blissful moment for the two. She’s no longer a slave to do labor work; she’s a slave to do everything. She’s rewarded a marriage and yet, she’s left cold and depressed. It’s disheartening to say the least.

She does all the works the King command. From being sent to destroy Marleyans to bearing the children for weaponized reason, she’s a mess. Every moment should be filled with happiness, yet not once you see her happy. Not even a baby birth made her pleasant; instead, saddened and broken. Year after year of the same procedure, her life was long gone. We the fans are only seeing her in pilot mode or in other words, emotionless.

What’s interesting is the moment when she was killed. You would expect her death to be glorious or end with a bang, but it wasn’t the case. One of the soldiers took out a spear from underneath the sand and threw at the King, only for Ymir to jump and take it instead. She could have recovered, knowing she was a Shifter. However, she lost the will to live, so she never did; essentially, passed away. It almost happened with Reiner back at Marley, so it makes sense for her to go out like a normal human. I love the imagery of her soul fading away with the sight of a flower. What struck me is her family watched her dead with sadness, only for the next moment to destroy the sensation and embark a really dark scene.

If you once believe the King has any soul towards her, you’ll be dead wrong. After a shock, he recovered and angrily yelled at her to get back up and work. That’s seriously messed up. He had no remorse for her death; not even seeing her once as a person. He flat out called her their slave. It only took a chapter to hate the guy so much. It gets worse as he decided to feed his children with her corpse. That’s unbelievably disturbing. I’m surprised at the raw image as well as disgusted. At least we know the walls are named after the three children; better not reveal that history. How this series not Seinen? I guess it was missing one cuss word to be qualified.

The most heartbreaking part is, even in the afterlife, Ymir is still a slave. In the King’s deathbed, his last wish was an order for his children to spread Ymir’s blood through generation after generation. Not even a touching moment for them; selfishly placed dictatorship over family. Sadly, they obeyed his last wish and through countless generations, the titans have grown.

It explained how the titans essentially break into different traits alas Shifters, including Jaw and Colossal Titan. After spreading for so long, it eventually formed a new type. It’s bizarrely insane. The King can enjoy in hell, while Ymir is forever a slave, creating countless titans. She outclassed all the suffering characters; bar none. It’s pure tragedy. She cannot be freed for 2,000 years and counting. Her life is only used as a weapon; nothing more, nothing less. The backstory ends here. The next scene, oh boy, here we go.

Eren finally reveals his true color and the sole reason to obtain her power: to end this world. Out of context, he would definitely been seen as a villain. Joker, watch out! But seriously, it’s the Rumbling and like he said at the beach, he’s going to put an end to this madness. While the request can definitely be interpreted as a villainy act, the intention is dare I say reasonable.

The idea I get is he wants to factory reset the world. The damage was done 2,000 years ago and its effect goes on to this day. Evil brought upon the titans to its existence. The irony approach to put an end is to use those colossal titans inside the wall. What stared the madness will end with madness. I don’t remember who said this quote about World War, but the third war will be the worst war of our time; the fourth one will have people use sticks and stones. It’s something like that. Basically, it means the world will restart after mass destruction, and that’s what Eren is going to unleash. Not necessarily kill his friends, but end the tyranny war.

I love the last psychological battle between the brothers. Eren wants Ymir to know she is only human; not a God nor a slave. As for Zeke, he wants to stop Eren from unleashing hell on Earth. Out of context, this sounds like Zeke is the good guy, but it’s complicated. Their choice of words to persuade Ymir are night and day. Not because of what they wished for, but what they cared for. When it’s all said and done, it’s perfectly clear which argument matters more.

The major key difference is how they approach to her. Eren may want the world to end, but he believes it’s up to her to decide. More importantly, what she truly feels. With Zeke, all value was lost when he yells at her to grant his wish because he ordered her. He believed he’s right because he carried the blood of the Royal Family; symbolically, history repeats itself or more like, the chain never ends. Eren wants to end it and apparently, so does her.

It is clear Isayama has planned this far ahead as well as improved his artwork tremendously.Thankfully so, because the delivery is powerful. Ymir’s emotion with tears is raw; I felt her agony and now, she can finally let it go. I love the fact Isayama didn’t show her eyes until now; making this moment impactful. You feel free along with her. The pain must end now. To top it all off, alongside with great artwork, it also contain the perfect circle; one that rewards the fans for supporting the work for a long time.

Eren may have a villainy idea, but his heart still contains purity. He wanted her to let go; end her misery. He knows deeply for 20,000 years, she waited for anyone to free her, and he is the guy. It finally hits me that this chapter’s title resembles to the first chapter. It was a message to Eren to save her; this time, it’s the reply she has been waiting for. Absolutely magnificent. Now I get those panels that resemble to Eren’s dream. Not to mention, the tears. It must mean he felt the pain of a poor girl. I’m convinced the ending will have Eren carrying Ymir to let her know she’s freed. I can be wrong, but I wouldn’t mind being right. Ymir makes her decision, and by God almighty, what a crazy ending.

The last couple of pages are incredible. Isayama seriously went all out on his art. Back to reality, Eren’s spine reattach his head; basically, escape death. The image is jarring in a good way. The battle is stopped with the wall crumbling down. By this point, my jaw was dropped. The scenery is intense as hell. Gabi, the one who thought stopped the mayhem, is now witnessing it in front row. The wall is gone; out comes the mass of Colossal Titans. Translation: we’re in the endgame now.

What else can I say? Probably a lot more. The bottom line is, this chapter was outstanding. It delivered a really dark, cruel, and depressing backstory of Ymir that answered many questions and gave us reasons to feel awful for her, which ultimately led to the defining moment. When it comes down to it, the stories we heard from Eldians and Marleyans were true and false. Eren and Zeke’s final debate was mesmerizing. The full circle twist was so rewarding. The visual is among the best Isayama has delivered; perhaps the best. The atmosphere, the angle, the expression; everything is top quality. The ending got me hyped beyond the maximum level. This is it. It’s not the end of the world, but you can see it from here…

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #chapter 122 #review #spoilers

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brokenforecast · 5 years ago

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The Emperor

The Emperor: a muggle guide to tarot

It has been more than a year since I wrote on this blog but better late than never. I should have plenty of time from now on, because that is the reason for all this silence: lack of free time. But I handled that like a boss. let’s get on with it. We have finally arrived at an unapologetic male character in the tarot, which took us five cards into the Major Arcanum. So, without writing a paper on the patriarchy let’s dig into my nuanced view of the archetypical father, ruler and ultimately god.

Let’s get the gender issue over with straight away. Like the empress, if in your life the archetypical father is not a man, no big deal, then that person can be represented. The Emperor is at its most basic a person who wields a lot of formal power in your life. Simple as that. My boss for example – which is a very typical interpretation of the Emperor card – is a woman and she has a lot of power over many aspects of my life. If it wouldn’t be for the large amounts of confidence I have in her, it would be scary how much power she has.

> Renaissance Tarot Emperor: secret 4 legshake and birds.

Symbolism

The fact that the emperor’s card is numbered 4 is no coincidence, not only is the four figure the symbol of both the planet and god Jupiter, is also the number most strongly associated with stability (think legs of tables or chairs, limbs of mammals, the four corners of the world, a house has four walls, a year has four seasons, but let’s not get too numerological, shall we?). Some cards represent the emperor with one leg crossed, mimicking the number four, like in the Secret Tarot. There will be some birds, representing the sky gods of many cultures meaning power, royalty, strength and good fortune (think Roman, Russian or German emperors that all have bird symbols). Also: crowns, scepter, suits of armour (the protective side of masculinity), thrones and whatnot. Also horns, horns represent penises.

Sometimes mountains are depicted which might be a bit confusing for some muggles. This can only be understood by understanding the emperor as opposed to and in harmony with the empress. Where the empress has wheat for fertility and growth, the emperor has mountains for infertility and stability. Growth is very nice but one needs a certain doses of stability in life. Fertility and reproducing are all fun and games but someone needs to protect all that growth. I think it’s a nice metaphor for masculinity: (temporary) power without fertility, defending what the empress creates and takes care of.

> The Rider-Waite Emperor: mountains, penises, I mean horns and good old fashioned bearded ruler.

I admit not only lack of time withheld me from writing about the emperor. As a deeply masculine card I - as a man who only reluctantly and not that often identifies as a man but can’t really pinpoint what to identify as, or indeed if I need to identify at all - I do not feel qualified to write about the man. But as is often the case: I couldn’t be more wrong. Due to my struggle with, contemplation, participation and perception of and some distance to masculinity I am perfectly placed to write about it.

Upright meaning

I absolutely believe that masculinity needs a new, positive, inclusive definition that inspires people (not just men) to do good. One such view that heavily influenced me was nurturance culture.

A genderless world where no good (or bad) personality trait is gendered, is not anywhere in the cards (see what I did there?). So how do we as a society give a positive and inspiring content to the idea of masculinity? One of the possible answers are the 4 positive characteristics of the emperor: protection, practicality, authority and structure.

Sure, I’ll argue against all four of them when talking about other cards, but the tarot is about exploring all sides of the human condition and these 4 have value as well and are all four historically associated with masculinity. Is masculinity in a crisis? Yes, it most certainly is; it has been reduced to a destructive cliché where it used to be kaleidoscopic concept. Not by feminists, but by men themselves. We have not emancipated ourselves. In stead of evolving like women did the last century, we have retreated into an ever more meager concept of masculinity. This is my attempt to reconstruct the notion of inclusive manliness.

Pillar 1: protection

You gotta fight, for your right, to party. - The Beastie Boys

Know that feeling when you broke down, when you are at your most vulnerable and you find comfort and protection in someone’s arms? I could be talking about a man who protects you late at night in some shady alley from a knife-gang but honestly: how many times are we in need of that? And how much have we needed someone to just be around us, silently but firmly comforting us. Protection and defense imply some potential for destruction but that does not need to be a bad thing if the thing that is being destroyed is a bad thing. Be protective.

Pillar 2: practicality

Yes, I am talking about being able to handle power tools, finish an Ikea closet in 15 minutes and fixing your bike. Cliché much? Yes, but it’s a decent and good quality. While the empress listens to how you had a bike accident and fixes that bleeding knee, the emperor is silently repairing your bike in the shed without you knowing and what after the whole debacle and you find out, makes you smile again. Silent, humble work. Thinking of the small things, the pro’s and con’s and getting on with it. This is where the repressed emotions come into play. Not necessarily a bad thing if not taken too far. There is nothing wrong with temporarily repressing emotions to get shit done as long as you deal with them later on. Sometimes the trash just needs to be taken outside, a meal cooked, a kitchen cleaned or a day at the office endured. Postpone emotions, don’t bottle them up. Be practical.

> left: emperor by kindanddemon > right: emperor by skullsquid

Pillar 3: authority

Both having it/using it as well as dealing with it. Yes, I would also like to live on an island in a sea of mutual respect where there is no need for authority but let’s just wake up shall we? Authority is a thing and we need to deal with it. Easiest way is being an authority yourself. And I mean that in a good way. Standing for something, believing in something, without dogma or rigidness but open and evolving. You could also call it privilege, there’s a lot of it out there and like a sword it should be used and wielded for good, to shield (another symbol you will often find on the card) those who do not have it. Privilege is a real thing, you can’t get rid of it (by yourself or in a short amount of time) but you can use it for good. The emperor tells us to use our gifts (remember the magician?) for good, to be ambitious, not at the cost of others but to the benefit of all. Deserve respect.

Pillar 4: structure

The stability in number 4 is also associated with structure, systems, procedures and ultimately rules and laws. They exist for a reason and should be there for the good of all. The empress negotiates and compromises, the emperor confirms this by making rules that sustain this peace. I honestly believe everyone can use some structure, some system, some good habits, some good routines, rules you live by. Maybe not 100% of the time, no one asks you to be perfect, no one asks the rules to be perfect. Even the apparent chaos of nature obeys the laws of physics. Constructing order from chaos has its benefits. Yes chaos nurtures – in an empress kind of way – the new and creative, order protects what is fragile and needs to be maintained. Construct systems that benefit you.

> The Wild Unknown Emperor: The emperor depicted as a large tree overlooking the forest, growing by the bright light of the midday sun, deeply and firmly rooted in the soil.

The emperor can be anyone or anything that radiates the qualities above, not just a person (your father, husband, boss or landlord) but also an institution: government agencies, large corporations, the army etc.

Reverse meaning

"Our fathers were our models for God. If our fathers bailed, what does that tell you about God?" - Tyler Durden in Fight Club

When the emperor appears reversed in your reading you are hugely and utterly fucked. At its base meaning this card represents power and now that immense power is turned against you in one of three ways:

Opposite: the opposite of manliness is not femininity, get that in your head as soon as possible. The opposite of power is powerlessness, not receiving the responsibility you need; the opposite of protection is getting hurt. The opposite of practicality is inertness, laziness, meddling without achieving, not really trying, not having the required skill without anyone around to help you. The opposite of authority is slavery, submission, believing yourself to be weaker than you are. The opposite of a stable structure that perpetuates good is destructive chaos, not knowing where to start, being confused, having to start over and over again because nothing is fundamentally anchored.

cock-blocked: The emperor is blocked somehow. You are unable to assert yourself, maybe lost in a maze of regulations, rules and procedures. You are maybe protecting the wrong things or people. You might think you are practical but got something wrong (it’s mostly not the Ikea manual that is wrong or the piece that is faulty, it is most certainly, you).

Taken too far: This is the domain of toxic masculinity. Yes this is a thing, I suffer from it every day. Masculinity is a prison. This kind is anyway. Defense becomes unwarranted offence, violence, abuse of physical strength, this is the bully knocking you a bleeding nose and your father raping you. This is thinking you can fix everything, that everything is logical and practical and being blind to the emotional, spiritual or natural things in life. This is abuse of authority, corruption, back chamber politics, chauvinism. It is structural sexism, racism and a system that only exists to benefit itself not the people in it. And it is all turned against you.

One card spread – meditation on the emperor:

"Life seems so much simpler when you're fixing things." - Anakin skywalker in Attack of the Clones

The Emperor is the first break we get in a way. In a very – too – short version of our path up until now the fool asks us to unapologetically be ourselves, the magician asks us to be able, the high priestess begs us to be knowledgeable. The emperor asks us to consolidate that into a system, a structure so what we have achieved so far can be defended. It’s about creating habits that benefit you, assert yourself as you are, yourself, able and knowledgeable without shame or hesitation. Use your abilities as a weapon against injustice. But we’re turning too abstract, I know. Let’s be more practical. Answer all the following questions and jot down one action per question that you can do in the next four days:

Ask yourself what is going well in your life and how you can anchor that in your life. How can you make it last?

Who or what in your immediate environment needs protection (or comfort, or help) and how can you provide that? Does something need fighting and which weapon in your arsenal is best suited?

When were you last intimidated by authority? What characteristic was intimidating? Do you possess that characteristic? Imagine yourself unintimidated in that same situation. What is needed to get you there?

Do you own something that is broken? Try to fix it. (Just like there is an inherent value to growing things crf. the empress, fixing things is itself a healing action).

TLDR: Upright meaning: power, protection, practicality, authority, order Reverse meaning: powerlessness, impotence, confusion, chaos, abuse of power

#a muggle guide to tarot #tarot #tarot readings #the emperor #emperor #007 #major arcana #the emperor reversed #emperor reversed #cartomancy

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cornerverse-mlp · 5 years ago

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I wrote this post, like, a year and a half ago but I just found it so here I’m throwing it into the void!

Okay, I have no justification of any kind, other than “the other night I rearranged my room, saw my mlp toys on my Percy Jackson shelf, and decided to debate with myself about “if the MLP cast were all in the PJO Universe, who would their godly parent be?”.”

Obviously they’re all Humans, or well, Demigods, in this AU(Actually, there’s one Mortal), instead of being ponies(I think by default horses are Poseidon territory). That said, their in-show abilities/traits count for what I choose. Same for choosing the ‘godly parent’, meaning that while full Myth(and my interpretations) will be in play, how the gods work in the PJO books count as well.

I’m also keeping to just the more well-known gods/goddesses. Because while there’s a lot of minor ones and I could probably spend days going down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia articles to find a ‘perfect fit’, why would I do that? For that same reason, I’m also sticking to Greeks instead of trying to balance ‘should I make them Greek or Roman?’.

So! On that note, this is mostly a list, however, I do add more and give reasons for my choices, even talking of ones I debated about. And a few bonus headcanons.

Twilight Sparkle - I feel like Athena is the obvious choice. I mean, Twi’s intelligent and strategic so Daughter to the Goddess of Wisdom is a good idea, plus she has a pet owl which is one of Athena’s symbols. It’s what most people go with.

However, I’m going with her as a Daughter of Hecate. My reasons?

First of all, Hecate is Goddess of Magic, and, well, Magic is Twi’s thing. She’s a talented spellcaster, and that’s a big part of her character.

Hecate is also a Goddess of Crossroads, something we see a lot with Twilight, in multiple ways.

She is the character with the most ‘counterparts’, not just her literal Counterpart in Sci-Twi, but metaphorical counterparts, ‘other paths she could have taken’. I mean, there’s Sunset, Starlight, Sci-Twi, Trixie, and also Moondancer that show off places Twilight could have ended up had she chosen differently in life.

However, Twilight is also the Crossroad for others. She is the character who is trying to lead others down the best path, giving them the choice of where to go. Again, we see this a lot with reforming villains. She offers them a chance to change the path, to turn and go down another.

Another thing that Hecate is associated with is childbirth and nurturing the young.

In the show, Twilight earned her Cutie Mark by hatching Spike, and even if she wasn’t his direct mother(I headcanon them more as siblings), she did help to raise him.

She’s also a teacher, both in usual subjects (as we saw with the CMC in Twilight Time), and in teaching others about friendship(While those characters are not ‘young’, it counts).

Pinkie Pie - Again, it seems like an obvious choice as a Daughter of Dionysus, God of wine, parties, and madness. Okay, we have no idea how Pinkie feels about wine since this is a kids show(Personally, I feel like she shares my tastes and doesn’t care for it.)

Which is why I’m making her a Daughter of Apollo instead. He’s God of the Sun, and Pinkie is a metaphorical ball of sunshine. Other things Apollo is the God of include: Healing, Music, Art, Archery, and also Prophecy.

Pinkie’s relation to Music and Art are obvious, and while we don’t get to see her with a bow, she seems to have good aim. As for Prophecy? Pinkie Sense. She’s canonically able to predict the future.

Now, you might not think Healing fits in, but it does. After all, isn’t Laughter the best medicine? Okay, jokes aside, while Pinkie isn’t a ‘healer’ in the doctor sense, she’s more like a ‘healer’ in the therapist sense(Obviously not licensed, but you get the idea). When she can’t cheer someone up from just a simple party, she puts her all into working through their problems and getting them to be truly happy again. And that’s a type of healing people forget about alot.

Rarity - Huh. Another one that gets a ‘this has an obvious choice’ category. A Daughter of Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty, Love and Lust, able to charm any into doing what she wishes. And in terms of the PJO world? She’d fit right in with the others of the Aphrodite Cabin(Well, she’d probably punch Drew in the face but whatever.).

However, once more, I’m going for an odd choice: Daughter of Hades. And before I go into my reasoning, take all the memories of Hades as a villain and anything from Disney and chuck that out a window. Not just here, but in general. Because damn it, he’s not evil. He’s probably one of the most chill of the gods. Stop making him the villain. Even this series only used him as a fakeout villain in the first book. And we don’t talk about the movie. What movie? That doesn’t exist!

Anyway, while Hades is God of the Underworld, he also has a few other things he rules. Hades is also known as the God of Wealth, as all of the precious metals and gems in the Earth were of his domain as well. Rarity and her ability to manipulate Gems reminds me a little bit of Hazel’s abilities(though obviously less cursed(And I know Hazel is technically ‘Pluto’s’ but they’re both the same god and not the same god)).

However, there’s a few other things that made me decide to have Rarity be a Daughter of Hades instead of Aphrodite:

First is the fact that, as much as Aphrodite was a good fit for her in quite a few ways, she is also considered a Goddess of Desire(not just Lust, but all desires and even the fulfillment of said desires). As materialistic as Rarity can be, she’s also the Element of Generosity. While the MLP universe can balance the traits, making her want things but always giving to others as well, putting Desire in her nature feels wrong.

Secondly, within the PJO series, Hades is shown to be very generous, even if it’s a trait rarely seen by the other gods(due to family feuding), but is shown in his relationships with the women he loved.

His love with Persephone, for example. He was kind and patient with her, wishing for her to love him as he did her. He started with magnificent gifts,and took to spending all of his time with her and doing whatever he could to make her happy. He even hired the most skilled (deceased) gardeners in the Underworld to grow a magnificent garden for her. He says that though he is God of Wealth, she is dearer to him than any precious metals or gems.

(Because I know someone will point it out, the whole thing with their relationship and the pomegranate seeds has several interpretations, some happier than others. The PJO version has Persephone truly fall for Hades, and one of the gardeners tricks her with the pomegranate seeds. (My personal interpretation of the story is that Persephone fell for Hades and ate the Pomegranate seeds on purpose so that they wouldn’t be separated. I mean, within actual Greek Myths, they’re the most stable couple with the least affairs))

Back to the books, we have Maria di Angelo. Hades tried to convince her to live in Underworld with him, despite the fact that it would piss off Persephone a bit, to protect her and their kids from the other gods. He insists that he will build her a beautiful golden palace by the River Styx, but doesn’t get a chance to because Zeus kills her first. (He wishes to resurrect her, but even a God of the Underworld must obey the laws of Death.)

While it’s technically ‘Pluto’ and not ‘Hades’, we also have Marie Levesque. He loved her so much he swore on the River Styx to give her anything. When she took him up on that and asked for all the riches of the Underworld, he begs her to ask for anything else, as the greediest wishes come with curses. And even though she ignored the warning and cursed their daughter, he did what he could to protect them.

Another reason is that I find that most interpretations of the afterlife are Generous, in a way. While there’s definitely punishment in the afterlife, most versions include some version of ‘unless you’re a huge dick you’ll be rewarded with everything that would make you happy’.

Final reason: the fanfic “In the Twilight of Death” which includes Rarity as a Grim Reaper. It doesn’t really factor in ‘logically’, but tbh I can’t help it. That fic’s good though so check it out.

Applejack - While it’s obvious, I’m not going to pull what I did before and be like ‘this is obvious but..’ thing. Applejack would be a Daughter of Demeter. Goddess of Agriculture and Harvest and all that.

Rainbow Dash - I debated about this one for a while. I thought of using Ares(Rainbow’s middle name is ‘Fight Me’), Zeus(Because God of Sky and Lightning), and even Iris(Because Goddess of the Rainbow).

However, I ended up deciding on her being a Daughter of Nike, Goddess of Victory, Strength, and Speed. It fits quite well.

Fluttershy - Daughter of Iris. While I considered this for Rainbow Dash, I feel Iris fits Fluttershy more because of the version in the books. I mean, non-violent, only attacks in self defense, a little with the hippie crowd, severely underestimated due to their most known traits(Iris is known for messages and rainbows, Flutters is known for being kind and shy) but will totally kick your ass when needed.

Sunset Shimmer - Okay, I really want to put Hestia, because I associate Sunset with Hestia a lot because of reasons. But apparently Hestia has no kids as she’s one of the Virgin Goddesses. I’m really trying to think of other options. Like

Hecate, because like Twilight she’s Magic

Apollo, because of the Sun connection, good with her hands(art and music)

Athena, because she’s intelligent and strategic

Hephaestus, because she could totally build magic robots(Again, good with her hands) and also fire association

But just.... none of them feel right.

Fuck it! I don’t fucking care. Let’s just pretend that Hestia is like Athena, she creates children through other means and is still an eternal virgin. IDK, maybe they spawn out of her hearth fires. Anyway, Sunset’s a Daughter of Hestia.

Celestia and Luna - I’m putting them together because their headcanons are a bit connected. Okay, so, in this AU they’re either half-sisters or adopted. Celestia is a Daughter of Apollo(because Sun), but Luna is a Mortal.

However, because they’re always together, and because Luna can see through the Mist, she knows all about the whole ‘Demigods’ thing. But this puts Luna in a lot of danger, and Celestia insists she be allowed to come to CHB too so she can protect herself.

Obviously they don’t allow it since Luna’s Mortal, but Celestia decides that instead she’ll train Luna with all the Greek weaponry herself.

At some point, they’re off on their own somewhere and end up running into some monsters. They handle it beautifully, and catch the attention of Artemis. She invites them both to join her Hunters, which they agree to. Luna took to the life better, being nocturnal and seeming to almost be able to see through the darkness, so she quickly became the Hunters’ Lieutenant

Discord - Son of Eris. Come on. That one’s too perfect.

Chrysalis - Daughter of Aphrodite. Again, kinda perfect on that one.

Cadence - Can we go three for three on perfection? Yes, because here’s another Daughter of Aphrodite.

Shining Armor - I was debating on this, because he and Twilight are siblings so how should this work? I don’t want him to also be a son of Hecate. So they’re step-siblings on the Mortal side in this AU

I was also debating on whether to make his godly parent Ares or Athena. On one hand, while both are war/battle gods, Athena has a heavier emphasis on strategy. On the other hand, Athena also has heavier emphasis on her non-battle qualities.

Not to disrespect any character and/or gods, but while Shining is intelligent and a good strategist, he doesn’t fit the rest of the Athena kid qualities. So I’m making him a Son of Ares, though a bit more strategic and less bloodthirsty than his godly half-siblings(he gets it from his mom’s side of the family).

Spike - Son of Hephaestus, and definitely has those fire powers. While his character isn’t known for building, I think he could have some skill with it. As for his relationship to Twilight and Shining in this AU: He was adopted by their Mortal Parents. I’ll go more into that later.

Sweetie Belle - Rarity’s half-sister, on the mortal side. Daughter of Apollo. She sucks at healing and if you value your life keep her away from the bows, but her music skill is fantastic. Her prophecy abilities only show up when she’s being sarcastic.

Scootaloo and Flash Sentry - Full siblings(because I headcanon them as such in-show). Children of Athena. An odd choice, but I think it works. We know Flash is a Guard in-show, meaning he’s likely good with fights, and if Scootaloo had a middle name it’d be ‘fight me’, but both have also shown some craftsmanship abilities. Well, Scoots has(working on her scooter and all(also, you have to be smart to calculate those tricks yourself)) and I headcanon that Flash has shown those type abilities as well because the show gives him so little character that anything with him is ‘canon until proven otherwise’ and- Whatever. Rant for another time.

Big Macintosh - Full sibling with Applejack. Son of Demeter. Self-explanatory.

Applebloom - Daughter of Hephaestus(AJ and Big Mac are her step-siblings in this AU). I chose this because all expected her to get a Cutie Mark for, well, building shit in general. (I’m still a little salty there)

Starlight Glimmer - Daughter of Nemesis, Goddess of Justice/Vengeance/Balance. You can figure out that one on your own.

Diamond Tiara - Either a Daughter of Hades,or another example of me saying ‘fuck it!’ and making her a Daughter of Hestia like Sunset. I am undecided.

Have a few more headcanons for this AU:

This all would be post-PJO series, because a few things would vary a lot from Canon if it were during-series.I mean, Hades can only loophole kids into the series so many times before someone snaps. Also Luna becoming the Hunter’s Lieutenant would involve Thalia either dying or stepping down. And I want this to be when minor gods/goddesses have their own cabins too, and perhaps CHB has established something similar to New Rome where adult Demigods can just chill(Or Percy said ‘fuck you let us have a safezone to chill as adults’ and had some friends help buy a horse ranch in the middle of bumfucknowhere for people to set up their own town of Demigods. Because I’m pretty sure summer camp has an age limit.)

As for ages, most of them would be the ages I usually headcanon for them: Mane 7(And Flash) are 16-19, younger siblings(And Diamond) are 13/14, older siblings(and Starlight) are in early twenties. Might drop Celestia/Luna/Discord/Chrysalis down to early twenties too.

I mean, age is irrelevant, as I’m not writing a story with them at these ages. I’m just giving the ages relevance to one another.

Oh! So, I mentioned the whole Twilight, Shining, and Spike thing and how all that goes down.

So, Twilight and Shining’s Mortal parents are their in-show parents. Velvet met Ares during her ‘rebel phase’ and had a one-night-stand that resulted in Shining. Night Light met Hecate and had a bit more of a relationship, but it was only a few nights and then she ‘stopped texting back’, allowing him to move on. He soon met Velvet and they fell in love. Then one night Hecate knocks on his door, drops newborn-Twilight into his arms and is like ‘Hey, I had a kid, she’d yours. I can’t take care of her or stay in your life. Bye!’. Despite the confusion, Velvet sticks by him and they get married. Also, imagine that itty bitty Shining pretty much thought Hecate was ‘the stork’ until sex-ed classes.

Anyway, while both kids are showing various abilities(Some more concerning than others. Shining is the embodiment of ‘Let me see what you have...’ ‘A knife!’), their parents don’t know about Demigods or anything. Just that their kids have powers. They convince them to keep it all secret, which works for a while. Until one year on the last day of school. At the time, Shining’s 11 and in 5th grade, Twi’s 6 and in 1st grade. Spike happens to be going to the same school, though he doesn’t run into them often because he’s in Kindergarten. Spike’s story is that he’s an orphan, his bio mom having either disappeared or abandoned him. The adults weren’t sure about his age but stuck him in Kindergarten(we later find out he’s actually 4 at this time, but he’s a smart kid so he didn’t struggle through it).

As I said, it’s the last day before summer break(because of course it is), when a monster manages to herd the three of them into an empty classroom. They fight the thing off well enough. Luckily, one of their teachers happened to be one of CHB’s undercover people(maybe a Satyr or a former camper). Unluckily, their teacher has to take them on the run since more monsters are chasing them.

During their ‘on the run to camp’ time, Twilight and Shining bond with Spike a lot. They all get to camp, and get to properly message their parents(AKA give mom and dad another heart attack because phones are banned but rainbows work fantastic!), and essentially get the rundown on the whole Demigod business.

Unfortunately, they get separated pretty quick. All three get Claimed, and sent to different cabins. While they slowly get used to sleeping so far apart and do end up making some friends with other campers, they stubbornly refuse to be separated. People try, but it’s hard to argue with the guy with a perfect intimidating stare and knife collection, the girl who has little issue spellcasting when angry, and the toddler with fire powers.

By the end of the first summer, Twilight and Shining don’t want to leave Spike behind. I mean, his two options are either becoming a year-round camper, or going back into the foster care system. They talk to their parents about it, and it doesn’t take much convincing for them to legally adopt Spike into the family.

Oh, another family thing I’d have to talk about is Pinkie and her family. I’m not quite sure how though. Maybe she’s adopted by them at some point? I don’t usually like making Pinkie the ‘adopted’ one, but I’d kind of have to since she’s third oldest and that’s better than the alternatives. But I don’t think any of her sisters are Demigods.

Her relationship with the Cakes though! I headcanon differently. So, I’m gonna bump up the twins to elementary school age(7). Anyway, the twins are also Demigods(children of Hermes). Someone’s probably asking ‘uh, wouldn’t that involve an affair?’. Well, I’m just going to go with either 1.)Mr. and Mrs. Cake weren’t together yet or 2.) open relationship?

Anyway, Pinkie met them two years ago. She happened to be hanging in the park near their bakery(because they still own a bakery in this au). The twins go to the park a lot after school, usually with one parent supervising the playground. This time, however, a monster attacks. Since Pinkie was nearby, she leaped into action. She manages to get the cakes to run off, and follows because the monster seems more intent on the easier kill(Aka, she can’t lure it away).

Eventually, she manages to kill the beast, and the twins are scared but think she’s a superhero. She correctly guessed that Mr. Cake isn’t their bio dad, and asks if there’s been any other ‘incidents’, either attacks or unexplained things happening. She does decide to tell them the truth, showing off her own powers to prove it. After that sinks in, she tells them about CHB, and how it can keep the twins safe, and teach them to defend themselves.

At first, they’re against it, as they really don’t want their kids to learn something so dangerous. But Pinkie sticks around to protect them, walking them from school in the afternoons and babysitting when they want to go to the park. Monster attacks and weird things become a bit more frequent(mostly because now the Cakes now about this, and also Pinkie can testify that it wasn’t ‘small children with overactive imaginations’).

So they ask Pinkie about CHB again, how safe is it? She assures them that it’s safe, and that if they want, they can do it just for the summer, pretend it’s a normal summer camp. So yeah, after the school year ends they let Pinkie play navigator and drive to camp. Pinkie helps them with the sign-in process(since Mortals aren’t usually allowed in and she doesn’t have the authority yet), and both Pumpkin and Pound have been going to CHB for the summer since. Pinkie still sticks with them during the other months, protecting, babysitting, and making sure they keep their skills sharp(which terrifies their parents because, uh, you are dual-wielding swords to battle small children??), but they’re happy and safe and Pinkie’s grown on them, so they’re good with it!

I don’t think I have any more specific headcanons on how the others found out/how they got to camp.

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wisdomrays · 6 years ago

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KEY CONCEPTS OF SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM : Khulla (Sincere Friendship)

Compared with sincere or intimate friendship's influence on and penetrability into the heart, love invades the "pupil of the heart," or the "seed of the heart," which is regarded as the core of the spiritual intellect, and gives it its own color, and makes it speak in its own language. In a heart which moves and groans with love of God, nothing remains of anything other than God, and all other interests than that felt in God vanish one after the other, with the result that it is only He Who is felt, thought of, and talked about.

Sincere friendship (with God) was entrusted to the Prophet Abraham's nature as a seed. It was an initial donation bestowed on Him in acknowledgement of his relationship with God Almighty and a gift given to him by the All-Merciful for his ingrained loyalty to Him. This initial gift or donation also symbolized that he would become an imam (leader) for those who would follow him. However, ignoring the gifts and favors particular to it, this intimate friendship with God manifested itself in the Lover and Beloved of God, upon him be peace and blessings, in the form of love as a special Divine regard or consideration for his transcending knowledge of God and intimacy with Him.

God's Messenger was a loving and loved one whose sincere friendship was transformed into love and zeal or enthusiasm, and he was aware of being honored with such a favor. He knew that the Almighty loved him beyond all modalities of quality and quantity, and constantly breathed love beyond measure. He demanded no station, no rank, no rewards. He had perfect knowledge of the One Whom he worshipped and so he worshipped Him, deepened his faith with knowledge of Him, and ran in the tracks of more and more knowledge. As his knowledge increased, he loved Him more, from the bottom of his heart, without expecting any return and without taking reunion with Him into consideration, and with the most serious self-possession of worship and servanthood. It was God Almighty's extraordinary consideration for that Owner of the most powerful will among creation and a favor of His above all favors that the Prophet Muhammad was able to love and yearn for Him in a way befitting His Grandeur. He was the peerless hero of this highest rank. It was also he, upon him be blessings and peace to the fullness of the heavens and the earth, who gave sincere friendship the color of his sincerity and crowned that deep loyalty in human essence with love, yearning, and enthusiasm.

It is unquestionable that sincere friendship is a great rank and gift. All instances or breezes of familiarity, intimacy, inner peace and reassurance, and contentment that blow into the hearts of the faithful servants of God, the Ultimate Truth, are each an embroidery in the fabric of sincere friendship, or a spark from the love of or yearning for God. Moreover, the spiritual pleasures generated by this friendship, love, and yearning are a particular or universal manifestation of Divine consideration for turning toward that station, and breezes that blow on the slopes of the heart. As for love, it is the basic weft of that fabric, and it is the flame which produces that spark of sincere friendship. It is a fact that Divine acts are free from pursuing any ulterior motives, but we can say that the brightest wisdom in the creation of the universe is love. The series of creation appeared because of the Creator's sacred love for His Art and His will to see it, and He has given the one who loves and is loved by Him most its most important, greatest result.

Sincere or intimate friendship is a means of spiritual reconciliation, agreement, and harmony between creatures on account of its essential elements of mutual familiarity and accord. For this reason, the Prophet Abraham, the sincere Friend of the All-Merciful, upon him be peace, who is regarded as the hero of sincere friendship, was a comprehensive example and leader for those who were to come later; he was one who was able to concentrate all hearts upon a certain common point. The Qur'an describes this quality of the Prophet Abraham with the following expression of appreciation: "Indeed I will make you an imam (leader) for all people" (2: 124). Indeed, he is a leader for all who will succeed him in respect of the essence or spirit of the Religion. This spirit or essence is fully developed to its final borders by means of the noblest Leader or Guide of all, who is God's beloved and the greatest of the universal men, upon him be peace and blessings.

As clearly demonstrated by his blessed life, the noble Prophet Abraham, the sincere Friend of the All-Merciful, upon him be peace, was a pursuer of deeper and deeper contentment. As for the blessed, noblest Lover and Beloved of God, as stated in verse, "In the assembly of honor, composed of the loyal and truthful, in the Presence of the One, All-Omnipotent, Sovereign" (54: 55), he is the king seated on the throne of the greatest loyalty and truthfulness. He—the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings—was such a light-diffusing observed of Divine truths, setting his feet at the farthest point that his eyes reached, that he was not only at the unattainable peaks through his exceptional conceptions and observations, but also he is the most advanced of all, who "saw that which no other eyes have ever seen or will ever see, heard that which no other ears have ever heard or will ever hear, and witnessed that which no one else has ever conceived of or will ever conceive of."

Pursuing the utmost friendship and loyalty was God's special favor on God's blessed Friend, the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, while having an established position of friendship, loyalty, and love in God's Presence is the rank of the Master of creation, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. However, as stated in "Follow, then, their guidance!" (6: 90), the one who has an established position was ordered to follow, and indeed did follow, in one respect the one who was in constant pursuit of and realized God's special friendship. This was like a king following the principle, "The host's leadership in the Prayer is preferable," while visiting one of his subjects, and suggesting that the host should lead the Prayer.

In another sense, a sincere friend is one who is such a faithful companion that he shares the secret atmosphere of his friend and feels his love in the depths of his heart. It is an indubitable fact that few persons have ever been able to realize such a degree of loyalty and devotion. The Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, is certainly the greatest hero of this realization, as he was particularly chosen for this special merit and had the mission of representing it in the best way. That sincere Friend of the All-Merciful is the brightest example of sincere friendship because he was perfectly loyal to his Friend, as stated in "Abraham, who discharged his due, fulfilling all his duties to perfection" (53: 37); and he was extremely sensitive in grasping the subtlety in obedience to God's every order. Also, having assigned all his faculties, including his heart, intellect, logic, and reasoning to the fulfillment of his duty, he called to the truth and proclaimed the Divine Oneness out loud wherever and in whatever circumstances he was, addressing all the outer and inner senses and faculties of his most stubborn audience, and endured all the hardships and evils he encountered with the utmost submission to and reliance on God. In addition, he entered the fire of Nimrod with a smile on his lips, and he spent his life migrating from one place to another for God's sake, leaving behind his beloved wife and little, beloved son in a completely desolate valley on God's order. Furthermore, as clearly stated in the verse, "Then when both had submitted to God's will, and Abraham had laid him down on the side of his forehead.…" (37:103), he showed no hesitation in obeying God's order to sacrifice his son Ishmael, the fruit of his heart, the one who was a monument of forbearing and mildness and whom God had willed to be the start of a bright future. He spent all his wealth in God's cause and the needy. In short, the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, was a perfect example in the human realm to represent the way of God. Having reached the horizon where he could be the pride of all other Prophets except the last and greatest one, he became the one whose prayer, "And grant me a most true and virtuous renown among posterity" (26: 84), was accepted. Accordingly, all the followers of the Divine Religion to come after him would remember and mention him with prayers and as an excellent memory. Being one of the most distinguished, Abraham was a brilliant fruit of the Prophets who had preceded him and the luminous seed for his successors, including particularly the greatest of them, upon him be peace and blessings. When his Lord told him, "Submit yourself wholly (to your Lord)," he responded, "I have submitted myself wholly to the Lord of the worlds" (2:131). Such Prophetic submission was a spirit or seed in Abraham, upon him be peace, and it has become a blessed tree in the Pride of Humankind, upon him be peace and blessings, and a table in the Community of Muhammad as the fruit of adherence to him. The Qur'an indicates this fact as follows: If they still remonstrate with you, say (to them, O Messenger): "I have submitted my whole being to God, and so have those who follow me" (3:20).

Every traveler who advances along the way of sincere friendship views existence from the horizon of the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, and travels around the axis of his sainthood, which is embedded in Abraham's Prophethood. In proportion to their ability to develop the spirit of sincere friendship, they are aware of existence as a whole, which they perceived as fragmentary or compartmentalized before. They are able to observe the drops as an ocean in one piece, and as if looking on everything from a point above, they feel that all things are interconnected with one another, all voice the same meaning, point to the same truth, and say, "God is the One, Unique," in the language of order, good composition, and harmony, and all are enraptured with the universal testimony.

The view and perception of such travelers display manifestations of Divine Attributes of Glory, and they see all existence with the view of the All-Merciful. They are sincerely compatible with the whole of creation. They know every thing to be a part of themselves, they embrace all affectionately, sensing all things as a sibling, and referring the intentions, thoughts, convictions, and comments of others to the judgment of the All-Knowing of all the unseen. They call everyone to their embrace and to the truth, like Mawlana Jalalu'd-Din ar-Rumi, and they tolerate every improper behavior toward themselves. For they are God's faithful vicegerents traveling in the horizon of sincere friendship vast in proportion to the comprehensiveness of mercy, and they are mirrors of God's Attributes of Glory held up against all existence. They reflect the Divine Names in their acts and manners, and they observe all things through the different windows of their faculties. Like two eyes seeing the same thing, such travelers see all things as if a single entity but with different depths.

Sainthood marked with sincere friendship of God is the best of sainthood. It is true that there is no limit to nearness to God because of His being infinite, but every individual human being has a limit of perfectibility according to his or her capacity, which marks the boundary of every traveler who is endowed with knowledge of God. For this reason, even when a traveler reaches the seventh heaven through the sainthood of God's sincere friendship, this forms a limit for them. If there is a single exception to this, it is the position of the one, namely the Prophet Muhammad, who is distinguished by having all human virtues to the highest degree and al-Maqam al-Mahmud. The All-Bounteous Lord of the worlds honored the Prophet Muhammad with extra favors, and he reached a point where space ends in infinity, the body is identical with the soul, and all secrets are manifest. It is a point that is impossible for even the angels or other spirits ever to reach.

God Almighty distinguished each Prophet with a particular virtue in which he excelled above the others. For example, the Prophet Adam, upon him be peace, was distinguished with the utmost purity and called the Pure One; the Prophet Noah, upon him be peace, was God's Confidant; the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, excelled others in sincere friendship; the Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, was one to whom God spoke in a particular way from behind a veil, and called the Addressee of God; and the Prophet Jesus, upon him be peace, was a Spirit breathed by God. The most distinguishing mark or virtue particular to our Master, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is love—and the title, the Beloved of God, is particular to him.

During his Ascension, God's last and greatest Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, found each Prophet in relationship with God Almighty at the level of the heaven which symbolized his particular position among the Prophets. For example, he visited the Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, at the sixth level of heaven, and the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, at the seventh. He advanced further and further until he reached the highest tower of the pure spirit beings amidst the welcoming voices of angels. He arrived at the point described as, "two bow-length's nearness, or even nearer," and he was honored with a special Revelation revealed with no words or speech. Through the lenses of his fully developed faculties, he observed all that is invisible, heard all that is inaudible, and knew all that is unknowable, to others. Going beyond the Garden or Paradise of Refuge and Dwelling, he reached the Sidrat al-Muntaha, marking the highest point of rise for a created being.

It is by virtue of the Prophet Muhammad's mission that all saints can feel sincere friendship with God according to the capacity and rank of each; believers feel brother/sisterhood and loyal friendship with each other; and thanks be to God, those serving the Qur'an follow the way and style of the Prophet Abraham, which was developed by our master, upon him be peace and blessings. Such brother/sisterhood that arises from sincere friendship is indispensable to the service of the Qur'an and to being a good Muslim, and he regards it as a character of belonging to the Milla(way and nation) of Abraham, which is characterized by purity of intention and absolute devotion to God's Oneness.

O my God! Equip my soul with righteousness and piety and purify it. You are the Best in purifying it, and You are its Guardian and Master.

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kabane52 · 6 years ago

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The Liturgical Transmission of Tradition in the Church

[To let you know where this is going, the ultimate conclusion I draw is that during the forty days mentioned by Luke, Jesus gave to the apostles the essential structure of the church’s liturgical life. He told them how to celebrate the original Divine Liturgy and how to baptize. This corresponds typologically to the setting up of the tabernacle sanctuary in the wilderness. Israel comes out of Egypt and during the forty years receives the exact instructions for its cult, after which it goes into the land. Likewise, Jesus’ resurrection is the exodus, He spends forty days teaching about the kingdom, and then He ascends into heaven. Israel’s journey to the land from Egypt is always described as “going up.” Typologically, the periods match, as the Apostles received from Jesus Christ the instruction about the liturgy of the new covenant. In the process of writing this, it has become apparent to me that the New Testament holds a concept of tradition which is really quite specific and well-defined, if one knows how to appropriately relate its statements.]

Basil the Great (and, if I recall correctly, a number of other Fathers) mentions the existence of an unwritten tradition from the apostles in connection with the Church’s liturgical life. The Bible is the written Word of God, being the written incarnation (as Maximus refers to it) of the Hypostatic Logos of God, in which the whole counsel of God is set forth to His children. The sacred liturgy and the worshiping life of the Church is the concrete focal point of the Holy Spirit’s enduring presence with the Church. I mentioned the other day how the prophetic promises of the return of divine glory to Zion were fulfilled in Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem and institution of the Eucharist. It is the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete of Jesus, who is sent into the Church to make manifest the life of the incarnate Son who dwells in the Father. The Son is never made known except through the Spirit of God, and the Eucharist, together with the liturgical life contextualized by it, is the preeminent embodiment of that pneumatically constituted presence of the Son. As the Manna and the Scriptures together were stored in the ark of the covenant, so also the Gospel (symbolizing the entire Bible) and the Eucharist is set before the Lord in the altar of the new covenant.

Tradition has been described as the “life of the Holy Spirit in the Church.” While this is true, it is too abstract to function as a concise definition of the tradition. The word “tradition” in English comes from Latin “trado, tradere”, meaning “to hand on” or “to transmit.” The Greek word “paradosis” which the English New Testament translates as “tradition” has the same etymology as “handing on” and “transmitting.” Thinking of tradition as something which is “handed on” gives it a concreteness which is not captured by describing it as “the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church.” Calling it the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church is true, but it fails to ground the Spirit’s witness in the specific historical earthed-ness of the church through the ages. The Spirit does not merely witness to each Christian or each body of Christians independently, but carries out His witness through an historical process which one can point to and say “here it is.”

The preservation and handing on of the tradition is linked, of course, to the apostolic office of bishop, who has his priestly calling through a chain of transmission proceeding forth from the mouth of Jesus the Messiah on the Apostles. As I will explore more below, Jesus declares in John 10:36 that the Father “consecrated” and “sent” Him into the world. The language of “consecration” is unambiguous in its connection to the priesthood and is exactly harmonious with John’s intense focus on the christology of Jesus as High Priest. This language, moreover, is used to describe the apostolic calling in John 20: “As the Father sent me, so I send you”, Jesus says as He puts the Spirit on them. People have speculated about the relationship of this event to Pentecost, but to me the relationship is fairly clear. Apostle Paul calls Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6 to “fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” This is almost certainly not the gift of the Spirit given to the whole church on Pentecost, but a specific calling to the priestly ministry.

Additionally, the Pastoral Letters are written as instruction in exercising the ministry as leaders of the church, serving as a set of apostolic instructions in this matter before the apostolic age comes to its conclusion. I would argue that the tradition of Timothy and Titus serving as monarchical bishops (which I firmly hold is an apostolic institution- the arguments against it strike me as paper-thin, but this is not the place to argue the point) best explains the background and content of the Pastorals- Paul’s instruction to Timothy on how to select worth “overseers” presumes that Timothy has the authority to make those choices in his locale. While the word “overseer” will later become a technical term describing an office, that is not how it functions in the New Testament. Too often commentators assume that the terms “elder” and “overseer” are equivalent in the sense that they both were names the early church used to describe a particular office, and that they described the same office. This is not the case. “Elder” is used against the background of the Hebrew Bible where the word signifies those with the authority over Israel. When the covenant between God and Israel is sealed, it is sealed through seventy “elders” who represent Israel in a covenant meal with God on Sinai. It is closely associated with the priesthood. The word “overseer” should likewise be understood not as a title for an office, but according to its etymological meaning: “one who looks-over.” Here, the significance lies in Israel’s liturgical cult. The lampstand in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and Temple is described as having cups like “almond” branches. These trees, literally, were called “watcher-trees.” [Might we connect this with the “Watchers” appearing in the heavenly council in the Book of Daniel and later Jewish tradition? More study is needed on that potential link.] The seven-branched Menorah with cups like “watchers” overlooked the Twelve Loaves of the Bread of the Presence, representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

The light signifies the light of divine presence watching over the people through Israel’s priesthood. We can see the association of the almond branch with the priesthood in Numbers 17, when those who contest the unique consecration of the Tribe of Levi as the priestly family are answered when the Rod of Aaron blossoms and “produced ripe almonds.” Thereafter, the Rod of Aaron dwells in the Holy of Holies together with the Manna and the Ten Commandments. In the Holy Place, the Bread of the Presence corresponds to the manna and the almond-branched menorah to the Rod of Aaron. The use of the word “overseer” to describe ministers in the church of the apostolic period is a literary allusion to the particular features of Israel’s sanctuary rather than being yet a technical term for a Christian office in its own right. The office in the church which it does signify, moreover, is associated with the priesthood. The actual word “priest” would naturally be avoided because the temple was still standing and a functioning priesthood was operating in Jerusalem.

In 2 Timothy 1:12-13, Paul refers to the deposit with which he was “entrusted” by Jesus as an apostle, then enjoins Timothy to follow his model, carefully guarding the deposit entrusted to him by Paul, and finally entrusting it to others in 2 Timothy 2:2. In 1:14, Paul draws the important theological connection which is essential for a balanced understanding of tradition, calling Timothy to “guard the good deposit entrusted to you” through the power of the “Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” Tradition is something which is very concrete in that it is an historically embodied reality handed down in an historical process through a chain of transmission. Tradition is also something which only exists through the work of the Spirit. Even with an unbroken chain of transmission, the tradition would inevitably decay or become corrupted through the ages without the vivifying work of the Spirit of God animating the historically earthed body of Christ. The content of that tradition is sustained in its relationship to the Bible, as Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:14-17. In his description of the scriptures which Timothy has known since his childhood, he (in my strongly held view) does not simply refer to the Hebrew Bible. Timothy is a young man, and this is written in the early to mid-60s. Assume for the sake of argument that Timothy’s childhood refers to him as he was at ten years old. By the time Paul writes the Pastorals, Timothy would be in his early forties. Given my view (defended elsewhere) that Matthew was written by AD 33 and that the entire New Testament was written by AD 64, there is little reason to exclude the New Testament in principle from those texts which Timothy is called to interpret rightly. This is obvious from 1 Timothy 5:17-18, where the Gospel of Luke is quoted with the Torah as the word of God. Moreover, as the Apostolic Age nears its close, one sees that Peter as well warns about the necessity of interpreting the books of the New Testament in particular correctly (2 Peter 3:16). In his instruction to interpret the scriptures correctly, Paul declares that the comprehensive inspiration of scripture is ordered to the making competent of the “man of God.” This phrase is not merely a way of describing a person who wishes to obey God. Rather, in the Old Testament it almost always refers to a prophet or someone who was authoritative in one way or another. The first reference is to Moses, and many other references describe the prophets as “man of God.” To be a prophet is to be filled with the Spirit, so that Joel’s prophecy of the Spirit being poured out on “all flesh” makes allusion to Numbers 12 which contextually contains Moses’ prayer that “all the Lord’s people be prophets.” Insofar as every baptized Christian is indwelt by the Spirit, all the Lord’s people are prophets. We see in texts like this that consecration to the apostolic office through the special grace of the Spirit that the prophetic calling subsisted in a distinctive way through the church’s apostolically ordained episcopate who were the heads of the churches.

Understanding this dynamic sheds light in the Didache’s statement that a visiting prophet should be permitted to celebrate Eucharist as he pleases and also that the prophets are “your high priests.” The Gospel of John can be read fruitfully in light of the charges given to Timothy as successor to Paul in Ephesus. I will discuss the liturgical significance of these texts in more detail below. For now, simply take note of the fact that was noted above: when Jesus puts the Spirit on the Apostles in John 20, He uses language of them which He used of Himself specifically in relation to His consecration as High Priest. The Apostles are chief priests under that one High Priest. The gift of the Holy Spirit given here is that of exercising leadership of the Church. In the traditional sacramental language of the Church, this is where Jesus ordains the Apostles with the grace of the priesthood transmitted in apostolic succession.

How does this relate to the preservation of tradition as it is linked inseparably from the interpretation of Scripture? I have argued elsewhere that one of John’s thematic undercurrents is the completion of the biblical canon, which he intentionally organizes and hands to the church in a canonical edition. I will not repeat the argument for a canonical edition here, except to point to what I take to be one of John’s many uses of double or fuller meaning. When Jesus is with the Apostles at the Last Supper, He tells them “No longer do I call you slaves...but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (15:15). The Logos of God has revealed the entirety of His Father through the incarnation, and the reality of the incarnation is signified by the completion of the Book of God in its entirety, which textually makes manifest the whole counsel of God, thus John concludes Revelation with the famous warning to neither add nor subtract “from the words of the book of this prophecy.” This most directly references the Apocalypse itself, but contextual descriptions of the Lord as “God of the spirits of the prophets” and “your brothers the prophets” suggests a more expansive meaning for the “words of the book of this prophecy.”

Likewise, Revelation 19:10 declares that the “witness of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy”, and John 14:26 describes the coming of the Holy Spirit to “bring to your [the Apostles collectively] remembrance all that I have said to you.” 15:26 describes the “Spirit of Truth” who comes upon the people of God as “bearing witness” of the Son. John ends by categorizing his Gospel as a textualized witness of Jesus as Messiah (21:24) and the reference to the Apostles as a whole receiving the “remembrance” of the teaching of Jesus through the witness-bearing Spirit links them with the “Spirit of prophecy” of Revelation 19:10, and thus the “words of the prophecy of this book” at the end of the entire Bible. The prophets and the apostles together bear witness with the one Spirit of prophecy of the crucified and resurrected Son, and their Spirit-breathed witness is textually embodied in the Holy Bible.

The Bible is the concrete sign that the Son has “made known” “all that I have heard from my Father.” The Spirit’s role is the attestation of the Son. The “Spirit of Truth” comes to “bear witness” of Jesus and to “bring to remembrance” His teaching. This work is fulfilled in the Spirit’s authorship of the apostolic witness called the New Testament, and also in the faithful teaching of scripture throughout the ages according to the church’s tradition. The Spirit who carries out these works is given to the Apostles in John 20 in their priestly consecration. This integrates thoroughly with what we read in 2 Timothy, where the Spirit fills Timothy in his consecration to the apostolic office of bishop as successor to the Apostle Paul. Timothy is called to receive the apostolic deposit from the Apostle Paul and then “guard” that deposit before ultimately entrusting it to others who will be expected to do the same. The preservation and transmission of the deposit occurs “by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” (1:14) Such a tradition is never separated from scripture but always exists in relation to it and as proceeding from it: Timothy’s gift from the Spirit is that by which he is called the “Man of God”, and it is that specific office through the Spirit that he is able to interpret scripture for the church. At once he is to “continue in what you have learned...knowing from whom you learned it” and continue his deep acquaintance with the “sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Timothy is to remember “from whom” he learned the tradition because he learned it from an apostle of Jesus (2 Timothy 1:13).

Remember how we began, by discussing Basil’s reference to the “tradition” which the church has from the apostles as relating specifically to its liturgical life. Above, we’ve explored how the witness of the Son in Scripture is brought to memory by the Holy Spirit in the church’s historical development, within which the apostles entrust the tradition to the bishops whom they set over the churches, the bishops being expected to carry on this chain of transmission. In this context, Timothy is instructed to continue in the “public reading” (that is, liturgical reading) of Scripture as well as “teaching” and “exhortation”(1 Timothy 4:13). Timothy is called to remember those sacred writings which are able to make wise unto salvation in Jesus the Messiah and simultaneously to remember the tradition he was taught because of its apostolic source. 2 Timothy 4:13, which instructs Timothy to gather up and bring the collected “parchments” and “books” to Paul in his next visit suggests that the bishops of the churches were responsible for maintaining collections of the books of the New Testament, faciliating the identification of the canon. It was the bishop who was called to publicly read scripture and exposit it in accordance with the apostolic tradition, so that part of his role in “guarding” the tradition through the Spirit was the possession of a set of scriptures. Seizing the copies of New Testament books became a focal point for persecution of Christians because of the way in which it distinctively marked out the church’s identity and calling.

This all takes place in a liturgical setting. The books of the New Testament are read liturgically and are expounded according to the apostolic tradition in this same setting. The liturgical nature of the tradition at this early period is confirmed in an examination of 1 Corinthians, where Paul uses technical terminology known in the wider Jewish world for the transmission of a chain of teaching. Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 commends the church in Corinth for “maintaining the traditions even as I delivered them to you.” The language of “tradition” and the apostolic “delivery” of the tradition is technical, and is used in reference to the discussion of the oneness of the Eucharistic Cup which binds the Church together in the “communion of the blood of the Messiah” in 1 Corinthians 10:16.

Paul moves from this to a discussion of head-coverings for women in a liturgical setting, which he commends as the “practice” of the “churches of God.” [no debates whatsoever about this issue in the comments, please.] The language used for the Eucharist and the potential provocation of the Lord to jealousy draws on the inspection of jealousy in Numbers 5, where the bride suspected of adultery ritually drinks down water sanctified by the tabernacle and is either blessed or cursed according to her guilt or innocence. This ritual is never described as being enacted, but it is many times described as a symbol for God’s inspection of Israel for covenant fidelity. The bride, when approaching for the inspection, brings a “Tribute” of Bread to the Tabernacle, then consuming the sanctified water mixed with tabernacle dust because it has the trace of the Presence of God: the implications for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist are obvious. This is the ultimate key for understanding the theological context of head coverings, because the woman who approaches the tabernacle to be inspected wears a head covering which she ritually unbinds as she swears her oath to God. The exact meaning of this relationship remains unclear to me, but that there is a relationship is clear. The Eucharist is a corporate inspection of jealousy, where the Church as Bride approaches the Lord Jesus as Bridegroom with a Tribute of Bread and Wine [the Eucharist is described in terms of the Tribute Offering which is an “Offering of Remembrance”, that is, to call God to remember the covenant, in Leviticus 2]. She drinks the presence of God in the elements and is inspected, either being blessed or cursed: “for this reason many are sick, and some have died.”

The language of transmission of tradition is again used in 1 Corinthians 11:23: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you.” This concerns the instructions for the celebration of the Eucharist and clearly is related to what Basil describes as the church’s unwritten tradition. This is the church’s practice, had from the apostles, in carrying out its priestly, sacramental ministry. The apostles ultimately received it from Jesus the Messiah, who equipped them with the Spirit in their installation as rulers of the regathered people of God. The language of the Twelve Apostles sitting on the twelve thrones, as Michael Barber points out, is allusive of texts describing the role of the Levitical priesthood. The Apostles, so to speak, replace those halakhic authorities who “sit on Moses’ seat” and make rulings by the authority of Deuteronomy 17. The apostolic episcopate inherits this authority (which does not always entail that it is exercised wisely) which is collated in what we as Orthodox Christians call the “canonical tradition.”

1 Corinthians 15:3, finally, uses the language of the formal transmission of tradition: “for I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received.” What follows is a creed affirming the death of Jesus as Messiah in fulfillment of the Scriptures, His burial, His resurrection, and His appearances to the apostles and other witnesses. Given the prominence that professions of the death and resurrection of Jesus take in the creeds of the church even to its earliest days, I think we have some warrant in thinking this to be a liturgical creed. Why mention the appearances? My suggestion is that the appearances function to affirm what we affirm in describing “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” We see the apostolic leaders of the church mentioned: Peter, the Twelve, James, and a group called “all the apostles.” The “five hundred” brothers could signify the entirety of the church, though this is highly speculative. What it more important is that this recitation of witnesses serves to authenticate the named individuals as specifically designated and authorized bearers of the authority of Jesus the Messiah.

1 Corinthians 8:6 may well have been part of the same creed, as the reference to “One God, the Father” and “One Lord, Jesus the Messiah” is ubiquitous in early and later Christian creeds. As is now well known, the text is an expansion of the Shema: Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. In Deuteronomy, a major theme is the development and maturation of Israel into unity. The exodus-generation symbolizes the protological, the conquering generation symbolizes the eschatological. There is One Lord, One People, and One Place where the whole people are gathered together. Deuteronomy 17 thus gives the provisions for the one throne as the lynchpin of the unity of the nation. The Creed is today recited as the Eucharist is blessed and presented before God as Bread and Wine, as the church’s gift of thanksgiving, before its becoming Body and Blood. The Creed joins the gathered people of God together in a single faith by which they identify with the baptism into which they were baptized, where the same creed was recited. “Calling on the Name of the Lord” is that which gives the family of many nations its internal unity- common fidelity to Jesus Christ. It would make sense for 1 Corinthians 8:6 to be recited as part of the same creed as 1 Corinthians 15:3-7. One God, One Lord, One People gathered around Jesus as Messiah under the authority of the Apostles and those authorized by them, since the Apostles had been given authority by Jesus directly.

Luke’s Prologue uses the language of a chain of transmission, describing his Gospel as the writing down of that which was faithfully transmitted by the “eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.” The “ministry of the word” is used in Acts 6:4 to describe the authority and function of the Twelve. Their self-description also echoes Acts 2:42, where the apostolic church devoted itself to the “apostles’ teaching, the communion, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers.” The reference to “breaking of the bread” is a reference to the celebration of the Eucharist, and “the prayers” suggests an organized liturgy. But where did this come from? We’ve seen how Basil refers to the “unwritten tradition” in relation to its liturgical life, and how the concept of the apostle “receiving” something from Jesus which they then “hand down” is concentrated in New Testament references to liturgical worship.

We’re told in Acts that during the forty days between the resurrection and ascension, Jesus was teaching the apostles about the kingdom of God. What was contained in this teaching? Some clues:

1. This is when the apostles are baptized. Jesus instructs the apostles to baptize the nations in Matthew 28 and Mark 16 after His resurrection, and it makes perfect sense, then, for the apostles to be baptized during this period. There is a tradition that the Lord Jesus baptized Peter personally, who baptized the Twelve, who then baptized their close associates. So the practice of baptism and its particular form must have been laid out then.

2. In John 20, Jesus breathes on the Apostles (except Thomas, who undoubtedly received the same gift when he met the risen Jesus) and gives them authority to remit and retain sins. Throughout the Gospel of John and the Apocalypse, one of the major themes is the gathering together of the people of God in the body of the Messiah which is the dwelling of God in the Spirit. In other words, the new temple. In connection to this, the Gospel of John lays a major emphasis on Baptism and the Eucharist.

In keeping with the sets of seven throughout both John and Revelation, there are seven specific images of the Eucharist and seven specific images of Baptism. The first “I am the...” statement is “I am the Bread of Life” and the last is “I am the true Vine.” Bread and Wine. The Spirit is the one who gathers together the children of God into one house for God’s dwelling, and the Apostles are given the grace of the priesthood.

This, I think, is the right way to read the relationship of John 20 and Pentecost. John 20 gives the Spirit to the Apostles for their consecration to the ministerial priesthood, while Pentecost is the Spirit for the whole church: all the baptized are priests of creation and, in terms of their access to the presence of God, are higher than the High Priest of Israel under the old covenant.

Jesus says to them “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” In John 10:36, Jesus, in the context of His self-identification as the Shepherd of Israel, says that the Father “consecrated and sent” Him into the world. This is the language of Jesus as the High Priest. If the Apostles are sent as the Father sent Jesus, the Apostles are the chief priests under Jesus the Messiah as the one High Priest. There’s more- in John 21, Jesus places Peter as the head of the Apostles (something clearly taught in our liturgics and patristic tradition, before and after the schisms- the specific relation of this to the papacy is beyond the scope of this comment) and instructs him to “feed my sheep.” Jesus as High Priest is the Shepherd of Israel, Peter is also called a shepherd. “Feed my sheep”, Jesus says. This is strongly eucharistic. This is stated in the context of Jesus serving the Apostles a meal of bread and fish where the Lord tells them to “take, and eat.” This is language used only of the Eucharist and quotes the Words of Institution. There is only one other place in the Gospel of John which speaks of “feeding” and “food”, and that is John 6, where Jesus is the “Bread of Life” who “feeds” God’s children with His “flesh and blood.” Rolling this all together, Peter is identified as the chief of Jesus’ priestly under-shepherds who is responsible for feeding God’s children with the Eucharist, the flesh and blood of Christ.

One more point on the apostolic priesthood and Peter. In John 20, the Tomb is described as the Holy of Holies. Jesus, the incarnate Lord, had dwelt there, and there were two angels inside, “one at the head, and one at the foot” of where Jesus had lain. This is a clear reference to the Holy of Holies where the seat of Yahweh had two cherubim on either side. This fulfills the Prologue of John: “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” We read about this Tomb that Peter and the Beloved Disciple ran to the tomb together, but the Beloved Disciple waited outside until Peter entered, and then he went. In John, the Beloved Disciple symbolizes the whole people of God whom Jesus “loved to the end.” This is why “Behold your Mother” is commanded to all of us of the Virgin, not just John as an individual. That’s why when we hear of the Beloved Disciple “at the breast” of Jesus as the Son was “at the breast” of the Father in John 1:18 (the only two times the word is used in John), we are to read this as a statement about the whole church which dwells in the Son who dwells in the Father. If the Beloved Disciple symbolizes the people of God, Peter symbolizes the Bishop who celebrates the Liturgy and gathers the church into the Inner Sanctuary around him. And indeed, there is a consistent tradition linking the keys of Peter to the person of the Bishop who holds presidency over the Eucharist.

3. The period of forty days between the resurrection and ascension is a typological fulfillment of the story of the exodus. Israel is baptized in the Red Sea, dwells in the wilderness for forty years, and then ascends into the land (the land is always described as “up” in relation to Egypt and is a symbolic ascent) in fulfillment of the promise. What happens during those forty years? It is during this period of Israel’s history that the whole system of tabernacle worship is laid out in the Torah. The order of sacrifices, the rules for the dwelling of the divine presence, all of this occurs in those forty years. Paul in Romans 5 makes the period from the fall of “Adam to Moses” a particular epoch. I think we can see what happens at Sinai as essentially the restarting of what Adam was supposed to start doing on the morning he fell.

The garden of Eden surrounded the presence of God which dwelt on the holy mountain and came in glory to meet Adam on that Sabbath- there is a strong case that Adam fell on Sabbath evening, tried to cover it up by spending the night making fig leaves, and was found by God that morning, when He came in glory, with the original intent of providing Adam with the formal instructions for his task in developing the creation. Exodus 3 does not tell Moses to demand that Israel permanently leave Egypt. Rather, Moses is to ask for a three day period where they can go to the holy mountain to worship with “peace offerings” the only sacrificial offering partially consumed by God and partially by Israel. That is fulfilled in Exodus 24 with the meal of the Seventy Elders of Israel where Moses sprinkles the blood on Israel and says: “This is the blood of the covenant.” That is quoted by Jesus in the Words of Institution.

With Adam’s exile from Eden, the access of man to the presence of God was cut off and sealed up. At Sinai, the ladder from heaven begins to operate again, though in a form that made provisions for the deep sinfulness of the children of Adam. That is the covenantal significance of Sinai for the whole world and the whole history of redemption. The forty years was a period where the exact order of Israel’s worship at this sanctuary was set up. This is the liturgy by which Israel related to God through the Temple until the coming of the Messiah to tear the veil and open the presence to man for the first time since Adam.

That forty day period is the typological fulfillment. Between resurrection and ascent there is a miniaturized wilderness where the order of liturgy under the new covenant and the way of accessing God’s presence through the Eucharist was taught directly by the Resurrected Lord to the Apostles. Hence, when we find the Apostolic Church of Acts, from the very beginning they know how to baptize, how to seal that baptism with the Holy Spirit, and how to celebrate Eucharist liturgically: “the apostles teaching and the communion [koinonia, the word used by Apostle Paul for the Eucharist as the “communion of the blood of Christ in 1 Corinthains 15] and the breaking of bread and THE prayers.”

The “apostles teaching” is likely the liturgical reading of the Torah and Prophets followed by the apostolic interpretation of the Scriptures, what we call the homily. As the books of the New Testament were written, they were added to the liturgical readings. We know directly that Apostle Paul commanded his letters to be read liturgically (a place reserved in Judaism to Scripture) and in 1 Corinthians declared that a person who does not regard his epistles as the “command of God” is to be excommunicated. I think this may well be the impetus for writing the Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew in AD 30. It was written in Hebrew since it was meant to be used liturgically and that was the liturgical language they knew, written in AD 30 to provide the Messiah’s teaching (since Matthew is arranged as a teaching gospel, organized into five blocks of messianic teaching after the pattern of the five-book Torah) in a liturgical setting.

Okay, so there we go. This actually explains more data than I thought it did when I began writing this. It explains the particular liturgical nature of the “unwritten tradition” identified by the Fathers, explains the necessary background for what we know of the Apostolic Church of Acts, and it fits like a glove what we see Jesus actually doing after His resurrection, in the Gospel of John especially. These things were not written down explicitly in the gospels because the gospels were meant for public proclamation, while the liturgy of the faithful was that which manifested the “Kingdom of God” and was accessible only to the baptized.

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years ago

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Book Of Genesis - From The Latin Vulgate (1859 - Haydock Translation of The Roman Catholic Bible) - Chapter 22

INTRODUCTION.

The Hebrews now entitle all the Five Books of Moses, from the initial words, which originally were written like one continued word or verse; but the Sept. have preferred to give the titles the most memorable occurrences of each work. On this occasion, the Creation of all things out of nothing, strikes us with peculiar force. We find a refutation of all the heathenish mythology, and of the world’s eternity, which Aristotle endeavoured to establish. We behold the short reign of innocence, and the origin of sin and misery, the dispersion of nations, and the providence of God watching over his chosen people, till the death of Joseph, about the year 2369 (Usher) 2399 (Sal. and Tirin) B.C. 1631. We shall witness the same care in the other Books of Scripture, and adore his wisdom and goodness in preserving to himself faithful witnesses, and a true Holy Catholic Church, in all ages, even when the greatest corruption seemed to overspread the land. H.

—————————-

This Book is so called from its treating of the Generation, that is, of the Creation and the beginning of the world. The Hebrews call it Bereshith, from the word with which it begins. It contains not only the History of the Creation of the World, but also an account of its progress during the space of 2369 years, that is, until the death of Joseph.

The additional Notes in this Edition of the New Testament will be marked with the letter A. Such as are taken from various Interpreters and Commentators, will be marked as in the Old Testament. B. Bristow, C. Calmet, Ch. Challoner, D. Du Hamel, E. Estius, J. Jansenius, M. Menochius, Po. Polus, P. Pastorini, T. Tirinus, V. Bible de Vence, W. Worthington, Wi. Witham. — The names of other authors, who may be occasionally consulted, will be given at full length.

Verses are in English and Latin. HAYDOCK CATHOLIC BIBLE COMMENTARY

This Catholic commentary on the Old Testament, following the Douay-Rheims Bible text, was originally compiled by Catholic priest and biblical scholar Rev. George Leo Haydock (1774-1849). This transcription is based on Haydock’s notes as they appear in the 1859 edition of Haydock’s Catholic Family Bible and Commentary printed by Edward Dunigan and Brother, New York, New York.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

Changes made to the original text for this transcription include the following:

Greek letters. The original text sometimes includes Greek expressions spelled out in Greek letters. In this transcription, those expressions have been transliterated from Greek letters to English letters, put in italics, and underlined. The following substitution scheme has been used: A for Alpha; B for Beta; G for Gamma; D for Delta; E for Epsilon; Z for Zeta; E for Eta; Th for Theta; I for Iota; K for Kappa; L for Lamda; M for Mu; N for Nu; X for Xi; O for Omicron; P for Pi; R for Rho; S for Sigma; T for Tau; U for Upsilon; Ph for Phi; Ch for Chi; Ps for Psi; O for Omega. For example, where the name, Jesus, is spelled out in the original text in Greek letters, Iota-eta-sigma-omicron-upsilon-sigma, it is transliterated in this transcription as, Iesous. Greek diacritical marks have not been represented in this transcription.

Footnotes. The original text indicates footnotes with special characters, including the astrisk (*) and printers’ marks, such as the dagger mark, the double dagger mark, the section mark, the parallels mark, and the paragraph mark. In this transcription all these special characters have been replaced by numbers in square brackets, such as [1], [2], [3], etc.

Accent marks. The original text contains some English letters represented with accent marks. In this transcription, those letters have been rendered in this transcription without their accent marks.

Other special characters.

Solid horizontal lines of various lengths that appear in the original text have been represented as a series of consecutive hyphens of approximately the same length, such as .

Ligatures, single characters containing two letters united, in the original text in some Latin expressions have been represented in this transcription as separate letters. The ligature formed by uniting A and E is represented as Ae, that of a and e as ae, that of O and E as Oe, and that of o and e as oe.

Monetary sums in the original text represented with a preceding British pound sterling symbol (a stylized L, transected by a short horizontal line) are represented in this transcription with a following pound symbol, l.

The half symbol (½) and three-quarters symbol (¾) in the original text have been represented in this transcription with their decimal equivalent, (.5) and (.75) respectively.

Unreadable text. Places where the transcriber’s copy of the original text is unreadable have been indicated in this transcription by an empty set of square brackets, [].

Chapter 22

The faith and obedience of Abraham is proved in his readiness to sacrifice his son Isaac. He is stayed from the act by an angel. Former promises are renewed to him. His brother Nachor's issue.

[1] After these things, God tempted Abraham, and said to him: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am. Quae postquam gesta sunt, tentavit Deus Abraham, et dixit ad eum : Abraham, Abraham. At ille respondit : Adsum.

[2] He said to him: Take thy only begotten son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go into the land of vision: and there thou shalt offer him for an holocaust upon one of the mountains which I will shew thee. Ait illi : Tolle filium tuum unigenitum, quem diligis, Isaac, et vade in terram visionis, atque ibi offeres eum in holocaustum super unum montium quem monstravero tibi.

[3] So Abraham rising up in the night, saddled his ass: and took with him two young men, and Isaac his son: and when he had cut wood for the holocaust he went his way to the place which God had commanded him. Igitur Abraham de nocte consurgens, stravit asinum suum, ducens secum duos juvenes, et Isaac filium suum : cumque concidisset ligna in holocaustum, abiit ad locum quem praeceperat ei Deus.

[4] And on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off. Die autem tertio, elevatis oculis, vidit locum procul :

[5] And he said to his young men: Stay you here with the ass: I and the boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and after we have worshipped, will return to you. dixitque ad pueros suos : Expectate hic cum asino : ego et puer illuc usque properantes, postquam adoraverimus, revertemur ad vos.

[6] And he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son: and he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. And as they two went on together, Tulit quoque ligna holocausti, et imposuit super Isaac filium suum : ipse vero portabat in manibus ignem et gladium. Cumque duo pergerent simul,

[7] Isaac said to his father: My father. And he answered: What wilt thou, son? Behold, saith he, fire and wood: where is the victim for the holocaust? dixit Isaac patri suo : Pater mi. At ille respondit : Quid vis, fili? Ecce, inquit, ignis et ligna : ubi est victima holocausti?

[8] And Abraham said: God will provide himself a victim for an holocaust, my son. So they went on together. Dixit autem Abraham : Deus providebit sibi victimam holocausti, fili mi. Pergebant ergo pariter.

[9] And they came to the place which God had shewn him, where he built an altar, and laid the wood in order upon it: and when he had bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood. Et venerunt ad locum quem ostenderat ei Deus, in quo aedificavit altare, et desuper ligna composuit; cumque alligasset Isaac filium suum, posuit eum in altare super struem lignorum.

[10] And he put forth his hand and took the sword, to sacrifice his son. Extenditque manum, et arripuit gladium, ut immolaret filium suum.

[11] And behold an angel of the Lord from heaven called to him, saying: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am. Et ecce angelus Domini de caelo clamavit, dicens : Abraham, Abraham. Qui respondit : Adsum.

[12] And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him: now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake. Dixitque ei : Non extendas manum tuam super puerum, neque facias illi quidquam : nunc cognovi quod times Deum, et non pepercisti unigenito filio tuo propter me.

[13] Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram amongst the briers sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son. Levavit Abraham oculos suos, viditque post tergum arietem inter vepres haerentem cornibus, quem assumens obtulit holocaustum pro filio.

[14] And he called the name of that place, The Lord seeth. Whereupon even to this day it is said: In the mountain the Lord will see. Appellavitque nomen loci illius, Dominus videt. Unde usque hodie dicitur : In monte Dominus videbit.

[15] And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying: Vocavit autem angelus Domini Abraham secundo de caelo, dicens :

[16] By my own self have I sworn, saith the Lord: because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake: Per memetipsum juravi, dicit Dominus : quia fecisti hanc rem, et non pepercisti filio tuo unigenito propter me :

[17] I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea shore: thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies. benedicam tibi, et multiplicabo semen tuum sicut stellas caeli, et velut arenam quae est in littore maris : possidebit semen tuum portas inimicorum suorum,

[18] And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. et benedicentur in semine tuo omnes gentes terrae, quia obedisti voci meae.

[19] Abraham returned to his young men, and they went to Bersabee together, and he dwelt there. Reversus est Abraham ad pueros suos, abieruntque Bersabee simul, et habitavit ibi.

[20] After these things, it was told Abraham that Melcha also had borne children to Nachor his brother. His ita gestis, nuntiatum est Abrahae quod Melcha quoque genuisset filios Nachor fratri suo :

[21] Hus the firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Camuel the father of the Syrians, Hus primogenitum, et Buz fratrem ejus, et Camuel patrem Syrorum,

[22] And Cased, and Azau, and Pheldas, and Jedlaph, et Cased, et Azau, Pheldas quoque et Jedlaph,

[23] And Bathuel, of whom was born Rebecca: These eight did Melcha bear to Nachor Abraham's brother. ac Bathuel, de quo nata est Rebecca : octo istos genuit Melcha, Nachor fratri Abrahae.

[24] And his concubine, named Roma, bore Tabee, and Gaham, and Tahas, and Maacha. Concubina vero illius, nomine Roma, peperit Tabee, et Gaham, et Thahas, et Maacha.

Commentary:

Ver. 1. God tempted, &c. God tempteth no man to evil, James i. 13. But by trial and experiment, maketh known to the world and to ourselves, what we are; as here by this trial the singular faith and obedience of Abraham was made manifest. Ch.

Ver. 2. Thy only begotten, or thy most beloved, as if he had been an only child; in which sense the word is often taken, 1 Par. xxix. 1. Ismael was still living; but Isaac was the only son of Sara, the most dignified wife. --- Lovest. Heb. "hast loved" hitherto; now thou must consider him as dead. He has been to thee a source of joy, but now he will be one of tears and mourning. --- Of vision. Sept. "high," being situated on Mount Moria, by which name it was afterwards distinguished, ver. 14. M. --- Every word in this astonishing command, tended to cut Abraham to the heart; and thence we may the more admire his strength and disinterestedness of his faith. He could hope, in a manner, against hope, knowing in whom he had trusted, and convinced that God would not deceive him, though he was at a loss to explain in what manner Isaac should have children after he was sacrificed. H.

Ver. 3. In the night: de nocte, Heb. "very early in the morning." --- His son, 25 years old, without perhaps saying a word to Sara about the intended sacrifice; though some believe, he had too great an opinion of her faith and constancy, not to reveal to her the order of God. The Scripture is silent. C.

Ver. 5. Will return. He hoped, perhaps, that God would restore Isaac to life: (Heb. xi. 19.) and he could not well express himself otherwise to the men, who were not acquainted with the divine decree. C.

Ver. 7. Holocaust. These were probably the only sacrifices yet in use. C. --- The conversation of Isaac could not fail to pierce the heart of his father. M.

Ver. 9. The place. Mount Moria, on part of which the temple was built afterwards; and on another part, called Calvary, our Saviour was crucified, having carried his cross, as Isaac did the wood for sacrifice. --- His son: having first explained to him the will of God, to which Isaac gave his free consent; otherwise, being in the vigour of his youth, he might easily have hindered his aged father, who was 125 years old, from binding him. But in this willingness to die, as in many other particulars, he was a noble figure of Jesus Christ, who was offered because it was His will. H.

Ver. 10. To sacrifice; a thing hitherto unprecedented, and which God would never suffer to be done in his honour, though he was pleased to try the obedience of his servant so far. The pagans afterwards took occasion, perhaps, from this history, to suppose, that human victims would be the most agreeable to their false deities: (C.) but in this misconception they were inexcusable, since God prevented the sacrifice from being really offered to him, in the most earnest manner, saying, Abraham, Abraham, as if there were danger lest the holy man should not hear the first call. H.

Ver. 12. Hast not spared. Thus the intentions of the heart become worthy of praise, or of blame, even when no exterior effect is perceived. H.

Ver. 13. He took; God having given him the dominion over it. C.

Ver. 14. Will see. This became a proverbial expression, used by people in distress, who, remembering how Abraham had been relieved, endeavoured to comfort themselves with hopes of relief. Some translate the Lord will be seen, which was verified when Christ was crucified. M. --- Or, he will provide, alluding to what was said, v. 8.

Ver. 16. Own self; as he could not swear by any one greater. Heb. vi. 13. Jer. xxii. 5.

Ver. 17. Stars and dust, comprising the just and sinners. --- Gates, shall judge and rule. H.

Ver. 20. Children. These are mentioned here, to explain the marriage of Isaac with Rebecca, the grand-daughter of Nachor and Melcha.

Ver. 21. Hus, who peopled Ausitis in Arabia, the desert, where Job lived. --- Buz, from whom sprung Elihu the Busite, the Balaam of the Jews. S. Jerom --- Syrians, called Camiletes, to the west of the Euphrates; or father of the Cappadocians. C.

Ver. 24. Concubine, or wife, secondary in privileges, love, and dignity. Though Nachor did not, perhaps imitate the faith and virtue of his brother Abraham, but mixed various superstitions with the knowledge of the true God; yet we need not condemn him, for having more wives than one. H.

#book of genesis

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