Posted in A, tagged afterlife, à Kempis, Bible, books, Christian, german, gutenberg, heaven, hell, medieval, monastic, monk, press, psychology, self, self-realization, soul, spirit, technology, Thomas on May 14, 2008 | No Comments »
à Kempis, Thomas (1379-1471) Also known as Thomas Hemerken, à Kempis was a German who entered an Augustinian convent in 1400.
In 1413 he was ordained. He spent the rest of his life as a religious, becoming superior of the convent.
He wrote several spiritual works but the most popular is the devotional classic Imitatio Christi (The Imitation [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in A, tagged abyss, Beowulf, Borg, Christian, Civilization, devil, druids, dungeon, Eliade, freud, Greece, greek, hell, hindu, janeway, jesus christ, jewish, jung, magic, myth, pit, psychology, Satan, serling, shades, star trek, star wars, sword, symbol, twilight zone, underwater, water on May 14, 2008 | No Comments »
The Abyss
Originally uploaded by imagical
Abyss (Greek, abyssos, Latin abyssus). Myths about an abyss or bottomless pit are found in most cultures.
In Judaism the abyss lies deep within the earth, a place where evil spirits of the dead are banished (Job 32:22, Psalm 6:5, 143:7).
In ancient Greece the majority of the dead retire to a gloomy [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in A, tagged adam, Bible, Christian, Eve, evil, Jesus, jewish, old testament, original sin, religion, sin, theology on May 11, 2008 | No Comments »
Adam & Eve, Walker Art Gallery Liverpool
Originally uploaded by stephoto27
Adam (Hebrew, adam = Man) In the Bible’s Old Testament book of Genesis, Adam is said to be the first human being. He was fashioned from earthly clay and brought to life with the living breath of God.
According to Genesis his female counterpart, Eve, was created [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in A, tagged afterlife, agape, belief, bread, bread and wine, c. s. lewis, catholic, Christian, communion, Eucharist, feast, Greece, heaven, Holy Communion, jesus christ, life, love, religion, rome, sacrament, sacraments, soul, spirit, wine on April 25, 2008 | No Comments »
Agape In literary circles the Greek term agapē (Latin: caritas) refers to the ideal of universal love, particularly, charitable Christian love among brothers and sisters of the human family.
As C. S. Lewis suggests in The Four Loves (1960), this is distinct from matrimonial, emotional, passionate-erotic and friendly love.
For many Christians, agape also refers to the [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in A, tagged ancient, Christian, church, empires, history, religion, rulers, syria, turkey on April 8, 2008 | No Comments »
Mosaic Floor Panel Roman Imperial 2nd century CEfrom a villa at Daphnenear Antioch SyriaOriginally uploaded by mharrsch
Antioch In the ancient world there were 16 cities and towns called Antioch by Seleucus Nicator, the founder of the Seleucid Empire.
All were named in honor of his father, Antiochus.
The largest was Antioch in Syria, which he founded in [...]
Read Full Post »
ApocalypseOriginally uploaded by Philipp Klinger
Apocalypse In Biblical and religious studies ‘apocalyptic literature’ refers to Jewish and Christian texts denoting a future time, usually an end time in which God’s justice prevails over the evils of this world.
In Christianity, the destruction of this world is to be followed by a “new heaven and a new earth” [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in A, tagged Apocrypha, Bible, catholic, Christian, greek, jewish, latin, orthodox, religion, scripture, spirit, spirituality on April 3, 2008 | No Comments »
Apocrypha This term has different meanings, according to the beliefs of those using it.
These meanings may be summed up as follows:
(a) Religious texts considered inauthentic by Protestant denominations but included in the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Bibles.
These extra books are found in ancient Greek and Latin versions of the Old Testament but not in the [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in A, tagged Apollinarius, catholic, christ, Christian, energy, heresy, humanity, matter, nature, religion, salvation, soul, spirit, teacher on April 3, 2008 | No Comments »
Apollinarius (310-390 CE) Early Christian teacher whose views on Christ were condemned as heresy.
He argued that Christ and God were one and that this doctrine should be taught.
For Apollinarius, Christ’s human spirit was replaced by the divine Logos. As such, Christ couldn’t morally develop during his life because he was already perfect.
This view denied Christ’s [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in A, tagged aquinas, Aristotle, belief, catholic, Christian, God, Italy, jesus christ, medieval, Philosophy, reason, religion, scholastics, schoolmen, St. Thomas Aquinas, theology on March 31, 2008 | No Comments »
Aquinas, St. Thomas (1225-74) Italian theologian born in his family’s castle near Aquino.
While in a Dominican monastery his family members were unwilling to accept his decision and abducted him, taking him prisoner for two years.
He fled to Germany where he taught in 1248 after studying under Albertus Magnus.
His theological work borrows heavily from Aristotle, recasting [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in A, tagged angels, Archangel, catholic, Christian, christianity, devil, exorcism, life, orthodox, religion, soul, spirit, Spiritual Warfare on March 28, 2008 | No Comments »
Archangel [Greek archos: ruler + angelos: messenger] The Catholic tradition outlines three archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
In a Catholic exorcism prayer St. Michael and other spiritual powers are appealed to in order to expell the devil from an afflicted person.
The Catholic catechism does not place too much emphasis on angels, while affirming that they are servants [...]
Read Full Post »
