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Tuesday, December 5th, 2006
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12:24 pm - Awesome (Awful) God
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Awesome God
Rich Mullins
When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain't just putting on the ritz
(Our God is an awesome God)
There's thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists
(Our God is an awesome God)
And the Lord wasn't joking
When He kicked 'em out of Eden
It wasn't for no reason
That He shed His blood
His return is very close
And so you better be believing that
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
And when the sky was starless
In the void of the night
(Our God is an awesome God)
He spoke into the darkness
And created the light
(Our God is an awesome God)
Judgement and wrath He poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not
Too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God (Our God is an awesome God)
He reigns from heaven above (He reigns from heaven above)
With wisdom, power, and love (With wisdom, power, and love)
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
If you would like to listen to this song again, you can find it and listen to if for free at www.rhapsody.com
current mood:  stressed
current music: Awesome God
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| Monday, December 4th, 2006
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10:30 am - Light and Water: Imagery in the Bible
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Final Paper
In the Beginning:
The Imagery of Light and Water in the Bible
In the beginning when God created the Heavens and earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “let there be light;” and there was light And God saw that the light was good; and God separate the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there wars evening and there was morning, the first day (Genesis).
Within the first few opening sentences of the book of Genesis, two of the most important images and reoccurring images in the Bible are presented – light and water. The power of these images is undeniable. In a brief search of the Bible though the American Bible Society’s official website, over two hundred references to light turned up. Using the same search, the word water turns up nearly four hundred times. The idea of a mist or fog shows up about a dozen times. It is important to examine the prevalent imagery of light and water to fully understand their use and role in the Bible and influence on society.
The Bible opens with creation of earth which formerly had been a shapeless void, yet in that shapeless void water was still present. Water, it would then appear, existed before light. In the text, Biblical and Classical Myths: The Mythological Framework of Western Culture, literary critic Northrop Frye examines the imagery of water in two chapters entitled, “Images of Paradise: Trees and Water” and “Parody and Manifest Demonic: Trees and Water.” Since these chapters have previously been examined at length, the ideas found therein will be touch upon only briefly. The key points to note are the idea of seas of fresh water and salt water as well as the beautiful mirroring of the mist arising from the ground and the rivers flowing through the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the river flowing from Jerusalem in the book of Revelation. Water appears to be the driving life force as it would have been for a nomadic people during the time of the inscription of the Bible. Water cleanses and baptizes and everything begins and ends with water. Light may have been God’s first creation, but water seems beyond time.
During his life, Sir Isaac Newton studied almost every facet of what is now considered modern science, however, his first subject of research was optics. (Amusingly enough, the Merriam Webster Dictionary defines optics as a “science that deals with the genesis and propagation of light, the changes that it undergoes and produces, and other phenomena closely associated with it.” Italics are my own addition.) The question arises, what would drive Newton to study light first? Newton believed that if one could understand the creation and structure of light, God’s first creation, one could become closer to God himself. Light opened the door for one of history’s greatest natural philosophers.
When studying the imagery of light within the Bible, it is of great importance to study the association of light with other ideals. In Genesis, light is the creation itself. Light then comes to represent God, for without light, one could question the existence of God. By separating the light from the darkness and the heavens from the earth, God has seemingly separated two spheres and diminished the chaos that had hitherto existed. Light then become associated with the good and pure. Light belongs to God and thus his people as seen in Exodus 14:20 where God brings a cloud of darkness over Egypt, yet the cloud gives light to the Israelite army. Light is most frequently associated with the word of God and as a beacon to lead the righteous down a darkened path toward truth. In John 3:19, a one to one correlation is made with goodness and light and darkness and evil, a theme that can be still be seen everyday with the black and white cowboy hats of Westerns and the light and dark side of the force in Star Wars.
Isaac Bashevis Singer understood with great depth the power of light and water. In his powerful text, The Slave, Singer frequently refers to the creek flowing by the barn Jacob in habits. Mist hangs low in the mountain and rain falls from the skies when Jacob begins to question his ability to keep his faith. One of the most powerful passages referring to water, mist, and light occurs as Jacob is contemplating his future interactions with Wanda.
Fog drifted across the ground. Mist rose from the pines as though the wet trees were burning. Here in his exile Jacob at last understood what was meant when the cabala spoke of God’s hidden face and the shrinking of His light. Distances had shrunk the skies had collapsed like the canvas of a tent; the tangible had lost substance. If so much could vanish for the physical eye, how much more could elude the spiritual. Every man comprehended according to his merit. Infinite worlds, angels, seraphim, mansions and sacred chariots surrounded man, but he did not see them because he was small and sinful and immersed in the vanities of the body (61).
The power of this passage lies not merely in its literary beauty but in its Biblical association. In the chapter, “Symbolism in the Bible”, Frye touches upon this notion of mist or fog not for its physical presence but what it comes to represent. In arguing the existence of that which one cannot physically see, many would bring up the idea of air; known to exist but not visible to the human eye. Frye points out that “You can’t see the air. If you could you would be living in a dense fog…we don’t really see light either, as distinct from seeing a source or reflection of light…God is invisible for the same reason air is invisible…If God were not invisible, the world would not be visible; that is, God would not be the Creator” (136). Thus, while mist can be a darkening of the Light, could it not also be a showing of God. By covering up the sight of his physical creation, could he not be awakening a spiritual vision and focus back on to the internal. It would seem that Jacob feels that the external fog was a mirror to the internal vanity (the translation of the word meaning fog or vapor) that humanity is suffering under.
To discuss the power of the imagery of water and light within the Bible is quite beyond the limits of this text. However, understanding the power is the ultimate goal. To know how these images have shaped science through study of light and the tides by Newton, Galileo, and Ptolemy, and to read novels such as that by Singer is to get a better understand of the humanity that God created and the literary genius of the Bible.
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| Friday, December 1st, 2006
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8:22 am - Fellow Bloggers
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I enjoy reading Justin's blog, primarily because it provides another view on what is discussed in class. Justin's faith and knowledge allow one to see the other side of a topic and provide thought provoking subjects. Yay for Justin!
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| Wednesday, November 29th, 2006
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8:15 am - Book of Revelation
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As we were reading through the Book of Revelation (no "s" :-)), I remembered a painting by William Blake entitled "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun." I had known previously that Blake had been heavily influenced by the Bible but didn't actuall put two and two together in regards to this painting. The title, of course, comes from Revelation 12:1 "A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." Here is a link to the painting.
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/b/blake/blake_great_red_dragon.jpg
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| Sunday, November 19th, 2006
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11:05 pm - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
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I just returned from viewing an amazing performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It has become one of my favorite musicals. As far as accuracy with the Bible, it is not as far off as I would have imagined. Of course, there was a great deal of creative liberty taken in filling in the lacune in the story. The musical did not show the intervetion of Rubeun in sparing Joseph's life it merely suggested that the brother's needed cash and changed their minds about leaving him in the pit. However, the greatest departure occured when the brothers went to Egypt. In the Bible, the youngest brother Benjamin did not go to Egypt but remained behind with Jacob. Joseph convinced his brothers to bring Benjamin to him which they did. In the musical, this part was cut and Joseph placed his cup in Benjamin's bag and consequently accused him of stealing it. The brothers proclaimed Benjamin's innocence and Joseph finally reveled himself to his brothers.
All in all, I enjoyed the performance and can understand its popularity. I would definately recommend seeing it if the opportunity arises.
current mood:  pleased
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| Sunday, November 12th, 2006
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8:44 pm - Test 2 Questions
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- Hagiography: Holy writing
- Kairos: descisive moment in time that obliterates all time; time which is always now
- Kerygma: proclamations that one must do to be saved
- According to Frey, the Sermon on the Mount is an archaetype or positive of what in the Old Testement: Decalogue (10 Commandments)
- Satan is the accuser (prosecuter) within a judicial approacha in the Book of Job
- An attack on the structures of expectations is a parable.
- Job is not being punished bt rather being tested.
- BK, King Lear, and Job are the three greatest tragedies in lit according to Dr. Sexson.
- Theodicy: quietioning the justice of God
- God's reply for suffering of Job: demostrations of power. "Who are you to question me?"
- Epiphany in JobL sudden mainfestation of God; God appears out of a whirlwind in Job and appears in a burning bush to Moses.
- Sublime: experience of that which is terrible; mixture of awesome and aweful.
- Enthusiasm: being possessed by God
- Opening of Ecclesiastes: Vanity of vanities, all is vanty.
- Hebel: translation of word vanity; Vapor, mist, fog
- According to Frye, Jesus individualizes the book of Exodus: TRUE
- The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away (Boook of Job)
- Job is a model of patience: FLASE
- Removal of the veil so one may see: Apocalypse
- Seven stages of the Bible: Creation, Revolution, Law, Wisdom, Prophecy, Gospel, Apocalypse
- Parataxis: A breathless way of using the word "and" as practiced by Hemningway
- Wanda: Changed her name to Sarah because all female converts to Judaism take the name Sarah
- Moses, David, Jesus are archaetypal heroes
- The event where a man runs naked from his sheep suggests that Christianity is decended from a mystery religion.
- Define escatologyL doctrine of the last days; study of the end of the world
- According to Frye, Gospels are not biographies
- Maria was born in Whitefish, MT, November 17, 1981, Child of Robert and Nancy. Important to know birthstory and creation of a hero, Maria = divine hero, navitity
- Archaetype: trnscendent meaning
- Tat Tvan Asi: That Thou Art (your're it); Middle East no distination between you and God
- Heilsgeschichte: Holy History
- Which book o the Bible does "the Fool" come from? Book of Proverbs
- Who according to Erica, according to Bloom is J's last great character? Moses
- Which image occurs at the very beginning & end of the Bible? Water
- The eleusian mystery religion is centered around Persephone & Demeter. True
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| Sunday, November 5th, 2006
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11:02 am - Science vs. Religion
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When I sat back and tried to select a major many moons ago (we won't go into how many though,) the problem I kept running across was that I enjoy all aspects of academia (even math, although I hate taking the tests.)So, this should not be a problem; however, the confines of modern academia make it so. I enjoyed English but didn't want to lose touch of the sciences. After taking a Anthropology class, my decision was made. I would double major. (Since there have been many questions in regards to my sanity, especially when you throw in my involvement with the band program. Is it fair that classes that meet for up to 15 hours a week are only one credit? Anyway...)
So I embarked upon my career as a college student. Thus far, one of the most interesting and plagueing questions that has come up is the debate between science and religion. In a history class, we have been exploring the role religion has played in science. It has been pivotal in the creation of what we now know as modern science. Why did Sir Isaac Newton work on Optics first? He believed that because light was God's first creation the more one knew and understood light and its creation, the more one understood God. Interesting, huh.
So, in the beginning...science and religion didn't clash as much as they do know. Why have they become diametically opposed? Is it the way our government was formed. (Separation of church and state?) Was it the institutionalizing of science? Or is it merely that the extreme factions of both sides are getting more airtime? Hmmm...
It is my opinion that science and religion are not opposites, rather they are merely different ways to answer the same question - what is truth? Science answers the HOW of truth and knowledge whereas religion answers the WHY. To believe in both science and religion it takes faith. Faith being defined by Merriam Webster "something that is believed especially with strong conviction."
Gravity is a theory. One cannot prove that gravity (or evolution for that matter exists since it opporates on a geologic time scale) however, one can accept it as the most satisfactory explanation - just like religion.
Anyway, I may post more on my thought of religion and science at a later date. For now, I am off...
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| Wednesday, November 1st, 2006
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9:34 am - Rosh Hashana
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Since this Jewish holiday is mentioned frequently in "The Slave," I decided to "wiki" it to get a little more info. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com) explaining it.
"Rosh Hashanah (IPA: [ˈroʊʃ hɑˈʃɔnə]) (Hebrew: ראש השנה, ro’sh ha-shānāh) is literally translated as "head of the year", and idiomatically refers to the Jewish New Year. The term first appears in the Bible, in Ezekiel 40:1.
n fact, Judaism has four "new years" which mark various legal "years", much like 1 January marks the "New Year" of the Gregorian calendar. Rosh Hashanah is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts. The Mishnah also sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical (shemitta) and jubilee (yovel) years.
The Torah refers to the day as "The Day of the Blowing of the Shofar" (Yom Terua, Leviticus 23:24), and rabbinic literature and the liturgy itself describe Rosh Hashanah as "The Day of Judgment" (Yom ha-Din) and "The Day of Remembrance" (Yom ha-Zikkaron). Some midrashic descriptions depict God as sitting upon a throne, while books containing the deeds of all humanity are opened for review, and each person passing in front of Him for evaluation of his or her deeds.
This holiday is the first of the Yamim Noraim (Hebrew, "Days of Awe"), the most solemn days of the Jewish year; the Yamim Noraim are preceded by the month of Elul, during which Jews are supposed to begin a self-examination and repentance, a process that culminates in the ten days of the Yamim Noraim known as Asseret Yemei Teshuva - The Ten Days of Repentance, beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with the holiday of Yom Kippur." (wikipedia 2006)
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| Monday, October 30th, 2006
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10:07 am - The Slave
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With so many references to God and the Bible, I decided not to include page numbers where Jacob merely refers or is speaking to God. I will include where in the Bible the reference is from.
Page 4 - Jacob compares the rising and curling of mist to tendrils of Samson's hair. (Book of Judges)
Page 8 - There is mention of a rainbow being a sign of the covenant with God. (Genesis 9:1)
Page 36 - Sanhedrin: a group of Jewish judges from each town. The Great Sanhedrin was made up of 71 judges who, alon with the chief priests, tried to find false evidence against Jesus. (Luke 22:66, Matthew 26)
Page 38 - Here, Jacob decides to write down everything he can remember on a stone much like Moses and the ten commandments. (Exodus 20:1)
Page 41 - Here is the first mention in "The Slave" of Jacob's refusal to eat meat. (Genesis & Exodus)
Page 42 - Here is a mention to unleavened bread. (Genesis 19:3 and Exodus 12:8)
Page 43 - Jacob is reminded of the plague of locusts. (Exodus 10:1)
Page 55 - Jacob watches a group party and thinks upon the shame of nakedness that didn't exist in the Garden of Eden until after Adam and Eve ate the apple. (Genesis 2:25, 3:7)
Page 56 - Here is the first acknowledgement of Jacob's Biblical namesake. (Genesis 25:26)
Page 57 - Jacob thinks upon the abominations for slaying entire people such as God does.
Page 63 - Esau: seed of Abraham and Jacob is mentioned. (Genesis 25:25)
Page 65 - Mention of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth)
Page 69 - Jacob is reminded of the Song of Songs - love is as strong as death. (Book of Song of Solomon)
Page 71 - Ruth "Where thou goest, I go" (Ruth 1:16)
Page 77 - Jacob thinks upon the lessons in Genesis of Abraham and Joseph.
Page 79 - Stephan is compared to Esau and Pharoah.
Page 80 - Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1)
Page 81 - Jacob struggles with theodicy.
Page 85 - There is mention to Lilith who is considered a night demon sent out to harm male children.
Page 100 - Mention is made to Joseph. (Genesis 30:24)
Page 111 - Jacob sees Wanda as the daughter of Esau. (Genesis)
Page 133 - Here mention is made to the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 10:1)
Page 134 - Jacob thinks upon his Biblical namesake and the prophet Elijah. (1 Kings 17:1)
Page 135 - Mention is made of Adam. (Genesis)
Page 136 - The allusion is made of Jews putting on Eygpt's yoke. (Exodus)
Page 138 - Ruth and Boaz are mentioned again. (Ruth)
Page 157 - Again, the question of innocent children suffering is brought up.
Page 161 - The question of why some laws are followed and some are broken is poised.
Page 168 - The story and Jacob and Esau is mentioned (Genesis 25:26)
current mood:  thoughtful
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| Saturday, October 28th, 2006
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12:09 pm - The Slave
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When I first picked up this text, I was curious as to what it was about and how it would be relevent to this class or as Dr. Sexson would put it "What have you learned and why is it important?" Within the first few pages, the associate between the class and the text became abundantly clear. It would be far less daunting task to ask on what pages were there NOT biblical references. Over the next few days, it is my intention to further explore these references and the text itself and have them posted.
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| Saturday, October 21st, 2006
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11:37 pm - Law and Revolution; Wisdom: The Proverb
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Here are a few notes from Chapter 16. Once again I quote directly from Frye.
- In the Bible, however, law follows immediately upon a revolutionary phase.
- The fact that in the Biblical myth the stage of law follows the stage of revolution has a significance that we have to look at.
- God of course is the perfect counter-revolutionary because he always knows when there's a conspiracy against him.
- There are two general kins of proverbs, depending on their social context. There's the proverb addressed to people who do not have great advantages in birth or wealth. These proverbs are counsels of prudence. They tell you how to get along without antagonizing your superiors.
- There is another type of proverb. It is very similar as far as content goes, but is rather a series of maxim handed down by a king to his son to emphasize the continuity of the principles of order in society.
- Knowledge is of the actual wisdom is rather a sense of the potential, a sense, rather, of the kind of thing that one should know.
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| Monday, October 16th, 2006
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8:27 pm - Law: Ordering A Society
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Here are what I believe are some of the key points from Frye in Chapter 15, Law: Ordering A Society.
- The shape of the New Testament turns on its conception of itself as a reformulation of hte notion of as in the Old Testament.
- The legal material in the Old Testament is usually divide into three groups, the judicialm, the ceremonial, and thr moral
- You get free of law by transforming it into an internal principle. As a result, the principles in the teaching of Jesus are concerned with the inner state of mind rather than with the social consequences of action.
- If you think for example of the seven deadly sins as they were set out in the Middle Ages - pride, wrath, sloth, envy, avarice, gluttony, and lechery - those regarded as the mortal sins, the deadly sins that destroyed the soul; but not one of them necessarily ends in, or results in, criminal or antisocial acts.
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| Sunday, October 15th, 2006
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4:27 pm - The Metaphor of Kingship
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Here are some notes I took from Chapter 10, The Metaphor of Kingship. Many will be direct quotes that I found interesting or important.
- the story of Israel in the Old Testament, which is the story of a society, is a type which has its antitype in the New Testament the story of the individual.
- In that form, the this-is-that for where two things are said to be the same thing and yet remain different things, we have the ordinary poetic metaphor, which is, as I said earlier, not simply illogical but anti logical, because two things could never be the same thing and yet remain two things.
- The society that went the furthest in identifying the entire society with and as the kind was ancient Egypt.
- They used the term "begotten" to mean that Christ is the Son of God, proceeds from the Father, and is the only element or aspect of experience that is not a creature. Everything else has been created, but Christ was not created; he was begotten.
- You can find the royal metaphor, like every other image, in either an apocalyptic context or a demonic one.
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| Thursday, October 12th, 2006
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3:12 pm - The Idea of Order at Key West
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The Idea of Order at Key West
Wallace Stevens
She sang beyond the genius of the sea.
The water never formed to mind or voice,
Like a body wholly body, fluttering
Its empty sleeves; and yet its mimic motion
Made constant cry, caused constantly a cry,
That was not ours although we understood,
Inhuman, of the veritable ocean.
The sea was not a mask. No more was she.
The song and water were not medleyed sound
Even if what she sang was what she heard,
Since what she sang was uttered word by word.
It may be that in all her phrases stirred
The grinding water and the gasping wind;
But it was she and not the sea we heard.
For she was the maker of the song she sang.
The ever-hooded, tragic-gestured sea
Was merely a place by which she walked to sing.
Whose spirit is this? we said, because we knew
It was the spirit that we sought and knew
That we should ask this often as she sang.
If it was only the dark voice of the sea
That rose, or even colored by many waves;
If it was only the outer voice of sky
And cloud, of the sunken coral water-walled,
However clear, it would have been deep air,
The heaving speech of air, a summer sound
Repeated in a summer without end
And sound alone. But it was more than that,
More even than her voice, and ours, among
The meaningless plungings of water and the wind,
Theatrical distances, bronze shadows heaped
On high horizons, mountainous atmospheres
Of sky and sea.
It was her voice that made
The sky acutest at its vanishing.
She measured to the hour its solitude.
She was the single artificer of the world
In which she sang. And when she sang, the sea,
Whatever self it had, became the self
That was her song, for she was the maker. Then we,
As we beheld her striding there alone,
Knew that there never was a world for her
Except the one she sang and, singing, made.
Ramon Fernandez, tell me, if you know,
Why, when the singing ended and we turned
Toward the town, tell why the glassy lights,
The lights in the fishing boats at anchor there,
As the night descended, tilting in the air,
Mastered the night and portioned out the sea,
Fixing emblazoned zones and fiery poles,
Arranging, deepening, enchanting night.
Oh! Blessed rage for order, pale Ramon,
The maker's rage to order words of the sea,
Words of the fragrant portals, dimly-starred,
And of ourselves and of our origins,
In ghostlier demarcations, keener sounds.
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| Wednesday, October 4th, 2006
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9:54 am - The Creation
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Today I attended a lecture by Dr. E.O. Wilson at the fieldhouse along with a majority of my fellow Anthropology majors. As I sat in the audience, I began to reanalyze a train of thought that emerged at the beginning of this semester. Never in all of my years of study have my classes focused so centrally upon one pivotal factor - the Bible. A text so powerful that it can lead nations to war, men to their deaths, and evoke the entire spectrum of emotions that human beings possess.
Well, you must be wondering what this has to do with E.O. Wilson...Dr. Wilson recently wrote a new work entitled "The Creation: A Appeal to Save Life on Earth." So the first thing one might notice is reference to Creation. The Creation that E.O. Wilson is referring to is indeed the Biblical Creation, however, it is not the mere act of Creation, but rather the subsequent results of that Creation which he sees as the biodiversity of the Earth. All the species on Earth and their ecosystems are Creation. The text is framed in the form of letters to a Southern Baptist pastor from the entomologist pleading for a uniting of forces between science and religion to save the Creation for future generations. Both those in the scientific and religious communities can attest to the glory of nature and its seemingly infinite number of species, most of which remain unknown.
So much emphasis is placed on the actual act that is Creation that oft times, the result of Creation is overlooked. So God brought for the grasses, great whales, and every living creature that moveth, yet that seems so mundane if one was to take a step back and take a look at all the life that inhabits the Earth; most of which has not even been identified scientifically. Next time you are outside, take a step back and look around you. What you are looking at is Creation.
current mood: thoughtful
current music: Broadway Medleys
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| Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006
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7:55 pm - Exam Questions
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Here are the questions for the upcoming exam! Good luck to all!
1) What was the name of the Greek translation of the Hebrew text?
- Septuagint (70)
2) In order, name the seven stages of the Bible according to Frye.
- Creation, Revolution, Law, Wisdom, Prophecy, Gospel, Apocalypse
3) According to Frye, the U-shaped structure of the Bible is referred to as what literary type?
- Comedy
4) What does Frye say about the word "whore" or "harlot" in the Bible?
- The word is not in reference to a sexual matter but rather a theological matter.
5) What are the three antagonistic characters/things in the Bible?
- women, snakes, and nature
6) What reoccurring imagery is seen throughout the Bible? (Question subject to change)
- Trees and Water (see Frye, Chapter 2)
7) Question???
- Answer: Trickster figure: smooth, snake, Yahweh...
8) Fundamental or primary image, symbol, or story
- Archetype
9) Question:???
- Dying and Resurrecting God (Frye, pg 63) Ex. Tammuz (Babylon), Adonis (Asia Minor)
10) Name the three phases the Hebrews went though.
- Pastoral, Agricultural, Urban
11) What, according to Bloom, is J's most prominent literary feature?
- Irony
12) What is the documentary hypothesis?
- multiple authorship of the first 5 books of the Bible.
13) List a few mortal crimes in the Old Testament
- peeing on the wall, devirginizing daughters, worshiping false gods
14) Question???
- Answer: Bride and Bridegroom metaphors according to Frye
15) P thinks of God as __________ and J refers to God as ______________.
- Elohim (transcendent, fetish for lists) and Yahweh (imminent, storyteller)
16)Which is not considered a traditional patriarch?
- David
17) Questions???
- Answer: Rebecca, not Leah, waters camels.
18) Why do good things happen to innocent people?
- Answer found in Justin's blog: there are no innocent people
19) Theodicy? What is it?
- question of the justice of God
20) B loom argues that H is a moralist?
- False, J is an ironist, secular humanist
21) A gap in the text is
- Lacuna (singular) lacune (plural)
22) What is henotheism?
- Belief that one's god is better than all other gods, which suggests existence of multiple gods
23) Define Gnostic
- Gnostic: nurturing of divine spark/flame of knowledge within one's self
24) How would you define patriarchy?
- Father ruled, (where even men are women)
25) The Exodus in the Bible is compared to what event in Greek mythology?
- the Trojan War (1200BC)
26) Question: ???
-Answer: Blessings: wholeness of being, more life
27) Who are the 5 authors of the Pentateuch?
- J, P, E, D, R
28) According to the Bible, the two sins of women are
- sexuality and deceit
29) Question???
-Answer: Esau and his association with wild game
30) Question???
- Answer: Types and antitypes of Frye (what is gained and what is lost)
31) Define ideology and discuss ideology in the Bible.
- ideology: mythological explanation of why things are the way they are. EX. why childbirth is painful, why not eat meat off hip socket
current mood:  sick
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| Tuesday, September 26th, 2006
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11:01 pm - Lyrics
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During class the song "It's all over now, Baby Blue," by Bob Dylan was mentioned and I thought I should "Google" it and make the lyrics available to classmates so here it is.
You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last.
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast.
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun,
Crying like a fire in the sun.
Look out the saints are comin' through
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense.
Take what you have gathered from coincidence.
The empty-handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets.
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home.
All your reindeer armies, are all going home.
The lover who just walked out your door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor.
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you.
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Strike another match, go start anew
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
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| Friday, September 22nd, 2006
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11:00 pm - E-Journals
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| Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
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3:00 pm - Welcome!
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Hello All,
Welcome to my Engl 211 online journal. I used this same journal previously for my Shakespeare blog last semester so you will see previous posts not related to this class. Unfortunetly, I am no where near the blogger that Justin is, but I am working on it. This class will be very exciting and luckily enough for me, it will tie in well with my other course this semster such as Hist 432 in which we will examine the influence of science on culture and culture on science (including religious influences on science, such as the Protestant Work Ethic.)
Interesting Point of the Day:
Lacuna: a blank space or missing part. (Merriam Webster Online)
current mood: pensive
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| Tuesday, April 25th, 2006
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7:45 am - Music and Recognition in Shakespeare
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A soft melody floating upon a warm breeze can soothe the most agitated mind. A fast paced flamenco or salsa can inject into its listener a need to move and dance. Goldberg’s Variations by Bach was written with the sole purpose of bringing sleep to its patron. At sixty beats per minutes, the rhythm and beat of the music matches the beating of the human heart, slowing it, manipulating it, causing the body to relax to the point of sleep. Just as William Shakespeare knew the depth of the human psyche, he also knew the power and universality of music. Music is prevalent within Shakespeare’s works, whether it is discussed directly or a seemingly simple cue in a scene of one of his plays. Music and the act of creating and performing music can bind people together.
Upon entering this class, I had a fairly diverse background regarding Shakespeare and his life; yet, it was not until several weeks into the course that I began to recognize the power and use of music within Shakespeare. There are frequent cues for music and in most of his plays; characters have some discussion regarding the influence and persuasiveness of music.
When asking an MSU music major his favorite quote regarding music, he was quick to recite, “If music be the food of love, play on.” This quote from the Twelfth Night is undoubtedly one of the most renowned. However, a discussion of music and musicians also appears in “Antony and Cleopatra,” “Henry VIII,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Othello,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Richard II,” “The Tempest.” In the Taming of the Shrew, an entire scene is based upon a lesson of music and beneath the lesson is disguised a plea from a suitor. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio interchanges sword play and songs. Hamlet, in his usual genius, compares himself to an instrument whose heart is being plucked upon. In The Merchant of Venice, Portia uses music to provide Bassanio with a clue to choosing the correct casket. Shakespeare’s words themselves, when recited with feeling and appropriate fluctuation, can soothe and agitated just as well as any note from an instrument.
“Tell me where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart, or in the head?
How begot, how nourished?
Reply, Reply
It is engendered in the eye,
With gazing fed, and fancy dies
In the cradle where it lies.
Let us all ring fancy’s knell
I’ll begin it - Ding, dong, bell.
Ding, dong, bell” (The Merchant of Venice, 308).
The entirety of Sonnet 8 is devoted to a metaphor of bonds and music.
“…Mark how one string, sweet husband to another,
Strikes each in each by mutual ordering;
Resembling sire and child and happy mother,
Who, all in one, one pleasing note do sing:
Whose speechless song, being many, seeming one,
Sings this to thee: "Thou single wilt prove none" (Sonnet 8).
The bonds that music brings can be seen at any concert or performance. The musicians on the stage must work together in order to bring forth the composed piece. Musicians and the performance of music is a great deal like actors upon a stage. Each are given a set of directions, lines, and positions upon a stage. If one performer misses an entrance, it can be felt by all members. Yet, if the musicians or actors do not play or act with all the feeling in their souls, it becomes apparent to the audience. Shakespeare’s characters frequently mention “broken music” which refers to when the consort, or group of musicians, has failed to play the piece properly. While it is expected that musical compositions and plays are never entirely perfect, there are points of euphoria that can be reached if near perfection is attained.
This euphoria, for many, is the recognition and realization that the work each individual has put into the piece has created a group work of art. In the MSU Spirit of the West Marching Band, it is referred to as the “collective breath.” The collective breath is not something you think about or discuss; rather it is the supreme moment when the sounds and efforts have reached the peak of perfection; the culmination of all the hard work put in. Shakespeare understood the need for recognition, for the knowledge that is buried deep inside for eons to come bursting forth in a moment of realization. Every play discussed had at least one if not multiple moments of recognition.
If one is to believe that all the knowledge of the world is merely locked away inside us, the need for recognition is immense. Those recognitions can bring us closer to the universe and to the creator, if one so chooses to believe. Having experienced all of the life embodied in the works of Shakespeare and Shakespeare truly encompasses every aspect from the most surreal and mythical to the most base and degrading, one must take the knowledge learned and look for those varying moments of recognition. Whether it is listening to music on your iPod, performing in a play or musical ensemble, to watching television or reading literary texts, be aware of those moments of recognition for they may float upon a soulful breeze and the realization of them is what makes a holy day of every day.
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