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Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words and Wisdom from Greek and Roman Mythology Review

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Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words and Wisdom from Greek and Roman Mythology Overview

Ancient names come to rich and fascinating life in this lavishly illustrated gift book for mythology fans and word lovers.

Did you know that “museums” were initially temples built to worship the nine muses, the goddesses of the arts? That “Janus” was the god of the doorways and hallways, and we have named our janitors after him?
Where did these words — and other words, such as chaos, genius, nemesis, panic, echo, and narcissus — come from? From the ancient stories of the Greeks — stories that rang so true and wise that the names of the characters have survived for centuries as words we use every day. The brief stories here not only impart the subtle wisdom of these ancient tales, but make us understand the words, and our own world, more deeply.

Allusion in Poetry

Allusion, according to A Handbook to Literature by C. Hugh Holman, The Odyssey Press, "is a figure of speech making casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event." According to definitions in various literature and composition text books, an allusion is the casual reference to a figure or event in history or literature that creates a mental image in the mind of the reader.

All right, young man in the back, what's the problem? I hear you whispering. Maybe I can answer your question better than your neighbor.

"Uh, well, I just think maybe you have confused something. Isn't an allusion something you see that isn't there?"

Thank you. I'm so glad you asked that question. Many people do confuse allusion and illusion. An allusion is the reference to someone or something in literature or history. Illusion is something which is not actually seen or which does not really exist.

One example of an allusion would be something like "Like a modern Daniel, the brave little boy strode to the playground in order to face the school bully." The reference to Daniel from the Bible who faced hungry lions brings bravery to mind. Another allusion might be "The Paul Bunyon of a man filled the small room."

An illusion might be "Jim Ross told everyone about the flying saucer he watched in the night sky. His wife shook her head in disbelief. 'You also say you saw me do a strip tease on the front porch, illusions the result of over-inbibing that brew you make in the garage'."

Many times writers, especially poets, allude to Biblical characters and events. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare used the line "A Daniel come to judgement." T.S. Eliot uses a complex literary allusion in his The Waste Land and in his notes about that poem.

I use allusion occasionally, as in the following poems, and many times I allude to something Biblical as I do in these. (All poetry is copyrighted by Vivian Gilbert Zabel.)

Lost and Found

Screams rend the night darkness

As chaos reigns in sleeping minds.

Fighting echoing shrieks to awareness,

Those once drowsing find themselves

Now huddling in fear beneath covers.

Fire flickers through the filter of eyelids,

While those braver than the rest peek

To glimpse shadows of nightmares

Lingering in delight of tears streaming

Down cheeks of those too scared to run.

Then faith reaches out its hopeful hand

To touch and tame the frightful madness

That only Hell can bring to those who live.

The hero of a demon-filled existence

Is the One who loves man the most.

The allusion to Hell brings to mind the agony that is to be found there.

Live Forever

Who wants to live forever?

So the pain of heart and limbsCan endure ever lasting?

Discomfort will grow each day

Until I won't want to stay.

Talk of immortality,

I could greet my grandchildren's

Progeny for many years.

But when their time disappears,

I would be overwhelmed with tears.

I could watch history pass

With war, disease, desolation.

Leaders would rise and then fall,

Bringing hope, sometimes despair,

But never long-lasting care.

I don't want to live forever,

Not in this world we now know.

I want to know that some day

I will be able to escape

To a place not filled with hate.

Who wants to live forever?

In a place of cloudless skies,

Of love, peace, and endless joy,

Sunlight gleams without a storm,

Glory found in every form.

I will take forever life

In the place where He's alive,

To know that everyone there

Need not be separated

Nor ever feel incarcerated.

No pain, no illness, no tears

Will be seen much less known,

War, a word not even heard.

Yes, I will live forever

Once I cross Jordan's river.

In the Bible, the river Jordan came to mean the river that one crosses into Heaven, therefore representing death.

In the first poem, the allusion adds to the emotion of agony, pain, torture. However, in the second poem, the allusion adds to the imagery but not exactly to the emotion.

So what allusion brings an emotional image to mind? What does Sir Gallahad bring to mind? Courage, love, knight in shining armor all come to mind, emotional reactions.

Closure

The young boy's eyes sparkled

As he spied the golden curls

Peeking from under her winter cap.

Since an eight-year-old isn't poetic,

He packed snow into a ball

And threw with all his might,

Knocking the hat from her head.

Imagine his surprise as she whirled

And returned fire, hitting his chest,

Where love for her bloomed.

Over the years, fast friends

They became as they skipped

Hand in hand through school.

His junior prom, she was his date,

As was he for hers the next.

After he left for college,

Letters, like winged flames,

Flew from him to her each week.

The summer became a time of joy

As they rebuilt their love again.

In fall, they had to part once more,

He back to the next level;

She, to the college in town.

Once full of love and laughter,

Messages from her came

Slower and shorter each time.

Soon, by Christmas, they stopped.

By end of semester, he heard

She gave her love to another.

His heart turned to stone.

Years passed, he earned a fortune,

But he never had a family.

At last the loner returned home

To find his lost love not only

Another's wife, but a mother.

He stood in the background,

Knowing her husband could be ruined.

He had the means; he had the hate.

Then he saw her face in his mind

And packed the hate away.

He died the other day,

A driver didn't pause or stop.

Many attended the funeral

With one woman at the back.

Tears pooled and spilled

Before she wiped her face,

Turned, and slipped away.

Only later did she know

He left her not only his heart

But everything he had.

Unknown to her, he had been more,

Her Sir Galahad: Although he wore

A tarnished, rusted suit of armor.

I hope you will try using allusion in your poetry, for a touch of imagery if nothing else, but also try to see if the device can add a dose of emotion.

Vivian Gilbert Zabel taught English, composition, and creative writing for twenty-five years, honing her skills as she studied and taught. She is a author on Writers ( http://www.Writing.Com/ ), and her portfolio is http://www.Writing.Com/authors/vzabel. Her books, Hidden Lies and Other Stories and Walking the Earth, can be found through Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

The True Christmas Story - It's Worth Telling

The secular world is always attacking Christmas. Oh, how the economy would suffer if we ever STOPPED celebrating this holiday! There's no denying that there are many who would prefer that Christ had nothing to do with Christmas.

Before we Christians get our lederhosen in a twist in defense of our beloved holiday, let's consider a few things about this celebration of "the night of our dear Savior's birth." We may be surprised to find that Christ - and many Christian traditions - had little to do with Christmas as we know it.

I'M NOT BEING A GRINCH BUT...

When it comes to Christmas Pageants and Nativity scenes, let's acknowledge how erroneous they are. Invariably, they combine the visit of the Shepherds (found in Luke’s Gospel) with the visit of the Magi (from Matthew’s Gospel) into one harmonized birthday celebration.

See, in Luke’s Gospel, the account goes something like this: Shepherd’s are in the field and an angel appears to them and directs them to visit Bethlehem where the baby has been born (Luke 2). Verse 16 declares, " So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." Let's not overlook that point: a BABY in the manger. The Greek word used there means clearly refers to a newborn baby. Nowhere does Luke mentions “wise men” or “magi."

Then, as we examine Matthew, we read nothing about shepherds or a manger. Here’s how Matthew tells his story (Chapter 2): “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, etc." After Jesus was born, these Magi showed up in Jerusalem and asked where a king would be born in this particular kingdom. They are told, in Bethlehem. So, off they go. The story picks up in verse 11: “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Did you catch that? When the Magi arrive, they enter a HOUSE and find, not an infant - as in Luke - but a toddler, older than an infant, according to the Greek definition.

These facts demonstrate two things for us:

1) The Shepherds arrived immediately after Jesus’ birth and visited him while he was still in the manger.

2) The Magi arrived about two years later and visited the toddler in his parent's house in Bethlehem.

Matthew and Luke are telling two different stories that we have somehow attempted to blend together. The birth accounts need NOT be combined because they describe different phases in the childhood of Jesus. The fact that Herod killed all Bethlehem boys age 2 and under could be evidence that Jesus was about that age.

Hence, when Christmas Pageants and Nativity Scenes include both Shepherds and Wise Men, they do so against Biblical testimony and contrary to the Gospels themselves. In short, they telescope two separate, distinct events into one. Does this mean such pageants are evil? No, but it does mean they are inaccurate.

THE MEANINGFUL GIFTS OF THE MAGI

The gifts were given to the baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men (Magi) from the East. Were there REALLY three? Probably not but there were at least two. Let's look at what those gifts were and what they represent. The three gifts we read of in Matthew 2 are a BIG part of the Gospel story for they are symbolic of the reason that Jesus was born in a human body; they are an expression of His ministry on earth.

Matthew 2:10-11 "...After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him... they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

First, the Gold is telling of His royalty, that He is the true King of kings.

Second, the Frankincense tells of His true reason for leaving the glory of Heaven and becoming man...His priesthood. We read in Hebrews 2:17 that He became like us that He might be our "faithful high priest in things pertaining to God."

And, third, the Myrrh represents His death on the cross "to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17).

After Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, had been granted the right to remove Jesus from the cross and lay Him in the tomb built for Joseph himself; Nicodemus came, bringing embalming materials, to help with the burial of Jesus. We are told in John 19:39: "Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight." Myrrh was used as an embalming ointment. Myrrh was also an incense frequently used in perfumes. You will recall, in John 12:1-7, that Mary, sister of Lazarus, took a jar of costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. When Judas Iscariot chastised her for this, Jesus told him, ". . . Let her alone, in order that she may keep it for the joy of My burial."

On the web site, Bible Fragrances --- http://www.biblefragrances.net/nard.html --- we read:

In the Old Testament, nard is referred to in the Song of Songs, as a symbol of the intimate nature of the Bride’s love. This is the point at which relations with her beloved are initiated. When the perfume of nard is named, the bride recognizes her beloved as such.
With that in mind, we see that Mary was representing what ALL Christians have been down through the ages, i.e., the Bride of Christ, recognizing, worshipping, and adoring the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
So, we see the Gold representing His royalty; the Frankincense representing His priesthood; and the Myrrh representing His death. That is the true meaning of gifts at Christmas as they tell the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ all by themselves. If you want to really give your family, especially your children and grandchildren, the very best gift possible for Christmas, share with them the story of Jesus' birth and why He came to earth, as the Mediator between God and man.

Don't go broke buying gifts. Instead, give your family the most precious gift, Jesus Christ.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS?

I know that many will say that Christmas is not really the true time of Jesus' birth. That's true, for no one really knows the true date of His birth. We DO know that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for the census decreed by Caesar Augustus, that all must go to their own city to be registered and counted. Now, since the Roman government heavily taxed the Jews, they would certainly have waited until AFTER the fall harvest to call them to leave their fields Otherwise, the harvest to be taxed would be smaller. The Romans wanted more bang for their buck, one might say.

Also, I've read that it was most likely the early Fall when the shepherds were still in the fields with their flocks. In December, it would be too cold for them to have their sheep in the fields.

It is also true that December 25th was chosen because it was a pagan holiday, Saturnalia, a Roman festival and holiday, and it has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. Put yourself in the place of the Christians during that time. They were seeing all the revelry of the Roman Saturnalia festival; they were seeing many of their friends and family being lured toward the good times of that festival. What could they do? Just as today many Christians offer Halloween "alternative parties" for their children to keep them from the pagan rituals of Halloween, the Christians in that day decided to celebrate an alternative to Saturnalia. What better thing to celebrate than the birth of Jesus Christ? The natural thing to do was to give the Christians a holy event to celebrate while their neighbors were busy celebrating their pagan holiday. That is why we celebrate December 25th as the birth of Jesus Christ.

If you think about it, we should be celebrating His birth every day for there is no greater gift than that free gift given to us by God, the birth of His Son who came to be our be our King of kings, to be our High Priest, and, to die in our place, that we might have an opportunity to be born again, free from sin.

Share this priceless gift with your family. Tell them the TRUE story of Christmas.

Have an incredible Christmas! Uh...by the way, the word "Christmas" comes from the Middle English "Cristemas" and from the Old English "Cristes Messe," or Christ's festival....in case you were interested.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

A servant of God

[http://www.YourTown4Jesus.org]

His mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Since '99, he has broadcast over 600 inspirational articles and a dozen booklets on subjects sure to interest the thinking Christian and accelerate the process of spiritual development.

He is the founder of t.e.a.m. ministries. An Author, Pastoral Counselor and Teacher, his eMail broadcasts, known as "Your Town for Jesus" are read around the globe. Subscribe at team1min@our-town.com.com

A licensed/ordained minister, a Certified Workplace Chaplain, and a Professional Member of NIBIC, he has ministered in Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, College and Cowboy churches. He is the Workplace Chaplain for a Texas firm, overseeing the Spiritual Development of over 500 employees at ten facilities throughout the state. He is a strong advocate for the House Church Movement, readily available to assist Christians feeling that same inclination. A Speaker on the Christian Speaker Network, he may be available to speak to your church or Christian group.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) second trailer

Select 480p for best quality! Directed by Chris Columbus Written by Craig Titley based on the novel by Rick Riordan Starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman,... Trouble-prone Percy Jackson is having problems in high school but that's the least of his challenges. It's the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology texts and into his life. Percy has learned that his real father is Poseidon, god of the sea, which means Percy is a demigod half human, half god. At the same time, Zeus, the king of all gods, has accused Percy of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt...the original weapon of mass destruction. Now, Percy must prepare for the adventure of a lifetime, and the stakes couldn't be higher. With ominous storm clouds brewing over the planet and his own life now in peril, Percy travels to a special enclave called Camp Half Blood, where he trains to harness his newly discovered powers and prevent a devastating war among the gods. There, Percy meets two fellow demigods the warrior Annabeth, who is searching for her mother, the goddess Athena; and his childhood friend and protector, Grover, who is actually a brave but untested Satyr. Grover and Annabeth then join Percy on an incredible transcontinental odyssey that takes them six hundred stories above New York City (the ...

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The World of Myth: An Anthology Review

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The World of Myth: An Anthology Overview

Hercules, Zeus, Thor, Gilgamesh--these are the figures that leap to mind when we think of myth. But to David Leeming, myths are more than stories of deities and fantastic beings from non-Christian cultures. Myth is at once the most particular and the most universal feature of civilization, representing common concerns that each society voices in its own idiom. Whether an Egyptian story of creation or the big-bang theory of modern physics, myth is metaphor, mirroring our deepest sense of ourselves in relation to existence itself.
Now, in The World of Myth, Leeming provides a sweeping anthology of myths, ranging from ancient Egypt and Greece to the Polynesian islands and modern science. We read stories of great floods from the ancient Babylonians, Hebrews, Chinese, and Mayans; tales of apocalypse from India, the Norse, Christianity, and modern science; myths of the mother goddess from Native American Hopi culture and James Lovelock's Gaia. Leeming has culled myths from Aztec, Greek, African, Australian Aboriginal, Japanese, Moslem, Hittite, Celtic, Chinese, and Persian cultures, offering one of the most wide-ranging collections of what he calls the collective dreams of humanity.
More important, he has organized these myths according to a number of themes, comparing and contrasting how various societies have addressed similar concerns, or have told similar stories. In the section on dying gods, for example, both Odin and Jesus sacrifice themselves to renew the world, each dying on a tree. Such traditions, he proposes, may have their roots in societies of the distant past, which would ritually sacrifice their kings to renew the tribe.
In The World of Myth, David Leeming takes us on a journey "not through a maze of falsehood but through a marvellous world of metaphor," metaphor for "the story of the relationship between the known and the unknown, both around us and within us." Fantastic, tragic, bizarre, sometimes funny, the myths he presents speak of the most fundamental human experience, a part of what Joseph Campbell called "the wonderful song of the soul's high adventure."

God Of War 3 III Walkthrough Part 9 Judges of the Underworld 1 of 2

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The Shadow Thieves (Cronus Chronicles) Review

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The Shadow Thieves (Cronus Chronicles) Overview

Something extraordinary is about to happen to Charlotte Mielswetzski.

It's not the very cute kitten that appears out of nowhere. It's not the arrival of her cousin Zee, who believes he's the cause of a mysterious sickness that has struck his friends back in England. And it's not the white-faced, yellow-eyed men in tuxedos who follow Charlotte everywhere. What's so extraordinary is not any one of these things. It's all of them.

When Charlotte's friends start to get sick, Charlotte and Zee set out to find a cure. Their quest leads them to a not-so-mythical Underworld, where they face Harpies that love to rhyme, gods with personnel problems, and ghosts with a thirst for blood.

Charlotte and Zee learn that in a world overrun by Nightmares, Pain, and Death, the really dangerous character is a guy named Phil. And then they discover that the fate of every person -- living and dead -- is in their hands.

CASTLEVANIA Lords Of Shadows 15

Game by Konami

Check Out Greek Folk Religion

Greek Folk Religion Review

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Greek Folk Religion Overview

"In the extensive literature relating to ancient Greece, there is no work that serves the purposes of this volume. A Swedish proverb speaks of placing the church in the middle of the village, and that is precisely what Nilsson has here done. Homer and Hesiod formed the basis of the traditional education of the Greeks in general, and the great gods and goddesses as they appear in art show at all times the formative influence of the epic tradition. Nevertheless, the hard core of Greek religion is to be found in its observances: these took their shape among men whose focus was first the hearth and then the city-state, men moreover whose life and livelihood were tied to crops and herds and the annual cycle of nature."—Arthur Darby Nock, from the Foreword

Martin Nilsson writes about the popular religious observances of the Greeks, as practiced both earlier in the twentieth century and in classical times, the agricultural festivals and customs, the rituals of family and society. The folk religions of Greece that underlay and continually erupted into the more "elevated" Olympian mythology of Homer and Hesiod are explained in detail by a scholar with unparalleled understanding of the rites and customs of rural life.

Questions Your Pastor Will Hate

When I was kid, I loved to ask my minister questions about things that, to my young mind, made no sense when I read them in the Bible or more likely heard them in Sunday school. His answers were always rather bland and not a little aloof since, after all, he was the pastor and I was just a kid.

I remember asking about how humans and dinosaurs could coexist. After all, they had to be a part of the creation story, even though not mentioned specifically. Or why would dinosaurs be taken on the ark, only to go extinct such a short time after? And how do you cage a T-Rex or fit a Brontosaurus on such a boat, much less a pair of all sorts?

I got a lot of looks but very few answers. As the years went by, I concluded that none of it was either possible or even addressed in the Bible. I realized humans and dinosaurs had nothing in common (unless you live in the SE USA) and the pastor was either ignorant, deliberately deceptive or hung up somewhere in between himself, not knowing what to say to a kid. I honestly think I would have appreciated knowing what I suspect he knew, that being the story of Noah was fiction and I didn't have to worry about dinosaurs or polar bears for tha matter on the ark. It never happened.

I remember asking why the Bible, a book which had to know better since it was written by God himself, said Joshua raised his hands and the "sun stopped for the space of about a day," when clearly it would be the earth that stopped rotating? I asked him how oceans would not slop out of their basins in such a scenario and drown the whole world? I asked him if humans would not be cast into space by such a sudden stop of the entire planet? I even asked if this really happened, why did no one else on the whole planet notice it, or write about it? I got that dumb look again.

I even asked him what would happen to my handicapped brother, who could neither hear, speak or see and thus had no way to become a Jesus accepting Christian. He told me he was saved automatically. Wow! How cool. I, on the other hand, would have to risk getting my beliefs correct or go to hell. Bummer.

I asked what about all those in history and even now who have never heard of Jesus. He said they all are saved in their ignorance, though another minister I asked said they all go to hell of some sort. So depending on who you ask, the ignorant either get an automatic free pass for their trouble or go to hell, having no awareness of what they did to deserve that! Hmmmm. Something ain't right here!

I did respond by asking him why then we should send missionaries and put the ignorant at risk, when if we just leave them alone, they can make it in their ignorance of never having heard the only name under heaven by which a man can be saved. I got the look again.

Our denomination believed in predestination, a very strange belief if you asked me as a kid. So God already knows who is in and who is out, and even if you are one of the outwardly good guys, you could be on the outs with God. The minister said yes. Hmmm, so a killer might actually have it made, while the minister was predestined to be lost? Big look there! He said that one could tell by their fruits who God probably had already predestined to be saved. This was getting confusing to me so I dropped it. I later read that John Calvin, the founding father of our particular denomination, chased a former heretic friend all over Europe for disagreeing with him theologically, and had him burned at the stake. Wow, these theologians are seriously serious people! Sounds like as long as you are a Church Father, you can do this kind of thing and get away with it. I began to think that up to this point, most of the answers I had been given were just someone's educated guesses or ideas, but had no basis in fact.

I went to a Christian college to study these things. Boy if you think I had questions as a kid!

"Why did God not like Cain's vegetable sacrifice but loved Abel's cooked meat?" Answer...Vegetarians are weak Christians.

"Who was Cain afraid would kill him when God put him out of the Garden for killing Abel? There were mom, dad, bro and himself on the whole planet at the time."
Answer...He must have known his sisters were going to have kids with dad, no not that. He was speculating. Cain wasn't thinking very clearly that day.

"Why would God stop the whole earth for a day so Israelites could finish a genocide against the enemy?" I mean, I can see stopping it so there is more time to hug, or feed the hungry, or plant the crops, but more time to kill? Dumb story.
Answer...God hates sin and had to kill the bastards, he just needed more time than he planned on."

"How come the horses in the Exodus die twice in the Ten Plagues and still survive for Pharoah to mount a final attack against the Israelites, and then die again."
Answer...Where do you get this stuff?

"Why, no matter what, is it always the human's fault and God never gets any blame for not making good on his promises?"
Answer...It's a mystery. Have faith. God's ways are not your ways.

"Why does the Apostle Paul, who writes most of the New Testament, NEVER quote Jesus, tell a story of his life or death, discuss a miracle or teaching?"
Answer...Where do you get this stuff?

"Why does neither Mark nor John know anything about Jesus birth, while Matthew and Luke do but tell contradictory stories?"
Answer...Because the Gospels are like four people who see a car wreck...

"Why does Paul only say Jesus was born of a woman like everyone else?"
Answer...Paul was concerned about the risen Jesus, not the earthly one. He was too busy to check up on the details.

"Did Paul ever spend five minutes with the real human Jesus?"
Answer..well no, but Paul's Jesus is the risen Jesus, it doesn't matter.

"Isn't it strange the man who writes most of the New Testament and tells us all how to live, think and believe about Jesus, never met him, while the Twelve who did, vanish into thin air and write nothing/"
Answer...You ain't from around these parts are you boy.

"How come Jesus never wrote anything himself while alive, but then writes perfect Greek after he is dead in the form of the Book of Revelation?"
Answer....He finished his PHD in Heaven.

"If Herod killed all the little children under two to get at Jesus, who escaped, can we not say the little children had to die for Jesus before he died for them?"
Answer...No we can't, sheesh.

"How come Herod couldn't follow the Star of Bethlehem himself to find Jesus, but sent others to report back when they found him?"
Answer...He was busy.

"How could Mary leave town after being warned of Herod's intentions and never tell the women in the town, their kids were about to be butchered?"
Answer...she was under oath not to tell the Angel story.

"Do you think Mary thought, 'I know something you don't know,' as she left town?"
Answer...you're sick.

"How could Jesus family flee to Egypt sometime during the first two years in one story but go home to Narareth quietly after 40 days in the other?"
Answer...It's a miracle.

"How come in Mark 3 Mary and his brothers came to get Jesus and take him home because they thought he was "mad" which I assume means insane. Did Mary forget who he was and how he got here?"
Answer...shut up.

"How come Matthew uses the Old Testament to weave a story of Jesus, where every quote he uses has absolutely nothing to do with the point he is making about Jesus birth?"
Answer...While we might flunk you for such methods, we give Matthew an A, because, well, he's Matthew. Bible guys get to do and say things you're not allowed to.

"If Jesus was asked 'who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?', would that not imply the man had sinned before his birth, perhaps in a previous life, if his blindness at birth was some kind of punishment? I mean, the blindness was from birth, so the sin had to be before that."
Answer...Ummm.., no. Whatever the answer, it's definitely not that one.

"So is it just me, or are these good questions to ask about the text and theology of the Bible?"
Answer...It's just you. While we might be marginally informed ourselves, we are very piously convicted of our answers. The wisdom of man, and this would be you in this case, is foolishness with God. You're fired and have a nice day.

And so it goes. If you want to make a pastor, elder or deacon turn white with fear or red with anger, just ask a Bible question based on the actual text or what today we would simple know as common sense. Depending on his denomination, education, candor and personal spiritual confidence, he will react accordingly. Most pastors I know are sincere, but ill informed or duplistic and well informed, not willing to risk all for what they clearly also see is a problem with the "inerrant" text of the Bible. Kinda sad actually, but when it comes to matters of the spirit, it is important to keep asking those questions about a book that proports to have the key to everything and the only right way for a human to think. It's important to ask questions of all such books and ideas. Let's face it, take away the zealots and fundamentalists from Judaism, Islam and Christianity, and the planet might actually find some peace. Killing the messenger for bringing the message some don't want to hear, is however, still the preferred way to handle such things all too often.

Dennis is a former Pastor of 26 years and still has lots of questions left :)

Demeter and Persephone. Theatre for children

(2006-2007,Winter Production of Theatromathia.)This is a performance about a known Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone. Pluto fell in love with Persephone and took her to the underworld. Her mother Demeter let the earth die asking Zeus to bring her back. Zeus finally decided to let her six months on the earth, and six month underworld. This myth tells the story why the seasons change. The performance by professional actors includes audience participation. Here you can see an extract of this performance...

Manifesto vol. 2 CD 2 Track 4 Homo Sapiens - "Light Leading Maze"

Artist: Homo Sapiens Song: Light Leading Maze ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Η συλλογή αυτή, η οποία κυκλοφόρησε τον Ιούνιο του 2011 αποτελεί συνέχεια της προσπάθειας του MANIFESTO για ενότητα και συσπείρωση μεταξύ των μελών της μουσικής σκηνής. Το MANIFESTO είναι μία συλλογικότητα από συγκροτήματα και οπαδούς της underground σκηνής με στόχο αφενός την από κοινού διεκδίκηση των συμφερόντων των μουσικών κι αφ'ετέρου τη διοργάνωση κοινών δράσεων. Ξεκίνησε δαν μία προσπάθεια φιλικών μεταξύ τους συγκροτημάτων και αποτελεί μια απάντηση στην εκμετάλλευση της ανάγκης για μουσική έκφραση από τρίτους, με απώτερο στόχο το κέρδος. Οι αποφάσεις για τις κινήσεις λαμβάνονται συλλογικά και οι δράσεις οργανώνονται από τα ίδια τα μέλη του MANIFESTO. To MANIFESTO δεν περιορίζεται στο CD που κρατάτε στα χέρια σας ούτε αφορά αποκλειστικά τα συγκροτήματα που απαρτίζουν τη συλλογή. Απευθύνουμε ανοιχτό κάλεσμα σε όσους συμμερίζονται τις ανησυχίες μας και θέλουν να συμμετάσχουν ενεργά σε αυτή την προσπάθεια. This compilation, released on July 2011, is an addition to the efforts of "MANIFESTO" for unity and coiling among the members of our music scene. "MANIFESTO" is a collectivity of bands and fans of the underground music scene aiming both at claiming interest of the musicians and at the organization of mutual activity. It started as a group effort and it is a response to the exploitation of our need for musical expression. Decisions ...

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A wish to go back would unlock more than she expected…

For as long as Eutrepe could remember, the Muses had always been sent to help inspire mankind. She longed to go back again, but man had lost his faith. Centuries drifted by and Eutrepe was certain she would never walk among the humans again. The night Zeus summons her for a final task in the mortal world she jumps at the chance. It was a quest she was willing to take, that is, until the interference of a God and her memory is lost.

Ceris is a loner and musician. Stuck at an impasse with a song he needs to complete, but cannot, he wonders if the words will be locked inside his soul forever. Sure he will never release his thoughts, he ventures out into the night in hopes of some kind of inspiration. Never in his dreams did he expect it would come in the form of a woman with no memory who nearly dies at the hands of an oncoming car in the dead of night.

In order to reveal the song that fills Ceris' soul they must first unlock Euterpe’s past before it’s too late….

Their future is at stake, but first they must beat back the darkness before it time is up.