The Slaughter of the Innocents: Historical Fact or Legendary Fiction? In the December 2008 issue of National Geographic there was a well illustrated article on the recent excavations at the Herodian. This was the final burial place of Herod the Great, located 5 ½ kilometers southeast of Bethlehem as the angels fly. In the article, the author made this bold statement, reflecting current historical and theological understanding: “Herod is best known for slaughtering every male infant in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus.
He is almost certainly innocent of this crime” (Mueller 2008:42). Was Herod the Great really innocent of this crime, or did this criminal act actually happen? Michael Grant, a popular writer on historical themes says of the Massacre of the Innocents: “The tale is not history but myth or folk-lore” (1971:12). Unfortunately archaeologists have yet to excavate the archives of the Jerusalem Post from the year 4 BC! Nor does the first century AD Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus record this event in any of his writings. Herod’s Paranoia Dr. The Book of Enoch Index. Contents Start Reading Page Index Text [Zipped] The Book of Enoch, written during the second century B.C.E., is one of the most important non-canonical apocryphal works, and probably had a huge influence on early Christian, particularly Gnostic, beliefs.
Filled with hallucinatory visions of heaven and hell, angels and devils, Enoch introduced concepts such as fallen angels, the appearance of a Messiah, Resurrection, a Final Judgement, and a Heavenly Kingdom on Earth. Interspersed with this material are quasi-scientific digressions on calendrical systems, geography, cosmology, astronomy, and meteorology. This etext has been prepared specially for sacred-texts, and is a great improvement over other versions on the Internet, with the introduction, correct verse numbering, page numbers from the 1917 edition, and intact critical apparatus. Title Page Editors' Preface Introduction Abbreviations, Brackets and Symbols Specially Used in the Translation of 1 Enoch The Book of Enoch The Parables. World of religion. Shroud of Turin Hits Airwaves Amid New Claims That It's Real. Mar 29, 2013 8:16am A viewing of the The Shroud of Turin, thought by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, will reportedly be televised Saturday on Italian State TV in what is said to be former Pope Benedict XVI’s parting gift to the Catholic Church.
The televised viewing of the shroud on Holy Saturday will be the first in 40 years, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper. The centuries-old linen cloth – one of the world’s most famous relics – contains a faint impression of the front and back of a human body, along with blood, dirt and water stains from age. Many Roman Catholics believe the impressions were left by the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. “There was no portrait made of Jesus so, really, the shroud still remains the best single thing that we have,” said Russ Breault, president of the Shroud of Turin Education Project Inc., an organization “dedicated to raising awareness and understanding” of the shroud, according to its website. Fallen Angels. Hell Receiving Fallen Angels - Paradise Lost Illustration - Gustave Dore The story of a rebel force that defies a Deity has been a topic of great fascination for authors and poets for millennia.
There are para-biblical stories about how angels defied God to sleep with mortal women and bear children. John Milton creates a vivid mythos around Satan as a tragic character. Greek poets speak of Prometheus who defied Zeus and was condemned to eternal torment in a similar fashion. Origin of the Fallen Angels Story The question most people seem to have is where did the story of the watchers come from?
Put another way, why do the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper – issues addressed by Jeremiah and Job. 2 Accounts of the Fall Generally, there are 2 flavors of the fallen angels myth. The other story involves the mightiest angel who, out of pride, rebelled against God during the time of Creation. Reference Article: Book of EnochArticle: AzazelBamberger, Bernard. The Book of Enoch and The Secrets of Enoch. The Book of Enoch Index.
Milton: Paradise Lost - Book 1. On Reincarnation. Do you Buddhists believe in rebirth as an animal in the next life? Are you going to be a dog or a cow in the future? Does the soul transmigrate into the body of another person or some animal? What is the difference between transmigration and reincarnation? Is it the same as rebirth? A gross misunderstanding of about Buddhism exists today, especially in the notion of reincarnation. This misunderstanding arises because people usually do not know-how to read the sutras or sacred writings. Herein lies our problem.
People will say "If such is the case why not speak directly so that we will be able to come to an immediate grasp of the truth? " What Reincarnation is Not Reincarnation is not a simple physical birth of a person; for instance, John being reborn as a cat in the next life. Karma Karma is a Sanskrit word from the root "Kri" to do or to make and simply means "action.
" Now human beings are constantly giving off physical and spiritual forces in all directions. The World The Lesson. Truth Behind Gospel of Judas Revealed in Ancient Inks. A long-lost gospel that casts Judas as a co-conspirator of Jesus, rather than a betrayer, was ruled most likely authentic in 2006. Now, scientists reveal they couldn't have made the call without a series of far more mundane documents, including Ancient Egyptian marriage licenses and property contracts.
The Gospel of Judas is a fragmented Coptic (Egyptian)-language text that portrays Judas in a far more sympathetic light than did the gospels that made it into the Bible. In this version of the story, Judas turns Jesus over to the authorities for execution upon Jesus' request, as part of a plan to release his spirit from his body. In the accepted biblical version of the tale, Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
As part of a 2006 National Geographic Society (the Society) investigation of the document, microscopist Joseph Barabe of McCrone Associates in Illinois and a team of researchers analyzed the ink on the tattered gospel to find out if it was real or forged. CSI: Ancient Egypt. The Gospel of Thomas Collection -- The Gnostic Society Library. Introduction There is a growing consensus among scholars that the Gospel of Thomas – discovered over a half century ago in the Egyptian desert – dates to the very beginnings of the Christian era and may well have taken first form before any of the four traditional canonical Gospels.
During the first few decades after its discovery several voices representing established orthodox biases argued that the Gospel of Thomas (abbreviated, GTh) was a late-second or third century Gnostic forgery. Scholars currently involved in Thomas studies now largely reject that view, though such arguments will still be heard from orthodox apologists and are encountered in some of the earlier publications about Thomas. Today most students would agree that the Thomas Gospel has opened a new perspective on the first voice of the Christian tradition. Recent studies centered on GTh have led to a stark reappraisal of the forces and events forming "orthodoxy" during the second and third centuries. What kind of Tarot deck suits you? I’m an avid collector of Tarot cards, but I do have a major soft spot for the Rider Waite deck.
This is the deck I literally grew up with and even before I could read I would turn over the vivid pictures in the same way that other kids looked at story books. Today, it’s my go-to deck – the one I usually reach for when I’m doing a reading. It’s not just the way that the cards look that makes all the various decks you can get different – it’s the ideas that they are based on and sometimes how you use them that makes them stand apart. So what kind of Tarot deck might suit you? Note your answers to the questions below, add up your scores and look at the bottom to see which type of deck you might be drawn towards!
If you had to choose, what would you say is the greatest influence in our lives? A I believe that we have free will, but I do feel that we are watched over and protected by the divine. B. C. D. What do you want a reading to do for you or someone else? Mostly A Mostly B Mostly C Mostly D. How Tarot Cards Work" In most people's minds, "Tarot card reading" means a woman in flowing robes, leaning over a small table in a candlelit room, foretelling impending doom. But that's not really what Tarot cards are about. In fact, they're not even really meant to tell your fortune or future. According to The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, "The most powerful sources of information come from within; the Tarot aids in coming in contact with one's Higher Self.
" But what does that mean? In this article, we'll look at the various ideas about where Tarot cards come from, what they mean and how a deck of cards can possibly tell you anything about yourself. Types of Readings There are actually two different types of Tarot readings: question readings and open readings. Question Readings In question readings, you are addressing a specific question. Keep your options open: If you have the answer before the reading, then you're not allowing the cards to guide your overall decision. Open Readings. Witchcraft & Shamanism. World religions. Menu Sponsored link. Symbols of some of the largest religions in the world: The symbols of fourteen religions are shown.
Clockwise from the North Pole, they are: Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Wicca and some other Neopagan religions, Zoroastrianism, and Druidism. This graphic was donated to us along with the copyright. A menu with links to non-theistic beliefs, ethical groups,philosophies, spiritual paths, etc is located elsewhere on this site. Approximate religious membership as a percentage of the world population: Introductory thoughts: Disclaimer: Information for these essays was extracted from reliable sources, and believed to be accurate and reasonably unbiased.
If you find any errors here, please report them so that we can list them on our errata page and correct our essays. World religions: There are many, long established, major world religions, each with over three million followers. Neopagan religious faiths: