Book Review/Summary - How the Irish Saved Civilization (Thomas Cahill)

While not a book about theology, it is a really interesting part of church history. The Germanic people who had adapted the Roman agriculture had a population explosion because of it. In 406, they crossed the Danube and the Rhine into Rome for the first time and 476 saw the death of the last Roman Emprorer and the fall of the Roman Empire. Cahill then states that Augustine is the "last classical man" and the first "Medieval man". After the fifth century, the law was mostly carried out by the church. Meanwhile during all this time, the dominant culture in Ireland was the Spanish Celts, who entered in the 4th century BC and were an illiterate, semi-nomadic, Iron Age warrior culture, that advanced little. Their economy was based on property such as animals and slaves. Patrick was  a Roman Briton taken to Ireland as a slave at the age of about 15, in 400. He escaped 7 years later and returned 25 years after that to be a missionary for the last 30 years of his life.

The Irish, whose culture was big on sacrifices, adopted "green martyrdom", which was moving to remote locations and subsistence living, while devoting oneself to learning and to God. This quickly led to the monastic tradition. They brought in and copied as many books as they could, learning all they could, amassing vast libraries (the largest in the world). The burning of the Library in Alexandria, was really a series of destruction from an attack by Aurelian in 270s, the decree of Coptic Pope Theophilus in 391, ten years after the First Council of Constantinople, and the decree of the second caliph Omar ibn Al-khattab in 640.

The Rise and Fall of Rome

Martin Luther's Nicknames

Just for fun, I have compiled a list of Martin Luther's nicknames. When Luther was in college and graduate school to become a lawyer between 1497 and 1505, he spent so much time in public debate and was so good at it that he earned the nickname "the philosopher."

The Philosopher

In 1518 Martin Luther began the reformation by posting the 95 Theses and a papal bull was issued on June 15, 1520 condemning him and other reformers for questioning Roman Catholic teaching, "Listen to our prayers, for foxes have arisen seeking to destroy the vineyard whose winepress you alone have trod.... The wild boar from the forest seeks to destroy it and every wild beast feeds upon it."

A fox and a wild boar

After the papal bull was issued, Luther grew out his hair and beard and went into hiding in Wittenberg, going by Junker Jörg. The German word Junker means an aristocrat, young German nobleman, young Lord, country squire, or lesser nobleman.

Junker Jörg

Later in life Luther, comparing Melanchthon and his style said, “Philipp stabs, too, but only with pins and needles.  The pricks are hard to heal and they hurt.  But when I stab, I do it with a heavy pike used to hunt boars.” Luther also stated that Rome was being stubborn and "A knotty stump requires a tough wedge."  During Luther's funeral, Melanchthon stated that a "bad disease" (Catholicism) needed a "harsh doctor" (luther)

A heavy pike, a tough wedge, and a harsh doctor

Advent 4 - Love

Today is the fourth and last Sunday in Advent. Today is all about love for it is Christmas Eve tomorrow!

• 4th CANDLE – THE ANGEL CANDLE or THE CANDLE OF LOVE – The angels announced the good news of a Savior.  “…I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10b-11).  God sent his only Son to earth to save us, because he loves us! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 
  (John 3:16-17)

on a lighthearted note: some people call today Christmas Eve Eve; Christmas Eve squared; or Christmas Adam because Adam came before Eve.

The Sabbath

The Sabbath

The word Sabbath comes from the Latin sabbatum, via Greek from Hebrew šabbāṯ. The Sabboth day is the first holiday (Holy Day) mentioned in the Bible:

God created the universe and everything in it in six days and rested on the seventh, declaring it to be holy (Gen. 2:3).

When the Hebrews wandered in the desert, they were to collect manna on six days. On the sixth day they were to collect enough for the seventh day. Each evening the manna that not had been consumed rotted by morning, except the manna collected on the sixth day. It was good on the seventh (Ex. 16:14-31)

When He gave Moses the Law, God made remembering and observing the Sabbath the fourth commandment. (Ex. 20:8).

“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling -Leviticus 23:3

Throughout the Old Testament God’s people are admonished to do no work and to rest on the Sabbath, to remember all that God has done for them.

Yet, when questioned by the Pharisees why He allowed his men to pick grain enough to eat on the Sabbath, Jesus replied that the Sabbath was made for man, not man made for the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-27)  Although Jesus allowed His men to pick the food they needed on the Sabbath, He did not negate or change the need for or meaning of the Sabbath.

After Jesus was raised from the dead on Sunday, the Christian Church largely changed the Sabbath observance to Sunday. Now each Sabbath is a mini-Easter celebration.

Days of the week

Days of the Week

Sunday

The name comes from the Latin dies solis, meaning "sun's day": the name of a pagan Roman holiday. It is also called Dominica (Latin), the Day of God, since Jesus was raised on Sunday. Being the first day, it is also the eighth day, which represents new creation. After Jesus, the Church celbrates the Sabboth on Sunday. The Romance languages, languages derived from the ancient Latin language (such as French, Spanish, and Italian), retain the root.
French: dimanche; Italian: domenica; Spanish: domingo
German: Sonntag; Dutch: zondag. [both: 'sun-day]

Monday
The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon monandaeg, "the moon's day". This second day was sacred to the goddess of the moon.
French: lundi; Italian: lunedi. Spanish: lunes. [from Luna, "Moon"]
German: Montag; Dutch: maandag. [both: 'moon-day']

Tuesday
This day was named after the Norse god Tyr. The Romans named this day after their war-god Mars: dies Martis.
French: mardi; Italian: martedi; Spanish: martes.
The Germans call Dienstag (meaning "Assembly Day"), in The Netherlands it is known as dinsdag, in Danmark as tirsdag and in Sweden tisdag.

Wednesday
The day named to honor Wodan (Odin).
The Romans called it dies Mercurii, after their god Mercury.
French: mercredi; Italian: mercoledi; Spanish: miércoles.
German: Mittwoch; Dutch: woensdag.

Thursday
The day named after the Norse god Thor. In the Norse languages this day is called Torsdag.
The Romans named this day dies Jovis ("Jove's Day"), after Jove orJupiter, their most important god.
French: jeudi; Italian: giovedi; Spanish: jueves.
German: Donnerstag; Dutch: donderdag.

FridayThe day in honor of the Norse goddess Frigg.
In Old High German this day was called frigedag.
To the Romans this day was sacred to the goddess Venus, and was known as dies veneris.
French: vendredi; Italian: venerdi; Spanish: viernes.
German: Freitag ; Dutch: vrijdag.

Saturday
This day was called dies Saturni, "Saturn's Day", by the ancient Romans in honor of Saturn. It was the Sabbath day before Jesus' resurrection because the Church rested on the Seventh Day as God did during creation.
French: samedi; Italian: sabato; Spanish: sábádo.
German: Samstag; Dutch: zaterdag.

Names of the months

Origin of the names of the months

Only a few names of the month were derived from Roman deities. Most simply came from the numbers of the months, or in two cases in honor of Roman emperors.

January
Named after the Roman god of beginnings and endings Janus (the month Januarius).

February
The name comes either from the old-Italian god Februus or else from the word februa, signifying the festivals of purification celebrated in Rome during this month.

March
This is the first month of the Roman year. It is named after the Roman god of war, Mars.

April
Called Aprilis, from aperire, "to open". Possible because it is the month in which the buds begin to open.

May
The third month of the Roman calendar. The name probably comes from Maiesta, the Roman goddess of honor and reverence.

June
The fourth month was named in honor of Juno. However, the name might also come from iuniores (young men; juniors) as opposed to maiores (grown men; majors) for May, the two months being dedicated to young and old men.

July
It was the month in which Julius Caesar was born, and named Julius in his honor in 44 BCE, the year of his assassination. Also called Quintilis in Rome (fifth month).

August
Originally this month was called Sextilis (from sextus, "six"), but the name was later changed in honor of the first of the Roman emperors, Augustus (because several fortunate events of his life occurred during this month).

September
The name comes from septem, "seven".

October
The name comes from octo, "eight"

November
The name comes from novem, "nine".

December
The name comes from decem, "ten".

Seasons

Since today is the Autumnal Equinox, I thought I would have a post on the seasons. Genesis 1:14 states that God made the seasons, "And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years". Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven"

The name of “Autumn” came to English via the Old French “autompne”, meaning "autumn".  This in turn came from the Latin “autumnus”, also meaning “autumn”.  From here things get murky, but it’s thought “autumnus” probably came from an Etruscan word and is possibly related to the Latin “augere” meaning “to increase”.  Beyond that, nobody is quite sure why the season was originally called that.

Calling the season “autumn” in English first popped up in the 12th century, though was a rarity until around the 14th century.  It then began to pick up steam and became common in the 16th century, about the same time calling it “fall” popped up as the name for the season.  Before calling the season “autumn” or “fall” in English, it was called “harvest”.

The origin of the alternate “fall” as a name for this season  is not actually known, although it’s thought that it probably came from the idea of leaves falling from trees. Maybe even as a shortening of the English saying “fall of the leaf”.  Its first use as a name for the season was in the later 16th century in England and became particularly popular during the 17th century, at which point it made its way over to North America.

Funny enough, calling autumn “fall” in England has since passed out of widespread practice, but has survived as a common name for the season in North America.   This is not unlike how “soccer” was originally one of the most popular names for the sport in England around its inception and a long time after, which spread to North America, only to have the name die out in England, leading many to believe “soccer” is an “American” name for the sport, rather than one of the original names for it in England.

“Winter” derives from the Proto-Germanic wentruz, meaning "winter".  This in turn probably comes from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) wed, meaning “wet”.  Alternatively, it may come from the PIE wind-, meaning “white”.  Either way, the Proto-Germanic wentruz gave rise to the Old English “winter” as the fourth season of the year and the name for the season has stuck around ever since.

“Spring”, referring to a season rather than the many other meanings of the word, first popped up in the 16th century.  Starting in the 14th century, this time of year was called “springing time” and then in the 15th century this got shortened to “spring-time”, and then further shortened in the 16th century to just “spring”.  The 14th century “springing time” came about in reference to plants “springing” from the ground and the like.  Before the season was called these things, it was called “Lent” in Old English.

“Summer” came from the Old English name for the season “sumor”, which in turn came from the Proto-Germanic sumur-, which itself came from the Proto-Indo-European root sam-, meaning summer. sam- seems to be a variant of the Proto-Indo-European sem- meaning “together / one”.

Incidentally, you may also wonder why the seasons are called “seasons”.  The word “season” in this context comes from the Old French “seison”, meaning “sowing / planting”.  This in turn came from the Latin “sationem” meaning “sowing”. Initially this referred to actually sowing seeds, but later, as with the Old French “seison”, shifted definition to refer to the time period when you sow seeds, so literally “seed-time”.  “Season” in this sense in English popped up around the 13th century.  It was also around this time that “season” popped up referring to seasoning food- in this case from the Old French “assaisoner”, meaning “to ripen”.

Secondary Bible Themes 5 - Wisdom, Knowledge

Here is a list of themes in the Bible. One of them is Knowledge and Wisdom. Knowledge comes from learning things. This can be done through studying. The Bible says that, "Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days." (Job 12:12). Ecclesiastes is a study of Wisdom, from an old man with lots of experience. One does not have to be old to be wise though. Whoever does find wisdom is blessed by God:

Proverbs 3:13-15New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Blessed are those who find wisdom,

    those who gain understanding,

¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver

    and yields better returns than gold.

¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies;

    nothing you desire can compare with her.

More than all that, though, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge." (Proverbs 1:7). Once again it all goes back to God. Job 32:8 explains that God gives the spirit of understanding. knowledge comes from the Lord.


When God says he will give David anything he asks for, David asks for wisdom and receives it. Elijah also wants wisdom. He said to Elisha that he wants a double portion of his Spirit in 2 kings 2:9. This does not mean he is two times as wise, or powerful. The  inheritance law Dt. 21:17 stated that the oldest son get the double share from younger ones. This double portion he asked for was asking to make him the successor.



Lastly (and separately), here are some random quotes:

“To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”
― Lao Tzu

"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."

"Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing whether or not to say it."

It's Bigger on the Inside

G.K. Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was a prolific English, Roman Catholic writer and Christian apologist.  Chesterton's 1925 The Everlasting Man was a sort of rebuttal to a sort of rebuttal to H.G. Wells’ 1920 Outline of History. The The Everlasting Man contributed to C. S. Lewis's conversion to Christianity. In a letter to Sheldon Vanauken (14 December 1950) Lewis calls the book "the best popular apologetic I know",  and to Rhonda Bodle he wrote (31 December 1947)  "the [very] best popular defence of the full Christian position I know is GK Chesterton's The Everlasting Man". The book was also cited in a list of 10 books that "most shaped his vocational attitude and philosophy of life". It also influenced Lewis to write apologetically, as in Mere Christianity. In fact, many of Lewis' motifs are derived from English authors who had just preceded him, such as the spacecraft in his 1938 Out Of The Silent Planet being losely modeled on the one in H.G. Wells' 1901, The First Men In The Moon.

In 1927, five years after his conversion, Chesterton wrote The Catholic Church and Conversion. Lewis could relate to this having been a convert himself. In this book, he states that a convert, upon discovering that the Catholic Church “finds that the Church is much larger inside than it is outside.” It logically follows that C.S. Lewis could have taken this for inspiration in his later book. Lewis completed the last ‘Narnia’ story, The Last Battle, in 1953, in which we see the end of the world of Narnia. At one point in the story the children find themselves in a stable. Seen from the outside it looked small and dingy, but when they go through the door they find themselves in a beautiful country that seems to stretch on forever. Someone comments that the stable is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. The reply in the book is, “Yes,” said Queen Lucy. “In our world too, a Stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.”

Lewis’ stable is also connected with a kind of time travel, as it brought characters from the Narnia’s ancient past (indeed Digory watched its first dawn) into its last days. It is conceivable that Lewis' time traveling stable that is bigger on the inside could have been the inspiration for the time traveling Police box in Doctor Who known as the TARDIS. The Last Battle was a recent book when the TARDIS was first shown in Doctor Who in 1963. Lewis died the day before the first episode was shown, so he never got to comment.

Book Review/Summary - The Five Love Languages (Gary Chapman)

1. Words of Affirmation - Being told nice things, that they are appreciated, or did a good job.
2. Quality Time - Being with someone.
3. Receiving Gifts - getting something from someone
4. Acts of Service - Having someone do something for them
5. Physical Touch - being in contact physically with someone

Chapman claims that these are exhaustive and that a person should give another the love language that the loved ones can received, not the ones they themselves as the giver of the love like most. He also claims everyone needs all of these, although to varying degrees. Lastly, he claims that most problems between loved ones stem from not receiving the love in the language they can receive.

Job 40-41 - Behemoth and Leviathan (and Ziz)

What exactly the Behemoth and Leviathan are is still an open question. No one is sure what they are, so the word used for them was left untranslated. However, what is important is that they are symbol of uncontrollable natural power. The point is that man cannot subdue them because we are not in control of nature. If we can't even take on God's creatures, then we can't take on God, who is infinitely more powerful than his creatures.

However, discussing what they could possibly be is fun, if kept in perspective. The three general ideas is that they are mythical creatures, dinosaurs, or large normal animal that could still be around today. The idea of mythical creatures is also split between people who believe mythical creatures were real at the time and those who think that mythical creatures are being references just to make a point.

Behemoth (Job 40:15-24)

Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron.

“He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play. Under the lotus plants he lies, in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh. For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him. Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth. Can one take him by his eyes, or pierce his nose with a snare?

Some believe it is a dinosaur, like a sauropod, due to the description of the tail), or even a triceratops. Many think this is either an Elephant (the largest land animal) or a Hippo (because it lives near and goes in rivers. However, neither of these really has a tail like a ceder.

Leviathan (Job 41:1-34, Isaiah 27:1)

Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak to you soft words? Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on a leash for your girls? Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hands on him; remember the battle—you will not do it again! Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him. No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me? Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.

“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame. Who can strip off his outer garment? Who would come near him with a bridle? Who can open the doors of his face. Around his teeth is terror. His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal. One is so near to another that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated. His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth. In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him. The folds of his flesh stick together, firmly cast on him and immovable. His heart is hard as a stone, hard as the lower millstone. When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid; at the crashing they are beside themselves. Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail, nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; for him sling stones are turned to stubble. Clubs are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rattle of javelins. His underparts are like sharp potsherds; he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be white-haired. On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride.”...

In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

Sounds like a water dragon (due to the smoke and fire), some believe dinosaur like a Plesiosaur or Mosasaur. The most common real animal is a crocodile, but that does not explain the smoke and it is not really a marine animal. Others think it is a whale (which is the largest marine animal) and that the water coming out of the blow hole was mistaken for smoke.  This does not explain the sharp scales, but maybe it is barnacles all over them. Whales are also not very serpent-like.

          

Ziz (Psalms 50:11, 80:13, 2 Chronicles 20:16)

I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.

The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.

Another so-called mythical creature, supposedly from the Bible is the Ziz. This is a transliteration from a Hebrew word that is commonly translated as, "all that moves." It is an ancient Hebrew mythological flying creature that some say is a magical bird like a Anzu or Phoenix, or other beast like a Griffin. In this thought, it is the flying (air) counterpart to the walking Behemoth (land) and swimming Leviathan (sea) creatures. Some say it is a dinosaur like a Pteranadon or Scaphognathus. Lastly others say it is a large bird like ostrich or emu (because it runs around in the fields) or a large scavenger flying bird like a condor. Most likely these verses are not actually referencing a specific animal.