#Pseudo-methodist

[the-firebird69]

It's a couple more things people are always trying to put them in compromise and positions all day long and in a weird way it's not very helpful

--there is a huge Force countering the pseudo empire but they do not have enough to back up we're doing so it's heavily panic strategy done on purpose others are coming in here and they are filling in they are going to stop them from doing what they're doing use the pseudo empire and the numbers of theirs are increasing high percentage than it is following the revolutionary war plan. And this is a disgusting ride these people are gross and swimming is an a****** she's talking about herself no when she will have to give up her 100 Grand and she has a place there and it's idiocy

-and this other things going on but the force that went out there you see the millions it came from all over Florida and they plan to send more and until their push back right now there's about 20 things that would and then the forward position and they're only about 40 that were within range but the ordinance has been cut off and they did hit it and they're trying to get it to the other things that are rolled back that they're about 3 miles behind it would still be well with the rain they have 20 mile range maybe only at 13 miles so the whole grouping is within range. Sounds kind of a despicable thing to do as soon harass someone with their own invention in this manner. So we're doing it on purpose we will haul them in. So the pseudo empire is closing the loop they are increasing pressure on these to leave and according to history on Washington was stuck in Connecticut for a whole season so they're saying summer and it was in the summer of 1775 and after that he went on West two or three times and then they started halfway eastwards and let's go around and they will try that and repetitively and it probably won't work they're going to try and get them to the West and we don't think that they succeed they're Methodist based on force and this simply don't have it

Thor Freya

Olympus

[confessionsfromachristian]

On Trying to Leave a Church

When I left my small Methodist church earlier this year, I didn’t go alone. Caught up in the same drama were several close friends who fell prey to the same pseudo-political games and, like me, ended up more or less pushed out.

My response was to knee-jerk pull away everything I possibly could. I asked to be removed from the membership rolls and the church newsletter. I’d crafted some advertising materials for the church; I asked that the church never use them again (except for distributing a church directory that has already been completed & printed - I was fine with re-prints because I deeply respected the woman who would be taking over it).

One friend tried to resolve the matter by reaching out to the district superintendent and the bishop, hoping not to be welcomed back, but to stop the responsible parties from crushing anyone else. She received an e-mail back from the DS offering to meet with her, but when she tried to set up a date to talk to him, he never responded.

One friend tried reaching out to the pastor, to raise the issue of the cruel methods that his flock was using to achieve their ends, he flatly told her that what the church leadership was doing was not his problem or his responsibility. He claimed to have talked to the DS, and had been assured that he’d done his job.

She tried reaching out to the DS herself; no response. I tried reaching out, too; no response.

So all of us began work on extracting our lives from the church. So many things had to be found that hadn’t been donated, but had been left there for some time due to expediency reasons. Little things like arranging for the return of building keys, or meeting a trustee so we could retrieve items from storage, became serious, tactical conversations: who would go? When? What of what we had purchased for the church was already technically donated, even if it had never been inside the church building? What to do with the supplies for VBS that had already been purchased?

And the little things. Driving by the church hurt for a long time, but was the added gas expenditure of going around really worth it? How to handle reminders from Facebook of what happened at the church two, three, five years ago without tears or anger? What to do with Christmas gifts from years past that now feel hollow and empty?

(Answers, in order: sometimes; ignore them and watch kitten videos on Youtube; Marie Kondo)

And so on to finding a new church, which was a beast all its own, especially understanding that the bishop didn’t care and the DS apparently thought what had happened was just fine, or at least that the pastor’s side was the only one he needed to hear.

[madlitparanormal]

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Theodore Robert Bundy was born to a twenty two year old woman named Eleanor Cowell on November 24, 1946 in Burlington, Vermont. Eleanor Cowell was the daughter of two very religious parents and being unmarried at the time of her pregnancy and birth, she was sent to have the child in at a home for unwed mothers. Shortly after the birth of her son Theodore she and her baby returned to her parent’s home in Philadelphia, where they would hide the illegitimate birth by claiming he was Eleanor’s adopted brother. A few years later, Cowell took her son and moved to Tacoma, Washington where she married a man named Johnnie Bundy. The family created a content home.

At an early age, Theodore, or as we know him today, Ted or Teddy Bundy, began showing some very unsettling interests in darkness. At age three he became fascinated with knives and later in his school aged years and teens he would peer into windows of young women and steal things that he wanted without a second thought leading to a comprehensive juvenile record. When he turned eighteen the record was dropped. When discussing his childhood and teenaged years, Bundy recollected being very introverted.

He first attended the University of Puget Sound and then transferred to the University of Washington in 1966. There, Theodore fell in love with a woman of wealth and status and they dated for a short period of time. Her most common pseudo-name was Stephanie Brooks, although she gave many to protect her identity. He was desolate over their breakup to which she claimed was in response to Theodore’s lack of ambition and immaturity after dropping out of college in 1968 and working a series of minimum wage jobs. He ran off to Colorado after his breakup with ‘Stephanie’ and ended up visiting family members in Arkansas and Philadelphia. In the spring of 1969 he attended one semester at Temple University but in fall of the same year went back to enroll in the University of Washington. He then met Elizabeth Kloepfer. A divorcée from Utah whom he dated for several years.

In 1972 he graduated with a degree in psychology. In the mid 1970s Bundy had worked his way into a higher social and political status in Washington, volunteering a second time in political campaigns and was awarded with letters of high recommendation for the law program. In 1973 during a trip to California, Bundy rekindled his relationship with ‘Stephanie Brooks’ and even went as far to introduce her to one of his psychology professors as his fiancée. In January of 1974 he unexpectedly ceased all contact with ‘Brooks’. He said in interviews that he essentially just wanted to prove that he was good enough to marry her.

Bundy confessed to attempting his first abduction in 1969 in New Jersey but claimed he hadn’t murdered anyone in Seattle. He also implicated but never fully disclosed earlier murders in 1971, 1972 and 1973. It is unclear where and when he began murdering young women. He was very elusive and told many different versions of his stories to different people.

Therefore, Ted Bundy’s earliest known victim was murdered in 1974. Around this time several young women had disappeared in the Seattle and nearby Oregon areas.

On January 4, 1974 Ted Bundy beat eighteen year old Karen Sparks until she was unconscious and then sexually assaulted her body with the rod he used to murder her. She managed to survive but sustained mental and physical disabilities from the attack.

In February of the same year, he broke into the home of Lynda Ann Healy, rendered her unconscious, and abducted her. March 12, 1974 nineteen year old Donna Gail Manson. April 17 Susan Elaine Rancourt disappeared on her way to her dormitory. May 6 Roberta Kathleen Parks never made her coffee date with friends. At this point, at least one woman per month was disappearing. On June 11 twenty-two year old Georgann Hawkins disappeared on her way to her boyfriend’s dorm.

During all of these disappearances, Bundy was working at the Olympia Department of Emergency Services, involved in the investigation of these missing women. While working there, he met and dated Carole Ann Boone, a woman who was twice divorced and a mother of two.

As women continued disappearing across the Pacific Northwest reports came in of a man wearing a sling and driving a tan or brown Volkswagen Beetle. In July, two women went missing from a crowded beach in broad daylight. Janice Anne Ott aged twenty three and nineteen year old Denise Marie Naslund both disappeared and reports of a man with the same previous description, a sling and a tan beetle, who had given a loaded story about needing help unloading his sailboat. There was no sailboat. He lured the two women to their deaths.

After a sketch and description was released to the public, three of Bundy’s former acquaintances recognized the sketch to look like Theodore. The police however disagreed to him being a possible suspect because he was a clean cut law student with a lack of an adult criminal record.

In August, Bundy discovered that he was not quite as cut out for law school as he’d originally thought. He found the courses he took to be much more difficult and was greatly disappointed that he could not comprehend his lessons. Following this disappointment, a new string of murders began.

In September of 1974, hunters stumbled across human remains. Six months later, forestry students uncovered more human remains that had been dumped. They discovered skulls, vertebrae, and other skeletal remains. As more women continued to disappear, Bundy’s occasional girlfriend Elizabeth called the police to repeat her suspicions about Theodore and he was officially added to the list of suspects.

On August 16, 1975 Ted Bundy was arrested in Utah. His tan Volkswagen Beetle contained a ski mask, a crowbar, handcuffs, an ice pick, and other items generally used for breaking and entering and burglary. Along with the tools that Bundy describes as regular household items (excluding the ski mask he explained to be used for skiing and the handcuffs he had claimed he found in a dumpster) the police also found a brochure to Colorado ski resorts and a brochure for a high school play where one of the victims had disappeared in a search of his house. But it was only circumstantial evidence at best and Bundy was released. He was arrested again and in June of 1976 he was sentenced to one to fifteen years in prison. From there Bundy would escape and flee to several different states including Michigan, Georgia, and eventually, Tallahassee, Florida where he stayed in a boarding house under the alias Chris Hagen.

He claimed that he planned to move forward with his life, working and committing less criminal acts, but it didn’t take long for him to begin shoplifting and theft, he also stole credit cards from women’s purses. One week after his arrival in Florida, in January of 1978, he entered a sorority house of Florida State University and attacked four women, beating them, destroying their bodies, and sexually assaulting them. In the same night, he broke into the apartment of another young woman named Cheryl Thomas. He raped and beat her leaving her with permanent deafness and equilibrium issues. At the crime scene the police found semen and a pantyhose ‘mask’ and two hairs.

In February of 1978 Bundy attempted to abduct a young girl in Jacksonville until the girl’s older brother showed up. Bundy retreated and fled to Lake City where he murdered twelve year old Kimberly Diane Leach. A few days later he made his way back to Tallahassee with a stolen car. He was stopped by a Pensacola officer (one of my two home towns, eerily awesome) and after a vigorous chase and an added charge of assault to a police officer, Bundy was subdued and arrested. In 1979 and 1980 Ted R. Bundy was sentenced three times to death by electrocution. Upon his sentence he shouted, “Tell the jury that they were wrong!”

During his confessions while on death row, Ted Bundy stated that he considered himself to be amateur and impulsive as a murderer until he reached his prime phase beginning in 1974, insinuating that he had begun killing before his first official identified victim, but he never explicitly confessed to murdering anyone before that time.

In 1986 Bundy confessed to returning to the scenes where he had dumped previous victims, multiple times. He said that he would lie with them and perform sexual acts with their putrefying corpses and would continue to do so until their bodies were too decomposed to continue. He confessed to many other horrific crimes including decapitation, lewd acts with a corpse, sexual assault, murder, and mutilation.

Bundy confessed to the murder of at least thirty six young women. On January 24, 1989 about 7:00 AM at the age of forty two, Theodore Robert Bundy died at Florida State Prison by electrocution. He was pronounced dead at 7:16 AM. His body was cremated and before his death he requested that his ashes be scattered in the Cascade Mountains of Washington where at least four of his victims had been disposed. It is unclear from my research what they actually did with his remains. If you know, comment below!

In a final interview, Bundy told reporters that he “deserved the most extreme punishment [that] society has.” He spent his final days praying with a Methodist priest and he even cried. According to the priest he didn’t want to die.

He told reporters in his final interview that he was a normal person and a helpless kind of victim and not some bum or loser hanging out at a bar. He claimed that he felt remorse for all of his sexually motivated killings and even added in that , “killing me isn’t going to restore those beautiful children to their parents.”

His last words: “Yes, Jim and Fred” (his minister and his lawyer) “I’d like you to give my love to my family and friends.”

Ted Bundy was a wreckless and careless murderer. He didn’t bother to cover his tracks and he didn’t care about being seen by others. He hid in plain sight and even though he claims he was not impulsive and amateur after 1974 in reality he always was.

Post Mortem:

[1baddmouthcrown]

1804 October 6 Governor General Jean-Jacques Dessalines is crowned Emperor of Haiti at ceremony held in the city of Le Cap.

1806 October 16 General Nicolas Geffrard commander in the south, minister of war and Navy Etienne Elie Gerin, Alexander Petion, commander in chief of the second division in the west and others sign Resistance to Oppression proclamation.

October 17 Dessalines is assassinated at Pontianarge Pont Rouge north of the capital Port au Prince.

1845 October 9 Douglass speaks at Waterford City Hall in Ireland.

1846 Kassa Hailu attacks the city of Demba south of Gondar in Ethiopia.

1859 October 16 John Brown leads raid on Harpers Ferry federal armoury in Western Virginia.

1864 crops floods in Jamaica cholera and smallpox and a two year drought.

October Sojourner Truth meets President Abraham Lincoln.

1865 Dr. Edward Underhill secretary of the Baptist Missionary society in Great Britain writes letter to the colonial office in London Governor of Jamaica John Eyre Underhill parish of Saint Ann petition Queen Victoria for land.

October Paul Bogle Morant Bay rebellion in the parish of St. Thomas, Jamaica.

August Paul Bogle leads a 45 mile walk from Stony Gut in the parish of St. Thomas to Spanish town in the parish of St. Catherine to petition the Governor.

October 7 A man by the name of James Geoghegon creates a disturbance in Morant Bay court house during the trail of a man sentenced and convicted for trespassing on an inactive sugar plantation, the police try to arrest Geoghegon, the begin to fight with the police and the court house issues a warrant for those including Bogle.

October 11 Bogle leads hundreds to the court house, the confrontation between the group and the militia begins with the group attacking the militia with sticks and stones, the militia shoot and kill 25 people dead, the parish goes into unrest, Eyre declares martial law and sends government troops led by Brigadier General Alexander Nelson to bring Bogle and to the court to be tried and convicted, the militia kill innocent men, women and children 439 dead and arrest 354 tried and executed, several hundred also flogged and sentenced, the soldiers burn thousands of homes, Eyre has Gordon who he believes to have made the matter worse arrested in Kingston and brought to Morant Bay where he is tried under martial law, convicted and executed.

October 23 Gordon and Paul’s brother William are hanged.

1866 Eyre is criticized for his handling of the situation.

1868 October 10 Carlos Manuel de Cespedes rings the bell of the sugar mill to summon his slaves, makes his grito de Yara (Cry of Yara) declaration of revolt against the Spanish beginning the Ten Years War with the aims of abolishing slavery and gaining independence.

October 26 Maximo Gomez at Pinos de Baire leads a machete charge in an ambush of a Spanish column.

1896 October Antonio Maceo arrives at Mantua in the western extreme of the Island after months of fighting the Spanish in Havana and Pinar del Rio. Maceo and Gomez in command of a column had led the invasion of western Cuba from

1902 Earnest Alfred Wallace Budge makes his first excavations at the city of Meroe the capital of the Kingdom of Kush.

1905 Budge makes more excavations at Meroe.

1907 Budge publishes the record of his excavations at Meroe in his book The Egyptian Sudan, Its History and Monuments.

1913 January 1 Du Bois and New York State Commission attend the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Du Bois The Peoples of the People and Their Gift to Man (later renamed The Star of Ethiopia) Pageant is performed Emancipation Proclamation.

Garvey begins working for Dusé Mohamed Ali as messenger and handyman at his African Times and Orient Review office on 158 Fleet Street in Central London.

October Garveys "British West Indies in the Mirror of Civilization” essay published in the African Times and Orient Review.

1914 October 31 Amy Ashwood (later Amy Garvey) recites African American poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar's “The Lover and the Moon” at Collegiate Hall Universal Negro Improvement Association meeting.

1915 October 11 Monday, 13 Wednesday and 15 Friday Du Bois’s "The Star of Ethiopia” pageant of the history of the Negro Race from 50,000 B.C to 20th century written, produced, and directed by Du Bois himself, presented by the Horizon Guild and the National Pageant and Dramatic Association is performed at the American League Ball Park in Washington D. C. to commemorate the 13th amendment.

Meroe geographically was known to the Greeks as Ethiopia, according to the Greek historian Herodotus who lived during the 5th century BC Meroe had the reputation of being the mother city of the Ethiopians.

Candice the Queen of Ethiopia has also been identified with the Kandake’s of the Kingdom of Kush whilst it was centered at the city of Meroe because of the King Taharqa the Kingdom of Kush whilst it was previously centered at Napata in Nubia prior to Meroe who in the bible,  is mentioned as being the King of Ethiopia having assisted in conflict with the Assyrians.

And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:27-40

And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 2 Kings 19:9-10/Isaiah 37:9-10

674 BC Taharqa defeats the Assyrian Emperor Sennacherib at Eltekeh. Sennacherib then defeats Taharqa.

671 BC The Assyrian Emperor Esarhaddon captures Memphis with Taharqa fleeing to in the south, takes members of the royal family as prisoners at his capital Nineveh in Assyria and places Libyan Necho I as the first of the Twenty Sixth Dynasty at Sais. Esarhaddon on his Assyria erects Stele Stele of Nahor el Kalb and his Victory Stele at ZincirleHayok which shows Taharqa's son Ushankhuru was taken as a prisoner.

Esaehaddon dies in Palestine on the way to Egypt, his son Emperor Ashurbanipal defeats Taharqa who flees to Thebes where he dies.

The Kingdom of Kush was centered at Napata in Nubia since the time of Alara who attacked Egypt, then Kashta who extended Kushite rule to Elephantine and Thebes in upper Egypt. His successor Taharqa's Dad, Piye, invaded and conquered Egypt taking the cities of Sais and as well as in lower Egypt.

Taharqa was succeeded by a son of his predecessor, Shabaka, Tantamani who defeated and killed Necho, and also took Thebes, which the Assyrians retook from him.

Meroe was ruled by Kandakes from Shanakdakhete in 177 BCE to Lahideamani in 314 CE. The Mereotic city MusawwaratesSufra on the island of Meroe in the modern day Butana region was named by the Achaenid Persian King Cambyses after his sister.

Alexander the great romance by Pseudo Callisthenes.

A stele Geez of an unidentified ruler found in Meroe also provides evidence of the presence of Aksum in Meroe from the 4th century Christian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia.

October 15 Leonard Percival Howell witnesses the murder of his neighbor by her Husband, his parents refuse to let him testify as a witness, Howell travels to Panama.

1916 May 16, 18 and 20 8 P. M. Du Bois’s “The Star of Ethiopia” portrayed by 1010 Actors in Costume 53 Musical Numbers Full Brass Band is performed at the 100th General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church held in the CONVENTION HALL BROAD AND ALLEGHANY AVENUE, Philadelphia.

1918 October 6 Ashwoodtravels from Panama to the U.S.

October 28 Howell travels to New York aboard the S. S. Metapan.

1919 October 11 memorandum from J Edgar Hoover to special agent Ridgely, Washington, D.C. MEMORANDUM FOR MR. RIDGELY.  I am transmitting herewith a communication which has come to my attention from the Panama Canal, Washington office, relative to the activities of Marcus Garvey. Garvey is a West-Indian negro and in addition to his activities in endeavoring to establish the Black Star Line Steamship Corporation he has also been particularly active among the radical elements in New York City in agitating the negro movement. Unfortunately, however, he has not as yet violated any federal law whereby he could be proceeded against on the grounds of being an undesirable alien, from the point of view of deportation. It occurs to me, however, from the attached clipping that there might be some proceeding against him for fraud in connection with his Black Star Line propaganda and for this reason I am transmitting the communication to you for your appropriate attention.  The following is a brief statement of Marcus Gravey and his activities: Subject a native of the West Indies and one of the most prominent negro agitators in New York;  He is a founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League;  He is the promulgator of the Black Star Line and is the managing editor of the Negro World;  He is an exceptionally fine orator, creating much excitement among the negroes through his steamship proposition;  In his paper the “Negro World” the Soviet Russian Rule is upheld and there is open advocation of Bolshevism.  Respectfully, J. E. Hoover.

October 14 Garvey shot by George Tyler at brownstone offices 135th Street. Tyler commits suicide the next day, he was also the only witness for the criminal libel charge against Garvey. October Garvey speaks at Philadelphia Peoples Church for the third time in the year. October The Saint Vincent Gazette anyone bringing the Negro World into the colony will serve six months prison sentence, possibly with hard labor.

October 30 The UNIA rents Madison Square Gardens, Manhattan at which the Lusk Committee Intelligence reports 6, 000 in attendance.

October 31 Thousands turn up at 135th Street pier to see the Black Star Lines first ship the 30 year old tramp ship SS Yarmouth rechristened the SS Frederick Douglass which was previously used to transport cotton and coal during World War I. 1928 October 7 The RasTafari Makonnen Crown Prince, hier to the throne and Regent Plenipotentiary is crowned King/Negus by Empress Zawditu.

1935 October An Italian column occupies Gore in southern Ethiopia.

October 3 Emelio De Bono crosses the Mareb River advancing into Ethiopia from Eritrea without a declaration of war.

October 5 The Italian I Corps take Adigrat.

October 6 The Italian II Corps take Adwa.

October 15 Emilio De Bono’s forces advance from Adwa and occupy Axum with Bono looting an Obelisk.

October 19 The Bishop of Udine [Italy] writes, 'It is neither timely nor fitting for us to pronounce on the rights and wrongs of the case. Our duty as Italians, and still more as Christians is to contribute to the success of our arms.' 

October 21 The Bishop of Padua writes 'In the difficult hours through which we are passing, we ask you to have faith in our statesmen and armed forces.'

October 24 The Bishop of Cremona consecrated a number of regimental flags and said 'The blessing of God be upon these soldiers who, on African soil, will conquer new and fertile lands for the Italian genius, thereby bringing to them Roman and Christian culture. May Italy stand once again as the Christian mentor to the whole world.'

October 27 To His Excellency Graziani. The use of gas as an ultima ratio to overwhelm enemy resistance and in case of counter-attack is authorized. Mussolini.

1945 The Fifth Pan African Congress is held in All Saints, Manchester.

1956 October 21 Dedan Kimathi is shot and captured by fellow Kikuyu termed as askari meaning traitor. Kimathi is then sentenced to death by hanging whilst in the General Hospital Nyeri and executed on 1957 February 18 at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.

1950 Kimathi takes the Mau Mau oath and joins the Ol Kalou branch of the Kenya African Union, supporters of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army Mau Mau to take land back from the British, Kimathi also becomes secretary of the branch.

1951 Kimathi then joins the Forty Group of the Kikuyu Central Association where he becomes the secretary of its branch too.

1953 Kimathi forms the Kenya Defence Council.

2007 February 18 on the 50th anniversary of the execution of Kimathi, the Kibaki unveil bronze statue central Nairobi.

On 1954 January 15 The Mau Mau General China, Waruhiu Itote is captured by British troops, tried, found guilty and sentenced to hang but speared Ian Henderson agree to with General Erskine bringing operation Anvil to an end after unsuccessful Itote detention camp in for nine years Jomo Kenyatta teaches him to read and write English.

1942 Itote enlists in the British Army serving in the Kings African Rifles in Asia, Ceylon and in the Burma campaign is promoted to the rank of Corporal.

1946 Itote joins the Kenya African Union and Forty Group.

1950 Itote forests.

1961 October Du Bois joins the Communist Party and travels to Ghana with his wife to take up residence there and to begin work on his African encyclopedia.

1963 The Mau Mau including lay down their arms at Ruringu stadium in Nyeri.

1964 October 14 Martin Luther King wins Nobel peace prize.

1966 October 15 Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton found the Black Panther Party for self defense beginning police patrols in Oakland, Califonia.

1967 October 28 Police officer John Frey shot by Huey P Newton during traffic stop.

1968 October 16 African American medalists Tommy Smith and John Carlos give Black Power salute at medal ceremony during the playing of the American National anthem at the Olympic Stadium in Mexico city.

1970 October 13 FBI agents find Davis at a Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in New York City.

[tinyrosemarysparrows]

I don’t believe in fate or an ultimate destiny so much as I have no interest in considering the possibility of one. Nor do I believe in multiple universes so much as I have no interest in considering that possibility. It simply has no influence on my life or my decisions, so I do not care whether or not those theories might be true. If they are proven or disproven, well, would there even be a point to having said I believe in them? Either way, my actions will be the same. 

I will stand firmly by my belief that a witch is a witch from the moment they are born and that, because they have been born one, they will become one at some point in their life. That is a different conversation, though. 

To segway into what this is actually about, there’s been a line I’ve been holding onto for a very long time and waited to say to either of my parents. I was born into a conservative Christian town, taught in conservative and stifling Christian schools, and grown with a daily message of who “we” were supposed to hate, most of the time being homosexuals. I was taught that children who die soon after birth are sent to hell and women exist purely to serve men and that my purpose in life was to get married and bear children for my husband--my dreams and wants were selfish and sinful. In chapel five days a week, I was taught that the God that loved everyone was glad we killed each other for His sake and that it was justified to hate someone because they were different. Needless to say, I became a pseudo-atheist at a young age. In my worldview, there was still only one God. However, I wanted Him to know that I acknowledged He was real and that I chose to go to hell because He and the Devil were clearly not what the book made them out to be. 

Had I never gone to those schools, I do not think I would have ever questioned the religion I was born into. I enjoyed the church’s aesthetic. I enjoyed the idea of some paradise after death where everything would be perfect and all the questions would be answered. Perhaps there might have been a conflict at some point in choosing which of my parents’ denominations I would follow (as much as I am proud of my father’s side, the Methodists were far more human). But I would still believe in one God and one afterlife. 

Inevitably, the subject of my grade schooling always comes up whenever I spend more than two hours with my mother. I’ll spare the details and just say that I would be a very different, healthier person if I had never gone to those schools. The topic of religion and gayness came up during our drive to the grocery store after lunch. I’m not sure what exactly made me think, “This. This is the moment I’ve waited for,” but it happened and I said that thing I’ve held onto for a very, very long time. 

“I truly think that, if you had never sent me to those schools, I would still be a Christian. But because of what they taught me for years, I cannot believe in it and haven’t since middle school.” 

And she was very quiet before she asked, very clipped, “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

At that point, I wasn’t angry or snippy. I just honestly asked, “What was I supposed to say?” 

It was...empowering, I suppose, to finally say something that shut her up (before she said that she knew I would find the way back when I was older and we moved on to talking about her dinner party tonight). She’s the worst person I have ever met. I’ve talked about the things she’s done before and I still stand beside my belief that she is one of the rare human beings that has no good left in her. She’s the cause of nearly all of the problems I will face for the rest of my life, including the health issues that get worse every year. She continuously denies all of it, including my diagnoses from the many doctors I’ve seen over the years. She’ll do whatever it takes for her to avoid any sort of blame for any of her actions, no matter how pointless it is because there’s really no way around the fact that both of her children hate her and that, after the divorce, she’ll have lost both of them. 

But this? There’s no way around it. She handpicked the schools. She ignored my comments about the doctrines being taught. She was the one who pushed me to attend and listen and shut up like a good little girl. She was the one who endorsed that, yes, these people are talking about the Christian God and this is exactly who He is. After the majority of my life, how could I ever doubt that, maybe, all of these hundreds of people were wrong? I still can’t. To me, that religion in its modern incarnation is wholly corrupt. If there ever was a singular God that taught love and tolerance and generosity, well, these people must have killed it. 

I don’t believe that I was fated to walk this path or that my gods planned all of this out. I don’t believe that I was led to Them so much as I leapt through a window and happened to land in saltwater. All that mattered was getting out, not where I would go next. I don’t believe that I was destined to become pagan, but thank the gods I did.

[hannahchronism]

right yeah so how does phantom’s religious beliefs affect or not affect his friendships is the rosary jut a pretty pocket accessory to his friends or like.?

Ooo good one okay so

For starters, I want to make a note on the rosary thing cause that definitely just seems like an analogy you were using but I still feel like it’s worth pointing out that his particular beliefs align more closely under the blanket term of some kind of protestant Chrisitianity. Maybe not Protestant itself but in any case, not Catholicism. (Cause y’know technically anything not Catholic is protestant but also Protestant is a whole thing itself and it’s…involved.) I should probably get more specific as to more Baptist leaning or something at some point but I argue with myself a lot about how much of the divisions between the nuanced practices (Baptist, Methodist, Non-denominational, etc.) would remain given the setting and BLI probably having a lot to say about squashing all religions, y’know? (So who even knows how much of those distinctions even remain) but essentially that just means it leaves out like. Seven deadly sins aren’t really a thing in most(?) protestant structures, also they’re not big on the saints (unless you’re Baptist and in that case, we can’t hear enough about dang John) and Mary’s not really sanctified either. 

In any case, his particular ‘’brand’’ of Christianity focuses on the new testament and Jesus’s lessons, basically. [[Though that’s…kinda biased because of my own upbringing but I digress. I really just gotta dig some more, expand what I already know and find what fits him best.]] Interesting note - he doesn’t think dustverse is the prophecized apocalypse, but I’d wager there’s at least one Bible-headed zone runner out there who does. That’d be an interesting character.

But to get to, uh, your actual question:

I’m sure it varies from character to character? So I’m gonna talk about a couple examples in a sec, but first/short answer is it’s definitely not a thing that he like, hides or avoids broaching for the sake of comfort. He’s not a high horse type – big on the ‘everybody sins and we’re all equally forgivable by divine grace’ train, actually– and if any friend of his has expressed they’re not interested in his (or any other) religion he doesn’t push it out of respect for your right to free will and autonomy, but he’s not gonna sit by and let you shit talk about it either. He’ll get mad if you’re taking potshots, man. Really basically just don’t dis his beliefs and he’ll keep his opinions about yours to himself as well.

[It probably has at least a little to do with how a thing like being religious and being a rebel to an oppressive regime like BLI intersect. Can’t exactly be a freedom fighter if you’re trying to force something on other people, right?]

This is..easier with some people than others.

Him and Des are on really good terms about having what are, effectively, contradictory religions (she’s big on the Zone Deities™ ), to the point that they’re comfortable discussing doubts about their respective beliefs with each other without feeling like the other will push them into abandoning anything. This could arguably be more to do with how close they are are members of the same group and the pseudo-parents of Dawn than anything about their specific religion(s) but it goes to show that basic respect about the topic goes a long way with Phantom. They’re probably argued about it in the past, but have ended up in a concession of agreeing to disagree, essentially, and since neither one of them uses their differing opinions as a means of saying that the other is inherently evil because of their beliefs, it works out fine for them.

[That might.. be a topic that’s dissolved some in the climate? That extreme Christian ‘convert or you’re the worst’ ideology? I feel like the exclusionary nature probably backed off once it came under actual threat as opposed to the victim complex a lot of Christianity falls under these days.  …Should I meta about Dustverse Christianity? Maybe. I’ll think about it.]

On that note, him and Tox actually got close when they met in city (which I…do not talk enough about nor have planned out as well as I’d like..) because of sharing religion.Tox’s views are a little more what you’d expect of a Christian from our time, probably [I feel like he’s just slightly more apt to remind you you’re going to hell than Phantom is, the shithead] but on the whole they’re very in sync on a lot of things. I imagine religions in general, all of them, have become pretty sparse and/or taboo under BLI, so for them finding another person who shares even the basics of the same belief system was probably an amazing thing, and then finding out that a lot of it is the same probably just furthered them growing really quickly to trust and lean on each other. (I mean, Tox trusted Phantom to get Lith out of the city safely should the worst happen after only knowing him for like… I think it was maybe a month or two? Like I said, timeline’s weak there for me.) But so the point being, for them it’s not even a secondary thing, it’s more or less the cornerstone of their friendship. They probably have a lot of talks about and around it, like a tiny church fellowship of two, sharing the stories they remember and reaffirming each other.

Conversely to both of those relationships, Diana is at best atheistic and at worst vehemently opposed to any mention of or belief in a higher power to which no actual evidence is presentable, and to that degree handles her interactions with Phantom with a chip on her shoulder about it. He tries to ignore it a lot of the time, but needless to say those aforementioned potshots he doesn’t kindly to often come from her. They’re.. kinda not really friends because of it. I mean they’ll tolerate each other and in a scrape could count on the other to watch their back, but it’s very.. professional, there’s a professional air to it. 

Weasel, as you may or may not know, is the resident nightmare about everything at all times and I’m sure he gives Phantom (and Tox. I guarantee he’s called Tox “John the Baptist” at least once) shit about it to varying degrees of awful, but to be honest that’s just because he enjoys stirring shit up and he and Phantom probably get along ..okay when Weasel’s not being a pain. Mostly because Weasel just doesn’t give a genuine shit about religion, and is only harassing him for the amusement factor.

So like. I guess the clearer answer is that it’d be basically impossible for someone to consider his religion an accessory because it’s woven into his life in a way that it’s not just convenience or habit. It’s belief, y’know? Where the structure of his ideologies comes from. So whether the people in his life want to agree with it or disagree with varies, but there’s not really room to ignore it without ignoring him, I don’t think. And not in a here-he-goes-with-that-Jesus-High-Horse-shit way but just.. there. Present. He’s got a faith and he’s not going to pretend he doesn’t for any conceivable reason. Ask him if you want, make no mention of it when he says something, take whatever path to or around or in opposition to it that you want - it doesn’t matter. He’s got what he’s got and you’re not gonna be the one to take it from him.

[faithfulnews]

ANZABS 2018 program and abstracts

ANZABS CONFERENCE 2018

6-7 December, 2018

Venue: Wesley Hall, Trinity Methodist College, 202A St Johns Rd, Meadowbank, Auckland 1072 Thursday 6 December 9.30 am – REGISTRATION 10.00-10.10 – mihi 10.10-11.00 – Keynote speaker: Robert Myles – Fishing for Eyewitnesses in the Fourth Gospel 11.00-11.30 – Morning tea 11.30-12.00 – Lyndon Drake – Economic Capital in the Hebrew Bible 12.00-12.30 – Anne Aalbers – Resurrection and Celibacy: Two Sides of the Same Coin? 12.30-1.00 – Jonathan Robinson – "And he was with the beasts," (Mark 1:13): Ambiguity, Interpretation and Mark as a Jewish Author 1.00-2.00 – Lunch 2.00-2.30 – Ben Hudson – Ethical Exhortation and the Decalogue in Ephesians 2.30-3.00 – Csilla Saysell – The Servant as 'a covenant of/for people' in Deutero-Isaiah 3.00-3.30 – Afternoon tea 3.30-4.00 – Jacqueline Lloyd – Did Jesus minister in Gaulanitis? 4.00-4.30 – Mark Keown – Jesus as the New Joshua 4.30 – AGM Friday 7 December 9.30-10.00 – Ben Ong – Pākehā Reading of the New Testament 10.00-10.30 – Jordan Chapman – Nero as “The Destroyer” in Revelation 9:11 10.30-11.00 – Morning tea 11.00-11.30 – Sarah Hart – The Rich–Poor Divide: Seeking Biblical Directives 11.30-12.00 – Paul Trebilco – What does Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, tell us about the Christians in Ephesus at the close of the second century CE? 12.00-12.30 – Ross Millar – Narrative of the discourses: the introductory settings of Matthew’s teaching discourses 12.30-1.00 – Deane Galbraith – Jeremiah Wrote an Epilogue, And It Once Had a Mighty Fine Whine: The Original Prophecy of Unmitigated Doom in Jeremiah 25.1-13Lunch 1.00-2.00 – Lunch 2.00-2.30 – Stephen Gerbault – The Gospel of John, David F. Ford, and Reading in the Spirit 2.30-3.00 – Philip Church – “In Speaking of a New Covenant, God Declares the First Obsolete” (Heb 8:13): Supersessionism in the Book of Hebrews 3.00-3.30 – Julia van den Brink, “Blessed God”: The use of μακάριος to describe God in 1 Tim 1:11; 6:15 3.30-4.00 – Rikk Watts – The Stronger one and the dove: Revisiting two discarded images. 4.00 – closing words and karakia. Afternoon tea and chat for those who wish to stay. Registration To cover catering costs, there will be a registration fee for ANZABS 2018: Student/lower income presenters - $20 Student/lower income attendees - $40 Everyone else - $80 Please pay this registration fee in cash, on the day. To sign up for attending the conference, please register here: https://goo.gl/forms/Cs3yPj8xJQEmWQel1 Full abstracts are below. Abstracts Anne Aalbers, University of Auckland Resurrection and Celibacy: Two Sides of the Same Coin? In this paper I am proposing that, integral to religious belief in the first century, sexual abstinence – or celibacy – was the assumed status of the resurrected. I will discuss not only familiar NT texts but also some evidence of Jewish ascetic practice such as that which comes to us from the texts of the Judaean Desert. Greek and Latin historical sources, as well as insight available to us from common proto-gnostic attitudes, reveal a consistent cultural understanding of celibacy in the eschaton. Such diverse sources of support for the idea would suggest that, in any record of the account of the resurrected Jesus, the Gospel writers would assume this to be the case. In my PhD thesis I am proposing that John’s Gospel shows full consistency with this expectation and that Jesus’ puzzling prohibition to Mary Magdalene, not to touch him while he is still embodied before ascension (20:17), is motivated by this understanding. Julia van den Brink, Laidlaw College ‘Blessed God’: The use of μακάριος to describe God in 1 Tim 1:11; 6:15 Blessing statements using μακάριος are scattered throughout the Septuagint (LXX) and the New Testament (NT). Most are found in beatitudes (e.g. blessed are the poor, Luke 6:20). In the diverse uses of μακάριος across the LXX and NT, there appears to be one rule for its use: it is never used to describe God. While God may be described as ‘blessed’ using εὐ��ογητος, he is not praised with μακάριος. There are, however, two noticeable exceptions: 1 Timothy 1:11 and 6:15. In this paper, I will explore some possible explanations for why the author of 1 Timothy has seemingly broken with tradition and described God using μακάριος. Jordan Chapman, University of Otago Nero as ‘The Destroyer’ in Revelation 9:11 The angel of the abyss in Revelation 9:11 is given two names, both of which mean, ‘The Destroyer.’ Most commentators note that an allusion to the Greco-Roman deity Apollo can be seen in the Greek name of the angel, but fail to develop its significance. Epigraphical and literary sources attest to Nero's self-association with Apollo, and the Nero-like traits of the Beast later in Revelation (13, 17) make an Apollo-Nero allusion probable. In evoking Nero in Revelation 9, John fleshes out the nature of idolatry in the chapter and foreshadows his use of Nero-like qualities for the Beast. Philip Church, Laidlaw College ‘In Speaking of a New Covenant, God Declares the First Obsolete’ (Heb 8:13): Supersessionism in the Book of Hebrews In the 2000 edition of his Hebrews commentary Robert Gordon claimed that Hebrews was supersessionist. In the second edition (2008) he added an eighteen page defence of that claim. Since Hebrews was written by an ethnic Jew to ethnic Jews, and since the argumentation is drawn from the Jewish Greek Scriptures, the critique of the Jewish cult is an internal critique, the seeds of which were sown in those Scriptures. The former covenant anticipated the new, and what it anticipated is now a reality. Now that the reality has come, what anticipated it has been fulfilled and is no longer necessary. This is fulfilment rather than supersession. Lyndon Drake, Oxford University Economic Capital in the Hebrew Bible In Genesis 2:17, God prohibits eating fruit from ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ Commentators are divided about the reason for the prohibition and its related sanction, with some (for example, James Barr) even arguing that God acts unethically. I propose that eating from the tree functions within the narrative world of the text as an archetypal, negative example of comprehensive consumption in the face of plenty. Or, conversely, Adam and Eve lack appropriate restraint. Other biblical texts, particularly a number of economic regulations in the law codes, present restraint rather than complete consumption as a divinely-approved virtue. By contrast, the Adapa story and the Gilgamesh epic both present the restraint of primeval humans as foolishness. I argue that the virtue of restraint presented in Genesis 2 functions as a unifying principle for a number of biblical texts which address economic issues. Deane Galbraith, University of Otago Jeremiah Wrote an Epilogue, And It Once Had a Mighty Fine Whine: The Original Prophecy of Unmitigated Doom in Jeremiah 25.1-13 Jeremiah's prophecies dated before the Judahite exile of 597 BCE predict complete devastation for the land of Judah, the elimination of any remnant within its cities, and no hope of return for exiles. For Jeremiah, the ‘prophet of doom’, hope was something that only (pseudo-)prophets offered. Yet many have challenged this picture, pointing to the prophecies of hope in the various final forms of the book of Jeremiah. This paper finds support for a pre-597 ‘prophet of [unmitigated] doom’ in LXX Jer 25.1-13, when read against the tyranny of the (Masoretic) canon. In LXX Jer 25.1-13, Jeremiah composed an epilogue of hopelessness, without expectation of any future for Judahites, without any knowledge of the Oracles against the Nations, and without expectation of punishment for Babylon. Stephen C. Gerbault, Laidlaw College, Alphacrucis College The Gospel of John, David F. Ford, and Reading in the Spirit How is the church to read the Gospels? In a review essay on Richard B. Hays’ 2016 book, Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels, David Ford (2017) suggests that John is offering a creative ‘reading forwards’ paradigm for reading Scripture. This paper hopes to explore what is meant by reading forwards and how it relates to Hays’ reading backwards. It will then conclude with brief suggestions for reading the Gospels in the Spirit. Sarah Hart, Good Shepherd College, Te Hepara Pai ‘The Rich–Poor Divide: Seeking Biblical Directives’ What perspectives does the Bible offer regarding the economic gap between the rich and poor? Are analyses or directives of a rich-poor divide discernible in the biblical literature? These two questions focus the choice of biblical passages and secondary sources. Principal texts for the discussion are Jubilee Year and Land Tenure (Lev 25), Naboth’s Vineyard (1 Kgs 21), and selected texts from the prophetic writings (Is 5:7; Am 6:4-7). Secondary sources include the work of Rainer Albertz and Samuel Adams. Ben Hudson, University of Otago Ethical Exhortation and the Decalogue in Ephesians This paper will argue that the paraenesis of Ephesians (Eph 4:17-6-9) is structured so as to reflect the second table of the Decalogue. The lengthly exhortations are attended by a series of allusions and echoes which evoke the scriptural commandments concerning parents, adultery, stealing, murder, false testimony and covetousness, in reverse order. Noticing this extended engagement with the Decalogue in which Gentile Christ-believers are exhorted to a way of live shaped by scriptural commandments contributes to resolving a number of puzzles in Ephesians including; accounting for the relationship between the two halves of the letter, discerning the letter’s purpose, and interpreting the difficult phrase τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν καταργήσας (he abolished the law of commandments in decrees, Eph 2:15). Mark Keown, Laidlaw College Jesus as the New Joshua It is common in NT studies to hear Jesus considered in regards to Messiah (Christ), Lord, Son of Man, Son of David, the Prophet, Son of God, new Moses, and so on. Yet, it is extremely rare to find Jesus considered as the New Joshua. In this paper, I will argue that God’s choice of name for his Son suggests that this is as essential an OT connection as Jesus as Christ and Son of Man, the two ideas that dominate the Gospel narratives. He is after all named by God as Joshua. To understand Jesus, he must be considered as the Second Joshua. Jacqueline Lloyd, Laidlaw College Did Jesus minister in Gaulanitis? References to Gaulanitis are absent in the Gospels. Consequently, Jesus’ ministry in Gaulanitis is largely ignored by New Testament scholars. However, the Synoptic Gospels do state that Jesus ministered in Bethsaida, which has been identified with Et-Tell in the central Golan, a region roughly corresponding to ancient Gaulanitis. In this paper I will argue that Jesus probably did minister in Gaulanitis. I will also argue that the reason there is no mention of this in the Gospels is because the Jewish people living in first-century Judaea considered Gaulanitis to be a part of Galilee. Ross Millar, Laidlaw College Narrative of the discourses: The introductory settings of Matthew’s teaching discourses Matthew is often divided into narrative and teaching sections, with the end of each teaching discourse beginning marked by the literary formula, ‘when Jesus had finished saying [all] these things...’ Each of these discourses begins with a narrative introduction and the settings and characters of these narrative introductions will be examined for patterns. The ways Matthew uses these opening phrases to outline the differing relationships crowds and disciples have with Jesus will be explored. Robert Myles, Murdoch University Fishing for Eyewitnesses in the Fourth Gospel John 18:15–16 mentions an unknown disciple of Jesus who ‘was known to the high priest’ giving him access to the events in Caiaphas’s courtyard. A minority of scholars maintain the identity of this disciple is consistent with John, the son of Zebedee, whom they also maintain was the author of the Fourth Gospel. To support this position, the commonplace fiction of entrepreneurial Galilean fishermen belonging to an aspiring ‘middle-class’ is asserted. This paper reviews the arguments and suggests that a more rigorous account of the agrarian political-economic relation in the ancient world demonstrates the implausibility of such a scenario. Ben Ong, University of Otago Pākehā Reading of the New Testament The contextuality of the scholar dictates the analysis of their work. ‘Pākehā’ exist due to their relationship with hau kāinga, true home people, in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu. This relationship inherently influences the contextuality of the person and, therefore, the scholar. Few contextual biblical studies works exist in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu, this paper proposes a possible contextual methodology on the basis of relational identity granted in Te Tiriti o Waitangi for biblical studies, allowing for critical dialogue between ‘traditional’ analytical methods and the non-Māori scholar’s understanding of te ao Māori, the Māori world. Ka tino aweawetia te tātaritanga o ō rātou mahi e te ao horopaki o te tangata mātauranga. Nā te hau kāinga Māori te noho o ngā iwi Pākehā i roto i Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu. Ka aweawe tēnei piringa i te horopaki o te tangata me te tangata mātauranga. He mahingia horopaki itiiti o mātai Paipera Tapu ērā i roto i Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu. Kei raro i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ka whakaaria tēnei pūrongo i tētahi tikanga i mātai Paipera Tapu, ka taea te kōrero tātaritanga te hanga i waenganui i te kōrero tātari o tikanga Pākehā me tētahi Pākehā mōhiotanga o te ao Māori. Jonathan Robinson, University of Otago ‘And he was with the beasts,’ (Mark 1:13): Ambiguity, Interpretation and Mark as a Jewish Author James Dunn, in his seminal 1980 work, Christology in the Making, wrote, ‘We should not underestimate the Jewish hermeneutical readiness to read as much into the text as possible.’ Yet it may be observed that when it comes to interpreting texts from the 1st century Jewish sect known today as early Christianity the impulse of Dunn and others is sometimes to read as little into the text as possible. This paper will explore this tendency and its ramifications using Mark 1:13 as a test case, before arguing for a ‘maximal’ exegesis of this remarkably ambiguous yet evocative phrase. Csilla Saysell, Carey Baptist College The Servant as 'a covenant of/for people' in Deutero-Isaiah In the context of the Servant Songs, Deutero-Isaiah twice uses the phrase ‘a covenant of/for people’ (berit ‘am – Isa 42:6; 49:8), a construct chain that has puzzled commentators for a long time. The exact relationship between the two parts of the chain is hard to work out and the referent for both the covenant (Noahic? Mosaic? something else?) and the people (humanity? Israel?) is obscure. This research explores the different options for interpreting this enigmatic phrase in order to throw light on the Servant’s mission and its implications for the NT. Paul Trebilco, University of Otago What does Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, tell us about the Christians in Ephesus at the close of the second century CE? Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History 5.23.1, quotes a letter by Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, written around 190CE. In the letter Polycrates defends the practice of concluding the Paschal fast on Nisan 14. Polycrates shows that Christians in Asia Minor were in the habit of celebrating Easter at the same time as Jews celebrated the Pascha, regardless of what day of the week Nisan 14 fell on. In this letter, Polycrates gives us some very valuable information about Christians in Ephesus at the close of the second century, including details relating to leadership, traditions, the relationship between Ephesus and other churches and the Ephesian church’s relationship with the local Jewish communities. Rikk Watts, Regent College The Stronger One and the Dove: Revisiting Two Discarded Images. In spite of initially appearing somewhat conventional, ascertaining the identity and significance of “the coming stronger one” and the symbolism behind the “descending dove” in Mark’s prologue has proven surprisingly difficult. This paper will review the range of options, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and indicate why there is little agreement. It will argue for a reinstatement of the two options—Yahweh and Israel—which nearly all commentators early on cite and yet immediately exclude. On the basis of some previously uncited material along with a fuller appreciation of how they function in Israel’s tradition, the paper will suggest that their rejection was precipitous and that reinstating them makes better sense of their place in the context of Mark’s narrative overall.

Go to the article

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

I’ve decided to list them chronologically,

[not by size or language or (God forgive me, Importance)  or Price, or where they are on my shelf….while slightly arbitrary, it has some sense to it, I hope.]

 Please enjoy.

James

1)- 355J Bible Saint Jerome, Biblia cum summariis concordantiis 1500

2) The (Catholic) New Testament Rhemes 1582

3) The 1611 King James ‘HE’ bible

4) 1774 Pocket King James Bible .

  355J Bible Saint Jerome, Biblia cum summariis concordantiis 1500

    The 1611 King James ‘HE’bible

1774 King James Bible .

    #1      355J  Bible Saint Jerome,  Gabriello Bruno (active 1480-1514.);

Biblia cum summariis concordantiis : diuisionibus: quattuor repertoriis p[ro]positis: numeriq[ue] foliorum distinctione: terse et fidelit[er] imp[re]ssa.

[Lyons]: Jean Pivard, 29 Jan. 1500 & 1.        $ 11,500.

Folio 10 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches   inches,  &8  ç8 , a8 [a1 blank and present] b6, c-z8 A-Z8 Aa8 Bb8; aa-cc8 dd10 [dd10 blank and lacking] . Bound in original full calf over wooden boards with 10 brass bosses. with many scribbled out ownership  markings (frustratingly unidentified)

This Bible also includes the “Tabula alphabetica” of Gabriel Bruno, and notes on “translatores … Biblie”, and “modi intelligendi … scripturam”; at the end, “Interpretationes nominum hebraycorum”; with marginal references.

&1r [Title-page.] &1v [Pivard, Jean: Introductory letter addressed to the reader.] Incipit: ‘Ne nesciens et ob id ingratus sacrosanctam diuini verbi . . .’&1v ‘Pulchra et vtilis diuisio totius Biblie’. &1v ‘In tabulam primam de ordine librorum ad lectorem disticon’. Incipit: ‘Perspice nunc, lector, quis debitus ordo librorum’; 1 distich.

&1v ‘Prima quattuor tabulorum’. &2v ‘Tabula secunda continens libros Biblie per ordinem alphabeti’. &2v [Alexander de Villa Dei pseudo-]: ‘Tertia tabula’. Pref. no. 58. ,[con]1r Brunus, Gabriel: ‘Quarta tabula’.

ç 8r [Explanatory note about translators of the Bible and commentators.]

ç 8v ‘Modi intelligendi sacram scripturam’.  a2r Hieronymus: [Letter addressed to] Paulinus [ep. 53]. ‘Prologus in Bibliam’.. On this edition see also Hillard, ‘Les éditions de la Bible’, 72-3.

Goff B604; ISTC: ib00604000; GW 4281; Pell (Lyon) 137; Copinger, Incunabula Biblica, 120; Darlow–Moule 6090; HC 3128; Proctor: 8670;Sheppard 6736; Pell; 2341.

FIVE US COPIES

1)Boston Public Library,  2)General Theological Seminary, 3) Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 4)Library of Congress, Rare Book Division,   5) Southern Methodist Univ., Bridwell Library (418 ff)

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          *§*   *§*

  The First English Catholic New Testament in English, printed at the seminarie at Rhemes

  #2.   226J    The Nevv Testament.

The Nevv Testament of Iesus Christ, translated faithfully into English, out of the authentical Latin, according to the best corrected copies of the same, diligently conferred vvith the Greeke and other editions in diuers languages; vvith arguments of bookes and chapters, annotations, and other necessarie helpes, for the better vnderstanding of the text, and specially for the discouerie of the corruptions of diuers late translations, and for cleering the controversies in religion, of these daies: in the English College of Rhemes.

Printed at Rhemes : By Iohn Fogny, 1582.       $45,000

Quarto 218 x 165 mm         a-c4, d2, A-Z4, Aa-Zz4, Aaa-Zzz4, Aaaa-Zzzz4, Aaaaa-Ddddd4, Eeeeee2.         The First English Catholic New Testament in English             This copy is bound in seventeenth-century calf, sympathetically rebacked, with an attractive gold-tooled floral motif to the board edges. Internally, this copy is in very good condition with clean leaves. There is a little foxing to the first two leaves and a few trivial marginal tears. The upper margin is cut a bit close but the text is never affected.

The title page is set within a decorative border; the text is adorned with ornamental woodcut initials throughout. The text is beautifully printed in Roman with printed annotations, marginal notes, arguments and chapter summaries in italic.       “The ‘editio princeps’ of the Roman Catholic version of the New Testament in English. Translated from the Vulgate by Gregory Martin, under the supervision of William Allen and Richard Bristow. According to the “Douai Diaries”, Martin began the translation in October1578 and completed it in March 1582.

“The translation adheres very closely to the Latin, though it shows traces of careful comparison with the Greek. But its groundwork was practically supplied by the existing English versions, from which Martin did not hesitate t borrow freely. In particular there are very many striking resemblances between Martin’s renderings and those in Coverdale’s diglot of 1538. Martin’s own style is often disfigured by Latinisms.

“This Rheims New Testament exerted a very considerable influence on the King James version of 1611, transmitting to it not only an extensive vocabulary, but also numerous distinctive phrases and turns of expression. (See J.G. Carleton’s exhaustive analysis, The Part of Rheims in the Making of the English Bible. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902.)

“Since the English Protestants used their vernacular translations not only as the

foundation of their own faith but as siege artillery in the assault on Rome, a Catholic translation became more and more necessary in order that the faithful could answer, text for text, against the ‘intolerable ignorance and importunity of the heretics of this time.’ The chief translator was Gregory Martin… Technical words were transliterated rather than translated. Thus many new words came to birth… Not only was [Martin] steeped in the Vulgate, he was, every day, involved in the immortal liturgical Latin of his church. The resulting Latinisms added a majesty to his English prose, and many a dignified or felicitous phrase was silently lifted by the editors of the King James Version and thus passed into the language” (Great Books and Book Collectors, 108).

Not only did Douay-Rheims influence Catholics, but also it had a substantive influence on the later creation of the King James Bible. (see below) The Authorized Version is distinguished from previous English Protestant versions by a greater tendency to employ Latinate vocabulary, and the translators were able to find many such terms (for example: emulation Romans 11:14) in the Rheims New Testament. Consequently, a number of the latinisms of the Douay–Rheims, through their use in the King James Bible, have entered standard literary English. Douay-Rheims would go on through several reprintings on both sides of the continent.

The translators of the Rheims New Testament appended a list of neologisms in their work, including many latinate terms that have since become assimilated into standard English. Examples include “acquisition”, “adulterate”, “advent”, “allegory”, “verity”, “calumniate”, “character”, “cooperate”, “prescience”, “resuscitate”, “victim”, and “evangelise”.

While such English may have been generated through independent creation, nevertheless the totality demonstrates a lasting influence on the development of English vocabulary. In addition the editors chose to transliterate rather than translate a number of technical Greek or Hebrew terms, such as “azymes” for unleavened bread, and “pasch” for Passover. Few of these have been assimilated into standard English. One that has is “holocaust” for burnt offering.

Pforzheimer, 68; Darlow & Moule 231; STC (2nd ed.), 2884; Herbert 177; Pierpont Morgan Library, The Bible 115; The Bible 100 Landmarks, 66; Bible in the Lilly Library 40.

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                                    ∞\/∞

#3. 210J   KJV

  The 1611 King James “The Great He Bible.”

FIRST EDITION OF THE AUTHORIZED VERSION

Arguably the most important book ever published in English.

KNOWN AS THE GREAT “HE” BIBLE, with the reading in Ruth III:15:

“he [referring to Boaz] measured sixe measures of barley and laide it on her; and he went into the citie.”

Title Page from 1611 King James Bible

The second pronoun “he” actually refers to Ruth, so it should read “and she went into the citie.” Because of this error, this first edition is often referred to as “The Great He Bible.”  (after the Hebrew text), rather than “and she went” (after the Latin Vulgate) in the second edition. Also with all other first edition readings.

210J   KJV

 The Holy Bible, : conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: newly translated out of the originall tongues: & with the former translations diligently compared and reuised, by His Maiesties speciall com[m]andement. Appointed to be read in churches.

Imprinted at London : By Robert Barker, printer to the Kings most Excellent Maiestie. 1611                $230,000

Large Folio,  15 ¼ x 10 ½  inches :  732 leaves  A6 B2 C6 D4 A-5C6; A-2A6}.  complete

see below

DEscriptive   positioning and condition of the signatures.  

A-C⁶D²; (O.T. and Apocrypha) A-Ccccc⁶; (N.T.) A-Aa⁶unpaginated or foliated.  The General title mounted and with c. 18 small holes, mostly from old attempts to ink out a prior ownership inscription; the next several leaves have rust-like marks resulting from the damage to the title just mentioned; the double page map is a facsimile. There is a strip is torn from the blank outer margin of X6 (Hebrews 12/3); a small piece is torn from the top of Aa5, removing most of a word of text and a word of the headline, recto & verso; Aa6 (the final leaf) was missing and is replaced in facsimile; the final leaves of the NT are increasingly worn and lack the crisp, clean nature of the bulk of the text.  Generally the text is crisp and clean, BUT at both front and rear the top margin is shaved, especially in Exodus & Numbers & to the beginning of Deuteronomy (and again at the end of the NT) touching the rule and occasionally the top of the headlines (elsewhere the top margins are small); there is a dampstain at the top from mid-I Kings, retreating to the inner corner in the Prophets, but persisting there to the Gospels: there is a bit more general staining at the end of the NT; the bottom outer corner is a bit creased and dog-eared pretty much throughout, evidencing the use such a Bible received in its early days as a lectern Bible; the outer edge of the leaves is slightly abraded at a few points.

This copy is bound in full modern calf in an appropriate style, as you can see in the following Images.

Called “the only literary masterpiece ever to have been produced by a committee,”the King James Bible was the work of nearly 50 translators, organized in 6 groups. G.M. “The editors who passed the book through the press were Miles Smith … and Thomas Bilson …”, see Herbert.

Trevelyan stated “for every Englishman who had read Sidney or Spenser, or had seen Shakespeare acted at the Globe, there were hundreds who had read or heard the Bible with close attention as the words of God. The effect of the continual domestic study of the book upon the national character, imagination and intelligence for nearly three centuries to come, was greater than that of any literary movement in our annals, or any religious movement since the coming of St. Augustine.”

Brake-Hellstern Cencus (BHC) of He Bibles 2017 # BHC-119; Carl H. Pforzheimer Library 61; English Short Title Catalogue,; S122347; Pollard, A.W. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640 (2nd ed.),; 2216; Herbert, A.S. Historical catalogue of printed editions of the English Bible, 1525-1961,; 309 Printing and the Mind of Man 114. ;Rumball-Petre, Rare Bibles, 122.

))0((

  #4 King James version 1774

The Holy Bible, containing the Old Testament and the New: .

Oxford: printed by T. Wright and W. Gill: and sold by S. Crowder, London; and by W. Jackson, Oxford 1774                         $2,000

This copy is housed in a a very nice probably original sheep skin covering. The book is neatly bound in full calf that was once read but has faded. The binding is nicely tooled .

There is an ownership bark on the verso of the fly leaf of J

James McClymont, January 24 1776.

Copies – N.America

American Bible Society LinkJohns Hopkins University, John Work Garrett LinkUniversity of Toronto, Library LinkZion Research Library, Brookline

  A few interesting Bibles 1500-1774 I've decided to list them chronologically,  Please enjoy. James 1)- 355J Bible Saint Jerome, Biblia cum summariis concordantiis 1500…

[theabbott-blog1]

Thou Art Christ I

“Thou Art Christ…”

The foundation and the superstructure of the church are built upon the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and the statement that was uttered near Caesarea Philippi. “Thou art Christ…” It was not a statement uttered through systematic analysis of events. Neither was it said after logical deductions nor after necessary inferences. The Author of salvation Himself had this to say: “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah for flesh and blood did not reveal this unto you but My Father who is in heaven.” The emphasis of the identity of the Christ was crucial to the establishment of the church. This is the very reason Jesus called the twelve and clarified His origin, His mission and His identity. In the midst of the unbelieving Jews and the multitude who were looking forward to an earthly king and surely a king who will destroy the Roman Empire and restore the nationalistic pride of the sons of Jacob (Israel). Jesus took His time to make sure the disciples understood Him for who He is. Of note is that He first questions what the populace thought about Him and who they say He was. Most theologians and preachers in trying to create a doctrine foreign to the entire Bible have missed the most interesting part of this discourse which I don’t want you to miss. Let us not assume that Peter is the one who answered this question “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? Let us say that the disciples were unified in this one answer since the second question specifically denotes Peter as the one who answered. The disciples here echoed what the unrepentant Jews proclaimed concerning who they perceived as only the son of the carpenter.

The disciples affirmed that the Jews believed Jesus was one of the prophets, with some even believing that He was the resurrected Jeremiah or Elijah. This shows us that the Jews believed Him to a certain extent, that He was heaven sent. This can be noted by their belief that He was the resurrected John the Baptist. As can be evidenced from the reasoning of Herod after the beheading of John the Baptist, the Jews believed that John was more than a prophet. Those that were baptized by John during His ministry believed that John was the Christ but John himself denied vehemently that he was only a forerunner who was not worthy to be compared to the Lamb of God. It is at this crux of His ministry that Jesus wanted the disciples to understand the divine change of Headship and Kingship. He did not go into detail but left the Holy Spirit to bring to their remembrance all that He had taught them.

It is at this point that many erroneously assume that the emphasis on this passage must be on Peter. Many have erroneously taught and advocated that Peter is the rock upon which the church of Christ is built. Peter may be linked to the kingdom dynamics concerning the establishment of the church (he preached the first gospel sermon) but to say that the church is built upon him does more harm to the scriptures. First of all note that; if the church is established or built upon the person of Peter, then the church automatically becomes a man made and earthly governed institution. Such an institution cannot be the bedrock of our faith. We shy away from the denominational world because we believe that any group of people who have an earthly founder (living or dead) cannot be the church that Jesus promised to build. That this church is founded by so and so is the craze of our times and we will always stick to the blood bought church of Christ. The reason why we have denominations that have earthly headships, founders, popes, archbishops, presidents and a series of titles that are foreign to the scriptures, is because man in his carnal mind have always wanted to be God or like God (Genesis 3:5, 6). During my evangelism outreaches I have always asked two questions that have changed the world view of many “Since God is the one who is going to be your judge, why do put your trust on man? Then after this question I then ask which denomination baptized the founder of your denomination? This may seem an easy question but many have turned from denominations to the authentic church because they realized that their founders were baptized or were members of other denominations. A careful survey I have conducted over the years showed that many founders of these pseudo-churches defaulted from other denominations because of doctrinal differences or because they did not hunger for the word of God but hungered and thirsted for power, position and prestige. They just loved to be seen by men, like the Pharisees of old. Please remember my fellow brother or sister, that any denomination that is founded earthly by earthly men is earthly and therefore cannot meet the standards of the church because it fails on headship and foundation.

The church is a blood bought institution and therefore it is Christ’s by virtue of His sacrificial death on the Roman cross. Peter may have been martyred as some uninspired traditions proclaim but he did not die to purchase a people for God. He died proclaiming the word of God as some faithful Christians who lived before, during or after the tenure of his ministry (Hebrews 11:36-39). Let us reflect all this by going back to the context of (Matthew 16:13-20). A clarification of this context is in order. What tends to confuse many is the wording or should we say the emphasis made by Jesus “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” Objectively looked at, this may mean either the statement made by Peter “Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God” or reference is to Peter himself. The second interpretation is supported albeit erroneously and out of context by several premises, namely; 1) Peter’s name (Petros in Greek) means rock or stone. Pedro, Petra or Cephas are also names that mean rock or stone, the first being Spanish, the second Greek and the third Aramaic. 2) Jesus before addressing the establishment of the church pronounces beatitude to Peter, “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but My Father who is in heaven.” 3) Jesus alludes to Peter and then instantly says “Upon this rock I will build My church.” 4) Jesus gives Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven and also the authority to bind and loose.

Before we review the above premises let us ponder a few facts: Jesus is the founder of the church and He is also the Head of the church. Anything that pertains to the church must of necessity be linked to Him. He is the Savior of the church and He is the One who paid the purchase price of the church. A careful scrutiny reveals that the church entirely belongs to Jesus Christ. We fall under this umbrella because the term (church of Christ) is not the name of the church but a designation suitably for the church. It simply denotes the owner of the body. We are neither short of words nor names to give to the church; we simply refer to it by the title of its owner. Any other name is earthly and therefore we cannot invent names for the church for we must refer to scriptural things by scriptural designations (1 Peter 4:11). Some call themselves Adventists, some Catholics, some Baptists, some Methodists and still some Pentecostals. This is because men want to have names created through their innovations and distinctify themselves according to their doctrines. Remember that only Adam was given the privilege to name the animal world. Members of the Lord’s church only have the designation from the Bible; church of Christ (Romans 16:16) and are called “Christians” (1 Peter 4:16). We are simply Christians nothing less and nothing more.

The promise to establish the church came from the mouth of Jesus and its establishment was hinged solely upon Him. Please note the following 1) Peter’s name is (Petros) which in Greek is masculine whilst the word (petra) is feminine in nature. Reference here cannot be to Peter. Jesus contrasted these two in order to show distinction. He alluded to Peter in order to strengthen and emphasize metaphorical. Caesarea Philippi was a rocky place and that imagery may also be applied here as well as the character of Peter. Christ’s emphasis is not on the person of Peter nor Peter’s ministry but on the surety and certainty to last until the end of time no matter the conditions or the political environment nor any spiritual forces, “…the gates of Hades will not prevail against it”. Satan after realizing His defeat on the Roman cross decided to unleash his terror on the church, “So the dragon was enraged with the woman. And he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17) The present day existence of the church manifests the truth that was revealed by Jesus Christ that the church would not be overcome by the dark forces of Satan. Roman Empire was the human agent used by the devil to thwart and bring to end the church and it failed for the Roman Empire is no longer a kingdom but the church as prophesied to coexist with the kingdom of the Son still is going from strength to strength.

The second premise of the above reasoning that Jesus pronounces beatitude to Peter is used as proof that the church is founded upon Peter who is the rock. “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). This verse does not give Peter much leverage to have the church built upon him. This verse emphasizes who we are in reference to God’s plan of salvation. Peter is known for his quick to speak attitude and most often than not Peter said things that were contrary to the kingdom dynamics. On the mount of transfiguration the Bible states that he said not knowing what he was saying, (Mark 9:6). Of prime note is what Peter said soon after or should we say minutes after Jesus’ discourse. He rebuked Jesus and declared flatly that Jesus must not die. He did not know that Jesus’ death was for his benefit and the entire world; for all those who will come to Jesus for salvation (Matthew 16:22, 23). God is not one to show partiality and this can be seen from Jesus’ words after His resurrection. The blessing of Peter does not negate other blessings pronounced on the children of God such as the all time faith principle declared to Thomas after the glorious resurrection and appearance, “ Blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed” (John 20:29).  This very premise cannot stand as solid support for the doctrine of Peter being the rock that was referred to by Jesus Christ.

The third premise that is used by the advocates of Peter as the rock or the first pope was explained clearly by J.W Margavey.

“It is objected to this interpretation, that the name of Peter in the original means a stone (John 1:42), and that when Jesus says to him, “Thou art Petros (a stone), and on this rock I will build my church,” the term this identifies rock with the stone just mentioned, or the person of Peter. But here are two insuperable obstacles in the way of this objection: first after saying, “Thou art Petros,’ he changes the phraseology, as if for the very purpose of avoiding this meaning, and says, “on this petra I will build my church.” If he had intended to identify Peter with the rock, he would have repeated the term petros, instead of introducing the new term petra, which means a ledge of rock, while Petros means a stone. Again if he had meant that he would build on Peter, it is inconceivable that he adopted so unnatural a method of expressing the idea, instead of saying, “Thou art Peter, and on thee I will build my church.”

Jesus Christ in this instance used the form of address that was given by Peter. Firstly we must note that Peter in reply had this to say, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. Jesus in His reply echoes this unique form of address by making a contrast between Him and Peter. “And I say also to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church. Jesus first of all told Peter that he was Simon the son of Jonah, thus showing that Peter was of earthly origin. Peter had previously affirmed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God thus making Jesus to be of heavenly origin. The form of address hereby applied by these two individuals does not in anyway make Peter the rock upon which the church is built.

The fourth premise may well help us establish the definition of the rock that was referred to. Many commentators have tried at least to a certain extent to support the interpretation of Christ as the Rock. This may seem to be the case for Paul in the book of the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10:4) wrote, “…and they all drink from that spiritual rock that followed them and the rock was Christ”. The Psalmist echoes the same words in (Psalms 18: 2) when he states that “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold”. Matthew Henry also supports this interpretation, at least he is right about Peter not being the rock but errs when he supports the idea that Christ was referring to Himself,

“Christ added that He had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or firmness in professing the truth. The word translated “rock” is not the same word as Peter, but is of a similar meaning. Nothing can be more wrong than to suppose that Christ meant the person of Peter.”

In the second part of his commentary on the above he errs albeit with strong emphasis on what the passage does not allude to,

“Without doubt Christ himself is the Rock, the tried foundation of the church; and woe to him who attempts to lay any other! Peter’s confession is this rock as to doctrine. If Jesus be not the Christ, those that own Him are not of the church, but deceivers and deceived.”

To say that Christ is the Rock does no damage to the Scriptures but at least in this instance we must see through the meaning of the rock, the stone that was cut out with no human hands (Daniel 2: 34). Emphasis here must be on what Peter said to Christ and what the Christ asked the apostles. Peter affirmed with the rest of the disciples that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God. This is the foundation or the bedrock of truth that the church is built upon. The church cannot exist if there are no people who confess Jesus as the Son of the Living God. The Ethiopian eunuch believed and before his baptism had this in confession “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37).Whenever and wherever this statement is made the church of Christ is established.

Peter cannot be the rock because if Jesus meant Peter in reference to the rock then He would have simply said. “Thou art Peter and upon you I will build My church”. We know that the Lord emphasized divine revelation concerning His identity.

[fumcpastor]

Awake

This is part two of a series on vital religion that will be part of the solution for the twenty-first century.  It is based on a TED talk given by Rabbi Sharon Brous.

The first principle for the way forward is wakefulness.

Let’s confess to the truth that we spend most of our waking hours asleep – desensitized to the expressions of the brokenness of the world.  It no longer shocks us that a murder was committed in the name of God.  (And, before you think this is a twenty-first century Muslim issue, I can remember abortion clinics bombed by Christian extremists in the 1980’s and ��90’s.)  It no longer tugs at us to see a picture of a child pulled, bruised and bloody, from the wreckage of a building in Aleppo.  It no longer moves us to action when we hear of yet another flood, another earthquake, another school shooting, another story about human trafficking.

We have been anesthetized to the many expressions of evil that occur around the world and around the block.  Perhaps it is because these things are happening all too frequently – and that in itself, should give us pause.

Wakefulness means remaining tenaciously engaged with the world around us.  It means we don’t turn aside from the person wounded and naked at the side of the road on which we are traveling.  It means we allow ourselves to become angry at injustice.  It means we allow our hearts to break when we hear of another story of homelessness or hunger.  It means we allow ourselves to become disgusted by racism or prejudice in any of the forms they take.

Wakefulness is painful.  But, it also drives us to do two things: first, to seek out the places of hope and life in the world, and second, to be part of the solution.

Wakefulness was part of the early Wesleyan movement of the people called Methodist.  John and Charles Wesley looked around England and saw all kinds of injustice: the poor were being ignored by the rich, there weren’t enough schools or hospitals, orphans were left to fend for themselves or die on the streets of large cities, and much, much more.  This wakefulness to the realities of their world did not pull John and Charles out of the world; indeed, it propelled them into it.  The people called Methodist built schools, hospitals, orphanages, visited people in prison, gave food to the hungry and so on.  In fact, historians credit John and Charles Wesley and the Methodists with averting in England the kind of bloody revolution that was taking place in France.

Instead of sleeping in apathy, the Methodists were wakeful to the problems around them; and, instead of retreating from the world or criticizing it from an ivory tower of pseudo-holiness, the Methodists engaged the world with compassion and mercy.

What can happen in Fenton and the world when we choose to wake from our slumber and engage the forces of evil with the power of compassion and the strength of love?  The possibilities are exciting and the hope it brings will be contagious.

But. That’s a blog for next time.

Until then, I am proud to be…

With you on the journey,

Jeff

[newsnigeria]

Check out New Post published on Ọmọ Oòduà

New Post has been published on http://ooduarere.com/news-from-nigeria/breaking-news/alaafin-refutes-oonis-yoruba-ties-igbos/

Alaafin Sets The Record Straight, Refutes Ooni's Claim On Yoruba Ancestral Ties With Igbos

SCRIPT OF THE LETTER PUBLISHED IN THE NIGERIAN TRIBUNE ON THURSDAY, 2 MAY, 2019 PAGE 9

In recent time, I have been inundated with calls and even visits to my Palace on a recent Video Tape showing His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife during the Aje Festival in Ile-Ife, Osun State. With all sense of modesty but candour, I cannot recall exactly the number of the video tapes that have been sent to me by well-meaning Yoruba elders and patriots.

(2) In the same vein, the traditional rulers have not been left out of this concern and legitimate worries. All across Yoruba speaking areas of Nigeria up to Kwara and Kogi states, the situation to say the least, has been breathless. Even the Yoruba in the Diaspora; Republics of Benin and Togo, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada etc have also expressed indignation about the current issue.

(3) Initially, my reaction was to stand by my age long resolve, as the king and Head of Yorubaland, not to interfere in the running of the affairs of other Paramount rulers in Yorubaland of which the Ooni of Ife is one. But after listening thoroughly with meticulous assessment and analysis of the tape, I did not hesitate to come to the conclusion that the time for me to interfere was ripe and absolutely expedient less the cherished historical and cultural heritage of the Yoruba is wantonly dragged in the mud. My interference, therefore, is daintily anchored on the sanctity of Yoruba history, origin and custom which I am convinced the said video tape by Oba Enitan Ogunwusi did not observe.

(4) Yet, even in my response, one should be cautious enough against any inter ethnic hostility and malice within Nigerian context, especially between Yoruba and Igbo. But this should not be turned into historical fallacies. I doubt if any Igbo man familiar with the history of his origin will be happy with the fallacious claim that they originated from Obatala.

(5) Also I do not think the Igbo with a record of highly respected origin will feel comfortable after tracing their origin to ancient Israel with lineage to Eri, the fifth son of Gad who was the seventh son of Jacob, who was the youngest son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Eri, the son of Gad was said to have entered the present Egypt, journeying down Africa, crossing the Nile to Ethiopia (present day Sudan) and finally into the present day Enugwu Aguleri (for more details about this see: THE BOOK NIGERIA 2.O. CARAPACE PUBLISHERS NIGERIA LIMITED. Pg 46 ORIGIN OF THE IGBO: OBU GAD (HOUSE OF GAD) ANAMBRA STATE. Khartoum Street, Wuse, Zone 5, Abuja Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria or www.dayoadedayo.com). Certainly, the Igbo people who are proud of their origin will not feel comfortable with any pseudo history that will make them superior to Israel.

(6) I am not aware of any business relationship between the Yoruba and the Igbo until the 19th century, leading to the amalgamation of the Southern Protectorate and Northern Protectorate that resulted into Nigeria in 1914. In other words, we are related as fellows Nigerians who have been enjoying mutual relationship for each other. Culturally, linguistically, traditionally and historically, we are basically different. We have always striven to promote harmonious understanding in our diversities.

(7) AJE Coming back to the origin of Aje – Commerce, the cowry (Owoeyo) had been the Yoruba medium of exchange long before the Europeans came. Hence the decoration of Sekere drum with cowries in appreciation and honour of Aje deity it is to say the least, instructively abominable for anybody, no matter how highly placed to put any tribe above the Yoruba race as far as legitimate trading business is concerned. This is because Aje remains one of the early deities of the Yoruba whose imagery creation is the popular Sekere music played everywhere in Yorubaland.

(8) Alaafin Onisile 1738 – 1750: Alaafin Onisile was remarkable for his indomitable courage and lion-hearted spirit. He was moreover very artistic, and was said to have made seven silver doors to the entrances of his sleeping apartment. During his reign, the Sekere (Calabash) drum was ornamented, not only with cowries, but also with costly beads e.g. Iyun (Corals), Okun (Stone beads, Benin), Erinla (stripped yellow pipe beads) and Segi (blue pipe beads), strung with silk thread dyed red; all of native manufacture. He was a great warrior and for his exploits was nicknamed “Gbagida! Wowo I’ewon ab’esin fo odi (Gbagida, an expression of admiration), a man with clanging chains (for prisoners) whose horse can lead over a town wall). The History of the Yorubas. Pg.176 by Rev, Samuel Johnson.

(9) Besides, some families in Yorubaland are classified adherents of Aje deity. Some of these families named their children in honour of their chosen deity, i.e. Aje. Such names include: Ajebandele, Ajewumi, Ajifowobaje etc not to talk of those who dedicate time to worship the deity.

(10) It is also a truism that some cognomen, lineage panegyric, such cognomen include: Aje ti so eru d’omo. Yet another is special request and plea to Aje such as “Aje dakun ma na mi ni pasan re ko se nani” and many others like that.

(11) Coming back to modern trade, I make bold to say that it was the imitative of Alaafin who opened the Yoruba to Trans-Sahara trade with West African Countries as early as the fifteenth century. This was especially between the Yoruba and the Hausa-Fulani across West Africa. Trade routes led from Timbuktu in Mali, Goa, Tuareg and Tripoli. Still as far as (Oceanic) Coastal trade was concerned, the Alaafin used the Port of Allada in Wema to control European shippers. “By the middle of the 18th century, when Oyo had grown into an empire in the full bloom of life, Oyo was bounded to the north by the Niger, to the West by Modern Togoland, to the east by its sister Kingdom of Benin and to the South by the Gulf of Guinea, and Porto Novo and Badagry were its main coastal outlets. Dahomey, it may be recalled, became a tributary state of Oyo in 1730 see: Topics in West African History, pg. 90 Paragraph 22 by Adu Boahen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History, University of Ghana. Published by Longman Group Limited, London 1966.

(12) One other imperative of Yoruba in the pursuit of commerce is that any such pursuit must be legitimate with norms of the society. It is on this note that Yoruba sweat and labour as necessary partners; Yoruba do not encourage cheating and unlaboured wealth. Yoruba work very hard to be wealthy.

“Ise ni Oogun ise Eni ti ise nse Ko ma bo orisa Oro kokan torisa Ibaa bo orisa Ibaa bo obatala O di ojo ti o ba sise ko to jeun”

“Work is the medicine for poverty Who ever is poor Let him not worship divinities Nothing concerns the divinities He may worship the divinities He may worship Obatala It is not until he does a profitable job that he would eat”

(13) The above quotations underscore the fact that the Yoruba are very industrious from the beginning with strong emphasis on legitimacy. We have such wealthy and successful businessmen in Lagos who invested heavily on the education of their children. Few examples would suffice. For instance, in 1884, Obadia Johnson, a Yoruba qualified as a Doctor of Medicine. John Randle, son of Thomas Randle an Oyo man who settled at Aroloya in Lagos qualified as a Doctor in 1888, followed by Orisadipo Obasa in 1891. Sapara Williams became the first Lawyer in Nigeria in 1888. In 1893, Herbert Macaulay, a Yoruba man, became an Engineer and A. Agbebi followed in 1911.

(14) Earlier on a Primary School had been established in 1842 in Lagos by the Missionaries. The CMS Grammar School was established in Lagos in 1859 by T.B Macaulay who is the father of Herbert Macaulay. The Methodist Boys’ High School followed in 1876 and in 1879 Methodist Girls’ High School, 1881 St Gregory’s College, Lagos and in 1885 the Baptist Academy (see J.F. Ade Ajayi “The Development of Secondary Grammar School Education in Nigeria, pg 523.

(15) It also on account of such entrepreneurship backup with distinguished scholarship that the Yoruba established the first Television Station in Black Africa, the first five-star Hotel – Premier Hotel, Ibadan, first Stadium, first dualised Road – Mokola – to State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, first Food Canning Industry, first Skyscrapper – Cocoa House, Ibadan, first farm settlement, First Free Primary Education, free Medical services for school children; all in the former Western Region of Nigeria under the premiership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The first African Bishop was Bishop Ajayi Crowther, who spoke twelve languages: English, Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa, Fulfulde (Fulani) Nupe, Kanuri etc, Bishop Ajayi Crowther discovered the first ever Igbo Alphabet ‘ISIOMA’ just as the first Newspaper to be published in Nigeria. These are just a few of the “firsts”.

(16) In summary, let it be stated that Nigeria, despite the multiplicity of its ethnicity has been together in harmony in spite of their heterogeneity. All of us leaders should guide against any utterance that can create an atmosphere of suspicion and rancor among the various ethnic compositions.

IKU BABA YEYE

Oba (Dr.) Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, JP. CFR, LLD, SAP, D.LLTS, DPA The Alaafin of Oyo and Permanent Chairman Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs Chancellor, University of Maiduguri, Borno State Chancellor, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State Pro-Chancellor, Keisie International University South Korea Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

[talhaghafoor2019-blog]

Why Hillsong Music is Dangerous For Your Church

Houston, we have a problem!

Brian Houston, that is. Arguably one of the most influential figures of today’s professing church, Houston, is currently the senior pastor of the worldwide multi-site megachurch known as Hillsong. The church, founded by Houston’s paedophile father, Frank Houston, dominates the contemporary worship music scene, with their songs being played in churches of every denomination around the entire world.

Popular songs like Oceans and Forever Reign with lyrics like “Spirit lead me, where my trust is without borders,” and “nothing compares to your embrace” fill the IMAG screens of Baptist churches, Methodist churches, Pentecostal churches, Catholic churches–churches of every kind during Sunday morning worship. From raging electric guitars, drums, and professional soloists to small choirs with nothing more than a keyboard and a few singers, the music is emotionally captivating, bringing many to tears and arms lifted high, as they sing out praises to God.

So what’s not to like?

First, Hillsong is a cult. Particularly, a cult of personality. In a blog post on Hillsong’s website entitled Five Things That Should Matter to a Worship Leader, one of Hillsong’s foremost worship leaders, Jonathan Douglass writes:

2. We are about fulfilling our Senior Pastor’s vision (not our own)

It is so important that as amazing as our creative ideas might be, if they don’t ultimately line up with what our Senior Pastor and leaders want, then we happily put them aside.The church doesn’t exist to build our worship teams… our worship teams exist to build the Church!!

Here’s the problem. Biblical churches don’t exist to fulfill a leader’s “vision,” churches exist to glorify God, preach and teach the Scriptures, and make disciples. Since Brian Houston, who is currently under investigation by the Royal Commission for his involvement in covering up his father’s crimes against children,  is the senior pastor of Hillsong Church, Douglass has made it clear who the Hillsong worship program exists to serve. (Hint: It isn’t Jesus.)

So what exactly is the “vision” of Brian Houston that Hillsong seeks to fulfill? You can read his entire vision statement here. However, to summarize, he “sees” a large, global church centered around worldly culture and music, with the purpose of influencing the world with his watered down, substanceless version of Christianity–and he claims his “vision” is from God.

Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).

Watch the video below to see exactly what Brian Houston believes Christianity and the church is supposed to be.

https://archive.org/download/houston2/houston2.mp4

Clearly Houston has no idea what the purpose and function of the church is. While he twists a passage out of Acts 8 in a sorry attempt to prove the church is made up of wicked people, he then states how he loves the fact that his church is full of broken, unrepentant people.

While it’s true that “whosoever will” come to Christ is part of the church, upon conversion, we cease to be these things, and our identity is now in Christ. Repentance is a necessary part of salvation, and you are not part of Christ’s church if you are not saved. Scripture calls us to be separate from the world.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2

Yet, Houston’s church is not built on repentant believers in Christ with Christ and his Word as the chief cornerstone, it’s centered around the “whosoever wills” that submit to his “vision.” This is evidenced in the fact that one of his campuses had two unrepentant sodomites, with open plans for a homosexual marriage, as active, participating members of the church. As a matter of fact, one of them was a choir leader. Houston’s response to this was to “love them,” and “assist them on their journey,” instead of confronting them about their sin, and calling them to repentance. The Bible calls these people “adulterous” and at enmity with God(James 4:4).

Hillsong Church does not exist to preach the Word of God, and to draw people to Christ, bringing glory to His holy name–it exists to draw people to their music, making them money, and giving them power, and giving glory to their man-centered, man-built pseudo-spiritual empire. Brian Houston clearly preaches a false gospel. Southern Baptist leader, Albert Mohler, stated,

[Hillsong is] a prosperity movement for the millennials, in which the polyester and middle-class associations of Oral Roberts have given way to ripped jeans and sophisticated rock music…What has made Hillsong distinctive is a minimization of the actual content of the Gospel, and a far more diffuse presentation of spirituality.

Brian’s Word of Faith gospel teaches that God wants you to be rich and famous so that you can reach millions of people for Christ. Watch the video below for an excerpt of a sermon he gave teaching this.

Further, it exists to convert existing churches, including biblical churches, into churches that conform to their ideology. Hillsong, while having similarities with charismatic and pentecostal churches, was actually founded on Latter Rain ideology, now known as the New Apostolic Reformation, and uses aggressive and unscrupulous tactics to take over churches.

What happens when Hillsong plants a large church in a new area? Many of the smaller churches die, because,

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. – Jude 1:4

Hillsong, through it’s attractive music, that has a form of godliness but denies His power (2 Tim 3:5), creeps it’s way into solid churches, deceptively turning people on to their ideology, drawing people to their “vision”–Brian Houston’s “vision.” A wide-ranging variety of music, some that may seem very solid theologically on the surface (even Satan masquerades as an angel of light, 2 Cor 11:14), and some that’s blatantly shallow and even unbiblical, is the effective method of takeover. It’s deceptive, and it’s evil (Mark 13:22).

The substance and theology of the music is irrelevant to Hillsong. It’s the attractive nature of the music, not the theology, that draws people to it. Hillsong’s music program funds the entire church and every time your church sings one of their praises, you are lining Brian Houston’s pockets, and carrying out his “vision.” See Also: Hillsong: A Breeding Ground of False Converts – And Your Church Pays For It.

Listen to the words of the music. When compared to Scripture, it becomes very clear that Jonathan Douglass and Hillsong Church music industry is fully executing its mission to fulfill the senior pastor’s “vision” of a worldly, theologically shallow church that’s tolerant of sin, and conforms to the lost. The music tends to carry an almost universalist theology, in that in Christ, we’re all free, and free to do as we please without fear of God’s wrath. But in Christ, we aren’t free to continue sinning, we are freed from sin, and practice ongoing repentance. The Bible says that God is not in those who love the things of the world.

If the sappy, emotional music were removed, and only the lyrics of the songs you love were spoken, rather than sung, would you get the same warm, fuzzy feeling, the same emotional high? Would you be “moved” all the same? Would you be able to discern the truth from the “almost truth?” Or is it the music that you worship, rather than God, through his eternal Word? Examine yourself to see that you are truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Are you led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14), or are you led by the lusts of the world (1 John 2:16)?

Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you… – 2 Corinthians 6:17

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[Contributed by Jeff Maples]

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[consuelocowen91-blog]

What Are actually The Top 3 Best GPS Systems For Youngsters.

Kid's primary teeth are actually an ever before altering thing, goodsupplement.Info occasionally being dropped for no noticeable explanation. After finding the glaciers in the Pyrenees, the following rational action would possess been to round heading to the West to eventually disperse along the Cantabrian region-- precisely the very same course the Red Nordids will have eventually. My uncle had blue eyes. The scientists talked to individuals exactly how eager they would certainly be actually to use the children based upon their viewpoints of the children's cuteness, self-resemblance, wellness and joy. Considerable inflamationing may call for operative intervention to lessen the pressure within the finger and also adequately clean the disease out of the deeper cells. When dealt with appropriately, individuals may get long-lasting sessions from these trying times as well as utilize that to stay a great and pleased lifestyle. The Ugly Duckling is actually a wonderful tale to prompt thought and feelings packed discussions along with little ones as well as show all of them the worths connected with appearing past appeal. He acquired his master's level in marital relationship as well as family members therapy off the California Grad Institute from Specialist Psychological Science and Psychoanalysis as well as has teamed up with a varied population featuring private grownups, teenagers and also kids in addition to along with teams and also couples. In this particular idea, J could possibly possess belonged to a pseudo-red nationality, which will be a link in between each Nordids. Our little ones were actually all dedicated in the Unitarian religion when they were actually children, yet in 2015, all four of all of them were dubbed in the United Methodist church and also the trios experienced Confirmation. Due to the fact that my papa doesn't wish me, there is actually nothing at all much worse compared to feeling that perhaps there is one thing inappropriate along with me. There are actually youngsters that actually experience this way. For instance, is political correctness an overbearing anti-free speech motion, or even a try to make folks even more aware and for that reason even more cautious concerning foreign language that can cause real upset? Factors are going to be actually done my way, and also little passion or inspiration is actually shown to the youngster. Although along with time, Betty had the ability to allocute her expertises well enough to lodge a sworn declaration along with local law-enforcement, her rapists as well as captors were actually never ever located or jailed. The legal representative and the judge and also the birth parents or even the home and also the paperwork as well as the hanging around as well as the waiting and the hanging around ... that component is hard, yet at that point-- AFTER THAT-- that's smooth cruising. If you are actually the parent from an autistic little one, nevertheless, you could notice that your little one possesses a hard time recognizing that other people assume differently than they perform or even that another person could possibly decipher details in different ways. Examining the key signs from add along with attention deficit disorder (impulsivity, poor attention, and also hyperactivity) may certainly provide a lot of ideas as to why the above fact is actually thus high however in this informational article labelled "Kid ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER as well as Knowing" we will certainly attempt to probe a little further right into the subject matter in a journey to discover answers. Clearly, that is actually exceptionally challenging to discover clean samplings from the a variety of races, yet our company have to acknowledge various ethnicities, even when they are actually weakened. Youngsters should certainly not be actually engaged in this task and within this setting.

[writingcommons-blog1]

“Andrew Is Dead—Well Almost” by Joshua B.

I.

What makes loss so hard is that we can never decide between what we need to hold onto to remain who we are and what we need to leave behind to not live in the past. There is no pseudo-science to it- no restart button- no reason behind the madness- no Happily Ever Afters- no American Dreams that were conjured up off the coast of Ellis Island. The truth is I love Nietzsche like the homeless men at the Methodist Church. I straddle the stool and contemplate the extraneous philosophies of life over some burnt toast and the fruit snacks Dad stashes with the lemon disinfectant that makes the throat burn and his cheap wine he uses for his unwind. I peer up from the philosophical novel when Dad touches me with his warm and calloused hand. He pulls me in close as the newspaper falls onto the kitchen table. I read the obituary next to the Sunday supplements and a few automobile ads. 

I can smell his cheap aftershave, remnants of mint toothpaste in his exhale, and his ironic smile reveals the dimples in his cheeks. I feel for a moment what it is like to miss someone, the kind that comes after the fact, the kind that hurts in the most random times, the kind that can never be adjusted to, the kind that we think will never end but does.

Andrew is dead- well almost. I have not seen him in a decade so what does it matter?

I want to ask Dad that question but I decide not to. I know the answer. We often ask questions we know the answer to because we want to hear a different one. I peer down a narrow corridor that ends with a massive tan recliner plopped in front of a box television. It is one with wires that make me picture Andrew attached to hospital monitors that rise and fall with his delicate heartbeat, IV tubes that stick out of his frail arms, and ventilators that sound horrible when turned on.

The broken screen distorts the picture- like a past that I can sort of remember in a faded form of retrospect- to leave out what I want and replace it with what I need. I reconstruct the memories and one stands out. It is the kind that Nietzsche would not understand and Dad would write off as another excuse.

II.

I remember our adventures to the Methodist church that smelt like old people- nervous sinners- marble statues of our savior. Our choir practices here for no apparent reason. In his backpack are the essentials- a map of Waukesha- a Polaroid- a pocket knife- a Voodoo doll with the face of his ex on it- a karate manual that he studies religiously- action figures (He hates when I call them dolls) - mint toothpaste- War and Peace- a book Andrew swears to have read but I doubt it- Sandman comics- his favorite. He paces back and forth with his fists balled up. His face flushes with fear, his knees wobble with weakness, and his chest decompresses. The nerves do not cease. His mind wanders off past the marble statues, stained glass, and wooden crosses that look down on us. The Methodist church looks different from the altar. That is where we perform. Andrew mouths the words. Andrew knows them. He is embarrassed that he is still a soprano. We stand tall as our blue bow ties chaff our necks and our blue cummerbunds catch the sweat that drips off our strained faces. We have to think to breathe- breathe- breathe- before we pass out. Dad holds the video camera in his hands. It will be a viral sensation, the kind that makes us famous for fifteen whole seconds. That seems like forever then. The audience claps as we take our bows. Andrew does not know what to do so he stands there like an idiot but I love him more for it. The choir sits down neat and prim with their hands folded in their laps. Andrew puts his feet up. He treats the pew like the tan recliner in our house that Mom called hideous and Dad admired but threw out because, “marriage is about picking your battles.” He tells me that with a sullen look on his face, reminding me of what I will be like in due time.

Andrew crosses his arms and buries his head into a bible. He will recite the psalms later in random conversations. Our conductor, stunned and embarrassed, comes over to scold him. I cannot hear what she tells Andrew but it shakes him. He sits tall and never breaks his stare from our savior who looks down on us.

Somehow I know this is the last time Andrew will perform in the choir. We will move on and become a past for each other that we can sort of remember in a faded form of retrospect- to leave out what we want and replace it with what we need. He will drive home in the back of his minivan and smile. Our rehearsed waves will act as a farewell.

III.

Dad looks for someone in particular — the Andrew without cancer. It is inevitable. We all die. Nietzsche said that. I want to list off all the factoids that I know about Andrew. Dad hates when I do that. It comes off as an excuse for all the loss I cannot explain. The television illuminates half of my face and blackens the other. I watch the weather as if to show that life moves on. I never break my stare from our savior on the television who takes Andrew to that awful place called Heaven, hell, or that old Methodist church.   The obituary is vague- unemotional- dry- all that life should not be but is. I crumple up the newspaper and throw it into the trash next to the burnt toast. The blue bow tie, cummerbund, video of the performance, and old still frames of Andrew and I collect dust in the keepsake box Dad stores with the lemon disinfectant.

I suppose we are all searching for the pseudo-sciences- restart buttons- reasons behind the madness- Happily Ever Afters- and American Dreams to explain how life hurts us and we beat on. Andrew is dead. His life has been reduced to an article. He got a few words — those fifteen seconds of fame we dreamed of as kids.

I have not seen him in a decade so what does it matter? I answer the question in fear I will never come back to it. So I beat on for old times sake if that is even a sufficient reason to love an old friend.  

[40ozmotet]

Joe & Sam

He was 15 when I met him. I was about ten years older. We both had much to hide, but it didn’t show on our faces that day.

In full confession, I state that I was a founder, a lead, a performer convinced that I was greater than my worth in an Evangelical Christian troop that specialized in puppets (?!), creative movement (Southern Baptists don’t dance), and the occasional short drama (we somehow legitimized ourselves by never saying ‘skit’). It was the mid 1990’s, and we were hosting a festival / competition at a rural Methodist church very close to southern Alabama. Comfortable in a pulpit, I emcee'ed the open competition. Large for his age, he sat in a pew two-thirds of the way back wedged to his diminutive beaming mother (she originally of Yazoo, Mississippi - search Jerry Clower and Zig Ziglar for reference as she shared personality and hometown with both) and cradling green felt named Wendell.

I introduced him (though knowing nothing of him) as if we had toured the Vaudeville circuit together. Nothing could be closer to the truth.

He performed as ventriloquist with Wendell serving more as a recalcitrant alter-ego to the straight-arrow Kermit the frog that was Sam (not his name, but you get the idea). That day I marveled at his immense talent even masked in his stale patter with an ugly puppet.

Fast forward: Sam’s family, which would also include a kindly if dense father and an unremarkable (painfully so) older brother would come to join the South Cinco Baptist Church (the fictitious name I gave a real church in so many poems and ravings). Sam would join our performance squad. I’d know of him closer through machinations of the cuñado (then not related) and with the company of a fourth (another story there about a tiny 4 yo girl I held as a young teen, later become friends with as we grew to adulthood, and now barely keep up with via Instagram – much more story here, but it is mostly the cuñado’s) We’d regularly meet on Saturday mornings, the four of us (two teens, two men) and write stories, scripts and improvise with puppets. The cuñado was a news station camera man then so we’d make short VHS and super-8 films, sneaking into the news station late at night to edit. The South Cinco Baptist Church tapped us to create edifying Bible-based puppet plays which we did, secretly creating parallel irreverent bits that involved purple Hector the crooked evangelist, Malcolm the bald dancing chorister, Neurotta the pink fluffy depressive who toured late night talk shows, and Janet the church pianist with an obsession for figgy pudding. Eventually the new youth minister would call upon us to write and perform Wednesday night youth services in a pseudo-Saturday Night Live format. We did. But then Sam began to fade from the picture (his older brother, David, at last seizing some limelight). And I began to drift - first to the Episcopal church and then into a second marriage and Ohio. Meanwhile, the artist, the cuñado, and I kept encouraging Sam to connect with the Muppets (he had - and still has - that kind of talent). He finally did send in an audition tape partially including our late night editings. Kevin Clash called him personally. He was invited to perform Harry Monster for Disneyworld in Tokyo. He moved to Orlando for college. He did (and still does, I think) work as a performer in MGM Studios there. Fast forward again: I’m living in Ohio with first child in the way. Sam, who rarely contacts via email, suddenly writes me about this amazing book. He goes on and on about the magic, the Vaudeville, the comic books. The thing is he never reads. Not even comic books (that’s much more the cuñado’s milieu). In past he’s only read biography of George Burns and Bob Hope. I must read this book. I check it out from the library. I make it halfway through before I have to return. I don’t comment back even though I really like what I read. Fast forward again: Since then, Sam’s father dies suddenly of a heart attack (Sam would stoically discover his father in a recliner.) The artist (sometimes Sam seemed to pine for her) grew up, married, and moved to Philadelphia. Sam would keep closer contact with the cuñado, and so he clumsily and obliquely eventually came out to cuñado and my sister. Now as I read the book Sam tried to press on me long before he openly came out, I realize he tried to do so through my reading a book recommended by someone who never reads. Like Joe, I only kind of got it.

[faithfulnews]

ANZABS 2018 program and abstracts

ANZABS CONFERENCE 2018

6-7 December, 2018

Venue: Wesley Hall, Trinity Methodist College, 202A St Johns Rd, Meadowbank, Auckland 1072 Thursday 6 December 9.30 am – REGISTRATION 10.00-10.10 – mihi 10.10-11.00 – Keynote speaker: Robert Myles – Fishing for Eyewitnesses in the Fourth Gospel 11.00-11.30 – Morning tea 11.30-12.00 – Lyndon Drake – Economic Capital in the Hebrew Bible 12.00-12.30 – Anne Aalbers – Resurrection and Celibacy: Two Sides of the Same Coin? 12.30-1.00 – Jonathan Robinson – "And he was with the beasts," (Mark 1:13): Ambiguity, Interpretation and Mark as a Jewish Author 1.00-2.00 – Lunch 2.00-2.30 – Ben Hudson – Ethical Exhortation and the Decalogue in Ephesians 2.30-3.00 – Csilla Saysell – The Servant as 'a covenant of/for people' in Deutero-Isaiah 3.00-3.30 – Afternoon tea 3.30-4.00 – Jacqueline Lloyd – Did Jesus minister in Gaulanitis? 4.00-4.30 – Mark Keown – Jesus as the New Joshua 4.30 – AGM Friday 7 December 9.30-10.00 – Ben Ong – Pākehā Reading of the New Testament 10.00-10.30 – Jordan Chapman – Nero as “The Destroyer” in Revelation 9:11 10.30-11.00 – Morning tea 11.00-11.30 – Sarah Hart – The Rich–Poor Divide: Seeking Biblical Directives 11.30-12.00 – Paul Trebilco – What does Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, tell us about the Christians in Ephesus at the close of the second century CE? 12.00-12.30 – Ross Millar – Narrative of the discourses: the introductory settings of Matthew’s teaching discourses 12.30-1.00 – Deane Galbraith – Jeremiah Wrote an Epilogue, And It Once Had a Mighty Fine Whine: The Original Prophecy of Unmitigated Doom in Jeremiah 25.1-13Lunch 1.00-2.00 – Lunch 2.00-2.30 – Stephen Gerbault – The Gospel of John, David F. Ford, and Reading in the Spirit 2.30-3.00 – Philip Church – “In Speaking of a New Covenant, God Declares the First Obsolete” (Heb 8:13): Supersessionism in the Book of Hebrews 3.00-3.30 – Julia van den Brink, “Blessed God”: The use of μακάριος to describe God in 1 Tim 1:11; 6:15 3.30-4.00 – Rikk Watts – The Stronger one and the dove: Revisiting two discarded images. 4.00 – closing words and karakia. Afternoon tea and chat for those who wish to stay. Registration To cover catering costs, there will be a registration fee for ANZABS 2018: Student/lower income presenters - $20 Student/lower income attendees - $40 Everyone else - $80 Please pay this registration fee in cash, on the day. To sign up for attending the conference, please register here: https://goo.gl/forms/Cs3yPj8xJQEmWQel1 Full abstracts are below. Abstracts Anne Aalbers, University of Auckland Resurrection and Celibacy: Two Sides of the Same Coin? In this paper I am proposing that, integral to religious belief in the first century, sexual abstinence – or celibacy – was the assumed status of the resurrected. I will discuss not only familiar NT texts but also some evidence of Jewish ascetic practice such as that which comes to us from the texts of the Judaean Desert. Greek and Latin historical sources, as well as insight available to us from common proto-gnostic attitudes, reveal a consistent cultural understanding of celibacy in the eschaton. Such diverse sources of support for the idea would suggest that, in any record of the account of the resurrected Jesus, the Gospel writers would assume this to be the case. In my PhD thesis I am proposing that John’s Gospel shows full consistency with this expectation and that Jesus’ puzzling prohibition to Mary Magdalene, not to touch him while he is still embodied before ascension (20:17), is motivated by this understanding. Julia van den Brink, Laidlaw College ‘Blessed God’: The use of μακάριος to describe God in 1 Tim 1:11; 6:15 Blessing statements using μακάριος are scattered throughout the Septuagint (LXX) and the New Testament (NT). Most are found in beatitudes (e.g. blessed are the poor, Luke 6:20). In the diverse uses of μακάριος across the LXX and NT, there appears to be one rule for its use: it is never used to describe God. While God may be described as ‘blessed’ using εὐλ��γητος, he is not praised with μακάριος. There are, however, two noticeable exceptions: 1 Timothy 1:11 and 6:15. In this paper, I will explore some possible explanations for why the author of 1 Timothy has seemingly broken with tradition and described God using μακάριος. Jordan Chapman, University of Otago Nero as ‘The Destroyer’ in Revelation 9:11 The angel of the abyss in Revelation 9:11 is given two names, both of which mean, ‘The Destroyer.’ Most commentators note that an allusion to the Greco-Roman deity Apollo can be seen in the Greek name of the angel, but fail to develop its significance. Epigraphical and literary sources attest to Nero's self-association with Apollo, and the Nero-like traits of the Beast later in Revelation (13, 17) make an Apollo-Nero allusion probable. In evoking Nero in Revelation 9, John fleshes out the nature of idolatry in the chapter and foreshadows his use of Nero-like qualities for the Beast. Philip Church, Laidlaw College ‘In Speaking of a New Covenant, God Declares the First Obsolete’ (Heb 8:13): Supersessionism in the Book of Hebrews In the 2000 edition of his Hebrews commentary Robert Gordon claimed that Hebrews was supersessionist. In the second edition (2008) he added an eighteen page defence of that claim. Since Hebrews was written by an ethnic Jew to ethnic Jews, and since the argumentation is drawn from the Jewish Greek Scriptures, the critique of the Jewish cult is an internal critique, the seeds of which were sown in those Scriptures. The former covenant anticipated the new, and what it anticipated is now a reality. Now that the reality has come, what anticipated it has been fulfilled and is no longer necessary. This is fulfilment rather than supersession. Lyndon Drake, Oxford University Economic Capital in the Hebrew Bible In Genesis 2:17, God prohibits eating fruit from ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ Commentators are divided about the reason for the prohibition and its related sanction, with some (for example, James Barr) even arguing that God acts unethically. I propose that eating from the tree functions within the narrative world of the text as an archetypal, negative example of comprehensive consumption in the face of plenty. Or, conversely, Adam and Eve lack appropriate restraint. Other biblical texts, particularly a number of economic regulations in the law codes, present restraint rather than complete consumption as a divinely-approved virtue. By contrast, the Adapa story and the Gilgamesh epic both present the restraint of primeval humans as foolishness. I argue that the virtue of restraint presented in Genesis 2 functions as a unifying principle for a number of biblical texts which address economic issues. Deane Galbraith, University of Otago Jeremiah Wrote an Epilogue, And It Once Had a Mighty Fine Whine: The Original Prophecy of Unmitigated Doom in Jeremiah 25.1-13 Jeremiah's prophecies dated before the Judahite exile of 597 BCE predict complete devastation for the land of Judah, the elimination of any remnant within its cities, and no hope of return for exiles. For Jeremiah, the ‘prophet of doom’, hope was something that only (pseudo-)prophets offered. Yet many have challenged this picture, pointing to the prophecies of hope in the various final forms of the book of Jeremiah. This paper finds support for a pre-597 ‘prophet of [unmitigated] doom’ in LXX Jer 25.1-13, when read against the tyranny of the (Masoretic) canon. In LXX Jer 25.1-13, Jeremiah composed an epilogue of hopelessness, without expectation of any future for Judahites, without any knowledge of the Oracles against the Nations, and without expectation of punishment for Babylon. Stephen C. Gerbault, Laidlaw College, Alphacrucis College The Gospel of John, David F. Ford, and Reading in the Spirit How is the church to read the Gospels? In a review essay on Richard B. Hays’ 2016 book, Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels, David Ford (2017) suggests that John is offering a creative ‘reading forwards’ paradigm for reading Scripture. This paper hopes to explore what is meant by reading forwards and how it relates to Hays’ reading backwards. It will then conclude with brief suggestions for reading the Gospels in the Spirit. Sarah Hart, Good Shepherd College, Te Hepara Pai ‘The Rich–Poor Divide: Seeking Biblical Directives’ What perspectives does the Bible offer regarding the economic gap between the rich and poor? Are analyses or directives of a rich-poor divide discernible in the biblical literature? These two questions focus the choice of biblical passages and secondary sources. Principal texts for the discussion are Jubilee Year and Land Tenure (Lev 25), Naboth’s Vineyard (1 Kgs 21), and selected texts from the prophetic writings (Is 5:7; Am 6:4-7). Secondary sources include the work of Rainer Albertz and Samuel Adams. Ben Hudson, University of Otago Ethical Exhortation and the Decalogue in Ephesians This paper will argue that the paraenesis of Ephesians (Eph 4:17-6-9) is structured so as to reflect the second table of the Decalogue. The lengthly exhortations are attended by a series of allusions and echoes which evoke the scriptural commandments concerning parents, adultery, stealing, murder, false testimony and covetousness, in reverse order. Noticing this extended engagement with the Decalogue in which Gentile Christ-believers are exhorted to a way of live shaped by scriptural commandments contributes to resolving a number of puzzles in Ephesians including; accounting for the relationship between the two halves of the letter, discerning the letter’s purpose, and interpreting the difficult phrase τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν καταργήσας (he abolished the law of commandments in decrees, Eph 2:15). Mark Keown, Laidlaw College Jesus as the New Joshua It is common in NT studies to hear Jesus considered in regards to Messiah (Christ), Lord, Son of Man, Son of David, the Prophet, Son of God, new Moses, and so on. Yet, it is extremely rare to find Jesus considered as the New Joshua. In this paper, I will argue that God’s choice of name for his Son suggests that this is as essential an OT connection as Jesus as Christ and Son of Man, the two ideas that dominate the Gospel narratives. He is after all named by God as Joshua. To understand Jesus, he must be considered as the Second Joshua. Jacqueline Lloyd, Laidlaw College Did Jesus minister in Gaulanitis? References to Gaulanitis are absent in the Gospels. Consequently, Jesus’ ministry in Gaulanitis is largely ignored by New Testament scholars. However, the Synoptic Gospels do state that Jesus ministered in Bethsaida, which has been identified with Et-Tell in the central Golan, a region roughly corresponding to ancient Gaulanitis. In this paper I will argue that Jesus probably did minister in Gaulanitis. I will also argue that the reason there is no mention of this in the Gospels is because the Jewish people living in first-century Judaea considered Gaulanitis to be a part of Galilee. Ross Millar, Laidlaw College Narrative of the discourses: The introductory settings of Matthew’s teaching discourses Matthew is often divided into narrative and teaching sections, with the end of each teaching discourse beginning marked by the literary formula, ‘when Jesus had finished saying [all] these things...’ Each of these discourses begins with a narrative introduction and the settings and characters of these narrative introductions will be examined for patterns. The ways Matthew uses these opening phrases to outline the differing relationships crowds and disciples have with Jesus will be explored. Robert Myles, Murdoch University Fishing for Eyewitnesses in the Fourth Gospel John 18:15–16 mentions an unknown disciple of Jesus who ‘was known to the high priest’ giving him access to the events in Caiaphas’s courtyard. A minority of scholars maintain the identity of this disciple is consistent with John, the son of Zebedee, whom they also maintain was the author of the Fourth Gospel. To support this position, the commonplace fiction of entrepreneurial Galilean fishermen belonging to an aspiring ‘middle-class’ is asserted. This paper reviews the arguments and suggests that a more rigorous account of the agrarian political-economic relation in the ancient world demonstrates the implausibility of such a scenario. Ben Ong, University of Otago Pākehā Reading of the New Testament The contextuality of the scholar dictates the analysis of their work. ‘Pākehā’ exist due to their relationship with hau kāinga, true home people, in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu. This relationship inherently influences the contextuality of the person and, therefore, the scholar. Few contextual biblical studies works exist in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu, this paper proposes a possible contextual methodology on the basis of relational identity granted in Te Tiriti o Waitangi for biblical studies, allowing for critical dialogue between ‘traditional’ analytical methods and the non-Māori scholar’s understanding of te ao Māori, the Māori world. Ka tino aweawetia te tātaritanga o ō rātou mahi e te ao horopaki o te tangata mātauranga. Nā te hau kāinga Māori te noho o ngā iwi Pākehā i roto i Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu. Ka aweawe tēnei piringa i te horopaki o te tangata me te tangata mātauranga. He mahingia horopaki itiiti o mātai Paipera Tapu ērā i roto i Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu. Kei raro i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ka whakaaria tēnei pūrongo i tētahi tikanga i mātai Paipera Tapu, ka taea te kōrero tātaritanga te hanga i waenganui i te kōrero tātari o tikanga Pākehā me tētahi Pākehā mōhiotanga o te ao Māori. Jonathan Robinson, University of Otago ‘And he was with the beasts,’ (Mark 1:13): Ambiguity, Interpretation and Mark as a Jewish Author James Dunn, in his seminal 1980 work, Christology in the Making, wrote, ‘We should not underestimate the Jewish hermeneutical readiness to read as much into the text as possible.’ Yet it may be observed that when it comes to interpreting texts from the 1st century Jewish sect known today as early Christianity the impulse of Dunn and others is sometimes to read as little into the text as possible. This paper will explore this tendency and its ramifications using Mark 1:13 as a test case, before arguing for a ‘maximal’ exegesis of this remarkably ambiguous yet evocative phrase. Csilla Saysell, Carey Baptist College The Servant as 'a covenant of/for people' in Deutero-Isaiah In the context of the Servant Songs, Deutero-Isaiah twice uses the phrase ‘a covenant of/for people’ (berit ‘am – Isa 42:6; 49:8), a construct chain that has puzzled commentators for a long time. The exact relationship between the two parts of the chain is hard to work out and the referent for both the covenant (Noahic? Mosaic? something else?) and the people (humanity? Israel?) is obscure. This research explores the different options for interpreting this enigmatic phrase in order to throw light on the Servant’s mission and its implications for the NT. Paul Trebilco, University of Otago What does Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, tell us about the Christians in Ephesus at the close of the second century CE? Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History 5.23.1, quotes a letter by Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, written around 190CE. In the letter Polycrates defends the practice of concluding the Paschal fast on Nisan 14. Polycrates shows that Christians in Asia Minor were in the habit of celebrating Easter at the same time as Jews celebrated the Pascha, regardless of what day of the week Nisan 14 fell on. In this letter, Polycrates gives us some very valuable information about Christians in Ephesus at the close of the second century, including details relating to leadership, traditions, the relationship between Ephesus and other churches and the Ephesian church’s relationship with the local Jewish communities. Rikk Watts, Regent College The Stronger One and the Dove: Revisiting Two Discarded Images. In spite of initially appearing somewhat conventional, ascertaining the identity and significance of “the coming stronger one” and the symbolism behind the “descending dove” in Mark’s prologue has proven surprisingly difficult. This paper will review the range of options, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and indicate why there is little agreement. It will argue for a reinstatement of the two options—Yahweh and Israel—which nearly all commentators early on cite and yet immediately exclude. On the basis of some previously uncited material along with a fuller appreciation of how they function in Israel’s tradition, the paper will suggest that their rejection was precipitous and that reinstating them makes better sense of their place in the context of Mark’s narrative overall.

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