Friday April 3rd, 33 C.E.

I was recently reading an article in Bible History Daily which is provided by the Biblical Archeology Society. The article was titled: Is Jesus’ Crucifixion Reflected in Soil Deposition? A Geological Study May Indicate Earthquake Described by Matthew. A portion of the article reads as follows:

“According to the Gospel of Matthew, an earthquake shook Jerusalem on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. A new study of cores and seismic activity near the Dead Sea in the latest issue of International Geology Review* may provide scientific data relating to the event described in Matthew 27. Moreover, some have suggested** that the new research on sediment disturbances can be combined with Biblical, astronomical and calendrical information to give a precise date of the crucifixion: Friday, April 3rd, 33 C.E.”

I enjoyed reading the article and found it to be quite informative. I highly recommend it and suggest that you read it as a reference or just personal reading. Moreover, I think that most of the articles in this source are very good as well. The link to the specific article I was referencing is as follows:


http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/crucifixion/jesus%E2%80%99-crucifixion-reflected-in-soil-deposition/?mqsc=E3247053.


Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your visit to their website!










Reference:

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/crucifixion/jesus%E2%80%99-crucifixion-reflected-in-soil-deposition/?mqsc=E3247053.

The Call for a Reformation?

In 1054, the Eastern and Western Church separated in what has been called the “Great Schism.” This dissension or split is perhaps the elephant in the room to this very day which goes against the teachings of Jesus Christ himself since Jesus prayed in John 17:21: "...that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me."1 Five centuries after the “Schism” the Roman Catholic Church was basically governing western Europe perhaps not only spiritually, but administratively in political influence and every aspect of life. However, the influence of the Church had become a very corrupt and indeed great dissolution existed towards it, as Isabella of Castile said in 1500: “the dissolution is such, that the souls entrusted to the clergy receive great damage.”2 Indeed, change was needed due to many factors and issues that were not correct with the fundamentals of Christianity within the Roman Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Church had strayed from its foundations even in the understanding of the Scriptures, especially the New Testament. Half a century before all of these needs for reform, Constantinople had fallen, and this brought scholars to Western Europe with ideas different from the West because they brought manuscripts, and these manuscripts “alerted Western scholars to the many changes and interpolations that had taken place in copying…ancient texts.”3The previous aided in comparing the Vulgate to older manuscripts thus getting a better interpretation. The foregoing also makes one think or perhaps confirms that the “Schism" mentioned prior was indeed very bad and a sign of things to come. The printing press facilitated the foregoing translations and exposure to texts immensely. The Catholic Reformation was taking place. The New World was also discovered around this time.

Spain was very influential in the discovery of the New World. The Protestant Reformation was also taking place. Spain was also influential in the Catholic Reformation because it was the enforcer in the Inquisition to prevent the spread of Protestantism, and by all means, even by torture, they enforced. Indeed, a transition was taking place, from an old world to a new one. Moreover, Western Europe’s worldview was changing. Perhaps on scholarly levels, the names of two individuals resonate with relevance to the era, and they are Erasmus and Luther.

Erasmus vs. Luther, one might say: looking in retrospect, were perhaps a fork in the road. Erasmus was seeking a reformation in moderation, Luther eventually broke with Erasmus. Luther looked for another extreme. This writer believes that Luther, although very spiritual, was also an anti-Semite racist that believed Germans were superior to all others. The foregoing is very obvious in his writings on The Jews and their Lies, and Luther also said: “…Poor Germans that we are—we have been deceived! We were born to be masters, and we have been compelled to bow the head beneath the yoke of our tyrants.”4 The foregoing statement alone is evidence that thoughts of German superiority and not of humility ran through Luther’s mind; however, the scriptures do tell that “all have sinned.” Perhaps Erasmus was the best way or route for reform to follow since he said: “I detest dissension, because it goes both against the teachings of Christ and against a secret inclination.”5 Indeed, if the church is not one, it is not following the desire of Jesus’ own heart which was “that they may all be one.” Perhaps Erasmus was right that dissension was not the route to follow because when we see Christianity today it is divided in many ways, with many denominations and groups that usually do not agree on one thing or another, or perhaps many things. The church today perhaps needs to look ahead, but also look back at liturgical traditions that look back to the time the Didache was written and prior as well. This writer does not believe that the further away in time one is from the source that one is closer to the truth, it is on the contrary. Dissension was not at the heart of Jesus; however, it seems that every newly formed group of believers believes that they know better than all who came before, indeed, this is “Chronological Snobbery” as C.S. Lewis would have said.

References:

1 ESV Bible
2 Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume II. P. 7.
3 Ibid. p. 9.
4 Bettenson, Henry. Maunder, Chris. Documents of the Christian Church, Fouth Edition. P.209.
5 Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume II. P. 18.




Bibliography:

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume II, The Reformation to the Present Day.
New York, NY: Harper One, 2010.

ESV Bible

Bettenson, Henry. Maunder, Chris. Documents of the Christian Church, Fouth Edition. Oxford
University Press: Oxford, England, 2011.

Bill Tammeus

I just became a fan of another blogger, and that is because we seem to be fans of the same the same things and people. Anyhow, the blogger I am speaking about is Bill Tammeus. Who is Bill Tammeus? He is the former Faith columnist for The Kansas City Star. I was reading an article he wrote about Biblical Archeology in which he mentioned one of Craig Evans’s books, Jesus and His World: The Archaeological Evidence, and I became an instant fan. So, now, I am recommending that when you are done visiting my blog, please stop and visit his. I think that you will enjoy it very much. The name of his blog is Bill's 'Faith Matters' Blog, Bill Tammeus writes about religion and ethics. Oh, the link to his blog is the following:

http://billtammeus.typepad.com/.


Reference:
http://billtammeus.typepad.com/.

Holy Week

In the book of John, Jesus sort of gave us a preview of what Holy Week was about. Furthermore, he gave us insight into what his death would accomplish, and also a preview of His purpose. John 12: 23 -36 reads as follows:

“And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them (ESV Bible)."

Of course, these things that Jesus said in the previous verses, he said much more in advance to when they actually happened in his lifetime here on Earth; however, it is interesting that even now many years after his Crucifixion and Resurrection took place we can see how he forewarned the events. Moreover, we can learn much from His advice in the verses when he said: “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."

What light is it that Jesus was talking about? Well, just a few chapters before, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus one night, and he said the following in John 3:19-21:

"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God (ESV Bible)."

All that I have to say in closing is, “walk in the light.”

Reference:

ESV Bible

The Great Commission

After his resurrection, Jesus stayed around on the planet for about 40 days before his ascension, of which most of us have read about in Acts 1:9 which reads as follows:

“And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”

Of course, during his last days on Earth, Jesus interacted with his disciples in conversation to an extent. One of the last things that Jesus said to his disciples is found in Mathew 28:18-20, and it is what is called the Great Commission, it reads as follows:

"...All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

What was Jesus talking about? Basically, he was talking about evangelism; however, he was saying to make copies of what they were, since they were also disciples. Therefore, he was saying to go and train others in the same fashion that he had trained them. This message is very simple to understand. He closed saying: “I am with you always, to the end of the age." In the Greek, he was saying until the entire completion of the world basically. I do not believe that the end of the age has arrived yet, so these working orders must be continued until that time. I will stop writing here, and let your thoughts on the matter take over at this point.

Reference:

ESV Bible

Does what we eat defile us?

Does what we eat defile us? Jesus had some thoughts on that subject that I thought were very interesting. One day some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and in Mathew 15:2 said:

"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."

Jesus responded in Mathew 15:11 saying:

"it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."

Jesus explained himself in Mathew 15:17-20 by saying:

"Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

I don’t really think Jesus was saying that we should not try to eat healthy in these passages, I am pretty sure he was saying that we should be more careful about what we speak. I hope you enjoyed the analysis.

Reference:

ESV Bible

Happy 2012 and Prayer Requests

I just want to wish everyone a very happy new year! I truly hope that 2012 is pleasant or at least tolerable for everyone. I know that life can be very diverse all over this planet. Many times much economic disparity exists depending on the region one lives. Many times we can also be very well off financially, but we may have other needs that are perhaps emotional or spiritual. Sometimes we are well in many areas of our lives, but we are not well physically. Sometimes we are well, but we have friends or relatives that have special needs relevant to some of the things I just mentioned. For some reason, I wanted to start a prayer request posting for this year. So, if there is something you may want to pray about feel free to write me or just post a comment on the blog, and I will try to tell most of my friends to lift us all up in prayers this year. If for some reason you do not want to post a comment, you can also email me at the following address: moisesarango@gmail.com. Once again, I wish for everyone to have a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2012. May God bless everyone!