Greek pottery depicting Achilles and the Amazon Penthesileia, 5th century BCE (National Archaeological Museum of Spain), photo courtesy of World History Encyclopedia
Roman relief depicting Bacchus or Dionysus, the god of wine. Marble, 1st Century CE (Archaeological Museum of Naples), photo courtesy of World History Encyclopedia
Some attempt to redefine “fear of the Lord” by expunging the sentiment of “fear” and arguing that the concept consists only and entirely of “awe” and “reverence” of God, but this interpretation is incorrect. God is unquestionably to be feared, according to Jesus’ words: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Matthew 10:28) The “one” unmistakably refers to God; it is only God who has the power to eternally condemn a soul to Gehenna, meaning, hell.
The foregoing misinterpretation is soundly repudiated elsewhere:
“Some redefine the fear of God for believers to ‘respecting’ Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. When we were children, our fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions on our part. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in a way that pleases Him.
“Believers…have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having a reverence for Him that greatly impacts the way we live. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe.”
https://www.gotquestions.org/fear-God.html
—“What does it mean to have the fear of God?” GotQuestions.org, June 7, 2023
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)
WOMEN OF ALGIERS IN THEIR APARTMENT (1834) by Eugène Delacroix
The harem is differently constructed in the West and in the East.
The Occident tends to view the harem as a locus for polygamy and sexual license.
“Harem. The mere mention of the word is enough to send a sly smile sliding across the lips of the average and straight Western man, conjuring images of sex on demand, services provided by dozens and dozens of nubile ‘genies’ murmuring ‘Yes, Master. Your wish is my command.’”
—Teresa Wiltz, “‘Scheherazade’ Unveils a Harem of the West,” The Washington Post (March 22, 2002)
The Orient, on the other hand, understands the harem more along domestic lines, that is, it is a private space for the women of a household and their children, accommodating as well close female family members.
“Harem, in Muslim countries, the part of a house set apart for the women of the family. The word ḥarīmī is used collectively to refer to the women themselves. Zanāna (from the Persian word zan, ‘woman’) is the term used for the harem in India, andarūn (Persian: “inner part” [of a house]) in Iran.
“Although usually associated in Western thought with Muslim practices, harems are known to have existed in the pre-Islamic civilizations of the Middle East; there the harem served as the secure, private quarters of women who nonetheless played various roles in public life. Muhammad did not originate the idea of the harem or of the seclusion and veiling of women, but he sponsored them, and, wherever Islam spread, these institutions went with it. The virtual removal of women from public life was more typical of the Islamic harem than of its predecessors, although in many periods of Islamic history women in the harem exercised various degrees of political power.
“In pre-Islamic Assyria, Persia, and Egypt, most of the royal courts included a harem, consisting of the ruler’s wives and concubines, their female attendants, and eunuchs.”
https://www.britannica.com/topic/harem
—Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “harem,” Encyclopedia Britannica, updated February 28, 2024
Delacroix’s depiction of the harem leans towards indicating its domestic rather than its purportedly salacious character—in this respect, the painting is unusual for its time.
Bacchus, Roman god of agriculture, wine, and fertility, is an image of gluttony.
If we expand our understanding of gluttony to include drug addiction—it encompasses addiction to alcohol, a commonplace barbiturate—then drug addiction has the potential to so impair the freedom of a person that the substance abuse becomes an end in itself.
Worse, the addiction can lead the person to commit serious crimes, such as robbery or murder, in order to supply and maintain the addiction.
We suggest that in at least some cases drug addiction would constitute a mortal sin.
A WOMAN BATHING IN A STREAM (1655) by Rembrandt van Rijn
The masterpiece displays attributes similar to those of Rembrandt’s famous Bathsheba at Her Bath (1654), which was executed around the same time. David’s adultery with Bathsheba is one among the most widely cited and representative Biblical stories.
PHOTO CREDITS
ReplyDelete“Apple” photo courtesy of Beshef
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharif/3987743756/
Broken statue of Ramses II, Luxor, Egypt, photo courtesy of katieandtommy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/katieandtommy/2267784562/
Greek pottery depicting Achilles and the Amazon Penthesileia, 5th century BCE (National Archaeological Museum of Spain), photo courtesy of World History Encyclopedia
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/3351/achilles--penthesileia/
Roman relief depicting Bacchus or Dionysus, the god of wine. Marble, 1st Century CE (Archaeological Museum of Naples), photo courtesy of World History Encyclopedia
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12702/bacchus-relief-naples/
Public domain photos
Codex Aureus Epternacensis (Golden Gospels), Illuminated Manuscript
La Maja Vestida (1800-1805) by Francisco Goya
Lazy Lady (2016) by Rowan Gillespie
Gonzalinho
ANGRY CHRIST (1950) by Alfonso Ossorio
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)
https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2024/05/10-biblical-verses-on-discernment-of.html
Some attempt to redefine “fear of the Lord” by expunging the sentiment of “fear” and arguing that the concept consists only and entirely of “awe” and “reverence” of God, but this interpretation is incorrect. God is unquestionably to be feared, according to Jesus’ words: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Matthew 10:28) The “one” unmistakably refers to God; it is only God who has the power to eternally condemn a soul to Gehenna, meaning, hell.
The foregoing misinterpretation is soundly repudiated elsewhere:
“Some redefine the fear of God for believers to ‘respecting’ Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. When we were children, our fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions on our part. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in a way that pleases Him.
“Believers…have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having a reverence for Him that greatly impacts the way we live. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe.”
https://www.gotquestions.org/fear-God.html
—“What does it mean to have the fear of God?” GotQuestions.org, June 7, 2023
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)
https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-four-types-of-consolation-and_0215340342.html
Gonzalinho
WOMEN OF ALGIERS IN THEIR APARTMENT (1834) by Eugène Delacroix
ReplyDeleteThe harem is differently constructed in the West and in the East.
The Occident tends to view the harem as a locus for polygamy and sexual license.
“Harem. The mere mention of the word is enough to send a sly smile sliding across the lips of the average and straight Western man, conjuring images of sex on demand, services provided by dozens and dozens of nubile ‘genies’ murmuring ‘Yes, Master. Your wish is my command.’”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/03/23/scheherazade-unveils-a-harem-of-the-west/e3456489-d665-492b-8195-9fb5352139d1/
—Teresa Wiltz, “‘Scheherazade’ Unveils a Harem of the West,” The Washington Post (March 22, 2002)
The Orient, on the other hand, understands the harem more along domestic lines, that is, it is a private space for the women of a household and their children, accommodating as well close female family members.
“Harem, in Muslim countries, the part of a house set apart for the women of the family. The word ḥarīmī is used collectively to refer to the women themselves. Zanāna (from the Persian word zan, ‘woman’) is the term used for the harem in India, andarūn (Persian: “inner part” [of a house]) in Iran.
“Although usually associated in Western thought with Muslim practices, harems are known to have existed in the pre-Islamic civilizations of the Middle East; there the harem served as the secure, private quarters of women who nonetheless played various roles in public life. Muhammad did not originate the idea of the harem or of the seclusion and veiling of women, but he sponsored them, and, wherever Islam spread, these institutions went with it. The virtual removal of women from public life was more typical of the Islamic harem than of its predecessors, although in many periods of Islamic history women in the harem exercised various degrees of political power.
“In pre-Islamic Assyria, Persia, and Egypt, most of the royal courts included a harem, consisting of the ruler’s wives and concubines, their female attendants, and eunuchs.”
https://www.britannica.com/topic/harem
—Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “harem,” Encyclopedia Britannica, updated February 28, 2024
Delacroix’s depiction of the harem leans towards indicating its domestic rather than its purportedly salacious character—in this respect, the painting is unusual for its time.
Gonzalinho
BACCHUS (c. 1596) by Caravaggio
ReplyDeleteBacchus, Roman god of agriculture, wine, and fertility, is an image of gluttony.
If we expand our understanding of gluttony to include drug addiction—it encompasses addiction to alcohol, a commonplace barbiturate—then drug addiction has the potential to so impair the freedom of a person that the substance abuse becomes an end in itself.
Worse, the addiction can lead the person to commit serious crimes, such as robbery or murder, in order to supply and maintain the addiction.
We suggest that in at least some cases drug addiction would constitute a mortal sin.
Gonzalinho
A WOMAN BATHING IN A STREAM (1655) by Rembrandt van Rijn
ReplyDeleteThe masterpiece displays attributes similar to those of Rembrandt’s famous Bathsheba at Her Bath (1654), which was executed around the same time. David’s adultery with Bathsheba is one among the most widely cited and representative Biblical stories.
Gonzalinho