From ancient byways to modern highways, glimpses of faith are everywhere...

Friday, March 15, 2024

Julius and the Jews

Beware the Ides of March
Although the Ides of March are the most famous, they are by no means the only Ides.  Every month of the early Roman calendar had one.  During March, May, July and October, they fell on the 15th.  During all other months, they fell on the 13th.  All of the Ides are thought to have originally coincided with the full moon.

Caesar had been repeatedly warned not to attend the Senate on the 15th of March in 44 BCE.  One seer had predicted that harm would come to him “no later than the Ides of March.”  On the way to his fateful date with destiny, Caesar saw this seer and joked, “Well, the Ides of March have come.”  “Ay, but they have not gone,” the seer somberly replied.

Many earnestly mourned the passing of Julius Caesar, but none so vigorously as the Jews.  Caesar’s biographer, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, wrote this:  At the height of the public grief a throng of foreigners went about lamenting each after the fashion of his country, above all the Jews, who even flocked to the place for several successive nights.  Why were the Jews so shattered over the passing of this former high priest of Jupiter (who had also claimed to be a direct descendent of Venus)?

The proverb “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” definitely applies in this case.  Although Hyrcanus, Judea’s high priest, had been somewhat in alliance with Pompey (the great Roman general), he later allied with Caesar against Pompey.  Hyrcanus’ change of heart might have been partially motivated by Pompey’s harsh decrees and
burdensome taxes, and partially motivated by the power that Caesar was rapidly gaining over Pompey.

If Hyrcanus hadn’t committed thousands of Jewish soldiers to Caesar’s Alexandrian siege, Caesar’s ending might have come a lot sooner than 44 BCE.  As it were, the Jews were instrumental in helping Caesar to win this civil war and become the sole ruler of Rome.  Caesar never forgot this.  According to Jewishhistory.org, not only did
Caesar revoke Pompey’s decrees and taxes, but he also “allowed the walls and fortifications of Jerusalem to be rebuilt and restored Jaffa as well as a number of other coastal cities to Jewish rule.”

Resources

http://www.livius.org/caa-can/caesar/caesar_t10.html
http://www.jewishhistory.org/julius-caesar-and-the-jews/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ides_of_March

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Beware the Apple

(Public Domain)

Had Eve never partaken of the proverbial malus, today’s world might be fraught with far less malice.

The apple’s lure is as strong as ever, albeit in quite a different form.  Today’s Apple can manifest as a Vision Pro headset that is difficult to resist, even while cruising down the roadway.  Fortunately for one such driver, police stopped him before a brick wall would.

The parent company had been savvy enough to issue this warning: “Never use Apple Vision Pro while operating a moving vehicle… or in any other situations requiring attention to safety.”  Just as in biblical times, humans routinely ignore benevolent guidance.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2024-02-05-watch-tesla-driver-wearing-apple-vision-pro-headset-gets-pulled-over/?mid=1228317&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline5_readmore

 

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

How pious was Pius XII?

Pope Pius XII, circa 1951
(Public Domain)
The word “pious,” often used to describe a devoutly religious person, is sometimes sarcastically used to connote hypocrisy. 

During World War II’s Holocaust, Pope Pius XII remained publicly silent.  He did, however, discreetly aid numerous Nazi victims.  Was his public silence a sign of cowardly hypocrisy, or did it pragmatically facilitate his clandestine efforts to save lives?

Practical as his stance may have been during the war, what happened next seems murky.  Archbishop Sergio Pagano, current Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archive, pointed out that Pius continued this stony silence long after the war ended.  Pagano firmly declared, “After the war, I would have expected a word more, for all these people who went to the gas chambers.”

Pagano has also shown “disdain for the incomplete research behind Pius’ sainthood cause, which is now apparently on hold…”  Pius may very well have been a confusing mixture of saint and sinner, very much like many a human here on Earth.

 Resources

 https://news.yahoo.com/keeper-vatican-secrets-retiring-wants-090357472.html 


Thursday, February 15, 2024

United We Land

 

Sunrise at Sojiji Zen Temple
(Atlanticpuffin)
Have you ever needed assistance during a commercial flight, but were hesitant to interrupt the attendant’s cell-phone chatter? 

United Airlines feels your pain and has issued a memo reminding staff that personal cell-phone usage is forbidden during shift times.

It not only seems rude to ignore customers while on the job, but also seems downright dangerous.  While eyeing texts rather than cabin developments, attendants might miss some clear and present threats.

Many a worker has endured on-the-job lag times without resorting to dopamine hits.  Mindfulness practices can help to uplift these so-called downtimes.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/united-airlines-leaked-memo-reveals-145707446.html     

Friday, February 9, 2024

Super Bowl End Day

 

NASA Chart
(Public Domain)
God might not play dice or football, but may instead hurl asteroids the size of football fields.  One, in fact, will be whizzing past Earth shortly before 2024’s Super Bowl Sunday.

Should it perchance strike our planet with the force of “141 gigatons of TNT,” the destruction would be considerable.  If a city were directly hit, the resulting crater would be “11 miles wide.” The human casualty count could be as high as 13 million, two million of which would be subject to instant vaporization.

The statistical chances of this occurring are one in thousands, which sounds lucky unless Earth happens to be that one.  If such a strike were to occur, then even the Super Bowl would be second-rate news.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/nasa-issues-warning-asteroid-size-150847943.html   


Friday, February 2, 2024

Duel or Duet?

Hamilton and Burr
(Painting by J. Mund)
Ah, for the good old days of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton!  So what if one wound up dead and the other was wanted for murder?

Not to worry, Burr was able to soon pick up where he left off as Vice President of the United States.  His New Jersey indictment was removed on the technicality that Hamilton actually died in New York.

Sounds about as logical as what’s been happening lately.  Senator Nick Schroer of Missouri flippantly proposed that dueling be reinstated as a way of settling political disputes.  His explanation: “I mean, if we’re going back in time and acting like an uncivilized society…”  In other words, if the shoe pinches, blow it to smithereens…

Some of us still hold out hope for a peaceful solution, one that sounds more like a duet than a duel.  It might not be in perfect harmony, but discordant debate sounds a lot better than raucous violence.

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel

https://www.iheart.com/content/2024-01-26-missouri-lawmaker-wants-to-bring-back-duels-to-settle-differences/?mid=1223430&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsle 

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Unreasonable Facsimiles

(Fair Use)

Religion has traditionally had the monopoly on resurrection.  Not so much anymore.  Science has been creeping farther and farther into that domain.

Those who have lost loved ones may soon be fooled into thinking that technology can bring them back.  As audio and visual replications become highly sophisticated, folks may soon be virtually attending their own funerals.

This holographic trend has been dubiously compared to watching videos of loved ones long after they’re gone.  Such videos, however, have not been interactive.  When doppelganger avatars begin to talk back, it’s a whole new ball game with many potential strikes.

And what might AI prompt the deceased to say? Would it be anything like what a spiritually resurrected mother, father, husband, wife, son or daughter might proclaim?  Will they speak of wonders that resemble heavenly accounts, or will they simply disclose where the life-insurance papers are hidden?

 Resources

 https://www.yahoo.com/news/ai-can-allow-us-to-talk-to-the-dead-but-is-that-healthy-204447488.html