Dead Sea Scrolling



(Qumran Cave 4)

Scrolling up or down an Internet page took on a more esoteric

meaning as of this past autumn.  That’s when five of the Dead Sea Scrolls debuted on the Internet in what History.com called a “high-resolution, fast-loading, searchable form.”

A collaboration between Google and Jerusalem’s Israel Museum is what made this initial release of five such scrolls possible, and further digitalizing of the “vast collection” is expected to follow.  This collection of 800 to 900 scrolls - which includes the “oldest

known biblical manuscripts” - was discovered in caves along the

northwest shore of the Dead Sea approximately 50 years ago. 

Almost every part of the Hebrew Bible is represented (including

the entire Book of Isaiah, but excluding the entire Book of Esther).

Centuryone.com tells us that the Dead Sea Scrolls have been called “the evolutionary link” between Judaism and Christianity.  The collection contains such gems as “the last words of Joseph, Judah, Levi, Napthali, and Amram (the father of Moses)” – as well as “previously unknown stories about biblical figures such as Enoch, Abraham, and Noah” (including an explanation of why Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac).

Non-biblical writings such as the following are also included:  rule books, hymns, treasure maps, commentaries, benedictions, psalms, philosophy, and liturgical passages.  The passages are mostly in Hebrew.  However, some are in Aramaic, and a few are in Greek.  The Dead Sea Scrolls collectively seem to be “the library of a Jewish sect.”  Which sect is not exactly known - although it is often suspected that the scrolls came from what was once the ancient nearby settlement of Qumran.

According to bibleplaces.com, Qumran was located on a “dead-end” stretch of land that provided the “perfect location for the isolationist sect of the Essenes to live.”  Wikipedia describes the Essenes (whom many are convinced were the scribes of the Dead Sea Scrolls) as a Jewish communal group that was “dedicated to asceticism, voluntary poverty, daily immersion, and abstinence from worldly pleasures…”

Resources

http://www.history.com/news/2011/09/26/unraveling-the-dead-sea-scrolls-six-fascinating-facts/?cmpid=PaidMedia_Outbrain_HIS_HITH

http://www.centuryone.com/25dssfacts.html

http://www.bibleplaces.com/qumran.htm

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/from-desert-to-web-bringing-dead-sea.html

Copyright January 10, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Religion dot com



(Photo by Kristoferb)

Elizabeth Drescher - described on her website as “an educator,

scholar, writer and public speaker on Christian spirituality, with an emphasis on the spiritual practices of ordinary believers and seekers today and in the past” – wrote an article for the acclaimed

online magazine, Religion Dispatches, titled “Five Social Media

Trends that are Reshaping Religion.”

To begin with, Drescher reports that “more than half of the top

twenty” interactive Facebook pages are religious in nature.  Twitter does not seem to lag far behind.  Hashtagged memes such as #spirituality and #prayer are “consistently robust” – as are “event-related hashtags” such as #haroldcamping and #rapture.  Drescher therefore heralds social media as offering

“vibrant locales for religious formation, spiritual care, witness, and advocacy” - and advises today’s religious leaders to “click on over to where the people are if you really want to connect.”

Secondly, ministry leaders are beginning to utilize such location based services as Foursquare in order “to make visible the range of their ministry practice” - and in order “to alert community members that they’re available for conversation at a nearby coffee shop or brew pub.”  This allows for a lot more flexibility and accessibility than strictly office-based appointments would.

Apps are also being geared more and more towards religious themes.  Perhaps the most controversial of these to date has been the Confession app - but that is just one of many apps that have been developed for on-the-go spirituality.  However, Drescher warns that unless these religiously-themed apps “grasp the

digital trinity of social engagement, spiritual meaning, and incarnational potential,” they might likely wind up amongst the thousands of other type apps that are ignored each year.

Drescher then points out that the coterie of “religionistas” who “curate content that facilitates online and offline connection” is growing way faster than the counterpart group of webmeisters who instead specialize in resuscitating used sermons.  In other words, engaging religious online content is that which incites “the interests of those in one’s networks, invites conversation, and encourages sharing across networks.”

Finally, Drescher reports that more and more religious institutions are developing social media guidelines.  One particular concern is the protection of minors.  Institutions also need to remember that a great deal of religious-based interaction occurs via non-institutional sites.

Resources

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-09/tech/confession_1_new-app-confession-catholic-priests?_s=PM:TECH

http://www.elizabethdrescher.net/ElizabethdrescherNet/The_Author.html

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/culture/5463/five_social_media_trends_that_are_reshaping_religion_/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foursquare_(website)

  

Weightlessness watchers: Is gravity a downer?



(Weightless Hairdo)

Although plenty has been written about the effects of microgravity on humans, most of it does not sound very appealing.

Detailed descriptions of “space sickness” could even serve as a deterrent to those contemplating a Virgin Galactic birthday bash.  These off-putting descriptions include the following astrobiological symptoms:  head congestion, dehydration, “bird legs,” bone loss, kidney stones, muscle deterioration, anemia, disorientation, dizziness, nausea, flatulence, depressed immunity, and sleep disorders.  (Ironically, many of these symptoms mirror those of aging here on Earth.)

Why then would anybody in their right mind want to journey through space?  The answer might be that there is far more to human consciousness than most “right mind” definitions indicate.

During an interview with Claire L. Evans for her Universe blog, Frank White stated that the Overview Effect (a term he coined, which Wikipedia defines as “a transcendental, euphoric feeling of universal connection reported by some astronauts during spaceflight…”) is “definitely related to zero gravity.”  He pointed out that “zero gravity is an integral part of the experience,” and cited astronaut Charlie Walker as specifically relating “the lack of gravity to the feeling of euphoria that he and other astronauts did have in orbit.”

In a NASA article titled The Effect of Weightlessness on the Human Organism, Oberth's research findings are discussed.  Oberth noted that, at least temporarily, the experience of weightlessness is accompanied by an intense functioning of the brain and senses, quick comprehension, penetrating logic,

a feeling that time is slowing down, and “a unique insensitivity” to pain and displeasure.  These  accompaniments are later replaced by “a certain feeling of elevated vitality and physical fitness,” which then remains for an unknown length of time.

Resources

http://scienceblogs.com/universe/2011/09/universe_qa_frank_white.php#c5311487

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4026/noord28.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=adapt02

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect

http://www.overviewinstitute.org/FrankWhite-bio.htm

Copyright January 8, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved 

Why sex? Red Queen's race to nowhere



Red Queen and Alice (by J. Tenniel) 

Science is now proving that people who say they can’t live without sex might - in a sense - be correct.

According to Life’s Little Mysteries, the preservation of the species (many species, take your pick) works better with sex than without it.  Although this might seem self-evident to Marilyn Monroe fans, it’s not as basic (nor as base) as some may think.  Because “a population of

asexual females can grow at double the rate of a population that produces sexually,” some have even asked why sex and/or males exist at all.

The excitement level of the biological answer is on par with that of most sermons.  It turns out that the answer to “Why sex?” lies somewhere within the Red Queen’s Hypothesis - derived from Lewis Carroll’s contention:  It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.  In other words, sex is much ado about something –

and that “something” turns out to be biological immunity rather than just biological reproduction.

Wikipedia defines the Red Queen’s Hypothesis this way:  In reference to an evolutionary system, continuing adaptation is needed in order for a species to maintain its relative fitness amongst the systems being co-evolved with.  Scientist Michael Brothurst from the University of Liverpool contends that this “relative fitness” has to do with the ability of a host organism to become less susceptible to its parasites.  The Red Queen’s “race to nowhere” takes place when both the host organism and its parasites are constantly trying to “out-evolve” one another. 

Brothurst also contends that sex is the ace (or whatever) in the hole that often balances the evolutionary scales in the host’s favor.  This happens because sexual reproduction makes for a bigger and more resistant allele gene pool than does asexual reproduction.  In Brothurst’s words:  “sexual recombination allows hosts to reshuffle their pack of alleles and generate new, rare combinations in their offspring.”

Therefore, biological evolution seems quite dependent upon sexuality.  However, spiritual evolution might be altogether different.  According to Leo Tolstoy, if humans were celibate, “mere” biological evolution would no longer be important since spirituality would already prevail…

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Queen's_Hypothesis

http://www.enotes.com/kreutzer-sonata-criticism/kreutzer-sonata-leo-tolstoy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_sexuality

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/1607-why-sex-evolved.html

Copyright January 7, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Orthodox Christmas: Winter Pascha



(Three-Bar Russian/Ukrainian Cross)

According to Time News Feed, December 25^th is not always Christmas Day.  For approximately 200 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, Christmas Day is instead January 7^th.   That is because Orthodox Christians tend to follow “the old Julius Caesar calendar, which is currently 13 days behind the more modern Gregorian version.”

This difference between Orthodox and Western Christmas traditions is only one of many.  In fact, Orthodox Christmas tends to resemble Western Lent far more than it does Western Christmas.  It is sometimes even referred to as the “Winter Pascha.” Pascha is derived from the Hebrew root of Pesach, meaning “to pass through, to pass over, to exempt, or to spare” – and is usually used with direct reference to either Passover or Easter.  Jewfaq.org reports that Pesach “is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple” on Passover.  Christians often refer to Jesus as the Paschal Lamb, Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God.

The mood  of Orthodox Christmas is often solemn - in sharp contrast to the festivities which have grown up around Western Christmas.  The BBC reports:  “In the East, Christmas is preceded by a 40 day fast beginning on November 15.  This is a time of reflection, self-restraint and inner healing in the sacrament of

confession.”  Even on Christmas Eve, “observant Orthodox Christians” fast until the first star appears.  Christmas morning is not spent tearing open piles of gifts, but is instead spent in divine worship and water-blessing ceremonies.  The BBC concludes that Eastern Orthodox Christmas “lacks the commercial side that is typical of the West.”  

     

George Hawkins reports that Orthodox Christmas was not originally celebrated on its own as the Feast of the Nativity, but was instead “part of the Feast of Theophany or the Baptism of Christ which is celebrated on the 6^th of January (19^th of January on the Gregorian calendar).”  Father Illtyd of the Orthodox Research Institute states that the Feast of Theophany (Epiphany) “is – after Easter and Pentecost – the greatest Feast of the Orthodox Church.”  It honors “the baptism of our Lord by John,” as well as “the public manifestation of the incarnate Word to the world.”  Eastern Orthodoxy therefore prefers the specific term Theophany (“manifestation of God”) to the more general term Epiphany (“manifestation”).

Resource

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/easternorthodox_1.shtml

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/25/when-is-christmas-not-on-december-25/

http://www.oocities.org/mushkah/OrthodoxChristmas.html

http://www.jewfaq.org/holidaya.htm

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Pascha

http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/resources/sermons/illtyd_theophany.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church

Copyright January 6, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Twelfth Night: Misrule rules



Orsino and Viola (by F. R. Pickersgill) 

Twelfth Night is so confusing that people are still trying to figure out just when it is.  You would think that if Christmas were December 25^th (which it isn’t always), then the evening of December 25^th would be First Night.

Not necessarily.

Religionfacts.com tells us that “the 12 day count actually begins with the eve of December 25” (which is Christmas Eve, but actually the evening of December 24^th).  Using this ancient logic, then Twelfth Night would actually fall on Epiphany Eve (January 5^th) rather than on Epiphany Day (January 6^th).

If this sounds somewhat topsy-turvy, it’s nothing compared to the plot of Shakespeare’s (Bacon’s? Marlowe’s?) Twelfth Night play (the name of which is actually What You Will, but who’s noticing).  The first recorded performance of this play was at the close of the 1601-02 winter merrymaking season, the festivities of which lasted from Halloween until Candlemas (now that’s a lot of eggnog).  The storyline not only entails a man who is actually a woman, but also a ridiculed servant who fancies himself beloved.

It’s not just that Shakespeare had an overwrought imagination, it’s also that he tried to mirror the Feast of Fools.  During this medieval festival, which many believe grew out of the Roman Saturnalia, there was “a brief social revolution, in which power, dignity and impunity is briefly conferred on those in a subordinate

position.”  Wikipedia reports that “young people, who played the chief parts, chose from among their own number a mock pope, archbishop, bishop or abbot to reign as Lord of Misrule."  This Lord of Misrule was then in charge of the festivities, the tones of which were often quite wild and subversive.  According to

Wikipedia, this instant ruler was suddenly given the power “to command anyone to do anything during the  holiday period.”  Makes the antics of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew seem quite tame by comparison…

These days, Twelfth Night is but a shadow of its former self.  Although wassailing remains, nothing much beyond a demand for figgy pudding occurs.  Perhaps folks are instead conserving their energies for the Carnival season, which in many countries begins immediately afterwards.

Resources

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/holidays/twelfth_night.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Night_(holiday)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Night

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Misrule

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_Fools

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

Copyright January 5, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved 

We Three Makrebs: Were the Magi Jewish?



Adoration of the Magi (by B. E. Murillo)

According to Fossil HD, the exact origin of those who are called Magi (from the Old Persian magus, referring to the priestly class of astrologers) is actually unknown.  The Gospel of Matthew simply explains that they came “from the East” (or “from the rising of the sun”). 

Although many believe that these Magi (also referred to as “wise men” and “kings”) were from Persia or Babylon, a third traditional belief is that they were Jewish kings (Makrebs) from Yemen.  According to Wikipedia, John Chrysostom (Early Church Father and Archbishop of Constantinople) held this third belief (which is somewhat ironic, considering Chrysostom’s eight homilies against Judaizers).

The Jewish Encyclopedia states that Sanaite Jews have a

legend regarding the settling of their forefathers in Yemen

“forty-two years before the destruction of the First Temple.”

This encyclopedia also states the following:  Under the prophet Jeremiah 75,000 Jews, including priests and Levites, are said to have gone to Yemen; and when Ezra commanded the Jews to return to Jersusalem they disobeyed, whereupon he pronounced an everlasting ban upon them.

Wikipedia mentions a traditional theory that “King Solomon sent Jewish merchant marines to Yemen to prospect for gold and silver with which to adorn the Temple in Jerusalem.”  Wikipedia then states that “the Jews of southern Yemen have a legend that they are the descendants of Judeans who settled in the area before the destruction of the Second Temple.”  These Judean settlers were supposedly dispatched there by King Herod “to assist the Roman legions fighting in the region.” 

Centuries later, there were at least two historically-recorded Jewish kings of Yemen.  Approximately 500 CE, Himyarite King Abu-Kariba Assad undertook a military campaign against the Byzantines.  This campaign came to a head at Yathrib (present-day Medina).  Although Yathrib Jews at the time fought against him in order to help save their city - when Abu-Kariba fell desperately ill, two Jewish sages saved his life with their medicinal knowledge.  As a result, Abu-Kariba converted to Judaism - as did a successor, Yusuf Dhu Nuwas.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habbani_Jews

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemenite_Jews

http://www.fossilhd.com/Fossil_HD/Features/Entries/2011/12/21_From_the_East.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himyarite_Kingdom

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/15077-yemen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi

Copyright January 4, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved