... variations on the theme of betrayal cast doubt on the reliability of both literal and literary accounts of history. The narrator first explains that "though the narrator is contemporary, his story occurred towards the middle or the beginning of the nineteenth century" (72). This comment shows that even Ryan's version of Kilpatrick's fall is subject to the same skeptical scrutiny as ... "Theme of the Traitor and the Hero" examines storytelling as it relates to literature and history, "Three Versions of Judas" addresses the relationship between storytelling and interpretation in Scripture...

• Word Count: 1163
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the Loaves and Fishes was first published in 1985 by The C. R. Gibson Company. This story occurs in Bibleland. The story is told in third-person by Alice as referring to the incident at the sea of Galilee involving Jesus and his disciples. There is one chief character and his name ... -father. The other characters are the 12 Disciples; Christ's chosen followers; The Multitude; a crowd of five thousand; The little boy; he brought five loaves and two fishes for lunch. The story begins as Jesus and his disciples were at the sea of Galilee performing miracles for healing the sick, giving si...

• Word Count: 380
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

A Hindu Creation Story: Rig Veda The story of creation as depicted by the Hindu religion is very similar to that of Christianity. In both religions there is the presence of an almighty being that is responsible for the creation of life. The act of sacrifice by these almighty gods allows for the world to evolve. In the case of the Hindu, the sacrifice of Purusa allowed for the creation of the heavens and the earth, the wind and the water, as well as warriors and wildlife. In Christianity, God the father created all and sent his son Jesus down to earth where he is eventually sacrificed for the s...

• Word Count: 191
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby resembles a Christ-like figure. Upon reading the novel, one may not pick up on the biblical allusions throughout the book. However, a ... When the party starts to die down and Gatsby is "standing alone...looking from one group to another", Nick can "see nothing sinister about him" (Fitzgerald 50). Just as Jesus was not sinister because he "committed no sin" throughout his life on earth (1 Peter 2:22). Nick even states that Gatsby "was ... a son of God" and "must be about his Father's business" (Fitzgerald 98). In Luke 2:49, Jesus, the son...

• Word Count: 837
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... techniques they have to employ against a rampant demonic realm. All these ritualistic techniques to ward off demons, illness and other afflictions have their roots in Babylon rather than Zion. They were used in ancient Babylonia some five millennia in the past, and they have been used for thousands of years by the ... Ps.59; 1 Kgs.11:14-25). Sometimes He will plague us with seemingly insurmountable difficulties to wean us from the diverting clutches of earthly pleasures (Ps.39; cf. Ps.131). At other times, He will send us on missions which are arduous to the point of breaking, so that we...

• Word Count: 10720
• Approx Pages: 43
• Grade Level: High School

... in its sins has to receive the cure of the water before time runs out. The phrase "Babylon is every town" relates modern society to the sinful biblical city of Babylon. God destroyed Babylon the "great city" for valuing money over virtue (Destruction 8). The ills of Babylon can be seen in modern times as this view that people take comfort in money over religion ... in their "castle." The words "every town" illustrate the imminent danger of annihilation to all of modern society. The modern world will suffer God's wrath like on Babylon unless the individuals seek the cure of water. The ev...

• Word Count: 1740
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... younger son. The younger son decided it was time to leave his fathers' house, therefore, he took his part of his father's goods. He left home and ended up in Babylon. He forgot about Jesus and turned more so to the streets. He brought new clothes, went to drinking dens, gambling dens, and met with the women of ... Babylon. After he was stripped of everything he had, he was left to the streets of Babylon. Following this he began to realize that his father's house was a house of many mansions, that every servant had bread to eat ... out, forget about the lord, and run crawling back home ...

• Word Count: 706
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... do things that dishonor God. I learnt this from Daniel and his three pals. Notice that Daniel and his pals were trained for three long years in the University of Babylon (Daniel 1:5). But the decision that Daniel and his friends make that they would not compromise when it came to their diet came promptly - with in the first 10 tens ... kick on the seat of his pants! Oh yes! But since the decision came very promptly, the eunuch was sort of forced to take his request seriously! Daniel stayed in Babylon for about 70 years. Daniel 1:1 and 1:21 gives us a clue in this regard. The number of ye...

• Word Count: 2925
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

... movie made me take a different look at the passion story and see it in a new way. Another story we read was, "Atticus •by Ron Hansen. The source of this story is the parable of the Prodigal Son. The story begins with Scott coming to visit his father for Christmas. During the holiday ... , Atticus realizes how bad off his son is but still shows great love for him. Not to long after Scott returns to his home in ... Resurrection, Mexico he supposedly commits suicide. Atticus travels to Mexico to bring his son's body home but finds many things that point to Scott ... the father encounters ...

• Word Count: 1895
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... heard and make and impact. This very point can be clearly seen in Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest where Kesey actually alludes the story of Christ. The protagonist Randle McMurphy, a new admission to the psych ward during the late 1950s, with his free-spirited attitude is able to ... the floor, McMurphy says, like we was aiming to have us a little dance," (Kesey 14,42). Seeing as McMurphy has just come into the story as the Christ-like figure and stolen everyone's attention, there is not as much of need for God at that time. This deviation from what ... easily be considered the ...

• Word Count: 1748
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... man possessed by a demon, and revives a dead young girl. Despite his successes, however, he continues to be reviled in his own hometown of Nazareth. The story of Jesus' ministry reaches King Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee who beheaded John the Baptist. Jesus disperses the apostles, charging them with the responsibility to spread the ... his own followers- to comprehend that Jesus is the Christ. The so-called Messianic secret of Jesus' true identity is understood only after he dies (15:39). BAPTISM OF JESUS (1:1-13) The Gospel begins rather abruptly with the preaching of John the Bap...

• Word Count: 6234
• Approx Pages: 25
• Grade Level: High School

... days, but there are also newer miracles. King Nebuchadnezzar made a statue of gold that was 90 feet high and nine feet wide, it portrayed a false God. Nebuchadnezzar told everyone of Babylon to bow down to it when they hear the music play. The music played and everyone bowed down, but three: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The king was furious and decided ... the fact that he had a sister that never lived (Wilson). Colton went on a trip that many Christians would want to go on. One can believe what they want, but this story seems real. God provides many miracles each day, they can be b...

• Word Count: 1592
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... often pray for the Stigmata. The wounds that the receiver might get are nails through the wrists, a nail through their feet, the crown of thorns, 39 lashes or the spear through the side. Once again, there are no nails, no whip, no thorns and no spear. The wounds appear out of nowhere ... boy to the Jesuits. The Roman Catholic Church performed the exorcism successfully and the boy is now a grandfather and a devout Catholic. Many look at this story as proof that the Catholic Church is the true Church because they were able to expel a powerful demon when protestants were unable to. This is ...

• Word Count: 3861
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School

... more power-hungry God and idealizes Elijah. A comparison of the representation of some of Elijah's stories in the Bible and then in Ginzberg reveals this discrepancy. Story One - The Promise Kings 1:17 begins with a declaration by Elijah stating that there "will be no rain or dew for the next two or three ... it consecrates a promise between the prophet and God. Ginzberg insinuates that each of the ensuing incidents is God's attempts to escape his previously stated promise. Story Two - The River and the Ravens In the Bible, after the drought starts, God instructs Elijah to "leave this pl...

• Word Count: 1832
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... cleansing and final restoration. Islamic tradition considers it as a place of eternal punishment." The idea of suffering after death is found among the pagan religious teachings of ancient peoples in Babylon and Egypt. Babylonian and Assyrian beliefs depicted the "nether world . . . as a place full of horrors, . . . presided over by gods and demons of great strength and fierceness." Although ancient Egyptian religious ... ...

• Word Count: 861
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

"The Passion of the Christ" is a film directed by Mel Gibson that was written by Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald. This film, which was first released on Ash Wednesday, has already caused an enormous amount of controversy and disagreement. Gibson has ironically titled this film. It reflects the movie and ... which came out of Gibson's own pocket would have been better spent on a film depicting the life of Jesus and not the crucifixion. He even questioned the accuracy of the story after Gibson spent ten years conversing with theologians, religious historians, and many different experts of that ...

• Word Count: 1098
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... as Ehrman remarks, "the details are somewhat more graphic, but the response of the disciples is remarkably similar " (Ehrman 69). In Mark's version of the Passion story, Jesus is betrayed by Judas, handed over to Roman soldiers to be arrested, and tried by the Jewish Council of high priests, elders and scribes. He is ... "When the centurion who was standing opposite him saw how he died, he said, ˜This man must have been a son of God' " (Mark 15: 39). The Gospel according to Matthew was the second gospel to be recorded, written around the late 70's or early to mid 80's CE, and seems to b...

• Word Count: 1542
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... 115) Meanwhile, the untrained viewer sees this and becomes attracted. No one is saved, money is made by the producers, and wasted by the viewers. Although the story of the suffering woman was no more than a well played act, this does happen in real life. With contributions running in the millions, today's religious television shows ... creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our lord." That verse was found in Romans 8:38-39. I don't think that human needs are going to change in the new millennium and neither are God's promises and te...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... must be a last resort after all other efforts to resolve have been exhausted. Civilians must be cared for and safeguarded and the defeated are to be shown mercy. Pastor Timothy R. Scott in his short paper titled, "Pastor Offers A Christian Perspective Of War" quotes St. Augustine's Just War Doctrine in order to help illustrate this perspective of war. He writes, "The just ... war is to be fought under authority of the state and is limited to its goal of restoration of justice or the preservation of peace." Scott then refers us to Romans 13:4, " the government is an avenger of that which...

• Word Count: 1449
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Santiago as a Christ Figure On its surface, Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who has been 84 days without a catch; Manolin, the young man who loves him; and Santiago's tremendous struggle with ... listeners not to fight back, even if they were attacked. He commanded, "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:39). In contrast, Santiago regards violent struggle as inevitable in man's battle against natural forces. "Christ, I did not know he was so big," says Santiago. "I"ll kill ... the De...

• Word Count: 1677
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... by the ritualistic action of the "T", which is similar to the cross, lacking the top portion. Another example of how religion is interwoven through the story line is found on page 70. Bernard attends his weekly solidarity service, during which a group gets together to chant and gratify "Ford". Specifically, ... For instance, Bernard plays a very "Judas" like role. When Bernard first meets the character John, he is supportive, and thoughtful of him. As the story progresses, Bernard begins to use John for a higher social position, and in a sense, betrays him. In the end, Bernard apologize...

• Word Count: 835
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... it. Jesus also commonly spoke in parables making repeated references to agriculture and nature. Many of these parables were so spiritually complex that his disciples were left baffled. He spoke Scott 2 in private to many of his disciples and many of these explanations have no been recorded in the gospels. According to the gospel of Mark 4:33-34; with many similar ... uses his teachings to give us an image of God and his divine love for all of us. He often refers to God as "the father" or "the heavenly father" Scott 3 symbolizing how God is like the father son relationship always there t...

• Word Count: 674
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... A.D., and the esteem in which it was held by the church; no other was so frequently quoted in the literature of earliest Christianity. The Gospel According to Mathew presents the story of Jesus, the demands of Christian discipleship, and the breaking-in of the new and final age through the ministry but particularly through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Readers ... Joseph accepted Jesus as his own. This beginning was very confusing to me. It was hard to keep track of who was who and how they became part of the story. The main thing I want to focus on is Jesus and the Pharisees: Fr...

• Word Count: 1088
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... finally written in the year 70. In the meantime his preaching had been recorded. Mark was at one time or another a travelling associate of Paul (2 Timothy 4:11), Barnabas (Acts 15:39) and Peter (1 Peter 5:13). He was in good company and had plenty of reliable sources to get his accounts from. However Mark did not sign his Gospel so there is ... Mark was a companion of Peter. Papias also records that Mark wrote down accurately Peter's account of the sayings and doings of Jesus, though not in order. The flow of Mark's story is relatively straightforward. It starts from when Peter turned u...

• Word Count: 1145
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... as they contributed to the process. The only thing Adam and Eve continued to receive for free, was God" grace or forgiveness. Work was required to attain everything else. The story continues with the Israelites. It may be speculated that they were workaholics, thus causing God to include the third commandment, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy". The thrust ... Pharisees said to Him, "Are we blind also?" Jesus replied, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, "We see" Therefore, your sin remains." (John 9:39-41) In addition to prejudice, the Bible speaks about ...

• Word Count: 3348
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School