... ;A'isha Bint Abi Bakr. Two major themes emerge from the study of these brilliant books and the lives of the women they feature: controversial events in the lives of each woman created a sharp divide among the members of each faith tradition; and their alleged adulterous backgrounds originated from and were crystallized by fearful male-dominated hierarchical societies. The analysis of each theme will consist of side-by-side individual evaluations. Mary Magdalene has been both ... as shockingly heterodox as the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, which has warranted the now-suspect lens of observati...

• Word Count: 3461
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... things. I have never read the Gospels before, and was taken back by the differences between the two interpretations of the meaning of Jesus" life, death and resurrection. Mark's interpretation is very fast paced, and reminds me of the script for an action movie. Unlike Matthew's explanation, Mark has little tolerance for dialogue and personal reflection. Matthew warms up his audience by giving the some historical background before documentation of a miracle by Jesus; Mark covers three ... miracles in the first chapter. I found it ... ...

• Word Count: 274
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... went away,"" (Mt:22-5) showing no interest in attending the feast. Therefore, the invited that declined became careless with the things of God and were too distracted by the superficial aspect of their lives to take the time to recognize and appreciate offering of the King of Heaven. The passage encompasses a new tone when Matthew describes the slaughter and mistreatment of the King's slaves. The enraged King ordered the destruction of the murders and their city. (Mt 22:7). There is ... a clear historical setting in this verse, for Jerusalem suffered a similar fate at the hands of the R...

• Word Count: 979
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... into the hands of the elders, priests, and crowds of people (Matthew 27: 19, 24). Each of these details that are included in Matthew, but not in Mark, point to Jesus being completely guiltless, with all the blame being put on the Jewish leaders who condemned Him. Jesus is ultimately the innocent Messiah that has come to save the souls of His people, the Jews, and everyone who has sinned, but is convicted by ... an audience also comprised of Gentile Christians, emphasizes the portrayal of Jesus as prophet sent by for the salvation of not only Jews, but for all people. On page 102 of Brie...

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

... the life of Saint Augustine of Hippo, an exploration and study of memory and his analysis and interpretation of the book of genesis. Books one through nine chronicles his life, in which he describes episodes of his life where he can find parallels to the Old Testament and other parts of his life that exhibit god's grace. Book ten is a contemplation of memory and an analysis of himself, where he observes the wonders of the ... external world and relates it to an introspective study of himself. The last two books are a study of scripture where he concentrates heavily on Genesis and the met...

• Word Count: 656
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... factor in biblical leadership is that one must adhere to and follow the examples that Jesus Christ laid out through His ministry on earth. The final point for effective biblical leadership is the examples and descriptions laid out through the ministry and service of the Early Church and its leaders, especially the Apostle Paul, as a servant leader. Without these three basic guides, ... to God being the leader first, in Daniel 12:3 New International Version, "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for eve...

• Word Count: 1112
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... toward women and Siddhatta Gautama's obvious distrust of the female gender. To the society of today's modern world, it is almost appalling to say the least when one encounters the various world religions paradigms and yet typically notice a total lack of the feminine. In much of the Eastern World, the woman still faces incredible misogyny with covered faces, harems, and wives dominated by their husbands. The Western World sees female "liberation" but still ... disciples, and this probably carries with it the greatest significance - at least it should when establishing and analyzing the ...

• Word Count: 2981
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." ~ Galatians 2:15-16 "In my heart reigns this one article, faith ... ; Luther had great respect for the letters that Paul's sent to the Galatians and this is evidenced throughout his treatise entitled, "The Freedom of a Christian." It is difficult to assess whether or not Paul would fully agree w...

• Word Count: 525
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... was a very powerful Biblical event, in which Jesus and his disciples gathered for one final dinner together. According to the Bible, important events took place during the Last Supper, including an announcement by Jesus that one of his disciples would betray him and the first communion. To artists in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it was necessary to give proper deference to such notable occurrences. One ... of Da Vinci's most famous art works "The Last Supper" took 5 years to complete. It is a fresco artwork created in 1498 and ... ...

• Word Count: 489
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... " (Vasari, G. 1550). The Trinity space is defined by columns depicting the start of the Chapel, the theological space ,God the Father at the apex of the picture, standing behind the crucifixion of his son Jesus and the Holy Spirit as the dove descending down towards the dying Jesus. All three are haloed to represent the spirituality of the moment. On further analysis, the three phases of the human life can be interpreted, God and the dove, being the spiritual life. The Trinity is considered ... to be the first painting ... ...

• Word Count: 1305
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... 's grand design for His people through His Kingdom. Instead of focusing on one particular passage or verse, Roberts does a comprehensive overview of the Bible illustrating God's Kingdom and how all He wants is His people to dwell in His Kingdom with him under His rule. Roberts begins by breaking the Bible into eight sections that all pertain to God's Kingdom and how he attempted to ... achieve it, but at every turn man's sin ruined the beauty that God created. However, despite ... all of man's failures God still loves us enough to send His only son to save ... ...

• Word Count: 944
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... ordinary Canadians actors and reenact the stations of the cross. As they present these last scenes from the life of Christ, the distinctions between acting and life becomes blurred and the actors take on more and more of the qualities of the characters that they depict. Arcand's message is thus an inclusive one: All people (of whatever religion or philosophy) can be transformed by a spirit of grace (from the Christian to the animistic) and can become ... better people. Gibson's movie is meant to be a realistic enactment, not of a passion play but of the ... ...

• Word Count: 444
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... primarily his two views of Jesus. His view of Jesus from his childhood and his view as he begins to grow and was more informed. Yancey decides to reexamine these traditional views after he encountered some confusing experiences of the imagery that was portrayed as Jesus throughout his life. He used Gospel accounts concentrating mainly on the message of the Sermon on the Mount. By doing so he tries ... to dispel the confusion found in Jesus' teachings. The book looks three aspects of Jesus. Firstly it looks at who Jesus was, showing the teachings and miracles that he performed. the reaso...

• Word Count: 959
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . Faith as Radical Conversion To better define the role of faith in Conversion the author starts by speaking of Conversion from the standpoint of the individual who makes the decision of faith and secondly from the standpoint of the believing community that becomes the mediator of the action of God to bring about conversion. To think of faith as it was a purely individual decision, uninfluenced by the impact of the community of faith, would be foolish. The believer, in making this choice, is expressing ... without referring to the Christian doctrine of God. He concludes that a non-Christ...

• Word Count: 2454
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... is rape which occurs on a date, is one of these forms. Another form of rape is called acquaintance rape, which is rape forced upon someone with whom the assailant is acquainted with. In my opinion, I think rape is the worst possible moral action a person can commit. Not only does is brake several different rules stated by the catechism, it can also destroy a persons life and their ... emotions. Rape is also worse then other sins because it deals with hurting a person physically, as well as dealing with the aspect of sexuality that is being taking advantage of by the assailant. Another t...

• Word Count: 615
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... have to be towards their children the first preachers of the faith, as much with their word as with their example, and have to foment the own vocation of each one and with special taken care of the sagrada vocation. The Christian family on the other hand is a community whose bonds are renewed by Christ by means of the faith and the sacraments, her participation in the mission of the Church must be made according to a communitarian ... modality; together, then, the spouses as soon as even, and the parents and children as soon as family ... ...

• Word Count: 370
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... not overtly intend to include anything about her faith, certain values important to her (which are also the values of the LDS) were bound to slip in somewhere within the story. "Dracula," written by Bram Stoker in 1897, a fantastic book partially based upon the congenital fears of a people in the Victorian era; the night, perverse sexuality, compulsion, blood lust, aggression and impurity. He feeds on, particularly, (young) ... other than holding hands or light kissing) without the sanctity and convents of marriage are considered to be abominable. "We desire with holy zeal to emphasize ...

• Word Count: 1158
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... proceeds from the father. Baptism and Chritmation are the two sacraments essential to enter into the saving shelter of the Church. Baptism by triple immersion washes away their sins and restores the image of Adam. With Christmation, they receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit becoming "partakers of the fullness of Christ." In the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, they partake of the true Body and Blood of Christ in the form of bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins, the healing of body and ... soul, and for eternal life. Confession is the fourth essential sacrament for the life of ... ...

• Word Count: 522
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the foundation and growth of Christianity. Throughout his life, many events impacted the way the faith evolved and was practiced. Paul was an advocate for the inclusion of all among the followers of Christianity. He challenged the belief that non-Jews had to convert to Judaism and abide by the laws of Moses, including circumcision, at the Council of Jerusalem in 50CE. This was a turning point in the history of the Christianity as Paul's understanding of the ... gospel was adopted by the Church as her own. ... teachings had an enormous impact on Luther's work. Luther adopted the concept o...

• Word Count: 670
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and willingness to undergo what will come. The painting is filled with symbolic references to the Trinity and the miracles of His life, something Reubens's painting has suppressed almost out of the painting. Much like the organization of a painting, the style of a painting serves as an excellent point of dissension to compare two canvases. Rubens avoids the mystic technique utilized by Dali; the halo around the Christ and the dark, shadowy figures around Him do give ... the painting a mysterious aura but nothing can be truly described as mystical. At the opposite end of the spectrum, ho...

• Word Count: 1263
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... fame but a long life as well; during the expansionary ages of Europe in the 15th century. Henry rarely left the comfort of the Iberian Peninsula, but rather had others take his stead in the face of danger and for the name of Portugal. One such adventurer and writer was Gomes Eannes de Azurara, who during the voyages of 1452-1453 chronicled the discovery and conquest of Guinea by request of King Alfonso V. Gomes Azurara was a close ... friend of Prince Henry, which was evident through the conscious ... ...

• Word Count: 991
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... believe that death can come at any time. Muslims do not believe in any stages of death, they believe that everything that happens by the will of God. They think that this world is a test and the real life is life after death. They prepare themselves of the Day of Judgment. On the Day of Judgment only ones who proved themselves pious and righteous will go to Heaven where they ... health by encouraging generosity and altruism as well as through the insistent announcement of a rebel hope at all gloomy and fatalistic framework. Moreover, the church is a sign and metaphor of the new redeemed...

• Word Count: 2426
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Earth. Alluding to her incarnation as God, the grandmother lives in the attic of blue walls and "stars of silver" where from an elevated position she is able to see all, which is comparable to the sky which Christians describe God to reside (MacDonald 94). By acknowledging the grandmother to be an embodiment of God, one can better comprehend the concept of the grandmother's age and eternal beauty, however ... her magical powers and ability to remain unknown by some are notions that take readers to a deeper level of religious application. Throughout the novel, the grandmother serves as a...

• Word Count: 1315
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Germany; another remarkable feat for a woman in medieval society (2001). One of the few comic moments of "The Book of Margery Kempe," occurs when John Kempe, exhausted by his wife's insistence that they should be celibate, asks if she would rather see him decapitated by a murderer than have sex with him. Margery answers by confirming that question, and John, thoroughly and understandably discouraged replies, " ... Mary, even claiming, due to her visions, she is an eyewitness to the events in the gospel, i.e. Christ's crucifixion (2001). The author spends much time in prayer, has visio...

• Word Count: 1321
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

"Oroonoko" is a work of fiction by Aphra Behn, published in 1688. The piece focuses on the life of an African king's grandson, Prince Oroonoko who demonstrates several similarities to Jesus Christ. In fact, many believe that the story of "Oroonoko" is a retelling of the biblical scriptures - particularly the crucifixion of Christ - based on events of the Surinam native culture. This theory has stirred controversial discussions between scholars and literary figures, debating the basis for Oroonoko ... noble aromatics, constantly bearing their fragrances." (Behn, p. 1129) Behn's depiction of Su...

• Word Count: 1045
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate