... this, Siddhartha had reached enlightenment, he had reached Nirvana. (Brodd 149-52) The Buddha's final insight before passing was "you must be a lamp unto yourself. Don't be misled by reports, or tradition, or hearsay. Don't be misled by the authority of religious texts, not by mere logic or inference, not by considering appearances, not by the delight in speculative opinions ... . (Brodd 154) Theravada Buddhist central role is conserving and teaching the Buddha's ways. Almost a thousand year after the Buddha's death, 500 monks met up and wrote down his teachings. The book is called the T...

• Word Count: 1762
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... New Testament. Marcion and the Western Valentinians appear to have been the most feared by catholic theologians. Until recently, our knowledge of gnostic thought was almost exclusively dependent upon the reports of its critics (e.g., Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tenullian, Origen, Plotinus); but a cache of documents found at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945 has provided originals of some treatises alluded to by those ... mainstream self-help and spirituality literature. In recent years, major publishing houses have issued handsomely packaged translations of gnostic scripture and, in one case, even...

• Word Count: 1846
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of the penis (the foreskin). The skin is pulled forward and cut off. The practice of circumcision has been around for at least 4,000 years (Spock , 1989). There are also reports of circumcision traced to 4000 BC Bodies exhumed in Egypt disclose evidence of circumcision. Also, ancient Egyptian artwork displays male circumcision. Evidence also shows that not every Egyptian male was ... the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was circumcised on his eighth day of life. Paul argued, "in Christ Jesus neither circumcision or uncircumcision count for anything (Holy Bible.)" According to the book of Romans, "...

• Word Count: 1720
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... that he is neither a prophet nor Elijah figure, but only a voice whose main function is to announce Jesus. The Baptist witnesses the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus, a phenomenon that Mark reports as Jesus" private experience of his calling. Contrary to other Gospels, Jesus is recognized as "God's Chosen One" right from the start. John structures his account of Jesus" public ministry ... the Word that originally brought light out of dark chaos at the world's creation. His seventh and most spectacular miracle was when he rose Lazarus from the dead. Concluding the book of Signs, the nar...

• Word Count: 1551
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School