Well, I wasn't as vigilant as I really should have been (I must admit, I hate putting my thoughts and feelings into a public place), but I'll try to sum up some of the thoughts that have been bumping around in my head.
The translation of Moses with a horn. Awesome idea. I even looked up "horned people", and one of the searches came up with a wonderful manga, Elfen Lied, here's a link to it:
http://www.mangavolume.com/elfen-lied/chapter-elfen-lied-1/1
It's a relatively short manga (only 107 chapters, or 6-ish hours of reading) and is very popular. It had been suggested to me by four people before reading it, and since it showed up on Google I reckoned I would take a peek at it. Don't let the cover fool you; it's not porn, it's actually very deep and interesting. And when reading it, remember it's Japanese, so read the panes right-to-left.
The Slave was alright. It wasn't groundbreaking for me, nor did it inspire an epiphany. It did, however, provide several very interesting things to look into. For example, the Talmud, (and the Mishnah and Gemara) Akdamut, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Tishabov, 17th day of Tammuz (these last five are holidays), tying a knot to symbolize an unbreakable pledge, the Kabbalah, the Midrash, Rashi, and matzoth were all new things, and were fun to look up on Wikipedia. I probably learned just as much about religious practices from this book as I did reading the Bible.
Folklore in the Old Testament had a concept that was intriguing as well: ultimogeniture. In ultimogeniture, the last son is the proper heir.This throws a little bit of a spin on several tales: Jacob and Esau, David, Joseph, and more-or-less all the "underdogs" were youngest sons, and were God's chosen. But, according to ultimogeniture, they weren't really underdogs; they were the right choice, the ones that should be chosen. Which makes the interpretation of God - who always seem to choose the most unlikely - seem a little more like a "likely" chooser. Or, he places his bets on the stronger candidates.
Anyway, these are some final thoughts that I felt would be good to share.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Our group presentation, and my personal one
Our group presentation was a Jeopardy game, in which we asked questions about the mountain. We had four categories, The Bible, Frye 1, Frye 2, and Literary references. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a way to embed the program, so you won't get a download for it. Sorry! But our questions focused mainly on the different aspects of the Mountain, such as how it is a natural symbol, how it is representative of the "U" shape Frye believes the Bible follows, and how ascension of the Mountain brings man closer to God and the kerygmatic.
My presentation was about how Battlestar Galactica, the reimagined TV Series, is a modern interpretation of the Bible. As I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy reading a paper, I'll try to lay it out in a more entertaining fashion:
So, first there are the easy parallels. Between the characters, we have figures of Moses in Laura Roslin (the dying leader/prophet), Paul is Saul Tigh (a military commander that persecutes Cylons, then finds he is one), and Gaius Baltar as Satan, just to name a few.
Also, the basic storyline follows that of Genesis and Exodus: There is a fall from Paradise (Kobol), and then the Twelve Tribes - like those of Israel - travelled out to new lands - in this case worlds - to continue their ways. Then came an exodus from those worlds, at which point they lived in the wastes - outer space - for several years, endured many hardships, then came to the Promised Land. Oh, and their leader died right when they reached it.
However, the storyline also follows the basic comedic style of the Bible, the "U." This happens in almost every episode - high at the beginning, then a catastrophe causes a fall, but they overcome it and reach a high point at the end - but so does the main plot points. They begin in paradise, but fall, then they rise to prominence on their twelve worlds, but those twelve worlds are laid waste by the Cylons, so they had to leave, but they found a new planet to inhabit, but the Cylons found them there too and the humans were enslaved, and there was another Exodus, and then they found Earth, and they populated the land and interbred with the natives (which were humans, just 150,000 years ago, but still homo sapiens). Notice the parataxis? Of course you did.
Anyway, we can also find it in the symbols: the mountain, garden, cave, and furnace. The characters experience epiphanies upon alighting on the Mountains of Earth, they inhabited the Gardens of Paradise (Kobol in actually in a couple episodes, and is pretty much a jungle) they drifted through the Cave of space, and they were purged through the Furnace of war and some nebulae.
Another point I talked about concerned the kerygmatic. Professor Sexson often said that the kerygmatic answers the question: "How can I live a fuller life?" The Bible attempts to answer this question. Battlestar Galactica asks the same question, but in a different form: "Why should humans survive?" This series provides no tangible solution, but you are left with a feeling that you understand why we should survive. The characters also undergo this kerygmatic process; upon reaching earth, each human goes out and finds his needful thing. For some, it's a spouse; for others, it's a nice, quiet farmstead. For Bill Adama, the Joshua or military leader, it's a cabin up on the mountain that his lover wanted to build.
Anyway, I would strongly recommend Battlestar Galactica to anyone, even if only for the cultural experience. For, as Frye says on page 97 of Words with Power, "The many religions of the world... accept a specific mythological background and then translate it into a conceptual doctrine that is to be believed (quid credas). Belief then bears fruit in the actions and lifestyle of the believer (quid agas)." Battlestar certainly covers those, as it affects many actions and lifestyles:
Not to mention, Battlestar completely revolutionized distribution practices, and thus makes it a fascinating economic study as well.
My presentation was about how Battlestar Galactica, the reimagined TV Series, is a modern interpretation of the Bible. As I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy reading a paper, I'll try to lay it out in a more entertaining fashion:
So, first there are the easy parallels. Between the characters, we have figures of Moses in Laura Roslin (the dying leader/prophet), Paul is Saul Tigh (a military commander that persecutes Cylons, then finds he is one), and Gaius Baltar as Satan, just to name a few.
Also, the basic storyline follows that of Genesis and Exodus: There is a fall from Paradise (Kobol), and then the Twelve Tribes - like those of Israel - travelled out to new lands - in this case worlds - to continue their ways. Then came an exodus from those worlds, at which point they lived in the wastes - outer space - for several years, endured many hardships, then came to the Promised Land. Oh, and their leader died right when they reached it.
However, the storyline also follows the basic comedic style of the Bible, the "U." This happens in almost every episode - high at the beginning, then a catastrophe causes a fall, but they overcome it and reach a high point at the end - but so does the main plot points. They begin in paradise, but fall, then they rise to prominence on their twelve worlds, but those twelve worlds are laid waste by the Cylons, so they had to leave, but they found a new planet to inhabit, but the Cylons found them there too and the humans were enslaved, and there was another Exodus, and then they found Earth, and they populated the land and interbred with the natives (which were humans, just 150,000 years ago, but still homo sapiens). Notice the parataxis? Of course you did.
Anyway, we can also find it in the symbols: the mountain, garden, cave, and furnace. The characters experience epiphanies upon alighting on the Mountains of Earth, they inhabited the Gardens of Paradise (Kobol in actually in a couple episodes, and is pretty much a jungle) they drifted through the Cave of space, and they were purged through the Furnace of war and some nebulae.
Another point I talked about concerned the kerygmatic. Professor Sexson often said that the kerygmatic answers the question: "How can I live a fuller life?" The Bible attempts to answer this question. Battlestar Galactica asks the same question, but in a different form: "Why should humans survive?" This series provides no tangible solution, but you are left with a feeling that you understand why we should survive. The characters also undergo this kerygmatic process; upon reaching earth, each human goes out and finds his needful thing. For some, it's a spouse; for others, it's a nice, quiet farmstead. For Bill Adama, the Joshua or military leader, it's a cabin up on the mountain that his lover wanted to build.
Anyway, I would strongly recommend Battlestar Galactica to anyone, even if only for the cultural experience. For, as Frye says on page 97 of Words with Power, "The many religions of the world... accept a specific mythological background and then translate it into a conceptual doctrine that is to be believed (quid credas). Belief then bears fruit in the actions and lifestyle of the believer (quid agas)." Battlestar certainly covers those, as it affects many actions and lifestyles:
Not to mention, Battlestar completely revolutionized distribution practices, and thus makes it a fascinating economic study as well.
Notes for the Final
Group 1: Mountain 1
1. What is their spirit animal?
A- "7-horned" buck
Group 2: Garden 1
1. How does Frye suggest the original Adam was constituted?
A - Both male and female
Group 3: Cave
1. What is that which makes the descent into the Cave worthwhile?
A- Gnosis - Greek word for a "knowledge that provides transcendence or salvation:
Group 4: Furnace
1. What does Frye align with destruction and annihilation?
A - Creativity
Group 5: Mountain 2
1. Where did the Grinch have his epiphany?
A - At the top of Mount Crumpet
Group 6: Garden 2
1. What does Frye say that nature is?
A - symbolically maternal
From Presentations
1. How many mitzvots are in the Old Testament?
A- 613
2. What is the name of the first film in the Bergman trilogy?
A- Through a Glass Darkly
3.Janeism - total believer in the sanctity of all life. Most extreme form of ethical religion.
From Bible
We will test on the Book of Luke, John, the first letter to the Corinthians, and the Book of Revelation.
1. What is their spirit animal?
A- "7-horned" buck
Group 2: Garden 1
1. How does Frye suggest the original Adam was constituted?
A - Both male and female
Group 3: Cave
1. What is that which makes the descent into the Cave worthwhile?
A- Gnosis - Greek word for a "knowledge that provides transcendence or salvation:
Group 4: Furnace
1. What does Frye align with destruction and annihilation?
A - Creativity
Group 5: Mountain 2
1. Where did the Grinch have his epiphany?
A - At the top of Mount Crumpet
Group 6: Garden 2
1. What does Frye say that nature is?
A - symbolically maternal
From Presentations
1. How many mitzvots are in the Old Testament?
A- 613
2. What is the name of the first film in the Bergman trilogy?
A- Through a Glass Darkly
3.Janeism - total believer in the sanctity of all life. Most extreme form of ethical religion.
From Bible
We will test on the Book of Luke, John, the first letter to the Corinthians, and the Book of Revelation.
Monday, November 29, 2010
A discussion about the Bible
Well, I finally had that discussion with someone else about the Bible. Of course, I have been bringing it up to my roommate, especially when he suggests I clean up the place a little - the story about Mary, Martha, Jesus, and the one needful thing truly is a wondrous tale - but I actually sat down and had a conversation with someone. This someone also happened to be my mother.
I decided that I wanted to have a discussion with someone that I could actually learn something from, and I knew that my mother is very knowledgeable of the bible. Little did I know, she was actually very knowledgeable, and I definitely got taught a few things.
The first thing I learned was that for three years after she had my oldest sibling, she was a stay-at-home mom. Quite the turn around from today's Mom, for sure. But while she stayed at home, she decided to study the Bible. And that's it. She studied the Bible everyday (about)for three years. She had a Bible completely covered with little annotations in the margins. Once she ran out of margin space, she wrote everything down in notebooks. She had more notebooks on the Bible than I do for my 120 credits' worth of classes. It was crazy! And then she brought out a book entitled An Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong, published 1894. A very old, very large book. It also had a Greek and Hebrew dictionary in it, which my mother exploited to the utmost. Every verb, noun, and phrase was looked up and translated back into Hebrew and Greek, then retranslated back into English to see how many different interpretations there were. And there were a lot. She told me that her favorite book, Daniel, was very different in Hebrew than it was in English. This intrigued me, so I asked if I could borrow her book. It is now currently sitting in my room. I'm somewhat afraid to touch the thing; it looks like it'll explode into a cloud of dust at any moment. But I'm sure I'll get over the fear soon and actually started really reading the Bible, as a multilingual facet of history.
I decided that I wanted to have a discussion with someone that I could actually learn something from, and I knew that my mother is very knowledgeable of the bible. Little did I know, she was actually very knowledgeable, and I definitely got taught a few things.
The first thing I learned was that for three years after she had my oldest sibling, she was a stay-at-home mom. Quite the turn around from today's Mom, for sure. But while she stayed at home, she decided to study the Bible. And that's it. She studied the Bible everyday (about)for three years. She had a Bible completely covered with little annotations in the margins. Once she ran out of margin space, she wrote everything down in notebooks. She had more notebooks on the Bible than I do for my 120 credits' worth of classes. It was crazy! And then she brought out a book entitled An Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong, published 1894. A very old, very large book. It also had a Greek and Hebrew dictionary in it, which my mother exploited to the utmost. Every verb, noun, and phrase was looked up and translated back into Hebrew and Greek, then retranslated back into English to see how many different interpretations there were. And there were a lot. She told me that her favorite book, Daniel, was very different in Hebrew than it was in English. This intrigued me, so I asked if I could borrow her book. It is now currently sitting in my room. I'm somewhat afraid to touch the thing; it looks like it'll explode into a cloud of dust at any moment. But I'm sure I'll get over the fear soon and actually started really reading the Bible, as a multilingual facet of history.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
For the Test!
Assignment: Why didn't you finish the Bible in this semester?
What we will be focusing on for the New Testament: Book of Luke, the end of Book of John, the Book of Revelation, Book of Acts, two passages from Corinthians (2:9, and 13:, and 15:), Judges.
Read these chapters for Plotz as well
To know for the exam:
Parables for Book of Luke
How Bottom (From Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream), misread I Corinthians 2:9, and how he has been the only man to see, much less cohabit with, the queen of the fairies.
The Exam Questions:
1. What is temenos?
A - A holy precinct, the carving out of a sacred space within a secular landscape.
2. What does Sarah pretend to be so that she can be said to be Jewish?
A - A mute
3. According to Frye, what is the epiphanic moment in the Book of Job?
A - Chapter 38, when God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind.
Note: an epiphany is a manifestation of the divine.
4. According to Frye, the happy ending of the framed device is what?
A - The right one! Because the Bible is a comedy, and so must end on a high note.
5. What does "Islam" mean?
A - Submission to God
Note: Please read the Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie. It's not going to be on the test, though. Just a suggestion.
6. Why did Plotz think that Gideon was such an important character that he would name his child after the Judge?
A - Plotz considered Gideon one of the better people of the Bible, and because Gideon was one of the lowest people of the Bible that rises magnificently to the challenge God sets before him.
7. Of what tribe was Ruth?
A - The Moabites
8. What book of the bible has the most literary references?
A - Ecclesiastes
9. What Psalm inspired Allegri's misere?
A - Psalm 51
10. Define parataxis.
A - A literary form in which all clauses carry equal weight; e.g. they have no subordinate conjunctions.
11. What are the two types of Wisdom?
A - Conventional: proverbial literature; Speculative: dark, dooming philosophies, such as the Book of Ecclesiastes.
12. What book in the Bible never mentions God? (mentioned in Frye, Chapter 3)
A - The Book of Esther
13. Samson's act, after regrowing his hair, does what?
A - Pulls down the temple of the Phillistines, killing many people (and himself).
14.What is the metaphor comparing at the end of Ecclesiastes?
A - the metaphor is that of a decaying house to a human body
15. Ecclesiastes is a what?
A - A preacher
16. What is the central question of Job?
A - Theodicy, the attempt to justify the benevolence of a god that allows suffering of innocents.
A2 - Where shall wisdom be found?
17. What does Dr. Sexson's father warn him about when he traveled abroad?
A - Wine, women, and song.
18. In the parable that Jesus speaks in the book of Luke concerning Mary and Martha, Mary is encumbered by many things. However, Jesus says she should be concerned with what?
A - The needful thing.
19. In the book of Job, Job says: Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark, let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see the dawning of the day: because it shut not up the doors of my mother's ___, nor hid sorrow from my eyes. Why died I not from the ____?
A - womb
20. What Apocryphal Book was the inspiration for Peter Quince at the Clavier?
A - Susanna
21. What story by Flannery O'Connor was about the burning bush?
A - Parker's Back
22 What was the conventional wisdom of Job's three friends?
A - Anybody who suffers must have done something wrong to deserve such suffering.
23. What does Job's wife suggest to Job?
A - That Job curse God and die.
24. Pages 116-190 for Frye; know them. They cover the fifth level of reading called the Kerygmatic.
A - The Kerygmatic answers the questions: How do I live a fuller life?
What we will be focusing on for the New Testament: Book of Luke, the end of Book of John, the Book of Revelation, Book of Acts, two passages from Corinthians (2:9, and 13:, and 15:), Judges.
Read these chapters for Plotz as well
To know for the exam:
Parables for Book of Luke
How Bottom (From Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream), misread I Corinthians 2:9, and how he has been the only man to see, much less cohabit with, the queen of the fairies.
The Exam Questions:
1. What is temenos?
A - A holy precinct, the carving out of a sacred space within a secular landscape.
2. What does Sarah pretend to be so that she can be said to be Jewish?
A - A mute
3. According to Frye, what is the epiphanic moment in the Book of Job?
A - Chapter 38, when God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind.
Note: an epiphany is a manifestation of the divine.
4. According to Frye, the happy ending of the framed device is what?
A - The right one! Because the Bible is a comedy, and so must end on a high note.
5. What does "Islam" mean?
A - Submission to God
Note: Please read the Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie. It's not going to be on the test, though. Just a suggestion.
6. Why did Plotz think that Gideon was such an important character that he would name his child after the Judge?
A - Plotz considered Gideon one of the better people of the Bible, and because Gideon was one of the lowest people of the Bible that rises magnificently to the challenge God sets before him.
7. Of what tribe was Ruth?
A - The Moabites
8. What book of the bible has the most literary references?
A - Ecclesiastes
9. What Psalm inspired Allegri's misere?
A - Psalm 51
10. Define parataxis.
A - A literary form in which all clauses carry equal weight; e.g. they have no subordinate conjunctions.
11. What are the two types of Wisdom?
A - Conventional: proverbial literature; Speculative: dark, dooming philosophies, such as the Book of Ecclesiastes.
12. What book in the Bible never mentions God? (mentioned in Frye, Chapter 3)
A - The Book of Esther
13. Samson's act, after regrowing his hair, does what?
A - Pulls down the temple of the Phillistines, killing many people (and himself).
14.What is the metaphor comparing at the end of Ecclesiastes?
A - the metaphor is that of a decaying house to a human body
15. Ecclesiastes is a what?
A - A preacher
16. What is the central question of Job?
A - Theodicy, the attempt to justify the benevolence of a god that allows suffering of innocents.
A2 - Where shall wisdom be found?
17. What does Dr. Sexson's father warn him about when he traveled abroad?
A - Wine, women, and song.
18. In the parable that Jesus speaks in the book of Luke concerning Mary and Martha, Mary is encumbered by many things. However, Jesus says she should be concerned with what?
A - The needful thing.
19. In the book of Job, Job says: Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark, let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see the dawning of the day: because it shut not up the doors of my mother's ___, nor hid sorrow from my eyes. Why died I not from the ____?
A - womb
20. What Apocryphal Book was the inspiration for Peter Quince at the Clavier?
A - Susanna
21. What story by Flannery O'Connor was about the burning bush?
A - Parker's Back
22 What was the conventional wisdom of Job's three friends?
A - Anybody who suffers must have done something wrong to deserve such suffering.
23. What does Job's wife suggest to Job?
A - That Job curse God and die.
24. Pages 116-190 for Frye; know them. They cover the fifth level of reading called the Kerygmatic.
A - The Kerygmatic answers the questions: How do I live a fuller life?
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Notes for 10-26-2010
We first talked about The Slave, by Isaac Singer. Make sure you take notes as you read it! And look up terms (Gemarrah, Talmud, Yiddish, etc.)! Our final term paper will be about this book. It will need to be about 3-4 pages. Something potentially helpful: The Slave is about the massacre of the 17th Century. His story seems to be similar to that of Job.
We then looked at the Book of Job. So we know that Job is innocent because the of the introduction to the story. God tested Job because of a bet with El Satan, making Job lose all his possessions and family. Through it all, Job did not curse God, but demanded answers. At the end of the story, God comes down and calls Job a worm for questioning him and there is an epiphany. And then God rewarded Job with more earthly possessions. The Book of Job can be broken into three parts, somewhat like a play: Act 1, the beginning, Acts 2, 3, and 4, the actual story of Job, and Act 5, the epilogue. Much like Escalus's Prometheus Bound. Professor Sexson likened the story of Job to an Oreo Cookie: the best part is in the middle. Make sure to pay special attention to Chapter 3 of Job; it's a very famous passage.
We also listened to "Sire of Sorrow" By Joni Mitchell. A fairly sad song. Look it up! Here are the lyrics: http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/joni_mitchell/the_sire_of_sorrow_jobs_sad_song.html
We also spoke of Ecclesiastes, similar to the Book of Job. It's about a guy who is very pessimistic. Turn Turn Turn by The Byrds is taken directly from this book. Actually, quite a few famous titles come from this book. So it's pretty important.
We then looked at the Book of Job. So we know that Job is innocent because the of the introduction to the story. God tested Job because of a bet with El Satan, making Job lose all his possessions and family. Through it all, Job did not curse God, but demanded answers. At the end of the story, God comes down and calls Job a worm for questioning him and there is an epiphany. And then God rewarded Job with more earthly possessions. The Book of Job can be broken into three parts, somewhat like a play: Act 1, the beginning, Acts 2, 3, and 4, the actual story of Job, and Act 5, the epilogue. Much like Escalus's Prometheus Bound. Professor Sexson likened the story of Job to an Oreo Cookie: the best part is in the middle. Make sure to pay special attention to Chapter 3 of Job; it's a very famous passage.
We also listened to "Sire of Sorrow" By Joni Mitchell. A fairly sad song. Look it up! Here are the lyrics: http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/joni_mitchell/the_sire_of_sorrow_jobs_sad_song.html
We also spoke of Ecclesiastes, similar to the Book of Job. It's about a guy who is very pessimistic. Turn Turn Turn by The Byrds is taken directly from this book. Actually, quite a few famous titles come from this book. So it's pretty important.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Notes for 10-19-2010
Homework Assignment: Have a bad day! And look in the Book of Job. Weigh in on Job's suffering on our blogs.
Read the Book of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs.
Read the Book of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs.
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