Western Literature Week sixteen

Jonah

It is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC. He is the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or whale, depending on translation. The Biblical story of Jonah is repeated, with a few notable differences. 

Catholic Vulgate

It is a late fourth—century Latin translation of the Bible that become, during the 16th century, the Catholic Church’s officially promulgated Latin version of the Bible.  

Monotheism

It is a belief in the existence of one god, or in the oneness of God. As such, it is distinguished from polytheism, the belief in the existence of many gods, and from atheism, the belief that there is no god. Monotheism characterizes the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and elements of the belief are discernible in numerous other religions.

Catholicism

It is in this sense refer to the practices of several Christian churches. This sense is to be distinguished from the use of these words to refer to the Roman Catholic Church, that which is full communication with the Holy See, as well as the Orthdox Catholic Church, which also considers itself the universal and apostolic church. It used as broad terms for describing specific traditions in the Christian churches in the theology, doctrine, liturgy, ethics, and spiritually.

Orthdox Catholic Church

Protestantism

It is a form of Christian faith and practice which originated with the Protestant Reformation, a movement against what its followers considered to be errors in the Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the three major divisions of Christendom, together with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

The New Testament

It is the second major part of the Christian biblical canon, the first part being the Old Testament, based on the Hebrew Bible. The Greek New Testament discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first—century Christianity. Christians regard both the Old and New Testaments together as sacred scripture. The New Testament has frequently accompanied the spread of Christianity around the world. It reflects and severs as a source for Christian theology and morality. Both extended readings and phrases directly from the New Testament are also incorporated into the various Christian liturgies. The New Testament has influenced religious, philosophical and political movements in Christendom, and left an indelible mark on literature, art and music.

Old Testament vs. New Testament

Old Testament [39 chapters]

The main character in the Old Testament is Satan. (It's all about Satan's trial or how to avoid the seduction by Satan)

>> Genesis

New Testament [27 chapters]

The main character in the New Testament is Jesus Christ.

The New Testament was written by Greek language including four Gospels. ( Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

>> Why Jesus teaches in Parable?

Because the disciples he had were almost from lower social economy status. Parable would describe things easily such as "Prodigal Son".

>> Jesus knocking on the door of your heart

Book Discussion

p.178

The Hebrew Bible [Psalm 23]

The writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music many times. 

>> The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want

>> He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters

>> This is the remaining of ancient language

>> He restoreth my soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

>>Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me

Thou means you and Thy means your. Those are the remaining of German language due to the Martin’s Luther’s Reformation

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies 

p.117—121

Genesis 1—4: Freewill Salvation The Fall

God places the man in a garden in Eden where he is permitted to till the land and tend the garden and animals. God also places a tree in the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and God prohibits the man from eating the fruit of this tree, warning him that he would die if he ate the fruit. But none of the animals are found to be a suitable companion for the man, so God causes the man to sleep and creates a woman from a part of his body. The woman is established as subordinate to the man, as the impetus for her creation is to serve the needs of the man by being his "helpmate" and to ensure that he not "be alone." The man describes the woman in as "bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh", and he calls his new partner "woman", "for this one was taken from a man".

The expulsion from Eden narrative begins with a dialogue between the woman and a serpent, as an animal that was more crafty than any other animal made by God, though, it should be noted, Genesis does not identify the serpent with Satan. The woman is willing to talk to the serpent and respond to the creature's cynicism by rehearsing God's prohibition against eating fruit from the tree of knowledge. The woman is lured into dialogue on the serpent's terms which directly disputes God's command. The serpent assures the woman that God will not let her die if she ate the fruit, and, furthermore, that if she ate the fruit, her "eyes would be opened" and she would "be like God, knowing good and evil". Indeed, the woman sees that the fruit of the tree of knowledge is a delight to the eye and that it would be desirable to acquire wisdom by eating the fruit. The woman eats the fruit and gives some to the man. With this the man and woman recognize their own nakedness, and they make cloths of fig leaves and loincloth.

p.122—125

Genesis 6—9 Noah and the Flood

God saw how great wickedness had become and decided to wipe mankind from the face of the earth. However, one righteous man among all the people of that time, Noah, found favor in God's eyes. With very specific instructions, God told Noah to build an ark for him and his family in preparation for a catastrophic flood that would destroy every living thing on earth. God also instructed Noah to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, both male and female, and seven pairs of all the clean animals, along with every kind of food to be stored for the animals and his family while on the ark. Noah obeyed everything God commanded him to do. After they entered the ark, rain fell on the earth for a period of forty days and nights. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days, and every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out. As the waters receded, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Noah and his family continued to wait for almost eight more months while the surface of the earth dried out.

Finally after an entire year, God invited Noah to come out of the ark. Immediately, he built an altar and worshiped the Lord with burnt offerings from some of the clean animals. God was pleased with the offerings and promised never again to destroy all the living creatures as he had just done. Later God established a covenant with Noah: "Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." As a sign of this everlasting covenant God set a rainbow in the clouds.

p.126

Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel

Up until this point in the Bible, the whole world had one language - one common speech for all people. The people of the earth became skilled in construction and decided to build a city with a tower that would reach to heaven. By building the tower they wanted to make a name for themselves and also prevent their city from being scattered. God came to see their city and the tower they were building. He perceived their intentions, and in His infinite wisdom, He knew this "stairway to heaven" would only lead the people away from God. He noted the powerful force within their unity of purpose. As a result, God confused their language, causing them to speak different languages so they would not understand each other. By doing this, God thwarted their plans. He also scattered the people of the city all over the face of the earth.

>>After the Babel

After Babel is a comprehensive study of the subject of language and translation. It is both a controversial and seminal workthat covers a great deal of new ground and has remained the most thorough book on this topic since its publication. Director Peter Bush of the British Centre for Literary Translation at the University of East Anglia described the book as a "pioneering work which revealed all communication as a form of translation, and how central translation is to relations between cultures." Daniel Hahn at ContemporaryWriters.com wrote that "It is extraordinary in making a real contribution to translation studies, while remaining fairly self-contained and accessible to people who have never before given the matter a second thought."

Cain and Abel

According to the Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain is described as a crop farmer and his younger brother Abel as a shepherd. Cain was the first human born and Abel was the first human to die. Cain committed the first murder by killing Abel. Interpretations of Genesis 4 by ancient and modern commentators have typically assumed that the motives were jealously and anger. The story of Cain and Abel is found in the Christian Bible, Jewish Torah and Muslim Quran.

Additional Supplement

WASP: White Anglo—Saxon Protestant

It is an informal, sometimes disparaging term for a group of high—statues and influential White Americans of English Protestant ancestry. The term applies to a group believed to control disproportionate social, political, and financial power in the United States. It describes a group whose family wealth, education, status, and elite connections allow them a degree of opportunity held by few others.

Vocabulary

ant: people

flight attendant

mor: death

morgue: a place where the bodies of dead people are kept until they are buried or cremated

morally: concerning or relating to what is right and wrong in human behavior

moraine: an accumulation of earth and stones carried and finally deposited by a glacier

Video 

Ex—President George W. Bush’s post speech

When George W. Bush made his speech for 911 attacks, he put some content from Psalm 23.

Quotation: " I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance. America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism. Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me."

-- "You" here means God. 

Movie

Elizabeth