The Jesus I Never Knew By Phillip Yancey

10. Why, do you suppose, the Jewish merchants and moneylenders were hated by the Christians?

Award-winning journalist, Lee Strobel wrote The Case for Christ to retrace and enlarge his journey toward becoming a Christian. Strobel once atheist, and now Christian, shares how he began to look upon the Bible and God. As an atheist, Strobel lived the life of selfishness and only worried to please himself. When his wife began to go to church he wasn’t very pleased until after he saw the positive and attractive change in her. This is the start of his curiosity and investigation about Christianity. He wanted to understand what changed her like this. He wanted to relate with his wife so he decided to study about this and attend church services with her. Strobel began his journey and interviewed thirteen leading scholars who defended their views concerning the historical reliability of the New Testament. Strobel splits the case for Christ into three basic sections: Examining the Record, Analyzing Jesus, and Researching the Resurrection.

Often times we are at a loss for words when it comes to talking about the person of the Holy Spirit. Beth Felker Jones in her work entitled “God the Spirit” serves as an introduction to the study of the Holy Spirit in a distinctly Wesleyan and Ecumenical Perspective. Jones is working against the notion that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is often the most neglected of all Christian teachings (1). She recognizes her experience within the Wesleyan tradition as one that shapes her pneumatology and this book. She asserts that one of Wesleyan Christianity’s special gifts is it’s “leaning against any tendency to neglect the Spirit” (4). Even with this framework she aims to place the Wesleyan perspective in a larger ecumenical milieu that shows the continuity of a Wesleyan pneumatology with the Tradition of the Church. Overall, her approach is very accessible, as she assumes very little and writes in such a way that allows her to cover large dogmatic topics clearly and concisely. By merit of simply being an introduction only style book, there is the risk of glossing over topics and not providing enough in depth discussion to fully understand and comprehend the doctrine discussed. A reader should feel confident that Jones has indeed provided us with a solid introduction to Wesleyan pneumatology that has the ability to bear fruit and initiate growth in the life of the believer.

In the poem “A Blessing” by James Wright written in 1963, self realization is the main theme. This poem was written to really embrace a connection with nature. The refreshing aspect nature brings to a human's life is calming and has a way of healing. The feelings that the two horses bring out in the man are overwhelming.

This outstanding man was a young Jew of the straightest sect of the Pharisees; he was a member of the group that came closer to keeping the Law of Moses than any other. The Jews were divided into about a dozen different groups and three are mentioned in the in the Bible: The Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes.

Situations in life often elicit for change, whether it is growing through life or making the decision to conform or shy away from “societies norms.” As anything in life these both call for change, whether it is a change in attitude or mood, things such as these are major influential factors. In the words of Albert Camus, “In order to exist, man must rebel, but rebellion must respect the limits that it discovers in itself - limits where minds meet, and in meeting, to exist”, his words illustrate a very profound meaning but it is simply stating is, as people if we ‘live’ searching for meaning or the meaning of life, we will never live. We live in a society where we have the ability to choose and to make decisions, which often or not

Theists, people who believe in the existence of God, often are required to pray to God in order to obtain certain benefits and provisions. It is believed that these things wouldn’t come to God’s believers unless they take the role as a petitioner and pray. These believers know God to be an all-loving being. However, if this is the case, a major problem arises for both atheists and theists alike; “Why would God bestow the good only if asked to bestow it” and “Why does God not grant the good irrespective of whether some person ask for it?” Michael J. Murray and Kurt Myers attempt at answer these questions in support of theism through “Ask and I Will Be Given to You.” Although they do a great job showing the benefits that arise from the use

The Essenes’ particularly high esteem as the most praiseworthy representatives of Jewish piety on the part of their Jewish contemporaries is diametrically opposed to the picture that Christians today have them. The principal cause of this is the simple fact that Pharisees and Sadducees are repeatedly mentioned in the New Testament, and even one of Jesus’ disciples is identified as a former Zealot (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13), while the Essenes are never mentioned. (Stegemann). Christians therefore think of the Essenes as a very nebulous entity that in Jesus’ time must have been rather insignificant and probably led only a marginal existence.

What most are unaware of is that the latter, the Pharisees, have been highly questioned and criticised due to the general - and often seen as subjective- depiction of them throughout the New

The texts are believed to have been written by a strict Jewish sect called the Essenes. This religious community led by one they called the “Teacher of Righteousness” lived a demanding routine of self-discipline. Their interpretation of the law was severe, they held fellowship meals to which admission was closely guarded. “They interpreted prophetic scripture as referring to events of their own day and believed that they had an important part to play in the hope of Israel.”2

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu is a novel that addresses America in a way that is real and raw. Mengestu wastes no time diving into the struggles of an American immigrant. He starts with the title, being an excerpt from Dante’s Inferno and does not finish until the last sentence of the book. Mengestu not only talks about an immigrants struggles but also discusses stereotypes, lost dreams, death, loneliness, rejection, and of course romance. He is able to do all of this by portraying it through Sephas’ life. He leaves interpretation of Sepha’s feelings up to the reader, but throughout the novel it is clear that not everything is as easy as it seems, especially with being an American immigrant. I chose The Beautiful

and claimed that they were the rightful race, while the Judeans were the “impure.” The

2 The Pharisees were one group of people that had difficulties and problems with Jesus’ teachings. The Pharisees were ultra-Orthodox men who shunned the unrighteous and made up many rules on how to be holy. There were two main groups of Pharisees the Shammai and the Hillel. The Shammai believed that only the Jews were loved by God and that Gentiles shouldn’t convert to Judaism. Because of this belief, the Shammai grew to hate the Gentiles and even made edicts so that the two were separated. The Shammai is also known to have political ties and a close relation to the zealots who wanted to overthrow Rome. The second and less influential groups of Pharisees were the Hillel which focused more on people as opposed to rules. They were much more open to Gentile converts and Jesus acted more positively with this group than the other. The potential conflicts of these groups would be when Jesus would heal someone on the Sabbath the Shammaiites would see this as Jesus doing work on the Sabbath while the Hillelites would see this as a good deed which was permitted on the Sabbath. Another point

At the beginning of the 19th Psalm, David writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Gerald Manley Hopkins seems to echo this theme in his poem, “God’s Grandeur.” The interesting aspects of this poem are a result of Hopkins’ different perspectives on nature. In the beginning of the poem, Hopkins directs his focus on the glory of God through the lens of the world. There is then a turning point where he diverts his attention to the problems mankind inflicts upon creation. However, the closing of the poem involves him stepping back and reflecting upon the eternality of God. “God’s Grandeur” is interwoven with powerful imagery that is evoked by elaborate double entendres that reflect the interaction between humans, nature, and the eternal grandeur of God that surpasses Earth, which though temporary, is under constant care from God despite our actions.

As we delve into what the living call the Second Temple Period, my influence and power began to decline. Before the first temple was destroyed, the people of Judea had been under the control of both the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Following its destruction, I claimed many individuals for my collection. In my opinion, the Persians were too kind; Alexander was fair, but Antiochus was most loyal to my needs. As Antiochus persecuted the Jews, justice went by the wayside, and in my greed I took many more for my collection. Many Jews were tested in the days to come. Some remarkably revealed an unknown admiration hidden in the depths of me. One Jew stands out to me for his remarkable courage; cordially Eleazar greeted me, and gently I took his hand and led him onward. The seven brothers I embraced to extinguish their agony. From the Assyrians to the Antiochus, Judea had gone from one hand to another. By the time Antiochus’s persecution had reached its time, I had taken many into my possession, but now I had taken the hope of the Jewish people.