The Song of Roland and Christianity

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is well known for its strong parallels with the Christian religion. C. S. Lewis seemed to make the entire meaning of the book correlate with Christianity as a whole. Every aspect within this novel has a connection with the bible in some way or another. These connections could even be pointed out by someone who is not a part of Christianity. The truth is that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is not simply just a story, but a novel that subtly instills the Christian beliefs within the reader. With parallels such as the characters, faith, and the story itself shows the strong ties this novel has with the Christian religion.

You prompt us yourself to find satisfaction in appraising you, since you made us tilted toward you, and our heart is unstable until stabilized in you. Quintessentially, this quote from Confessions symbolizes Augustine’s perilous journey towards Christianity. Although appearing earlier in what is colloquially known as the “first autobiography”, Augustine expounds on this very idea throughout his writings. Whether that includes his attraction and disdain for Manichaeism or his affinity with Neo-Platonism, one could argue this quote acted as the foundation of his inquisitions of these pre-modern dogmatic sects. Augustine, despite his perils with intellectual paradoxes, sought to understand these rigid entities that seemed to have variant

In ‘Beloved’, Christianity could not set the slave women free physically from slavery; it spiritually helped them cope with the pain during slavery. ‘Spiritually’ here means the ability to accept life as it is so that the slave women did not feel as painful as when they could not accept life as it is. So, Christianity does not offer a solution to the suffering endured during slavery. However, the role of Christianity is important because at the end of the novel, it is partly religious and spiritual belief that can send Beloved away.

The Christian religion finds its foundation on the Word of God and the work of Jesus Christ. Christianity finds its beginnings with Jesus Christ about 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came down to earth to teach, heal, and die for the sins of humanity. When God created man, he openly rebelled against God, causing a rift in their relationship. Since humans cannot save themselves, a perfect and completely innocent sacrifice was necessary in order to purify and restore mankind. Christianity is all about Jesus’ death and resurrection, as well as denying oneself and following Christ.

The origin of the Crusades is rooted in political upheaval. The mid seventh century to the mid tenth century CE saw a gradual expansion of Islam (Riley-Smith 1). Half of the Christian world was conquered by Arab armies. This included countries in which Christianity had been established for centuries, such as Egypt, southern France, southern Italy, Sicily, Spain, Syria, and Turkey (Riley-Smith 2). By the late tenth century, Europe and the Middle East were divided into Christian and Muslim hemispheres of influence. Christian pilgrims from Europe regularly visited the Muslim-controlled Jerusalem. These pilgrimages were very popular.

The role of Christianity is quite eminent in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and therefore, the significance of sin and confession is notable in the text. There are subtleties throughout the story that hint towards confession. One of which could be found in the very beginning, I think, with the arrival of the Green Knight, who poses as a near heart-stopping and unusual figure, in King Arthur’s court. When the Green Knight makes his proposal, the court of men could have admitted their fear and their unwillingness to participate in such a game. However, I feel that due to this lack of honesty, the Green Knight was steadfast on finding a player, going so far as even mocking the court, until Arthur himself, though reluctantly, offered to take

Craig Blomberg, New Testament Scholar and Professor at Denver Seminary, provides an insightful commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Blomberg investigates the text using a historical, literary, and theology analysis. The commentary begins with an introduction analyzing the following 7 topics regarding the entirety of the Matthean Gospel: (1) structure, (2) theology, (3) purpose and audience, (4) sources, (5) date, (6) author, (7) and historicity and genre. Blomberg, then, throughout the rest of the commentary, provides a verse by verse discourse on the text by breaking it down into 3 main sections: (I) Introduction to Jesus’ Ministry (1:1-4:16), (II) The Development of Jesus’ Ministry (4:17-16:20), and (III) The Climax of Jesus’ Ministry (16:21-28:20).

Jonathan Edwards was born in Connecticut on October 5, 1703 and was the only son of Timothy Edwards and Esther Stoddard in a family of 11 children.

The Imitation of Christ – This piece is authored by Augustinian monk, Thomas a Kempis, which appears to be a devotional work that is directed to young monks. Kempis addresses a variety of topics which one would assume to be important enough to be pillars of the Christian faith such as: the imitation of Christ, the contrition of the heart, solitude and silence, human misery, judgement and reward, and death. In regards to imitating and following Christ’s example for His elect, Kempis adamantly states that one cannot go about this half-heartedly. A Christian must give everything (whether physical or mental strength, material resources, etc.) as well as have an indwelling of the Holy Spirit in order to even begin to imitate Christ. It is not enough to simply

    C. S. Lewis, a well-known author and apologist, is best known by people of all

with his 95 Theses. A strict father who most likely did not accept “no” as an

On the main portal of the Autun Cathedral, the Last Judgment is on display in the tympanum, and depicted in the center is Christ who is enthroned in a mandorla, that is being held on either side by angels. Each side is divided into two scenes with the architrave underneath. The upper scene shows the Virgin Mary enthroned and two apostles watching the judgment. In the lower scene, to the right of Christ, eight apostles stand, facing the enthroned figure in the manner of petitioners. Represented in the arcade structure, St Peter is shown with keys and is guarding the entrance to the heaven where those that have been resurrected are l trying to squeeze in with the help of an

Before submitting himself to God, Augustine lived a life controlled by various sinful tendencies such as theft and lust. Surrounded by strong believers of Catholicism, such as his mother, St. Monica, Augustine grew up questioning Christ and the faith and rather explored other religions. Two religions that Augustine devoted himself to were Manichaeism and Neoplatonism. While both religions had strengths and flaws, neither truly satisfied Augustine’s spiritual emptiness. Before devoting himself fully to the Catholic faith, Augustine is seen as an honorable saint because of the significance of his works and teachings. Augustine’s conversion from Manichaeism to Neoplatonism to Catholicism as noted through Confessions, transformed his life from being powered by sin and immortality to a life dominated by rectitude and devotion.

The lamb of course symbolizes Jesus. The traditional image of Jesus as a lamb underscores the Christian values of gentleness, meekness, and peace. The image of the child is also associated with Jesus: in the Gospel, Jesus displays a special solicitude for children, and the Bible's depiction of Jesus in his childhood shows him as guileless and vulnerable. These are also the characteristics from which the child-speaker approaches the ideas of nature and of God. This poem, like many of the Songs of Innocence, accepts what Blake saw as the more positive aspects of conventional Christian belief. But it does not provide a completely adequate doctrine, because it fails to account for the presence of suffering and evil in the world. The pendant (or companion) poem to this one, found in the Songs of Experience, is "The Tyger"; taken together, the two poems give a perspective on religion that includes the good and clear as well as the terrible and inscrutable. These poems complement each other to produce a fuller account

After reading the Sermon at Benares, I do find the concept of the “middle path” as expressed in the provided text, to explicate that we must strike a common ground in our every day life. In particular, I liked how the passage talked about the “two extremes”, and how there must be a balance between the notions of “ self-indulgence” and “self-mortification”. Resultantly, if we are to pursue or to achieve Nirvana, we must live a proper life. We should not shy away from our passions or desires, but at the same time, we should not indulge. We must be moderate and fulfill what is only needed for our mind and body. Only then, can we follow the “middle path”, and live a fulfilling life that is meaningful and abundant.