DAILY PHOTO: Chapel of St. Roch, Budapest
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Tag Archives: Christian
“To Tirzah” by William Blake [w/ Audio]
Whate'er is Born of Mortal Birth
Must be consumed with the Earth
To rise from Generation free:
Then what have I to do with thee?
The Sexes sprung from Shame & Pride,
Blow'd in the morn; in evening died;
But Mercy chang'd Death to Sleep;
The Sexes rose to work & weep.
Thou, Mother of my Mortal part,
With cruelty didst mould my Heart,
And with false self-deceiving tears
Didst bind my Nostrils, Eyes, & Ears:
Didst close my Tongue in senseless clay,
And me to Mortal Life betray.
The Death of Jesus set me free:
Then what have I to do with thee?
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DAILY PHOTO: Three Views of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Tbilisi
DAILY PHOTO: Immaculate Conception Church of Panjim
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PROMPT: First Name
Daily writing prompt
Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.
Having been raised in a Catholic household, I wouldn’t have this name if one or more saints hadn’t already. In my case, there are several Saint Bernards, and I don’t know that my parents had any particular one in mind. As far as I know, none were associated with Ireland, from whence my ancestry lies. [St. Bernard of Clairvaux seems to be the most famous St. Bernard – he’s “The St. Bernard,” if you will – excepting of course Chris the St. Bernard dog who starred in the 1992 movie “Beethoven” whose name was actually Chris and his breed was “St. Bernard” so, technically, Clairvaux is still king of the St. Bernards.] I also know that it’s not the first time this name appeared in my genealogical line, but don’t know much more than that.
I understand the etymology of the name is Germanic and that it means something like “Bear Hardy,” with which I’m pleased. (Could have been much worse — e.g. “Squirrel Brave” or “Bear Smelling.”)
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DAILY PHOTO: St. Philomena’s Cathedral, Mysuru
DAILY PHOTO: Church of St. Paul, Malacca
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DAILY PHOTO: Views of Tatev Monastery
DAILY PHOTO: St. Andrew’s Church, Vasco da Gama
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BOOKS: “Christianity: A Very Short Introduction” by Linda Woodhead
Christianity: A Very Short Introduction by Linda WoodheadMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Page OUP
The central idea of this book is that (despite all the complexity of schisms, sects, and subsects) the various entities that call themselves Christian can be put into one of three categories: church, biblical, or mystical. These groups reflect where the adherents see the ultimate source of authority. Church Christians, exemplified by Roman Catholics, view the hierarchy of clergy as the ultimate authority. Biblical Christians, e.g. Baptists, see the Bible as the highest authority. Finally, mystics see the individual’s relationship with (or connection to or oneness with) God to be what matters.
Bookending elaboration upon those three forms of Christianity, there is an opening that discusses early development of the Christian religion and the dividing lines that characterized it (e.g. whether Jesus was man, god, or a bit of both,) and there is a closing chapter about modern Christianity that explores various modern movements, such as: liberal Christianity, Evangelicalism, Fundamentalism, and charismatic Christianity.
If you’re interested in understanding the various permutations of Christianity (past and present,) and how they developed and differentiated themselves, this is a fine introduction to the subject.
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