Book Comment: What Paul Meant

Thomas Jefferson called Paul "the first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus," substituting his highly intellectual theology for Jesus' simple message. Friedrich Nitezsche said Paul had "a genius for hatred." Some say he created a new religion, Christianity, which was more Paul than Jesus.

Garry Wills, the author of What Paul Meant, says that Paul was a combination of football coach, janitor, mystic, intellectual, street fighter, peacemaker, and teacher. He points out that Paul never thought of himself as a convert to a new religion. He saw his teachings as a continuation and fulfillment of the Jewish religion. "What Paul meant was not something other than or contrary to what Jesus meant." What was new was that Jesus, who was the Messiah, died for our sins and rose from the dead, in accordance with the holy scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

"I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin." Romans 11:1.

So far so good. Then Willis begins to slip from traditional orthodoxy into acceptance of much of modern criticism. He agrees that of the thirteen letters ascribed by the Bible to Paul, only seven were indeed written by him (1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, Philemon, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Romans).

Willis believes there has been a "massive misreading of Paul" and defends the apostle against charges that his teachings lead to attacks on women, marriage, homosexuals and Jews. He decides that Paul was more concerned with societies, saving an entire race, than with individuals. "Paul meant what Jesus meant, that love is the only law."

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian. Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions. This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Master of the Amsterdam Death of the Virgin: (fl. Ca 1500, aka: Master of the Almshouse of the Seven Electors) This Dutch painter is identified only by the names of his paintings. His The Death of the Virgin is housed in a museum in Amsterdam.

Master of the Life of the Virgin: This 13th Century painter worked in Norway.

Ctesiphon of Vergium: (fl 1st century, aka: San Tesifonte) Ctesiphon was a missionary to the Roman city of Vergium (modern Berja, Spain).

Ananias: A Syrian Jewish Christian in Damascus who received a vision which told him to seek out Saul of Tarsus/Paul and restore his sight. Acts 9:10-19; 22:12-16.

Hildegard of Bingen: (b. 1098, Germany – d. 1179; aka: Sybil of the Rhine) Female Benedictine theologian, musician, herbalist, poet, composer, linguist, physician, botanist, founder of monasteries.

Suzanne Hinn Files for Divorce

On 1 February 2010, Suzanne Hinn filed for divorce in Orange County, California against her husband, Benny. She cited as grounds, "irreconcilable differences." The couple has been married for thirty years.

Benny Hinn is a televangelist known for his advocacy of the Prosperity Gospel, which teaches that a right relationship with God leads to wealth and good health. One tenet of the doctrine is that one 's giving plants "seeds of faith" which return as multiplied blessings to the giver.

Critics of the Prosperity Gospel charge that it emphasizes material things and money rather than Jesus, that it is a "works salvation," and that it cynically enriches the leaders at the expense of the followers.

Solomon's Wall

Eilat Mazar, an Israeli archeologist has found what may be a fortification wall built by King Solomon in the 10th Century BC/BCE. She has called the wall "the most significant construction we have from First Temple days in Israel." She dated the wall from pottery shards found along the wall. Other archeologists, some of whom think David and Solomon are mythical, do not agree.

The segment of wall and a large gatehouse are located outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, near the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary.

While we should never base our faith on artifacts and relics, this may be yet another confirmation of the biblical records. Just think of the Hittite Empire which was "mythological," and mentioned only in the Bible, until the capital city, Hattusas (or Khattusas), was found in Turkey by Hugo Winckler in 1906-1907. Over ten thousand tablets were found which entirely corroborated the Biblical record.

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Jesus is the Light of the World

 This may or may not be a messianic prophecy.  My feeling is that it is not, because that could imply that Jesus is a created being. That would be inconsistent with the many other biblical references which teach that Jesus is pre-existent.

Some people feel that the first use of a word in the Bible establishes that word's meaning for the rest of the Bible.  This is highly doubtful and is an unfounded assumption.  Interpretations of words and phrases in the Bible must be derived from the surrounding textual and historical context, from the most usual usage of the word, and from their consistency with the rest of the biblical revelation.

Examples abound of people making unfounded assumptions about biblical words and phrases and, as a result, going off in heretical directions.

Old Testament:

”And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Genesis 1:3-4

New Testament:

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12


Two New Blogs Added to My List

I have added the websites, An Upside Down World and Poetry Where You Live, to the list of blogs and websites which I check regularly. Each of the websites and blogs on the list contributes to the theme of this blog that Christians should be and are represented in every legitimate human field of endeavor and are “on the loose;” “ακωλητοσ” (“unhindered”).

Links to the sites are available in my blog list.

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/

http://anupsidedownworld.com/

Film Comment: Rabbit

This perverse (extremely perverse) little nine minute film is one I know you'll probably never see, so I'm doing no no harm in including spoilers in this comment. Rabbit (2005) is a limited animation film illustrated like a children's picture book with the names of each object printed directly under the object: ie. "rabbit," "flower," "house," "boy," and "girl," etc. You get the idea, it looks like an old fashioned British children's reading primer. The British director, Run Wrake, used educational stickers he found in a junk shop.

A sweet little boy and girl are playing in a garden when the girl decides to cut open a passing rabbit. The boy uses a cricket bat to whack the heads of several animals. Inside one animal, the children find a strange little animated idol (a demon?) which turns insects into jewels. The children come up with a plan; distract the idol with a tasty bowl of jam, kill animals to attract insects which the idol will turn into jewels, and the children get rich. They set their plan in motion and drive off to get more jam. The idol has other, deadly, ideas. The children end up eaten by insects.

This bizarre film was nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award and it deserved it. It speaks none too subtly about animal cruelty, consumerism, greed, corruption, and hypocrisy (false innocence). As seen by Christian eyes, it is an allegory about the dangers of consorting with evil and demonstrates graphically that death really is the result (wages} of sin.

For those who wish to see the film, it is available from Netflix in the compilation entitled Cinema 16: Disc 2 (European Short Films).

My Bibliography

A new item on my blog is my bibliography page. The link is located in a sidebar on the right side of the page. The bibliography lists books and magazine articles I have written plus reviews and listings of my work.

Listen to the Holy Spirit

When I decided to start this blog I wondered if I would be able to keep up the pace of posting daily. That has proven to be no problem as it seems that now I have the opposite problem; how to restrict my posting to just one post a day. I am making no claim to be an "inspired" writer but I firmly believe that God can make use of us through whatever our talents are. Mine happens to be writing and I know, I do not think, I know, that God has used this simple blog to speak to other people. Some of them have told me so.

My hope for this blog is that my readership will increase; every writer wants to be read. I also pray that the posts in this blog will remain within Christian orthodoxy, that anything I say will be biblically sound. Another hope is that God will continue to use this blog to speak directly to specific people who need to hear a message specifically for them.

This may sound "spooky" to you, the idea that God can speak specific messages to others through us, but, of course He can, and often, we won't even know it has happened; the other person will know. What we need to do is to be open to the leading of the Spirit and to not ignore Him when he prods us to take some action or to say something. We don't personally have to be aware of what we have done, God can still use it.

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" Ephesians 1:11

A mystic walks into a hot dog shop ...

A mystic walks into a hot dog shop and places his order, "I'll have ...  one with everything."

Etymology

To help them to continually improve their writing so they can choose just the word they want for a particular situation, many writers study etymology. The study of word origins adds richness and depth to their use of words. Many writers know exactly the effect a particular word will have upon their readers and, they know why. Words carry a lot of "baggage;" underlying meanings which make sense when they are explained but which resonate below the level of conscious thought.

The word "etymology" is derived from "etymon" (ετυμον: Greek for "true meaning"), plus "logos" (λογοσ: Greek for "word" or "study.") A word's history is traced by studying the history of its usage, the meanings of the root words from which it is constructed, and its changing meanings and usages over the years.

An example is the derivation of the word "depend," "De" (Latin for "down") and "pendere" (Latin for "to hang"). The word "pendere" was also involved in the development of the English words "pendulum" and "pendulous." So, to depend on someone is to "hang down" from them. Without the one doing the supporting, the "depender" will fall.

The believer is in a state of dependence upon the grace of God for his/her salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:17.

Book Comment: The Meaning of Star Trek

In the Star Trek universe, science has eliminated prejudice, war, poverty, disease, and hunger. The main thing it can't change is human/sentient nature. Most of the characters in the series of television programs and films are competent and brilliant, the best in their fields, and most are flawed. Captain James Kirk passed the unpassable training test by changing the test; he cheated. Captain Jean Luc Picard is compassionate but is all work and can't have a really close relationship with anyone. Lt. Worf is a Klingon who fits best among Humans. Constable Odo is a liquid shapeshifter who loves one of the "solids." B'Elana Torres is a Human/Klingon half-breed who hates her violent Klingon nature. Visiting family members are often viewed with dread. Many of the stories in the series come from the character's internal conflicts.

In The Meaning of Star Trek, Thomas Richards discusses the reasons why Star Trek is becoming recognized as more than just a series of movies and television programs. I'm not sure that the creator, Gene Rodenberry, had it all in mind when he wrote the first draft of his pilot for the original Star Trek series, but it is more than obvious that Richards is correct in saying that the decided philosophical bent of the franchise soon became intentional.

Richards discusses, with examples from the various Star Trek programs, the uses and meanings of "myth" and "story." Also discussed are the distinction between individual and corporate; the often violated Federation Prime Directive (observe but do not interfere); the essentially rational nature of the universe; the corruption of governments versus the nobility of the individual; the notion that all of the sentient species of the universe have a common origin; and the realization that carried to its extreme, technology might exterminate the individual.

In the Star Trek universe, organized religion is almost universally shown to be corrupt, especially in its leadership. Where religion is viewed as ennobling is with the individual, even though the individual is usually shown to be misguided in his/her beliefs. The Vulcans meditate and concentrate and still can't rid themselves of their feelings. Lt. Worf tries valiantly to believe in the Klingon religion but can gain only a cultural appreciation of his heritage. A group of Jem Hadar warriors choose religious loyalty over life; they decide to die rather than to disobey the orders of their Vorta whom they know has betrayed them. An alien couple chooses to let their son die rather than violate his body by introducing alien medicines. The Bajorans worship a group of disembodied aliens who live in a cosmic Wormhole and do nothing to discourage the worship.

The "deities" seen in the Star Trek universe (*) are seemingly omnipotent but are not omniscient. They resemble the ancient Roman gods more than the Judeo-Christian God. They are often self-obsessed, arbitrary, and unconcerned about the effects of their actions on others. *: The Organians, Q, the Traveller, Trelayne (who may be Q), Adonais, etc,

To my knowledge, there is not a single openly Christian character in the Star Trek universe. This, and the attitude discussed above, may be seen to reflect the feelings of the series creator, Gene Rodenberry. He was raised as a Southern Baptist and as an adult came to reject all organized religion.

Film Comment: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) is another in the immensely popular and immensely trite series about the coming of age of a young sorcerer, possibly the sorcerer. The stories in the series are filled with numerous and very obvious stereotypes. The content is appropriate for this forum because sorcery is a form of religion. (An aside: Yes, I do know the differences between the historical view of witchcraft and satanism, sorcery, Wicca, modern Satanism, and neo-paganism.)

As I was watching Order of the Phoenix I had a strong feeling of deja vu. I've seen this before. What I was seeing was a clearly discernable liberal or left wing message. The members of The Ministry of Magic are in denial about the return of the ultra-evil Lord Voldemort and interpret warnings of his return as attacks on their leadership. To squelch dissent, they send in a new representative, Dolores Jane Umbridge, to clamp down on the Hogwarts School. She is sweet and fuzzy on the outside but she clamps down on the students like the authoritarian bureaucrat she is. The Ministry is practicing "the politics of fear" and fails to see "the real threat."

This politicization of what is ostensibly a children's film is further shown in the name of Dolores Umbridge. "Umbrage" comes to us from Middle English by way of French,and, ultimately, from the Latin word "umbra" which means "shade" or "shadow." "To take umbrage" is to resent or be angered by some imagined insult. The idea which I believe is intended in Order of the Phoenix is somewhere along the lines of the Scandinavian perjorative "morkemann." (See my post for 24 October 2009 in the Labels List under the label: "morkemann." )

Who or what is a Christian?

In a recent article entitled "Tension among Haiti's religions grows after quake," Associated Press writer Paisley Dodds lists some of the Christian groups providing aid to the population: "Baptists, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists, Mormons and other missionaries."

I'm sorry, but this demonstrates the world's confusion about who and what we are. They have no clue, especially about the concept of the "εκλεσσια," the "church." The Scientologists make no claim to be Christian. The Roman Catholics at one time claimed to be the one true church; the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses still do.

There is much disagreement among the various denominations about what constitutes "being a Christian." We all need to think on the question.

Voodoo vs. Christianity

Tensions are rising between Christians and followers of Voodoo (or Vodou) in Haiti. Voodoo devotees say that the many Christians who have poured into Haiti following the recent catastrophic earthquake are not just distributing aid; they are using the situation to evangelize. Well, duh!!!

The horrible situation in the island nation should not be intentionally exploited by missionaries (and listening to a sermon should never be a prerequisite for receiving aid) but, when they are asked why they are helping, they should be quick and eager to answer.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" 1 Peter 3:15.

Pothead Jesus

On 9 February 2010, in El Paso, Texas, United States Border Patrol agents arrested a Mexican woman for drug smuggling. She was driving across the border from Ciudad Juarez when her sports utility vehicle was stopped and searched. She told the agents that she had nothing to declare except some framed art; three pictures of Jesus Christ. That was true.

What the woman failed to realize was that the pictures of Jesus would be shown to Cesar the drug sniffing dog, who knew what marijuana smelled like. Thirty-one pounds of weed were packed into the backing and frames around the paintings.

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible

Messianic Prophecies is a recurrent segment in this blog.

Old Testament:

”And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days. And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:” Leviticus 12:1-6.

New Testament: “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the d child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:21-24.

The Haiti Missionaries

In the wake of the recent catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, aid workers, including missionaries, flooded into the country. One group of Baptists from Idaho makes you wonder, "What were they thinking?" The ten missionaries were arrested for trying to take 33 children from the country into the Dominican Republic. They had no adoption papers. They had no government permission. What they got was arrested. They ended up looking stupid. The charges against them could result in years in prison.

The missionaries were obviously well meaning, but they ignored common sense. You can't just take children away, even from a disaster zone. This was a clear violation of Haitian national sovereignty and the United States will be able to do little to prevent whatever punishment Haiti requires.

It now looks as if the judge reviewing the case may expel the ten from Haiti. They'll be lucky if that is all that happens.

The names of the ten are Laura Silsby, Carla Thompson, Nicole Lankford, Steve McMullen, Jim Allen, Silas Thompson, Drew Culborth, Paul Thompson, Charisa Coulter, and one unnamed person. They should seriously consider the embarassment they have brought to the Christian name.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian. Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions. This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Saint Demetrius: (d. 231 or 232) Coptic Bishop of Alexandria

Helen Key Hudson: (b. 1909, Alabama) aka: “Aunt Sis,” “Mimi.” 100 years old in 2009. Her secrets to a long life: “no drinking, no smoking, no cussing, and live a Christian life.”

Pablo Christiani: (fl. 13th Century) aka: Saul, Paul Christian. Rabbinical student, Christian convert, and Dominican friar. Took his children from his Jewish wife and made them Christian converts. Numerous disputations and missionary speeches among the Jews of Spain. Denounced the Talmud, edited copies of the Talmud to remove what he thought were passages derogatory to Christianity. In 1269 he convinced King Louis IX of France to require Jews to wear badges identifying them as Jews.

John N. Mauter: (b. Alabama - d. 2009, Alabama, aged 88) WWII Army Sergeant, County Health Inspector.

Phillip Craig Garrido: (1951, California) Printer, evangelist. In 2009, it was discovered that Garrido and his wife had kidnapped Jaycee Dugard in 1991 and had held her captive until 2009. During the eighteen year abduction Garrido fathered two daughters by the captive Dugard.

Some Points of Advice

1. Always read the fine print.
2. There really are sharks out there.
3. Don't ever assume that you know what someone else is thinking.
4. Always be transparent, especially with other Christians.
5. Politics will never solve the world's problems.
6. An attractive person/pornography/vices/sports/obsessive hobbies/work/career isn't worth ruining your marriage or losing the trust of your children.
7. Don't push your spouse or your children, encourage them.
8. Take credit if you deserve it; don't take blame if you didn't do it.
9. There is nothing edible about liver.
10. Know why you believe what you believe; because someone told you so isn't good enough.

Book Comment: Crazy Love

Some books are important because they introduce totally new concepts; other books, because they point out things which have always been in plain sight, things which should be obvious to everyone, but are not. Crazy Love. Overwhelmed By a Relentless God, by Francis Chan, is one of the best of the second kind.

Chan, born in 1967 in Hong Kong, is a California pastor and author who takes no salary from his church and gives 90% of his income to charities. His church gives 55% of its income.

Crazy Love is an indictment of the lukewarmness of much of the modern American Church. "We forget that God never had an identity crisis. ... He commands everything from His followers." Chan marvels that God, who is totally complete and who needs nothing from us, chooses us and considers us to be His inheritance. (Ephesians 1:18).

Your love for your children or your grandchildren is a pale example of how much God desires and loves us. Wanting to buy just the right engagement ring for your sweetie, even a ring you can't really afford, can't compare. God has rushed toward us and stands just outside our door, knocking. He brings the most expensive and precious gift in history.

Chan's point is that, instead of trying to figure out how to add God to our lives without too much disruption, or trying to determine how little we can do and still get the gift, we should be running to God just as eagerly as He is running to us.

Female Images of God: A Mother With a Weaned Child

"Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul [is] even as a weaned child." Psalms 131:2

Believers are wholly dependent on God, just as infants must rely on their mothers for everything.

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: He Will Be Called Out of Egypt

Messianic Prophecies is a recurrent segment in this blog.

Old Testament:
“When Israel [was] a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”
 Hosea 11:1

New Testament:
“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” 
Matthew 2:13-15.

British Israelism

I realized after I posted yesterday that some may not know what "British Israelism" is. The doctrine, also known as Anglo-Israelism, holds that persons of Western European ancestry are direct lineal descendents of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Many British Israelists also believe that the British Royal Family is lineally descended from King David. As with Mormonism, the genetic, historical, and linguistic evidence just does not add up.

The doctrine existed earlier but was first clearly expounded in the late 18th Century. The most prominent proponents of the doctrine have been Princess Alice, the Countess of Athlone; Roger Rusk, a university professor and brother of United States Secretary of State Dean Rusk; William Massey, Prime Minister of New Zealand; and Herbert W. Armstrong, the founder of the Worldwide Church of God. Armstrong even declared that he was called by God to explain and prophesy about the doctrine.

Groups which have expounded the doctrine (or still do) are The Shepherd's Chapel, the Bible-Pattern Church Fellowship, the Orange Street Congregational Church, the Christian Revival Crusade, Brit-Am, the Revival Centres International, the Worldwide Church of God, and the Churches of God in Ireland. The Christian Identity Movement adds a racist angle to the doctrine. In a modified form, traces of the doctrine can be seen in the teachings of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon (LDS) Church.

The main Bible verses on which the British Israel doctrine is based are Genesis 12:2-3, 17:4, 18:18, 27:29, 35:11, 48:14-20, 49:22; Exodus 31:13; Deuteronomy 2:25, 4:7-8, 15:6, 28:10; 1 Chronicles 5:1-2; Isaiah 24:15, 42:19, 49:6, 49:12, 66:19; and Hosea 1:9. This is clearly an example of eisogesis at it's worst; assembling random bits and pieces of scripture together to prove a point one has already accepted.

Eisogesis (Greek "eis" = "into") is the practice of taking an idea "into" the scriptures and trying to find "proof texts" to confirm one's thesis. Exegesis (Greek "ek" = "out") works in the opposite direction, seeking to derive doctrines from the scriptures which are internally consistent with the entire Bible.

Christian Gun Ownership

I ran across a website the other day which left me feeling very conflicted. The name of the website is Christian Gun Owner and it has over 82,000 visitors a month. While I agree with some of the points that the owner of the website makes, it seems that the main point of the site is to defend ownership of guns by Christians. Nothing is said about how Jesus and Christianity relate to guns. The feeling is that this is for Christians who put their trust in their guns, not in the Holy Spirit.

The other thing that bothers me about this site is that the writer believes that the U.S. Constitution was "framed under the guiding hand of an almighty God ..." Well, yes and no. The Bible is clear that God is in total control and that He places governments in power. It is not clear that the United States holds a place as "God's Special people." This smacks of the discredited doctrine of British Israelism.

http://www.christiangunowner.com/

Manure

In keeping with the theme of the blog:

"A friend of mine once said that Christians are like manure: spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly." Francis Chan

New Blog Communities to Watch

http://community.livejournaljournal.com/christianity/

A moderated community in which the members may submit questions and discuss any topic related to Christianity. The members seem to represent the full spectrum of those who call themselves Christians.

http://community.livejournaljournal.com/christianitysex/

A moderated community in which the members may submit questions and discuss any topic related to Christian interpretations of sexuality. The members seem to represent the full spectrum of those who call themselves Christians.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian. Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions. This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Master of the Louvre Life of the Virgin: (fl. 15th Century) An otherwise unidentified Venetian painter so named because his/her painting, The Life of the Virgin, hangs in the Louvre.

Cornelius: (fl 1st Century) As told in Acts 11:14, Cornelius, a “godfearer,” was an Italian centurion stationed at Caesarea who had a vision instructing him to contact Simon Peter in Joppa (Yafo, Israel) to learn how to be saved. He became the first Gentile convert.

Francis Chan: (b. 1967, Hong Kong) American pastor, author, college founder and president. He takes no salary from his church and gives away 90% of his income. His church gives away 55% of its income to charities.

Lydia of Thyatira: Lydia, a purple dye merchant, was the first recorded convert to Christianity in Europe. (Acts 16:14-15). Her name indicates that she was from Lydia in Asia Minor (modern Turkey).

Master of the Death of the Virgin: (fl. 1440-1450) A German engraver, possibly a goldsmith, whose most famous print is The Death of the Virgin.