Tag: St. Augustine

Posted on

Can We Talk About Israel? by Daniel Sokatch

Why I Read This Book

This book, Can We Talk About Israel?, is subtitled, A Guide for the Curious, Confused and Conflicted, which is a good summary of most folks position and feelings about Israel.  We received two copies of this book as part of the pre-tour preparation of our now cancelled two week visit to Israel with side trips to Jordan and Egypt. What is it they say?  Timing is everything.  Also as part of that preparation Señora and I watched two Wondrium courses that I can whole-heartedly recommend:

    • The World of Biblical Israel taught by a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Cynthia R. Chapman, Th.D. Using the Bible as a framework Chapman ties in historical and archeological records to support its narrative.  She also points out when they do not support the Biblical story.  She also ties together the varied religious influences, including non-Abrahamic religions, that influenced those who wrote the Bible. I learned a great deal about the Babylonian exile of the Jews, a subject of which I had only sketchy knowledge.
    • The Holy Land Revealed taught by Jodi Magness, Ph.D. Using mainly the Bible and the works of the Roman historian Josephus as source materials,  Magness explores various archeological sites around the Holy Land and their significance to the Biblical narrative.

Not a Book Review

This is not so much a review of this recently published book, but more of a recommendation of something to read if you are indeed curious, confused or conflicted about Israel. Sokatch has a very accessible Continue reading “Can We Talk About Israel? by Daniel Sokatch”

Posted on

My Approach to St. Augustine

This posting is going to be a little bit about St. Augustine, but more about how I approached learning about this influential man.  Given that there are whole college courses devoted to St. Augustine and to the books of St. Augustine, anything I could add would be pure folly.  But fool I did play … just a little.

Who was St. Augustine?  He is also known as the Bishop of Hippo and lived from 354 to 430. When the Visigoths sacked Rome in 410, many in the Roman Empire blamed the sacking and weakness of Rome on the Christians, and this, in part, was the impetus for his most famous book, The City of God. In total he wrote 48 books, many that are still studied by scholars and a few by lay persons.

Why I became interested in St. Augustine. While not a religious person, religion fascinates me.  One could make the argument that the history Continue reading “My Approach to St. Augustine”

Posted on

Word of the Day – Oblation

  • Noun:  Oblation
    1. the act of making a religious offering
      specifically, capitalized : the act of offering the eucharistic elements to God
    2. something offered in worship or devotion : a holy gift offered usually at an altar or shrine
  • Synonyms:
    1. gift
    2. offering
    3. presentation
    4. sacrifice
  • Usage:
    1. “We say [ Christian rulers] are happy if they rule justly; if … they are not inflated with pride, but remember that they are but men… if they do all this not for a burning desire for empty glory, but for the love of eternal blessedness; and if they do not fail to offer to their true God, as a sacrifice for their sins, the oblation of humility, compassion, and prayer… then we can call them happy in hope. “
  • Encountered:
    1.  While watching the Wondrium course, Books That Matter: The City of God. A book written by St. Augustine in the early 400s that is considered one of the seminal works of Christian theology and philosophy.

To see more Words of the Day, visit this link: Words of the Day