The poem had to appeal to Anglo-Saxons and his fellow Christians precisely because they were attempting to merge their own beliefs and at times during the poem those beliefs appear to amalgamate. Actions and events will expose both beliefs as they appear distinct from each other throughout the story. The Christian influences were combined with early folklore and the heroic legends of the German tribes. As Christianity and paganism are intertwined in the poem Beowulf reveals both Christian and pagan influences. Therefore, it would be understandable to suggest that the original pagan scop, who sang of this epic poem, was influenced by Christian beliefs but then a Christian monk finally put it on paper.
Their effectiveness is due to how the examples display our, America’s, usage of Christian beliefs compared to what the actual beliefs say. His most effective example would have to be when he describes how America breaks one of the Ten Commandments themselves. It is true we are a nation that still permits the death penalty. However, the irony he displays sets it apart from the others because the sixth commandment itself says “Thou Shall Not Kill.” Not only that, his perspective of how we say we are Christian is also good for his argument. One negative aspect to his essay would have to be his bias toward conservatives and the rich.
But in a Christian nation, as our Founders would have defined it, the principles and institutional foundations are Biblically based and the people in general share a Biblical world-view. Before America was America Christopher Columbus' commission was given to set out and find a new world. Though this order was given from King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain according to Columbus’ personal log, his purpose in seeking undiscovered worlds was to “bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the heathens. …. It was the Lord who put into my mind … that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies … I am the most unworthy sinner, but I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy, and they have covered me completely … No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Saviour, if it is just and if the intention is purely for His holy service[1].” Columbus, being a Catholic, was Protestant and felt obligated to bring God to the world.
Winthrop formed the Massachusetts Bay joint stock company and governed the colony. For those seeking change from corrupt England, this charter became a chance to establish a “true Christian commonwealth” (Breen 35). They sought to create a society where “the will of God would be observed in every detail” (Morgan 69) because they felt as though England failed them by deviating from Gods’ word. Ultimately the Puritans wanted to emphasize that the Bible was the supreme law of the land as well as the only source of instructions to live by as a Christian. They wanted to establish the New World as a region free of sin.
“Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NASB) Many Christians today see the Apostle Paul in a western context in which his “divinely inspired” writing magically comes to him, putting him far outside what any Christian could hope to reach. E. Randolph Richards strives to alter this train of thought in his book Paul and First-Century Letter Writing. Richards emphasizes the processes, customs, and mechanics involved with letter writing in the first-century, which transforms Paul into a person, that Christians can identify with, making imitating him a more tangible idea. “The more we can see a flesh-and-blood Paul scribbling notes under a shade tree during an afternoon rest stop or huddled with a colleague and a secretary in the living room of a third-story apartment on a cold, blustery winter’s day, the more we have a real person whose life we can emulate. A Paul who argued with colleagues over how something should be worded, who modified material from sermons to use in other presentations, who juggled writing with preaching and ministry, is a Paul that many Christians can identify with, and even follow.” One of the modern day ideas of Paul the Richards tries to alter is that he worked in solitude, only sharing his letters when they were sent off to their intended recipients.
A key insight into Mr. Hale’s reasoning is found during his discussion with Margaret and Higgins, when he states that “your Union in itself would be beautiful, glorious, —it would be Christianity in itself—if it were but for an end which affected the good of all, instead of that of merely one class as opposed to another” (229). This statement directly mirrors the sentiment of Unitarian theology of the 19th century as primarily defined by 18th century scientist and philosopher Joseph Priestley, who famously described the Trinity as foremost of the corruptions of Christianity.3 Elizabeth Gaskell, whose husband and father were Unitarian Ministers, would no doubt have been familiar with Priestley’s
In general, there are similar ethical beliefs amongst Christians due to Judaism being the only root of Christian ethics. In general Christian ethics is deontological and authoritarian and what is deemed right or wrong is based on belief in God. The ethics of Christianity is based on the holy bible, which is a library of books that expresses Christian faith. As the bible was written over a long period of time and includes many different teachings and morals, there is no overall biblical morality that can be chosen therefore different denominations choose different parts of the bible to support their beliefs. For instance in Genesis it says that ‘God breathed the breath of man into Adam’s nostrils’ and from this Roman Catholics can argue that as God has given life, only he can take it away so things such as abortion, euthanasia and murder are absolute wrongs.
The nature of gods is a common theme in many texts. Homer’s The Odyssey and excerpts from the Bible such as Genesis and Exodus portray the intentions and personalities of gods to their intended audience in a manner suitable to that purpose. Although these stories were crafted with different intentions, they both contain this common theme. The Bible was written to provide guidance through the unknown to believers in Christianity, while The Odyssey was created as a poetic source of entertainment for noble Greeks. Both the god of the Christians and the many gods of the Greeks have a very notable similarity in that they assist those that obey them in accomplishing their goals, but punish those who do not follow the wishes of the gods.
This inferiority of religion was because of Constantine himself; as the first Christian ruler and believing in his successes, he was under the influence that the High Gods were there to protect him. Consequently, religious buildings were most popular, as he wished for Christians and non-Christians to practice their faith whichever their deity. Constantine saw it as his duty to ensure that God was appropriately worshipped in his empire, which the Church would determine. This style of architecture is characterized by the masonry construction, round arches, domes on pendentives and rich interior filled with mosaics correlating with the extravagance of Constantine himself. Romanesque architecture between the sixth to the eleventh century in the Near East erected many of the most predominant Byzantine influenced buildings such as in Ravenna, which was in the seat of the Byzantine Emperors from 539 to 752; located in Spain, South Italy, and Sicily.
Byzantine art did grow from the art of Ancient Greece but with some significant differences. Since the main purpose of Byzantine art was the glorification of God and his son, Jesus, the classical artistic tradition of depicting nude figures was banned. Replacing the classical preoccupation with the human body, the focus became the elevation of the figures of the Father, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints. Thus we get the most important form of Byzantine art, the icon. Used as an object or veneration (object of respect) in Orthodox churches and private homes, the icon has been called the prayer, hymn, and sermon in form and color.