Annunciation Approximating the northern vernal equinox, the date of the Annunciation also marked the New Year in many places, including England, where it is called Lady Day. Both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches hold that the Annunciation took place at Nazareth, but differ as to the precise location. The Basilica of the Annunciation marks the site preferred by the former, while the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation marks that preferred by the latter. The Annunciation has been a key topic in Christian art in general, as well as in Marian art in the Catholic Church, particularly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Biblical account[edit] In the Bible, the Annunciation is narrated in the book of Luke, Luke 1:26-38: A separate annunciation, which is more brief but in the same vein as the one in Luke, is given to Joseph in Matthew 1:18-21: Eastern traditions[edit] In Eastern Christianity Mary is referred to as Theotokos (Θεοτόκος="God-bearer"). St. Feast day[edit] 45Behold!
War in Heaven Revelation 12:7-13[edit] Modern Bible commentaries, in general, view the "war in heaven" in Revelation 12:7-13 as an eschatological vision of the end of time or as a reference to spiritual warfare within the church, seeing it as "not (as in Milton's Paradise Lost) the story of the origin of Satan/Lucifer as an angel who rebelled against God in primeval times."[3] Some Christian commentators have seen the war in heaven as "not literal" but symbolic of events on earth.[4][5] In John Milton's (1608–1674) Paradise Lost, a war in heaven follows the rebellion by Satan and other angels before the Fall of Man. A third of the angels are hurled from Heaven, including pagan gods such as Molech and Belial.[6] Frederick Holweck, in the Catholic Encyclopedia (1911), article St. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that Revelation 12 concerns the pre-mortal existence of man and take the scripture literally. Motif[edit] Hebrew Bible parallels[edit] Dead Sea Scrolls[edit] James R.
Fallen angel Mention of angels who descended to Mount Hermon (not "fell"), to Earth is found in the Book of Enoch, which the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church accept as canonical, as well as in various pseudepigrapha. Primary sources in relation to fallen angels[edit] Sons of God[edit] In the period immediately preceding the composition of the New Testament, some sects of Judaism identified the "sons of God" (בני האלהים) of Genesis 6:1–4 with fallen angels.[4] Some scholars consider it most likely that this Jewish tradition of fallen angels predates, even in written form, the composition of Gen 6:1–4.[5][6] Lester L. Watchers, "Grigori"[edit] The reference to heavenly beings called "Watchers" originates in Daniel 4, in which there are three mentions, twice in the singular (v. 10, 20), once in the plural (v. 14), of "watchers, holy ones". First Enoch[edit] Slavonic Enoch[edit] Fall of Satan[edit] Christianity[edit] A dragon and his angels[edit] Fall of Lucifer[edit] Judaism[edit]
Sons of God Sons of God (Heb: bənê hāʼĕlōhîm,[1] בני האלהים) is a phrase used in the Hebrew Bible. Bene elohim are part of different Jewish angelic hierarchies. Hebrew Bible[edit] In the Hebrew Bible, the phrase "sons of the Elohim" occurs in: Gen 6:2 bənê hāʼĕlōhîm (בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים) the sons of Elohim.Job 1:6 bənê hāʼĕlōhîm (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים) the sons of Elohim.Job 38:7 bənê ĕlōhîm (בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים) without the definite article - sons of godly beings.Psalm 29:1 bənê ēlîm (בְּנֵי אֵלִים) without the definite article - sons of elim. Deuteronomy 32:8 also mentions "sons of Israel" bÿney yisra'el (בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל) which is translated as the "people of Israel" in the HCSB, "heavenly court" in the New Living Translation and "heavenly assembly" in the New English Translation. [2][3] In some copies of Deuteronomy the Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the sons of God rather than the sons of Israel, probably in reference to angels. Literary origins[edit] Ugaritic text[edit] Late text[edit] J. Translations[edit]
Noah's Ark Noah's Ark (1846), a painting by the American folk painter Edward Hicks A ship modeled after the biblical description of Noah's Ark, Ark van Noach, in the Netherlands Noah's Ark (Hebrew: תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: Tevat Noaḥ) is the vessel in the Genesis flood narrative (Genesis chapters 6–9) by which Noah saves himself, his family, and a remnant of all the world's animals from the flood. God gives Noah detailed instructions for building the ark: it is to be of gopher wood, smeared inside and out with pitch, with three decks and internal compartments; it will be 300 cubits long (137.16 m, 450 ft), 50 wide (22.86 m, 75 ft), and 30 high (13.716 m, 45 ft); it will have a roof "finished to a cubit upward"; and an entrance on the side. The story goes on to describe the ark being afloat throughout the flood and subsequent receding of the waters before it came to rest on Mount Ararat. The Genesis flood narrative is similar to numerous other flood myths from a variety of cultures. Origins[edit]
Antediluvian The Creation, beginning of the antediluvian (i.e., pre-Flood) world. (Artist's rendition by James Tissot) The antediluvian (or pre-diluvian) period—meaning "before the deluge"—is the period referred to in the Bible between the Fall of man and the Deluge (flood) in the biblical cosmology. Timing the antediluvian period[edit] The biblical flood[edit] In religious texts such as the Christian Bible and the Hebrew Torah, the antediluvian period begins with the creation according to Genesis and ends with the destruction of all life on the earth except those saved with Noah in the ark. In early geology[edit] The Deluge subsides, thought in early geology to be responsible for the formation of sediments, with only traces of the antediluvian world. Prior to the 19th century, rock was classified into three main types: primary or primitive (igneous and metamorphic rock), secondary (sedimentary rock) and tertiary (sediments). The antediluvian world[edit] Creationist interpretation[edit] Other uses[edit]
Curse of Ham Origins[edit] The concept of the Curse of Ham finds its origins in the Genesis narrative of Gen. 9:20–27: The narrative's short five verses give indication that Canaan's Hamite paternity must have had great significance to the narrator or redactor, according to Sarna, who adds: "The curse on Canaan, invoked in response to an act of moral depravity, is the first intimation of the theme of the corruption of the Canaanites, which is given as the justification for their being dispossessed of their land and for the transfer of that land to the descendants of Abraham."[14] Ham's transgression[edit] Other ancient commentators suggested that Ham was guilty of more than what the Bible says. Modern scholars have suggested that to "uncover the nakedness" of a man means to have sex with that man's wife (e.g. Book of Jubilees[edit] Medieval Judaism[edit] Curse of Canaan[edit] Genesis 9:25: "And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren," Dead Sea Scrolls[edit]
Nativity of Jesus The Nativity of Jesus, also The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus, primarily based on the two accounts in the gospels of Luke and Matthew, and secondarily on some apocryphal texts. The canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew both describe Jesus as born in Bethlehem in Judea, to a virgin mother. In the Gospel of Luke account, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, and Jesus is born there and laid in a manger.[1] Angels proclaim him a savior for all people, and shepherds come to adore him. In the Matthew account, astronomers follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the King of the Jews. King Herod orders the massacre of all the boys less than two years old in Bethlehem, but the family flees to Egypt and later settles in Nazareth. Canonical gospels[edit] The accounts of the Nativity of Jesus in the New Testament appear in two of the four Canonical Gospels, namely the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew. Gospel of Luke[edit]
Satan Satan (Hebrew: שָּׂטָן satan, "adversary,"[1]) is a term, later a character appearing in the texts of the Abrahamic religions[2][3] who personifies evil and temptation, and is known as the deceiver that leads humanity astray. The term is often applied to an angel who fell out of favor with God, seducing humanity into the ways of sin, and who now rules over the fallen world. Satan is primarily understood as an "accuser" or "adversary" in the Hebrew Bible, and is not necessarily the personification of evil that he would become in later Abrahamic religions. In the New Testament, Satan is a name that refers to a decidedly malevolent entity (devil) who possesses demonic god-like qualities. In Theistic Satanism, Satan is considered a positive force and deity who is either worshipped or revered. In LaVeyan Satanism, Satan is regarded as holding virtuous characteristics.[4][5] Judaism Hebrew Bible Thirteen occurrences Job ch.1–2 (10x),[8]Zechariah 3:1–2 (3x).[9] Book of Job Second Temple period
Divinity Usages[edit] Divinity as a quality has two distinct usages: Divine force or power - powers or forces that are universal, or transcend human capacitiesDivinity applied to mortals - qualities of individuals who are considered to have some special access or relationship to the divine. There are three distinct usages of divinity and divine in religious discourse: Entity[edit] In monotheistic faiths, the word divinity is often used to refer to the singular God central to that faith. The terms divinity and divine — uncapitalized, and lacking the definite article — are sometimes used as to denote 'god(s)[4] or certain other beings and entities which fall short of godhood but lie outside the human realm. Divine force or power[edit] As previously noted, divinities are closely related to the transcendent force(s) or power(s) credited to them,[5] so much so that in some cases the powers or forces may themselves be invoked independently. Mortals[edit] Christianity[edit] Acts 17:29 Romans 1:20 2 Peter 1:3