Our Bodies Our Choices

 OUR BODIES OUR CHOICES 

How to say or write  it in Greek?

I choose sarkos instead of sooma because a certain issue is very physical and medical not just moral or theological and should be our PERSONAL CHOICE or CHOOSING whatever you decide.

note the middle participle from being genitive is the same for all genders 

I may put this up on DeviantArt Patreon and Redbubble too

 in a few different versions free to download or pay for a sticker.

If I do a PRO version and claim copyright the copyright is on my translation into Greek and the typographic design and if anyone thinks its exploitation of a current issue I'll be giving you a free version too and you are not paying my power or data bills?!

Edifying Classics for Christians

Edifying Classics for Christians 

It oftens saddens and annoys me to see self described "Christians" use the suffiency of scrpiture and sola scripture doctrines as an excuse not to read or study other useful classics Christian or Pagan that are quite edifying and useful.

The following works are all available in good modern translations 

Socrates Apology 

His defence of philosophy 

Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics 

The Dhammapada 

a Buddhist view of Ethics 

The Tao Te Ching 

Plutarchs Moralia 

These essays include writings on ethics and philosophy 

Boethius' Consolation

Kempis' Imitation of Christ 

I could aid to this list but these are classics that are particularly useful challenging and readable 

Finally please read some poetry apart from Psalms and your favorite church hymns! 

Other Mens Flowers is an excellent anthology compiled not by an Oxbridge professor but a British WW2 commander 

Trypanis Anthology of Greek Poetry from Homer to the 20th c. incuding byzantine christian poets  is also a good  introduction to the Greek Classics. 

If you can find a copy Waddells Mediaeval Latin Lyrics has Latin n English and includes secular and religious verse.

Now please you know who read something apart from Calvin.

If you must fixate on ibscure 17tth century writers Catholic or Protestant try Herbert ? 

good and goodness and galatians 5:22

Galatians 5: 22 includes one of THOSE Greek words. Yes by THOSE I mean one of those words that seems to vary in translation.

In Verse 22 khreestotees is followed by agathosunee and khreestotees and jhreestos generally get translated as kindness or gentefulness or some benefical or useful or honest.

Why is Paul using two words and not just aaying goodness?

Perhaps he is trying to point out goodness is not just a idea but also an action ?

It is part of a list of fruits of the spirit including love peace and  forbearance or longsuffering are alternative translations of makrothumia and then we have khreestotees followed by agathosunee and finally faith.

I suspect Paul is trying to express the idea of goodness leading to being useful king honest gentke and ethical and linking it to goodness as a general concept thats its something you have as a spiritual condition but also a gift expressed by actions ?

Or perhaps not? 

How do you interpret that word ? 

Thoughts on Ktisis

Some thoughts on Ktisis in late roman mosaics 

The earliest Ktisis found and dated so far comes from Antioch a city that is prone to earthquakes and geologists think from the 350s to the 550s there were an increased frequency of quakes. 

Ktisis doesny seem to be a Platonist Stoic or Christian concept yet suddenly for 2 centuries we see figures of women of high rank in public buildings or the public reception areas of large homes. 

The Villa Constantius the House of the 4 seasons in a church in a rebuilt Greek colony in Libya another site in Cyrenica and the House of Eustolis in Kourion on Cyprus all then parts of thr Eastern Empire and all in areas effected by eathquakes with particularly several quakes in 363 365 536 551.

I am thinking what we are seeing is an expression of Imperial Ideology in response to physical diasters ? 

Yes there is no textual evidence but I can see this being a way of saying WE WILL BUILD and renew and make things beautiful again. 

I will not be surprised if more Ltisis mosaics turn up limited to this time period perhaps hopefully with nearby dedications or inscriptions. 

Why Ktisis as a woman? 

Perhaps the idea was suggested by one of those many Byzantine princesses or Empresses who commissioned or repaired building and the inclusion in designs was a sign of an unrecorded political faction?

Yes its speculation but ...

Ill type up more details into a fuller article soon.