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.

A Ktisis Medley

 A KTISIS MEDLEY

#ktisis #medley #images #hellenisticart 

KTISIS continues to fascinate me. 

She seems to be a Stoic concept however most of the images found so far were uncovered literally if they were floor mosaics from houses in Asia Minor and in "Late Antiquity" just over a period of a couple of centuries.

Was there some kind of local revival of Stoicism?

Greek Stoicism not Roman as the Ktisis image often appears as a set along with other personifications of Ideas and Virtues. And the style is very Hellenic. 

Anyway here is a medley of every image I have been happen to find online excepting a few of very poor quality.

Some day I will find the missing pieces of data I need and do a full length article or mini ebook 

If anyone knows of any frescoes of her let me know ?

The ruler may symbol the concept of a Canon a building guide or the idea of Ktisis as being building as the foundation of civilisation and creation ?

 

Easter Hiatus 2022

I am on Easter Break working on Sophokleas Garden and other Hellenika materials and of course reading the NT in Greek n English 

Visit my patreon 

Https://www.patreon.com/metousia 

Nine Muses From Elis

 I'm posting this artifact found in Elis in Greece to remind people that the identification with the Muses with certain symbols isn't just a Roman or Renaissance invention.

Its interesting also to note that the artifact shows both a LYRE and a KITHARA  and also for Apollo a very old tortoiseshell lyre rather than Eratos version which has a sounding board or sound box? 

Note that there are two different types of books with both a Scroll and a folding Tablet being shown.

I think this is a folding tablet rather than an early codex because of the black pages. The black could be slate or wax with dye added ? 

 Urania is shown as a star chart. 

Despite the damage there seems to be both types and possibly a third type of theatre mask: comedy tragedy and well the third is too damaged ....Melpomene is probably a Tragic Mask but but that leaves us with the question of whether Polyhymnia is a mask or a womans face. Her image could possibly be a reference to the use of women's choirs for some events such as religious festivals with associated choral competitions open to women.

You can get a larger version of this image from Wikipedia but there are very few comments on context.

This seems to be Hellenistic to me or late Classical given the limited color range?

KNOW YOURSELF

 KNOW YOURSELF 

Scholarship can be a form and method of developing insight if we actually apply and use certain principles?

gnwthi is an imperative verb  and the pronoun is se the accusative form  of se + auton self