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Jerusalem

The Leper King's Healer

After a tragic accident that sent her back 845 years in time to the year 1177, in the Middle Ages, during the reign of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, Kate Mitchell, a wealthy business tycoon in the pharmaceutical industry, a gifted ex-military, a pharmacologist and botanist, and a brilliant archer from 2022, wakes up as Lady Philippa, a pretty, innocent, frail, and proper young lady of House Antioch, with whom she shares nothing in common. She realised she had died on that day, and her soul travels back in time and takes over the body of Philippa, a helpless lady who would face tragedy, betrayal, and scandal before dying young and heartbroken. She chose to live as Philippa because she had a second chance at life and only one goal in mind: to live and survive at any cost. To succeed, she must thrive and learn to live in the Medieval era, where nothing is common for her, and, above all, she must avoid an arranged marriage, which will doom Phillipa to death after a terrible heartbreak. Lady Philippa, unfortunately, is about to be engaged to an unknown man, and she must devise a plan to prevent this from happening. Kate's background as an ex-military officer, pharmacologist, and botanist, as well as her limited knowledge of history, will be invaluable in surviving the historical mediaeval times when modern technology was out of reach. However, she requires the assistance of the reigning king, Baldwin IV, who is suffering from leprosy at the time. She'll have to take control of the situation. It is up to Kate's bravery and intelligence to find a way to persuade Baldwin IV to help her, and she has few options other than joining his royal court. Will the king accept her, or will she perish as the body's original owner? Will she be able to change her destiny? Alternatively, will she be able to find the love and family she seeks?
Gayle · 96.6K Views

The Supreme Satanic System

This is the tale of the time when mighty dragons and legendary phoenixes ruled the world. Under the shadow of such powerful beings, the feeble humans lived lives worse than slaves. 1560 BC, Jerusalem The darker-than-ink night sky was torn asunder by the tongues of purple lightning. The nocturnal macabre was augmented even further by a priestess that was busy performing a forbidden ceremony. Around her were six innocent kids that watched the priestess in silence as she performed her ritual with a ceremonial bowl in front of her. A drop of blood could be seen, making its presence known inside it. The priestess was unperturbed by the earsplitting noises of the incessant lightning outside her abode as she chanted the spell in old Hebrew. The ritual was complete when she placed the drop of crimson blood on the tip of her tongue and gulped it down with her eyes closed. "Heed my prophecy, my little ones. From today onwards, you shall walk on the path of greatness that will make you the rulers of this world. Here, drink this to your heart's content and unleash the power that is bestowed upon you." She cut her two wrists and filled the bowl to the brim with her blood by cutting her wrists. The lightning noises could be heard even louder than before at this time. The children obliged and drank the merlot drink one by one. But the macabre of the night was increased even further when the children started shape-shifting. One turned into a vampire, while the other changed into a werewolf. There was a witch among the children now. And being turned into a chimera and an elf were the fates of the other two. The children changed into something else before turning back into humans again. This was the phenomenon that happened with five children. But the sixth child remained human. Why did he not shape-shift? ------------------------------------------------ (Warning!!!!!) Main Theme: A grim-dark Fantasy plus, +18 rated harem novel. (whole spectra of Western meet Eastern taste!) Tags: System, Vampire, Sci-Fi, Aliens, Werewolf, Slice of Life, Overpowered MC, Harem, Dragons, Phoenix, Witch, Magus, Cultivation, Military, Strategist, Arrogant female leads, Romance, Humor, Assassin, Angels, Celestials, Titan, Devas, Asura, Ancestry, Medusa, and many more to be added with the progress of this arcs. Joined me here: https://discord.gg/hhNdsfGbMJ ----------------------------------------------- # The cover is not rine. Every contribution goes to the genuine artist.
The_handsome_fatty · 1.4M Views

The Book of Chronicles

The Greek title, paraleipomena, means “things omitted,” or “passed over” (i.e., in the accounts found in Samuel and Kings). The Books of Chronicles, however, are much more than a supplement to Samuel and Kings; a comparison of the two histories discloses striking differences of scope and purpose. The Books of Chronicles record in some detail the lengthy span (some five hundred fifty years) from the death of King Saul to the return from the exile. Unlike today’s history writing, wherein factual accuracy and impartiality of judgment are the norm, biblical history, with rare exceptions, was less concerned with reporting in precise detail all the facts of a situation than with drawing out the meaning of those facts. Biblical history was thus primarily interpretative, and its purpose was to disclose the action of the living God in human affairs. For this reason we speak of it as “sacred history.” These characteristics are apparent when we examine the primary objective of the Chronicler (the conventional designation for the anonymous author) in compiling his work. Given the situation which confronted the Jewish people at this time (the end of the fifth century B.C.), the Chronicler realized that Israel’s political greatness was a thing of the past. Yet, for the Chronicler, Israel’s past held the key to the people’s future. In particular, the Chronicler aimed to establish and defend the legitimate claims of the Davidic monarchy in Israel’s history, and to underscore the status of Jerusalem and its divinely established Temple worship as the center of religious life for the Jewish people. If Judaism was to survive and prosper, it would have to heed the lessons of the past and devoutly serve its God in the place where he had chosen to dwell, the Temple in Jerusalem. From the Chronicler’s point of view, the reigns of David and Solomon were the ideal to which all subsequent rule in Judah must aspire. The Chronicler was much more interested in David’s religious and cultic influence than in his political power, however. He saw David’s (and Solomon’s) primary importance as deriving rather from their roles in the establishment of Jerusalem and its Temple as the center of the true worship of the Lord. Furthermore, he presents David as the one who prescribed the Temple’s elaborate ritual (which, in point of fact, only gradually evolved in the Second Temple period) and who appointed the Levites to supervise the liturgical services there. The Chronicler used a variety of sources in writing his history. Besides the canonical Books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, and Ruth, and especially the Books of Samuel and Kings, he cites the titles of many other works which have not come down to us, “The Books of the Kings of Israel,” or “The Books of the Kings of Israel and Judah,” and “The History of Gad the Seer.” In addition, the Chronicler’s work contains early preexilic material not found in the Books of Kings. The principal divisions of 1 Chronicles are as follows: Genealogical Tables The History of David
Dali098 · 120.2K Views

The Gospel of Matthew

The position of the Gospel according to Matthew as the first of the four gospels in the New Testament reflects both the view that it was the first to be written, a view that goes back to the late second century A.D., and the esteem in which it was held by the church; no other was so frequently quoted in the noncanonical literature of earliest Christianity. Although the majority of scholars now reject the opinion about the time of its composition, the high estimation of this work remains. The reason for that becomes clear upon study of the way in which Matthew presents his story of Jesus, the demands of Christian discipleship, and the breaking-in of the new and final age through the ministry but particularly through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The gospel begins with a narrative prologue, the first part of which is a genealogy of Jesus starting with Abraham, the father of Israel. Yet at the beginning of that genealogy Jesus is designated as “the son of David, the son of Abraham”. The kingly ancestor who lived about a thousand years after Abraham is named first, for this is the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the royal anointed one. In the first of the episodes of the infancy narrative that follow the genealogy, the mystery of Jesus’ person is declared. He is conceived of a virgin by the power of the Spirit of God. The first of the gospel’s fulfillment citations, whose purpose it is to show that he was the one to whom the prophecies of Israel were pointing, occurs here: he shall be named Emmanuel, for in him God is with us. The announcement of the birth of this newborn king of the Jews greatly troubles not only King Herod but all Jerusalem, yet the Gentile magi are overjoyed to find him and offer him their homage and their gifts. Thus his ultimate rejection by the mass of his own people and his acceptance by the Gentile nations is foreshadowed. He must be taken to Egypt to escape the murderous plan of Herod. By his sojourn there and his subsequent return after the king’s death he relives the Exodus experience of Israel. The words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Hosea, “Out of Egypt I called my son,” are fulfilled in him; if Israel was God’s son, Jesus is so in a way far surpassing the dignity of that nation, as his marvelous birth and the unfolding of his story show. Back in the land of Israel, he must be taken to Nazareth in Galilee because of the danger to his life in Judea, where Herod’s son Archelaus is now ruling. The sufferings of Jesus in the infancy narrative anticipate those of his passion, and if his life is spared in spite of the dangers, it is because his destiny is finally to give it on the cross as “a ransom for many”. Thus the word of the angel will be fulfilled, “…he will save his people from their sins”. In Matthew begins his account of the ministry of Jesus, introducing it by the preparatory preaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus that culminates in God’s proclaiming him his “beloved Son”, and the temptation in which he proves his true sonship by his victory over the devil’s attempt to deflect him from the way of obedience to the Father. The central message of Jesus’ preaching is the coming of the kingdom of heaven and the need for repentance, a complete change of heart and conduct, on the part of those who are to receive this great gift of God Galilee is the setting for most of his ministry; he leaves there for Judea only and his ministry in Jerusalem, the goal of his journey, is limited to a few days. In this extensive material there are five great discourses of Jesus, each concluding with the formula “When Jesus finished these words” or one closely similar. These are an important structure of the gospel. In every case the discourse is preceded by a narrative section, each narrative and discourse together constituting a “book” of the gospel. The discourses are, respectively, the “Sermon on the Mount”, the missionary discourse, the parable discourse, the “church
Dali098 · 156.6K Views

Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles, the second volume of Luke’s two-volume work, continues Luke’s presentation of biblical history, describing how the salvation promised to Israel in the Old Testament and accomplished by Jesus has now under the guidance of the holy Spirit been extended to the Gentiles. This was accomplished through the divinely chosen representatives (Acts 10:41) whom Jesus prepared during his historical ministry (Acts 1:21–22) and commissioned after his resurrection as witnesses to all that he taught (Acts 1:8; 10:37–43; Lk 24:48). Luke’s preoccupation with the Christian community as the Spirit-guided bearer of the word of salvation rules out of his book detailed histories of the activity of most of the preachers. Only the main lines of the roles of Peter and Paul serve Luke’s interest. Peter was the leading member of the Twelve (Acts 1:13, 15), a miracle worker like Jesus in the gospel (Acts 3:1–10; 5:1–11, 15; 9:32–35, 36–42), the object of divine care (Acts 5:17–21; 12:6–11), and the spokesman for the Christian community (Acts 2:14–36; 3:12–26; 4:8–12; 5:29–32; 10:34–43; 15:7–11), who, according to Luke, was largely responsible for the growth of the community in the early days (Acts 2:4; 4:4). Paul eventually joined the community at Antioch (Acts 11:25–26), which subsequently commissioned him and Barnabas to undertake the spread of the gospel to Asia Minor. This missionary venture generally failed to win the Jews of the diaspora to the gospel but enjoyed success among the Gentiles (Acts 13:14–14:27). Paul’s refusal to impose the Mosaic law upon his Gentile converts provoked very strong objection among the Jewish Christians of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1), but both Peter and James supported his position (Acts 15:6–21). Paul’s second and third missionary journeys (Acts 16:36–21:16) resulted in the same pattern of failure among the Jews generally but of some success among the Gentiles. Paul, like Peter, is presented as a miracle worker (Acts 14:8–18; 19:12; 20:7–12; 28:7–10) and the object of divine care (Acts 16:25–31). In Acts, Luke has provided a broad survey of the church’s development from the resurrection of Jesus to Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, the point at which the book ends. In telling this story, Luke describes the emergence of Christianity from its origins in Judaism to its position as a religion of worldwide status and appeal. Originally a Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem, the church was placed in circumstances impelling it to include within its membership people of other cultures: the Samaritans (Acts 8:4–25), at first an occasional Gentile (Acts 8:26–30; 10:1–48), and finally the Gentiles on principle (Acts 11:20–21). Fear on the part of the Jewish people that Christianity, particularly as preached to the Gentiles, threatened their own cultural heritage caused them to be suspicious of Paul’s gospel (Acts 13:42–45; 15:1–5; 28:17–24). The inability of Christian missionaries to allay this apprehension inevitably created a situation in which the gospel was preached more and more to the Gentiles. Toward the end of Paul’s career, the Christian communities, with the exception of those in Palestine itself (Acts 9:31), were mainly of Gentile membership. In tracing the emergence of Christianity from Judaism, Luke is insistent upon the prominence of Israel in the divine plan of salvation (see note on Acts 1:26; see also Acts 2:5–6; 3:13–15; 10:36; 13:16–41; 24:14–15) and that the extension of salvation to the Gentiles has been a part of the divine plan from the beginning (see Acts 15:13–18; 26:22–23). In the development of the church from a Jewish Christian origin in Jerusalem, with its roots in Jewish religious tradition, to a series of Christian communities among the Gentiles of the Roman empire, Luke perceives the action of God in history laying open the heart of all humanity to the divine message of salvation. His approach to the history of the church is motivated by his theological interests.
Dali098 · 51.3K Views

Battel Of Hattin

Battle of Ḥaṭṭīn, (July 4, 1187), battle in northern Palestine that marked the defeat and annihilation of the Christian Crusader armies of Guy de Lusignan, king of Jerusalem (reigned 1186–92), by the Muslim forces of Saladin. It paved the way for the Muslim reconquest of the city of Jerusalem (October 1187) and of the greater part of the three Crusader states—the county of Tripoli, the principality of Antioch, and the kingdom of Jerusalem—thus nullifying the achievements made in the Holy Land by the leaders of the first Crusades and alerting Europe to the need for a third Crusade. In July 1187 the Crusaders were camped at Sepphoris, about 20 miles (32 km) west of the Sea of Galilee, when word reached them that Saladin had attacked the city of Tiberias along the lake. The Crusader forces included several hundred Templars and Hospitallers, militant monastic orders that Saladin ranked among the Christian armies’ most-effective fighters. On July 3 about 20,000 Crusaders abandoned their camp to go to the relief of the besieged city. Their route took them through a hot, arid plain where, halfway to Tiberias, they ran out of water while under continual harassment from Saladin’s cavalry. The Crusaders’ condition worsened after a night spent without water, but the next morning they resumed their march, heading toward a range of hills above the village of Ḥaṭṭīn. Confronted by Saladin’s army, the Crusaders, who were no longer able to fight effectively, left the road and were driven back against the two largest hills, the Horns of Ḥaṭṭīn, by the Muslims. Although mounted elements of the Crusader army made repeated charges against the Muslim lines, they were unable to effect any significant breakthrough. The 30,000-man Muslim army slaughtered many of the Crusaders on the field and captured a shard of the True Cross, a Christian relic that had been carried into the battle by the bishop of Acre. Saladin spared the lives of King Guy and most of the Christian lords, but he personally slew Reginald of Châtillon as an oath breaker for his role in shattering the truce that had been in place between Saladin and the Crusader states. Saladin also ordered the execution of virtually all captured Templars and Hospitallers; only Templar Grand Master Gerard de Ridefort avoided the blade. On the day after the battle, Saladin launched his campaign to retake the city of Jerusalem.
Daoistj7gwsT · 1K Views

The Book Of Exodus

The second book of the Pentateuch is called Exodus, from the Greek word for “departure,” because its central event was understood by the Septuagint’s translators to be the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. Its Hebrew title, Shemoth (“Names”), is from the book’s opening phrase, “These are the names….” Continuing the history of Israel from the point where the Book of Genesis leaves off, Exodus recounts the Egyptian oppression of Jacob’s ever-increasing descendants and their miraculous deliverance by God through Moses, who led them across the Red Sea to Mount Sinai where they entered into a covenant with the Lord. Covenantal laws and detailed prescriptions for the tabernacle (a portable sanctuary foreshadowing the Jerusalem Temple) and its service are followed by a dramatic episode of rebellion, repentance, and divine mercy. After the broken covenant is renewed, the tabernacle is constructed, and the cloud signifying God’s glorious presence descends to cover it. These events made Israel a nation and confirmed their unique relationship with God. The “law” (Hebrew torah) given by God through Moses to the Israelites at Mount Sinai constitutes the moral, civil, and ritual legislation by which they were to become a holy people. Many elements of it were fundamental to the teaching of Jesus as well as to New Testament and Christian moral teaching. The principal divisions of Exodus are: Introduction: The Oppression of the Israelites in Egypt The Call and Commission of Moses The Contest with Pharaoh The Deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh and Victory at the Sea The Journey in the Wilderness to Sinai Covenant and Legislation at Mount Sinai Israel’s Apostasy and God’s Renewal of the Covenant The Building of the Tabernacle and the Descent of God’s Glory upon It
Dali098 · 116.3K Views

The Book of Samuel

These books describe the rise and development of kingship in Israel. Samuel is a pivotal figure. He bridges the gap between the period of the Judges and the monarchy, and guides Israel’s transition to kingship. A Deuteronomistic editor presents both positive and negative traditions about the monarchy, portraying it both as evidence of Israel’s rejection of the Lord as their sovereign and as part of God’s plan to deliver the people. Samuel’s misgivings about abuse of royal power foreshadow the failures and misdeeds of Saul and David and the failures of subsequent Israelite kings. Although the events described in 1 and 2 Samuel move from the last of the judges to the decline of David’s reign and the beginning of a legendary “Golden Age” under Solomon’s rule, this material does not present either a continuous history or a systematic account of this period. The author/editor developed a narrative timeline around freely composed speeches, delivered by prophets like Samuel and Nathan who endorse Deuteronomistic perspectives regarding the establishment of the monarchy, the relationship between worship and obedience, and the divine covenant established with the house of David. These books include independent blocks. Saul’s rise to power, David’s ascendancy over Saul, the Succession Narrative, which the editor shaped into three narrative cycles, the last two marked by transitional passages and Each section focuses on a major figure in the development of the monarchy: Samuel, the reluctant king maker; Saul, the king whom the Lord rejects; David, the king after the Lord’s own heart. A common theme unites these narratives: Israel’s God acts justly, prospering those who remain faithful and destroying those who reject his ways. Along with the rest of the Deuteronomistic History, the Books of Samuel become an object lesson for biblical Israel as it tries to re-establish its religious identity after the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of its homeland (587/586 B.C.).
Dali098 · 92.3K Views

The Gospel of Mark

This shortest of all New Testament gospels is likely the first to have been written, yet it often tells of Jesus’ ministry in more detail than either Matthew or Luke. It recounts what Jesus did in a vivid style, where one incident follows directly upon another. In this almost breathless narrative, Mark stresses Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God now breaking into human life as good news and Jesus himself as the gospel of God. Jesus is the Son whom God has sent to rescue humanity by serving and by sacrificing his life. The opening verse about good news in Mark serves as a title for the entire book. The action begins with the appearance of John the Baptist, a messenger of God attested by scripture. But John points to a mightier one, Jesus, at whose baptism God speaks from heaven, declaring Jesus his Son. The Spirit descends upon Jesus, who eventually, it is promised, will baptize “with the holy Spirit.” This presentation of who Jesus really is, rounded out with a brief reference to the temptation of Jesus and how Satan’s attack fails. Jesus as Son of God will be victorious, a point to be remembered as one reads of Jesus’ death and the enigmatic ending to Mark’s Gospel. The key verses at Mark which are programmatic, summarize what Jesus proclaims as gospel: fulfillment, the nearness of the kingdom, and therefore the need for repentance and for faith. After the call of the first four disciples, all fishermen we see Jesus engaged in teaching, preaching, and healing, and exorcising demons. The content of Jesus’ teaching is only rarely stated, and then chiefly in parables about the kingdom. His cures, especially on the sabbath; his claim, like God, to forgive sins; his table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners; and the statement that his followers need not now fast but should rejoice while Jesus is present, all stir up opposition that will lead to Jesus’ death. Jesus’ teaching in exalts the word of God over “the tradition of the elders” and sees defilement as a matter of the heart, not of unclean foods. Yet opposition mounts. Scribes charge that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul. His relatives think him “out of his mind”. Jesus’ kinship is with those who do the will of God, in a new eschatological family, not even with mother, brothers, or sisters by blood ties. But all too often his own disciples do not understand Jesus. The fate of John the Baptist hints ominously at Jesus’ own passion. Momentarily he is glimpsed in his true identity when he is transfigured before three of the disciples, but by and large Jesus is depicted in Mark as moving obediently along the way to his cross in Jerusalem. Occasionally there are miracles, the only such account in Jerusalem), sometimes teachings, but the greatest concern is with discipleship. For the disciples do not grasp the mystery being revealed. One of them will betray him, Judas; one will deny him, Peter; all eleven men will desert Jesus. The Gospel of Mark ends in the most ancient manuscripts with an abrupt scene at Jesus’ tomb, which the women find empty. His own prophecy of Mk is reiterated, that Jesus goes before the disciples into Galilee; “there you will see him.” These words may imply resurrection appearances there, or Jesus’ parousia there, or the start of Christian mission, or a return to the roots depicted in Galilee. Mark’s Gospel is even more oriented to christology. Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Messiah, the anointed king of Davidic descent, the Greek for which, Christos, has, by the time Mark wrote, become in effect a proper name. Jesus is also seen as Son of Man, a term used in Mark not simply as a substitute for “I” or for humanity in general or with reference to a mighty figure who is to come, but also in connection with Jesus’ predestined, necessary path of suffering and vindication.
Dali098 · 113.1K Views

Sabina Saves the Future

Being reborn in the 21st century, Sabina must stop the apocalypse from happening in the 29th century. Sabina Saves the Future is a trilogy of novellas, following the adventurous and supernaturally gifted Sabina Hines, as she travels the world and uncovers various nefarious conspiracies. Sabina’s Pursuit of the Holy Grail Sabina is a gifted 18-year-old girl living in Sydney, in the year 2037. She carries a unique secret. Sabina used to be the Chosen One, but she failed to stop the apocalypse from occurring in the year 2887. As she died, she asked The True Maker to let her be reborn in 2019 and to keep her powers. After narrowly escaping being raped by the spoiled brat Joshua Harkins, Sabina has an epiphany: That it is time for her to set out on her mission to find the Primordial Zeto Crystal, also known as the Holy Grail. Sabina's quest takes her to Jerusalem where evil men are after the Holy Grail for their own nefarious purposes. Facing the conspirators, Sabina sets out on a dangerous quest to find and purify the magical artefact, and to stop it from falling into the wrong hands. But stopping evil is not an easy task, and what sacrifices must Sabina make to reach her goal. Will Sabina be able to retain her innocence throughout the ordeal? Sabina’s Quest to Open the Portal Having secured the Zeto Crystal, Sabina must choose between love and duty. Sabina’s Quest to Open the Portal takes place straight after the ending of Sabina’s Pursuit of the Holy Grail. Mentally and physically scarred from her ordeal in Israel, Sabina finds solace in the handsome and empathetic Alexander O’Neill, and she experiences romantic love for the first time. With the Zeto Crystal de-energised Sabina focuses on her relationship with Alex and raising funds for charity. Life is good for Sabina until one day when a new enemy emerges, which forces her to go to Mexico on the brink of civil war and face the difficult choice between love and duty. Sabina’s Expedition to Stop the Apocalypse After many ordeals, Sabina faces her nemesis, Rangda. But will Sabina overcome the evil that she tries to stop? Having survived the civil war in Mexico, and having stopped Pierre Beaumont’s evil scheme, Sabina and Alex are recuperating in Hawaii. Peace doesn’t last for long though, as the mysterious Martin Al-Sham re-emerges. His associates kidnap Alex, to force Sabina to help Martin with a dangerous expedition. Martin reveals that he has found a way to re-energise the Zeto Crystal, and that he needs Sabina to fulfil her destiny. Together they travel to Kiribati. First, they must scale an active volcano, before Sabina can swim down to the Sunken Pyramid of Kiribati, where the portal to the Divine Dimension is located. Eventually, Sabina reaches Rangda, but will she be able to carry out her mission, or will she become the very evil that she tried to stop?
Martin_Lundqvist85 · 90.6K Views

Why did prophet muhammad fight

: This article repudiates the allegation that Islam is “the religion of the sword”and that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was “a man of the sword”.It does so by analysing why and how the Prophet fought. The article concludes that theProphet’s biggest enemies were falsehood, injustice and oppression. As a mercy for allcreation, he was disposed to fighting only for self-defence and when freedom and the basichuman rights of people were in grave danger. Still, he fought only occasionally and briefly,after all other alternatives had been exhausted. Fighting was the last resort and could not beundertaken for any of the vain worldly benefits. In the process, the Prophet created aremarkable legacy of war ethics, as part of Islamic general ethics. It served as a standard-setter in the fields of conflict and warfare, within which, traditionally, benevolence andrationality are seldom observed. At the end of the article, “fighting, or war, verses” are alsoexplained.)Washington Irving (1783-1859), an American writer, historian and diplomat, was among thefirst who systematically stereotyped Islam as “the religion of the sword” and ProphetMuhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as “a man of the sword”. According to him,the Prophet was sent with the sword as “the instrument of Faith”. He taught that those whoengaged themselves in promulgating his faith should enter neither into “argument nordiscussion; but slay all who refuse obedience to the law”. “The sword is the key of heavenand hell”, the Prophet is alleged to have said to his followers. Washington Irving wrote this in his book titled “Mahomet and his Successors”. The book hastwo volumes. The first volume was published in 1849 and the second in 1850.This book was not an isolated case. It represented a trend and the author was itsspokesperson, so to speak. He declares at the beginning of the book’s preface: “Some apologymay seem necessary for presenting a life of Mahomet at the present day, when no new factcan be added to those already known concerning him.” In other words, the notoriously violentreputation of Islam and its Prophet was a well-established reality. The author was simply re-emphasizing the obvious.Demonizing Islam and MuslimsThe book and the trend it represented were products of a long and concerted campaignagainst Islam and Muslims. It was a crusade in its own right. The campaign aimed to discreditthe ideological foundations of Islamic civilization and cultures and thus pave the way forphysical colonization, subjugation and exploitation of the Muslim world. At the heart of legitimization of those unholy enterprises lay the demonization of Islam andits adherents. Orientalism, as a Western scholarly discipline that flourished especially in the18th and 19th centuries, was their soul and driving force. It was held that the Prophet – and with him all Muslims – were wrong and needed to be setright. They and whatever they had defiled needed to be purified and rescued. They needed theSaviour and his terrestrial exponents for the purpose. The Prophet was no more than a falseprophet (an impostor) who cunningly deceived multitudes. On account of all that, the colonization drive was heavily saturated with the spirit ofChristianisation, proselytization and westernization - all at once. It was an extension of theCrusades. Hence, when Field Marshall Allenby captured Jerusalem in 1918 in the name of theAllies, while standing on the steps of the Dome of the Rock, he made a proclamation: “Todaythe Crusades have come to an end.” In the same vein, Peterson Smith, in his book on the lifeof Jesus, wrote: “This capture of Jerusalem was indeed an eighth Crusade in whichChristianity had finally achieved its purpose” (Haykal).According to Washington Irving, furthermore, while in Makkah,
Daoist6vrBZY · 6.4K Views

The Book of Jonah

The story of Jonah has great theological import. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and returned to his starting point. Now he obeys and goes to Nineveh, the capital of Israel’s ancient enemy. The Ninevites listen to his message of doom and repent immediately. All, from king to lowliest subject, humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes. Seeing their repentance, God does not carry out the punishment planned for them. At this, Jonah complains, angry because the Lord spares them. This fascinating story caricatures a narrow mentality which would see God’s interest extending only to Israel, whereas God is presented as concerned with and merciful to even the inhabitants of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire which brought the Northern Kingdom of Israel to an end and devastated Jerusalem in 701 B.C. The Lord is free to “repent” and change his mind. Jonah seems to realize this possibility and wants no part in it. But the story also conveys something of the ineluctable character of the prophetic calling. The book is replete with irony, wherein much of its humor lies. The name “Jonah” means “dove” in Hebrew, but Jonah’s character is anything but dove-like. Jonah is commanded to go east to Nineveh but flees toward the westernmost possible point, only to be swallowed by a great fish and dumped back at this starting point. The sailors pray to their gods, but Jonah is asleep in the hold. The prophet’s preaching is a minimum message of destruction, while it is the king of Nineveh who calls for repentance and conversion; the instant conversion of the Ninevites is greeted by Jonah with anger and sulking. He reproaches the Lord in words that echo Israel’s traditional praise of his mercy. Jonah is concerned about the loss of the gourd but not about the possible destruction of 120,000 Ninevites. This book is the story of a disobedient, narrow-minded prophet who is angry at the outcome of the sole message he delivers. It is difficult to date but almost certainly is postexilic and may reflect the somewhat narrow, nationalistic reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah. As to genre, it has been classified in various ways, such as parable or satire. The “sign” of Jonah is interpreted in two ways in the New Testament: His experience of three days and nights in the fish is a “type” of the experience of the Son of Man (Mt 12:39–40), and the Ninevites’ reaction to the preaching of Jonah is contrasted with the failure of Jesus’ generation to obey the preaching of one who is “greater than Jonah”
Dali098 · 7.9K Views
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