God Or Destiny?

People have different interpretations of events based on their role in the story or the part of the story they know even if it’s false or incomplete. It’s much as when we hear a gossip about something and we decide we know enough to take a position and judge facts. Job had a different point of view of the fact than his friends who not only where ignorant about the connection between God and Job, but they probably lacked the complete information. To their denial and comments Job said “I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you (Job, chapter 16).” These show how easy it is for people to talk about problems of others, but how hard it really is to get in their place. Due to this, we always see problems of other people easier to overcome than ours, because we don’t understand their position and our words of reflection end up being ignorant and counter-productive.

In the context of the bible, the friends who went to accompany Job in his mourning act as a voice of conscience of the protagonist. They are like his inner voice in the different positions he could take towards the problem. As always, our inner voice may lead us to mistakes if we listen to it under effects of anger or frustration. Job was desperate and his friends where no help at all with their argument contradicting Job´s own thinking. He in return responds to their accusations and false assumptions by making their arguments completely unsupported, “And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth? (Job, chapter 24).” None of them had any evidence of their friend committing evil acts and therefore none of them where in the right to suggest that he was being punished for his sins.

Through his suffering his faith shall not hesitate for a second, because Job is able to separate his misery from his spiritual life. He doesn’t even consider God as the guilty for all that is happening to him. But he does wonder why it all happens to him, and hates the cause of his misery without connecting it to the LORD. “When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness (Job, chapter 30).” This explains that the protagonist simply believes that the world or coincidence made him end up in a place that he didn’t seek for. Job “looked for God and evil came unto me” but he treats them as different matters, and not as if God was the one who had sent him the evil. In my interpretation of the facts, everything was destiny for Job and the fact that he was in misery didn’t mean that he had done something wrong or that God was evil, it simply meant that he saw himself involved in a series of unfortunate events that carried him into what he now was.

Materialist Satan

The book of Job starts with a scene of God and Satan, who argue about how Gods followers are so not because of material things, and to prove this God allows Satan to remove all of Jobs wealth from him and he shall endure in his faith. Satan smites his sons and damages his wealth, and the evil one removes any material advantage Job has and leaves him alone to the suffering of his problems. Job doesn’t understand, but “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly (Job, chapter 3).” He only explains the facts by arguing that God gave it all to him and that it was his right to take it from him, and it was not unfair or evil on his part. On the other hand his wife insults God and calls him unfair and evil, to what Job disagrees with completely, probably influenced by his fear of God.

Then three of his friends decide to visit him and mourn for all his loss and unhappiness. They believe that either God is an unfair figure, or that Job has done something of great evil they know not of and he deserves the punishment he is receiving, if not a worse one. Soon a reflection emerges in the text, one many people probably have previously considered in times of struggle: “The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he? Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good (Job, chapter 9).” Many people often think about how God is absent in their minds, and they misinterpret his position of God to make him guilty of any sort of problem that occurs in their lives. HE is not responsible for everything that happens and we have no right to charge him with the fault of our mistakes because what we get is what we look for, things don’t happen to us due to a random desire of God.

Job is alone and poor and all he has left to rely on is his spiritual strength and trust in God. Even though all this miseries happen to him he does not linger from the path of the LORD, proving what God has foreseen a good follower would do. This is a hit on Satan because he is proved wrong, and he realizes how big faith can be and how weak his power over humans really is. At the end Job makes one claim but not directly to God, instead he openly asks for a break to whatever is tha cause of his troubles. “Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death (Job, chapter 10).” He is weak and will no longer take the hardships of life, all he wants is to leave in peace the rest of his life, even if it means in the misery that envelops him. His last prayer is one that seeks peace and harmony with himself so that he may rest and live in tranquility the last days of his life. When people come to the end, they reflect on everything their lives meant not only to themselves and to others. We must always do that before we act, for if we want to live a peaceful life where we are able to find rest, we must seek for it before the time comes when we can no longer go at peace.

Evoking Ethos, Pathos, And Logos

Barrack Obama is a master of the speech and a skillful user of rhetoric. Being nominated as presidential candidate means that he is already a very popular figure and that many people see him as a great option for the title, but that is only half of the fight, for he is not close to being elected if he doesn’t convince the Americans he is the right choice. He may have many followers already behind him, but that is not quite enough to fulfill his dream of becoming president. It’s a race to capture more and more followers where the one who has convinced the most people at the end of the race will be the winner. Here is where rhetoric, or the skill to convince others, kicks in. By applying rhetoric Obama will be able to attract people to him and his intentions.

In his speech Barrack Obama states facts and proposals for his future presidency because one must base such business in facts, but he also goes into making a connection with the people where they are able to identify with him, to see him not only as a candidate but as a leader and a hero. This is where he applies pathos, logos, and ethos in his speech to achieve his intentions. Next, I will analyze how he uses this rhetoric figures in his speech and under what purpose.

Ethos is the Rhetorical figure in which one uses character to support the argument. This helps the user look trustworthy and reachable to the people when he shows them his character and lets them meet him as a person rather than the role they must develop. He starts by evoking ethos In the dedication: “all my fellow citizens of this great nation, with profound gratitude and great humility.” Here he describes himself as a humble and educated person, to show them his character as they want to see it. He opens his story to the audience to let introduce them to his background, to give them a picture of where he comes from. “Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.” This demonstrates where he comes from; it suggests some humble and fighting ancestors witch probably have influenced him to act like ways. With all this character description, ethos help him look trustworthy to the people, which will make it easier to transmit his message, and will make them more vulnerable to agree.

Once he has the audience vulnerable to his idea, he must present them with convincing arguments. Obama evokes logos, argument through logic, to capture the audience in an intellectual area. HE begins addressing problems that he knows the audience will identify with and agree upon such as: “Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.” He talks about the problem and then finds a source, in this case George W. Bush, to blame all this things upon. Through this the audience identifies with the problems and interprets this accusation as a promise to make it better, a reason to support Obama and forget about McCain who would take a position similar to Bush´s. Now Obama has the audience in favor of his character and he has their support due to individual interests.

Once the candidate has given the audience many reasons to support him, all that is left to assure their vote is to touch their hearts and dig unto their souls to find sensible characters. At this point both him and the audience are engulfed in the idea and are so into it that emotion barely allows for his to continue his speech. To close his arguments with feeling he evokes Pathos. He does this by presenting heart touching problems as a reality of what America is headed for. “This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.We're a better country than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment that he's worked on for 20 years and watch as it's shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news. We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty...” At this point the audience cries and in their hearts they are all supporting him because it’s impossible not to support the idea of making out of America a fair place where ones work is noticed and where the government protects and promotes the people and their efforts. This is the climax of the speech where every single person in the audience has found a reason to support him and to identify with his proposals.

Barrack Obama produces a speech full of rhetoric and emotion where he is able to identify with his audience to convince them of his purpose. He touched the hearts of Americans and those hard-hearted ones who didn’t let him come into their hearts received him in their minds where they are considering his logical proposals to make out of America a better place under his presidency. This is a perfect example of how the correct use of ethos, pathos, and logos can take rhetoric to be as powerful as to unite a nation under a same idea for a common purpose.

David´s Mistake

The news of Saul´s death spread and they come to the ears of David who is to be proclaimed as the new King and ruler. He declares a time of mourning and lamentation not forgetting who he was and the intentions he always had. And in his wisdom he produces reflection on others: “Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel (Samuel book 2, chapter 1).” He was an honorable man and he would go no further to hurt the memory of Saul for his death was more than enough for David, who had been threatened by the man. Saul´s son becomes king of Israel but when he dies, the people ask David to be their king, and he accepts moving the capital of the reign to Jerusalem.

The reign of King David is followed by a variety of blessings and victories. He beat the host of Philistines under Gods will and reigned as the LORD wished and asked. In reward the LORD gives David and his house a demonstration of his conformity, which David praises exceedingly. ”And let thy name be magnified forever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever (Samuel book 2, chapter 7).” God had promised his descendants would build a temple for him, that his throne would be forever occupied by his people, and that his family would always have his mercy. This is a symbol of prosperity, almost as if he was naming David a material representation of himself in the earth. His linage would live forever under the favor of the God that had freed the Israelites and that now was taking them to prosperity.

In the midst of all this, the bible reminds us of how David is a mere mortal far from perfect, and of how also he can make mistakes in his life. He falls in love with another woman and commits adultery with her, and furthermore he is responsible for her husband’s murder so that he could have her as his own. This was a great mistake and treason to his wife and his God. Lord decides to forgive him but not for free, for he warns David that problems would emerge in his house as a consequence.

We are all mortals and we are all weak. Every single one of us has made and still makes mistakes. God doesn’t take into account the intentions we had but the action, and although he may be merciful and he always forgives as it sais on the bible, the price for his forgiveness is high. Every sin we commit we pay for with suffering at some point in our lives, so whatever we do will eventually turn back on us. We should strive to do good to have good turn back to us, and avoid evil for evil always comes back, and its generally worst on us.

God Helps The Humble

Saul won the preference of the LORD, who aided him in his perils and led him to becoming the leader of the Israelites. Later on, when they went to war with the Philistines, another heroic figure appears. David comes in as a hero when he defeats the Philistines in battle with the favor of God and saves the Israelites from a violent battle. “And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight (Samuel book 1, chapter 16).” And David had won the favor of the great Saul who didn’t realize the threat he was at the beginning.

Later on, when David starts becoming more and more popular, Saul grows jealous and removes his favor. And Saul feared for his position, “And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David (Samuel book 1, chapter 19).” From that moment they became enemies and David fled from Saul and hid to evade his “bloodthirsty” plan. Very narrowly did he escape from his hunter and only with the aid of God did David live through those intentions.

But the LORD was angry for Saul was becoming independent from him and in doing this he was acting against his will. BY trying to kill him who was favorite to God Saul would only fall into oblivion and eventually he would be the cause of his own downfall. And God was no longer there besides him to support him. “And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets (Samuel book 1, chapter 28).” Saul was alone, as many people end up when they violate the limits of trust and favor by forgetting who has taken them there. Sometimes we forget how we got to be who we are, and how easily our superiors can demote our progress, almost as easily as they helped us out. We must never forget to be humble as Saul did, and we must accept others and even if they are a threat to our position, one should never use power or influence to damage someone else based on presumption.

Faith and Wisdom

God freed his people from the Egyptians through Moses, who was his Messenger and representation thorough much of Exodus. After Israel is free, LORD guides them to a new promised land where they shall live in his favor forever, and so shall their infinite descendants.” And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God chapter 29).” God is building a whole new civilization that follows his teachings and look up to him not only as their master, but as their mentor and protector. These people go through much hardship before they encounter a land where they can settle, and this is admirable because they are strong and follow the path of religion even on hard times where their faith seems lost.

And when trouble emerges and the people doubt about everything, Moses must put them back on track and assures them that God is with them every moment of their lives helping them overcome difficulties. And when Moses tells LORD how people are having trouble going on, God replies “And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God (chapter 29).” And the people believe in his presence and fight to keep on the track of faith. For not only do they see this as their only option being in the middle of the dessert with only a God to guide them, but I would consider the possibility that many of the followers are so because they fear LORD after all they have seen him do to others. He constantly threatens those who would break his rules even with death, which is contradictory to the Ten Commandments he writes on the tablets. People tent to follow leaders many times not because they wish to do so, but because it’s their best or only choice if they want to carry on normal lives without confronting the power and authority. God is an imposing figure who accepts no ideals that go against his own, and will punish severely anyone who chooses to stray away from his path.

And when God speaks to Moses for a very long time, his people fear his absence and go into panic thinking of what to do and of what might have happened to their leader in hands of Gods. They end up building an idol of a god made of gold and they pray onto the statue without realizing the anger that they would cause on both Moses and the LORD. And Moses sees this image and destroys it and goes back to God angry and fearful of how he might react. “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold (chapter 32).” And LORD bursts in anger for they have all committed a great sin, and even if it was completely a result of their ignorance and innocence, they have acted unfaithfully by adoring some other material figure rather than the God that has done so much for the people.

People act without considering the consequences and without being completely informed in the subject, and this may lead to disaster. When you choose to do something which you don’t know about and you don’t consider the consequences, you are being ignorant. Israelites where ignorant in many occasions and they messed up even if they didn’t intend to go against God´s will. The same thing happens to us sometimes when we offend people or make mistakes which we didn’t intend to do. The lesson must be to consider everything thoroughly before taking important decisions so that we are always a reflection of what we seek to be. If the people think about the effects, they shall always, at least, reconsider the action.

The Perfect Rules

The people requested from Moses direct contact with God so as to have something to hold on to. He delivered their message to God, who said “And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death (chapter 19).” This way God accepts to present himself in front of the people, but to show that there are limits he warns Moses not to let them come near or he shall kill them for their disobedience and curiosity, which may be interpreted as lack of faith.

After this God gives moses six commands wich humanity must follow in order to be at peace with God. Moses writes the following rules on stone” Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery.Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's (chapter 20).” To the people he gives these rules and orders them to live by these under the favor of the LORD. Anyone who broke one of these rules would commit a sin, and therefore he would go against the will of God. Religions where based on these rules later in history, for in them lies the key to living in harmony and peace in a society where people must share so much with other people. If we chose to apply these ideals to our lives and lived under their logic then the world would be a much better place, and that’s why they were created, because LORD was able to foreshadow the weakness and the flaw of people.

Listen To The Warnings

God sent various signals to the Pharaoh to make him free the people, but he was hardened and gave no authority for this to happen. Much did the Egyptians suffer and the more they suffered, it seemed, the least they wanted to let the people free. Moses was the messenger who told the pharaoh what was coming to give him time to reflect and consider the proposition. These warnings are a symbol of how nothing of what happens to us is coincidence, but we look for what we get. If we are proud and wish to ignore these warnings, we suffer the consequences of our indifference. And Moses so told the Pharaoh: “And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts (chapter 11).” He was being warned about what was to come even though it was foreseen that he was to ignore this warning, and even after the consequences, he chose to defy God and his power.

Israelites lived in Egyptian land, and feared that Gods punishments would also end up affecting them because of the pharaohs ignorance. To this God answered: “But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel (chapter 13).” The people of the LORD where protected and wouldn’t be influenced by the punishments, which shows how God wished to punish only the guilty and not everyone, unlike he had wanted to do in genesis. This development in the character is interesting in a way because it shows that even divine figures are vulnerable to change and development, because one must change as his context changes; all beings are meant to adapt. God changed and his followers had changed, but their connection and objectives remained essentially the same.

Finally the pharaoh was forced to free the people when he was no longer able to survive through the punishments sent by the LORD. Moses was able to lead his people out of Egypt with help of God, who guided them day and night through the dessert. “And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten (chapter 13).” It was a memorable day and it demonstrated that mortals are no match to God, because even if they defy his power and are able to live with it for a while, this will never mean that mortals can have victory over the LORD.

Seeing Is Believing

Moses met the LORD, who presented himself in the right moment to save his people, those with who he had pact an alliance long ago. He gives us a further piece of information to complement his identity when he tells Moses about his relationship with his ancestors. “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them (chapter 6)”. By giving us his true name we are able to establish a connection with God in genesis, and we are able to understand how the story will evolve. We had previously established a difference between JEHOVAH and JANWEH, which are the two different characters for God in genesis. Now we know JEHOVAH is god in chapter two of genesis and will be the divine figure in exodus, at least at the moment.

Jehovah asked Moses to go and free his people from the Egyptians, but the latter couldn’t think of how to do it. God told him to go in his name, “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee (chapter 4)”. The lord insisted and Moses when and delivered the message, with a predictable result. “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? (chapter 5)”. This shows his human characteristic; it shows that even though he believes in the God but he doubts about the task and would rather not do it. He is shocked by the evil of the Egyptians and not only feels overpowered, but he feels that he is not strong enough for the task. We see a very similar reflection further on in the bible when Jesus is about to be crucified, and he prays to God to save him, to change his destiny because he is afraid and as all humans, we doubt and lack devotion in many occasions.

God helped him by giving him a miraculous rod, which he could turn into a serpent to impress the Pharaoh. He did so and the Pharaoh called for his advisers to help him understand and explain the phenomenon, “And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said (chapter 7)”. Egyptians found an explanation to everything Moses did, and where not at all understanding. The pharaoh would never listen to him and never would consider the release of these people, because he really didn’t believe that he was dealing with a god. What you don’t see you don’t believe until it’s too late to realize your lack of faith. This happened to the Egyptians, who had to suffer terrible things before they understood their inferiority and accepted their loss. And this happens to us consistently, when we don’t trust other people and fail to do something for our own benefit only because we are incredulous and respond to things only when they affect us directly.

The Different Faces The Picture

Abraham made a covenant with God, a deal to show his loyalty for as long as he lived. God directed his word to Abram, “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; every man child among you shall be circumcised (chapter 17).” And Abraham did as instructed, circumcising himself and his son eight days after he was born. And after their leader every single one of his people did the same thing, to show that they were all loyal and they all were part of the everlasting deal. And god acknowledged this and kept them safe and under his protection, he was the “Sheppard” and the people where his “sheep.”

The bible often recurs to miracles to transmit messages or to develop a point, and miracles are attributed to god to show his unlimited power to do his will. Abraham was old and had no sons, but god decided to give him a son disregarding his age and that of his wife. ” Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? (Chapter 17)”. And god assured him that it would be so, for nothing is impossible to the LORD who changes facts as he wills.

God is double-faced figure, who’s reactions are unpredictable. For he decides to destroy a whole community for their evil, and these includes the death of the good people along with the sinners. This is a hasty decision, but he changes his intentions when asked to by Abraham, who wonders if those good people should die for the evil of others. Abram gradually changed statistics to save those in the city who deserved a better destiny: “And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake (Chapter 18)”. This way he was capable of saving the city even if it is for the sake of 10. This event shows that the LORD is very drastic but that he is also very understanding and fair. This is why I said he is double-faced, because you never able to understand or foreshadow any of his actions and decisions. There is to him a mysterious way of doing things, which leaves room for many interpretations of people. This can be both good and bad depending on how the church transmits the message.

The bible is a very subjective tool which is subject to many points of view, none of which are wrong. It’s officially a catholic symbol, but many people read it in different moods and for different purposes, extracting different messages. The church has power of interpreting it as if they were right and as if there was one only interpretation, but this again is also subject to people’s beliefs, because not everyone accepts or believes in the position and role of the church. When reading such texts we must be very tolerant and understanding, because we are dealing with cultures and religions, and we have no right to contradict or damage the structures of these.

Is Your God My God?

LORD God is an extremely biased figure as he is represented in Genesis. He wouldn’t hesitate to help Noah or Abraham and their breed, but he certainly had a different attitude towards other peoples. Through the passages we see how some characters have a divine advantage because of their ancestors or simply because they are able to satisfy the LORD. He granted gifts and great blessings to Abraham and his family, such as the occasion when he gave them land, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever (chapter 13)”. This is a reward for their loyalty to him, but couldn’t it be interpreted as some kind of propaganda?

At the beginning God had a few followers, and not many people believed whole heartedly in this one god as Abraham did. The fact that God was so giving and rewarding to his followers could be completely logical, but it could also be a way to attract more people into the religion. When people hear of such a giving and helping figure, the possibilities where that they would look up to the same God, which at the time may have been a little contradicting, but in today’s context it matches perfectly the fact that the church is a powerful institution that uses God to their favor as has happened before in history.

God never physically presents himself to anyone, but he communicates through messengers, visions, and signs. This gives him a mysterious characteristic that helps draw the line between him and his mortal followers. “The word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward (chapter 15)”. This shows how the LORD established communication with Abram, who was probably his most influential follower. He presented himself as protection, as “thy shield”, and all this comes in reward for his loyalty.

In Genesis the figure of God is very similar to gods in polytheistic religions and not much as a monotheistic god should be. The “LORD” intercedes constantly to get things how he wants them to be, which contradicts the logical and natural order of the things. The interpretation of God is very subjective because it is completely based on the moral and values of the person, and of how we understand the text. In my personal case the God described in Genesis has a lot of things strange to the God I follow, who in theory should be the same one according to religion. My visualization of a god has been influenced and shaped by much more than simply a bible or a Sunday mass, I have shaped my beliefs through my personal experiences in my everyday life.

Blue Light

Rejoice ahead the draftsman,
Vanquisher of the blue
While the drama truly began,
The day the world was new.

Standing in the sea of forces,
Less than the heavenly vigor
Sole in the different races,
Under him who is bigger.

Will of him who created me,
He who rests beyond the sea.

The Punisher

God, or “LORD”, as he was called by Adams contemporaries in Genesis, is a figure responsible for much of what happens in the early times of our existence. He makes the earth in the first place, but he is also its ultimate devastator. He creates Adam at first and then from his rib he makes Eve, and they in time are responsible for all their descendants, who anger God. They become violent and destroying, and the “LORD” decides to punish all except for a few who have won his liking. “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch (Genesis 6, line 13-14).” He shows his anger through this act, but by warning a few to save themselves he ensures the preservation of the creatures he created and loves in the world he made for them. This shows that God in the bible is not at all harmless, and that he does have some “preference” for those who follow what he expects from people.

In Genesis they mention “seven” many times to describe various different quantities. It took seven days for the creation of the earth, only seven days after god warned Noah did the flood begin, “and the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8).” As we know, seven is considered as the holy number, at least for those who follow the bible. This creates a certain pattern because when even descendants come in sevens, we get the idea that everything is meant to be done in perfect groups of seven, which might not be exactly the meaning of this repetition. The Bible has many interesting ways of organizing and explaining things through the same patterns, and we see lots of repetition occurring in the different lines of Genesis. This is probably some method to make it sound rhythmic when read aloud, or maybe to let the message sink into the public.

“The tree of knowledge” mentioned carries a connection with Greek mythology, where the same tree of knowledge gives the same consequences, which shows that Greeks share many biblical beliefs. Another comparison we can make is the fact of the flood. In Egyptian, Nordic, Greek and various other mythologies we see a flood appear maybe as a symbol for punishment and chaos. The bible has many similarities with mythology and ancient beliefs because it has a similar origin, and therefore it shares many common characteristics.

The Company Of The Bible

The making of King James’ Bible was close to its end. All that was left before publishing the text was the arranging of meeting in which “the binding and melting of all fifty or so translators efforts. (p.198)” should be concreted. The translators had worked long and hard, and they deserved a reward from their effort. Translators asked for their payment but “money was tight. By the end of the decade, royal finances where nowhere near capable of paying for the project (p.199).” James had undertaken an ambitious idea and now he was caught up with the money for the people who had so long worked to fulfill their king’s desire.

The project was spread into six companies, each responsible for the production of a different section of the Bible into a common English language apt for the non-educated folk. Now a few representatives where in the obligation to take the work of the “six companies and make them a single volume (p.201).” There were some that works hard enough to finish their part on time, but others took a little longer which delayed the whole process. There was on under the name of Bois, of the most dedicated and hard-working of all. He was vital to company who "four years he worked on the bible, finishing his part early (p.208)" was able to help other finish their assigned parts. Group work and good understanding of each other proved to be of the most important aspects necessary to the proper development of the process.

Close to its public appearance, the Bible had to be perfectioned to contain the perfect wording. “The new bible, so extraordinarily carefully prepared, was intended to replace above all the Bishop´s or church bible, who’s main function was to be read aloud in church on Sundays." If the public was to be the people in general who were probably illiterate and ignorant in many aspects, then the vocabulary and structure used had to be a simple one. There where long discussions over the right wording, and if we remember how important words where to the king, this was of the main objectives of the Bible. "The English sentences where being prepared for others, the non-educated (p.210).” Of the most intellectual minds in England had come together to produce something which had to be so basic and elemental. This was not simple at all; especially if we consider that the vocabulary which the commoners used was probably far from the one the intellectuals used to write and to communicate between each other in their long discussions.

The making of King James Bible was a matter of great patience and importance. This text is history, and the people who wrote it made an amazing job of transmitting a message in a completely different context without losing the essence of this message. This company managed to overcome all the different problems and disagreements they might have had to produce a final product worth of the costs. Not only do they leave the messages of the bible to us, but they teach us how team work and clear communication can help people achieve great things even in large groups where coming to an agreement can be long and hard.

Message In A Bottle

Religion is what guides our decisions and actions, and determines what is right or wrong. Some people take religion lightly, while other, like the religious Christians in Jacobean England, “driven by a passionate belief in the strict purity of their devotion (p.179)”, and went as far as to risking everything for their religion, so that they could express their beliefs freely. England was under a social conflict, in which tolerance for religions others to that of the king was out of sight. Everyone was to follow the same God through the means of the same Bible. It became a kingdom of words, where these and their interpretations where the absolute ideal.

Even presently the religious ones tend to believe word by word of what the bible tells them, and this leads to incorrect interpretations. Priests, who are responsible for transmitting this words to the public, have always taught us that "The words of the bible where the ultimate and encompassing truth itself (p.182)." But we must look beyond the words and struggle to read in between lines to grasp the real message. We could compare the bible to something like a “message in a bottle” in which the bible is the bottle floating through history, waiting for people to open it and go deep into its inner contents, to understand the real message that is kept inside its pages.

People in Jacobean England would do as told, to under the impression that it was all about god and his will. As religious leaders instructed people to “listen to the words of the bible and you will be saved. Nothing else is Necessary (p.175).” The religious community lived under this orders from those who called themselves “Gods elect” and that would interpret and transmit the word of the bible for hours without rest. So huge was this movement that "the king himself was obsessed with words (p.182).” King James Bible was to be the official, and ultimately, the only translation of the bible that should be used in England. This means that it had to be clear enough for everyone to understand, his orders where that “strange and inaccessible words where not to be used (p.194).” To my interpretation, what James wanted was a common sense of good and evil, he sought to instill the same beliefs and to his entire kingdom in a way in which everyone would interpret it similarly. The king wanted “a common idea of what was good: a Christian, orderly commonwealth (p.174).”

Through history leaders have always strived to make their message clear and even through all of their followers. As everything, teachings are subject to the interpretation of the public, who might take it in many different ways. A good leader is one that is able to clarify doubts and one who is able to transmit not only a message, but the same interpretation of such to everyone. By writing the bible in a way in which all was explicit, the room for interpretations was narrowed, but not as close as eliminated. In the modern Christian church we can find contradictions due to the different interpretations of the text, which increase as the interpretations go deeper. The bible is a historical text due to all this which is mentioned previously, and as a historical text, there is no right or wrong way to look at the intentions of the people who enacted this story.

Spelling Exercises

Adolescent Students 1:

Incorrect:

In deeling with students on the hih-school level - that is, the second, third, and forth year of high school - we must bare in mind that to some degree they are at a dificult sychological stage, generaly called adolesence. Students at this level are likely to be confused mentaly, to be subject to involuntery distractions and romantic dreamines. They are basicaly timid or self-consious, they lack frankness and are usualy very sensitive but hate to admit it. They are motivated iether by great ambition, probably out of all proportion to their capabiltys, or by extreme lazines caused by the fear of not suceeding or ataining their objectives. Fundamentaly they want to be kept busy but they refuse to admit it. They are frequently the victims of earlier poor training, and this makes evary effort doubly hard. They are usually wiling to work, but they hate to work without obtaining the results they think they shoud obtain. Their critical faculties are begining to develop and they are critical of their instructers and of the materiels they are given to laern. They are begining to feel the presher of time; and althouh they seldem say so, they really want to be consulted and given an oportunity to direct their own afairs, but they need considerable gidance. (From A Language Teacher's Guide by E. A. M�ras)

Corrected:

In dealing with students on the high-school level - that is, the second, third, and forth year of high school - we must bear in mind that to some degree they are at a difficult psychological stage, generally called adolescence. Students at this level are likely to be confused mentally, to be subject to involuntary distractions and romantic dreaminess. They are basically timid or self-conscious, they lack frankness and are usually very sensitive but hate to admit it. They are motivated either by great ambition, probably out of all proportion to their capabilities, or by extreme laziness caused by the fear of not succeeding or attaining their objectives. Fundamentally they want to be kept busy but they refuse to admit it. They are frequently the victims of earlier poor training, and this makes every effort doubly hard. They are usually willing to work, but they hate to work without obtaining the results they think they should obtain. Their critical faculties are beginning to develop and they are critical of their instructors and of the materials they are given to learn. They are beginning to feel the pressure of time; and although they seldom say so, they really want to be consulted and given an opportunity to direct their own affairs, but they need considerable guidance. (From A Language Teacher's Guide by E. A. M�ras)

Adolescent Students 2:

Incorrect:

They seldom admit that they need this guidance and they frequently rebel against it, but if it is intelligently offered they accept it with enthuseasm. If they are healthy they are capable of long periods of concentration and an extrordinary ammount of work. They are trying, most of them, to form political ideas and they have a tendensy to be either extremely idealistik (which is usually another term for radical) or conservativ, blindely accepting what their farthers and grandfarthers believed in. It is in this period that students can be most easily and permanantly influenced. It is the period in which they form strong atachments for their teechers. Thier outlook on life is usually extremely exagerated. They are iether far too modest and retiring, or extravegantly boastfull. They are much more susceptible to the influence of a strong personality than to that of a great inteligence. Of all periods of life, this is wat may best be called the 'plastic age'. (From A Language Teacher's Guide by E. A. M�ras)

Correct:

They seldom admit that they need this guidance and they frequently rebel against it, but if it is intelligently offered they accept it with enthusiasm. If they are healthy they are capable of long periods of concentration and an extraordinary amount of work. They are trying, most of them, to form political ideas and they have a tendency to be either extremely idealistic (which is usually another term for radical) or conservative, blindly accepting what their fathers and grandfathers believed in. It is in this period that students can be most easily and permanently influenced. It is the period in which they form strong attachments for their teachers. Their outlook on life is usually extremely exaggerated. They are either far too modest or retiring, or extravagantly boastful. They are much more susceptible to the influence of a strong personality than to that of a great intelligence. Of all periods of life, this is what may best be called the 'plastic age'. (From A Language Teacher's Guide by E. A. M�ras) .