Qufu – Cradle of Confucianism
Kong Fuzi, better known as Confucius, was born in 551 BC in Qufu during the Zhou Dynasty. His teachings became the basis of Chinese tradition and beliefs. Qufu is located in the province of Shandong on the East coast of the People’s Republic of China. Much of Qufu is dedicated to Confucius as Mark Melnicoe writes about his travels to Confucius’s hometown for Xinhua News.
Everyone knows Confucius. The philosopher/teacher/sage is pre-eminent among China’s ancient thinkers, and his teachings have profoundly impacted the development of Chinese history and left a deep imprint on the national psyche.
To really get to know Confucius, one should make a pilgrimage to Qufu, Shandong Province. For it is here that the master was born, died and spent most of his 73 years, including the decisive period when he preached to his disciples, who then carried forward his ideas.
To honor its former resident, Qufu boasts three main sites – the Confucius Temple, Kong Family Mansion and Confucius Cemetery – which together take most of a day to see. In 1994 they were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites for their outstanding historical, cultural, scientific and artistic value.
Beyond these, vestiges left by Confucius can be found all over Qufu. He was born about 20 kilometers away in Nishan, grew up in the area, preached his philosophies at the Xingtan Pavilion, also known as the Alter of Apricot (part of today’s temple), got involved politically and became an official in the ancient state of Lu, and was buried by the Zhu River.
Read the rest of the article at Cradle of Confucianism.
Photo by Vladimir Menkov
Discovery of world’s earliest Christian engravings reveals religion’s ties to Paganism
It’s hard to believe a stone inscription would take 50 years to translate, but a team of researchers have finally pieced together the information that allowed them to make the translation. Gregory Snyder translated the inscription as ‘To my bath, the brothers of the bridal chamber carry the torches, [here] in our halls, they hunger for the [true] banquets, even while praising the Father and glorifying the Son. There [with the Father and the Son] is the only spring and source of truth.’ Gavin Allen of the Daily Mail reports on Snyder’s findings.
The discovery of the world’s earliest Christian engraving has thrown light on the life of a pagan sect and its relationship with the more orthodox religion.
Researchers at the Capitaline Museums in Rome believe they have finally translated and dated NCE 156, an inscription carved into stone in Greek.
It is now believed the stone, housed at the Capitaline, dates from the latter half of the second century when the Roman Empire was in its pomp but pagan teachings seemingly mingled with the Christian doctrine.
Gregory Snyder, a study researcher based at the Davidson College in North Carolina, revealed details of his work in the latest edition of the Journal of Early Christian Studies.
‘If it is in fact a second-century inscription, as I think it probably is, it is about the earliest Christian material object that we possess,’ Snyder told LiveScience.
Snyder’s research caps 50 years of work by a clutch of experts, who between them have sourced, dated and translated the ancient verse, which he believes to be a funeral epigram.
The mysterious inscription was initially published in an Italian archaeological journal in 1953 by Luigi Moretti.
Read the rest of the article at Discovery of world’s earliest Christian engravings reveals religion’s ties to Paganism | Mail Online.
Photo by Chris Rivait
Wesley church restoration reveals statue of topless woman
John Wesley was a cleric of the Church of England and regarded as one of the founders of the Methodist movement along with his younger brother Charles. Oliver Pickup of the Daily Mail writes about a recently restored statue found in the in church house where Wesley worshiped. Apparently, the statute was a little too titillating for Wesley and his parishioners, so the breasts were covered up with a lead plate. So even Superman couldn’t be distracted now!
After having her modesty covered for years, a church restoration has revealed a statue of a topless woman.
The small statue has uncovered in the church house next to the Priory Church of St James in Bristol, where Methodist founder John Wesley, who died in 1791, aged 87, worshipped.
There is speculation that the unclothed figure was too much of a distraction for Wesley and his early 18th Century Methodists who ordered her to be covered up.
The prudish parishioners had a lead breast plate placed over her chest which remained in position for the next three centuries.
Workers discovered the statue during a restoration project of the ancient building and removed the lead covering.
The figure has now been exposed again and returned to her former glory with help from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
The buxom brunette, who is holding a cornucopia of fruit, stands with her green frock pulled down beneath her breasts and a red shawl wrapped around her shoulders.
She is thought to have arrived from abroad and placed in the house shortly after it was built in the 17th Century.
The church the house stands next to is the Grade I listed, 12th Century Priory Church of St James.
Read more at Wesley church restoration reveals statue of topless woman | Mail Online.
How Christopher Columbus and Martin Luther Transformed Western Civilization
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. In 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95
Theses. So began two stories that have shaped the West since the 16th century. But what happens if we link the two?
The first story cast the relationship between Europe and the Western hemisphere in terms of conquest: Columbus crossed the Atlantic and “discovered” islands. He was followed by Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, who conquered first Central and then South America for Spain. The second is the foundation story for modern western Christian churches, both Catholic and Protestant.
Read More at Lee Wandel: How Christopher Columbus and Martin Luther Transformed Western Civilization.
Story by Lee Wandel – Huffington Post
Ancient burial box may point to Caiaphas’ home
An ancient burial box recovered from antiquities
looters three years ago contains a mysterious inscription that could reveal the home of the family of the figure Caiaphas, who is infamous for his involvement in the biblical story of the crucifixion of Jesus.
The burial box, also called an ossuary, was discovered in 1990, but the inscription was just recently verified as legitimate (and not the result of forgers trying to increase an artifact’s value) by Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University and Boaz Zissu of Bar Ilan University. The box is made of limestone, is covered in decorative rosettes and has an inscription.
Read More at Ancient burial box may point to Caiaphas’ home – Technology & science – Science – LiveScience – msnbc.com.
Story by Jennifer Welsh – LiveScience – MSNBC; Photo by Yuval Goren
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