Without a doubt the most unusual association I developed in my years of making and selling pile driving equipment is my association with the Russians. I spend some time on this site with some of the lessons I learned. We learn the advantages of monotheism from a train trip in Half a Million Roubles. Is …
Return To The Divine: Salvation In The Thought Of Plotinus And Origen
This article, by Dr. Antonia Tripolitis, is presented here for three reasons: It is an excellent exposition of Origen's views of the difference between created and uncreated beings, one which I make in My Lord and My God. It shows how two people, who start with a virtually identical philosophical framework, end up with different …
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More on the Image and Likeness in Moses Maimonides
Back in September I posted The Difference Between Image and Likeness in Genesis, which discussed both Orthodox and Jewish concepts of Genesis 1:26. Recently I received a series of Twitter messages from Y Sher as follows: You understood Maimonides distinction between Image (Tzelem) and Likeness (Dmuth), he seems to equate both to man's divine capacity …
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Some Closing Thoughts on Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechetical Lectures
This is the twelfth and last in a sporadic series on the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. The previous post was Mystagogy, Sacramental Theology and the Poker Playing Dog. It's time, I suppose, to “put a wrap” on this long series on the Cathechetical Lectures of Cyril of Jerusalem. For me at least, …
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Mystagogy, Sacramental Theology and the Poker Playing Dog
This is the eleventh in a sporadic series on the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. The previous post was The End Times Without Revelation. The last five of Cyril's lectures are referred to as the “mystagogic” lectures. They were given after the catechumens were baptised and received their First Communion. They have given …
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The Execution of Tariq Aziz: A Revenge Killing
That's exactly what it is, the revenged being in this case Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki: On April 24 of the same year (2003), however, he willingly surrendered to occupying US forces, four days before his 67th birthday. On Tuesday, after seven years in solitary confinement, the 74-year-old former diplomat was sentenced to death by the …
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The End Times Without Revelation
This is the tenth in a sporadic series on the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. The previous post was The Holy Spirit and Miracles, Then and Now. One part of Patristic theology that gets very little play these days from anyone is their eschatology, i.e., their idea of the sequence of the events …
The Holy Spirit and Miracles, Then and Now
This is the ninth in a sporadic series on the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. The last posting was Is God’s Omnipotence Dependent Upon the Existence of His Creation? One of the long-running debates in Christianity is that of cessationism. Did the “sign gifts” described in 1 Corinthians 12 die out with the …
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Is God's Omnipotence Dependent Upon the Existence of His Creation?
This is the eighth in a sporadic series on the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. The previous post was Every King is Proclaimed by Soldiers. In the middle of an exposition of the nature of Jesus Christ, Cyril makes this statement: For so remaining, and holding the dignity of His Sonship in reality …
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Every King is Proclaimed by Soldiers
This is the seventh in a sporadic series on the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. The previous post was The Difference Between Image and Likeness in Genesis. In the midst of his exposition on the passion, crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ, Cyril makes the following statement: But the soldiers who crowd around …
Positive Infinity 