The Real History Of The End Of The World by Sharan Newman [pages 60-121]

POST #2

Summary:

Different regions and various cults have a wide prophecies and theories but they share a common belief, God will come back to Earth and the world will terminate with God doing his final judgement. The belief of the Montanism's is that they were under the teacher, Montanus, who was born in Phrygia, Turkey, early second century. Montanus was someone who found an apocalyptic sect that had the same beliefs as the Christian movements did. The Montanus sect called themselves the new prophecy, Montanus believed that the holy spirit had encountered his soul and he was being given instructions of the coming Apocalyse and how to prepare for it. So what's that I hear about the Mayans predicting the end of the world in 2012? Well the Mayans for starters had two calenders the Short count years and the Long count years. The short count years were based on using their toes and fingers as counting. The Chilam Balam is one of the very few Mayan books that survived. Inside are the Katunob- an endless recurring sequence of thirteen twenty year periods that was known as the Mayan short calender, a year= 260 days. The long count calender consists of 144,000 days indeed the end is 2012 according to them. Mayan calenders were used for religious in nature. 'Popol Voh' is one of the pre conquest books written in Mayan scriptures. In it the plumed serpent of the sea and the heart of the sky with the help of God, created everything (human and creature). People who did not pray to the God's, got punished. More so, God sent down a flooding. Blood was essential in most Mayan rites as well as timing. Correct sacrifice must be conducted using the stars and the seasons. God sent messages through the sky and if they missed one, it could result in disaster. 

Quotation:

"It is almost evening. We have been brought to the sunset of this life"-Joachim of Fiore, (Newman 104).

Reaction:

My interpretation of this quote is that it is almost evening symbolizes the darkness, which goes more into emotional and physical darkness, the end of the world will result in a very tragic event. But it then includes the sunset of this life, which is the coming of Christ to do the final judgement. All in all my perspective on this quote is that it ties all of the religions and their beliefs in one, there's going to be an end no one knows how or when but Christ will be coming. 

"The Real History Of The End Of The World" by Sharan Newman [pages 1-60]

ROAR POST # 1


Summary:
 Does it ever cross through your mind if this age of living would terminate? In the book "The Real History Of The End Of The World" by Sharan Newman, will not tell you exactly whether there is an end to the world but she provides deep history on what different sections of the world believe and what their destruction will be. Part One: Before the Common Era - Nothing but Humankind and the Stars begins with explaining that everything alive dies which is a very strong theory. it states that the Indo-European traditions were the first to say that the end of the world was going to occur. Noah was in the flood in Mesopotemia, North Mesopotemia were people known as Akkadians and South Mesopotemia were people known as Sumerians. Noah's story about the flood and the boat was found when they translates cuneiform (type of scripture), the story was first foung in the Myth of Atrahasis. The "Myth of Atrahasis", according to the myth, Atrahasis had lesser Gods do all the work for the higher Gods and the Gods thought that the reproduction being done by humankind was rapid and there was over population so the Gods sent down the flood as a solution. In the Gilgamesh (saga) Noah was warned from the Gods of flooding so he collected animals and people and they rid on a ship. Noah became immortal. The Gods have said that the end of the world already came to an end for the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians. The Gilgamesh was the oldest saga of a hero's journey searching for the meaning of life. In Ancient Egypt, to Egyptians their kings can speak with the Gods. When their God Seth killed his brother Osiris the balance of Egypt (ma'at) was disrupted. The Zoroastrians were a cult created to spead goodness against the dark God, they are usually put into coffins after their death to prepare them for the afterlife. Chapter 9, John of Patmos and the revelations, speaks about the book Apocalypse also known as the Book of Revelation in the Holy bible it is in the section of the new testament. It begins of with greeting the 7 churches in Asia Minor. John saw Christ in a vision and God told John to write to the 7 churches everything in his vision. *In John's Dream* John sees someone seated in a throne and 4 more thrones and "elders" were seated there. 4 living creatures, a lion, ox, a human, and fourth a flying eagle. One if the people hold the scrolls with 7 seals. The lamb appears with 7 horns and 7 eyes its 7 eyes and horns are because of the seven spirits of God sent into all of the earth. The 1st seal, releases a rider on the white horse wearing a crown ready to conquer. 2nd seal, lets out a rider on a red horse who was permitted to take peace from the world. 3rd seal, a rider in a black horse arrives with a set of scales. 4th seal, a horse with a pale feature (death) was going to kill 1/4 of the world. 5th seal, Martyrs who cry out for vengeance. 6th seal, there is a great earth quake and the whole sun turn black and the moon turns red. 7th seal, anticlimax. In John's dream God told him that 144,000 virgins who have been sealed with the mark of God on their foreheads, will not have to undergo the trials of the destruction on the earth. In the last judgement the book of life is opened and people dead or alive will be judged, the bad ones will be throne into a lake to burn with Hades (devil).
This is only the beginning of the beliefs of the End of The World!

Quotation
"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us"-Romans 8:18, (Newman 38).

Reaction
My reaction to the quotation mentioned above is that people now a days are being very cautious and worried some because of them pondering of the end of the world. Instead of living by everyday they think of the future. In my mind I have heard this quote a lot of times in church, at mass. The Catholics believe that the end of the world consists of Jesus Christ returning and taking his people to eternal life. People are suffering with the misfortunes of their lives or because of there being a destruction in this world, but these sufferings do not compare to the glory that will be revealed to us, eternal life.