Biblical+Allusions+2

The Last Supper

The Last Supper was Jesus's last meal on Earth. He had the meal with his 12 apostles shortly before his death. Bread and wine is a symbol of the Last Supper because when Jesus broke the bread and drank from the cup, he said "Do this in remembrance of me". It is also a fundamental part of many mass services, and the supper is symbolized by wine and bread, which is what Jesus used to symbolize his body that he would in fact be within the Twelve Apostles that accompanied him on that fateful night. The last supper in John also describes that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples before the famous supper. The last supper in John also says that Jesus gave an important sermon to the Twelve Disciples shortly before the meal, called the farewell discourse.

Info: http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/the-last-supper.htm Info: http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/lastsupp.htm Pic: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_l5dHEF6-ko4/S7Md63T2FkI/AAAAAAAAAd8/vygm9sBZ5Ls/s1600/Simon_ushakov_last_supper_1685.jpg

The Birth of Christ



The Birth of Jesus took place in Bethlehem. There are two different accounts of the story, the Gospel of Luke, and the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Luke, Mary finds out through the angel Gabriel that she is giving birth to Jesus Christ. Mary and her husband Joseph travel to Bethlehem to enroll in the Census of Quirinius, which was essentially the enrollment of the Roman Providences of Syria and Ludaea for tax reasons. Once they arrive to the city of Bethlehem, there is no room in any of the inns located there, and Mary therefore gives birth to Jesus in an animal trough. This scene is often referred to as the 'nativity scene' and is often recreated during the Christmas season with model nativity scenes in peoples' yards, churches, etc.

The Gospel of Matthew says that Joseph is informed about the birth of Jesus in a dream he had, and that the dream tells Joseph to name his soon-to-be baby 'Jesus'. A star notifies Joseph to travel north to Jerusalem to have Jesus born there. Three magi present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus in Jerusalem ,his birthplace. A man named Herod makes an order to kill all of the boys in Jerusalem to be killed, called the "Massacre of the Innocents". The fact that the baby is famous before his birth is important, because people with stature tend to acquire it over time, they aren't just born with it.

Info: http://www.gracevalley.org/sermon_trans/Virgin_Birth_of_Christ.html Pic: http://innerouterministries.tripod.com/BirthofChrist/

Parable of the Prodigal Son

Is a very well known parable written in the New Testament of the Bible in the Gospel of Luke. The parable starts with two sons working for their father. The younger son asks for his share of the estate early. When the father agrees to give him all of his inheritance the son takes the money and leaves the house to go travel. After partying and wasting all of his money, the younger son is forced to work with pigs on a farm. Finally after a famine sweeps through the area, the son decides to go back to his father’s house and beg for forgiveness, in hopes that he will be taken back in. As soon as he gets back to the house, not only does the father take back the son but, he throws his a party and lavishes him with goods. The older son, who stayed home and remained loyal, was outraged that the younger son who ran away and wasted all of his money was thrown a party. However the father tells him that everyone needs to be forgiven no matter what they have done. This parable is about redemption for your sins.

Info: http://www.gotquestions.org/parable-prodigal-son.html Pic: http://saints.sqpn.com/ncd06817.jpg

The Revival of Lazarus



Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, were friends of Jesus. When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When Jesus heard the news, he waited two more days before going to Lazarus' hometown of Bethany. Jesus knew that he would do a great miracle for God's glory and, therefore, he was not in a hurry. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days. When Martha discovered that Jesus was on his way, she went out to meet him. She told him that had he been there Lazarus would not have died. Jesus then told her that her brother would rise again to live. Martha went and told Mary that Jesus wanted to see her. When Mary met Jesus she was grieving with strong emotion over her brother's death. The people with her were also mourning. Moved by their grief, Jesus wept with them. Jesus then went to the tomb of Lazarus with Mary, Martha and the rest of the mourners. Upon their arrival, he asked them to remove the stone that covered the tomb. Jesus prayed to his Father then said,"Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus walked out as though he had never been dead. This miracle increased his number of followers greatly.

Lazarus is referenced in Wislawa Szymborska's poem "Lazarus Takes a Walk," which is about a man who may have had an illness such as Alzheimer's. The connection between Lazarus and this man is interesting because Lazarus "walked out as though he had never been dead," which is similar to a patient with Alzheimer's because when they remember something, it's almost as if they never lost it at all.

Info: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09096a.htm Info: http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/raisinglazarus.htm Pic: http://witcombe.sbc.edu/davincicode/images/duccio-lazarus.jpg

Daniel in the Lion's Den



Daniel had a strong and unending faith in god and prayed 3 times a day. Darius, a friend to Daniel and King of Persia, was tricked into creating a law that prohibited "petitioning god or man". Because Daniel had broken this law, Darius was forced to punish him by locking him in the lion's den overnight. Darius promised Daniel that, "**Thy God who thou servest continually, he will deliver thee** ". When Darius returned to the den the next morning, Daniel called out, "**My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me".** Daniel was released from the lion's den unscratched and thankful to god. Daniel's story demonstrated the importance of faith in god and pride in your religion. Daniel stood up for what he believed in and was rewarded and protected by god and his angels.

Info: http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible13e.html Pic: http://www.rhythmontherock.com/sitebuilder/images/Daniel_In_The_Lions_Den-499x600.jpg

John the Baptist

[|John the Baptist (2 Min Video)]



John was born in 5 B.C. in Judah and later began preaching to people in Jordan. He explained the importance of Baptism and Penance and practiced the faith in the banks of Jordan. John had a revelation of God when he came to be baptized, saying that it was **"[Him] that needed Baptism from [God]"**. Antipas, Tetrarch of Perea, Galilee and Herod (Pre-Roman hierarchy) become nervous about John's growing charisma within the religious confines of their time. He was arrested and jailed where he later admitted to adultery. He was beheaded at the request of his daughter, Herodias. John became known as the "lamb of God" and "Jesus' leader to Nazareth.

Info: http://www.answers.com/topic/john-the-baptist Pic: http://oneway.stblogs.com/files/2010/06/st_-john-the-baptist.jpg

Elijah

= There once was a prophet named Elijah. Elijah lived under king and queen Ahab and Jezebel. This pair had taught there people to worship the false god, Baal. Elijah, a firm believer in God, finally challenged the priests of Jezebel to a contest. He told King Ahab that he was wrong to follow this false god Baal, and requested eight hundred and fifty of the prophets who eat at Jezebel's table, Implying that is was for some sort of contest. Elijah's hope was that God would perform a miracle to convince these people that God was the one and only true god. For the last three years, there had been a great drought and the people of the land had been praying desperately to Baal for rain. However, no matter how much the people sacrificed and prayed, no rain had fallen. Elijah intended to prove that this was because Baal was nonexistent. Only the one true god could bring rain to the thirsty land. In preparation, Elijah told the priests of Baal to kill one of their bulls, lay it on wood, but put no fire under it. He would do the same with his bull and pile of wood. He instructed the priests to call on their god to light a fire under the bull, and told them that he would to the same with his god. The God who answered with fire was to be deemed the real God. All the people agreed that this was a very fair test. The priests of Baal tried and tried, but could not manage to bring their god to light a fire under their bull. Finally they gave up, and it was Elijah’s turn. To further increase the suspense and attract the attention of even more disbeliever, he drenched his wood and bull in water before praying to God. Elijah lifted his hands and prayed calmly and slowly, so everyone could hear. His prayer was heard and suddenly the fire of the Lord fell from heaven. It did not matter that everything was wet, it caught fire anyway. The people surrendered in fear and accepted God as the one true god, leaving behind the false god Baal. Now that the people of Israel had said they believed the Lord was God, Elijah hoped God would bring rain. He waited many days for the rain. Finally there appeared in the sky a small cloud floating up from the sea. People noticed it with excitement, and within moments the sky grew black with clouds and wind. Water poured down on Israel for the first time in years. Everyone was happy. The end. =

Long Children's Version: http://childrenschapel.org/biblestories/baal.html Image: http://marylutz.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/elijah_baal.jpg

Jacob

Also known as Israel (Jacob is renamed "Israel" by an angel). He was the third patriarch of the Jewish people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants. In the Hebrew Bible, he is the son of Isaac and Rebekah. The name "Israel" can be translated as "God contended." Other possible meanings include "the prince of God" or "God rules" or "God judges". In Islam, Jacob is revered as a prophet who was guided by God. The Qur'an describes Jacob as a faithful leader, a good-doer, holder of prayer and a man in service to God. In Muslim belief, Jacob was a Muslim.

 Jezebel

Jezebel has often been considered the antagonist of the Bible, being labeled as a prostitute, a killer, and other negative titles. She is also known as the King Ahab of Israel. The Books of Kings describe her story. She is also known as the daughter of Ethbaal, who was the King of the Sidonians and wife of Ahab, king of North Israel. She got into trouble by showing the worship of Baal to Israel and was eventuall executed by the order of Jehu.

In some cases, she can be considered radical. For example, after she was told that Jehu was visiting, she painted her face and looked at him from a window. Jehu decided to have her thrown from the window, and dogs were sent to eat everything but her skull, feet, and palms of her hands. Info: http://phoenicia.org/jezebel.html Info: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Jezebel.html Pic: http://heavenawaits.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/jezebel-1.jpg

 Sodom and Gomorrah

Three angels visited Abraham, disguised as travelers. Two of them went down to Sodom and Gomorrah, to see for themselves the wickedness in the cities. The other traveler, who was the Lord, stayed behind. He told Abraham that he was going to destroy the cities because of the evil ways of their inhabitance. Abraham asked if the Lord would spare the cities if fifty good people lived there. The Lord said yes. Abraham kept bargaining down, until God agreed not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if even ten good people lived there. Abraham’s nephew, Lot took the angels in. All of the people demanded to get into Lot’s house to have sex with the angels, so they were struck blind so that they not to find their way to the door. God saw that there were no good people and decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his family fled to a tiny village called Zoar. God rained fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying everything. Lot's wife disobeyed the angels, by looked back when she was told not to, and turned into a pillar of salt.

Source: http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/a/Sodom-And-Gomorrah.htm

=Ruth=

The story of Ruth is told in The Book of Ruth. It is a simple story of how Ruth, a foreigner, travels and meets an old Israelite named Naomi, who looks after her. Ruth works in the fields with Naomi, and there she meets Boaz, a relative of Naomi. They fall instantly in love, and eventually marry. Ruth is famous for not wanting to leave Naomi, even though she is not an Israelite herself.

//Song of Solomon: In this text, "Ruth" is the name of a slightly vacuous woman. Her husband dislikes her, and she seems to have been too affectionate with her father. Many of the characters in this novel are named after personages seen in the Bible, as a "blind selection of names from the bible" was a tradition (18). Apart from the name, Ruth seems to bear little resemblance to the Ruth of the Bible, as she doesn't appear to have a close friend, or to even love her husband, but since the names are the same, a stronger connection may become apparent.//

Info:http://www.womeninthebible.net/1.13.Ruth.htm

Judas

The story of Judas is known for as the story of betrayal. At the last supper Jesus confessed that he knew he was going to be murdered to his twelve disciples that were around the table. He also said that one of them would betray him. The disciples looked around the table anxiously as Jesus said, “It is one of the twelve, He who dips his hand with me in the dish, the same is the one who will betray me. I am going to do what the Father has sent me to do, as it is written in scripture but woe to the man who betrays the Son of man.” Judas was jealous of Jesus and agreed to the Roman officers that he would identify Jesus in public as the leader of the group so that he could be arrested and later crucified in exchange for silver. Judas identified him with a kiss in public to indicate who he was. Judas later hung himself out of guilt for his actions. The story of Judas is now referenced in modern text as a symbol of being betrayed by someone you know.

Info: http://www.blurtit.com/q795360.html

Crucifixion and Resurrection

The calendar A.D. and B.C. are based around the event, the crucifixion of Jesus. He was arrested, tried and found guilty by Pontius Pilate, a roman king. He was carried through the town where he would soon be hung to a cross left to die. During this time crucifixion was a common practice to painfully kill and humiliate someone. Jesus was nailed to a cross and hung there for almost six hours, while suffering a painful and agonizing death before finally dying. Jesus is believed to have died to forgive everyone’s sins. After the crucifixion, the Romans buried him in a tomb. Three days after when a group of his followers went to go check on him, they saw that the rock blocking off the tomb had been moved and Jesus was no longer lying in the tomb. He appeared to Mary and the other disciples having risen from the dead. This is the core belief of the Christian faith. Every year three days after Good Friday, which marks the crucifixion, Christians celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus.

//Song of Solomon: In this text, a drunken man named Porter references the death of Jesus, saying "Don't give me love...Don't you see, Lord? You own son couldn't carry it. If it killed Him, what You think it gonna do to me?" (26). Porter states that the reason Jesus died was because of love, because He loved too much and died for it. Then he connects it to himself, saying that he care too much about others, and that is what he cannot deal with in life.//

Pic: http://www.topnews.in/freeforall-among-christian-sects-site-jesus-crucifixion-286522


 * Allusion in __Things Fall Apart__**

On page 55, a swarm of locusts descend on Umuofia, alluding to the biblical plague of locusts found Exodus 8:12-15, the third miracle deployed to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves. Yet unlike the Egyptians, the people of Umuofia find sustenance and even beauty in the insects. The contrast between the locusts that eat and the locusts that are eaten reminds us that the Ibo find the forces of nature to be awe-inspiring and useful, while western culture sees it as abnormal, destructive, and arguably controllable, as Moses is a human agent who preforms the miracle.

On p. 18-19, Macon Dead decided to name his newly born daughter Pilate. He did this after his wife has died during childbirth. Macon picked out the name from the Bible. Because he was illiterate, Macon picked the name based on how it looked. To him, it looked like "a tree hanging in some princely but protective way over a row of smaller trees" (18). After choosing the formation of letters he wanted, he asked the midwife who delivered his daughter to tell him what it said. The midwife explained to him that the name he picked out was Pilate, she also told him he could not name his daughter that. Her first reason was that Pilate was a boy's name. Before ever telling Macon what the letters said, she told him that it was not a girls name. Her second reason was that Pilate was the judge in Jesus' trial. She described him as "Christ-killing Pilate" (19). The midwife tried to discourage Macon from naming his daughter after Pilate, but Macon countered that his daughter killed his wife. The midwife tried to justify God's actions by saying that, while his wife had died, she had also given Macon a baby. This didn't phase Macon, who still insisted on calling his daughter Pilate. Earlier in the book, it was stated that Macon Dead, the husband of Ruth, was concerned over names because "the giving of names in his family was always surrounded by what he believed to be monumental foolishness. This contradicts his father's action of naming his sister Pilate, which was cruel, but had reasons behind it. Macon Dead, the father of Pilate, chose that name because it held a greater meaning to him than any other name. Through the structure of the name, it stood out to him, which can't be considered foolish. Macon Dead, the husband of Ruth, didn't understand the complexity of the naming process that his father went through.
 * Allusion in __Song of Solomon__**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;"> Doubting Thomas



The story of Doubting Thomas is told in The Book of John. It takes place shortly after Jesus is resurrected. Jesus, who died for the sins of his people, was nailed to a cross by his hands and feet and tortured to death. He was then buried in a tomb and stayed there for three days. On the third day, the tomb was empty- he had come back to life, gotten up, and walked off somewhere. Shortly after, he revealed himself to his apostles, one of whom was not present - Thomas. He told the present disciples of his death and miraculous rebirth and what it meant for all of mankind. Thomas met with the other disciples shortly after Jesus had left and they told him of the miraculous resurrection. He doubted the story, and said that he would not believe it until he saw the marks on Jesus's hands and side himself. Eight days later Jesus came to the disciples and walked up to Thomas, telling him to touch and see his wounds and to believe. Though Thomas now believed, he had shown doubt. Jesus essentially proved the point that one should never doubt in the capabilities of God, and left the disciples with the message, " blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Caravaggio_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas.jpg

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 180%; text-align: center;">Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse



Included in the Book of Revelation of Saint John the Evangelist, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is the story of Jesus opening a seal of a scribe, which beholds 4 horses. In order, a white, red, black and pale horse appeared before Jesus, each representing a future event. The white horsemen represented authority and conquering foes. The red horsemen represented war and withholding peace. The black horsemen represented a famine that would take place in the aftermath of the war brought by the red horse. The pale horse was followed by death and Hades and represented devastation.

Pic: http://www.illusionsgallery.com/Four-Horsemen-Mikh-L.jpg Info: http://www.gotquestions.org/four-horsemen-apocalypse.html