Humanities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Humanities - Essay Example During the Justinian reign, a plan to reunite the Roman Empire succeeded. As a way of celebrating the success, they constructed Hagia Sophia, the church of Holy Wisdom. There were other successes, but after Justinian rule had come to an end, the empire suffered several losses (Halsall). Islam is a monotheistic religion that came to be during the 7th century CE in Middle East. The religion literally means submission or surrender. Its basis is on the readings of Prophet Muhammad according to the words of Allah. Allah is their creator; he brought them to earth and is sustainer of the world and life. The holy book (scripture) of the Islam is the Quran and carries all the teachings of the prophet as revealed to him by Allah. There are two divisions within the Islam tradition; the Shia and Sunni. The two hold differing views on maintenance of religious authority. A unifying factor among Muslims is the concept of Five Pillars. The Five Pillars are the practices of Islam, and they are; the hajj, zakat, ritual prayer, profession of faith, and fasting (Baksh, 1-10). In similarities, the three religions are monotheistic as they believe in one God. They take God as a source of everything that exists. They take God as caring and merciful. The religions take humans as the superior creatures on Earth. They are hopeful of future happenings and believe suffering evil cannot prevail. In differences, the religions have different scriptures. Christians use the Bible, Jews use Torah and Talmud, while Muslims use Quran. Christians and Muslims believe there will be a judgment day followed by Hell or Heaven. Jews believe on no immediate eternal life. Charlemagne, Charles the Great, lived between 747 and 814. He received training on leadership matters by participating in military, social and political activities organized by his father who was a mayor of

Literary analysis paper on 2 chronicles 33 1-20 Essay

Literary analysis paper on 2 chronicles 33 1-20 - Essay Example The narrator wished to further his anti-Manasseh sentiments in verses 7-8, relaying how Manasseh was purposely trying to rebut God’s orders regarding his temple to invite his wrath, knowing full well what had happened to tribes of the past who had succumbed to God’s contempt and had been driven out of the land. In verse 9, Manasseh is described as an evil force who led others to the wrong path as well, in the process doing more evil than the people of the past. This more or less sets the scene for God’s resolution with regards to Manasseh to come. That is not to say God does not give Manasseh a chance to improve. In verse 10, God’s goodness is demonstrated when he gives Manasseh and his people a chance to mend his ways. However, in 11-12, Manasseh’s refusal to accept God’s advice angers the Lord further, so that he resorts to resolve the matter by getting Manasseh capture by Babylon in a humiliating way. Manasseh then seeks forgiveness and pr ays to the Lord in verse 13, who listens to his plea and rids him from the clutches of Babylon bringing him back to his kingdom in Jerusalem. This reaffirms Manasseh’s faith in the Lord. ... In verse 18, Manasseh becomes an example for kings and the narrator mentions how his name goes down in the history accounts of the Kings of Israel, referencing further reading at the end of the verse. In verse 19, a summary account is given of the past happenings, of how Manasseh’s prayer was accepted and his land rid of evil by him, referenced again by further reading, in order to secure a place for him with his ancestors in his palace upon his dead in verse 20. He is taken over by his successor Amon, his son as a way of bringing Manasseh’s life to an end. Interpretative Problem The literal narrative brings about an interpretative problem that is central to the theme. It demonstrates that all evil, no matter how obscene and disproportionate to man’s inherent goodness, is redeemable by repentance. God, the all merciful, has a soft spot for those who repent if His creation calls out to Him in prayer. This in a way suggests that a person who goes against Godâ€℠¢s wishes and commands would more than likely cause himself to be addressed by Him in a much more direct way, thus inviting his curiosity and bringing about an insight in God that eventually leads to salvation. This inherent theme to life has a very pivotal criticism, in such that, if the assumption of salvation is made regarding anyone who repents his sins, then is it not also possible for the devil to do the same? This notion is readily defeated if the concept of God’s discretion is invoked. God forgives what he chooses to forgive, and is not bound by prayer alone. In verse 13, in response to Manasseh’s plea for forgiveness and help, God’s eternal compassion was evoked in a discretionary fashion. He chose to forgive