RP#2-Mark Chapter 6

Sashimi and Such

Jesus was human. We know this. However, we also know that humans, being endotherms, must be heterotrophic  and consume energy from outside sources; they must eat. Did Jesus eat? Why, he was documented by Mark and Luke a few times. In the story of Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand, he multiplies five loaves of bread and two fish to fill the stomachs of five thousand hungry followers. In Luke 22 and 24, Jesus ate a piece of broiled fish and honey. And, of course, at the Last Supper, Jesus shares bread and wine with the disciples. But if Jesus was the Son of God, why did he need to eat? If he can conquer the rising waters of the Sea of Galilee, then shouldn’t he be able to conquer his need for energy?

                The most common foods eaten in Jesus’ time were fish, bread, wine, fruits and vegetables, eggs, fowl, cheese, wine, olives, honey, beef and lamb. Pork and crustaceans were not allowed by Jewish law because they were “unclean” (www.jesuscentral.com). This is sometimes called the Mediterranean diet, and is quite nutritious and lean.

                The story of Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand is a story intertwined with the Mediterranean diet. Jesus, before a crowd, provides copious amounts of food to feed five thousand listeners on the shore while he sits in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. The disciples are worried: they tell Jesus “’send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat’” (Borg for NRSV 29). Obviously everything in this story is symbolic. Of the many goods eaten in Jesus’ time, bread and fish were the most common and humble of all foods. They were easily attained by fishing in the Sea of Galilee and growing wheat in the fertile area surrounding Israel. However, this is what Jesus had to offer to the people. Though, perhaps Herod would have fed the masses great amounts of beef and lavish food to win their approval, Jesus shows the people that they only need humble bread and fish to fill their stomachs. However, he provides their fill. Perhaps this shows that Jesus is suggesting that faith in God is ever-providing; God will give you as much as you need to be full, but do not expect lavish beef or much wine, since these are creations of the World and His kingdom expands much further than this. God will give you all that you need to survive—be rest-assured, disciples! All Jesus asks is that they have faith in order to receive assurance from God.

                As Borg mentions on page 58, we are not to deliberate about the factuality of this story, because such deliberating causes us to miss the point of the story, since Jesus acted and taught in parables. What we need to grasp from the story is not to follow the Mediterranean diet or how Jesus managed to provide fish cooked and prepared to eat for 5000 people, but we need to realize that Jesus is showing the people that all of their needs would be fulfilled should they choose to follow the path of Jesus. Since they eat bread and fish, we can decipher that the path of Jesus is not one filled with lavish and luxurious material things of this world, but is instead filled with love and faith to fulfill the needs of the soul, rather than the body. Perhaps the story which is most about food is not, in fact, about food at all!

Re: Religion in The Roman World

Re: Religion in The Roman World

Marianne Bonz’s essay describing the several Roman Gods and Goddesses made me feel much like the Roman people. Like all of humanity including the sturdy Romans, I have always embodied a thriving curiosity about the world around me. If I could, I would love to know exactly how everything in the natural world works, so I study Biology. Bonz’s description of the divine deities obviously made sense to the Roman people since the purposes of each God or Goddess explained a natural cause for which the people had no other explanation. The Romans could not whip out their microscope or pH testing kits or reference Linus Pauline’s theory on electron bonding—the Romans simply did not yet have the technology to decipher the mysteries of the natural world. So, they adhered to principles that deities created for them.

What was the great ball of light in the sky? Was it light? Who was in charge of its rays, and why does it warm Earth around us? Why, because Apollo, “an archer-god, whose arrows could either wound or heal,” had “rays [that] strike the earth like darts” (Bonz). Biologically, I would say that the Sun’s rays do move like darts or arrows in all directions and straight lines, and the vitamin D produced as a product of sun exposure on human skin can dry and prevent hemorrhages such as rosaceous skin and certain mild acne. UVA rays are proven to prevent and heal psoriasis skin diseases as well (webmd.com). As we all know, overexposure to sun is “wounding,” since excessive UVA/B rays can cause painful sunburns and skin cancers.

Why are men attracted to women? The Romans would say that Aphrodite persuaded sailors, “exud[ing] charm and seduction” (Bonz). They might say that a man had been hexed just as Cupid shot himself in the foot in pursuit of Psyche. However, Biologists might argue than men lust after women due to the different investment of male and female sex gametes. In all animals, males produce many more sperm than they could ever need to reproduce, but females produce very few. This principle of anisogomy states that males will forever relentlessly pursue females.

In hopes of a successful harvest, Romans might consult the Goddess Demeter, “the goddess of fertility and of the fruits of the harvest…bestow[ing] the benefits of the earth’s abundance” (Bonz). Farmers of the 21^st Century might consult a meteorologist, climatologist, or an Almanac—empirical data. They might guess that a period of unusually warm winter (El Nino weather pattern) might be a precursor to a period of unusually cold winter (La Nina weather pattern). They might realize that, while wine grapes might never grown in Northern Wisconsin, they might grow in Southern Ireland since low pressure air currents bring warm air and climate to County Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula in South Ireland. Roman farmers prayed relentlessly to Demeter in hopes of a fruitful crop, instead.

So we inevitably ask ourselves the question; which is the more superior approach for explaining natural phenomena?  As a 21^st Century scientist, I am compelled to defame the Roman belief in Gods and Goddesses overshadowing and controlling Earth complete dogma bullshit. Even those of us who do not study science will hear ourselves saying that the Romans “made up” or “created” tales of powerful deities to explain the world around them. But who is correct? We readily admit that nothing on Earth is fact. Even our hand before us is an upside-down perception taking place in our optic nerve and brain. We do not “see” it, our brain tells us what our eyes are viewing, and we call it “hand.” All we see and know are just theories we have cultivated reliant on faith, logic, and test, which do not differ at all from the Romans’ approach in their belief in deities at all. Romans’ faith in Zeus/Jupiter, who was “the most powerful and the most wise” relied solely on faith, logic and test as well. What can be noted, however, is that the Romans (though superior to their surrounding counterparts) did not accredit their existence and survival to their own doing. They relied on supernatural forces who guided their existence in manifestations such as arrow-like rays and rain amid a drought. Perhaps humanity will never gain the confidence to devote our survival to the brilliance of the human mind. Maybe we will always seek a supernatural being, reason, or group to worship. But do not read this too loudly, my blasphemy might merit me a lightning bolt-strike straight from Zeus!... (or from electrostatic attraction between positive and negative charges between the stratosphere and the ground)

MMM

           

Who am I?

1. Paragraph

I am a multi-faceted individual who revels in curiosity and discovery. I love science, animals, philosophy, and politics. Social diplomacy is of interest to me; I like to think that it is one of my greatest strengths. I love learning above all else, but I am easily stressed by certain inevitable conformity, such as practices in education and politics. I love God, America, and horses above all else. Though a staunch Republican and Secretary of GUCR, I love Earth and appreciate conservation efforts, especially in caring for Earth's animal population. I firmly believe in remaining calm through struggle and viewing life as a whole rather than small, detailed events. Therefore, I believe trying and working at bits of everything is much better than committing to any one thing. Therefore, my life is quite compartmentalized--some would call me a hypocrite in many ways, but who knows better than I? I believe that God plans everything, and service to God and country is vital. Someday, I hope to serve in the military as a doctor and become a General Practitioner in a rural area. I love life. 

2. Sentence

Through good and bad, it's all beautiful to me. 

3. Word

Onion

Who is Jesus?

1. Paragraph:

Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Messiah, and the human manifestation of the Lord. He was born of the Virgin Mary and lived a perfect life as a Holy beacon for believers. He sufferred, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate--which He freely accepted. He was resurrected on the third day and ascended into Heaven, where He lives and reigns with the Father. As a historical figure, He is a hero to all mankind since He was kind, virtuous, truthful, and faithful. He can be noted as the beginning of Christianity and the belief of 32% of the Earth.

2. Sentence:

Jesus is the Son of God; the Messiah who came down from Heaven to free mankind from sin.

3. Word:

Messiah.