Executed photos on Flickr

Battery Steele (1942) – graffiti: FA Crew 2011 by Don Shall

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Florida Av, Peaks Island, Portland, Maine in Casco Bay USA • Beautifully conceived and executed Occupy Wall Street themed graffiti at Battery Steele (1942), also known as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Battery Construction #102, a United States military fortification, completed in 1942 as part of World War II, it is located on 14 acres (5.7 ha) on the oceanside area of the island. It is named for Harry Lee Steele, who was a coastal artillery officer during World War I. It was built to protect Casco Bay, particularly Portland harbor, from Kennebunk to Popham Beach in Phippsburg. – from Wikipedia. ~ It's now one of thirteen island parcels owned and managed by the Peaks Island Land Preserve.

• Portland and the other harbors of southern Maine were terribly important ports. Civil War forts still dotted the islands around these harbors, but Portland now needed far more advanced fortifications to protect it from German attack.

So Peaks Island became home to over eight hundred soldiers. Concrete bunkers and observation posts are everywhere. On the far side of the Island are two huge abandoned gun turrets separated by several hundred feet of underground tunnel. Each held a monster 16-inch naval gun. The guns were test-fired only once. Their blasts broke windows all over the island and the recoil, transmitted through rock, caused small earthquakes. After the war, an Islander ran into a German U-boat captain who said he'd spent the war looking at Peaks Island -- through a periscope. … Invasive bittersweet vines, once planted as camouflage, now grow over that history. – From a report of a visit to the Island by John H. Lienhard.

☞ On October 20, 2005, the National Park Service added this structure and site to the National Register of Historic Places (#05001176).

• GeoHack: 43°39′32″N 70°10′50″W.

Abstract Design by Aidan McRae Thomson

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Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.

Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.

It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.

The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).

The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.

Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, after all there are echoes of the Gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.

Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.

However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, all it's stained glass having been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).

The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.

The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days. For more see below:-

www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/

Execute - Late 80s by diska osf/doc

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Ugolino and His Sons by STEPHEN SANDOVAL

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Ugolino and His Sons, modeled ca. 1860–61, executed in marble 1865–67

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, 1827–1875)

Saint-Béat marble

H. 77 in. (195.6 cm)

Signed (incised in script at right front facet of base): Jbte Carpeaux./Rome 1860; (incised at right end facet of base) JBTE CARPEAUX ROMA 1860

Purchase, Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation Inc. Gift and Charles Ulrick and Josephine Bay Foundation Inc. Gift, and Fletcher Fund, 1967 (67.250)

Dante's Divine Comedy has always enjoyed favor in the plastic arts. Ugolino, the character that galvanized peoples' fantasies and fears during the second half of the nineteenth century, appears in Canto 33 of the Inferno. This intensely Romantic sculpture derives from the passage in which Dante describes the imprisonment in 1288 and subsequent death by starvation of the Pisan count Ugolino della Gherardesca and his offspring. Carpeaux depicts the moment when Ugolino, condemned to die of starvation, yields to the temptation to devour his children and grandchildren, who cry out to him:

But when to our somber cell was thrown

A slender ray, and each face was lit

I saw in each the aspect of my own,

For very grief both of my hands I bit,

And suddenly from the floor arising they,

Thinking my hunger was the cause of it,

Exclaimed: Father eat thou of us, and stay

Our suffering: thou didst our being dress

In this sad flesh; now strip it all away.

Carpeaux's visionary composition reflects his reverence for Michelangelo, as well as his own painstaking concern with anatomical realism. Ugolino and His Sons was completed in plaster in 1861, the last year of his residence at the French Academy in Rome. A sensation in Rome, it brought Carpeaux many commissions. Upon his return to France, Ugolino was cast in bronze at the order of the French Ministry of Fine Arts and exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1863. Later it was moved to the gardens of the Tuilieries, where it was displayed as a pendant to a bronze of the Laocoön. This marble version was executed by the practitioner Bernard under Carpeaux's supervision and completed in time for the Universal Exposition at Paris in 1867. The date inscribed on the marble refers to the original plaster model's completion.

www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/carp/ho_67.250.htm

To Be Determined by WILLIAM RUSSELL WADE

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#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻

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ℹ️8️⃣📞📲📳☎️♾💁‍♂️

ℹ️▶️⏯⏭↕️🔘https://youtu.be/bS5JnGBmghM

First of all; the #FBI does not have the clearance, to be in possession, of my nuclear codesz.

Load, Load, Load; you're too slow, #YouTube. And do you know what that means? It means that you are #Guilty of #HighTreason. &, do you know what that means? It means that you are #Executed by #FiringSquad.

Nope; your apology means nothing to me. It means, that you are still #Executed by #FiringSquad.

That's one☝️. Two✌️; I👆, told you💭💬📣🔊📢; I did not suggest to you – I told you, #YouTube; that I need 14-15,000 characters🔤🔡🔠🔢; &, you refused to comply. Therefore; you are shot🔫 to death – #Executed for #HighTreason, twice✌️👋😽💀😵.👀‍

Three3️⃣☘️; #JohnPaulMacIssac: I simply, or merely, tell💭💬📣🔊📢 the #FBI, to go & fuck themselves; & to eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵⚰️⚱️. 👀‍

☎️▶️⏯⏩⏭➡️🔀↕️🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVkhQQXEGE&feature=share

She asked me to cum⛲️💦💧🌊🎣🐟🔫 over, to #Steinway🎹🏭, in #Astoria👸; & then, after driving from #Pennsylvania #Pistolvania, she was on the #AOL_IM #AIM, w/ #JesseHenry. I told her that she was being rude; & she told me to go & fuck myself. So; I left, drove home🏡, & ate the cost💸 of travel. &, I went & fuckt myself. &; she was unhappy that I left; & she didn't get none. &; I don't really give a fuck. She can eat shit💩🚽, & die💀.👀‍❄️ @/#GregGutfeld #CarleyShimkus

#OliviaCampbellPatton #OliviaWildeNeeCockburne

🏰🏯🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigiriya

By the way; it is #Ceylon; do not offend me again. This is your first(ly)☝️, & only⏳⌛️ warning⚠️⛔️☣️☢️

#SAP_q / #SAR_Q, how-ever, not #SAP-q / #SAR-Q; #RobertCharles #THE_COMMODORES_CIRCLE.👀‍😾😠😤😡

‍👀😎⚠️⛔️☣️☢️🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_access_program#:~:text=Special%20access%20programs%20%28SAPs%29%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Federal,that%20exceed%20those%20for%20regular%20%28collateral%29%20classified%20information.

☝️; there is no quick select, of 20,000+ images, on #iPhone, #Apple #TimCook. ✌️; there is no #conspicuous way to remove the #Slideslow option, on #iPhone, w/ your shitty, shitty musick selection. Therefore, I cannot turn it off. Oh, by the way; I cannot trash individual #AppCaches, neither, all of them, in a single tap. Take a wild guess what that means for you; all of you. #HighTreason = #Execution🔫 @ the #Gallows💀😵, or #Gibbet💀😵.👋👋👋

3️⃣; @/ #GregGutfeld‼️⚠️ : The #Saxophone🎷 is lame, gey, & any-person, who may believe it to be kool, or trendy, or even good; they may eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵.

4️⃣ By the way; #SullyErna; you're a bitch.👋💀

🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=R8pj2y39_jc&feature=share

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It is nice to see #TulsiGabbard; @/#FoxNewsCorp.

#Owlephant

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#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻

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#EvanRachelWood-._•✏️📝✍️🔏🐧

--WRW

_.• ✍️🔏

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Harry Jaques charged with holding money for saboteur: 1942 by Washington Area Spark

Harry Jaques (real name Andreus Heinrich Jans), one of fourteen people charged in civilian courts with aiding eight Nazi saboteurs who landed by submarine on U.S. shores In June 1942, is shown in a mugshot after his arrest.

A Washington Star photo editor has placed an X over the left image.

Jaques was born in Germany and entered the United States in 1924 by jumping the ship on which he was a seaman. His wife, Emma, entered the United States a year later. The Jaques lived in Chicago.

The Jaques were the first persons contacted by Herman Neubauer after his landing on U.S. shores by U-boat. The Jaques admitted that Neubauer explained to them that he had returned to the U.S. on a secret mission for the German Nazi government and prevailed on them to conceal the sum of $3,600 in $50 bills which Neubauer brought with him from Germany.

The FBI recovered the money in a coffee jar taken from the Jaques home.

Neubauer and five others that landed on U.S. shores were executed in August 1942. One of the group was given 30 years imprisonment while the other received a life sentence. Both of those who were not executed had their sentences commuted in 1948 and were deported to the U.S. zone in Germany.

The saboteurs were unable to carry out any of their plans because one of them informed on the mission to the FBI.

The Jacques were never tried for their alleged crimes, but were held as enemy aliens until the end of the war and deported to the U.S. zone in Germany.

The Jacques were among 14 people arrested for aiding the eight saboteurs. Some of these 14 initially received the death penalty, but it was overturned on appeal. Some received lengthy prison sentences, some received lesser prison sentences while some were held as enemy aliens and deported after World War II ended.

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsmPiRmT4

The photographer is unknown. The image is believed to be a U.S. government photograph. It is housed in the D.C. Library Washington Star Collection.

ARBOUR HILL CEMETERY [RESTING PLACE OF 14 EXECUTED 1916 RISING LEADERS]-115423 by William Murphy

Arbour Hill is an inner city area of Dublin, on the Northside of the River Liffey, in the Dublin 7 postal district. Arbour Hill, the road of the same name, runs west from Blackhall Place in Stoneybatter, and separates Collins Barracks, now part of the National Museum of Ireland, to the south from Arbour Hill Prison to the north, whose graveyard includes the burial plot of the signatories of the Easter Proclamation that began the 1916 Rising.

The military cemetery at Arbour Hill is the last resting place of 14 of the executed leaders of the insurrection of 1916. Among those buried there are Patrick Pearse, James Connolly and Major John Mc Bride. The leaders were executed in Kilmainham and then their bodies were transported to Arbour Hill, where they were buried.

The graves are located under a low mound on a terrace of Wicklow granite in what was once the old prison yard. The gravesite is surrounded by a limestone wall on which their names are inscribed in Irish and English. On the prison wall opposite the gravesite is a plaque with the names of other people who gave their lives in 1916.

The adjoining Church of the Sacred Heart, which is the prison chapel for Arbour Hill prison, is maintained by the Department of Defence. At the rear of the church lies the old cemetery, where lie the remains of British military personnel who died in the Dublin area in the 19th and early 20th century.

A doorway beside the 1916 memorial gives access to the Irish United Nations Veterans Association house and memorial garden.

Carlin executing gang underbosses 4 by cbd1000

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Carlin 'El Asesino" in the process of ruthlessly executing two underbosses of a local gang who tried to interfere with her business. They are bound and on their knees before her.

"You should have heeded my warning but now you have to pay the price of yours and your boss's stupidity. Do you know what I am called by the cartels? - "El Asesino" and now you learn why. I will make it quick unlike your boss but you go knowing the last thing you see will be me. .She shots both in the head. "Dispose of these bodies guys"

Pushkarini Achyuta Rayas Temple, Hampi, Karnataka(BW) by Mukul Banerjee

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Achyuta Rayas Temple

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Consecrated in AD 1534, this temple is an example of Vijayanagara style temple architecture in its most advanced form than any other temples in Hampi. This was one of the last grandiose temple projects executed in the capital, before the fall of the empire.

The temple dedicated to Lord Tiruvengalanatha, a form of Vishnu , was constructed by a high officer in Achyuta Raya's court and hence the name. The temple complex and the ruined market street in front of it sit in a semi secluded valley created by two hills – the Gandhamadana & Matanga hills.

The main shrine is located at the centre of two rectangular concentric courtyards. The inner sides of both the courtyard walls are lined with a cloisters or pillared verandah. The outer cloisters are mostly in ruins with the pillars scattered randomly along the wall base. Two huge ruined towers, one behind the other, give access to the temple courtyards.

On heading straight to the inner court you can spot a chamber facing the porch to the central hall. This tiny shrine chamber once enshrined an idol of Garuda, the eagle god and mount of the principal deity. The open hall just ahead spots some of the finest carved pillars in Hampi. On either side of the porch the pillars spot lion faced rampant Yalis standing on elephants. The armed solders riding the Yalis hold the chains hanging from the beast's mouth. The whole theme is carved on monolithic block of rocks. Two club-holding giant doorway guard deities stand on either side of the door to the inner sanctorum.

To the west of the main shrine is the twin chambered shrine of the goddess. A close look at the carvings on the pillars in the halls can reveal many themes like lord Krishna playing flute and the calves watching it with interest, lord Vishnu blesses an elephant, the infant Krishna dances holding the snake by its tail. At the northwest corner of the outer compound, a Kalayana Mandapa (marriage hall for the annual wedding ceremony of the God and the Goddess). A water channel is seen running along the second compound. In front of the temple is the wide Courtesan's street . A tiny exit at the northwest of the outer compound wall can take you to a boulder where a 10 handed fierce goddesses' image is carved on the rock surface. The narrow path further winds southward and joins the path to Matanga Hill top.

Hampi

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The city of Hampi bears exceptional testimony to the vanished civilization of the kingdom of Vijayanagar, which reached its apogee under the reign of Krishna Deva Raya (1509-30). It offers an outstanding example of a type of structure that illustrates a significant historical situation: that of the kingdoms of South India which, menaced by the Muslims, were occasionally allied with the Portuguese of Goa.

The austere, grandiose site of Hampi was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Its fabulously rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces which won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned.

As the final capital of the last of the great kingdom of South India, that of the Vijayanagar, Hampi, enriched by the cotton and the spice trade was one of the most beautiful cities of the medieval world. Its palaces and Dravidian temples were much admired by travellers, be they Arab (Abdul Razaak), Portuguese (Domingo Paes) or Italian (Nicolò dei Conti).

Conquered by the Muslims after the battle of Talikota in 1565, it was plundered over six months and then abandoned. Imposing monumental vestiges, partially disengaged and reclaimed, make of Hampi today one of the most striking ruins of the world.

The temples of Ramachandra (1513) and Hazara Rama (1520), with their sophisticated structure, where each supporting element is scanned by bundles of pilasters or colonnettes which project from the richly sculpted walls, may be counted among the most extraordinary constructions of India. In one of the interior courtyards of the temple of Vitthala, a small monument of a chariot which two elephants, sculpted in the round, struggle to drag along is one of the unusual creations, the favourite of tourists today as well as travellers of the past.

Besides the temples, the impressive complex of civil, princely or public buildings (elephant stables, Queen's Bath, Lotus Mahal, bazaars, markets) are enclosed in the massive fortifications which, however, were unable to repulse the assault of the five sultans of Deccan in 1565.

panagia theotokou genesiou church by eddy lee

This beautifully decorated orthodox church is situated up a hill in Lagoydi, Kos

We are given special permission to access the off-limits upper floor (nobody has access for the last 2000 years until now) of the church from where I'm able to get some beautiful views of the stunning frescoes and unravel an ancient secret.

This is the Gospel of Mark. Not any "Gospel according to Mark" but the first original manuscript that Mark actually wrote back in the year 70AD when the Jewish War was raging, and the Roman under the command of Titus had just devastated the Second Temple in Jerusalem and in the process kick started the Jewish Diaspora. St Paul had been executed in Rome 2 years back. This is literally an eye-witness account of Jesus's life and all the narratives described in the bible. Mark's Gospel is by and large the earliest of the 4 Gospels of the new testament that was written in view of his stylistic and theological writings. This is the time when Christianity is still in its infancy embryonic stage.

According to a reliable ancient Q source (2-source hypothesis, synoptic problem), Mark initially intended to have it written in Aramaic which Jesus spoke in his sermons during his ministry. However, he changes his mind at the last minute and writes in Greek instead, in order to reach out to the majority Greek speaking gentiles in Asia Minor and around the Mediterranean region. Unlike the earliest known fragmentary Gospel of Mark in existence which dates to the third century AD, this one is a near complete first century AD document. The exact date of completion of the book was clearly inscribed along with Mark's autograph in chapter 23:04. This manuscript contained the original resurrection narrative beyond Mark 16:8 of the canonical bible. (16:9-20 extract material from later Gospel tradition in Matthew/Luke/John as well as embellishments from medieval scribes)

It is a highly sought-after ancient Christian scripture that was presumably lost for 2000 years. Scholars all over the world have been desperately looking for it since antiquity but failed.

This is the first Gospel from which all other Gospels are based on, including the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Luke/Act and John which form the essential part of the New Testament of 27books.

The only biblical authoritative scriptures that predate it are the epistles of Paul which he wrote some 2 decades earlier. However, Paul (formerly Saul) does not describe the life of Jesus, he only accounts for his death, resurrection and his divine teachings. The reason why Paul is not interested in the historical flesh and blood Jesus is because that was associated with Judaism in which Jesus was believed to be the Messiah. He came to earth to liberate the Jewish people. However, his messianic activities caught the attention of the Roman authorities which viewed him as a political agitator. He was arrested charged with political subversion and subsequently crucified. (the gospels however were written in such a way as to discount any Romans involvement, the Jews were the ones that were responsible for Jesus death instead) For Judaism, once the Messiah is killed, that signal the end of his potentials. The leader is gone forever as Jews don't believe Jesus would return as a divine figure continuing in his fight for liberation as nobody is divine in Judaism. Paul wanted to drive on his notion with the historical failure in leadership is utterly wipe out and create a brand new theology which put Jesus as a divine figure. Paul is not a disciple of Jesus during his lifetime. In fact Paul is a prosecutor of the early followers of Jesus's movement. (known as The Way and subsequently evolved into a religious movement known as Ebionites)

Paul became a believer after his visionary encounter with Jesus during his journey to Damascus to arrest Jesus followers shortly after Jesus' crucifixion. To him, the divine Jesus provides him with the best and the most accurate information from heaven than the historical earthy Jesus which is sometimes hard to understand. Therefore, he should be the one to convey Jesus's teaching and not his close disciples. Inarguably, besides Jesus himself Paul (despite not knowing Jesus in person) is the most important figure in the foundation of proto-orthodoxy which eventually evolved into the present day Christianity. His contributions, religious conviction and bearing is phenomenal. The images we see today about Jesus, from Hollywood movies to Renaissance paintings are drawn from the 4 gospels which above all, Paul's idea. We do not know how Jesus looks like, let alone his biography. That's simply we do not have any written records from the people who knew him well and the early church, such as the Jerusalem Church which James, the brother of Jesus took over after Jesus' passing.

Mark's manuscript is of paramount significance to biblical scholars which specialize in the field of textual criticism. The writings of this gospel would provide the foundation to gauge the accuracy of the rest of the scriptures. We could then make very accurate comparisons and correct much of the known textual discrepancies and variants found in our existing collection of ancient manuscripts numbering in the thousands. (Greek - 5800, Latin - >10,000 and >9000 various other ancient languages such as Syriac, Slavic, Gothic, Ethiopic, Coptic and Armenian.) The numbers would grow as new discoveries are made. (ie the Nag Hammadi library which a series of gnostic gospels dated to the first half of the second century have been discovered in 1945 in Egypt. Among which is the Gospel of Thomas, written in Coptic. It contains 114 sayings of Jesus. Some which are not found in the canonical gospels. According to Thomas (twin brother of Jesus Didymus Judas Thomas ), there is no virgin birth and salvation does not come in the form of resurrection but rather through the deep understanding of the secret teachings of Jesus himself (it says "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death." However, for obvious reasons, nobody understood a single word he said as nobody remains alive since then). Nevertheless, it has provided a refreshing insight to the still-evolving teaching of Christ practice by the numerous sects of early Christianity. One of these Judeo-Christian sect which do not believe in the resurrected Christ fabricated the twin story. The paradox provided a framework for their crucified messiah to continue fighting for liberation for their followers.

We knew a fair bit about the gnostic gospels from the works of Christian historian Eusebius in the fourth century.. He was a compelling opponent to the non-orthodox teachings. In his works he mentioned the gospel of Thomas, gospel of Philip etc. It is not until the modern times that we get to see the actual copy of these non-canonical works thru' archeological discoveries. Incidentally, the gnostic works are certainly not composed by the apostles of Jesus as it was claimed. They are dated to the late second and third century. All of the apostles are long gone already.

There are numerous debates on the accuracy of the Bible relating to the transmission process which resulted in the contradiction of texts being found. However, the concept is crystal clear, if one takes it as a book of faith there is absolutely no reason to doubt its authenticity. Since it is an authoritative scripture, it is God's true words regardless.

However, in the quest for historical knowledge it's desirable to seek hard evidence to account for the narratives which invariably put us in a collision course with theological ideologies.

The answer is simple, there is not a single shred of archaeological remains ever found relating to any of the bible narratives. Except for the discovery of Pilate Stone in 1961 which confirms the existence of one of the major actors in the trial narrative (Jesus judge, Pontivs Pilativs) That though, does not historically proved that the trial actually took place as described in all of the 4 gospels or Jesus actually existed. Ironically, that also does not mean any of the biblical events did not take place.

In fact, very few would leave behind an archeological trail for people to uncover thousands of years later.

All cross reference to the major characters and events in the bible came from implicit and sometimes controversial writings by ancient historians such as Josephus, Tacitus etc.. All being said, we don't need any sort of contemporary evidence for the bible, which is regarded as a "certified true copy" from God.

But the bottom line is that the bible is written by a long line of fallible human scribes and not solely by God himself. Invariably, there are mistakes made, lots of them. Humans have evolved to be imperfect and particularly have an inherent natural talent of lying through the teeth to fulfil polysized theological ideas and political agendas.

The arguments go on and on and probably would, for another 2 thousand years.

Perhaps God wants to keep it that way to make things interesting for us. He has no desire to reveal his plan just yet.

Fact : The bible shown above is dated 1938AD. (Jenny's hand, though, is not:) ) so it's just a couple of decades old instead of 2000 years old. The 4 Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John In order of the sequence in which they are written) of the New Testaments are in fact anonymous. The true authors remain unknown to this day (wish I know who wrote them). They are assigned with the names as we know today sometimes in the second century AD by Apostolic church fathers. One hypothesis suggests that each of the Gospel is not written by one single person and instead is composed by a collection of documents written by a community of people. That is to say eg the Gospel of Mark is written by a community of people that knew Mark who is their leader and decisively write down his teachings and thoughts over a period of time. The same formula is applied to the rest of the Gospels.

Why 4 Gospels instead of other numbers? By theological reasoning, Christians believe in the 4 corners of the Earth and that would be the most plausible outcome. The book of Acts is neatly separated from the Gospel of Luke (same author) to form a separate book by itself.

Why Mark, Matthew, Luke and John and not somebody else?

Well, by reasonable means, we know that Peter and Paul are the original founders of Christianity in Rome. Peter is said to be the Apostle to the Jews and Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Both wanted a fair share of the pie. Matthew (tax collector) and John(son of Zebedee) are believed to be the close followers of Jesus. Mark was said to be the disciple of Peter and Luke was a disciple and also a personal physician of Paul. So now we have 2 close followers of Jesus and 2 close followers of Jesus followers. Voila ! now we have the 4 names, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. That is the most probable reason to how the names came to be associated with the Gospels that we know today.

The gospel narrative, though, is either fictitious or partially hypothesized with available information gathered from various sources. For most part of the writings however, is based on my personal understanding of various published articles currently in circulation and partly from my own imaginations.

Side dish :

Have you ever wondered what BC and AD stand for? These 2 terms are indispensable when it comes to establishing historical timeline or merely describing an historical event. I use them all the time. BC is Before Christ and AD is Anno Domini (year of our Lord). The idea was devised by a Christian monk named Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century AD to standardise how we record time so that Easter celebration can be synchronised all over the Roman empire. Before that, people were using different time measurements based on certain important dates. The Greeks used the year 776 BC (first Olympic game) while the Roman used 753 BC (the founding of their city) as their baseline. That led to confusion in historical dates recording and misjudgement of the calendar. In addition, and most importantly, the minute inconsistency in the natural celestial movement of the earth resulted in a compounded error in the calendar which shows up over a long period of time. The idea is to use the birth of Jesus as the standard baseline. Therefore 1 AD means 1 year after Jesus was born and 1BC indicates 1 year before Jesus was born. Jesus was conceptually born in 0BC even though the concept of 0 did not exist in Roman numerals. Despite that, our calendar had been adjusted a couple of times over the last 2000 years due to the described astronomical phenomenon. Nonetheless, the solution had provided us with a nice fix to a range of major date-related problems.

This system was accepted and used for more than 1500 years until scholars discovered a major flaw. According to the New Testament Documents, Jesus was born just before Herod the Great died. Herod died in 4BC based on rock solid historical records so Jesus (unfortunately we have no historical records of any kind or any collaborative evidence of his birth, everything we know about him came from the Christian Bible) have to be born in around 6BC because the Bible mentioned that Herod ordered all baby boys up to 2 years of age to be killed out of fear that his kingly position would be threaten. (the evaluation is based on the account given in Matthew’s Gospel. However, Luke’s account would lead us to another set of dates which falls on 6AD. Nonetheless, such discrepancies would be logically accepted (at least by myself) due to the fact that the Gospels were written decades after Jesus. The accounts were not straight history, they were written from a theological standpoint. Therefore the exact dates do not really matter)

As such, it would be confusing to explain Jesus was born 6 years Before Christ (ie born 6 years before he was born). In order to get around the confusion, BC was changed to BCE- Before Common Era and AD became CE-Common Era. In that case, the terms Before Christ/Anno Domini could then be removed from the equation along with the confusion. Another important point to take note is that all Christian elements (Before Christ, year of our Lord) can be safely jettisoned from the context to evade potential religious bias.

In a nutshell, the year remains the same only BC is now BCE and AD is now CE.

eg The Roman dictator, Julia Cesar was stabbed to death in 44BC, which is 44BCE. Tiberius Caesar Augustus, the second Roman emperor died in 37AD, is now 37CE.

Which year Jesus was born

Over the decades, scholars have been debating exactly when Jesus was born. However, there is no definitive answer for it. The date would depend on which camp you’re in. From a religious standpoint, he has to be born in the year '0' in the current context. After all, our calendar is based on the idea of Jesus’ Birth. However, there is no such thing as ‘0’ year as it was not invented just yet. In Roman context, the year 1BC would follow by 1AD, which denote Before Christ and Anno Domini respectively. The calendar system was conceptualized in the 6th century CE and it’s known to have a discrepancy of a couple of years. As we now realize, Jesus was most likely born in the BC period. Which also means Jesus was born before he was born. That becomes a thorny issue. To reconcile that, the term BC is changed to BCE (before common era) and AD changed to CE(common era). Another advantage of this naming convention is that by doing so, it removes the Christian element (Christ) from the equation thus making it more neutral, avoiding any religious misinterpretation. In fact, the Jews have been using the dating system for a while already.

Well, now if we look at it through the lens of History, things get far more complex but nevertheless interesting.

Everything we know about Jesus came from the Gospels. However, the Birth narrative is only found in Matthew and Luke Gospels. Ironically, there are contradictions on the dates as we soon see.

In order to draw any reasonable conclusion, we first must have some insights as to what actually happened during this particular time frame in the region. Let’s see what history has to offer and use the data to establish a timeline upon which we'll superimpose the Gospel dates and try to make sense out of it.

In 63BCE, Roman Legions led by General Pompey captured Palestine and renamed it Judea. At that point in time, Rome was not yet an empire, it was still a republic dominated by 3 Roman leaders battling for power. Namely, Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar. Crassus was killed in action in 53BCE (good for the other 2 guys) which leaves Pompey to battle it out with Julius Caesar. Pompey was assassinated in 48BCE (good news for Caesar)

Caesar then became the sole ruler (dictator) of Rome. However, the celebration didn’t last long. In 44BCE he was in turn assassinated. Caesar’s adopted Son Octavian took over power but he was not alone. Another 2 guys also wanted to have a share of the pie. Namely Lepidus and Mark Anthony (Queen Cleopatra’s lover). In 36BCE, Lepidus fell out of power leaving Mark Anthony and Octavian to battle it out. Octavian defeated Mark Anthony in the famous sea battle at Actium in 31BCE sending Mark and Cleopatra to Heaven.

In 27BCE, Octavian declared himself the First Emperor of Rome (Augustus) and Rome became an Empire. His reign lasted for 40 years dying in 14CE. He was then succeeded by his adopted son Tiberius who reigned for 22 years dying in 37CE. These are well attested, undisputed historical dates. We can then use them as reference points for our chronology.

After Pompey captured Jerusalem, he put Hyrcanus (local Jewish ruler) in charge. Later, Mark Anthony installed Herod the Great as King of the Jews and ruled Jerusalem from 37BCE. This is verified by references found in Josephus' works as well as Roman records. Josephus also mentioned that Herold’s conquest of Jerusalem was 27 years after Pompey’s conquest of Jerusalem. That helps to pinpoint the date to be 37BCE as well. This particular year is crucial for calculating Jesus’ birth.

Josephus states that Herold dies 34 years after conquering Jerusalem which brings us to 4BCE. He also mentioned Herod died during the Passover season and shortly after a lunar eclipse. That date is confirmed with astronomical reference as the only lunar eclipse that had occurred around that time period. Josephus was spot-on.

After the passing of Herod, one of his sons named Archelaus continued to rule the area. However, he fell out of favor with Augustus and eventually was deposed in 6CE. From then on, Judea was no longer ruled by local Jewish kings and instead by Roman governors/prefect. The first 4 are relatively unknown in history but the fifth one had made his way into the greatest story ever told. His name is Pontius Pilate, the man mentioned in the Bible that sent Jesus to the cross. He governed from 26CE to 36CE, one year before Emperor Tiberius Died.

Now we turn our attention back to the Bible. The Birth narrative is only mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. First let’s look at what Matthew has to say. According to Matthew, Jesus was born in Bethlehem during when Herod the Great was king. So, Jesus must have been born before the year 4BCE because this was when Herod died. After Jesus is born, some wise men(Magi) from the east visit Herod and tell him that they have come to worship a newly born king of the Jews. Herod told them to look for them in Bethlehem and report back to him of the exact location after they've found the child on the pretext that he too wishes to worship the new king. However, the Magi head straight home after they found the little Jesus. Herod was mad after learning that he was tricked and became paranoid thinking that his throne is threatened and ordered all male children 2 years old or younger to be killed. Jesus and his parents then escaped to Egypt. Herod dies shortly. After which, his son Archelaus takes over. Jesus and his parents then return to Nazareth.

Ironically, Matthew doesn’t tell us how much time passed between the birth of Jesus and the visit from the wise men. Herod ordered all male children 2 years old or younger to be killed, so the assumption that it could have been as much as 2 years. Which means the typical nativity scene (showing 3 Magi) is just an embellishment to the birth story. According to Matthew's narrative, there's no mention of the number of wise men and almost certainly no wise men were present at the time of Jesus’ birth.

Retrospectively, Jesus must be born between 4BCE and 6BCE.

According to Luke, Jesus was born during a time when Quirinus was the governor of Syria and during a census. According to Roman historical data, both info from Luke’s Gospel were credible enough. There was indeed a man called Quirinus. He was the governor of Syria at that time. So, when Augustus deposed Archelaus in 6CE, he sent Quirinus over from nearby Syria (Syria was already a Roman province) to conduct a census for taxation purposes. However, it was not a census for the entire empire and neither did it require people to return to their hometown as mentioned in Luke’s narrative. In Luke's account, no wise men are mentioned.

So, according to Matthew, Jesus was born before the year 4BCE (according to most scholars, Jesus was born in 6BCE.) but according to Luke, Jesus was born sometime around 6CE. How do we reconcile such contradictions? In my opinion, we can't and we don’t need to.

To me, the main point is that the Bible is written to make theological points and not to record literal history. Secondly, the Gospels were written by different individuals in different parts of the Roman empire decades after Jesus’ death. Their writings were based largely on a chain of oral traditions transmitted over a period of time and to some extent influenced by the local culture, belief and literature. Even though the Bible is an authoritative text inspired by God supposedly true in every word, it has come to be written by human scribes. Inevitably, there are discrepancies simply because humans do make mistakes and on top of that, their writings are governed by a string of political and religious influences and motivations.

End

Extracts from the Gospels :

Matthew 2:1–23

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now hafter Jesus was born in iBethlehem of Judea jin the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men1 from kthe east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born lking of the Jews? For we saw mhis star when it rose2 and have come to nworship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where othe Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 p“ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will qshepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, rthey offered him gifts, sgold and tfrankincense and umyrrh. 12 And vbeing warned win a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, xan angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. yThis was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, z“Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 aThen was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 b“A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they care no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for dthose who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and ebeing warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called fNazareth, gso that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

LUKE 2:1-20

The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

My interpretation on John 8 : 1-11 adulterous woman

Jesus wrote on the ground

Probably read as :

I knew you guys committed the adultery with the woman(you guys should be stoned to death too)

Jesus then said to the priests

Whoever did not commit any sin cast the first stone and they all ran away as fast as their legs could carry them.

Jesus then turned to the woman and tell her not to sin again.

If Jesus said go ahead and stone her he violate his own teachings (forgiveness)

If he let her go he violate the Torah

@Kos Island, Greece (9.9.2019AD)

U.S. Marines Fuel the Force by S.C. Air National Guard

3

U.S. Marines assigned to the 273rd Marine Wing Support Squadron, Air Operations Company, Fuels Platoon and Expeditionary Airfield Platoon at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., execute a forward air refueling point mission with the South Carolina National Guard at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C. on May 14. Elements of the South Carolina Air and Army National Guard and the U.S. Marines conduct joint operations which are crucial to the ongoing success of operational readiness and deployments around the world. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech Sgt. Jorge Intriago/Released)

enercityPark_075 by iliveisl

the iliveisl sim, Enercity Park, goes away shortly after these pics were taken. it was one of only 100 or so remaining openspace sims.

it had been 3750 prims but when Linden Lab poorly executed their change in policy and pricing and went from $75 to $95 per month and from 3750 prims to 750 prims, this became the most expensive type of land isl

but i promised my residents that Enercity would have a park so kept it until the estate was transferred to the very best residents in all of second life

the park was the closest to a home that Ener Hax had. two sparse fallout shelters would become Ener's homes

one just a bare mattress and cardboard boxes to reduce drafts from broken windows and had and old turret slowly rotating that stood as a silent sentinel to bygone eras when we humans could have taken a lesson from our own avatars and the other a small emergency shelter for the bus stop

the lake in the park was called Butterfly Lake from its shape when viewed from the air and had a swan and ducklings swimming and a nice bench for friends to sit and visit under a weeping willow. near that spot was an old underground shelter to park military vehicles. that spot became an underground skatepark and was connected to the city's catacombs. these catacombs, like in Paris, ran below the city streets

zombies lived in one section near a small graveyard. no one knew why zombies were there, some suspect it was related to the war time bunkers. the manhole cover near the zombies was opened and the catacombs tagged with "i <3 ener hax" and "subQuark sux"

the most favourite spot for Ener Hax was near the bus stop and the 1950's era rotating and steaming coffee billboard (hmm, maybe the chemical smoke from that big coffee cup is to blame for the zombies? after all, the "steam" does drift over the grave yard

the fave spot looked over the smaller lake west of the bus stop and was in view of one of the parks two waterfalls. that spot was made very special because of Mr. Bunny. Ener loved to sit on the ground and just watch Mr. Bunny hop around and doze occasionally. what a cute bunny =) he even had his own carrots planted by Ener

high above the eastern part of the park was the huge zebra striped zeppelin. a bit of a trademark of the iliveisl estate

it was a lovely spot, even had tai chi on the big bunker and a zip line from the water tower

ooh, the water tower! as a surprise gift, DreamWalker scripted the water tower and turned it int a funky hang out spot. there was an abandoned pool inside the tower (???) and place to sit and talk. even a cute ladybug called it home. the water tower's top would slide up and down and also turn invisible. for romance, a moon beam came through the towers top port and could even have its brightness changed

even though the park was outrageously expensive, it was Ener Hax and Mr. Bunnies home and will be sincerely missed

namas te

enercityPark_035 by iliveisl