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Taken on 08 February 2013 in Maroc/Morocco near Ziz-Gorges Aoufous (DSC_5685)
freewheely.com: Cycling Africa beyond mountains and deserts until Cape Town
Nutrients in seawater present a paradox. Nutrients are, of course, essential for life. In the oligotrophic environment of the Mediterranean, the ecosystems with the most nutrients are generally the most productive and diverse. At the same time, many Mediterranean nearshore areas are threatened by nutrient over-enrichment due to coastal and watershed development. Many developed coastal areas suffer particularly from increased influx of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus. Sources include untreated human sewage, animal waste, transportation, fertilizers and industrial discharges. The largest emitters of nitrogen are urban wastewater treatment (45%), livestock farming (24%) and the organic chemical industry (2%).While the main sources of phosphorus are fertilizer manufacturing (40%), livestock farming (39%) and urban wastewater treatment (13%).
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This photo has been graciously provided to be used in the GRID-Arendal resources library by: GRID-Arendal
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston
Boston, officially the City of Boston, is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the Northeastern United States. The city boundaries encompass an area of about 48.4 sq mi (125 km2) and a population of 675,647 as of 2020. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to 4,941,632 people as of 2020, ranking as the eleventh-largest MSA in the country. A broader combined statistical area (CSA), generally corresponding to the commuting area and including Worcester, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island, is home to approximately 8.2 million people, making it the seventh-most populous in the United States.
Boston is one of the nation's oldest municipalities, founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from the English town of the same name. During the American Revolution and the nation's founding, Boston was the location of several key events, including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the hanging of Paul Revere's lantern signal in Old North Church, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the siege of Boston. Following American independence from Great Britain, the city continued to play an important role as a port, manufacturing hub, and center for American education and culture. The city has expanded beyond the original peninsula through land reclamation and municipal annexation. Its rich history attracts many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing more than 20 million visitors per year. Boston's many firsts include the United States' first public park (Boston Common, 1634), the first public school (Boston Latin School, 1635), the first subway system (Tremont Street subway, 1897), and the first large public library (Boston Public Library, 1848).
In the 21st century, Boston has emerged as a global leader in higher education and academic research. Greater Boston's many colleges and universities include Harvard University and MIT, both located in suburban Cambridge and both routinely included among the world's most highly ranked universities. The city is also a national leader in scientific research, law, medicine, engineering, and business. With nearly 5,000 startup companies, the city is considered a global pioneer in innovation and entrepreneurship. Boston's economic base also includes finance, professional and business services, biotechnology, information technology, and government activities. Households in the city claim the highest average rate of philanthropy in the United States. Boston businesses and institutions rank among the top in the country for environmental sustainability and new investment.
Additional Foreign Language Tags:
(United States) "الولايات المتحدة" "Vereinigte Staaten" "アメリカ" "美国" "미국" "Estados Unidos" "États-Unis"
(Massachusetts) "ماساتشوستس" "麻萨诸塞州" "मैसाचुसेट्स" "マサチューセッツ" "매사추세츠 주" "Массачусетс"
(Boston) "بوسطن" "波士顿" "बोस्टन" "ボストン" "보스턴" "Бостон"
SOURCE: B. Tommie Usdin
link to wiki info or:
Piez, Wendell. (Spring, 2001) Beyond the “descriptive vs. procedural” distinction. Markup Languages: Theory and Practice, Vol. 3 no. 2. p. 5. Print.
Piez, Wendell. (Spring, 2001) Beyond the “descriptive vs. procedural” distinction
Piez Pages: Wendell Piez Project Pages. 12 March 2008 Web. 30 April, 2011.
Pictures from OSCEdays Berlin 2018 (oscedays.berlin) / All pictures are licensed CC0 creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.de
source/credit: Featherdale Wildlife Park
This image has been supplied to www.traveloscopy.com on the understanding it is
copyright released and/or royalty free.
verdwenen. Herinnert gij U tien jaar geleden den kamp tusschen Jan Gratama en A. W. Weissman over de handvormsteen. Toen werd het tijdperk ingeluid van de prachtige warme — zwaai met Uw linkerhand met uitgestrekte vingers door de lucht — van de diep gloeiende, heerlijk rulle, baksteen — zwaai met Uw rechterhand met uitgestrekte
vingers door de lucht — en de verglaasde steen had afgedaan.
En ziet, na tien jaar in het schijndoodenrijk vertoefd te hebben, herrijst de verglaasde steen weer aan den onderbouw van dit bouwblok en . . . het is een verrassing. Bruin aan de gevels, wit inde portieken, zou het alleen de charme van het nieuwe zijn? De kunstenaars beweren vrij te zijn van mode. Maar is dat wel- zoo?
Setz' dir Perücken auf von Millionen Locken
Setz' deinen Fusz auf ellenhohe Socken
Du bleibst doch immer, was du bist.
J. P. M.
An open source photo gallery which aims to offer you some of our best takes – Use this photos for personal or commercial purposes, attribution is appreciated but not required – Here you go – Njoy!
Source: livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/9431
This photograph was taken by a member of the University of Newcastle's former Medical Communication Unit. The original slide is held in Cultural Collections, Auchmuty Library, the University of Newcastle, Australia.
This image can be used for study and personal research purposes. If you wish to reproduce this image for any other purpose you must obtain permission by contacting the University of Newcastle's Cultural Collections.
Please contact us if you are the subject of the image, or know the subject of the image, and have cultural or other reservations about the image being displayed on this website and would like to discuss this with us.
If you have any information about this photograph, please contact us or leave a comment.
The Steel Source Band performs a selection of R&B, Calypso, and Reggae for travelers at the Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia. The band consists of band members Alzonia ( vocals, steel drums, guitar, and drums) and Alzonia( vocals and electric bass).
A stream on the McGill's property in Ardara, Co Donegal, Ireland. Shown to me on an unforgettable walk with 7 year old Aine.
I just received recently an AF-Nikkor 1:2 f=35mm lens to complete a small kit around my Nikon F4 year 1989 (see below for details). The kit is now includes 3 very classical AF-Nikkor lenses of the same period of the Nikon F4 camera body, including the standard 1.4/50mm, the 1.8/85mm and now the 2/35mm. The choice of fixed-focal lenses instead of zooms was already in 1989 a bit old-fashioned. However many photographers preferred still the homogenous rendering of a photo series done with a single focal lens. Generally speaking, a 35mm focal is a charming moderate wide-angle, very easy to use and particularly adapted for architectural and street-photography.
The AF-Nikkor 1:2 f=35mm is not a rare lens. However, when looking on eBay there was not tens of them available. I bought a good one form a Belgian seller at a normal price (180€). The lens is in very good mechanical and optical condition and came with the rear and front caps. I sourced the dedicated Nikon HN-3 shade hood separately for 10€ but here I preferred (only for the look!) to use a rectangular Minolta D54KC designed for the MC-Rokkor 1:2.8 f=35mm.
For testing the lens, I loaded my Nikon F4 with a Rollei RPX 400 which is the former formula of the Agfa APX 400. The film cartridge is DX-coded and I did not modify the nominal DX-coded 400 ISO sensitivity.
The AF Nikkor lens 1:2 f=35mm was equipped for the whole session with a generic 52mm screw-on yellow filter. The light metering was done through tteh lens (TTL) either in the matrix or the spot metering of the Nikon F4 used in the "A" aperture-priority auto mode or the manual mode. The weather was very clear and a bit cold (-1°C outside).
La Part-Dieu***, January 12, 2024
69003 Lyon
France
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***(Wiki) La Part-Dieu (French: [la paʁdjø]) is a quarter in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It is the second-largest tertiary district in France, after La Défense in Paris. The area also contains Lyon's primary railway station, Lyon-Part-Dieu.
This urban centre also provides major entertainment and cultural facilities, including one of the largest urban shopping malls in Europe, 800 shops, Paul Bocuse indoor food market, café terraces, the Auditorium concert hall, Bourse du Travail theatre, Municipal Library, Departmental Archives and Fort Montluc. It contains several High-rise buildings, including the Tour Incity (202 m (663 ft)), the Tour To-Lyon (171 m (561 ft)) and the Tour Part-Dieu (164 m (538 ft)).
The central business district is currently undergoing major renovation and construction works, according to a revitalization project totalling €2.5 billion between public and private investments.
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I did not use my Nikon SB-26 flashlight for any views in this session. After completion the film was rewound and processed using 350 mL of Adox Adonal (Agfa Rodinal) developer prepared at the dilution 1+25 for 12min at 20°C.
Digitizing was made using a Sony A7 camera (ILCE-7, 24MP) held on a Minolta Auto Bellows with the Minolta slide duplication accessory and Minolta Macro Bellow lens 1:3.5 f=50mm. The light source was a LED panel CineStill Cine-lite.
The RAW files obtained were inverted within the latest version available of Adobe Lightroom Classic (version 14.1.1) and edited to the final jpeg pictures without intermediate file. They are presented either as printer files with a frame or the full size JPEG's together with some documentary smartphone color pictures.
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About the camera :
Maybe it would have been better not to ask for this question: « what’s new do you have at the moment?» to my local photo store, because Christine grab underneath the counter, stating « I have that … » . What a beast ! A Nikon F4 in the exact state of the Nikon brochure year 1990, presented with the standard AF Nikkor 1:1.4 f=50mm. I was already hooked by the machine. After two days, I decided to buy it even with some little common issues found on early Nikon F4 (see below), fortunately not affecting the whole, numberous functions of this incredibly complex professional SLR of the year 1990’s.
Nikon F4 came to the market on September 1988 starting with the serial number 2.000.000. Fully manufactured in Japan (modules came from 3 different Nikon factories) the F4's were assembled in Mito, Ibaraki (North to Tokyo) Nikon plant (no more in the mother factory of Tokyo Oi like the Nikon’s F). When I lived in Tokyo in 1990-1991, Nikon F4 was the top-of-the-line of Nikon SLR camera’s. I saw it in particular in Shinjuku Bic Camera store when I bought there, in December 1990 my Nikonos V.
Nikon F4 incorporates many astonishing engineering features as the double vertical-travel curtain shutter capable of the 1/8000s. Compared to the Nikon F3, the F4 was an AF SLR operated by a CCD sensor (200 photo sites). The film is automatically loaded, advanced with to top speed of 5,7 frame/s !! With the MB-21 power grip (F4s version). The F4 is a very heavy camera (1.7kg with the AF Nikkor 1.4/50mm), incredibly tough and well constructed. This exemplary is devoid of any scratches or marks, and in a condition proving that it was not used for hard professional appliances, for those it was however intended. The camera has still it original Nikon neck strap, the original user manual in French. The lens is protected by a Cokin (Franc) Skylight 1A 52mm filter and the original Nikon front cap. The two small LCD displays (one on the F4 body, one in the DP-20 finder) are both affected by the classical syndrome of « bleeding ». Fortunately, all information could still be read. One says that 70% of the early Nikon F4 suffer from this problem but also found on other models.
According its serial number and the production rate of about 5000 units/month, this Nikon F4s was probably manufactured in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan in May 1989.
The camera was exported abroad thereafter attested by the presence of the golden oval little sticker("Passed" on the DP-20 viewfinder. In order to certify the quality production, two Japanese organizations, the Japan Camera Industry Institute (JCII) and the Japan Machinery Design Center (JMDC), joined forces to verify and mark the conformity of products for the foreign market. This is how, between the 1950s and 1980s, this famous little gold sticker was affixed, with the legendary "Passed", meaning that the device had been checked. Finally, when we say that the device had been checked, the production line had been checked because each device could not be checked individually.
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About the flash :
I received from a German seller for 50€ this Nikon Speedlight electronic flash SB-26 that was, at the time of Nikon F4, the most powerful dedicated Nikon flash (Guide Number 36 at full power and 100 ISO).
The SB-26 communicates with the Nikon F4 body (and many other Nikon camera's) and can be operated in many different modes including TTL real-time metering with automatic equilibration of the ambient light using the 5-zone matrix metering done by the DP-20 photometric viewer as well in the center-weighted mode. Other possibilities include the normal TTL mode, an Auto mode using the own sensor of the flash and a manual mode with 7 power levels.
The flash head can cover the optical field from super-wide angle lenses 18-20mm, wide-angle lenses 28mm and 35mm, normal lenses 50mm, and long-focal lenses at 70mm and 85mm. The head can be rotated according two axis for indirect lightening. In addition, the SB-26 has a special focusing aid for the Nikon F4 autofocus system, projecting in the the darkness a red focusing image. SB-23 flash can be also used as master or slave flash in a coordinated flash system.
The flash requires 4 AA alkaline cells for approximately 100 lights at full power and much more with energy recycling at lower power levels.
During the final year I spent in the Restored Church of God (RCG), Media Productions produced short “doctrinal introduction videos” on various doctrinal points from the church. The last one I was involved in, sought to prove Christmas trees were pagan according to the Bible using Jeremiah 10 and other “accepted” historical sources from WCG materials. After researching both the RCG materials and examining the historical sources, I found the referenced materials actually told a very different story.
RCG is a splinter church off the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) which was led by Herbert Armstrong. They published a tremendous amount of material accusing both Catholic and Protestant churches of being direct descendants of the ancient Babylonian religion. They claimed this was evident since these churches kept observances such as Easter and Christmas. They sought to prove that these days were originally kept by the ancient Babylonian religion which had ultimately been syncretized into modern Christianity through the Roman Emperor Constantine. The majority of their arguments rested on the work of Alexander Hislop, the author of “Two Babylons.”
Using this scholarly backing, the WCG’s premise was that these worldly churches were actually satanic counterfeits of God’s “One True Church,” of which the WCG was a modern incarnation of. So while they wrote much about individual customs, practices and symbols, it was with the backdrop of their claim to being the “One True Church” who kept God’s true form of worship.
RCG’s Teaching on Christmas Trees
The “Christmas tree” was a symbol RCG often pointed to as unique evidence that connected the modern worldly pagan Christian religion with the pagan worship of ancient Egypt, Rome and Assyria. Writers and speakers often used Jeremiah 10 as the biblical text to prove that these trees are condemned by God. Let’s examine the materials they present as “ironclad” evidence that the Christmas tree extended back to the ancient Babylonian and Egyptian religion.
First understand that the leader of RCG, largely copied his materials verbatim from the booklet that Herbert Armstrong wrote decades earlier. He claims to know more about Christmas than any person alive. In a sermon towards the end of 2019 (only released to his membership), he made the prophetic claim that Jesus Christ would return to earth and only to his small group during the Christmas season. That obviously didn’t happen but does not diminish his bombastic claims.
Consider these quotes from Dave Pack:
“I'm not a rookie at this subject. There's some things that I don't know about. Believe me, lots of them. I wouldn't be a good piano teacher or violin for that matter. But there are some things I understand. [understanding Christmas] It's my calling and I think God prepared me to understand in a unique way. The second kingdom is born in a pre-Christmas scenario.... I had no idea God was preparing me to be able to say with such authority, I know exactly who that God is [Molech/Jesus in a Christmas Setting].”
Then a little later in the message, “So that's why I wrote this very, very detailed booklet on Christmas [copied from the WCG], more so than ever before. And some of you go back with me all the way to Worldwide and you know that I preached on the subject of Christmas. Maybe there's somebody who knows more about it [the Christmas Holiday] than I do, but I doubt it. And I understand. I can connect it to the mind to the devil and how God hates [Christian] holidays.”
Then he says, “Because I personally don't see any way God will let Israel, based on what I know, keep Christmas this year [2019, Christ was supposed to return before the start of Christmas], or Hanukkah, which is three days before. We'll come to that in a moment. Or, we're waiting a year, in which case the series is over. So, pray tell, what are we going to come up with? Another 50 sermons?” [In fact, his sermon series continued to over 50 additional messages]
(David Pack, The Greatest Untold Story, Part 220)
With that context, David Pack makes it clear, he claims to know more about Christmas than any man alive. This is despite the fact he has virtually no body of knowledge on the subject, largely copying his booklet on the subject from Herbert Armstrong and Hislop’s research from “The Two Babylons.”
RCG and WCG’s “Historic Claims”
So what historic sources does RCG use to prove the Christmas tree extends back to the Babylonian religion? If it is in fact obvious, then his sources should be easily substantiated. The booklet, “The True Origin of Christmas,” carries the following quote under the subhead “The Origin of the Christmas Tree.”
“No booklet about Christmas is complete without some explanation of the “Christmas tree.” We have touched on it without directly focusing on it. The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. But the Germans got it from the Romans, who got it from the Babylonians and the Egyptians.
The following demonstrates what the Babylonians believe about the origin of the Christmas tree: “An old Babylonish fable told of an evergreen tree which sprang out of a dead tree stump. The old stump symbolized the dead Nimrod, the new evergreen tree symbolized that Nimrod had come to life again in Tammuz! Among the Druids the oak was sacred, among the Egyptians it was the palm, and in Rome it was the fir, which was decorated with red berries during the Saturnalia!” (Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 242).” (The True Origin of Christmas, Subhead: “The Origin of the Christmas Tree.”)
The WCG booklet, “The Plain Truth About Christmas”, where much of this was copied from, uses the same story, but doesn’t give the source of reference.
“From many ancient writings, considerable is learned of this man, who started the great organized worldly apostacy from God that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil, it is said he married his own mother, whose name was Semiramis. After Nimrod's untimely death, his so-called mother-wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree.” (The Plain Truth About Christmas, Herbert Armstrong, Page 11)
That said, when one looks for the source text from William Walsh, “Curiosities of Popular Customs,” the story presented in this source nowhere mentions either above quote. Babylon, Tammuz, Nimrod or Semiramis are nowhere found in the passage. Those terms actually aren’t in the book at all. This section appears to be entirely fabricated (or at least incompetently sourced). Instead, the story references St. Winfrid, an 8th century leading figure who was instrumental in converting Germanic parts of the Frankish empire. Some traditions hold the legend that he hewed down an oak tree that was being worshipped by druids, in order to halt their pagan worship of the great oaks. Then behind the felled trees, he pointed to a young fir, that was supposed to represent a new way of worship, symbolizing Christ. That legend ultimately is pointed to as where Christmas trees came from. Interestingly, if the legend of St. Winfrid is to be believed, then it proves that the Christmas tree is in fact a creation of the Christian community, as he is venerated by the Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans and Lutherans.
Debunking Other Myths
Outside of this myth however, the source chosen by both RCG and WCG is much more dubious on where the tree came from. As reading a paragraph after their referenced story gives the following explanation.
“But myths aside the history of the Christmas tree is difficult to trace. [Then, the author gives 4 explanations of where the Christmas Tree may have come from] It may have some remote connection with the great tree Yggdrasil of Norse mythology It may be a revival of the pine trees in the Roman Saturnalia which were decorated with images of Bacchus as described by Virgil in the Georgics...Two other suggestions are offered by Sir George Birdswood in the Asiatic Quarterly Review vol i pp 19 20. It has been explained as being derived from the ancient Egyptian practice of decking houses at the time of the winter solstice with ranches of the date palm the symbol of life triumphant over death and therefore of perennial life in the renewal of each bounteous year and the supporters of these suggestions point to the fact that pyramids of green paper covered all over with wreaths and festoons of flowers and strings of sweetmeats are often substituted in Germany for the Christmas tree. (Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 243).
“Therefore if a relationship exists between the Egyptian practice of decking houses at the winter solstice with branches of the date palm and the German and English custom of using gift bearing and brilliantly illuminated evergreen trees which are nearly always firs as a Christmas decoration, it is most probably due to collateral rather than to direct descent and this is indicated by the Egyptians having regarded the date palm not only as an emblem of immortality but also of the starlit firmament.” (Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 243).
Reading further in the passage, the customs of several civilizations are mentioned and the author sums his research up as simply “vague traditions” and “legends”
“These vague traditions merging together finally led to the permanent establishment of the Christmas tree. As a regular institution however it can be traced back only to the sixteenth century. During the Middle Ages, it suddenly appears in Strassburg. A valuable authentic manuscript of 1608 by a Strassburg burgher now in a private collection in Friedberg Hesse describes the tree as a feature of the Christmas season. The manuscript of a book entitled “The Milk of Catechism” by the Strassburg theologian, Dannhauer mentions the same subject in a similar way. For two hundred years the fashion maintained itself along the Rhine when suddenly at the beginning of this century it.” (Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 243).
So if the myth cited in their source material is to be believed, then the Christmas tree is in fact a Christian symbol created in defiance of pagan oak tree worship. If William Walsh is to be believed, then the Christmas tree is simply a similar symbol to what ancient civilizations may have used, but can only be traced back to the sixteenth century.
Haskin’s Answers to Questions
However, RCG gives another source for their claims to its ancient roots.
“Frederick J. Haskin’s Answers to Questions states, “The Christmas tree is from Egypt, and its origin dates from a period long anterior to the Christian Era.” Did you know this—that the Christmas tree long preceded Christianity?” (The True Origin of Christmas, Subhead: “The Origin of the Christmas Tree.”)
Who is Frederick J. Haskins? He was born in 1873 in Shelbina, Missouri and reportedly was a poor country boy, without much schooling. However, having had success in writing newspaper columns, he went on to open his own “Haskins Information Bureau” in Washington DC, near the Library of Congress. He would then solicit the public for questions and trivia and would research it in the capital’s archives, writing and publishing his answers. His staff grew and it became quite popular in the early 20th century. His answers were later codified into two books, his “Answers to Questions.”
While at the time, many found his answers reputable, he rarely provided source information, where he found his research and how he arrived at his sweeping conclusions.
The passage RCG and WCG cites is below:
“Q. What country used Christmas Trees first? C.H.
A. The Christmas Tree is from Egypt, and its origin dates from a period long anterior to the Christian Era. The palm tree is known to put forth a branch every month and a spray of this tree, with 12 shoots on it, was used in Egypt at the time of the winter solstice, as a symbol of the year completed.” (Fredrick J. Haskins, Answers to Questions, pp143)
This pithy answer contradicts the earlier source which stated the ancient Egyptians used sprigs of date palms at the winter solstice. Therefore his quote is short to a fault and provides very scant information to make it’s broad conclusion. There is no source for the assertion. As per Walsh’s material, the history of the Christmas tree is hard to deduce. Therefore the information presented here is far from conclusive and can’t conclusively prove RCG’s claims.
Biblical Reference in Jeremiah 10
Finally, both the WCG and RCG, cite Jeremiah 10:1-6 as their final say on the matter. The booklet from Restored provides the following passage and explanation to back their claim.
“Most aspects of Christmas are not referred to in the Bible. Of course, the reason is that they are not from God—they are not part of the way He wants people to worship Him. The Christmas tree, however, is directly mentioned in the Bible! Turn to Jeremiah 10:2-5, “Thus says the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen…For the CUSTOMS of the people are VAIN: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”
This plain description of the modern Christmas tree is clear. God directly refers to it as “the way of the heathen.” Just as directly, He commands His people to “learn not the way of the heathen,” calling these customs “VAIN.” Verse 23 adds a remarkable and powerful statement: “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his [own] steps.” God must teach people how to live. Man simply cannot figure out God’s ways for himself.
There is no room in Jeremiah 10 to believe, as some have tried to suggest, that because these trees are powerless of themselves, it is not really forbidden to have a Christmas tree. God condemns the putting up of pagan (Christmas) trees with this plain Bible command!” (The True Origin of Christmas, Subhead: “The Origin of the Christmas Tree.”)
Jeremiah’s description does sound similar to the modern Christmas tree, however there are a few points to notice. If Christmas trees didn’t appear until the sixteenth century, then obviously Jeremiah would have no way to write about their use in worship. We are reading the modern description of a tree into something that was written well before anything like that existed. Some other splinter groups such as UCG, claim this is actually a prophecy of coming modern Christmas trees which would be worshipped by the “modern nations of Israel.” This was in support of the defunct British Israelism doctrine. Virtually all Bible commentaries correctly label Jeremiah 10:2-5 as the creation of an idol from a tree felled in the forest. Matthew Henry’s Commentary lists this:
“Consider what the idol is that is worshipped. It was a tree cut out of the forest originally. It was fitted up by the hands of the workman, squared, and sawed, and worked into shape; see Isa. 44:12, etc. But, after all, it was but the stock of a tree, fitter to make a gate-post of than any thing else. But, to hide the wood, they deck it with silver and gold, they gild or lacquer it, or they deck it with gold and silver lace, or cloth of tissue. They fasten it to its place, which they themselves have assigned it, with nails and hammers, that it fall not, nor be thrown down, nor stolen away, v. 4. The image is made straight enough, and it cannot be denied but that the workman did his part, for it is upright as the palm-tree (v. 5); it looks stately, and stands up as if it were going to speak to you, but it cannot speak; it is a poor dumb creature; nor can it take one step towards your relief….They are worshipped as the gods that give us breath and life and sense, whereas they are lifeless senseless things themselves, and there is no breath in them; there is no spirit in them (so the word is); they are not animated, or inhabited, as they are supposed to be, by any divine spirit or numen-divinity. They are so far from being gods that they have not so much as the spirit of a beast that goes downward. They are vanity, and the work of errors.” (Matthew Henry Commentary, Jeremiah 10)
Even though one can twist the words of the Bible to make this seem like a modern Christmas tree, the tree itself, plays no part of a symbol that is worshiped as it would need to be according to Jeremiah. Some groups claim that people keeping Christmas worship “materialism” and the tree is a symbol of this worship. However those mental gymnastics stretch the passage to be applicable to almost anything.
Examining Jeremiah 10
This claim is simply not what Jeremiah was referring to when warning against crafting statutes or idols that worshippers would bow down to.
In verse 5, the idols are referenced:
“They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.” (NASB, Jeremiah 10:5)
The bolded text is obviously referring to something resembling a living creature, something that could have moved or spoken. Christmas trees, in their modern and historic sense, never had those properties. Other translations make it clear that idols of false gods were being spoken of here, not Christmas trees that could walk and speak.
“Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”
(New International Version)
“Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good."
(Revised Standard Version)
Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”
(New Living Translation)
It may be helpful to realize just a few verses later, Jeremiah 10:10-11 makes it clear that the prophet is referring specifically to the idol of a false god (not a Christmas tree).
10 But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. 11 "Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.' " (Jeremiah 10:10-11 New International Version)
In verses 10 and 11, the God of Israel is being compared to the false gods in surrounding civilizations. These were fashioned out of felled trees in the forest. The gods of the Egyptians, Babylonians and Assyrians were being compared to the Hebrew’s God. In this passage, there is simply no mention of anything having to do with Christmas, it’s celebration, anciently or in a modern sense.
Even the historic sources provided in both RCG and WCG’s booklet don’t support their claims.
Alexander Hislop and the Roman Catholic Church
As a final note, it should be mentioned that all the Church of God groups, borrow both their eschatology and the identities they see in the Book of Revelation and Babylon from the work of Alexander Hislop. In his book, “The Two Babylons; on Papal Worship Proven to be the Worship of Nimrod and his Wife” Hislop asserts that the Roman Catholic System and its religious trappings are actually direct extensions of the worship of Nimrod (the hunter who built the Tower of Babel) and his mother/wife Semiramis. He uses a variety of historical and religious sources to attempt to prove that the modern Papacy and Catholic Church is actually the Babylonian religion.
Despite Hislop’s claims otherwise, his theory has been debunked many times and is not recognized as a credible historical stance. There is simply no concrete evidence that the Catholic religion is a descendant of the Babylonian mystery religion.
One good source on debunking his claims is Albert McIlhenny’s “This Is the Sun?: Zeitgeist and Religion (Volume I: Comparative Religion)” and other Orthodox Christan apologetics refute Hislop’s work. Another famous critic is Ralph Woodrow, who at first was a strong advocate of his teachings, until realizing how erroneous the research was and then became an outspoken critic. He has since published work refuting all of Hislop’s historic claims.
While there are still some Protestant denominations that assert the Catholic church is a descendant of the pagan Babylonian system, the vast majority of Christianity has rejected that notion. While they disagree with Catholic doctrine on many points, they are apt to see them as “brothers in error” and not mortal enemies.
Reading through the COG religious stance on the Roman Catholic Church, one obviously sees Hislop’s influence in their theology. Especially on their teachings surrounding Easter, Christmas and other mainstream Christian holidays. Since the COG movement sees theirs as the “Only True Church,” they can easily brand all other religions as pagan counterfeits of their movement.
Conclusion
RCG, having copied erroneous materials taken from the Worldwide Church of God, circa the 1850’s attempt to definitively declare the Christmas tree dates back to ancient civilizations and is an extension of the Babylonian pagan religion. Examining the source materials they cite and their biblical explanation, it is clear that this is simply not true. Their historic sources tell a story that is entirely different from how they use the material. Biblically, their explanation of Jeremiah 10, seems to support the failed theory of British Israelism and contradicts Christian scholarship and several Bible commentaries. In addition, the failed notions of Alexander Hislop who attempted to connect the Catholic Church to the Babylonian Religion system also is baseless.
One can only assume that the authors in RCG and WCG were either ignorant of their own source material or deliberately ignored historical and biblical contradictions. Instead they believed and perpetuated historical lies to further their bias, rather than simply accepting the truth on the matter.
www.caswellvisuals.com/bible-studies/christmas-tree-origi....
The Linux Foundation hosts its Open Source Leadership Summit at Resort at Squaw Creek in Olympic Valley, California, on February 15, 2017. (Stan Olszewski/SOSKIphoto)
The Steel Source Band performs a selection of R&B, Calypso, and Reggae for travelers at the Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia. The band consists of band members Alzonia ( vocals, steel drums, guitar, and drums) and Alzonia( vocals and electric bass).
Source to Sea Cleanup on the Connecticut River at Northfield Mount Hermon, September 26, 2015. Photographs by Glenn Minshall.
Source: livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/12133
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Boston University Students were at the Red Hat Summit this week to show off their collaborative open-source projects. Advisors from Boston University and Northeastern University were on-hand to assist with final projects.
Source to Sea Cleanup on the Connecticut River at Northfield Mount Hermon, September 26, 2015. Photographs by Glenn Minshall.
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I liked the name on this building on Main Street in Vancouver, BC.
This photo is part of a group that I shot with the Vancouver Photowalks Meetup. Learn more at www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Photowalks/events/225209187/.
the island of Kythera has multiple fresh water sources spread across the island. Always marked by white painted rocks and nice shadowed relaxing places. Moments of relaxation on this amazing island.
joe, lit by firelight and cellphone-light
45 mm is a surprisingly challenging focal length for me. in the past, i've really relied to wide angle as my primary perspective. guess this will push me towards taking more portraits!
MISTRA
(Talbot-Rice notes and photos)
MISTRA
(Talbot-Rice notes and photos)
MISTRA
Wall Painting
M!
mistra, the Pantanassa Entry.
(707')
(crossed out) S.Side.
1430
(crossed out) W.End.
(crossed out) Duplicate
Colour Version seen in Talbot-Rice, D. 1968. Byzantine Painting: The Last Phase. New York. XXVIII
also
Talbot-Rice, D. 1968. Byzantine Painting: The Last Phase. New York. Fig XXXI
Mistra, Greece; Church of the Perebleptos. The Entry into Jerusalem; c. 1350.
via Sourcing a Interactive Video Creator in Shropham we can help here t.co/c2XgVS6zkF. Covering all of Norfolk, we have helped thousands over the years #InteractiveVideo #Shropham #Norfolk:
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I was one of two students from the CWU Des Moines campus accepted to present research work done during my time at CWU at the SOURCE conference (though, as branch campus students, we didn't go all the way out to Ellensburg for the full conference). Here's a few shots Prairie took of Annie and I presenting our research projects.