Giants

There's an odd passage in Genesis 6:

Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward— when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.

I had the peculiar thought today that this might reflect an ancient oral tradition based on encounters (not necessarily sexual) between modern men and Neanderthals. A quick search of Google reveals my lack of originality in this, but I do wonder. One quick note is that the Hebrew word Nephilim (נְפִילִים — often translated "giants"), can also mean “monster” or “deformed.”

This can be compared to the Biblical flood, which is often associated with the filling of the Black Sea, c. ~5600 BCE. Archaeological evidence suggests that Neanderthals survived in the middle east until 40,000 years ago, and may have survived in western Europe until 24,000 years ago.

Peace

A Modern Creed

I've thought for a while that this might be a good time to write a new creed. The existing creeds were written at a times when there was active controversy over what they confessed, and were biased by those controversies. And all of the creeds say far too little about the Holy Spirit.

Anyway, at a Church retreat yesterday, we were all invited to write a creed. Unsurprisingly, an exercise that seemed impossible given just a summer was easily completed in the twenty minutes allotted. I don't claim that the following creed is any sort of final word, and I would welcome suggestions as to how to improve it.

I believe in God the Father, source of all life, source of all love, creator of the Universe and all that is in it, including me. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, fully human, fully divine, the only begotten son of the Father whose witness and sacrifice saves the Universe, and all that is in it, including me. I believe in the Holy Spirit, God acting in the world, the voice of the prophets, who animates the Universe and all that is in it, including me. These three are one God, the only God, my God. I believe in the communion of saints, the Church of the Father, Son, and Spirit, through which we are called to love one another as God loves us, to find identity and unity through baptism of water and spirit fellowship, remembrance, and forgiveness through Eucharist, and to seek the life eternal.

Peace

Circling the Well

It's been an uncommonly long time since my last posting. What I've had to say was better said in other venues.

Likewise, other concerns have distracted me from the wells of inspiration that I've relied upon for content in this blog. I've had little time for the study of Greek, or for reading the New Testament in the language in which it was written. Little time for free study. Little time for reflection.

And war, endless war, oppresses me. A few days before my daughter's wedding, her high-school boyfriend and his wife and daughter stopped by. He was visiting family during his pre-deployment leave; he's now in Iraq. And the politics of our country have long stopped to be about moving us forward as a nation in justice and prosperity. Our belief in "mission accomplished" on January 20th has proved to be as evanescent as that of earlier claim.

War, endless war, stands between us and peace and justice. War with bullets and explosive devices. War with words, both written and spoken. War with filibusters, votes, and vetoes. War fought for money. War fought for pride. War fought with ignorance. War fought with lies.

Yet the Peace of the Lord will overcome war. Endless war will give way to eternal peace. Truth will outlive lies, and knowledge of God will triumph over ignorance. God's love acting in and through us will vanquish pride. We will know war no more.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Peace