Isaac and Jesus
THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC AND JESUS

The story of God's demand for human sacrifice from Abraham is one of the most difficult in the ible. It prefigures many of the other atrocities which litter the pages of the Old Testament, incidents where the sacrifice could not be averted as in Deuteronomy 13:13 ("Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God.") or Judges 11: 29-40 (Jepthath's daughter) and the eventual death of the one perfect being in all history -- Jesus Christ himself. Dealing with accounts that by modern sensitivities are seen as horrific can be very difficult, but it is absolutely necessary. The story of Isaac may seem frightening or sad in that a man would actually consider killing his own son, but it also has very powerful symbolic meaning and practical implications for the daily walk of the Christian faith.

efore….

violence in Bhagavad Gita and the Song of Roland
In contrast to current conceptions of violence as problematic, in ancient societies violence was an accepted part of daily life and acting violently was even seen as a heroic attribute. In the Bhagavad Gita, the struggles of the central protagonist Arjuna with Krishna are portrayed as a dialogue between Man and God. Arjuna despairs at his fate at having to kill his relatives during a time of war. It is the man Arjuna who is reticent about the violence while Krishna urges him on to do his dharma or purpose in life. "This is precisely Arjuna's dilemma: to conform to his inherent duty as a warrior and fight and by doing so slaughter his enemies that are also his kinsman, or to lay down his arms and disrupt the natural and social order" (xiv). The text of the Bhagavad Gita clearly….

Human Sacrifice in the Incan, Moche, And Wari Cultures
Peru's first known cultures date back to over 20,000 years ago, and have left strong marks on the country. One of the most important known groups is the Chavin civilization, one of the earliest in Peru, and also the first building culture. After the decline of the Chavin culture, several regional cultures emerged. The most famous are the Paracas and Nazca civilizations, whose legacy includes the mysterious Nazca Lines, among the highlights of Peru. Both of these civilizations are remembered for their great artistic and technological skills.

Farther north, the Moche people flourished over a relatively long period between 100 B.C and 850 A.D. Although they only gained control of a small portion of Peru, the Moche people's mastery of architectural and artistic techniques has made them one of the most influential cultures in the history of Peru. It is still possible to….

Art
"Sacrifice of Isaac" Analysis

This paper will focus upon Lorenzo Ghiberti and one of his artistic works called "Sacrifice of Isaac." The paper will provide a context within which to explain and evaluate this sculpture. eferencing art history, world history, and the artist's personal history, the paper will explore and analyze "Sacrifice of Isaac" as a seminal work of a famous artist that serves as a masterpiece representing the entire artistic movement at the time.

"Sacrifice of Isaac" was done in the International Gothic style This is a piece that was a part of the Early enaissance. It was made in the early 15th century. "Sacrifice of Isaac" is specifically supposed to depict Abraham sacrificing Isaac because God commanded him to do so. The piece contains Abraham, who is moments away from stabbing Isaac with a knife. There is an angel watching this from the sky or heaven above them. There are….

Important ceremonies required that the sacrifice be held down at top of a pyramid or raised altar "while a priest made an incision below the rib cage and ripped out the heart with his hands. The heart was then burned in order to nourish the gods" ("Mayan Religion"). Though only captives were sacrificed to the gods, bloodletting was also common practice among the Mayan aristocracy. Blood was drawn from various body parts, splattered onto paper, and burnt as an offering to the gods ("Mayan Religion").
The constant threat of war during the Classic Period, and the wars that erupted due to the tensions between the rival communities, eventually led to the downfall of the civilization. Subsequently, the cities in the southern lowlands fell to each other; each city's demise was recorded in the victorious city on stelae (Salinas). Violent warfare was meant to establish political control and secure resources. Theories….

In a culture that valued the accomplishments of its warriors in battle, the Aztecs needed a way to lift their greatest warriors up on a pedestal through a method that was understood by everyone in their society. They also needed a closely-guarded means of upward social mobility, which likely created a desire for Aztec warriors to perform well in battle, and gave them superior motivation to conquer their neighbors and survive as a cultural unit. Human sacrifice was a crucial part of the creation of iconography and the religious elite (Carrasco, 1999, pp. 23). Without this practice, it would have been extremely hard for the kings and high priests to exert social control on the culture, in the absence of an equivalent practice. Just as in the modern world, religion and social structure hold value in maintaining social order, and the Aztecs were no exception to this fact.

Warfare and Expansion

There….

Jackson and Lawrence
The Theme of Sacrifice in Jackson's "Lottery" and Lawrence's "Winner"

The theme of "sacrifice" is integral to the author's purpose in both "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and "The ocking-Horse Winner" by DH Lawrence. While the two authors use the idea of sacrifice in very different ways, the importance of sacrifice is clearly delineated. However, Jackson and Lawrence approach the theme from separate angles and with two very unique purposes in mind. This paper will examine the theme of "sacrifice" in each short story and show how it is used to convey the author's underlying message of the importance and value of Christian sacrifice.

In Jackson's "Lottery," sacrifice is arbitrary and random. Each year, an individual from the town is selected by lottery to be stoned. There is no sense, no reason given for the tradition -- other than that it is a tradition and must therefore be followed. One….

English Litreture
Responsibility, Obligation, Suffering and Sacrifice in James Joyce's Eveline

Eveline, by James Joyce, tells the story of a young woman with an unhappy life due to the responsibilities placed on her by others, as well as those she has placed on herself. Eveline's life is controlled and constrained by the responsibilities which have created obligations and suffering. Eveline's life has become inescapable, even when she has the chance to run away to Buenos Aires with the man she loves, she finds herself unable to run away from her responsibilities, accepting a life of obligation and suffering. Joyce appears to be showing the reader that responsibility causes suffering, and that despite the feeling of obligations, the suffering is eventually meaningless, bringing nothing but more misery.

Eveline is the story of a women reminiscing and reconsidering her decision to leave Dublin for a new life. Her life has not been happy, even in….

Harner quotes from Spanish sources on the witnessing of acts of human sacrifice and cannibalism, among the peoples of the Aztec culture. "Moreover every day they sacrificed before our eyes three, four, or five indians, whose hearts were offered to those idols and whose blood was plastered on the walls. The feet, arms, and legs of their victims were cut off and eaten, just as we east beef from the butcher's in our country." (120) This evidence may be compelling but like numerical estimates must be taken with a grain of salt as interpretive conquest literature is frequently peppered with "evidence" of the need to civilize and convert natives to Christianity. Harner relies heavily upon these sources and sites many such dialogues and diaries of the conquest population as reasonable evidence that such events were at the very least logical and frequent.

Harner closes his work with a discussion of the….

Self-sacrifice and self-Interest: Chapter 6
Major message: What is the major message of the chapter?

One of the most difficult dilemmas anyone can face is a "right vs. right" conflict. This is a conflict in which the individual must choose between two potentially beneficial outcomes and weigh the costs and benefits of both. The chapter provides guidance about how someone coping with an ethical dilemma can remain true to their core principles and negotiate the difficult territory of such a decision. A good example of this is the dilemma between truth and order, as manifested in the classical drama Antigone; Antigone wants to bury her brother; Creon wants her brother's body to be left unburied as an example to traitors. To answer such dilemmas in the decision-maker's own life requires a clear and deep understanding of his or values and personal truths. The chapter stresses that there are not singular, eternal and….

And they shall take of he blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it" (Exodus 12:5-7). The ultimate sacrifice was to give up the one thing that was most admired, their greatest possession in order to fulfill what they thought would be more important, forgiveness from their God and freedom from sin.
The word sacrifice entails a lot depending on what it is referring to. It is an ultimate personal casualty and the ultimate unselfish act by doing something that is in turn not in direct benefit for the self. From the religious beginning of man, to a play in a game, sacrifice is a term that will forever be intertwined in everyday life. This word has historical meaning as well as everyday implications.

eferences:

Sacrifice. (2005). In Book of Bible Quotations. etrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/bbq/sacrifice

Sacrifice. (2009). In Encyclopedia….

.....sacrament of the Eucharist epitomizes the concept of transubstantiation, in which the spirit and presence of Christ is revealed to believers in the recognizable and tangible form. God's transcendence becomes God's immanence, thereby initiating a process of spiritual transformation. As Cooke (1994) points out, the Eucharist sacrament must also take place within a community, allowing each individual to perceive Christ through other believers. The importance of community is embedded within the ritual of the Eucharist because it is an act of sacred communion -- implying community, gathering, and communication. Therefore, the concept of the Eucharist is rooted in the act of sharing, on one level Jesus sharing His body with the people and on another level the community sharing the Word with each other. Moreover, the Eucharist represents "the message of human life redeemed and transformed by the power of God working through the death and resurrection of Jesus the….

The experience of Christ is one of downward mobility. Christ is divine, but sacrificed all the inherent power of that divinity in order to save humanity. In spite of his divine nature, Christ “made himself nothing,” becoming human, and therefore fully willing to suffer and even to die (Philippians 2:7). Christ’s crucifixion becomes the ultimate symbol of that tremendous and unfathomable sacrifice. Faith in Christ is the most profound expression of the love of God, and through his sacrifice, Christ expresses a loving faith in the potential of humanity for salvation (“Cruciform, Faith, Hope, and Love,” p. 120). The downward mobility of Christ presents a lesson for believers. It is especially important to internalize the message of Christ’s sacrifice and the meaning of downward mobility as humility and surrender. Christians can remember the value of humility, of refusing to use power, wealth, or status to one’s own selfish advantage. Being equal….

Overpopulation is one of the biggest threats to the planet and to humanity. In poor nations where food rations are sparse, too many people can cause famines. Overpopulation contributes to environmental problems, health problems, and economical problems. However, overpopulation is a difficult crisis to deal with because the right to reproduce is ingrained in the human psyche. It would be unethical to invasively force sterilization on women or men. On the other hand, it is equally unethical to give up and do nothing. The recent discovery of the five-year birth control pill solves a slew of problems. First, it provides a contraceptive that is more reliable than condoms or the standard pill, for there is no room for human error. The pill is only taken once and the woman is protected for five years. Second, it offers a non-invasive method of contraception that can squelch the population growth on the….

Mother Teresa
When it comes to prominent religious figures throughout time, many people pay attention to the Pope and, for the most part, other men. However, there are many women that do and should stand out from the rest and Mother Theresa is one of those people. This brief report will be a chronicling of her life, her faith and her work over the course of her life. She has been gone from this earth, at least physically, for a good amount of time now but her legacy lives on. While many are dismissive of her contributions and/or some of the words she had to say, Mother Theresa has a permanent place etched in the history of the Christian church as well as world history in general.

Biography

As many are aware, Mother Teresa was a nun. She was the founder of what came to be known as the Order of the Missionaries,….

Essay: Understanding the Multifaceted Nature of Love Love, an emotion as ancient as humanity itself, has been a perennial topic of fascination, inspiration, and perplexity. Often considered the most profound and powerful of human emotions, love transcends mere feelings, influencing our actions, thoughts, and life choices. This essay explores the complexity and diversity of love, delving into its various forms and impacts on human life. At its core, love is an intense feeling of deep affection, a force that can forge unbreakable bonds and connections. It manifests in numerous forms - the unconditional love of a parent, the passionate love....

Part I: The Allegory of Freedom and Confinement

1. The Bird in the Gilded Cage: Exploring the Paradoxes of Liberty
- Dive into the complex interplays of freedom and confinement through the allegory of a bird in a gilded cage. Discuss how the bird's perceived freedom is juxtaposed against the limitations imposed by its gilded prison.

2. The Broken Winged Songbird: A Metaphor for Resilience in Adversity
- Examine the resilience of a bird with a broken wing, exploring how it finds strength and hope amidst adversity. Draw parallels to human experiences of overcoming challenges and finding beauty within brokenness.

3. Of Caged....

Lesser-Known but Fascinating Macbeth Essay Topics

While topics such as guilt, fate, and the supernatural are often explored in Macbeth essays, there are a plethora of lesser-known yet equally intriguing aspects of the play that warrant examination. Here are a few suggestions:

1. The Significance of Sleep and Dreams

In Macbeth, sleep and dreams play a pivotal role in foreshadowing events, revealing characters' inner turmoil, and underlining the play's themes of guilt and madness. An essay could delve into the symbolism of sleep and dream sequences, their impact on character development, and how they contribute to the play's overall atmosphere of suspense and....

1. Analyze Ethan Frome as a tragic hero, considering his flaws and the events that ultimately lead to his downfall.
2. Discuss the theme of isolation in Ethan Frome, exploring how characters such as Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie experience loneliness and alienation.
3. Compare and contrast the contrasting settings of Starkfield and the Frome household to illustrate the stifling atmosphere that permeates the novel.
4. Explore the role of fate and destiny in Ethan Frome, considering how the characters' choices and actions are ultimately determined by external forces.
5. Examine the theme of duty and responsibility in the novel, focusing on how Ethan's sense....