Latest news with #OldTestament
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Knitted Bible scenes go on display in St Nicholas Church, Sturry
A knitted Bible depicting 36 stories from the Old and New Testament has gone on display at a church in tableaux of hand crafted knitted figures including the lost sheep, and Jonah being eaten by the whale were created by the congregation of St George`s Church in Hartlepool, County Durham in 2008 and are now loaned out to other have now arrived at St Nicolas`Church in Sturry near Canterbury. The tableaux are on display at the church daily from noon until 16:00 BST until 3 August. Each multi-character scene depicts one story and has an explanation board and a prayer warden Jane Freeman said: "When I brought this proposal to the church council thinking that, no, they won't want this because it's a little strange, much to my surprise they said they would go with it."Ms Freeman has arranged them to fit in with the architecture of the church."We have the south aisle with the New Testament stories and the north aisle with the Old Testament and the chancel area with Jesus` birth, death and resurrection, and then John the Baptist by the font." Rev Lucy Sullivan, associate chaplain at King's School in Canterbury, delivered Sunday's service from behind a tiny knitted Last said: "I hope the congregation see that the Gospel and the words of Scripture are alive and living today and I know that organisers are hoping to welcome lots of new visitors this week." Martin Pilgrim, who helped bring the knitted Bible to Kent, said: "I was expecting it to be pages of script knitted and crocheted and then discovered it was this wonderful exhibition of tableaux."I was bowled over by the care and love that's gone into making it and the way is depicts stories and scenes that people can relate to."
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
The end of an error
The Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case from 2006, when bombs ripped through the Western Suburban Railway, killing 189 people and injuring 800 others. A special bench of Justices Anil S Kilor and Shyam C Chandak observed that the prosecution 'utterly failed' to prove their case. Their convictions were quashed and set aside. More embarrassingly for the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, the court was scathing about the lapses in the investigation, noting, 'Creating a false appearance of having solved a case by presenting that the accused have been brought to justice gives a misleading sense of resolution.' To put a time frame in perspective, one of the falsely accused in the Mumbai train blasts case was arrested when his daughter was six months old. He's been released when she's in college. Meanwhile, the actual perpetrators of this terrorist act roam free. The families of the victims must endure the frustration of being denied closure, yet again. This was a high-profile case with intense media scrutiny and public pressure. One naively believes the authorities would leave nothing to chance while zeroing in on the culprits. Which is what makes it so much more frightening that despite all that focussed attention, the wrong people were incarcerated. It sends shivers down one's spine to think how justice is arrived at in less important matters in India — and how many people may be languishing in jails for crimes they didn't commit. Some situations are too tragic to fully comprehend, but it's clear these men have been through a surreal, never-ending nightmare that's harder to process, because it's the state that's inflicted the damage. Their free-falling ordeal is eerily reminiscent of Franz Kafka's 1925 masterpiece The Trial, where a man stands accused of a crime he can't recollect and whose nature is never revealed to him. Unlike Kafka's ill-fated protagonist who's executed in an abandoned quarry, these men have survived, but it's not like life is going to be all peaches and cream going forward. Much like the terrorising bureaucracy in The Trial that wields absolute power over the condemned individual, these exonerated men have been dehumanised. Being marked in public memory means they'll be tested, over and over again. Labels like 'terrorist' are tough to shake off. Resurrecting an identity and career, catching up on the changes in the world in two decades, presents considerable challenges. Criminal justice failures capture our imaginations because they speak so profoundly to the human condition, to fundamental questions about punishment, ambition and ethics. Throughout history, in mythology and in reality, there have been people who couldn't get a fair trial. Think of Joseph in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New. Believers make sense of a bad hand by dividing the Universe into halves of heaven and hell. Contemplating karmic retribution and ancient Biblical proverbs, that declare a day of Judgment when an all-knowing God will prevail, is one way of finding solace in a confusingly unjust world. Then there are those who imagine the Universe has a third layer, earth, that contains elements of both, beauty and terror. Injustice is a recurring theme in philosophical inquiry and art-form. The beautifully executed The Shawshank Redemption (1994) explores what it takes to keep hope alive when faced with a murder rap. The iconic line, Get busy living or get busy dying reflects stoicism; when life is spiralling out of control, all we can do is control our reaction to it. There are no satisfying answers to why so many innocent people are tossed around by twists in destiny. It's a sobering thought that everybody's more vulnerable when a morally bankrupt government is in charge. The writer is director, Hutkay Films
L'Orient-Le Jour
21-07-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Rai: Diaspora voting for only 6 MPs instead of all 128 'form of exclusion'
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai took a stand on Sunday during a Mass in Anaya, in the heights of Jbeil, in favor of Lebanese expatriates voting for all 128 members of Parliament, rather than for six additional MPs elected exclusively by the diaspora. During a Mass celebrating Saints Charbel and Elias, the head of the Maronite Church argued that Article 112 of the electoral law, which provides for these six extra seats, "annuls the right of Lebanese abroad to vote in their original constituencies" and constitutes a "violation of the Constitution and the principle of equality." The Mass took place at the Saint Maron Monastery, in the presence of the head of state, Joseph Aoun, his wife Nemat and several political leaders. Patriarch's meeting with prime minister yesterday Salam received by Rai Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri blocked on June 30 an amendment to the electoral law that would have allowed the diaspora to elect the 128 MPs in their original constituencies, as was the case in 2018 and 2022, rather than six parliamentarians specifically for emigrants. Lebanese expatriates had a significant influence on the overall results in the 2022 elections, which saw the election of approximately a dozen MPs from the substantial 2019 protest movement. 'Contrary to equality principle' between Lebanese residents, expatriates "While Lebanon faces existential threats, we are now witnessing divisions among political leaders concerning Article 112 of the current electoral law, which was suspended in the 2018 and 2022 polls," Rai said in his homily. He argued that "the creation of six constituencies reserved for expatriates goes against the principle of equality between residents and emigrants, guaranteed by the Constitution." In Rai's view, "limiting expatriates to six parliamentary seats undermines their connection with their homeland and their families and deprives them of participating in political life. What we see in Article 112 is a form of exclusion." He called for "Lebanese from the diaspora to be able to vote freely based on their original constituencies," thus urging the abolition of Article 112. 'Few words, many deeds' Addressing the president, Rai said that his "visit to the tomb of Saint Charbel is a sign of hope. Lebanon needs leaders like Saints Charbel and Elias: few words, many deeds." "Your presence today confirms that Lebanon, despite everything, remains built upon two fundamental pillars: God and his saints. We pray that God grants you patience and wisdom to lead Lebanon, which is currently going through a delicate and challenging period, requiring deep reflection to overcome. You believe in it and you work for it," he continued. Saint Charbel, born Youssef Makhlouf, was a 19th-century Maronite monk and priest. He is celebrated on the third Sunday of July by the Maronite Church and on July 24 by the Latin Church. He is among the most venerated and popular saints in Lebanon. Saint Elias, meanwhile, commemorates the Old Testament prophet Elijah every July 20.
Roya News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
Catholic Church in Jordan marks annual pilgrimage to Mar Elias shrine
The Catholic Church in Jordan held its annual pilgrimage to the Mar Elias shrine in Ajloun on Friday, marking 25 years since Christian pilgrimages began to the site, one of the kingdom's key religious destinations. A special mass was led by Bishop William Shomali, with priests and worshippers from across the region attending at the Lestib site, associated with the prophet Elijah from the Old Testament. The event included prayers for peace and tributes to King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein for their efforts in promoting stability. Father Rafat Bader called for prayers for victims of the wars in Gaza and Damascus. Bishop Shomali emphasized faith and humility in his sermon, while Father Manuel Bader reflected on his 60 years of priesthood. The event concluded with thanks from Father Salam Haddad to the supporting institutions.
Epoch Times
17-07-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
William F. Albright: The Father of Biblical Archaeology
William Foxwell Albright (1891–1971) was born to financially modest American Methodist missionaries in Coquimbo, Chile. His life as a child was anything but easy for various reasons. He grew up under tight budgetary constraints, in a country not his own, combined with poor eyesight and a crippled left hand due to a farming accident. These issues often made him the brunt of jokes among the local schoolchildren. Albright, however, was a voracious reader and inquisitive thinker, and his affinity for ancient history led him to become known as the father of Biblical archaeology. As a constant reader and growing up in a minister's home, he was thoroughly acquainted with the Old Testament. These ancient stories inspired him to study the history of the ancient Near East. When he was 10, his parents bought him R.W. Rogers's 'History of Babylonia and Assyria,' which left a lasting impact. Becoming a Scholar
