Apr 06 2012
∞
Feb 08 2012
∞
Oct 30 2010
∞
“ Autodidacte, il s’intéresse néanmoins aux Saintes Écritures et à force de se prosterner devant les icônes, son front porte la trace d’une callosité (Hyperkératose).
Sep 08 2010
∞
“ Stele of Sophytos For a long time the house of my ancestors had been thriving
when the unbeatable violence of the triple Fates destroyed it.
But I, Sophytos of the stock of Naratos, all together so small
and pitiably bereft of the support of my parents,
practiced the excellence of the Muses and The Shooter
mixed with noble prudence
and devised a way to build up my ancestral home again:
with fruit-bearing money taken from elsewhere,
I went away from home determined not to come back
until I acquired the greatest abundance of good things.
For this reason I went on merchant ships into many a city
and acquired sound and far-reaching wealth.
Surrounded by praise, I came back to my homeland after innumerable years,
and a delight I proved to be to my well-wishers.
And both the paternal house that was rotten
I made at once stronger out of new means
and, with the tomb having fallen to the ground, I built another one;
and while still alive I set up by the road this telling stele.
Would that my sons and grandchildren keep this house of mine so,
for I have accomplished these enviable deeds!
when the unbeatable violence of the triple Fates destroyed it.
But I, Sophytos of the stock of Naratos, all together so small
and pitiably bereft of the support of my parents,
practiced the excellence of the Muses and The Shooter
mixed with noble prudence
and devised a way to build up my ancestral home again:
with fruit-bearing money taken from elsewhere,
I went away from home determined not to come back
until I acquired the greatest abundance of good things.
For this reason I went on merchant ships into many a city
and acquired sound and far-reaching wealth.
Surrounded by praise, I came back to my homeland after innumerable years,
and a delight I proved to be to my well-wishers.
And both the paternal house that was rotten
I made at once stronger out of new means
and, with the tomb having fallen to the ground, I built another one;
and while still alive I set up by the road this telling stele.
Would that my sons and grandchildren keep this house of mine so,
for I have accomplished these enviable deeds!
Aug 16 2010
∞
“ Ces nouvelles découvertes contribuent à remarquer, par rapport à la question des influences stylistiques, un riche et multiple phénomène d’osmose dans l’ensemble des régions du Midi concernées par toute l’activité découlant des pèlerinages, de la mobilité des étudiants et des professeurs d’université, du déplacement des fonctionnaires et juristes qui constituaient le personnel de la Curie pontificale. On a pu en effet noter le caractère réciproque et interactif de ces influences et réfléchir profondément sur les problèmes de la culture méditerranéenne et de la circulation, entre ce bassin, d’artistes, d’œuvres et de schémas. Et ces premiers résultats montrent bien qu’Avignon, Toulouse, Montpellier et Barcelone furent certainement au XIVe siècle les grands pôles, les points nodaux de l’élaboration et du rayonnement de cette culture.
Jul 04 2010
∞
Does the Bible Really Call Homosexuality an “Abomination”?
Homosexuality is abomination. The Christian Right says so all the time, and non-religious LGBT activists say it too, to relegate religion to humanity’s dustheap. After all, isn’t that what it says in the Bible?
No—and progressive religionists should not use the word. It’s a mistranslation and a misconception, doing harm to LGBT people and religious people alike.
The word “abomination” is found, of course, in the King James translation of Leviticus 18:22, a translation which reads, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination.” Yet this is a thoroughly misleading rendition of the word toevah, which, while we may not know exactly what it means, definitely does not mean “abomination.” An “abomination” conjures up images of things which should not exist on the face of the earth: three-legged babies, oceans choked with oil, or Cheez-Whiz. And indeed, this is how many religious people regard gays and lesbians. It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.Homosexuality is unnatural, a perversion, a disease, an abomination.
Yet a close reading of the term toevah suggests an entirely different meaning: something permitted to one group, and forbidden to another. Though there is (probably) no etymological relationship, toevah means taboo.
Jun 10 2010
∞
“ Jewish communities from Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasus all have substantial genetic ancestry that traces back to the Levant; Ethiopian Jews and two Judaic communities in India are genetically much closer to their host populations.
May 29 2010
∞
“ Supposez que vous êtes sur le plateau d’un jeu télévisé, face à trois portes et que vous devez choisir d’en ouvrir une seule, en sachant que derrière l’une d’elles se trouve une voiture et derrière les deux autres des chèvres. Vous choisissez une porte, disons la numéro 1, et le présentateur, qui lui sait ce qu’il y a derrière chaque porte, ouvre une autre porte, disons la numéro 3, porte qui une fois ouverte découvre une chèvre. Il vous demande alors : « désirez-vous ouvrir la porte numéro 2 ? ». À votre avis, est-ce à votre avantage de changer de choix et d’ouvrir la porte 2 plutôt que la porte 1 initialement choisie ?
