Bible
a collection of texts sacred in Judaism and Christianity. It is an example of a collection of scriptures written at different times by different authors in different locations. Jews and Christians consider the Bible to be a product of divine inspiration or an authoritative record of the relationship between God and humans.
There is no single canonical "Bible": many Bibles have evolved, with overlapping and diverging contents. The Christian Old Testament overlaps with the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Septuagint; the Hebrew Bible is known in Judaism as the Tanakh. The New Testament is a collection of writings by early Christians, consisting of narratives, letters and apocalyptic writings. Among Christian denominations there is some disagreement about the contents of the canon, primarily in the Apocrypha, a list of works that are regarded with varying levels of respect.
Old Testament
the first section of the Christian Bible, based primarily upon the Hebrew Bible, a collection of religious writings by ancient Israelites. It is the counterpart to the New Testament, the second portion of the Christian Bible. The Old Testament canon varies between Christian Churches.
The Old Testament consists of many distinct books written, compiled, and edited by various authors over a period of centuries. It is not entirely clear at what point the parameters of the Hebrew Bible, the basis for the Christian Old Testament, were fixed.
The books of the Old Testament can be broadly divided into several sections:
1) the first five books or Pentateuch (Torah)
2) the history books telling the history of the Israelites, from their conquest of Canaan to their defeat and exile in Babylon
3) the poetic and "Wisdom" books dealing, in various forms, with questions of good and evil in the world
4) and the books of the biblical prophets, warning of the consequences of turning away from God.
Discussion
Original sin, also called ancestral sin, is the Christian doctrine of humanity's state of sin resulting from the fall of man, namely the sin of consuming from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, stemming from Adam's rebellion in Eden. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred to as a "sin nature", to something as drastic as total depravity or automatic guilt of all humans through collective guilt.
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| the sin of Adam and Eve |
The concept of original sin was first alluded to in the 2nd century by Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons in his controversy with certain dualist Gnostics. Other church fathers such as Augustine also developed the doctrine, seeing it as based on the New Testament teaching of Paul the Apostle(Romans 5:12–21 and 1 Corinthians 15:22) and the Old Testament verse ofPsalm 51:5. Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose and Ambrosiaster considered that humanity shares in Adam's sin, transmitted by human generation. Augustine's formulation of original sin was popular among Protestant reformers, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, who equated original sin with concupiscence, affirming that it persisted even after baptism and completely destroyed freedom. The Jansenist movement, which the Catholic Church declared to be heretical, also maintained that original sin destroyed freedom of will.
The
Story of Abraham and Sarah:
Once there was a man named Abram.
One day the
Lord came to talk to Abram, and Abram asked, "Who will have all my things
when I die". God promised Abram and his wife Sarai that one day they
would be parents, even though they were old and had no children. God
wasn't sure that Abram understood. So that night He took him outside, and
said, "Do you see all the stars that are in the sky"? When
Abram looked up, the whole night sky was full of stars, so many in fact
that he would never be able to count them. Then God said, "That is
how many children you will have".
Quite a few years later when Abram
was ninety-nine years old. the Lord
decided to change Abram's name to Abraham, which means "father of
many" He also changed Sarai's name to Sarah. God told them
again that they would be parents and that they would have a boy. This
time Abraham laughed so hard he fell on his face! It was hard to believe
that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age.
One day three
visitors came to Abraham's house. He hurried to meet them. "May I get you something to eat and drink?" Abraham
asked. "Please come in and join us, and have a rest on the
couch." The visitors agreed, so Abraham brought them some fresh
bread, milk, and hamburgers. While the visitors were eating, they asked
Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?" Abraham thought this was a
little strange, but he replied, "She's in the other
room". Then one of the men spoke and said, "I will come back to
see you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." Now Sarah
was listening behind the living room door. She started to laugh, but
covered her mouth and laughed to herself because she didn't want to be
heard. Then she said to herself, "How can I have a child, I'm almost
one hundred years old?" Later when the visitors had left,
Abraham and Sarah realized that the man who had told them this was indeed God.
A
year later Sarah did have a son. She and Abraham named him Isaac, which
means "he laughs." They were very excited, and remembered
to thank God for Isaac.
Fresco
a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly-laid, or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall. The word fresco is derived from the Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh", and may thus be contrasted with fresco-secco or secco mural painting techniques, which are applied to dried plaster, to supplement painting in fresco. The fresco technique has been employed since antiquity and is closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting.
Once there was a man named Abram.
One day three
visitors came to Abraham's house. He hurried to meet them. "May I get you something to eat and drink?" Abraham
asked. "Please come in and join us, and have a rest on the
couch." The visitors agreed, so Abraham brought them some fresh
bread, milk, and hamburgers. While the visitors were eating, they asked
Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?" Abraham thought this was a
little strange, but he replied, "She's in the other
room". Then one of the men spoke and said, "I will come back to
see you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." Now Sarah
was listening behind the living room door. She started to laugh, but
covered her mouth and laughed to herself because she didn't want to be
heard. Then she said to herself, "How can I have a child, I'm almost
one hundred years old?" Later when the visitors had left,
Abraham and Sarah realized that the man who had told them this was indeed God. 
Christmas day sharing (story & song)
A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas
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| First edition cover |
commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. A Christmas Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation into a gentler, kindlier man after visitations by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.
The book was written at a time when the British were examining and exploring Christmas traditions from the past as well as new customs such as Christmas cards and Christmas trees. Carol singing took a new lease on life during this time. Dickens' sources for the tale appear to be many and varied, but are, principally, the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.
# A Christmas Carol remains popular—having never been out of print—and has been adapted many times to film, stage, opera, and other media.
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| movie version |
David Copperfield, which full tittle is The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (Which He Never Meant to Publish on Any Account) is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published as a serial in 1849–50, and as a book in 1850. Many elements of the novel follow events in Dickens' own life, and it is probably the most autobiographical of his novels. In the preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens wrote, "like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield."
Song: Have yourself a merry little Christmas (Sam Smith)
From: "Meet me in St.Louise" (movie)
a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904.
No Strings Attached
a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Natalie Portmanand Ashton Kutcher. Written by Elizabeth Meriwether, the film is about two friends who decide to make a pact to have "no strings attached" casual sex without falling in love with each other. The film was released in the United States and Canada on January 21, 2011.
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