The central structure consists of a hemispherical dome (anda) on a base, with a relic chamber deep within. The dome symbolizes, among other things, the dome of heaven enclosing the earth. It is surmounted by a squared railing (harmika) that can be said to represent the world mountain. A...
Activities of the elect angels were explored to the limited extent they are mentioned in Scripture. Following that, we covereld the fall of angels in their rebellion against God under the influence of Satan, and the results of that rebellion, both immediately and eventually. We have been ...
scriptureLe Miroir de humaine saluation(“The Mirror of Human Salvation”) by Ludolf of Saxony (supposed author), c. 1455; the French manuscript is an example of western European Christian scripture written in the vernacular. TheNew Testamentis by far the shorter portion of the Christian Bible...
Samael is first mentioned in thepseudepigraphal(not included in any canon of scripture) text theFirst Book of Enoch. In contrast to the preeminent status that later texts ascribe to him, the Samael who appears in this ancient text (some portions of the text date to 167bce) is one of sev...
feast is the kingship of Christ, and the theologicalimplicationis that the Ascension was the final redemptive act conferring participation in the divine life on all who are members of Christ. In other words, Christ “was lifted up into heaven so that he might make us partakers of his God...
of religious beliefs, phenomena, and practices,seeangel and demon;ceremonial object;covenant;creed;dietary law;doctrine and dogma;dualism, religious;eschatology;ethics;evil, problem of;feast;Five Ways, the;heaven;hell;Last Judgment;meditation;millennialism;miracle;monasticism;Moon worship;mysticism;myth;...
Since there seem to be echoes of Classical concepts in Scripture, it is not surprising that Christian theologians appropriated them in order to explicate the meaning of Christian affirmations. Two notions in particular played important roles: logos theology and preexistence. Logos theology, which was...