Book Description
As a happily married husband and proud father of a nine–year–old son, the last thing attorney Will Chambers wants on his hands is a religious apocalypse.
Will defends a Christian convert from Islam against charges of causing a religious riot. When the attorney next hears from his client, Gilead Amahn, the self–styled prophet is under arrest. The top of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount has been bombed into rubble, and Amahn is accused of having incited—by his fiery street preaching—a terrorist cult to do it.
Now the lawyer must uncover both the evidence and the key truth about his client’s “mission.” And further, Will must also make a final judgment about his role as a husband, a father...and a man.
Customer Reviews:
Move over John Grisham!.......2005-11-02
I just finished this book, after reading the entire series over the past few months (this one was the last of the series) and it was by far Craig Parshall's best! I loved how he wove all the characters together with heart-stopping episodes that made your blood pressure rise and fall constantly. I just never thought Christians would ever get to read any 'high-calibur' fiction books. What a way to spend a rainy afternoon! It just goes to show that God DOES give good gifts to His! Craig Parshall is an extremely gifted writer! I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK - BUT ONLY IF YOU START WITH THE 1ST ONE OF THE SERIES. You will need to do this to understand each book and their characters, thereafter.
Judgment on The Last Judgment.......2005-07-15
I appreciated the author's plot, but getting around in it is laborious. Characters are thinly developed, and with a plot that should create suspense, it just isn't there. Read this when you are wide awake!
A work of suspenseful drama infused with values and truths.......2005-05-02
Craig Parshall has created a fitting finale for his "Chambers of Justice" series in this fifth book. THE LAST JUDGMENT incorporates all of the elements that made us wish this series would continue indefinitely: mature and likeable characters, topical timeliness, and electrifying courtroom drama, all built on a firm, Biblical foundation of values and truths. Historical detail about the cults and offshoots of ancient religions help put current events into perspective. In addition, Parshall's skilled descriptions deftly transport the reader from the midst of Mideast mayhem to tropical island nations to the Oval Office without ever losing the thread of the story.
Long a champion of lost causes, Will Chambers is called upon to defend a young Christian convert against charges of terrorism. Will had first met Hass-an Gilead Amahn when he was accused of inciting a riot at a Muslim convention. Having successfully defended him against those charges, Will was drawn to the second case against his better judgment and against the pleading of his wife, Fiona, who had just lost her Father and did not want her husband traveling to the Middle East, putting himself in harm's way. But, as a man of God, Will believed he was called to defend Gilead just as Gilead believed he had been called to preach to his former countrymen. When the Dome of the Temple Mount was destroyed, while Gilead preached, the fallout threatened more than the fragile peace talks between Israel and Palestine.
Over the years, Will has gained the loyalty of many who are now more than eager to help him as he faces the most difficult challenge of his career. While not scriptural, you might say that Will is the recipient of some really good karma! Friends like private investigator Tiny Heftland, newsman Jack Hornby, and Special Forces hero Caleb Marlowe are people who we would all like to know and be able to count on if we got into a jam. And Will's old nemesis, Warren Mullburn, is back with another evil scheme designed to increase his wealth and power while dealing a death-blow to Christianity and the Israelis. Mullburn has power that goes beyond his corporate holdings and his island's political sanctuary. He personifies evil with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It is rousing good fun to watch our hero take him on in the courtroom and to see him squirm as he is hoisted on his own petard.
Fans of the series will recognize faithful friends and treacherous enemies from previous stories, but the book easily stands alone as an outstanding work of suspense, courtroom drama, and diligent research. Like saying goodbye to an old friend, we hope that we will meet again. If you have never read any of Craig Parshall's books, I recommend you begin with the first in the series, THE RESURRECTION FILE.
--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding, a substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ who wanted to be Brenda Starr before life intervened. She reviews for www.bookreporter.com and www.womenonwriting.com. (...)
`The Last Judgment' for Chambers of Justice Series.......2005-04-19
From a spiritual perspective, Jerusalem's Temple Mount intersects three different religions - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
According to Genesis 22, under the golden Dome of the Rock, Abraham tried to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. Generations later, King David built an altar upon the same rock to stop the plague. His son Solomon built the first temple that was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar on this site. Without question, the Temple Mount is the foundation stone of Judeo-Christian tradition.
But the religion of Islam also lays claim to the Temple Mount. When the Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 1638, it set the stage for the first mosque to be built there. In fact, the Temple Mount is regarded as third in importance to Muslims, after Mecca and Medina.
The confluence of the three religions on such a small plot of land in such a holy city has led to centuries inflicted with hatred-fueled conflict.
Such an undercurrent serves as the focal point of Craig Parshall's new legal thriller "The Last Judgment", from Harvest House Publishers. In this, the fifth and final installment of his Chambers of Justice series, Parshall departs the breezy summer environs of North Carolina's Outer Banks ("Missing Witness") and takes attorney Will Chambers to the spiritual epicenter of Jerusalem.
Older and wiser, Chambers is doing his best to settle into a quiet suburban lifestyle filled with school sporting events, recitals, and spending more time with his wife and son. The last thing on his mind is taking on a religious case that has apocryphal implications.
But that is exactly what happens. Chambers makes the decision to defend a young Christian converted from Islam who is charged with staging a religious riot in the United States. With the case settled, Chambers does not hear from the young man again until he receives a call from Jerusalem. His client, Gilead Ahman, has been charged with bombing the Temple Mount into a pile of rubble and stone. At issue is whether Ahman has enlisted a terrorist cult to assist him in the Temple Mount's destruction or did he act alone.
Now Chambers must figure out whether his client is on a mission for God, for Allah, or none of the above. Further complicating matters is a wife at home who wants him to have no part in the case.
At the book's core, Parshall effectively explains why the Temple Mount is such a valuable piece of real estate in a world racing forward toward the end times.
"I really believe that Jerusalem is the future," explained Parshall, in a recent interview on CBN.com. "It is the future of the United States, it's the global future, and it is also the future of the Christian church. If we lose sight of its importance in God's grand scheme of things than we really forget why Jerusalem is so special and why it is at the heart of God. Evangelicals can differ on timelines and the eschatology but we all agree on one thing ... that is Jesus is coming again and Jerusalem will play an integral part in that. To forget that means we really forget to read the signs of the times."
Readers of the Chambers of Justice series will find a more seasoned Will Chambers both professionally and spiritually in "The Last Judgment". It has been refreshing to see the evolution of his faith, a process of spiritual maturity that culminates with some hard choices to be made in the face of cataclysmic events.
"I challenged myself to show growth and change in him (Will Chambers)," Parshall said. "In my first book he comes to the Lord. He is about as unsaved as you can get. He is a man in turmoil, whose life is literally unraveling. In book two, he is trying to figure out how to integrate his faith into the workplace. In book three, his spirituality grows in a world view sense. The fourth book is more of a fun story but Will grows in his relationship with Fiona (his wife) as well as his priorities as a father. In this book, Will learns about sacrifice and the calling of obedience."
Parshall has made sure to include many of the colorful characters that have accompanied Chambers on his many previous adventures fighting for justice. Along for the ride this time are pilot Tex Rhoady, vindictive scientist Orville Putrie, and his reclusive mentor Len Redgrove.
"These were characters I really liked," said Parshall. "I didn't want to say goodbye to these people. A long time before writing "The Last Judgment" I decided that a lot of these characters I somehow wanted to bring back and give them a last curtain call."
"The Last Judgment" concludes in a hail of gunfire, explosions, and top secret aircraft. When the last gun has been fired and the last bomb has been thrown, readers are left with a man, his faith, and the knowledge that Will Chambers made a difference in the lives of many.
Ultimately, this is a book that delves into the sometimes tense relationship between Christianity and Islam. In the books' 428 pages, Parshall probes many critical issues, politically and religiously, that may be addressed in the not too distant future.
I highly recommend "The Last Judgment" for several reasons. First, Parshall tackles an issue (the contentious nature of the Temple Mount) he is very passionate about with aplomb. Second, as he has done so eloquently in previous Chambers of Justice offerings, he writes fresh, compelling narrative with mass market appeal. Finally, Craig Parshall is a master at weaving morality into the narrow, litigious margins of the courtroom.
If you haven't done so already, do yourself a favor today and pick up a copy of "The Last Judgment".
Book Description
In The Last Things Donald G. Bloesch takes up difficult and sometimes controversial themes such as the coming of the kingdom of God, the return of Jesus Christ, the life hereafter, the millennial hope, the final judgment, hell, heaven, purgatory and paradise. Wrestling with biblical texts that often take metaphorical form, Bloesch avoids rationalistic reductionism as well as timid agnosticism. While he acknowledges mystery and even paradox, Bloesch finds biblical revelation much more than sufficient to illuminate the central truths of a Christian hope articulated throughout the history of the church. The Last Things is not just a review of past Christian eschatology but a fresh articulation of the grace and glory of God yet to be consummated. The triumph of the grace of Jesus Christ and the dawning of hope beckon us to reach out in the power of the Spirit to receive that blessed future and the promise to renew the life of the church universal today.
Customer Reviews:
The Last Volume is on the Last Things........2004-12-21
This is another great contribution to Bloesch's theology of Word and Spirit. It is his last volume but certainly not his best. Divergent traditions are assessed for contributions they make and errors they espouse relating to the end times. The author surfaces some controversial areas at the beginning of the book, moves on to a discussion of supernatural powers (demons, angels), and then analyzes eschatological events like the day of the Lord, millennial views, (the rapture is rejected by Bloesch) and the resurrection. Many in the evangelical camp will be disappointed by Bloesch's emphasis upon the communion of saints, including the benefits of mutual communication by prayer, and the possibility of salvation after death. While not a Universalist, the author moves close to Barth and emphasized the ultimate triumph of God's grace beyond the grave. At times the book reads more like a polemic for his position on these areas than a theological discussion flavoring also the chapters on the Interim State and the Triumph of Grace.
Bloesch's binary perspective and explanation of issues continues in this volume. Familiarity with a multiplicity of traditions and scholars is a strength of Bloesch's work and this volume is no exception. Current trends including Open Theism are addressed and Bloesch is not afraid to state his own views clearly; points that make this book worth the read. In the end, Bloesch is strongest in matters Christological rather than eschatological.
Theology and Hope.......2004-10-12
THE LAST THINGS is the seventh and final volume of Donald Bloesch's CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS series. As I've said before, this is a unique systematic theology. Most systematic theologies provide extensive discussions of biblical concepts and the history of theology. CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS is different in that, while the Bible is discussed, much of the work consists of the interaction by Prof. Bloesch with other thinkers and schools of thought. Prof. Bloesch is something of an evangelical centrist of a Reformed persuasion, so you can see how a centrist interacts with more liberal and more conservative thinkers.
THE LAST THINGS concerns what is often called general eschatology ("bible prophecy") and individual eschatology (what happens to people after they die). Prof. Bloesch is always interesting and irenic. For example, he takes the position that there is the opportunity for conversion after death, based on the passages in the Bible which describe Jesus preaching to the dead (such as I Peter 3 & Eph. 4). Of course, these verses are difficult to interpret (some take them to mean merely that Jesus preached to those who had since died or were "spiritually dead") and a one-volume work such as Donald Guthrie's NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY has a more in-depth discussion of these passages.
In spite of its limitations, Prof. Bloesch's CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS makes for rewarding reading, but is not a substitute for more "foundational" studies of Christian theology.
Average customer rating:
|
Michelangelo's 'Last Judgment' (Masterpieces of Western Painting)
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Michelangelo
| Painters, A-Z
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Renaissance
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Italy
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Renaissance
| Italy
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Jacques-Louis David's 'Marat' (Masterpieces of Western Painting)
-
Italian Baroque and Rococo Architecture
ASIN: 0521783682 |
Book Description
This book is about the creation of an acknowledged masterpiece and its wildly mixed reception by contemporaries. The Last Judgment was created at a moment of crisis when the spirit of Renaissance humanism was recoiling from the sense of a new threat within the church, as defections of the faithful to the new Protestant sects multiplied across Europe. Seen in this context, the examination of the fresco will be of interest to historians, historians of religion and of art.
Average customer rating:
- A "must" for all Michelangelo enthusiasts and scholars.
|
Sun-Symbolism and Cosmology in Michelangelo's "Last Judgment" (Sixteenth Century Essays & Studies, V. 46)
Valerie Shrimplin
Manufacturer: Truman State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Michelangelo
| Painters, A-Z
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Medieval
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
European
| Regional
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0943549655 |
Book Description
This volume sheds new light on the celebrated Italian artist and fresco. Art historians long have noted the circular composition around the figure of Christ, yet no satisfactory explanation has ever been offered. Here, against the background of the Renaissance, the author uses art historical methods with an interdisciplinary approach to resolve the meaning of the fresco's iconography and circular composition.
Through a fresh examination of sources, Shrimplin addresses the unusual and innovative features of Michelangelo's work. She weaves common threads between the Neoplatonic cult of sun symbolism, literary sources in Dante, Copernicus' theory of heliocentricity, and the Catholic Reformation revival of the traditional Christian analogy between the Deity and the Sun. She suggests a new biblical source for the fresco as well as the broader implications of her hypothesis.
Written in a clear, effective style, Sun Symbolism and Cosmology in Michelangelo's "Last Judgment" contains some strikingly acute observations, careful examination of a wide range of both primary and secondary sources, an ambitious methodology, significant new research, and interesting conclusions.
Customer Reviews:
A "must" for all Michelangelo enthusiasts and scholars........2000-09-04
Michelangelo's famous painting "Last Judgement" is arguably one of the most important works ever created in the history of Western art. It is also the subject of Valerie Shrimplin's strikingly acute and original observations as she careful examines a wide range of both primary and secondary sources employing a comprehensive methodology, developing significant new research, and reaching fascinating and insightful conclusions respecting the cosmological symbolisms employed by Michelangelo. Sun Symbolism and Cosmology in Michelangelo's "Last Judgement" is an impressive work of considerable originality and scholarship, an invaluable and fascinating contribution to the study of Michelangelo's work and thought as representing by a single, major, and enduringly influential artistic achievement.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent treatise on the afterlife.......2003-03-15
This theological treatise by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange is excellent! He deals with the immensity of the soul in the first section of the book. Then he devotes a section each to death and judgment, hell, purgatory, and heaven. He explains each aspect in great depth, though in a manner fairly easy to understand. He deals with questions that should be of interest to most Catholics; for example, the question of charity for the souls in purgatory, the nature of the joys of heaven, etc.
I highly recommend this book for helping to understand the theology regarding the afterlife, as well as for helping to focus one's thoughts on our goal, union with God in heaven.
A most profound and arresting treatise on the "last things"........1996-09-25
EVERLASTING LIFE is a most profound and arresting
theological treatise on the "last things" according to
Christian revelation: death, judgment, heaven, hell, and
purgatory. Written by the theologian who was the dissertation
director for Pope John Paul II's doctoral work in spiritual
theology on the doctrine of St. John of the Cross, it
continues the author's habit of synthesizing the tradition of
the Church within the light of the teaching of St. Thomas
Aquinas. It is perhaps the simplest yet most theologically
lucid introduction to the Church's teaching on these matters.
Customer Reviews:
Very pleased.......2002-06-06
I have read alot of catholic books in the past 3-4 yrs, and Mr. Martin's book is the most inspirational one I've read in a while. Besides much research (I personally enjoy the footnote information), I was very moved by the last 2 chapters; Hell, followed by heaven.
There is one point in the chapter on Judgement that went on a bit longer than I found needful, utilizing a story from another writer, O'Connor. I may've missed his point there, but got bored with that part and skipped over it!
I was glad the chapter on hell was placed before that of Heaven. I recommend this book to anyone who has lost the focus of their hearts on God, and our "home" with Him, (or without!)
3.5 Stars: Very good review, but difficult to read..........2002-04-06
Regis Martin covers an incredibly important subject very well. There are many quotes from famous and not-so-famous people intermixed with his own observations. Always orthodox Catholic viewpoints. However, his writing is somewhat convoluted and not very straightforward. This characteristic and the heavy use of footnotes makes the book difficult to read. Excellent choice for research but not necessarily for those looking for a quick review of the subject.
Conservative Roman Catholic presentation of eschatology.......2000-12-13
This work discusses the traditional "4 last things"of death, judgment, hell and heaven from a Roman Catholic perspective, for readers without a background in theology, but willing to wade through a heavy topic. The author draws on Catholic 20th c. poets and many other literary sources, but has no sympathy for any of the divergent theological positions even within his own tradition. This is a good readable presentation but it has an idealogical edge that will turn off liberal Catholics, many Protestants and almost all secular readers.
A farrago of quotations, connected by a tissue of exposition.......2000-08-27
I resubmit my review, to link with my current list.
In fact, I bought this book on recommendation, thinking that it actually was a book of quotations. The quotes are interesting, mostly, but the heavy use of them as padding ill-commends Dr. Martin's authority to write on these subjects. Pedantic and unsatisfying.
This book changed my life.......2000-04-10
Far from a morbid preoccupation with death, this book offers fascinating insight into life. Filled with wit, humor and most importantly scholarship, Dr Martin through his book, has provided me with a new understanding of The Four Last Things.
Customer Reviews:
David Wilkerson has totally misrepresented a loving, merciful, and graceful God...........2005-08-14
God is a good God! He isn't mad at us. He not only loves us, He likes us! He will never leave us nor forsake us, no matter how badly we miss it. His love is unconditional. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness!
These are radical statements! They go contrary to the typical Christian teaching concerning God. Usually God is represented as stern, angry, and ready to get us for the slightest misstep. This leads to conclusions and attitudes about God that hinder an intimate relationship with Him.
There are reasons for the Lord being represented harshly. In the Old Testament, the Lord vented His anger and judgment often and in devastating ways. There was Noah's flood; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; a death angel killed all the first born of Egypt in one night; an angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night; and on and on the list goes. There is no doubt our God is a holy God who hates sin and demands justice.
But there is also the portrait of God that Jesus painted through His teachings and actions. He showed mercy on the worst of sinners. He associated with publicans and harlots. The only people to receive His harsh rebukes were religious hypocrites. And His ultimate action of dying for our sins proved beyond any doubt that He came to save, not condemn the world.
How does this fit with the Old Testament view of the harshness and severity of God? Is God schizophrenic? Does He sometimes love us and other times hate us? How can we have a healthy relationship with someone who changes His moods frequently?
These are questions that present a dilemma keeping many people at arm's length from the Lord. The vast majority of people KNOW there is a God. They just don't know how to relate to Him. They are confused because there have been confusing signals sent to them, often by the church.
A minister will say that it was the Lord who sovereignly killed a baby and in the next breath ask if anyone wants to serve this GOOD GOD. We are told that God won't answer the prayer of anyone in sin, yet we are told that we all sin. Where does that leave us?
Without a prayer!
There is a simple answer to these questions and a harmony between the wrath and mercy of God. God is not schizophrenic. There is one true nature of God clearly represented in the Word and that is LOVE! First John 4:8 says,
"...God is love."
He doesn't just love at times. Love is the nature of God! Jesus gave us the greatest representation of the true nature of God ever presented. But what about the harshness of God's judgments in the Old Testament? Many expect God's mercies when we do well, but what about when we sin?
God placed our sin on Jesus and punished Him in our place. God satisfied His own demands for justice, not by punishing us but by punishing His Son in our place. This wasn't a partial payment for our sins, conditional on our holiness being added to it. It was a total payment that leaves us with nothing to do except believe and receive or doubt and do without.
Jesus' payment for our sins forever changed our relationship with the Father. If Jesus had made His sacrifice for sins in the Old Testament, then we wouldn't have seen the wrath of God vented as recorded in the Old Testament scriptures.
Here's an example. In 2 Kings 1, Elijah called fire down from heaven and killed 102 soldiers who had come to arrest him. Jesus' disciples asked to do the same thing and cited Elijah as their example. Jesus rebuked them for even thinking about such an act, saying,
"Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them..." (Lk. 9:55-56)
Jesus rebuked His disciples for trying to follow Elijah's example. This shows that if Jesus had been present on the earth in His role as Messiah, Elijah's act of judgment wouldn't have happened.
There is a difference between the way God dealt with mankind under the Old Covenant and the way He deals with mankind under the New Covenant. One of the biggest problems in the church today is a failure to understand these differences. Before the sacrifice of Jesus there was harsh judgment. It wasn't because the Lord desired to punish us. His nature has always been love. But there was a price that had to be paid for sin, and until that price was paid by Jesus, He had to do something to restrain sin.
It's similar to the way we train our children. If you wait until your child is twenty years old and can comprehend exactly what you say before you begin disciplining him, you and the child will be in big trouble. A child has to be restrained from doing wrong from a very young age. At one or two years old, a child may not understand that it is the devil tempting him to take his sibling's toys. But he can understand, "If you do that again, you are going to get a spanking." He may not comprehend the issues of heaven and hell, but when the devil tempts him with covetousness, he will say "NO!" because of the fear of a spanking.
Likewise, before the new birth, the Lord restrained the amount of sin in the earth through enforcing the strict Old Testament law by harsh judgments. This put the fear of God in men, but. . .
"...fear has torment." (1 Jn. 4:18)
Although the amount of sin may have decreased by those under the law, the sin they did commit became more exceedingly sinful and damaging to their lives through the law (Rom. 7:8-13). Therefore, the law wasn't God's best, or first, way of dealing with sin. Prior to the time God gave the law through Moses, God didn't impute men's sins unto them. That means He wasn't holding men's sins against them or, as the word impute literally means, God wasn't putting men's sins on their account. Romans 5:13 says,
"Until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law."
Men were sinning, and that sin was destroying their lives. God didn't want to punish them. He was willing to show them mercy, in a sense on credit, looking forward to the sacrifice of His own Son for their sins. But men began to take the lack of God's judgment as approval.
This can be clearly seen with Cain and his descendants. Cain killed his brother Abel (Gen. 4). Instead of punishment, God extended mercy toward Cain, even putting a mark on his forehead to warn others that God was protecting him. But Cain's great-great-grandson, Lamech, interpreted this as approval of Cain's murder. Lamech killed a man in self-defense and therefore felt more justified in his killing than Cain was. He said,
"If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold." (Gen. 4:24)
God didn't say that. Lamech said that. Lamech was being presumptuous because of God's lack of punishment upon Cain. Therefore, mankind began to move so far away from a proper standard of holiness that if God had not intervened there wouldn't have been a virgin left from whom Jesus could've been born.
As Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 10:12,
"...but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not wise."
This has always been the case. If one gets by with sin, others will be emboldened to commit more sin. So, before the Lord could produce the new birth where He came to live within us and guide us through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, He placed external restraints on sin that even lost people could understand. "You sin and you die." That's the way it was. Not because that's the way God really wanted it to be, but sin had to be restrained until Jesus' atoning sacrifice could be made.
God's lack of punishment on sin had also led to a total loss of a true standard of right and wrong. Men compared themselves with others so often and for so long that no one knew what God originally intended. Something had to be done.
Therefore, God gave the law, but not because it was His best. He could have given the law to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they first transgressed, but He waited 2000 years until the time of Moses. That's because the law had serious side effects of condemnation and guilt. God didn't want us to run from Him but to Him. However, sin was destroying the human race and had to have some restraint before Jesus came. That's why He gave the law.
The law wasn't God attempting to save mankind. It was God showing us that we could never measure up to His holy standard. It was to drive us away from self-righteousness and toward receiving the sacrifice of Jesus by faith. Yet, amazingly, the church has interpreted it in a completely opposite manner. Most Christians think the law is wonderful and something that we are obliged to comply with as much as possible. Not!
The law was given for two main purposes. It caused us to fear God's punishment on our sins, and therefore, to those who listened, it lessened the amount of sin in our lives, thereby diminishing Satan's in-roads. Second, it totally took away all hope of being saved by any virtue of our own. The law made everyone guilty before God with no hope of justice. We needed mercy.
Those were the main purposes of the law. It was not God's list of steps one through ten thousand of what you must do to be right with God. It was God's list of all you have done wrong, proving that you can never be right with God unless He provides another form of payment. It was not to set you free. The law was to bind and destroy you. It was a severe spanking for the whole human race to turn us from sin and self-salvation.
Luke 2:14 says,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will TOWARD MEN."
1 John 2:2,
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD."
Romans 2:4,
"knowing that it is the GOODNESS of God that leads man to repentence."
Before I learned these truths, I used to say that God would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah if He didn't judge America, because we are just as deserving of judgment as they were. But now that I know the truth, I say, "If God does judge America, He will have to apologize to Jesus, because Jesus satisfied God's demands of justice."
Great Book.......2004-05-07
This was a very great book. It really helps a person to look at the system as something that is not exempt from falling.
John the Baptist, the 'last' prophet........2003-10-09
America seems to be a favourite punching bag for a lot of writers. Yes there is more violence now than 20 years ago but that's not just in America, 'it's all over the world'.
And 'weather changes' are occuring 'globally' - so obviously it's not just America that's under God's wrath - if you assume that weather changes are God's judgment.
Our 'ozone layer' is fragmenting due to 'pollution' - man is wrecking the earth. Scientists and Environmentalists warned us 30 years ago this was going to happen if we didn't make serious changes then.
It's easy to put everything in a 'God's judgment basket' and just say 'God is mad so He's going to destroy the earth'. He is 'longsuffering' not 'wanting anyone to perish' - we on the otherhand are like John (apostle) when he said to Jesus 'call down fire from heaven and destroy them'.
I have difficulty with people who believe they are prophets, even one so well known and respected as David Wilkerson. "For all the law and the prophets prophesied until John". (Matt. 11:13) This is speaking about John the Baptist. 'The law' and 'the prophets' (Old Testament writings) prophesied 'until' meaning 'up to' John, meaning John was 'the last' prophet. It was John who 'introduced Jesus' to the world and after the Lord was revealed there was 'no need for any more prophets'. If we say we need more prophets we are actually saying that Jesus was not 'the fulfillment' of 'the law and the prophets' and we need 'more prophets' to show us the way.
If people go looking for prophets then anti-Christ will find a willing audience because he's going to be the best prophet ever because he will be able to explain the secrets of the ages, and the false prophet who introduces him will be able to perform amazing miracles. Be careful that you are not watching for the wrong things!!!
Prophets Are Not Supposed to make you feel Good.......2002-08-30
David Wilkerson, unlike some reviewers of this book, and one in particular, get a little testy with his gloom and doom scenarios, but it isn't like he wants to do this. Like I've said in another review, if you don't like it, E-mail him, or attend his services at Times Square Church in New York City. Martinezboy obviously thought that a few "Holy Ghost stock tips or trader buys" might be more in line with what he was looking for, but maybe he ought to get his priorities in order. A prophet is not supposed to make you feel good. Examine the Scriptures and see if the prophets spoke to make you feel like a million bucks. Not John the Baptist, not Isaiah, not Jeremiah, and not the others. Read this with a discerning heart. It is powerful stuff, and unlike an earlier reviewer...I say buy this book and the Cross and the Switchblade, but don't fall in love with America's stock market or economy. "We seek a city to come. This earth is not our home." Is that negative thinking? Check out the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life.
Ears to hear.......2002-08-20
I have no doubt that the Lord is speaking to us through this book. I can only pray that we have ears to hear. We have received a host of blessings in this nation, and have become so enamored by our prosperity and abundance that our hearts have grown cold to the things of God. Lord forgive us. I am grateful for faithful men of God like Pr. Wilkerson, who refuse to lie to us and tell us that salvation's enough - just eat, drink, be merry and mention my Son to your neighbors every now and then. We have been bought for a price, and we are no longer our own. The blood of Christ wasn't shed so we could live apathetically and plead it over our lukewarm efforts. It was poured out to restore us in our relationship with God, and to gain back our authority over the enemy. I pray a faithful remnant heeds the warnings in this book, rises to it's feet, and using our authority in Christ, valiantly fights the end-times battle in the heavenlies!
Average customer rating:
- A thorough and sensitive view of the 16th century mind.
|
Michelangelo's Last Judgment: The Renaissance Response (California Studies in the History of Art Discovery Series)
Bernadine Barnes
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Michelangelo
| Painters, A-Z
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Criticism
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Renaissance
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Religious
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0520205499 |
Book Description
In her analysis of Michelangelo's Last Judgment, Bernadine Barnes provides an original and stimulating view of this renowned fresco and of the audience for which it was created. Because Michelangelo is so often regarded as a nearly superhuman artistic genius, we tend to forget that his works were not created to illustrate his life. The Last Judgment did have great personal meaning for him, but his representation of this religious event was not purely self-directed, says Barnes. She argues that Michelangelo had a particular type of viewer in mind as he designed his work.
The Last Judgment dealt with an especially evocative subject, and Michelangelo engaged viewers by creating highly imaginative scenes tempering fear with hope and by referring to contemporary events. The painting's original, elite audience--the papal court and a handful of distinguished lay persons--was sophisticated about art and poetry, almost exclusively male, and orthodox in its religious beliefs. That audience later broadened and included artists allowed into the Chapel to copy Michelangelo's work. These artists helped to create another, less sophisticated audience, one that knew the fresco only through reproductions and written descriptions. The response of this latter audience eventually prompted the church to censor the painting.
Beautifully illustrated with photographs of the recently restored Sistine Chapel, Barnes's study greatly enhances our understanding of changing Renaissance attitudes toward art. Her book also provides valuable insights into one of Michelangelo's greatest works.
Customer Reviews:
A thorough and sensitive view of the 16th century mind........1998-10-21
Unlike so many of the books written on Michelangelo, I found this book to offer a matchless opportunity to look at one of the artist's major works through the eyes of the contemporary audience. With excellent scholarship and research to back up her insightful thoughts, Ms Barnes offers the reader this unique vantage from which to stand and view the somewhat puzzling and often confounding outpouring of an artistic mind; a mind troubled by both internal and external strife.In the matter of the content of The Last Judgment, Ms Barnes has seen through as much of the scholarly soot which has collected around the painting as the restorers literally removed in the past few years. Her offerings on the parallels of this work and the content of the artist's literary hero, Dante, breathed new life into my own efforts to attempt to untangle this web. If nothing else was accomplished in this book, the mere reminder that we must view art from this age with something other than 20th century eyes has proved to be invaluable. That she has demonstrated a clear way to do this is an extra bonus.Profusely illustrated not only with examples from the masterpiece, itself (including several very fine full-color reproductions of the work restored), but from a host of relative works and examples as well, the points made in this book are finely supported and demonstrated so that both novice and expert may comfortably find their way around the work.My one cavaet, and a minor one at that, would be the footnoting system. So much wonderful and compelling information was contained in the footnotes, found at the end of the book, that I spent an annoying amount of time flipping between the text and this additional information. I began to run out of fingers to stick between pages when I then started to flip to the various illustrations as they were being referred to, as well.This book has been clarifying for me on many levels. I am very thankful for, and appreciative of, the work this deceptively slim volume represents. I highly recommend it.
Book Description
1673. With a short discourse about eternity. In a poetical format, Mr. Wigglesworth describes the day of doom, or the last judgment of man on earth. Due to the age and scarcity of the original we reproduced, some pages may be spotty, faded or difficult to read. Written in Old English.
Books:
- The Last Supper
- The Strangers in the House (New York Review Books Classics)
- To Die Well: Your Right to Comfort, Calm, and Choice in the Last Days of Life
- Tony Hillerman: The Leaphorn & Chee Novels: Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, Coyote Waits
- Transgressions
- Welcome to the Church Year: An Introduction to the Seasons of the Episcopal Church
- When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs
- Who Murdered Yitzhak Rabin? 2nd Ed.
- Why Are So Many Black Men in Prison?
- Winter of the Ice Wizard (Magic Tree House 32)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Liberators from Wendling: The Combat Story of the 392nd Bombardment Group
- Drive-By
- Architecture / Art / Parallels / Connections
- Biostatistics: How It Works
- Color Atlas of Histology
- Harvard Business Essentials Guide to Negotiation
- Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery
- Luxury Houses: Country
- Animate Form
- Stealing with Style
Missing Witness (Chambers of Justice Series #4)
The Accused (Chambers of Justice, No. 3)
Custody of the State (Chambers of Justice, No. 2)
The Resurrection File (Chambers of Justice, No. 1)
Trial by Ordeal
