Abstract
Though the Gospel of John shares some concrete similarities with the synoptic gospels (such as the crucifixion), its text differs radically in its form and content. This paper aspires to delineate the elements of the Gospel of John (often referred to as the "the Fourth Gospel") that separate it from the synoptic gospels. The paper concludes that it is quite evident that there are numerous significant elements which separate John's Gospel from the synoptics in a profound way.

From the Paper
"John's Gospel lacks a substantial amount of material that is found in the Synoptic Gospels. Some of the significant events omitted include: "the temptation of Jesus, Jesus' transfiguration, and the institution of the Lord's supper". John does not mention any instances of Jesus performing exorcisms. Although, Walton and Wenham interestingly propose: "The gospel which fails to describe any of Jesus' individual exorcisms still has the idea of Jesus casting out the evil cosmic ruler through his death." They continue to further suggest that John gives a "host of clues." For example, when John draws a parallel between "Jesus' death with the bronze snake lifted up by Moses in the wilderness, to save the Israelites from their sins (John 3:14; to Num. 21:9)." Other omissions include the sermon of the mount, the Lord's prayer and narrative parables. Just as John lacks material found in the synoptics, he also includes a large body of material which is not found in the synoptics including material found in John 2 to 4 (Jesus' inaugural scene a "richly symbolic narrative" at the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine and another scene where Jesus is talking with a Samaritan woman), Jesus' early Galilean ministry, the seventh sign-miracle, the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11) and the extended Farwell Discourse (John 13-17). Another glaring difference includes Jesus' humility displayed before the last supper: "humility and self-abasement of the Son of God is clearly the meaning of the foot-washing scene." Brown further states that "in context of the early Christian community, there may well have been an underlying sacramental motif... and some of the Fathers see baptismal implications in the washing of the feet."

Tags:crucifixion, spiritual, christian, chronology, miracles, signs, disciple, jesus, jew, johannine, biblical, prayer, sermon, ministry

Abstract
This paper seeks to know whether the devil is a real physical entity or a personification of evil. It discusses demon possession, and Satan as a fallen angel, as mentioned in the Bible. It goes on to discuss moral evil throughout our history, starting with Columbus arriving in the New World in 1492, up to the present day, including Adolph Hitler, and arrives to the conclusion that the devil physically exists, not just as a metaphor.

From the Paper
"Whether the devil is a real physical entity or a personification of evil, remains a central issue in theology, particularly within Christianity. Most of the conventional Christian churches teach beliefs that they have had since the first century; the beliefs are that Satan is an incredibly evil, fallen angel who is entirely consumed with destroying and corrupting humanity.(1) They teach that he is a supernatural being that is surrounded by evil minions. The liberal Christian churches teach that the devil is not a real creature but rather a metaphor for the presence of evil in the world. Early Christian thought concluded that Satan is a being without a center.(2) He is wholly a deceiver..."

Tags:bible, christianity, evil, history, kant, metaphysics, religion, theology

Abstract
The writer argues that "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell is an interesting book and that there are many exciting ideas, which are expressed understandably and thoroughly due to Campbell's lifetime of research in the field of mythology.

From the Paper
"Myths are not a thing of the past. Rather, they are found in the everyday happenings that take place in our normal lives. Originally, myths were meant to do two things: first, to link man to the society that he is a part of, kind of a reassurance that you are not just a man: you are a member of a group. Values and traditions of your group are what bind you to your society, and the myths are what make you a piece of it. This initially was meant for tribes of nomadic people, for as the scenery around you always changes, your group, your society, is your centre and you are an element in it. And it is easy to see in today's hustle and bustle of life how the affirmation that you have a centre to your life is vital. Secondly, myths relate man to nature and the natural world. Man is not meant to control nature; he is to "...put [himself] in accord with it (29)." Unfortunately, biblical movements in the 19th century taught people to condemn nature, this spread worldwide with the European settlers in the Americas, and the traveling missionaries, and this mindset continues to this day."

Tags:bible, campbell, indian, joseph, myth, ritual, sacrifice, star, wars

Abstract
This essay begins with a quotation taken from the Bible, describing the story of the Tower of Babel. It then proceeds to break down language, from its origins through its evolution down to modern times. It attempts to portray that although Babel is a myth, its premise is true-all language and thus people were cut from essentially the same cloth.

From the Paper
?And the Lord said, ?Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.?? (Genesis 11:6-7) It is the humans? ability to communicate through spoken word which differentiates us from our primitive counterparts. The legend of Babel identifies language as the tie that binds a society together and denotes a direct correlation between language and the advancement of a particular society. According to tradition, after the Lord destroyed the world by flood, the sons of Noah, who spoke one language and who were descendants of the same origin, were given the task to repopulate the earth. Perpetually plagued by the sins of Adam, they were driven to build a tower so great that they themselves would be seen as gods. Therefore the Lord debilitated them by removing their ability to communicate with one another, which forced them to diverge into separate, distinct societies. Although the story grossly over simplifies both the complex history of man and the evolution of language, its premise does have some merit. Popular modern languages can be traced ancestrally to a few families. Furthermore, languages that have survived - English as the most prominent example - are considerably indebted to the influence of the powerful societies that spoke them."

Tags:babel, bible, comparsion, english, european, indo, language, myths, stories

Abstract
This paper examines how the Sermon on the Mount that was given by Jesus in the "Book of Matthew" did not replace the Mosaic Law, but rather elaborated on it. It analyzes what the Beatitudes did for followers at the time and for Christians today by examining each of them individually, as well as their connection as a whole. It looks at how Jesus gave the Beatitudes as the prime example of how his followers should be and not just how they should act. It shows how the first four concern God giving us grace in our own lives and how the latter four are how we should use that grace to work in the lives of others.

From the Paper
"The second Beatitude is, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."6 This Beatitude is second because it's referring to a person mourning over sin that leads to repentance, not the mourning over something such as the loss of loved one. The poor in spirit become those who mourn because spiritual poverty leads to godly sorrow.7 When one mourns over sin, they become blessed because they realize that through repentance those sins are forgiven. This is the second phase of spiritual blessings because now one is no longer just acknowledging that he is spiritually poor, but rather he is mourning over it. We are constantly aware of the world's sin and mourn over it. In fact, in the entire New Testament there is no record of Jesus ever laughing; he experiences many other human emotions, but not laughter."

Tags:bible, christianity, god, new, testament

Abstract
This paper examines how Mary Magdalene is a character who often catches the imagination of biblical scholars and how although her role in the "New Testament" is quite limited, recent knowledge uncovered when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered suggests otherwise. It looks at how the "Gnostic Gospels" suggest that she was a very important figure in early Christianity and that the suppression of her personal religious philosophy was an intentional move by the disciple Peter. This paper tries to reconcile those ideas with the text of the "Gnostic Gospels" and that of the "New Testament". Was she a prophet, an apostle, Jesus' wife or simply the former prostitute who washed his feet?

From the Paper
"There is evidence that Mary was spiritually superior to all the other disciples. She was the first to be charged with the supreme ministry (proclaiming Christ's message) at the site of his resurrection (Haskins 2). Mary Magdalene is referred to as "the woman who knew the All", she who "reveals the greatness of the revealer", the "chief interlocutrix of the Saviour", or the one who brings gnosis to the other disciples, and the "one who is the inheritor of the Light" (Haskins 38). Mary's position as the "apostle who excels the rest" according to Dialogue of the Saviour (Haskins 40), is due in part to her ability to prophecy. After the resurrection of Jesus, Mary tells of a vision in which "Jesus showed her the course of the liberated spirit on its way back to the Aeon" (Price 57)."

Tags:bible, dead, jesus, prostitute, scrolls, sea

Abstract
This paper examines the story of Moses as told in the book of Exodus in the Old Testament. It looks at how Moses was the predominant Israelite in Exodus and the most influential and important of all Israelites at the time. It shows how through God's command, Moses persuaded the Israelites to follow God and in return, God would deliver them from slavery and a life of suffering. It tells the story of Moses from his birth into slavery in Egypt in the Palace of the Pharaoh until he received God's covenant on Mount Sinai.

From the Paper
"Moses used his miracles to convince the influential Israelites that God had indeed sent him, and with the success of making believers out of the elders, Moses attempted to do the same with the Pharaoh; however, when Moses ordered the Pharaoh to let his people go, the Pharaoh responded with ignorance claiming that he knew no such Lord and would not let the people go because they were his servants. Moses became dismayed and asks the Lord why he continues to let the Israelites suffer; God assured Moses that he will drive them out of the Pharaoh's land. Even when Aaron performed a miracle by turning his staff into a snake, the Pharaoh was not convinced."

Tags:commandments, covenant, god, y, israelites, jewish, sinai, yahweh

Abstract
The paper explains why the ritual of baptism is such an important experience in the Christian community, as well as the background of the ritual itself. With baptism, a person is following the instructions of Jesus. Also, the person is immersed in the death and resurrection of Christ. Baptism is the most clear and explicit act that Jesus instructed for his disciples in order for them to follow him.

From the Paper
"Baptism is a pivotal part of the Christian faith and is performed in Christian communities in accordance with Jesus' directions in the New Testament. Being baptized not only means becoming a part of the Christian community, but also being thrust into the death and resurrection of Christ and receiving eternal life in Jesus. While one of the functions of baptism is to absolve a person of his or her sins, Jesus insisted that he be baptized in order to, "Fulfill all righteousness."1 In the New Testament baptism is done in order to immerse a person into the Paschal Mystery, to become a member of the Body of Christ and join the Christian community, and to publicly proclaim a person's repentance."

Tags:bible, christianity, new, rituals, testament

Abstract
This paper explains the importance of the exodus as a central and crucial part of world history, Christian theology and the geography of the ancient Near East. It discusses the significance of the exodus with references to the Biblical text, showing the Jewish people's relationship with YHWH, their fulfillment of the covenant. The paper also discusses the partial fulfillment of God's promise of land, progeny and a blessing.

From the Paper
"There are different routes supported by many scholars, but none on their theories can be supported with evidence.21 As previously mentioned the landscape of the Gulf area has been forever altered because of the construction of the Suez Canal. Scholars are left to wonder if this alteration to the land has forever buried or destroyed the evidence needed to solidify which route was the chosen path of the Exodus from Egypt. The geographical significance of the Exodus lies in the vast distances traveled by the Hebrews in their escape from the Egyptian slave masters. The historical, theological and geographical significance of the Exodus is now clear. The sheer magnitude of accomplishment of the Hebrews, led by Moses, is awe inspiring, and it is clearly the central event of the Old Testament."

Tags:Pharaoh, Nile, River, Jebel, Musa

Abstract
This paper deals with Galileo's arguments with church officials, and his attempt to reconcile his scientific findings with teachings from the bible. Emphasis is placed on Galileo's conviction that scientific truth and the biblical message are not contradictory, but can complement each other. Historical and religious figures are discussed with respect to their influence on Galileo.

From the Paper
"Perhaps the most relevant and convincing argument that Galileo posed to clear up the relationship between
scientific truth and the bible was that the bible was often unclear and ambiguous (GAL 214, 206, 199), which could cause the true meaning to be misunderstood by people attempting to translate its meaning. An example of this posed by Galileo was from the commonly known story of God stopping the sun in the sky to allow Joshua to win a battle."

Tags:bible, church, dogma, galileo, religion, renaissance, scientific, truth, -, LO, TOV