VESTMENTS IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH :: Essays Papers

VESTMENTS IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH An important aspect of the Catholic Church is its vestments. The Church is always beautifully decorated and holy people beautifully dressed. These decorations have changed very much since the beginning of time. Although we don’t always realize it, there is much symbolism in the colors that priests, bishops, cardinals and even the Pope wears. There are also strict guidelines that these people must follow when dressing. This paper will tell of the history of this clothing. EARLY CHRISTIANS To study the history of the Church in the first century, we have to rely on the writings of the Early Christians, mainly the New Testament. At this time, Christians were waiting for the second coming of Christ, which they expected very soon. Since they thought that Christ would come again in their lifetime, they didn’t feel the need to really formalize their religion or create any clothing that was specifically Christian. In 64 in Rome, St. Peter and St. Paul were executed. Right after the executions of these men, Nero began to execute other Christians. At this time it would have been dangerous for Christians to wear distinctive clothing. As these persecutions began, people began to realize that the Church would outlast the lives of the men who had actually known Jesus Christ. After these persecutions ended, there was peace until 95 when Diocletian, a ruler, began taking action against the aristocratic Christians in Rome. In Asia at the same time there were persecutions of bot h Jews and Christians. After this, a few general Christians adopted a few general styles of clothing. First was the tunic, worn by St. Augustine. This came out of Rome and was an indoor garment. During worship, it was required that it was clean and white, which may be why Christians shied away from the traditional Roman wool tunic. Wool fades to yellow after time so Christians began wearing linen tunics because the more linen is washed, the whiter it becomes. It has been said that St. Peter wore a pallium with his tunic. It was wrapped around the body in a simple way. It was a plain garment, except that it had embroidery in each of it’s four corners. Apparently Jesus and His apostles had also worn palliums and so they became part of the ornamental dress of Christians. Christians also wore the paenula. It was a hooded garment and was worn by Christians in worship starting in the second century.

Beethoven Informative Speech Essay

You can realize that he probably wasn’t the easiest of people to be with. Impressive, certainly; exciting, perhaps; but rarely cosy and good-natured. This might be the common impression about this talented composer. Ladies and gentlemen, in my today’s speech I’m going to inform you about Beethoven’s individualism with two parts. 1. How individualism spirit helps him to success 2. A controversial individualist /we can say his arrogant. Beethoven is usually seen as an individualistic hero in the classical music world. There are many stories of how he did not take crap from the nobility. He removed Napoleon from his dedication of his third symphony after Napoleon declared himself to be royalty. He heard thunder on his death bed, raised up and shook a fist at it before expiring saying that I will take fate by the throat. And so on. Here, Individualist I mean is not in general context with any derogatory sense, but Beethoven devoted himself to fighting for individual’s fate and freedom, personal dignity and equality. As Beethoven said Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. His individualism spirit also presented in his artworks, which have five specific features: passion, power, pride, freedom and independence, and makes him become one of the greatest composer in the world. Stravinsky once said his individualism like this : â€Å"Beethoven is the friend and contemporary of the French Revolution, and he remained faithful to it even when, during the Jacobin dictatorship, [hju,m? n? ‘t? r n] humanitarians with weak nerves of the Schiller type turned from it, preferring to destroy tyrants on the dramatic stage with the help of cardboard swords. Beethoven, that ordinary genius, who proudly turned his back on emperors, princes and magnates – that is the Beethoven we love for his indubitable optimism, his virile sadness, for the inspired sympathy of his struggle, and for his iron will which enabled him to seize destiny by the throat. † Romain Rolland evaluated him as: Perhaps he was unfortunate, poverty, disability, loneliness and pain continue to hover over his fate, but he still could see the dawn – the world did not give him happiness, he is a source of pleasure and power! He is the brave souls of all the world wrote the best motto – happy with the pain in return. So much for this point, I would now like to shift to the controversial of Beethoven’s individualism. Actually, as an individualist, Beethoven sometimes magnified his personality to a level of disgust. The highly praise in Romain Rolland’s masterpiece cover up some of Beethoven’s piu? disrepute behaviors, which mislead us away from a fully recognize of him. After reading some biographies and periodicals, I find he has really bad temper and absolutely not a perfect person. In order to show off his own talents, he described his variations on Mozart’s work as â€Å"I should never have written down this kind of piece had I not already noticed fairly often how some people in Vienna after hearing me improvise one evening would next day note down several characteristics of my style and palm them off with pride as their own. . . But there was another reason, too: my desire to embarrass those Viennese pianists, some of whom are my sworn enemies. I wanted to revenge myself on them in this way because I knew beforehand that my variations would here and there be put before the said gentlemen and that they would cut a sorry figure with them. † There are still many examples, but I think this one is enough to proof Beethoven’s arrogant. And Beethoven’s personality problem is also why Tchaikovsky admired him but did not love him†¦. that love was reserved for Mozart†¦. respect to these two genius’s personality, he thought of Beethoven as the Jehovah of music while he thought of Mozart as the more approachable Jesus So, to sum up, I have to say I won’t bias Beethoven’s achievements for his personality problem, that’s not an objective attitude. What I mean is that, it is necessary to have a fully recognition on Beethoven, so that we can really understand his music. Even though his over-individualistic personality makes him an arrogant and unpleasant genius, his spirit and art works are still highly admired generation by generation. That’s all. I hope I have made myself understood. Thank you for your attention.

North vs. South, 1861 Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses

North vs. South, 1861 Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses Among the most memorable events that had the greatest impact on the development of the United States, the war between the North and the South takes the first spot, not only for being one of the greatest bloodbaths in the history, but also for its results, which established final and complete abolition of slavery and heralded the new epoch which would follow soon, the epoch of equal rights.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on North vs. South, 1861: Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it must be mentioned that, like any other war, the Civil War could have had the most unpredictable consequences and could have resulted in anything unless one of the sides used their resources in a different way. Therefore, assessing and estimating the factors which caused the existing results and finding out the strengths and the weaknesses of each side, as well as the goals of South and the reaso ns the latter were not reached, one can possibly understand why the North finally took its victory. Starting with the Confederates and the factors that defined their war strategy and tactics, one must keep in mind the specifics of the South and the lifestyle which the residents of the South led. Having their fighting and shooting skills perfected, the dwellers of the South were rather tough opponents (Gallagher, 2001, 23). In addition, the military leaders of the South were far more resourceful than their North opponents: â€Å"Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. (â€Å"Stonewall†) Jackson were more skillful military leaders than those the Union initially brought forward† (Boyer, 2001, 130). The last and the most important thing that could have made the South invincible, if not for several crucial mistakes and the numerous disadvantages, was the location of the battles. It is quite important that the fights which the Confederates led were located mostly in their native lands, which meant that the South had to fight in their homeland. Since the given advantage allowed to locate the troops in the most successful way and make use of the fact that the North army could not choose the proper tactics in a completely unknown location, the given factor is of crucial importance – in fact, it could have even changed the results of the war, had the Confederates taken advantage of their sudden luck. However, once the South did not make use of its profitable position, the chance was lost. Still, there were considerable problems in numerous aspects with the South and its political, economical and social factors. The first and the foremost, the South had less population, which meant that the quality of their fighting skills had to level the gap in quantity. In addition, the Union and its forces blocked all the ports in the South, which meant that the latter could not obtain any outside help or even continue the trading relationships.Advertising Looking fo r essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, the industry in the South was underdeveloped and the war funds were not provided in the required amount. Finally, the Confederate states made too large an area to defend its every corner, which the Union knew and made efficient use of (Donovan Griess, 2002, 92). As for the North, its obvious advantages practically predetermined the outcomes of the war. As Gallagher (2001) said, â€Å"The North entered the war with seemingly decisive advantages in almost every measurable category† (22). In addition, as Gallagher (2001) explained, â€Å"The North far outstripped the Confederacy in almost every economic category.† However, when dealing with the North advantages, the industry must be mentioned first: â€Å"in 1860, there were 110,000 northern manufacturing establishments employing 1,300,000 workers.† Moreover, the North had its transportation sys tem up to the notch – its mileage was about 220,000, while Confederacy had about 9,000 (Gallagher, 2001, 22). In addition, the manpower and the Navy forces were more than powerful in the North. To top it all, the North had Lincoln – and this man alone was worth the Navy and the army altogether. However, the Union also had its weak spots, and the notorious military leaders leaved much to be desired. At best they were harmless; at worst, they put the entire Union under a threat (Gallagher, 2001, 23). In addition, the Union had no African people recruited, while the South used their slaves as the key force. Hence, the North had everything to win the battle. Despite the few disadvantages concerning the lack of the number of soldiers and a more serious concern about the military leaders, who, apart from Lincoln, hardly satisfied the requirements and could not stand the comparison to their more adequate and competent South opponents, the North had the advantages which the So uth could not compete with. Though it cannot be assumed that the North knew they would win the war even before they actually started it, the South had very few chances to take the victory in this battle. Perhaps, these were not only the tangible factors that helped the Union take over the Confederates, but also the very idea that millions of Africans will be freed, and that slavery would soon become a distant memory.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on North vs. South, 1861: Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Boyer, P. S. (2001). The Oxford companion to United States history. Oxford, UK: Oxfords University Press. Donovan, T. H., Griess, T. E. (2002). The American Civil War. New York, NY: Square One Publishers. Gallagher, G. W. (2001). The American Civil War: The War in the East 1861 – May  1963. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing.

Burkina Faso essays

Burkina Faso essays Until the end of the 19th century, the history of Burkina Faso was dominated by the empire-building Mossi, who are believed to have come from central or eastern Africa sometime in the 11th century. For centuries, the Mossi peasant was both farmer and soldier, and the Mossi people were able to defend their religious beliefs and social structure against forcible attempts to convert them to Islam by Muslims from the northwest. When the French arrived and claimed the area in 1896, Mossi resistance ended with the capture of their capital at Ouagadougou. In 1919, certain provinces from Cote d'Ivoire were united into a separate colony called the Upper Volta in the French West Africa federation. In 1932, the new colony was dismembered in a move to economize; it was reconstituted in 1937 as an administrative division called the Upper Coast. After World War II, the Mossi renewed their pressure for separate territorial status and on September 4, 1947, Upper Volta became a French West African territory again in its own right. A revision in the organization of French Overseas Territories began with the passage of the Basic Law (Loi Cadre) of July 23, 1956. This act was followed by reorganizational measures approved by the French parliament early in 1957 that ensured a large degree of self-government for individual territories. Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French community on December 11, 1958. Upper Volta achieved independence on August 5, 1960. The first president, Maurice Yameogo, was the leader of the Voltaic Democratic Union (UDV). The 1960 constitution provided for election by universal suffrage of a president and a national assembly for 5-year terms. Soon after coming to power, Yameogo banned all political parties other than the UDV. The government lasted until 1966 when after much unrest-mass demonstrations and strikes by students, labor unions, and civil servants-the military intervened. The military coup de...

Museum of natural history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Museum of natural history - Essay Example An enormous component of my fascination with them is their use of sword like items which have great meaning to their culture. My specific choice of swords is the Phurba. Some say that they were in use during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, over 2500 years ago, particularly in the indigenous communities of Tibet. Others speculate even earlier origins. Padmasambhava is credited with the invention of the phurba. During the struggle against the demons that were fighting the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet, he is said to have pulled out a peg from the tent of a non-believer and, using the peg to nail down evil spirits, consecrated the ground on which the Samye Monastery was established in the eighth century. This simple peg became the Phurba, an important tool of religious practice that is used to this day. The Khadga is known as the fire sword which is paired with phurba. The Bodhisattva Manjursi, who is the embodiment of wisdom, is shown wielding the symbol of enlightenment. The fire is used to destroy the darkness of ignorance by the fiery rays which burst from the end of the sword. Wisdom is the sword that slices away illusion and wisdom is the final symbol of awareness. The first cut of the sword of wisdom is the decisive one, which is the dawn of enlightenment.

Culture, Ritual and Religion, International Development in the Research Paper

Culture, Ritual and Religion, International Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone - Research Paper Example In Africa, countries have experienced recurrent and various forms of armed conflicts and violence due to power struggles and control over natural resources. Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo have bore the brunt of violence and armed conflicts in past decades, a fact that has led to development mishaps and stagnation. This paper examines the role of ritual, culture and religion in the shaping up of the social, economic and political stability of Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo. It further explores the role of violence and conflicts in the development process. Sierra Leone is located on the west Coast of Africa on the Atlantic Ocean and it is bordered to the North with Guinea, Liberia on the Southeast and Atlantic Ocean on the Southwest (Harris, 1992). Different ceremonies were held in Sierra Leone as part of the culture and religion of the people. One of the ceremonies that were more conspicuous was the movement in rings or circles during ceremonies to honor ancestors (Harris, 1992). The movement of people in circles during ceremonies defined the art and religion of most communities in Sierra Leone. It is reported that the culture and tradition was seen as heathen by the missionaries and as such, they searched for strategies of eliminating and eradicating the practice. The missionaries did not succeed in eradicating the practice due to the strong influence that culture had among communities in Sierra Leone. ... e purposes included story telling, singing of songs, drumming and dancing, pouring of libations, cleansing ceremonies, proper burials, respect for the dead and forgiveness (Kaarsholm, 2006). The traditional cultural practices and rituals have played significant roles in the development process of Sierra Leone. Modern development strategies have incorporated traditional cultural practices in various health and human welfare initiatives such as fight against HIV/AIDS, ending of harmful traditional practices such female genital mutilation, understanding of human rights and other initiatives that are associated with human welfare and development in Sierra Leone (Burnell, 2008). The uptake and use of various traditional cultural practices and rituals in modern human development initiatives in Sierra Leone has been premised on the notion that the use of culturally appropriate interventions that are drawn from the experience and knowledge of communities has the potential of increasing the l ong-term self-reliance of communities, families and children (Francis, 2006). In addition, the use of traditional practices and rituals encourages community members to take active roles in identification of development problems that affect them and formulation of strategies and solutions to mitigate such problems. The role of culture and traditions of Sierra Leone communities was relevant and instrumental in the truth and reconciliation process that paved way for political stability and tranquility. Most of the healing activities and initiatives were based on the culture and traditions of the people of Sierra Leone. The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone relied on the assistance and help from traditional and religious leaders in resolving conflicts and promotion of

A Search on the Word Hysterical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Search on the Word Hysterical - Essay Example One of the sources for the word hysterical took up the psychoanalytic perspective of the word, explaining why a person would be hysterical through relating it with development especially during childhood.2 Here, the same symptoms of hysteria- lack of control of emotions- are seen as defining the personality. Hence, the concept of a hysterical personality arises, where the individual experiences the symptoms of hysteria continually rather than isolated. The hysterical person has a neurotic condition underlying the neurotic symptoms observed. The origin of the hysterical personality is traced from fixation at one point during the individual’s development. Here, the individual is seen to be fixated at the infantile stage from where they cannot achieve actuality as adult human beings. This source also argues that hysterical personality, just as compulsive personality, manifests in multiple ways and cannot be entirely described as a homogenous occurrence among the individuals. The very origin of the word in this case is the Greek word hyster which translates to uterus. A closer look at the role of language in culture explains the observation of the disconnect between the uterine Greek source of the word and the contemporary meaning. It is noted that, in the male dominated culture, language treats things of greater significance or value as being masculine and those of lesser significance as feminine.3 This is clearly manifested in the word hysterical; a lack of control of emotions is perceived as negative, and associated with femininity as indicated by the source of the word-uterus. In contrast, a positive aspect such as moral worth is described by virtuous whose origin is â€Å"vir† the Greek word for â€Å"man†. Here, it is clear that language helps mirror dominant social perceptions and even aids in their perpetuation as in the case of the word hysterical. Another perspective of the hysteria can be obtained through establishing the person usin g the language. For an individual not well versed in medicine or semantic development of language, hysteria bears a totally different and independent meaning4. To this population, arguably the majority, the original basic meaning of the word hysteria is lost. Whereas psychoanalysts and doctors historically viewed the word as conveying symptoms of psychiatric disorder, to the contemporary world the word means string emotional reactions. The original word loses its description of a personality status in a patient and describes a state of emotions even in a normal person. In daily use, hysteria even takes light meanings of â€Å"very funny† such as when used to describe a joke. Here, it is clear that the original meaning of the words is lost or difficult to trace for the majority of people, and the debate on the word remains constrained to sociological standpoint perspectives. The various views on the lexicology of the word hysteria bring forth the question of when persons who h old different meanings of the word interact. It is noted that although the word may have lost its Greek uterine original meaning, the Greek element still persists in English medical terms such as hysteroscopy and hysterectomy.5 However, the dominant meaning for the word hysterical is uncontrolled emotions by both men and women, without any reference to the uterus. Haliday and Teubert cite an example of a clash of meanings on the word; a witness had described a man as being hysterical to which the lawyer had brought forth the uterine source of the wor