Given its title, I figured that the movie would have something to do with demons — a whole, well, legion of them… in full-on “possession” mode. After all, “Legion” is the name of a biblical demoniac, according to the stories in Mark and Luke, because many demons were involved. But in the movie, Michael (our hero-angel gone …
Wonder and awe, wise men and shepherds, and the angels say, “Fear not.” These are the days of extraordinary happenings, and in their very marvelousness, unnerving. The angels say, as biblical angels do, “Fear not,” even while they dazzle and disturb. These are also the days, in pop culture, of vampires — terrifying and dangerous. They, too, go …
Doing some research on images of angels in biblical texts, I came across the captivating icon painted by Russian Andrei Rublev around 1410. Men, angels, or God? The peculiar story of Abraham and Sarah’s visitors in Gen 18 uses a constellation of Hebrew vocabulary that has intriguing theological implications. For Rublev, it afforded an opportunity to meditate on the Christian …
I’ve just begun (re)reading Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” Truth is, I don’t remember ever reading the whole thing through before. Snippets here and there for lit classes over the years but never from the beginning to the end. What a ride it is! And to think that Milton wrote it blind. Contemplate that, for a minute. …
Halloween, when ghosts, demons, and (judging from my neighborhood anyway) a lot of pirates walk the streets unrestrained and with an insatiable sweet tooth. All Hallows Eve (Halloween) inaugurates the celebration of All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1), which commemorates the especially righteous dead who are privileged in heaven to behold God immediately (an idea developed out of biblical …
On Halloween, Do Demons Really Come out to Play? Read More »
I am finally following Donna Freitas‘ enthusiastic recommendation to watch old episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Hey, just because it’s research doesn’t mean it has to be dull. As I investigate how the Bible portrays supernatural beings and places and how that portrayal has influenced pop ideas about evil personified, angels, the undead, heaven, …
