The beheading of the journalist
House of the Dragon
2019.10.30 01:03 mwthecool House of the Dragon
This is a place for news and discussions relating to HBO's "Game of Thrones" prequel TV series "House of the Dragon" and George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" companion novel, "Fire & Blood."
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The place for news articles about current events in the United States and the rest of the world. Discuss it all here.
2024.05.22 10:57 bluelizardK Who started the Almeda Drive Fire?
In early September 2020, the Pacific Northwest has become a tinderbox. A wet spring followed by a dry summer had created excellent conditions for the growth of fire-conducive fuels. The west as a whole had already suffered through record breaking and devastating fires that summer, most of them in California. That was, unfortunately, about to change.
A strong push of unusually cold air from the north combined with a dome of heat over the coast led to a devastating combination, as the pressure differential swept dry and hot winds across the Cascade range. Lightning had already caused numerous fires a few weeks before September 7, 2020, and these fires were more often than not burning in remote areas at a low intensity. But introducing the flames to single digit humidity and wind gusts in excess of 80 mph led to infernos roaring down the canyons and over the pine-covered hills. The Riverside Fire, for example, started on the morning of September 8 outside of Portland, and by the next day was a remarkable 112,000 acres. To say that the fires exploded would be an understatement, and nearly a million acres burned, 7 killed in northwest and central Oregon. Thousands of homes and properties were decimated, and entire towns were all but wiped out.
You're probably wondering why exactly I'm telling you all of this in a subreddit about unsolved mysteries. Fascinatingly, of all the fires that burned in Oregon that three day period, both gargantuan megafires and small grass fires, the most destructive was among the smallest. It was called the Almeda Drive Fire, after a residential street in northern Ashland, located in southern Oregon. The fire began as a small brush fire, losing any sense of innocuousness as it leapt over Interstate 5 and raced through the thick foliage and desiccated fields surrounding the arterial Bear Creek. Aligned with the natural topography of the Rogue Valley and the winds, the fire carved a narrow yet devastating path straight through the towns of Talent and Phoenix, mercifully stopping before the larger city of Medford. The fire burned 3,200 acres, and destroyed in excess of 2,300 homes and 150 businesses, devastating an entire community. It is not only Oregon's most materially devastating fire, but one of America's worst in modern times.
As the community reeled, one thing became certain-- the fire was not sparked naturally. The aforementioned Almeda Drive is a street located right next to a BMX park, with a water treatment plant just behind it. Arson investigators haven't determined exactly what mechanism was used to set the fire, but they've confirmed they know it to be human caused. Thus far, much of their investigation has revolved around finding witnesses who were in and around the BMX park the day the fire started. Chillingly, on Google Maps and related applications, a small monument known as "Origin of Almeda Fire" exists at that site. As the fire tragically claimed three lives-- those of 93 year old Violet Lobdell, 55 year old Donald Schmidt, and 55 year old Derrick Mills-- it is considered a criminal and potentially homicide investigation by Jackson County authorities. It's a disturbing thought-- attempting to unravel why someone would intentionally start the fire on such a particularly nasty day. Was it accidental? An arsonist? Over a hundred people in four different states have been interviewed, and hopefully the Rogue Valley the the many victims receive some form of justice.
That being said, a fire set in Phoenix by a man named Jared Bakkela merged into the Almeda Fire and destroyed 11 homes. Bakkela was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his crimes. Bakkela's arrest, rumours spreading about the point of origin, and political tensions just before the election unfortunately led to massive amounts of misinformation, suggesting that Antifa associated organizations were intentionally attempting to burn down conservative communities to shift demographics. Some even responded to this belief statewide and threatened journalists and firemen with weapons, suspecting them of involvement in some grand conspiracy led by the anarchists of Portland. Of course, the majority of fires during the siege of September 2020 were caused by downed powerlines, the Almeda Drive Fire being a notable exception.
As a sidenote, one of Oregon's most disturbing unsolved mysteries, that being the murder of David Grubbs, occurred on the same Bear Creek Greenway which fed the Almeda Fire as it pushed north into towns and cities. Grubbs had been beheaded with a machete in November 2011, and the case remains open to this day. No connection, obviously, but an interesting coincidence.
Additional reading:
https://kobi5.com/news/us-and-world-news/investigation-continues-in-cause-of-almeda-south-obenchain-fires-207245/
https://gis.jacksoncountyor.gov/pages/almedafire
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/152aa529aa5c4dd29165bacd60422a8f
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6e1e42989d1b4beb809223d5430a3750
submitted by bluelizardK to UnresolvedMysteries [link] [comments]
A strong push of unusually cold air from the north combined with a dome of heat over the coast led to a devastating combination, as the pressure differential swept dry and hot winds across the Cascade range. Lightning had already caused numerous fires a few weeks before September 7, 2020, and these fires were more often than not burning in remote areas at a low intensity. But introducing the flames to single digit humidity and wind gusts in excess of 80 mph led to infernos roaring down the canyons and over the pine-covered hills. The Riverside Fire, for example, started on the morning of September 8 outside of Portland, and by the next day was a remarkable 112,000 acres. To say that the fires exploded would be an understatement, and nearly a million acres burned, 7 killed in northwest and central Oregon. Thousands of homes and properties were decimated, and entire towns were all but wiped out.
You're probably wondering why exactly I'm telling you all of this in a subreddit about unsolved mysteries. Fascinatingly, of all the fires that burned in Oregon that three day period, both gargantuan megafires and small grass fires, the most destructive was among the smallest. It was called the Almeda Drive Fire, after a residential street in northern Ashland, located in southern Oregon. The fire began as a small brush fire, losing any sense of innocuousness as it leapt over Interstate 5 and raced through the thick foliage and desiccated fields surrounding the arterial Bear Creek. Aligned with the natural topography of the Rogue Valley and the winds, the fire carved a narrow yet devastating path straight through the towns of Talent and Phoenix, mercifully stopping before the larger city of Medford. The fire burned 3,200 acres, and destroyed in excess of 2,300 homes and 150 businesses, devastating an entire community. It is not only Oregon's most materially devastating fire, but one of America's worst in modern times.
As the community reeled, one thing became certain-- the fire was not sparked naturally. The aforementioned Almeda Drive is a street located right next to a BMX park, with a water treatment plant just behind it. Arson investigators haven't determined exactly what mechanism was used to set the fire, but they've confirmed they know it to be human caused. Thus far, much of their investigation has revolved around finding witnesses who were in and around the BMX park the day the fire started. Chillingly, on Google Maps and related applications, a small monument known as "Origin of Almeda Fire" exists at that site. As the fire tragically claimed three lives-- those of 93 year old Violet Lobdell, 55 year old Donald Schmidt, and 55 year old Derrick Mills-- it is considered a criminal and potentially homicide investigation by Jackson County authorities. It's a disturbing thought-- attempting to unravel why someone would intentionally start the fire on such a particularly nasty day. Was it accidental? An arsonist? Over a hundred people in four different states have been interviewed, and hopefully the Rogue Valley the the many victims receive some form of justice.
That being said, a fire set in Phoenix by a man named Jared Bakkela merged into the Almeda Fire and destroyed 11 homes. Bakkela was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his crimes. Bakkela's arrest, rumours spreading about the point of origin, and political tensions just before the election unfortunately led to massive amounts of misinformation, suggesting that Antifa associated organizations were intentionally attempting to burn down conservative communities to shift demographics. Some even responded to this belief statewide and threatened journalists and firemen with weapons, suspecting them of involvement in some grand conspiracy led by the anarchists of Portland. Of course, the majority of fires during the siege of September 2020 were caused by downed powerlines, the Almeda Drive Fire being a notable exception.
As a sidenote, one of Oregon's most disturbing unsolved mysteries, that being the murder of David Grubbs, occurred on the same Bear Creek Greenway which fed the Almeda Fire as it pushed north into towns and cities. Grubbs had been beheaded with a machete in November 2011, and the case remains open to this day. No connection, obviously, but an interesting coincidence.
Additional reading:
https://kobi5.com/news/us-and-world-news/investigation-continues-in-cause-of-almeda-south-obenchain-fires-207245/
https://gis.jacksoncountyor.gov/pages/almedafire
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/152aa529aa5c4dd29165bacd60422a8f
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6e1e42989d1b4beb809223d5430a3750
2024.05.05 00:28 PotentialForce6967 Julianna Margulies Says Black Community "Brainwashed" Over Palestine
After Israel was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, Margulies expressed her sadness that Black and LGBTQ people were, in her estimation, not supporting Israel when it retaliated, especially as she believed Jews had supported Black people, and other minorities, in their struggles. “I’m the first person to march [for] Black Lives Matter. When that happened to George Floyd, I put a black screen on my Instagram, like I ran to support my Black brothers and sisters,” Margulies said, sounding exasperated.
She added, “When LGBTQ people are being attacked, I run. I made a commercial for same-sex marriages with my husband in 2012. Like, I am the first person to jump up when something is wrong, as I think most Jews are, because we have been persecuted from the beginning of time, not just World War II, but literally from the beginning of time when we first lived in Israel way before anybody else.”
The actress then had a warning for progressive young people about what Hamas and Islamic fundamentalists think of them. “It’s those kids [who use gender-neutral pronouns] who are spewing this antisemitic hate that have no idea if they stepped foot in an Islamic country. These people who want us to call them they/them or whatever they want us to call them — which I have respectfully really made a point of doing, like, be whoever you want to be. It’s those people that will be the first people beheaded and their heads played [like] a soccer ball. Terrorists who don’t want women to have their rights, don’t want LGBTQ people … this is who you’re supporting?”
Later in the episode, Margulies returned to her notion that some in the Black community were not sufficiently supportive of Israel or had been engaging in antisemitism. “You know, there was a film being shown by this Black lesbian club on the Columbia campus and they put up signs that said, ‘no Jews allowed,'” Margulies said in an apparent reference to a New York Post story about the LionLez group at Columbia University disinviting Zionists from a film night. “And as someone who plays a lesbian journalist on The Morning Show, I am more offended by it as a lesbian than I am as a Jew, to be honest with you.”
She continued, “I want to say to them, ‘You fucking idiots, you don’t exist [to Hamas]. You’re even lower than the Jews [to Hamas]. A. You’re Black. B. You’re gay, and you’re turning your back against the people who support you.’ Because Jews, they rally around everybody.”
submitted by PotentialForce6967 to doxthemback [link] [comments]
She added, “When LGBTQ people are being attacked, I run. I made a commercial for same-sex marriages with my husband in 2012. Like, I am the first person to jump up when something is wrong, as I think most Jews are, because we have been persecuted from the beginning of time, not just World War II, but literally from the beginning of time when we first lived in Israel way before anybody else.”
The actress then had a warning for progressive young people about what Hamas and Islamic fundamentalists think of them. “It’s those kids [who use gender-neutral pronouns] who are spewing this antisemitic hate that have no idea if they stepped foot in an Islamic country. These people who want us to call them they/them or whatever they want us to call them — which I have respectfully really made a point of doing, like, be whoever you want to be. It’s those people that will be the first people beheaded and their heads played [like] a soccer ball. Terrorists who don’t want women to have their rights, don’t want LGBTQ people … this is who you’re supporting?”
Later in the episode, Margulies returned to her notion that some in the Black community were not sufficiently supportive of Israel or had been engaging in antisemitism. “You know, there was a film being shown by this Black lesbian club on the Columbia campus and they put up signs that said, ‘no Jews allowed,'” Margulies said in an apparent reference to a New York Post story about the LionLez group at Columbia University disinviting Zionists from a film night. “And as someone who plays a lesbian journalist on The Morning Show, I am more offended by it as a lesbian than I am as a Jew, to be honest with you.”
She continued, “I want to say to them, ‘You fucking idiots, you don’t exist [to Hamas]. You’re even lower than the Jews [to Hamas]. A. You’re Black. B. You’re gay, and you’re turning your back against the people who support you.’ Because Jews, they rally around everybody.”
2024.04.22 19:36 helmortart I translated the text against fascism that is setting Italy ablaze these days.
This is Antonio Scurati's monologue for April 25th, a national holiday in Italy commemorating the Allies' victory and the Italian resistance movement against Nazi Germany and the Italian Social Republic (Fascists). This text was intended to be read on RAI television, the Italian equivalent of the BBC. However, Georgia Meloni and her government decided to censor this monologue, deeming it dangerous and attempting to manipulate European and Italian history by giving fascism an honorable place in it. Italian far right government claim that what we've learned about Fascism since World War II was concocted by left-wing politicians who manipulated facts. Italian journalists, oppressed by the constant censorship and manipulation of news, are now on a five-day strike in protest.
"Giacomo Matteotti was assassinated by fascist henchmen on June 10, 1924.
They waited for him outside his house, five of them, all squadristi from Milan, professionals of violence hired by Mussolini's closest collaborators. Honourable Matteotti, the secretary of the Unitary Socialist Party, the last one in Parliament still openly opposing fascist dictatorship, was kidnapped in the heart of Rome, in broad daylight, under the sun's light. He fought to the end, as he had fought all his life. They stabbed him to death, then mutilated his body. They bent him over to fit him into a hastily dug grave with a blacksmith's file.
"Mussolini was immediately informed. Besides the murder, he stained himself with the infamy of swearing to the widow that he would do everything possible to bring her husband back. While he swore, the Duce of fascism kept the victim's bloodstained documents in the drawer of his desk." "In this false spring of ours, however, we commemorate not only Matteotti's political murder but also the Nazi-Fascist massacres perpetrated by the German SS, with the complicity and collaboration of Italian fascists, in 1944. Fosse Ardeatine, Sant'Anna di Stazzema, Marzabotto. These are just some of the places where Mussolini's demonic allies massacred thousands of unarmed Italian civilians in cold blood. Among them were hundreds of children and even infants. Many were burned alive, some beheaded." "These two coinciding tragic anniversaries - spring of '24, spring of '44 - proclaim that fascism was throughout its historical existence - not just at the end or occasionally - an irredeemable phenomenon of systematic political violence, murder, and massacres. Will the heirs of that history acknowledge this, once and for all? Unfortunately, everything suggests that it will not be so. The post-fascist leadership, having won the elections in October 2022, had two options: repudiate its neo-fascist past or try to rewrite history. Undoubtedly, it chose the latter."
"After avoiding the subject during the election campaign, the Prime Minister, when forced to confront it by historical anniversaries, stubbornly adhered to the ideological line of her neo-fascist culture of origin: she distanced herself from the indefensible atrocities perpetrated by the regime (the persecution of Jews) without ever repudiating the fascist experience as a whole, she blamed only the Nazis for the massacres committed with the complicity of the Republican fascists, and finally denied the fundamental role of the Resistance in the Italian rebirth (to the point of never mentioning the word "antifascism" on April 25, 2023)." "As I speak to you, we are once again on the eve of the anniversary of the Liberation from Nazism and Fascism. The word that the Prime Minister refused to pronounce will still beat on the grateful lips of all sincere democrats, whether they be left, center, or right. As long as that word - antifascism - is not uttered by those who govern us, the specter of fascism will continue to haunt the house of Italian democracy."
Antonio Scurati (born 25 June 1969) is an Italian writer and academic. A professor of comparative literature and creative writing at the IULM University of Milan, mass media scholar, and editorialist for the Corriere della Sera, Scurati has won the main Italian literary prizes. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Strega Prize for his novel M: Son of the Century (2018), which is part of a planned tetralogy dedicated to Benito Mussolini and Italian fascism. It was at the top of the charts for two consecutive years, was translated into over forty countries, and is set for a television series produced by Sky Original in 2024.
This post isn't a news story or a joke; it's a firsthand account of what's currently unfolding in a European country that's regressing in a troubling direction. I'm sharing it because it's crucial for people to be aware, and I'm genuinely alarmed by the situation. It's deeply offensive to French, Spanish, British, Eastern European, Jewish, American, and all other Europeans, or individuals whose grandparents or family members were victims of Nazi fascism during World War II. I come from a family with ties to Nazi fascism, but unlike others, I don't refer to that era as "the golden era." Instead, I see it as a dark and shameful period marked by the worst atrocities in history. I'm disgusted by the actions of my relatives during that time. If I've violated any rules, I apologize to the moderators, but it's crucial for people to grasp the severity of what's happening once again in Europe.
submitted by helmortart to YUROP [link] [comments]
"Giacomo Matteotti was assassinated by fascist henchmen on June 10, 1924.
They waited for him outside his house, five of them, all squadristi from Milan, professionals of violence hired by Mussolini's closest collaborators. Honourable Matteotti, the secretary of the Unitary Socialist Party, the last one in Parliament still openly opposing fascist dictatorship, was kidnapped in the heart of Rome, in broad daylight, under the sun's light. He fought to the end, as he had fought all his life. They stabbed him to death, then mutilated his body. They bent him over to fit him into a hastily dug grave with a blacksmith's file.
"Mussolini was immediately informed. Besides the murder, he stained himself with the infamy of swearing to the widow that he would do everything possible to bring her husband back. While he swore, the Duce of fascism kept the victim's bloodstained documents in the drawer of his desk." "In this false spring of ours, however, we commemorate not only Matteotti's political murder but also the Nazi-Fascist massacres perpetrated by the German SS, with the complicity and collaboration of Italian fascists, in 1944. Fosse Ardeatine, Sant'Anna di Stazzema, Marzabotto. These are just some of the places where Mussolini's demonic allies massacred thousands of unarmed Italian civilians in cold blood. Among them were hundreds of children and even infants. Many were burned alive, some beheaded." "These two coinciding tragic anniversaries - spring of '24, spring of '44 - proclaim that fascism was throughout its historical existence - not just at the end or occasionally - an irredeemable phenomenon of systematic political violence, murder, and massacres. Will the heirs of that history acknowledge this, once and for all? Unfortunately, everything suggests that it will not be so. The post-fascist leadership, having won the elections in October 2022, had two options: repudiate its neo-fascist past or try to rewrite history. Undoubtedly, it chose the latter."
"After avoiding the subject during the election campaign, the Prime Minister, when forced to confront it by historical anniversaries, stubbornly adhered to the ideological line of her neo-fascist culture of origin: she distanced herself from the indefensible atrocities perpetrated by the regime (the persecution of Jews) without ever repudiating the fascist experience as a whole, she blamed only the Nazis for the massacres committed with the complicity of the Republican fascists, and finally denied the fundamental role of the Resistance in the Italian rebirth (to the point of never mentioning the word "antifascism" on April 25, 2023)." "As I speak to you, we are once again on the eve of the anniversary of the Liberation from Nazism and Fascism. The word that the Prime Minister refused to pronounce will still beat on the grateful lips of all sincere democrats, whether they be left, center, or right. As long as that word - antifascism - is not uttered by those who govern us, the specter of fascism will continue to haunt the house of Italian democracy."
Antonio Scurati (born 25 June 1969) is an Italian writer and academic. A professor of comparative literature and creative writing at the IULM University of Milan, mass media scholar, and editorialist for the Corriere della Sera, Scurati has won the main Italian literary prizes. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Strega Prize for his novel M: Son of the Century (2018), which is part of a planned tetralogy dedicated to Benito Mussolini and Italian fascism. It was at the top of the charts for two consecutive years, was translated into over forty countries, and is set for a television series produced by Sky Original in 2024.
This post isn't a news story or a joke; it's a firsthand account of what's currently unfolding in a European country that's regressing in a troubling direction. I'm sharing it because it's crucial for people to be aware, and I'm genuinely alarmed by the situation. It's deeply offensive to French, Spanish, British, Eastern European, Jewish, American, and all other Europeans, or individuals whose grandparents or family members were victims of Nazi fascism during World War II. I come from a family with ties to Nazi fascism, but unlike others, I don't refer to that era as "the golden era." Instead, I see it as a dark and shameful period marked by the worst atrocities in history. I'm disgusted by the actions of my relatives during that time. If I've violated any rules, I apologize to the moderators, but it's crucial for people to grasp the severity of what's happening once again in Europe.
2024.04.03 19:30 KeptCurrent Best of Park City This Week April 3 -10
Don't forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter so you stay in the know! Go to www.keptcurrent.com to sigh up! And tell your friends...we really appreciate that!
NON-PROFIT OF THE WEEK
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Wine for Wildlife Thursday, April 4, from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Come to the second annual "Wine for Wildlife" event, organized by Park City’s Twilight Rotary. Half the proceeds will benefit the Swaner Preserve's mission to maintain its 1,200-acre haven, enhance exhibits, and bolster both adult and youth educational programs, such as free Sunday crafts and weekly nature walks. The remainder supports the vital community service initiatives of the Park City Twilight Rotary Club.
Prepare for a fun night filled with:
GET TICKETS
FOOD & DRINK
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"Fruit Day" with Antiquum Farm Wine Dinner @ Tupelo Wednesday, April 10, from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tupelo invites wine enthusiasts to toast to “Fruit Day” with the Antiquum Farm Wine Dinner. Winemaker Stephen Hagen showcases his innovative “Grazing-Based Viticulture” alongside four courses of Tupelo's culinary delights. Indulge in four wine pairings, including Daisy Pinot Gris, Alium Pinot Gris, Luxuria Pinot Noir, and Passiflora Pinot Noir. Cheers to a memorable evening! COST: $120 PP
RESERVE
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Table for Twelve @ PC Creamery w/ PC Wine Club Thursday, April 11, @ 6:00 PM
Explore exciting varietals and cheese pairings that tantalize your taste buds! Discover four to five wines paired with PC Creamery cheeses and yummy accoutrements, with some take-home recipes. Limited to 12 persons, reserve your spot for $70.
Park City Creamery 1200 West Lori Lane Heber City (NOT - near Kamas), UT 84032
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GET TICKETS
Gracie’s Farm Dinner Series Summer 2024
The Lodge at Blue Sky is a beautiful escape, just a 15-minute drive away, yet it feels like many miles from the bustle of Main Street. I'm excited to attend some upcoming events and listing the series early, as they may sell out closer to the date. This dinner series showcases a different seasonal ingredient at each gathering, allowing guests to hear the stories of the hardworking people and animals at Blue Sky.
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EPC Brunch @ Hyatt Centric Every Sunday Through End of May
For a local-friendly spot away from Main Street traffic, check out the Hyatt Centric. They're rolling out a new brunch special and inviting locals to dive in. Indulge in Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffles, Hawaiian French Toast, Black Forest Ham & Beehive Chili Cheese Quiche, or Pan-Seared Scallops. Plus, enjoy Friday night trivia from 6-8 PM until mid-April!
RSVP
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Pasta by Hand u/Mindful Cuisine Saturday, April 13 from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM / Sign-up Deadline April 8Experience the art of pasta-making by hand, from dough to dinner! Roll out dough sheets, create colored pasta, and craft hand-formed shapes. Dive into a culinary adventure making three pasta varieties paired with seasonal sauces. This interactive class promises a hands-on culinary journey.
Appetizers: Burrata with Dandelion-Pistachio Pistou Salad: Spring Panzanella Pastas: Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni with Crushed Tomato Sauce, Farfalle with Citrus Pistachio Pesto, Lemon Tagliatelle with Roasted Cauliflower, Swiss Chard and Panko Crumb, Hazelnut and Pecorino ToppingDessert: Dessert: Lemon Curd Tiramisu\
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Taste of Luxury with Chef Silvia Regi Baracchi @ Deer Valley April 5 - 7
Deer Valley's Taste of Luxury Series is back so get ready to enjoy the vibrant flavors and traditions of Italian cuisine with Chef Silvia Regi Baracchi. Enjoy a VIP Meet and Greet Reception at 6 p.m. followed by a six-course dinner at 7:30 p.m., hosted by Deer Valley's Jacob Musyt. Delight in Tuscan-inspired cuisine paired with exceptional wines, celebrating the fusion of Utah's finest ingredients and Italian culinary expertise. COST: $295 - $350
And if you are looking for a more hands-on experience, well you're in luck. You can get personal instruction from Chef Baracchi and learn to craft signature Italian dishes and explore the art of wine pairing. You will even get to take home your very own pasta maker. COST: $350
April 5-7 @ 6:00 PM Dinner & Reception April 7 @ 2:30 PM Cooking class with Chef BaracchiSIGN UP
SPORTS
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Pond Skim @ PCMR Saturday, April 6, @ 12:00 PM
Make a splash at Park City Mountain's 3rd Annual Pond Skim! Unleash your inner thrill-seeker at the Eagle Super Pond for a day of excitement. With only 150 spots available, the list is already full, but come watch! This is a great local event.
Ken Block Day Annual Block Party + Fundraiser 2024 Wednesday, April 3, from 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM A tribute to Ken's legacy and the launch of the 43 Institute. Get ready for an immersive experience celebrating Ken Block's legacy and supporting the 43 Institute's mission. Evening tickets include an introduction to 43i, panel discussions with speakers like Travis Pastrana, music by Beastie Boys' DJ Mix Master Mike, a Ken Block legacy zone, interactive games, a social mixer, dinner, and auctions. This game-changing event promises an unforgettable experience celebrating Ken's impact on the community. Hosts include Todd Richards, Chris Cote and Eddie Wall. And experience snowboarding with DC Mountain Lab's from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. COST: $143RESERVE
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Summer Strong: Early Summer Workout w/ Sarah Histand (Online) April 8 - May 17
Summer is around the corner! Prep now for the upcoming season of hiking, biking, and running. Led by Sarah Histand, creator of Summer Strong, the program emphasizes a mental-health-informed training style, ensuring fun and empowerment. Try her free 45 minute all-level bodyweight workout.
If you like this, she's also offering a six-week online training program with downloadable PDFs. It will include weekly Mindset & Nutrition modules, and access to the supportive online Summer Strong Community for connections and accountability. Enjoy exclusive bonuses like Healing Track Somatic Practices, Follow-Through Series, Paddling Skills Workshop, Mountain Biking Skills Workshop, Modification Series, Outdoor Allyship Sessions, and a Bonus Library of online Active Recovery classes. Sign up now and save $20 with code SHEJUMPSSTRONG, while supporting SheJumps! COST $187 SIGN UP FREE CLASSSIGN UP
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Town Series & Carnaval Friday, April 5, @ from 3:30 PM - 7:00 PMExperience the ultimate combo at the 2024 Spring Carnival, as the Town Series races merge with the Pond Skim at UOP! Celebrate PCSS's winter season with family-friendly fun. Enjoy discounts for dual event participation. Dress up for the costume party and indulge in food trucks, a beer garden, music, awards, and swag.SIGN UP📷Beauty & The Beast w/
Ballet West @ Eccles Theater Park City Friday, April 5, @ 7:00 PM Enjoy timeless performances at the Family Classics Series in Park City, featuring Ballet West II and Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy students. Delight in ballet's beauty as talented dancers bring classic tales to life on stage, creating magical moments for audiences of all ages.GET TICKETS
FAMILY FUN
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Park City Mountain Bike Team Meeting Wednesday, April 10, @ 5:00 PM Merch Fittings/ 6:00 PM Meeting
Attention to all 2023 State Champions!
As the upcoming season approaches, it's essential to stay informed. This gathering offers both new and returning riders an opportunity to connect and engage. Discussions will cover new registration procedures, practice schedules, squads, and race details. Additionally, attendees can preview the new race kit and merchandise; arrive at 5 pm for fitting and ordering. Plus, riders who complete PITZONE registration by April 10th at 5 pm will be automatically entered into a PITVIPER Raffle. Mark your calendars and be part of the excitement!
And, the application is open for 2024 Captains. This is for next year’s Juniors and Seniors who are excited to be team leaders. Applicants must attend a 5:00 PM meeting on April 10th.
St. Mary's Catholic Church Hwy 224 Park City
PITZONE REGISTRATION
TEAM CAPTAIN APPLICATION
Free Movie Night: Disney Pixar's Elemental @ Timpanogos Valley Theatre Friday, April 5, @ 7:00 PM Join in for an evening at the movies, sponsored by Wasatch Behavioral Health and Timpanogos Valley Theater. Disney Pixar’s Elemental will be screened. While tickets are free, reservations are required to ensure everyone can be accommodated. Don't miss out on this fantastic family movie night—reserve your tickets now📷
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Heber Valley Railroad Taylor Swift Train Friday, April 5, @ 7:00 PM
Attention all swifties! Gather your friends for a night of singing and dancing aboard the historic Heber Creeper. Taylor look-a-likes are encouraged for this 90-minute round trip. Dress up, grab a soda and some snacks on board and sing your heart out. Arrive early to catch the Old West Gunfights at 6:40pm before boarding. Tickets are $25 pp/ $160 for 4 people.
GET TICKETS
You and Your Adult Child Workshop @ The Christian Center Wednesday, April 3, from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Rob & Leah Harter specialize in empowering parents with adult children, offering guidance on navigating life's complexities with wisdom and resilience. Their mission is to help parents avoid common issues, work through ups and downs, and build stronger bonds with their children. With insight and expertise, they foster fulfilling and harmonious family dynamics.GET TICKETS📷
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Kid's Paint Days @ Inspiration Haven Art Studio Saturday, April 6 @ 1:00 PM
Ideal for art-loving kids seeking fun! Each 1.5-hour class provides all supplies and step-by-step instructions. While techniques are taught, the primary goal is fun! Parents can drop off their kids, aged four and up, for a creative session on 11x14 canvases. Parents are welcome to sight up and join the fun. This week's theme is about Daisies and Lavender.
SIGN UP
Ladies Night @ Woodward Wednesday, April 10, from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Gather your squad and enjoy discounted tickets for just $20, whether you're hitting the slopes or chilling at the Hub. Join monthly group sessions led by female Woodward coaches, with DJ Sadie the Lady providing the perfect vibes. Get tickets onsite.
MUSIC THIS WEEKGo to KEPT CURRENT MUSIC for show times, tickets, and future concerts.
4/3 Gary Numan @ The Depot
4/3 Naomi Harlan & Randin Graves @ The Spur
4/3 David Wilcox @ The Stateroom
4/4 DB Howes Band @ The Corner Store Pub & Grill
4/4 Kate Chanson @ Alpine Social Aid & Social Club
4/4 Drew Fink @ Silver Star Cafe
4/4 Jimbo’s Drag Circus World Tour @ The Complex
4/4 High Fade @ Stateroom
4/4 Shannon Runyon Duo & Dueling Pianos
4/4 Tom Segura @ Delta Center
4/4 The Spinners @ Egyptian Theatre
4/5 James Hardy @ Riverhorse
4/5 3 Deep @ Dejoria Center
4/5 Tim McGraw @ Delta center
4/5 Mich Doughty @ The Stateroom
4/5 Royal Bliss @ The Cabin
4/5 Scott Foster & Steven Bosco Band
4/5 George Brown @ Sundance Resort
4/5 Kublai Kyan TX @ The Complex
4/5 The Spinners @ Egyptian Theatre
4/5 Lavelle Dupree @ Downstairs
4/6 DJ DYFI @ Canyons Village
4/6 Cosmic Possum @ Canyons Village
4/6 Steven Bosco @ Riverhorse
4/6 MxPx w/ The Ataris @ The Depot
4/6 Skitour: Monster Energy Aprave’s Tour @ The Cabin
4/6 Charlie Parr @ The Commonwealth Room
4/6 DJ Mary Paws & The Truffle Incident @ The Spur
4/6 Nate Robinson @ Sundance Resort
4/6 Super Bent @ The Notch
4/6 Bob Moses @ The Marquis PC
4/6 The Spinners @ Egyptian Theatre
4/6 DJ Chris Cutz @ Downstairs
4/7 Nate Robinson Solo @ Sundance Resort
4/7 The Spinners @ Egyptian Theatre
4/7 Teresa Cooke @ Riverhorse
4/7 Aspen Anonda & Dueling Pianos
4/8 Steven Bosco @ Riverhorse
4/8 Rylee McDonald & Daniel Torriente @ The Spur
4/9 Set it Off @ The Depot
4/9 Peter Frampton @ Riverhorse
4/9 Alli Brown & Radio Roulette @ The Spur
4/9 The Veronicas @ The Complex
4/9 Sampha @ The COmplex
4/10 Nate Robinson @ Riverhorse
4/10 Steven Bosco & Morgen Call Duo @ The Spur
4/10 Jon McLaughlin @ The Stateroom
ARTS & CULTURE
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Clothing Swap @ FulFILLed Lifestyle Co. Wednesday, April 3, @ 6:00 PMReady for some spring cleaning? Join this event to refresh your wardrobe! Bring 10 gently used clothing items and swap them for something new. It's a great way to revamp your style consciously while decluttering your closet.
If you haven't visited this store yet, you're missing out on a gem in our community. Stock up on their array of sustainable products that you can feel good about purchasing. Not only are you supporting a local business, but you're also choosing environmentally-friendly options for everyday use. Plus, Kimberly is lovely.
https://preview.redd.it/afu8t8rauasc1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db32b7ffc1f0ead85d18a8b88019ce5fd40037f4
Liberty Sanctuary & Burns Cowboy Shop Friday, April 5Spring is right around the corner, and Liberty Sanctuary's horse rescues eagerly await the melting snow. To celebrate the changing season, Burns Cowboy Shop in Park City is hosting a sales day for their horsey friends. Visit their Main Street flagship store, and 20% of your purchase will go to support the sanctuary's care, feed, and training of horses. Shop with purpose and spread good juju! The horses thank you!📷
Cacao Ceremony with Sound & Reiki Healing Thursday, April 4, from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
This ceremony will be led by Cheryl and Curtis who will guide everyone through a meditative experience using caçao as a tool for spiritual and emotional healing. Caçao is believed to have medicinal properties that can help open the heart, connect with inner wisdom, and enhance creativity. Think of it like a chill and heartwarming get-together with good vibes and a touch of magic. Plus, who doesn't love chocolate? Cost $49 Tickets are going fast!
And, if you are looking for some Reiki, you are in luck! Experience extended Reiki healing sessions with Cheryl, a level II Reiki practitioner. Delve deeper with Cacao, Oracle Card readings, and Chakra drumming. Text 703-599-8791 or email [cherylamirabella@gmail.com](mailto:cherylamirabella@gmail.com) to book. Special offer: $299 for 3 sessions.
GET TICKETSMORE INFO
Heber Valley Horse Sale @ Heber Valley Indoor Event Center April 4 - 6
This annual event showcases the finest selection of horses, from ranch-ready steeds to kid-friendly companions. Don't miss this premier opportunity to acquire your perfect equine partner. As Utah's leading horse sale, this event draws buyers from the western and eastern states alike, all seeking top-notch horses. It is curated by Brent Kelly and family. For phone bidding, call 435-503-2178.
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MORE INFO
Positive Behavior Norms Monthly Lecture @ Peace House Wednesday, April 10, from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS
Most people would agree that few things impacted their school lives as much as their relationships with their peers—friends, acquaintances, or otherwise. Peer relationships play an important role in children’s school lives and become even more influential as children enter adolescence. In this presentation we will learn about SEL Social Emotional Learning and explore a breakdown of specific skills for each of CASEL’s five competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making). Contact the Peace House Director of Prevention and Education at [emma@peacehouse.org](mailto:emma@peacehouse.org) for more information.
JOIN HERE
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Watercolor Class @ Coalville Library Thursday, April 4, @ 6:00 PMJoin local artist Amber Louder for a relaxed and enjoyable watercolor class, following the Let's Make Art tutorials. No prior experience necessary! Supplies will be provided for teens and adults. RSVP at 435-336-3070 to secure your spot as space is limited.📷Local Speaker
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Series: Maya Silver’s How to Get Off the Beaten Path in Utah Thursday, April 2, from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PMDiscover Utah's hidden gems and escape the crowds with Maya Silver's expert advice. Learn about 10 lesser-known destinations, gleaned from her extensive travels and research for her new Moon travel guides. Gain insider tips, favorite spots, and clever hacks for avoiding crowds in Utah's popular attractions, including its renowned national parks.
Park City Library 1255 Park Avenue
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Workshop Series: Floral Arranging with Spring Blooms Wednesday, April 10, @ 5:00 PM
I'm listing this early because these classes almost always sell out!
Ready for spring flowers to brighten up your home? Get creative with this season's finest blooms and flowering branches. Enjoy locally sourced flowers, beverages, and snacks, along with expert guidance to create your own spring masterpiece. Limited spots available📷
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Dark Sky Celebration at Wasatch Mountain State Park Saturday, April 6, from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
The Dark Sky Celebration takes place at the Wasatch Golf Course Clubhouse, featuring indoor astronomy activities, outdoor stargazing, treats, and astronomy items for purchase. Get ready for some epic stargazing and hands-on activities. Tickets: $6 for adults (12 years and older) and $4 for children (under 11 years).SIGN UP
An Indigenous Spring: A Health and Wellness Gathering Saturday, April 6 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Join SLRC and IHAWC for a health and wellness gathering in collaboration with The Utah Museum of Natural History and the Urban Indian Center. Bring the whole family for a day of connection, celebration, and health. Experience a Bear Dance Demo by the Ute Tribe, go on a run, walk, or hike, try out shoes from top brands like Saucony, Altra, Brooks, and Hoka, and explore health and wellness booths. Enjoy post-run refreshments and receive free entry to the Utah Museum of Natural History. Registration is free but required.
Utah Museum of Natural History 301 Wakara Way Salt Lake City, UT 84108REGISTER
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Pride Ride 2024 Saturday, April 6, from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Get ready to celebrate Pride in style as Pride Ride Utah 2024 returns to Brighton Resort! It's a full day of riding, dancing, and community as they come together to support the LGBTQIA+ community. Don't forget to sign up for the after party too! Their mission is to build community, increase access, and break down barriers to LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the outdoor community. This year, they're proud to raise funds for Rock Camp, SLC!
REGISTER
From Murder to Atonement: Confronting my Son's Killer @ Summit County Library Tuesday, April 9, u/12:00 PM VIA ZOOM
Join Author Colum McCann and Diane Foley, whose story inspired "American Mother." The book explores a mother's journey of forgiveness after confronting her son’s killer, crafted by McCann's compelling narrative. Diane Foley is the mother of Jim, a freelance journalist captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014, an image that became one of the most iconic of the 21st century. This is a story about strength, resilience, and radical empathy.
REGISTER
Going Greenland & Downstream Movie: Citizen's Climate Lobby Wasatch Back Wednesday, April 10, @ 6:00 PM
Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to an evening of ski and climate movies showcasing "Downstream," a backcountry ski film delving into the diminishing Salt Lake, and "Going Greenland," a documentary exploring our relationship with nature and the balance between pursuing our passions and preserving the environment. Donations aid student lobbying efforts in DC. Admission is free, with donations welcomed. Join them for skiing, film viewing, and climate action discussions post-screening.
REGISTER
IO Capitano @ Park City Film April 5 - 7 / Fri & Sat @ 7:00 PM / Sun @ 6:00 PM
In this acclaimed film which won top directing and acting prizes at the Venice Film Festival, writer-director Garrone presents a “reverse shot” of the immigration experience while unfurling an epic, cinematographically magnificent odyssey from West Africa to Italy. The story is told through the mind’s eye and experiences of two Senegalese teenagers living in Dakar who yearn for a brighter future in Europe. Yet between their dreams and reality lies a treacherous journey through a labyrinth of checkpoints, the scorched Saharan desert, a fetid North African prison and the vast waters of the Mediterranean where thousands have died packed inside vessels barely fit for passage.
GET TICKETSFOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
@ kept_current_parkcity
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Best Of Park City This WeekApril 3 - 10
NON-PROFIT OF THE WEEK
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Wine for Wildlife Thursday, April 4, from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Come to the second annual "Wine for Wildlife" event, organized by Park City’s Twilight Rotary. Half the proceeds will benefit the Swaner Preserve's mission to maintain its 1,200-acre haven, enhance exhibits, and bolster both adult and youth educational programs, such as free Sunday crafts and weekly nature walks. The remainder supports the vital community service initiatives of the Park City Twilight Rotary Club.
Prepare for a fun night filled with:
- Expert wine education from Pamela Wood, President of the Park City Wine Club.
- Live performances by The Fuse.
- A silent auction showcasing unique items and experiences.
- A lavish spread of heavy hors d'oeuvres.
- A gourmet sit-down dinner crafted by Joi Thomas, the creative force behind Seasoned with Salt.
- An exquisite selection of wines and beers to savor throughout the evening.
GET TICKETS
FOOD & DRINK
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"Fruit Day" with Antiquum Farm Wine Dinner @ Tupelo Wednesday, April 10, from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tupelo invites wine enthusiasts to toast to “Fruit Day” with the Antiquum Farm Wine Dinner. Winemaker Stephen Hagen showcases his innovative “Grazing-Based Viticulture” alongside four courses of Tupelo's culinary delights. Indulge in four wine pairings, including Daisy Pinot Gris, Alium Pinot Gris, Luxuria Pinot Noir, and Passiflora Pinot Noir. Cheers to a memorable evening! COST: $120 PP
RESERVE
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Table for Twelve @ PC Creamery w/ PC Wine Club Thursday, April 11, @ 6:00 PM
Explore exciting varietals and cheese pairings that tantalize your taste buds! Discover four to five wines paired with PC Creamery cheeses and yummy accoutrements, with some take-home recipes. Limited to 12 persons, reserve your spot for $70.
Park City Creamery 1200 West Lori Lane Heber City (NOT - near Kamas), UT 84032
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GET TICKETS
Gracie’s Farm Dinner Series Summer 2024
The Lodge at Blue Sky is a beautiful escape, just a 15-minute drive away, yet it feels like many miles from the bustle of Main Street. I'm excited to attend some upcoming events and listing the series early, as they may sell out closer to the date. This dinner series showcases a different seasonal ingredient at each gathering, allowing guests to hear the stories of the hardworking people and animals at Blue Sky.
- 6/11 Baby Roots and Greens
- 7/16 Garlic
- 7/25 Women in Food & Farming
- 8/20 Tomatoes
- 9/18 & 19 Harvest Dinner
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EPC Brunch @ Hyatt Centric Every Sunday Through End of May
For a local-friendly spot away from Main Street traffic, check out the Hyatt Centric. They're rolling out a new brunch special and inviting locals to dive in. Indulge in Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffles, Hawaiian French Toast, Black Forest Ham & Beehive Chili Cheese Quiche, or Pan-Seared Scallops. Plus, enjoy Friday night trivia from 6-8 PM until mid-April!
RSVP
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Pasta by Hand u/Mindful Cuisine Saturday, April 13 from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM / Sign-up Deadline April 8Experience the art of pasta-making by hand, from dough to dinner! Roll out dough sheets, create colored pasta, and craft hand-formed shapes. Dive into a culinary adventure making three pasta varieties paired with seasonal sauces. This interactive class promises a hands-on culinary journey.
Appetizers: Burrata with Dandelion-Pistachio Pistou Salad: Spring Panzanella Pastas: Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni with Crushed Tomato Sauce, Farfalle with Citrus Pistachio Pesto, Lemon Tagliatelle with Roasted Cauliflower, Swiss Chard and Panko Crumb, Hazelnut and Pecorino ToppingDessert: Dessert: Lemon Curd Tiramisu\
SIGN UP
Taste of Luxury with Chef Silvia Regi Baracchi @ Deer Valley April 5 - 7
Deer Valley's Taste of Luxury Series is back so get ready to enjoy the vibrant flavors and traditions of Italian cuisine with Chef Silvia Regi Baracchi. Enjoy a VIP Meet and Greet Reception at 6 p.m. followed by a six-course dinner at 7:30 p.m., hosted by Deer Valley's Jacob Musyt. Delight in Tuscan-inspired cuisine paired with exceptional wines, celebrating the fusion of Utah's finest ingredients and Italian culinary expertise. COST: $295 - $350
And if you are looking for a more hands-on experience, well you're in luck. You can get personal instruction from Chef Baracchi and learn to craft signature Italian dishes and explore the art of wine pairing. You will even get to take home your very own pasta maker. COST: $350
April 5-7 @ 6:00 PM Dinner & Reception April 7 @ 2:30 PM Cooking class with Chef BaracchiSIGN UP
SPORTS
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Pond Skim @ PCMR Saturday, April 6, @ 12:00 PM
Make a splash at Park City Mountain's 3rd Annual Pond Skim! Unleash your inner thrill-seeker at the Eagle Super Pond for a day of excitement. With only 150 spots available, the list is already full, but come watch! This is a great local event.
Ken Block Day Annual Block Party + Fundraiser 2024 Wednesday, April 3, from 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM A tribute to Ken's legacy and the launch of the 43 Institute. Get ready for an immersive experience celebrating Ken Block's legacy and supporting the 43 Institute's mission. Evening tickets include an introduction to 43i, panel discussions with speakers like Travis Pastrana, music by Beastie Boys' DJ Mix Master Mike, a Ken Block legacy zone, interactive games, a social mixer, dinner, and auctions. This game-changing event promises an unforgettable experience celebrating Ken's impact on the community. Hosts include Todd Richards, Chris Cote and Eddie Wall. And experience snowboarding with DC Mountain Lab's from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. COST: $143RESERVE
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Summer Strong: Early Summer Workout w/ Sarah Histand (Online) April 8 - May 17
Summer is around the corner! Prep now for the upcoming season of hiking, biking, and running. Led by Sarah Histand, creator of Summer Strong, the program emphasizes a mental-health-informed training style, ensuring fun and empowerment. Try her free 45 minute all-level bodyweight workout.
If you like this, she's also offering a six-week online training program with downloadable PDFs. It will include weekly Mindset & Nutrition modules, and access to the supportive online Summer Strong Community for connections and accountability. Enjoy exclusive bonuses like Healing Track Somatic Practices, Follow-Through Series, Paddling Skills Workshop, Mountain Biking Skills Workshop, Modification Series, Outdoor Allyship Sessions, and a Bonus Library of online Active Recovery classes. Sign up now and save $20 with code SHEJUMPSSTRONG, while supporting SheJumps! COST $187 SIGN UP FREE CLASSSIGN UP
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Town Series & Carnaval Friday, April 5, @ from 3:30 PM - 7:00 PMExperience the ultimate combo at the 2024 Spring Carnival, as the Town Series races merge with the Pond Skim at UOP! Celebrate PCSS's winter season with family-friendly fun. Enjoy discounts for dual event participation. Dress up for the costume party and indulge in food trucks, a beer garden, music, awards, and swag.SIGN UP📷Beauty & The Beast w/
Ballet West @ Eccles Theater Park City Friday, April 5, @ 7:00 PM Enjoy timeless performances at the Family Classics Series in Park City, featuring Ballet West II and Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy students. Delight in ballet's beauty as talented dancers bring classic tales to life on stage, creating magical moments for audiences of all ages.GET TICKETS
FAMILY FUN
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Park City Mountain Bike Team Meeting Wednesday, April 10, @ 5:00 PM Merch Fittings/ 6:00 PM Meeting
Attention to all 2023 State Champions!
As the upcoming season approaches, it's essential to stay informed. This gathering offers both new and returning riders an opportunity to connect and engage. Discussions will cover new registration procedures, practice schedules, squads, and race details. Additionally, attendees can preview the new race kit and merchandise; arrive at 5 pm for fitting and ordering. Plus, riders who complete PITZONE registration by April 10th at 5 pm will be automatically entered into a PITVIPER Raffle. Mark your calendars and be part of the excitement!
And, the application is open for 2024 Captains. This is for next year’s Juniors and Seniors who are excited to be team leaders. Applicants must attend a 5:00 PM meeting on April 10th.
St. Mary's Catholic Church Hwy 224 Park City
PITZONE REGISTRATION
TEAM CAPTAIN APPLICATION
Free Movie Night: Disney Pixar's Elemental @ Timpanogos Valley Theatre Friday, April 5, @ 7:00 PM Join in for an evening at the movies, sponsored by Wasatch Behavioral Health and Timpanogos Valley Theater. Disney Pixar’s Elemental will be screened. While tickets are free, reservations are required to ensure everyone can be accommodated. Don't miss out on this fantastic family movie night—reserve your tickets now📷
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Heber Valley Railroad Taylor Swift Train Friday, April 5, @ 7:00 PM
Attention all swifties! Gather your friends for a night of singing and dancing aboard the historic Heber Creeper. Taylor look-a-likes are encouraged for this 90-minute round trip. Dress up, grab a soda and some snacks on board and sing your heart out. Arrive early to catch the Old West Gunfights at 6:40pm before boarding. Tickets are $25 pp/ $160 for 4 people.
GET TICKETS
You and Your Adult Child Workshop @ The Christian Center Wednesday, April 3, from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Rob & Leah Harter specialize in empowering parents with adult children, offering guidance on navigating life's complexities with wisdom and resilience. Their mission is to help parents avoid common issues, work through ups and downs, and build stronger bonds with their children. With insight and expertise, they foster fulfilling and harmonious family dynamics.GET TICKETS📷
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Kid's Paint Days @ Inspiration Haven Art Studio Saturday, April 6 @ 1:00 PM
Ideal for art-loving kids seeking fun! Each 1.5-hour class provides all supplies and step-by-step instructions. While techniques are taught, the primary goal is fun! Parents can drop off their kids, aged four and up, for a creative session on 11x14 canvases. Parents are welcome to sight up and join the fun. This week's theme is about Daisies and Lavender.
SIGN UP
Ladies Night @ Woodward Wednesday, April 10, from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Gather your squad and enjoy discounted tickets for just $20, whether you're hitting the slopes or chilling at the Hub. Join monthly group sessions led by female Woodward coaches, with DJ Sadie the Lady providing the perfect vibes. Get tickets onsite.
MUSIC THIS WEEKGo to KEPT CURRENT MUSIC for show times, tickets, and future concerts.
4/3 Gary Numan @ The Depot
4/3 Naomi Harlan & Randin Graves @ The Spur
4/3 David Wilcox @ The Stateroom
4/4 DB Howes Band @ The Corner Store Pub & Grill
4/4 Kate Chanson @ Alpine Social Aid & Social Club
4/4 Drew Fink @ Silver Star Cafe
4/4 Jimbo’s Drag Circus World Tour @ The Complex
4/4 High Fade @ Stateroom
4/4 Shannon Runyon Duo & Dueling Pianos
4/4 Tom Segura @ Delta Center
4/4 The Spinners @ Egyptian Theatre
4/5 James Hardy @ Riverhorse
4/5 3 Deep @ Dejoria Center
4/5 Tim McGraw @ Delta center
4/5 Mich Doughty @ The Stateroom
4/5 Royal Bliss @ The Cabin
4/5 Scott Foster & Steven Bosco Band
4/5 George Brown @ Sundance Resort
4/5 Kublai Kyan TX @ The Complex
4/5 The Spinners @ Egyptian Theatre
4/5 Lavelle Dupree @ Downstairs
4/6 DJ DYFI @ Canyons Village
4/6 Cosmic Possum @ Canyons Village
4/6 Steven Bosco @ Riverhorse
4/6 MxPx w/ The Ataris @ The Depot
4/6 Skitour: Monster Energy Aprave’s Tour @ The Cabin
4/6 Charlie Parr @ The Commonwealth Room
4/6 DJ Mary Paws & The Truffle Incident @ The Spur
4/6 Nate Robinson @ Sundance Resort
4/6 Super Bent @ The Notch
4/6 Bob Moses @ The Marquis PC
4/6 The Spinners @ Egyptian Theatre
4/6 DJ Chris Cutz @ Downstairs
4/7 Nate Robinson Solo @ Sundance Resort
4/7 The Spinners @ Egyptian Theatre
4/7 Teresa Cooke @ Riverhorse
4/7 Aspen Anonda & Dueling Pianos
4/8 Steven Bosco @ Riverhorse
4/8 Rylee McDonald & Daniel Torriente @ The Spur
4/9 Set it Off @ The Depot
4/9 Peter Frampton @ Riverhorse
4/9 Alli Brown & Radio Roulette @ The Spur
4/9 The Veronicas @ The Complex
4/9 Sampha @ The COmplex
4/10 Nate Robinson @ Riverhorse
4/10 Steven Bosco & Morgen Call Duo @ The Spur
4/10 Jon McLaughlin @ The Stateroom
ARTS & CULTURE
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Clothing Swap @ FulFILLed Lifestyle Co. Wednesday, April 3, @ 6:00 PMReady for some spring cleaning? Join this event to refresh your wardrobe! Bring 10 gently used clothing items and swap them for something new. It's a great way to revamp your style consciously while decluttering your closet.
If you haven't visited this store yet, you're missing out on a gem in our community. Stock up on their array of sustainable products that you can feel good about purchasing. Not only are you supporting a local business, but you're also choosing environmentally-friendly options for everyday use. Plus, Kimberly is lovely.
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Liberty Sanctuary & Burns Cowboy Shop Friday, April 5Spring is right around the corner, and Liberty Sanctuary's horse rescues eagerly await the melting snow. To celebrate the changing season, Burns Cowboy Shop in Park City is hosting a sales day for their horsey friends. Visit their Main Street flagship store, and 20% of your purchase will go to support the sanctuary's care, feed, and training of horses. Shop with purpose and spread good juju! The horses thank you!📷
Cacao Ceremony with Sound & Reiki Healing Thursday, April 4, from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
This ceremony will be led by Cheryl and Curtis who will guide everyone through a meditative experience using caçao as a tool for spiritual and emotional healing. Caçao is believed to have medicinal properties that can help open the heart, connect with inner wisdom, and enhance creativity. Think of it like a chill and heartwarming get-together with good vibes and a touch of magic. Plus, who doesn't love chocolate? Cost $49 Tickets are going fast!
And, if you are looking for some Reiki, you are in luck! Experience extended Reiki healing sessions with Cheryl, a level II Reiki practitioner. Delve deeper with Cacao, Oracle Card readings, and Chakra drumming. Text 703-599-8791 or email [cherylamirabella@gmail.com](mailto:cherylamirabella@gmail.com) to book. Special offer: $299 for 3 sessions.
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Heber Valley Horse Sale @ Heber Valley Indoor Event Center April 4 - 6
This annual event showcases the finest selection of horses, from ranch-ready steeds to kid-friendly companions. Don't miss this premier opportunity to acquire your perfect equine partner. As Utah's leading horse sale, this event draws buyers from the western and eastern states alike, all seeking top-notch horses. It is curated by Brent Kelly and family. For phone bidding, call 435-503-2178.
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Positive Behavior Norms Monthly Lecture @ Peace House Wednesday, April 10, from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS
Most people would agree that few things impacted their school lives as much as their relationships with their peers—friends, acquaintances, or otherwise. Peer relationships play an important role in children’s school lives and become even more influential as children enter adolescence. In this presentation we will learn about SEL Social Emotional Learning and explore a breakdown of specific skills for each of CASEL’s five competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making). Contact the Peace House Director of Prevention and Education at [emma@peacehouse.org](mailto:emma@peacehouse.org) for more information.
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Watercolor Class @ Coalville Library Thursday, April 4, @ 6:00 PMJoin local artist Amber Louder for a relaxed and enjoyable watercolor class, following the Let's Make Art tutorials. No prior experience necessary! Supplies will be provided for teens and adults. RSVP at 435-336-3070 to secure your spot as space is limited.📷Local Speaker
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Series: Maya Silver’s How to Get Off the Beaten Path in Utah Thursday, April 2, from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PMDiscover Utah's hidden gems and escape the crowds with Maya Silver's expert advice. Learn about 10 lesser-known destinations, gleaned from her extensive travels and research for her new Moon travel guides. Gain insider tips, favorite spots, and clever hacks for avoiding crowds in Utah's popular attractions, including its renowned national parks.
Park City Library 1255 Park Avenue
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Workshop Series: Floral Arranging with Spring Blooms Wednesday, April 10, @ 5:00 PM
I'm listing this early because these classes almost always sell out!
Ready for spring flowers to brighten up your home? Get creative with this season's finest blooms and flowering branches. Enjoy locally sourced flowers, beverages, and snacks, along with expert guidance to create your own spring masterpiece. Limited spots available📷
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Dark Sky Celebration at Wasatch Mountain State Park Saturday, April 6, from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
The Dark Sky Celebration takes place at the Wasatch Golf Course Clubhouse, featuring indoor astronomy activities, outdoor stargazing, treats, and astronomy items for purchase. Get ready for some epic stargazing and hands-on activities. Tickets: $6 for adults (12 years and older) and $4 for children (under 11 years).SIGN UP
An Indigenous Spring: A Health and Wellness Gathering Saturday, April 6 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Join SLRC and IHAWC for a health and wellness gathering in collaboration with The Utah Museum of Natural History and the Urban Indian Center. Bring the whole family for a day of connection, celebration, and health. Experience a Bear Dance Demo by the Ute Tribe, go on a run, walk, or hike, try out shoes from top brands like Saucony, Altra, Brooks, and Hoka, and explore health and wellness booths. Enjoy post-run refreshments and receive free entry to the Utah Museum of Natural History. Registration is free but required.
Utah Museum of Natural History 301 Wakara Way Salt Lake City, UT 84108REGISTER
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Pride Ride 2024 Saturday, April 6, from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Get ready to celebrate Pride in style as Pride Ride Utah 2024 returns to Brighton Resort! It's a full day of riding, dancing, and community as they come together to support the LGBTQIA+ community. Don't forget to sign up for the after party too! Their mission is to build community, increase access, and break down barriers to LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the outdoor community. This year, they're proud to raise funds for Rock Camp, SLC!
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From Murder to Atonement: Confronting my Son's Killer @ Summit County Library Tuesday, April 9, u/12:00 PM VIA ZOOM
Join Author Colum McCann and Diane Foley, whose story inspired "American Mother." The book explores a mother's journey of forgiveness after confronting her son’s killer, crafted by McCann's compelling narrative. Diane Foley is the mother of Jim, a freelance journalist captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014, an image that became one of the most iconic of the 21st century. This is a story about strength, resilience, and radical empathy.
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Going Greenland & Downstream Movie: Citizen's Climate Lobby Wasatch Back Wednesday, April 10, @ 6:00 PM
Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to an evening of ski and climate movies showcasing "Downstream," a backcountry ski film delving into the diminishing Salt Lake, and "Going Greenland," a documentary exploring our relationship with nature and the balance between pursuing our passions and preserving the environment. Donations aid student lobbying efforts in DC. Admission is free, with donations welcomed. Join them for skiing, film viewing, and climate action discussions post-screening.
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IO Capitano @ Park City Film April 5 - 7 / Fri & Sat @ 7:00 PM / Sun @ 6:00 PM
In this acclaimed film which won top directing and acting prizes at the Venice Film Festival, writer-director Garrone presents a “reverse shot” of the immigration experience while unfurling an epic, cinematographically magnificent odyssey from West Africa to Italy. The story is told through the mind’s eye and experiences of two Senegalese teenagers living in Dakar who yearn for a brighter future in Europe. Yet between their dreams and reality lies a treacherous journey through a labyrinth of checkpoints, the scorched Saharan desert, a fetid North African prison and the vast waters of the Mediterranean where thousands have died packed inside vessels barely fit for passage.
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2024.03.29 15:11 AmericanBornWuhaner It's March 29 青年節 Youth Day in commemoration of 廣州 Guangzhou's 1911 黃花崗起義 Huanghuagang Uprising when 72 young revolutionaries sacrificed their lives to overthrow the 清 Qing Dynasty. This was the last unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Qing before 武昌起義 Wuchang Uprising
 | Source (中文) submitted by AmericanBornWuhaner to ChunghwaMinkuo [link] [comments] Our National Youth Day is set on March 29th to commemorate the 72 martyrs of the Huanghuagang Uprising in Guangzhou. They sacrificed their lives for the nation, all being young lives under the age of 30. At the time of their sacrifice, some had wives who were pregnant, never having seen their child's face. Some had elderly mothers at home with no one to care for them, and some were just teenagers, not yet having the chance to experience the beauty of this world before making the ultimate sacrifice. They are heroes who died trying to overthrow the two-thousand-year-old feudal monarchy to establish the first democratic republic in Asia - the Republic of China. Most people may not know their names, but there is one person you must have heard of - Lin Jue-min. Before his sacrifice, he wrote a letter to his wife, "Letter of Farewell to My Wife," which even a robber would cry upon reading. As descendants enjoying the fruits of democracy and freedom in the Republic of China, we should learn about the heroic deeds of the Huanghuagang 72 Martyrs. The Process of the Huanghuagang UprisingRewinding to November 13, 1910, Sun Yat-sen met with Huang Xing, Zhao Sheng, Hu Hanmin, and others on Penang Island to decide on another uprising in Guangzhou. This uprising was the third Guangzhou uprising led by Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary party.On April 8, 1911, Huang Xing presided over the uprising coordination meeting. In this meeting, Zhao Sheng was appointed as the commander-in-chief, and Huang Xing as the deputy commander-in-chief. The meeting also finalized a ten-route attack plan on Guangzhou. On April 27, 1911 (March 29th in the lunar calendar) at 5:30 PM, among the dare-to-die squads, Yao Yuping, Hu Yisheng, and Chen Jiongming stood still, and only Huang Xing, leading over 130 patriotic young dare-to-die squad members with white cloth wrapped around their arms and wearing black rubber shoes as a sign to distinguish friend from foe, directly attacked the Viceroy's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi, launching the 10th armed uprising of the Tongmenghui. The young dare-to-die squad members bravely stormed into the Viceroy's Office, causing the Viceroy Zhang Mingqi to flee in panic. The dare-to-die troops then set fire to the Viceroy's Office and withdrew, encountering fierce fighting from the Beiyang Army led by Naval Governor Li Zhun. Despite their valiant efforts, the vast difference in military strength led to a quick failure of the revolutionary uprising, with many revolutionaries arrested and sacrificed. Huang Xing's right hand was injured by bullets during the exchange of fire, and he retreated to Hong Kong with injuries. During the uprising, at least 31 people were captured, with the majority dying in battle, and only a very few surviving. Among the captured were Song Yulin, Chen Kejun, Li Wenfu, and others, who were executed after being interrogated by the Qing government. Yu Peilun, Lin Shishuang, Lin Jue-min, Fang Shengdong, and others were injured and captured, facing their execution with composure. Pan Dawei Bravely Collects the Bodies #Huanghuagang, Not Just HuanghuagangAfter the uprising, the bodies of the fallen revolutionaries lay exposed in the streets, with the Qing court explicitly forbidding their collection. Pan Dawei, a journalist and then-unexposed member of the Tongmenghui, disregarded the Qing court's ban and risked his life to collect the bodies of seventy-two martyrs. He organized societal efforts to purchase land at Huanghuagang to bury them. However, Pan Dawei believed Huanghuagang better represented the spirit of the martyrs, thus naming their burial site Huanghuagang, and in 1918, the Huanghuagang 72 Martyrs' Mausoleum was built. Pan Dawei was also buried at Huanghuagang according to his wishes after his death.In November 1911, the people of Guangzhou held a large-scale public memorial for the martyrs. Afterwards, revolutionaries and overseas Chinese donated to build the mausoleum, renaming it Huanghuagang to symbolize the loyal and brave hearts of the revolutionary martyrs. Sun Yat-sen's Statement Comparing It to the Wuchang UprisingDr. Sun Yat-sen said, "The value of this battle can shock the heavens and earth, move ghosts and gods, and stand alongside the Wuchang Uprising." The revolutionaries' courage to face death, despite the severe sacrifices, had a tremendous impact nationwide. At that time, Qing dynasty officials were terrified, lamenting, "With such will of the people, the divine will is clear." Half a year later, the Wuchang Uprising erupted, and within three days, Wuhan's three towns were liberated. Less than a month later, 13 provinces declared independence, and the Republic of China was established.86 Martyrs Sacrificed for the NationIn fact, more than 130 people participated in the Huanghuagang Uprising. The 72 Martyrs of Huanghuagang, not counting those without names or surnames. The 72 martyrs who died for the country (historians later verified a total of 86). The known participants in the Huanghuagang Uprising were young, educated, and cultured individuals under the age of 30, who, for their ideals, the revolution, and the future of the Chinese nation, disregarded personal safety and took to the forefront of the revolution. Among the 72 martyrs were students studying abroad, overseas Chinese, journalists, teachers, workers, farmers, and soldiers. Many came from affluent families, but chose to sacrifice themselves for the revolutionary ideals and beliefs.Subsequently, the identities of 102 fallen soldiers were verified, but many martyrs still remain unidentified and lost to the yellow soil. Yu Peilun, who gave up a life of wealth to devote himself entirely to the revolution and diligently develop weapons and ammunition. During the uprising, he strapped a large bundle of bombs to his chest and led the charge. After being wounded and captured, Yu Peilun faced his execution calmly. Fearing that his family would be implicated, he falsely claimed his name was Wang Guangming before his execution, shouting, "Revolutionaries can be killed, but their theories cannot be extinguished!"Before the uprising, Huang Xing wrote in his final letter to Sun Yat-sen and comrades in Southeast Asia: "Today, I rush to the battlefield, swearing to lead the soldiers, striving to kill the enemy. This letter shall be my last."Fang Shengdong, born into a merchant family in Fuzhou, had seven siblings and sisters-in-law who went to study in Japan and one to France, six of whom joined the Tongmenghui in the late Qing dynasty, becoming a well-known revolutionary family. The day before the uprising, he left a suicide note for his parents and wife, writing, "To seek happiness for the forty million compatriots, to fulfill the duty of a citizen, I die for justice, dying for a just cause, and thus have no regrets." Fang Shengdong died in the uprising with seven bullets in him, at the age of 25.Three days before joining the uprising, Lin Jue-min left a famous letter to his wife, Chen Yiying, "Letter of Farewell to My Wife": "My love for you is deep. You are fortunate to have me, but unfortunate to be born in today's China. I am fortunate to have you, but unfortunate to be born in today's China! I cannot bear to only take care of myself. Alas! With too much emotion for such a short letter, there are thousands more words I have not said, which you can imagine. I cannot see you now. If you cannot let go of me, find me in your dreams! How sorrowful!"Every word, tearful, adds a touch of tenderness to the heroism. These words, passed down to this day, interpret the noble sentiments of a generation of revolutionaries, inspiring generations in the Republic of China.March 29th is the Republic of China's Youth Day, also known as "Revolutionary Martyrs' Remembrance Day."The uprising took place on April 27th in the Gregorian calendar, not the currently commemorated March 29th. Why is that? The day of the uprising was March 29th in the lunar calendar of the third year of Xuantong of the Qing dynasty. After the establishment of the Republic of China, March 29th in the lunar calendar was designated as Revolutionary Martyrs' Remembrance Day. Later, considering the leap third month in the lunar calendar, the commemorative date of the uprising was changed to March 29th in the Gregorian calendar to avoid confusion. In 1943 (the 32nd year of the Republic of China), the Nationalist government set March 29th as the Republic of China's Youth Day, leading to today's March 29th Youth Day.Although in recent years there have been many voices calling for the restoration of historical truth, suggesting that Youth Day should be changed to April 27th in the Gregorian calendar to match the significance of the commemoration, others believe that March 29th has long been recognized as the day to commemorate the revolutionary martyrs, and the specific date is not the point. The most important thing is to maintain the spirit of remembering the martyrs. The establishment of the Republic of China was built on the sacrifices of countless martyrs and forebears who shed blood and sweat, beheaded, and spilled their blood to overthrow the Qing dynasty. Thanks to them, today's youth in Taiwan can enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy. As the saying goes, "When you drink water, think of its source." We should remember the young martyrs who once sacrificed and devoted themselves to the nation, and with their spirit, continue to defend the Republic of China. |
2024.03.23 21:33 DoYouBelieveInThat October 7th
The dust is only beginning to settle on the atrocities committed by Hamas (and others) on October 7th. It is obvious that a horrendous atrocity occurred with both civilians and IDF being killed on the border. Yet, the fallout has been a total disaster, not just politically, but even to get to the facts of the situation.
According to the first responders, to even question their observations is tantamount to not only supporting Hamas, but liable for the death penalty.
I disagree. Two things appear obvious. Hamas (and militants) killed the majority of civilians (and soldiers) on October 7th. The IDF policy (until recently) allowed and encouraged the killing of soldiers if it meant avoiding their hostage taking.
From there, is it now agreed that the events on the day were exaggerated? The 40 beheaded babies. The mothers with babies ripped from their wombs. Babies thrown in ovens. And so on. It appears that none of these have been substantiated in any capacity.
The Hill, NYT, Real News Network, and even their own eye witnesses have disagreed with the narratives produced. The core NYT article has been widely rejected.
In fact, the journalists are - "The third writer, Adam Sella, turns out to be a fresh graduate with little journalistic experience, and is the nephew of Schwartz’s partner, heightening concerns about nepotism and conflict of interest at the so-called newspaper of record. Schwartz herself has never been a reporter, but advertises herself as a filmmaker."
submitted by DoYouBelieveInThat to IsraelPalestine [link] [comments]
According to the first responders, to even question their observations is tantamount to not only supporting Hamas, but liable for the death penalty.
I disagree. Two things appear obvious. Hamas (and militants) killed the majority of civilians (and soldiers) on October 7th. The IDF policy (until recently) allowed and encouraged the killing of soldiers if it meant avoiding their hostage taking.
From there, is it now agreed that the events on the day were exaggerated? The 40 beheaded babies. The mothers with babies ripped from their wombs. Babies thrown in ovens. And so on. It appears that none of these have been substantiated in any capacity.
The Hill, NYT, Real News Network, and even their own eye witnesses have disagreed with the narratives produced. The core NYT article has been widely rejected.
In fact, the journalists are - "The third writer, Adam Sella, turns out to be a fresh graduate with little journalistic experience, and is the nephew of Schwartz’s partner, heightening concerns about nepotism and conflict of interest at the so-called newspaper of record. Schwartz herself has never been a reporter, but advertises herself as a filmmaker."
2024.03.06 03:43 Bishop-Boomer Bible Studies From The Daily Office Wednesday March 6, 2024
The Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
submitted by Bishop-Boomer to ChristianityUnfilter [link] [comments]
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
2024.03.06 03:42 Bishop-Boomer Bible Studies From The Daily Office Wednesday March 6, 2024
The Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
submitted by Bishop-Boomer to Christianity [link] [comments]
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
2024.03.06 03:42 Bishop-Boomer Bible Studies From The Daily Office Wednesday March 6, 2024
The Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
submitted by Bishop-Boomer to AngloCatholicism [link] [comments]
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
2024.03.06 03:41 Bishop-Boomer Bible Studies From The Daily Office Wednesday March 6, 2024
The Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
submitted by Bishop-Boomer to Anglicanism [link] [comments]
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
2024.03.06 03:41 Bishop-Boomer Bible Studies From The Daily Office Wednesday March 6, 2024
The Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
submitted by Bishop-Boomer to All_About_Him [link] [comments]
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 119:97–120 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A97%E2%80%93120&version=KJV
Genesis 45:16–28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen+45%3A16-28&version=KJV
Gospel: Mark 6:13–29
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary:
Matthew begins his Gospel with the Genealogy of Christ, John begins with an argument making his case as a lawyer might do in a court of law that Jesus was the Word—the Logos, Luke makes a short preface, a dedication to Theophilus, then delves in to how the Angel appeared to Zacharias to tell him that his childless wife would conceive a son. But Mark—one to always drive straight to the point—begins with a description of the messenger, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the prophet crying out in the wilderness—John the Baptist, son of Zacharias.
The lectionary prescribes for this day a reading from Mark that tells of the execution of the messenger, he who it was that baptized Jesus.
The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. This brought the region under Roman control, though they used local leaders to govern. The most famous was a ruthless military commander named Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.E.). The rise of this puppet king to the throne established the Herodian Dynasty which remained—more or less—in power until 92 A.D.
When Herod the great died in about 4 A.D., Judea was divided among his four sons creating a tetrarchy. Two of which are named in today’s Gospel study, Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip.
In yesterday’s study, we learned of how Jesus had returned to his hometown, only to find that his friends and family, the people he had known for years, were skeptical of his authority—he had never formally attended Rabbinic study, so how could he be trusted as an authority on the Hebrew Faith and law.
But his unbelief on their part, was due to familiarity and not to being unaware of his celebrity, news of his miracles had traveled far and wide, even to the ears of Herod Antipas, the puppet king of the Jews.
“And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ” (vs. 13-16)
In the second part of yesterday’s study we read of how Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. Apparently they created quite a stir as the news of how the itinerant prophet had sent his disciples out into the land, in pairs, and these men were working miracles in he name of their teacher. Those in positions of power, naturally wondered—and speculated—just who these people, and their leader, were.
“Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.” (v. 15) Not knowing who Jesus was, the advisors and hangers-on in Antipas’ court, assumed that these pesky itinerant preachers and their master, were simply yet another of those who had arrived on the scene from time to time, religious zealots agitating the people and turning them against the political and religious leaders.
As for Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the great who had been warned by three wise men of a child who would grow up to be the King of the Jews, Antipas had only heard of John the Baptist and assumed the worse, that—the prophet he himself had ordered beheaded—John had come back from the grave. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (v. 16)
What we might call the Hebrew bible—the collection of writings telling of the history and religious laws of the Jews—foretold of prophets that would come to prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would rise up and rescue the Jewish people returning their kingdom to its former glory. Other prophets had been sent by God, to call the Jews back to righteousness, these men were never received well as they demanded the rulers and the people change their ways so as to comply with the commandments of God. As Jesus often noted, the leaders of the Jewish people had a nasty habit of killing these prophets, just as they eventually crucified Jesus.
“For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” (v. 17) Here we see more of the background and intrigue surrounding the hatred of the religious leaders for Jesus.
Later on in this Gospel, Mark in chapter 10, verses 2-12, tells us of the Pharisees coming to Jesus asking him about divorce, “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. ” Marks tells us they were tempting him as their king, Herod Antipas, had already had John the Baptist beheaded for criticizing him for divorcing his wife. Mathew tells the same story in (Mt.) 19:3-12.
The focus of Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees regarding divorce was that men who treacherously divorce their wives in order to marry other woman, or who are a party to breaking up someone else’s marriage in order to claim the newly released woman, are guilty of adultery in the eyes of God. While the Mosaic law allowed divorce in certain circumstances, these men—usually men in power such as Antipas—were abusing the privileges given to them by God. The Mosaic law never allowed divorce simply because a man was tired of his aging wife and lusted after a younger more attractive woman.
Herod Antipas was married to Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabataea. Antipas developed an attraction to the wife of his brother, Philip the First, who was named—interestingly enough—Herodias.
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.” (v. 18) John the Baptist was known for being out spoken, he was compelled to up hold the laws of God even when the Pharisees and scribes—the religious leaders of the Jews—refused to do so. John had gone to the court of King Herod Antipas and correctly pointed out that he and Herodias were guilty of adultery.
“Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:” (v. 19) Neither Mark or Mathew, write such, but it is easy to imagine that, John being as outspoken as he was might have said something that disparaged Herodias’ reputation. Whatever occurred, Herodias was bent on revenge; “and would have killed him; but she could not:” The Romans had decreed that only they could administer executions, and; “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him;” (v. 20) Herod knew John was a good and Holy man, one innocent of worldly transgressions, and whose execution would prove to be scandalous if not illegal in the eyes of the people and his Roman benefactors.
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (vs. 21-23)
On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter (whom Josephus, the first century Pharisee and journalist, identifies as Salome) danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom.
It is easy to imagine this scene, Herod Antipas, who had inherited his throne from his Father, was a lecherous, drunken fool who lusted after any young good looking woman, even his own neice. He was so drunk, that he promised his step-daughter, the daughter of his Brother Philip, his (Antipas’) kingdom in return for her favors. With this sort of debauchery and moral corruption in high places at the time, we can see what John the Baptist and later Jesus were up against. John and Jesus both preached repentance, a concept likely to be rejected by men possessed by worldly ways such as Antipas.
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? ” (v. 24a) Although born of royalty, this young woman was still innocent enough that she could not decide on her own, so she went to her Mother for counsel regarding what she should ask of Antipas. However, Herodias , was not so young and innocent, and was indeed incredibly vindictive, because when the young girl asked her Mother what she should ask for the older woman replied; “The head of John the Baptist.” (v. 24b)
“And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (vs. 24-29)
Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John, is bracketed by accounts of the success of the mission of the twelve; “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (v. 13) “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. ” (v. 30) This tactic is but yet another example of Mark placing a story within a story; John’s martyrdom is sandwiched—so to speak—between accounts of the work of the twelve.
The disciples’ mission is quite successful (6:12-13), and reassures us that God’s work continues unabated even in the face of the martyrdom of a great, Godly servant. Mark’s church needed to hear this, because they were suffering great persecution. We need to hear it too, because we, like God’s people through the ages, are prone to interpret difficult times as a sign that God is either impotent or uncaring.
“This story serves another purpose as well. The deaths of John and Jesus warn us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. The prophetic Christian might be beheaded—crucified—thrown to the lions—expelled from college—fired from a job—required to apologize. The truth-teller’s road is narrow and filled with potholes. We should not expect applause for preaching prophetically.” (Donovan)
The preceding paragraph bears an inconvenient truth, as we read or hear in the news almost on a daily basis, reports of a Christian being fired from a job, kicked out of school, or even murdered. If events are allowed to progress in the current pattern, soon Christians will be as persecuted as the early church Mark presided over; in some parts of the world they already are.
“Josephus reports an interesting sequel to this story. To marry Herodias, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife, who was the daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea. To avenge the insult, Aretas will start a war with Herod Antipas and soundly defeat him. That, among other things, will lead to Rome deposing Antipas and sending him into exile in Gaul. Early Christians saw this as punishment for Herod’s role in the executions of John and Jesus.” (ibid)
We should be careful—as Christians—and not rush to attribute the demise of a tyrannical political leader to the hand of God; however, it is interesting to note that God does work in mysterious ways.
Benediction
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, inaccord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen,
(from Romans 15:5–6)
Thought for the Day:
“Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first?”
― Elisabeth Elliot
2024.03.02 18:12 HumbleEngineering315 Bias in fact checking websites
There is a pervasive misconception about fact checking websites that they are unbiased and neutral.
This couldn't be further from the truth. Almost every source is going to have bias because every site is run by people not robots. Sometimes, sites mitigate this by having articles looked over by people who view the world with different political perspectives. This is a great way to reach a neutral point, but being neutral or in the middle doesn't always mean that one is correct either.
Now, there is nothing wrong with using fact checking websites and bias doesn't inherently mean one is wrong. However, a bias can lead to a wrong conclusion or misrepresentation of facts.
Snopes
The most egregious and obvious offender has been Nur Ibrahim over at Snopes. Ibrahim has been responsible for a lot of the coverage around the conflict.
Before we get into Ibrahim, Snopes starts off with the following snippet in every single article about the conflict:
Personally, I blame Ibrahim for the confusion around the dead baby story. In her article, she first says:
The rest of the article tries to downplay Hamas, until you run into the independently verified pathology report and the December 4th correction way down at the bottom of the article:
Politifact
Politifact spends a lot of time trying to debunk Trump and conservative news outlets, but they mostly go for really low hanging fruit surrounding the conflict. Occasionally, they will fall for Palestinian propaganda.
Take this article saying Saleh Aljafarawi is not a crisis actor and downplaying claims about Pallywood. They downplay Aljafarawi by saying he is just a social media influencer. They say:
Who is Saleh Aljafarawi? Saleh Aljafarawi, aka MrFAFO, is the Palestinian equivalent to Johnny Sins (this goes to KnowYourMeme, not anything else). He's the guy you see in all the videos, and there is nothing he can't do. You can look at some of his work here:
https://twitter.com/NiohBerg/status/1717530203067470069 https://twitter.com/DrEliDavid/status/1726379366148378808 https://twitter.com/LXSummer1/status/1720369851816960249 https://twitter.com/GAZAWOOD1/status/1758147665332687317 https://twitter.com/GAZAWOOD1/status/1758100633331052806
Long story short, Palestinians do engage in media manipulation and the rest of you fall for it. No, it's not a conspiracy theory, it's intentional to get you to hate Israel. Palestinians have been doing this since the second Intifada, and it's an effective tactic to play upon your heartstrings. This isn't to say that all videos are staged, but you should be a little skeptical and try to figure out if something is Hamas agitprop first.
MediaBiasFactCheck
Personally, I use HonestReporting and CAMERA for fact checking. I trust these two sites because they have a greater familiarity with the conflict and have been covering media bias on Israel for a while now. They aren't generalists like Snopes and Politifact who aren't familiar with the intricacies and nuances with Israel.
Unfortunately, MediaBiasFactCheck has labeled HonestReporting as:
MediaBiasFactCheck is a little more favorable to CAMERA, but they tell you that:
Where else have we heard about advocacy for Israel being extreme and antisemitism being used to silence criticism? Well, right here on this sub and from all the Israel haters. This makes me suspicious that there is an Israel hater plant at MediaBiasFactCheck. This organization could be a little more transparent on where D. Van Zandt, the author of these articles, stands with respect to the conflict.
The Takeaway
None of this should stop you from using fact-checking websites, but you should still take these authors with a grain of salt. However, just because these sites have labeled themselves as arbiters of the truth, doesn't actually mean that they are arbiters of the truth.
If you want to learn more about media bias surrounding the conflict, I would highly suggest reading "David & Goliath: The explosive inside story of media bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" by Shraga Simmons. It was published in 2012, but much of the media tactics used by Hamas has remained the same.
submitted by HumbleEngineering315 to IsraelPalestine [link] [comments]
This couldn't be further from the truth. Almost every source is going to have bias because every site is run by people not robots. Sometimes, sites mitigate this by having articles looked over by people who view the world with different political perspectives. This is a great way to reach a neutral point, but being neutral or in the middle doesn't always mean that one is correct either.
Now, there is nothing wrong with using fact checking websites and bias doesn't inherently mean one is wrong. However, a bias can lead to a wrong conclusion or misrepresentation of facts.
Snopes
The most egregious and obvious offender has been Nur Ibrahim over at Snopes. Ibrahim has been responsible for a lot of the coverage around the conflict.
Before we get into Ibrahim, Snopes starts off with the following snippet in every single article about the conflict:
The protracted, often bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict exploded into a hot war on Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant Palestinian group Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel and Israel retaliated by bombarding the Gaza Strip. More than 20,000 people, the vast majority of them Palestinians, were reportedly killed during the first two months of the war alone. The violence is driven by mutual hostilities and territorial ambitions dating back more than a century.Right off the bat, Snopes takes the Hamas run Gaza's ministry of health casualty numbers at face value. As other posts have documented and articulated, Hamas is not reliable in their casualty numbers and they inflate the number of women and children killed. Then, Snopes says that the conflict is due to "territorial ambitions dating back more than a century." This line puts the blame on Israel and plays into the whole "October 7th didn't happen in a vacuum" reasoning, which has been most often used to excuse Hamas for their atrocities. No, Hamas didn't attack over any "occupation" or "stolen land"; they attacked because they are a bunch of violent jihadists who will find any reason to slaughter Jews.
Personally, I blame Ibrahim for the confusion around the dead baby story. In her article, she first says:
As we looked into the claim, we found contradictory reports from journalists and Israeli army officials, and almost no independent corroborations of the alleged war crime, leading to concerns among fact-checkers that such a claim may be premature or unsubstantiated.She first claims it wasn't true at the top of the article.
The rest of the article tries to downplay Hamas, until you run into the independently verified pathology report and the December 4th correction way down at the bottom of the article:
Dr. Chen Kugel, the head of the [Israel's National Center of Forensic Medicine], said the victims ranged from 3 months to 80 or 90 years old. He said many bodies, including those of babies, were without heads. When asked if they were decapitated, he said yes.So, yes. There were decapitated babies and Ibrahim is a liar and a Hamas apologist. Unfortunately, Ibrahim has not relented in her blaming of Israel and downplaying Hamas in other articles, but this post would get too long if it focused on Ibrahim.
On Dec. 4, 2023, Haaretz published a report it claimed detailed the circumstances of "most" child deaths at the hands of Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. None of those child deaths explicitly mentioned beheadings, though the report said of all killings: "Hamas terrorists did desecrate corpses during the massacre, especially the bodies of soldiers. There were also beheadings and cases of dismemberment."
Politifact
Politifact spends a lot of time trying to debunk Trump and conservative news outlets, but they mostly go for really low hanging fruit surrounding the conflict. Occasionally, they will fall for Palestinian propaganda.
Take this article saying Saleh Aljafarawi is not a crisis actor and downplaying claims about Pallywood. They downplay Aljafarawi by saying he is just a social media influencer. They say:
PolitiFact’s review of Aljafarawi’s social media accounts and background did not reveal evidence of him being a "crisis actor" or faking the scene at the hospital.Pallywood refers to how Palestinians will stage scenes for western consumption to play upon common sympathies, and my guess is that politifact treats claims about crisis actors as "alt-right".
Who is Saleh Aljafarawi? Saleh Aljafarawi, aka MrFAFO, is the Palestinian equivalent to Johnny Sins (this goes to KnowYourMeme, not anything else). He's the guy you see in all the videos, and there is nothing he can't do. You can look at some of his work here:
https://twitter.com/NiohBerg/status/1717530203067470069 https://twitter.com/DrEliDavid/status/1726379366148378808 https://twitter.com/LXSummer1/status/1720369851816960249 https://twitter.com/GAZAWOOD1/status/1758147665332687317 https://twitter.com/GAZAWOOD1/status/1758100633331052806
Long story short, Palestinians do engage in media manipulation and the rest of you fall for it. No, it's not a conspiracy theory, it's intentional to get you to hate Israel. Palestinians have been doing this since the second Intifada, and it's an effective tactic to play upon your heartstrings. This isn't to say that all videos are staged, but you should be a little skeptical and try to figure out if something is Hamas agitprop first.
MediaBiasFactCheck
Personally, I use HonestReporting and CAMERA for fact checking. I trust these two sites because they have a greater familiarity with the conflict and have been covering media bias on Israel for a while now. They aren't generalists like Snopes and Politifact who aren't familiar with the intricacies and nuances with Israel.
Unfortunately, MediaBiasFactCheck has labeled HonestReporting as:
Overall, we rate HonestReporting Right-Center Biased based on support for right-leaning nationalist political parties. We also rate them as Mostly Factual rather than High due to the promotion of nationalist propaganda.And their claim of nationalist propaganda comes from this reasoning:
Editorially, they hold pro-Israel nationalist positions in favor of Benjamin Netanyahu and the current nationalist parties. Some might call them a propaganda source.And the link is talking about how Netanyahu is highlighting Hezbollah weapons depots in Lebanon. Really? How is that nationalist propaganda? There is nothing wrong with being pro-Israel, but apparently MediaBiasFactCheck thinks so.
MediaBiasFactCheck is a little more favorable to CAMERA, but they tell you that:
Critics of CAMERA claim that it is an ‘extreme Israel advocacy group’ aligned with hawkish right-wing viewpoints. In general, they frequently report negatively on left-leaning media that does not fully support Israel, such as THE WASHINGTON POST BURIES THE TRUTH ABOUT PALESTINIAN TERRORISM, and this ROLLING STONE JUMPS ON PRO-TERRORIST BANDWAGON.Where they link to a Forward op-ed arguing that claims of antisemitism are being used to silence criticism of Israel, and articles detailing bias in the WaPo and Rolling Stone.
Where else have we heard about advocacy for Israel being extreme and antisemitism being used to silence criticism? Well, right here on this sub and from all the Israel haters. This makes me suspicious that there is an Israel hater plant at MediaBiasFactCheck. This organization could be a little more transparent on where D. Van Zandt, the author of these articles, stands with respect to the conflict.
The Takeaway
None of this should stop you from using fact-checking websites, but you should still take these authors with a grain of salt. However, just because these sites have labeled themselves as arbiters of the truth, doesn't actually mean that they are arbiters of the truth.
If you want to learn more about media bias surrounding the conflict, I would highly suggest reading "David & Goliath: The explosive inside story of media bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" by Shraga Simmons. It was published in 2012, but much of the media tactics used by Hamas has remained the same.
2024.02.29 14:21 Competitive-Idea-877 Important questions Jews in Israel should ask themselves.
For dozens of years israeli army, secret service,intelligence were the most powerfull, the most modern, simply the best intelligence service in whole wide World. That's all what happen on 10/7 and days before seems to me (but not only to me - also for wise Jews, even ex lDF intelligence agent https://www.tiktok.com/@jpontiktok2/video/7340978404994370848) un-ne-li-va-ble! So I think whole World, but especially israeli citizens and Western politicians and journalists should look for answers to the following questions:
submitted by Competitive-Idea-877 to IsraelPalestine [link] [comments]
- Is that true that the best intelligence in the World,who knows in which building on which floor or in which car Hamas leader will be at given moment, they new in which hospital in which bed Hamas fighters were treated, the same intelligence didn't knew about the préparation of large scale attack with hundreds/thousands of Hamas fighters involved? That's simply incredible!
- Why so many lDF soldiers were withdrawn from the Gaza border just before this attack?
- How Hamas fighters crossed the border with 8m high concrete Wall, high fences with barbwires, advamced Security System Caméras, movement detectors etc. so easily TWICE, second time many hours after attack? Why during those long hours Gaza border crew was not reinforced?
- Why lDF didn't care at all about jewish lives? IDF killed so many Nova Festival participants, lDF tanks and helicopters shelled Kibutz houses with Jews inside. IDF helicopters and drones destroyed at least 70 Hamas trucks and cars knowing that jewish hostages were inside! Did zionist government wanted to have the biggest possible number of "Hamas attack victims" to justify further genocide?
- Why so many incredible and horrible lies were spreaded by lDF, ZAKA, Netanyahu government members, israeli media? All those "news" about:
- 2000, 1400, 1200 civilian victims of Hamas attack,
- 40 beheaded babies,
- babies burned alive,
- babies hung on ropes for hanging cloathes,
- babies put in oven
- mass rapes on Nova FESTIVAL,
- Hamas tunnels and HQ under palestinian hospitals, especially under Al-Shifa hospital, and many others were FAKE! What for?
- Is that really coïncidence that this attack took place exactly at the moment when Netanyahu zionist government was about loosing the power because of mass protests of israeli citizens opposing the démolition of democracy and insane changes in law?
- Had the seizure of Gaza been planned in advance, long before Hamas attack? Some architectural plans of israeli residential districts in Gaza were prepared before 10/7 attack. Israeli government granted to israeli and foreign companies (BP, Eni) the rights for extraction of natural gas from Palestinian deposits on the Gaza Shelf, before 10/7 attack, Netanyahu government already knew before this attack, that Gaza will be seized soon by Israel!
2024.02.21 18:59 awaxsama From Bosnia's Begovic to Gaza and the West ...
In the nineties, Abdel Wahab El-Mesiri hosted the Mujahid President Alija Izetbegovic, and held a symposium for him at the Journalists Syndicate in Cairo, in which Begovic spoke and said this genius word:
The West was waiting for the annihilation of Bosnia, and was ready to erect a pavilion in which there would be a lot of lamentation and wailing!
This phrase is truly a treasure trove of knowledge and a summary of deep and long experience with the West, its method, and its political and media philosophy, and it truly sums up in a wonderful way the West’s approach to dealing with events.
The Westerner (goverments) achieves his goal with all possible brutality, with terrible immorality, and without any feeling of guilt. If the goal is achieved, historians can later talk about the hideous massacres carried out by their ancestors. The Western press can come up with wonderful, professional, and honest reports about the numbers of victims it destroyed. Their policy is that the channels can bombard you with a stream of sobering documentaries and host survivors of the massacre, cry with them, and overshadow them with the finest soundtracks.
This is Israel, for example... a combined Western and British crime... Look now at the memoirs and historians' books, and at the archives of the BBC and the Guardian... etc.!... From them you will gather information about the Nakba and about the British role in the displacement of Palestine that you may not find in Arab sources!
The Nakba has been carried out successfully.. Let us set up the pavilion to mourn and lament together.
While this same BBC and this same Guardian, now... now... now, at the moment of the annihilation of Gaza, will show you another face... Yesterday, a BBC correspondent was fired for liking two tweets that smelled of sympathy for Gaza!!
And so on..
Endless news about the rape of Israeli women on October 7, about the beheading of children, about the burning of mothers and their children... Yes, all of this was published in the media, which taught the world the meaning of professionalism, objectivity, sobriety, and standards of verification and scrutiny... All of this has evaporated!
International channels ignored broadcasting the prosecution session at the International Court of Justice, where South African representatives speak about Israeli crimes. The next day, they all suddenly paid attention to broadcast the defense session in which the Israeli delegation takes charge of defending Israel!!
If I were to swear on the unseen, I would swear to God that if this Gaza war had passed and ended as they wanted, I would have seen these same newspapers and channels coming out to us with written and photographed reports and wonderful documentaries about Israel’s crimes in Gaza.
And this policy, the policy of mourning and lamenting in mourning tents, after slaughtering and killing the dead... is what tempts the naive, ignorant fools who admire the West and consider it the center of civilized values and freedom of opinion, and they think that it holds itself accountable, reviews its history, and corrects its course!!
God bless Begovic... I swear it is a word at the heart of the truth!
Translated from Mohamed Elhamy's post on Twitter.
submitted by awaxsama to AskMiddleEast [link] [comments]
The West was waiting for the annihilation of Bosnia, and was ready to erect a pavilion in which there would be a lot of lamentation and wailing!
This phrase is truly a treasure trove of knowledge and a summary of deep and long experience with the West, its method, and its political and media philosophy, and it truly sums up in a wonderful way the West’s approach to dealing with events.
The Westerner (goverments) achieves his goal with all possible brutality, with terrible immorality, and without any feeling of guilt. If the goal is achieved, historians can later talk about the hideous massacres carried out by their ancestors. The Western press can come up with wonderful, professional, and honest reports about the numbers of victims it destroyed. Their policy is that the channels can bombard you with a stream of sobering documentaries and host survivors of the massacre, cry with them, and overshadow them with the finest soundtracks.
This is Israel, for example... a combined Western and British crime... Look now at the memoirs and historians' books, and at the archives of the BBC and the Guardian... etc.!... From them you will gather information about the Nakba and about the British role in the displacement of Palestine that you may not find in Arab sources!
The Nakba has been carried out successfully.. Let us set up the pavilion to mourn and lament together.
While this same BBC and this same Guardian, now... now... now, at the moment of the annihilation of Gaza, will show you another face... Yesterday, a BBC correspondent was fired for liking two tweets that smelled of sympathy for Gaza!!
And so on..
Endless news about the rape of Israeli women on October 7, about the beheading of children, about the burning of mothers and their children... Yes, all of this was published in the media, which taught the world the meaning of professionalism, objectivity, sobriety, and standards of verification and scrutiny... All of this has evaporated!
International channels ignored broadcasting the prosecution session at the International Court of Justice, where South African representatives speak about Israeli crimes. The next day, they all suddenly paid attention to broadcast the defense session in which the Israeli delegation takes charge of defending Israel!!
If I were to swear on the unseen, I would swear to God that if this Gaza war had passed and ended as they wanted, I would have seen these same newspapers and channels coming out to us with written and photographed reports and wonderful documentaries about Israel’s crimes in Gaza.
And this policy, the policy of mourning and lamenting in mourning tents, after slaughtering and killing the dead... is what tempts the naive, ignorant fools who admire the West and consider it the center of civilized values and freedom of opinion, and they think that it holds itself accountable, reviews its history, and corrects its course!!
God bless Begovic... I swear it is a word at the heart of the truth!
Translated from Mohamed Elhamy's post on Twitter.
2024.02.15 13:50 MolokoBespoko Addressing the blatant lies and inaccuracies promoted by Savannah Brymer (host of the “Killer Instinct” podcast) around the Moors Murders case
You’ll remember me calling out the Morbid podcast a while ago, and now another relatively popular podcast called Killer Instinct has rushed together a Moors Murders episode too. It went live yesterday (Valentine’s Day) because she’s doing a theme for the month of February around “Killer Couples and Scorned Lovers”, which is another point to make in itself but whatever. I noticed a lot of inaccuracies in Savannah Brymer’s latest podcast episode, so I’m going to break down these mistakes by the order I heard them appear in. There are some really trivial issues that I’ve chosen to ignore - these are the ones that I feel are significant enough to point out so that people don’t get the wrong impression on Brady, Hindley or the Moors Murders:
That being said, what I will talk about here are the blatant errors where evidence contradicts what Savannah states.
submitted by MolokoBespoko to MoorsMurders [link] [comments]
MYRA HINDLEY’S EARLY LIFE
- Even though she was born in Crumpsall, it is not the suburb of Manchester where she grew up. She was born in Crumpsall’s maternity hospital, but spent her entire childhood growing up in another suburb a few miles away called Gorton.
- It’s never been confirmed that her father, Bob Hindley, came back from WWII with PTSD - that is just an admittedly-reasonable assumption made about him. He did come back an alcoholic, though. He beat Nellie (her mother) on the regular - typically when he had had a drink - but it needs to be noted that Myra Hindley was incredibly inconsistent with her accounts of recalling the abuse that she supposedly received at her father’s hands. She even told a girlfriend later on in her prison years that her mother beat her too.
- It is acknowledged that she was bullied, but what is just as important to acknowledge is that she was not ostracised because she always fought back. Savannah does not mention that bullying was part of the culture she grew up around in the rough slum of Gorton (not excusing it obviously, but just putting it into context that it was pretty dog-eat-dog at times so it’s not like Hindley was exclusively targeted), and how her father taught her to defend herself with violence, which earned her a fair bit of respect too.
- She also didn’t find it particularly difficult to make friends - she had a small circle of very close friends (although she mostly parted from them when she got involved with Ian Brady) but preferred it that way.
IAN BRADY’S EARLY LIFE
- Savannah really glosses over the first few months of Brady’s life. Firstly, there is very little concrete information on the identity of Brady’s father. His mother (Peggy, who was a single and unmarried 27-year-old tearoom waitress living with a friend in a Glasgow suburb) told other people that Brady’s father had died three months before he was born, but this has never been accurately ascertained and even Brady himself was quite sceptical of that story. Some very reputable authors over the years have implied (though I don’t want to imply these directly because Peggy isn’t here to defend herself) that Peggy hadn’t become pregnant by her own choice and that there was more to the story than she was telling people. Given how illegitimacy and being a single mother were major taboos in Glasgow in the 1930s - as well as misogyny being rife - if this was the case then her excuses otherwise were perfectly understandable and I don’t want to sound like I’m judging her character on this. ** Savannah also glosses over that Peggy really struggled to provide for her son. She was forced to move out of the home she was living with her friend in and into a tenement flat in the Gorbals, which to this day remains one of the most deprived and violent slums in Glasgow. The room they occupied was dank and unhygienic, and even though she usually called a babysitter in, it isn’t known to what extent Brady may have been left alone in that cold flat whilst Peggy was having to work extra hours just to be able to provide for the two of them.
- Ian Brady did admit to abusing animals as a child - namely throwing cats out of windows “and things like that” because “everybody did in the Gorbals”. He later backtracked on those admissions and claimed that he had never abused an animal in his life. But the stories about him beheading cats and rabbits etc. are all unconfirmed (and whether many these acts were even witnessed by the people who later told these stories to journalists, or were just heard somewhere along the grapevine, is unknown too) so take them with a grain of salt.
- Brady didn’t “drop out of school” at 15, 15 was a normal age to leave school back then. But he did leave with no significant qualifications because of how little he applied himself, and the fact that he was a delinquent.
- The story around his early girlfriend, Evelyn, is also not entirely confirmed - specifically the reports that the relationship ended because he threatened her with a flick-knife. It was undoubtedly his fault that the relationship ended, but the straw that broke the camel’s back is unknown and there are many reports as to what actually happened. Savannah falsely states that he was arrested and charged for that incident, which he wasn’t - it was never reported. He had simply been charged on either seven or nine counts (I’m not sure which is the correct number as they have both been recorded) of housebreaking and theft, and that was what ignited his move to live back in with Peggy (who was by now in Manchester).
- I’m not sure on the claim that Brady’s co-workers at Millwards “really enjoyed him” holds up. By all accounts, his co-workers found him very surly and unfavourable. His boss, Tommy Craig, actually stated that because “he was so bad tempered about anything that upset him”, he would have considered sacking him if it hadn’t been so difficult to get a replacement and he ended up just writing Brady’s bad behaviour off for the sake of keeping the peace in the office. He recalled that Brady was only “adequate and no more” at his job.
BRADY AND HINDLEY’S EARLY RELATIONSHIP
- They weren’t “immediately drawn” to each other. Hindley claimed that she was immediately drawn to Brady, but Brady wasn’t interested in her at all for months. About six months after she first started working there, she would write entries in her diary about how in love with Brady she was, and then this all fell apart in October of that year (1961) when there was some sort of altercation in the office that Hindley inadvertently ended up getting involved in, which caused Brady to stop speaking to her for months. But Hindley didn’t stop trying to get his attention, and she succeeded in December when he caught her reading a poetry book on her lunch break and showed interest in it. A couple of weeks later, they went out on a pub crawl after dancing together at the office Christmas party.
- The point Savannah made about the letters Hindley was writing to her friends about Brady need to be put in far more context. For one thing, these were never called into evidence. Then Savannah says something that sounds like complete nonsense: **>“You guys have heard of the sandwich method, where you say something really good, and then you give little bit of a critique, and then you say something really good again. It's like compliment, critique, compliment. That's basically how she formatted these letters.”
- That sounds like an invented detail to me. There is one account of an instance where Hindley said something bad about Brady in a letter, and what had happened was that she wrote a letter to one of her friends in her presence, which instructed her to retain the letter and hand it to the police if needs be. This account is according to that friend. She detailed how she feared for her safety because she believe Brady had drugged her one night and she had no clue what he might have done to her whilst she was unconscious. She then apparently listed the names of up to three men (though Hindley said she couldn’t remember this) who she believed might also have been in danger from Brady. Hindley later retrieved this letter from the friend and presumably destroyed it, because there’s no surviving copy of the letter. This account was never called into evidence against her because when the friend disclosed it to police, word got out and she became the victim of a local hate campaign so she decided to withdraw her statement.
- Savannah then alludes to a common narrative that Hindley altered her appearance for the sake of pleasing Brady. She did start dressing differently, but there’s no real evidence that Brady was this influence on her (there have been loose connections drawn by biographers onto Hindley trying to resemble a female Nazi concentration camp guard named Irma Grese, because she possessed a photo of her). She also falsely states that it was around this time that Hindley bleached her hair - photographic evidence shows that Hindley had actually been bleaching her hair years before meeting Brady (linked photo shows her on holiday in Blackpool in 1958 with bleached hair - she was sixteen years old in the photo).
THE MURDERS
I’ve been researching these murders for several years now for the sake of establishing the truth around what we know, because so many commentators misreport them. I could spend all day writing about these accounts, because if you know anything about this case you’ll know that Brady and Hindley later told vastly different stories as to how they happened. A lot of biographies on the case don’t clarify these details and so piecing together all of the versions of these accounts that I have at my disposal, I have prepared my own explanation of these accounts pre-prepared on the first three victims so far (Pauline Reade, John Kilbride and Keith Bennett) so if you want to read them, click on their names. *Be warned that their victims were all children, and there are very upsetting details of sexual abuse and rape contained in them.*. I’ll do the same for the final two victims - Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans - when I get around to it, and they’ll be posted in MoorsMurders.That being said, what I will talk about here are the blatant errors where evidence contradicts what Savannah states.
- First of all, Pauline Reade was not “on her way home from a school dance” when she was abducted. She was walking to a dance at a railway club in nearby Openshaw and it was not a school event. Her parents knew she was walking there alone, but because Gorton was one of those areas where “everyone knew everyone” her mother was reassured that she’d know people at the dance. It was early in the evening and Pauline was actually really early for the dance.
- Like Savannah acknowledges, Pauline knew Myra Hindley - but what happened is that Hindley offered her a lift to the dance but asked if they could go to Saddleworth Moor first to look for a glove she said she had lost that day, to which Pauline accepted. Savannah’s retelling of Pauline’s actual murder is consistent with both Brady’s and Hindley’s accounts.
- John Kilbride was not one of three children, he was one of seven.
- What Savannah neglects to mention here is that Hindley and Brady hired a car for this abduction. They did not abduct John in the same van that they abducted Pauline Reade in.
- By all accounts and evidence, John’s throat was not cut. Hindley stated that Brady had told her that he attempted to cut John’s throat with a serrated/blunt blade, but that didn’t work and so instead Brady strangled him to death with a ligature. Brady claimed that he manually strangled John. But by the time John’s body was found two years later, it was so badly decomposed that the coroner could not establish a definitive cause of death, so based on these accounts we can only assume that John was strangled in some way.
- The retelling of Keith’s abduction and murder is almost entirely incorrect. First of all, Keith was walking to his grandmother’s house when Hindley (Brady either was or wasn’t there, read the write-up I linked above for more explanation) approached him. Hindley never claimed that she waited in the van as Keith was being killed either - she said that she was told to wait at a raised plateau on the moor with her binoculars (maybe after half a mile of walking into the moor).
- The retelling of Lesley’s abduction and murder is mostly consistent, but I need to clarify that they did not audiotape her murder. They audiotaped themselves attempting to restrain, gag and undress Lesley, and the reason I want to highlight this is because this recording was sixteen minutes long. We don’t know how long either her sexual assault or murder lasted afterwards, meaning that even though what was recorded on that tape was absolutely despicable and sickening, the full extent of her horrific ordeal is unimaginable.
- Most of the retelling of Edward Evans’ abduction and murder - as well as the aftermath - is consistent. But there is one clarification I should make, and that is that David Smith (Hindley’s brother-in-law who witnessed the murder) was not a “man” - he was a 17-year-old boy who Brady had been grooming for several months. He was actually six days younger than Edward Evans was.
AFTERMATH
- The evidence pertaining to Lesley Ann Downey (I.e. the nine pornographic photos they took of her) were not found in the home - they were found in one of two deposited suitcases locked away in the left-luggage office at Manchester Central Station. Brady and Hindley had dropped them off there in advance of Edward’s murder.
- Savannah’s interpretation of Brady’s trial account of Edward’s death is incorrect. Brady never claimed that “somebody else” killed Edward - he admitted that he hit Edward until he “shut up” but that it wasn’t his intent to kill him, and claimed that it was David Smith who strangled him (which he much later admitted wasn’t the case, and that he strangled Edward as David watched in sheer horror and panic). Because Edward’s official cause of death was listed as “cerebral contusion and haemmorhage of the skull due to blows to the head, accelerated by strangulation by ligature”, Brady tried to twist that to make it seem like David killed him, but the truth was that Edward would have died from the axe blows alone - he just would have died more slowly and excruciatingly. Brady only strangled him to accelerate his death - presumably so that Hindley’s grandmother (who was upstairs) wouldn’t wake up from her tablet-induced sleep. *There are a couple of smaller inaccuracies relating to the defence that I won’t go into because there isn’t much point.
- Savannah also glosses over how exactly it was that Hindley and Brady came to confess. It is true that Brady’s admission to the Sunday People journalist (Fred Harrison) in 1985 was the first time (at least the first recorded time) that he admitted to being responsible for the deaths of Pauline and Keith, but it didn’t instantly trigger Hindley’s confessions. The letter Keith Bennett’s mother wrote to her wasn’t until more than a year later, and Hindley did not confess to police until 1987.
- Police didn’t necessarily like Hindley’s tears during her confessions were performative - she actually had to be tranquilised during the confessions because it was so difficult for her to recall certain details - but they did believe that she had given a very calculated confession and she was perhaps more involved than she had let on.
- There are a few complicated reasons why a second trial did not go ahead - to say it was because “they were already serving life sentences” is reductive. Brady would have been mentally unfit to stand trial for one, and also Pauline Reade’s father actually objected to it because her mother had suffered a psychotic break with everything that had happened - it wouldn’t have been good for her to have to be put through all of that when they had only just laid their daughter to rest after 24 years of not knowing. There are other considerations that are too complicated to go into for the sake of this post.
- One of the most common lies that gets spread around this case is that Ian Brady was moved to Ashworth in 1985 after he was diagnosed as a psychopath. This was not his diagnosis - he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and acute paranoia. He was acknowledged as a psychopath back when the definition of that term was more all-encompassing, even in the years prior to 1985, but those definitions don’t hold up now. By the time of his death in 2017, Brady was acknowledged instead to have had a complex personality disorder with narcissistic and (sexually) sadistic traits, as well as paedophilia.
- It is also irresponsible to even entertain the question of “I'm interested to know what you think about Keith and his remains, and were they found, were they not found, and everything that comes along with that”. Russell Edwards is a charlatan, and what was actually found was a piece of plant material. Keith Bennett’s brother (Alan) has evidence that Edwards orchestrated this search as part of a publicity stunt to promote his upcoming book on the case, which has seemingly now been shelved because of all the backlash. There is plenty of evidence on the internet that discredits Edwards and his entire team.
2024.02.10 14:02 TankMan-2223 "Dehumanization and misinformation in service of genocide" by Mitchell Plitnick, Mondoweiss (February 9, 2024).
 | https://mondoweiss.net/2024/02/dehumanization-and-misinformation-in-service-of-genocide/ submitted by TankMan-2223 to MarxistCulture [link] [comments] (OOC: To see the links, watch the article in the site of Mondoweiss) The dehumanization of Muslims and Arabs combined with outright misinformation about October 7 is the engine powering the genocide in Gaza. SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN PARTICIPATES IN A MODERATED CONVERSATION WITH TOM FRIEDMAN AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, JANUARY 17, 2024. (OFFICIAL STATE DEPARTMENT PHOTO BY CHUCK KENNEDY) Cutting off the funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) just at the moment when its services are more desperately needed than at any point in its history is cruel beyond measure, and is, itself, an act of genocide. It cannot be anything else, as the known consequence of that cutoff under current circumstances will lead to massive numbers of deaths and an unimaginable increase in illness, injury, and profound trauma among the 2.2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, not to mention the damage it will also do to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria who also rely on UNRWA’s services for daily needs. This level of monstrous inhumanity would seem to be as horrific as it could get. But now consider that the United States — which has now led nearly twenty countries to suspend funding for UNRWA — has explicitly admitted that it took this murderous course based on nothing more than Israel’s word. As I reported recently, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they had not verified Israel’s claims. On Wednesday, the government of Canada, which has also suspended UNRWA’s funding, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that they still had not seen any evidence beyond Israel’s claims against UNRWA. The only evidence that has been shared publicly — and, based on those public statements by U.S. and other officials, quite possibly all that has been presented even privately — has been a six-page dossier simply repeating the allegations, but offering no supporting evidence whatsoever. Sky News reported on the dossier which has been leaked to news outlets. Their report stated that, “The Israeli intelligence documents make several claims that Sky News has not seen proof of and many of the claims, even if true, do not directly implicate UNRWA.” You’d think that would be the lead, but that one paragraph, damning though it is, is all the article had to say on the veracity of Israel’s claims, and you needed to get close to the end of the piece to find it. This is typical of how the entire war on Gaza has been covered by most of the press in Europe and, especially in the United States. As James North reported recently on this site, this has gone way beyond the usual pro-Israel bias that we see in American and European media. One staff member at CNN told Chris McGreal of The Guardian, “Every action by Israel — dropping massive bombs that wipe out entire streets, its obliteration of whole families — the coverage ends up massaged to create a ‘they had it coming’ narrative.” This isn’t a new phenomenon either. On November 9, 2023, just a month into Israel’s campaign of slaughter of Gaza’s civilian population, some 750 journalists signed on to an open letter decrying American media coverage of the war. “Newsrooms have…undermined Palestinian, Arab and Muslim perspectives, dismissing them as unreliable and have invoked inflammatory language that reinforces Islamophobic and racist tropes,” the letter read. “They have printed misinformation spread by Israeli officials and failed to scrutinize indiscriminate killing of civilians in Gaza — committed with the support of the U.S. government.” The letter ended up gathering over 1,470 signatures, many of whom are reporters for leading news outlets like Reuters, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and The Washington Post. Yet the problem only grew worse. From the beginning, stories that relayed the constant torment of life in Gaza under relentless Israeli attack were rare, and drowned out by the constant drumbeat of in-depth stories of suffering on October 7, and quotes from President Biden, Secretary of States Antony Blinken, and other American officials blaming Palestinians for their own suffering and at most politely stating that Israel must comply with international law that they clearly were ignoring without consequence. Deceiving the public into supporting a genocide The campaign to convince people in the West to support a genocide needed to go much farther than biased and decontextualized presentations of events. It needed to go full bore into misinformation. The United States is certainly no stranger to blatant lies used to create public support for some of the most horrible atrocities in recent memory. The Gulf of Tonkin scam and, of course, the lies about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, led to unimaginable atrocities in Vietnam and Iraq from which those countries still bear deep scars. World history has demonstrated the key role media plays in genocide. From Der Sturmer in Nazi Germany to Pravda in the Soviet Union, powerfully authoritarian governments used major media to communicate to the masses and also to manipulate what they saw in the world around them, covering up or creating justifications for their worst abuses. In modern, liberal republics such as those in the U.S., Europe, and, to a lesser extent due to its active military censorship, Israel, misinformation in mainstream media remains a key tool but needs to be modified to suit a somewhat less authoritarian kind of government. It’s even trickier in the age of social media, where people can get both reality as well as some truly fantastical narratives through their phones. This means the propaganda effort is less effective, as we can see by the overwhelming number of Democrats in the United States who disapprove of Biden’s policy. Yet, in so many ways, it still gets the job done. Consider some of the things that have been repeated over and over, without substantiation, until they are accepted as truth, by at least some significant part of the populace. It becomes even more powerful when it’s more than the media, but the leadership. For example, Joe Biden has repeatedly talked about the “beheaded babies” in the October 7 attack, despite the fact that his own staff has had to walk back the assertion that he kept making, claiming to have actually seen pictures of an atrocity that clearly never happened, as there was only one baby killed (and that is enough of a tragedy) on October 7. That’s not coming from human rights groups, that’s Israel’s official data. Yet it was repeated often enough in media before it was disproven (which is mentioned far less often) that many still believe it to be true. And if one wants to argue that, at least as far as the U.S. government goes, we might write this off as Biden being “confused” as he so often is (just look at him being unable to remember who Hamas is in this video), how do we explain the fact Antony Blinken told equally unsubstantiated, lurid, and false tales in a Senate hearing? No, this is a campaign of misinformation to justify the unjustifiable, and it’s worked. American media amplified the horrifying stories of October 7 and decried anyone asking for evidence as a “denier.” This becomes easier because there can be no doubt that civilians were killed and wounded by Hamas on October 7. So, a reasonable person would ask, why would Israel bother exaggerating it? The reason, of course, is that Hamas’s act would have been enough to justify an Israeli response in people’s minds. But Netanyahu never intended for this to be a proportional response, or even as disproportionate as Israeli attacks on Gaza have been in the past. This operation was always meant to drive Palestinians from Gaza by making it unlivable, causing as much death and destruction as possible. To that end, the goal of totally eradicating Hamas was set, which anyone with any knowledge of such matters knew was always going to be unattainable. Because even Israel isn’t quite brazen enough to explicitly state, “We intend to commit genocide.” By establishing the complete elimination of Hamas as its goal, massive attacks on civilians were justified. And, indeed, for many weeks, there was absolute support from the U.S. and Europe, despite the legions of documented cases of Israel deliberately targeting civilians, shelters, schools, hospitals, journalists, rescue workers, mosques, and every other protected person or site. It took months before European leaders expressed any discomfort at all, and even longer for the United States to grudgingly admit that maybe Israel was going just a little too far. That level of acquiescence requires more than the usual attack on civilians. The attack needs to be so inhuman and monstrous that it stirs up a lust for vengeance that mixes with real horror. In this case, it feeds off of Islamophobic and anti-Arab tropes as well, particularly of a special kind of Muslim/Arab misogyny and sexual violence. The story of systematic mass rapes, which remains unsubstantiated, though there is enough evidence that some sexual assault did occur to warrant an investigation that Israel will not, of course, allow (that is a very low bar. Any credible allegation of even a single incident should be investigated). Few have asked what should be the obvious question of why suddenly, after all these years, we see such a dramatic level of sexual violence when that had not been a typical characteristic of Palestinian attacks on Israelis for all these long decades of conflict. Outright racism Even Joe Biden was forced to condemn the Wall Street Journal for its despicable article on February 2 headlined, “Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital,” which characterized the Michigan city, with one of the country’s largest Arab-American populations, as a hotbed of support for bloodshed and antisemitism. One racist trope after another is trotted out, to such a distressing and disgusting degree that the city was forced into a massive increase in its security for fear of racist attacks. Not to be outdone, on the very same day as the WSJ article came out, the New York Times published a piece by Thomas Friedman, “Understanding the Middle East Through the Animal Kingdom,” where the notorious pro-Israel writer directly translated Middle Eastern countries into animals. Iran is a parasitic wasp, Hamas is a spider, and the U.S. is a lion. Israel is not so transformed — only Netanyahu, who is a lemur. It isn’t hard to see the racism at work here. That sort of dehumanization, as I and Prof. Sahar Aziz demonstrated in our recent report, Presumptively Antisemitic: Islamophobic Tropes in the Palestine–Israel Discourse, permeates U.S. policy in “normal” times, and helps reinforce the intense bias toward Israel. But now, it’s a much more dangerous phenomenon. This dehumanization, combined with outright misinformation, is the engine powering a genocide machine. It makes some support it. It makes other people unsure of how fervently they can oppose it. Dehumanization and misinformation have combined to justify Israel’s genocide and now it’s being used to cut off what little help from the international community the people of Gaza have been getting. More than anything else, it is what the movements around the world to save Gaza have been fighting against. |
2024.02.09 20:18 TheOnlyWadhawan "hiTleR waS woRsE thAn aNTon raYNe"
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submitted by TheOnlyWadhawan to suzerain [link] [comments]
2024.02.06 23:48 CrytopGuru916 US Man, 33, Arrested After Allegedly Beheading Father And Showing His Head On YouTube
 | The 32-year-old was found "hours later" in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania - more than 100 miles from his home - and taken into custody. submitted by CrytopGuru916 to RecentlyArrested [link] [comments] A 32-year-old man in the United States accused of beheading his father - and posting a gruesome video seemingly showing him holding up the head amid a politically charged rant - was arrested on Tuesday. According to CNN, the video circulated for hours on YouTube before it was taken down. Justin Mohn was taken into custody hours after allegedly beheading his 68-year-old father Michael Mohn at their home in Pennsylvania. The 33-year-old is being held without bond, charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and possessing an instrument of crime with intent. According to CNN, police responded to the scene after receiving a "call of a deceased male". Justin Mohn's mother, Denice, called 911 after finding her husband's headless body in their home. She reportedly said that she was last in the house at 2 pm and when she returned, she noticed her son and her husband's 2009 Toyota Corolla was nowhere to be found. The call to emergency dispatchers came from the victim's wife. When officers arrived, they located the male deceased in the bathroom," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. "The victim's adult son was not present when police arrived and left the area in his father's vehicle," the statement added. Cops found a machete and a large kitchen knife in the bathtub. They located Michael Mohn's head inside a plastic bag which was inside a cooking pot in a first-floor bedroom next to the bathroom. Officers also found "bloody rubber gloves" in both a separate first-floor bedroom and in a trashcan beside a desk. In the affidavit, police cite a video posted on video YouTube by the 32-year-old. In the clip, the man identifies himself as Justin Mohn and apparently reads from a written statement and at one point holds up what appears to be a bloodied head inside a clear plastic bag. In the clip, he says his father, who was a federal employee for over 20 years, was a traitor to his country. "America is rotting from the inside out as far left, woke mobs rampage out once prosperous cities," he says in the now-deleted video. According to The Independent, the 32-year-old bashed US President Joe Biden, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the LGBTQ community in the video. He also urged Americans to attack federal workers, journalists and federal law enforcement. A YouTube spokesperson said it has strict policies prohibiting graphic violence and violent extremism". "The video was removed for violating our graphic violence policy and Justin Mohn's channel was terminated in line with our violent extremism policies. Our teams are closely tracking to remove any re-uploads of the video," they said. The 32-year-old was found "hours later" in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania - more than 100 miles from his home - and taken into custody. "He was armed at the time but did not resist arrest," cops said. He was arraigned early Wednesday via video. A judge ordered him held without bond. His next hearing is set for February 8. |
2024.02.05 17:07 terra_ratgirl The Beatles are Terrorists
 | submitted by terra_ratgirl to beatlescirclejerk [link] [comments] |
2024.02.02 14:48 TankMan-2223 "We deserve the truth about what happened on October 7" by Nick Burbank, February 1 of 2024, Mondoweiss.
 | (several links inside the article itself, so I recommend reading it in Mondoweiss to go deeper on it). submitted by TankMan-2223 to MarxistCulture [link] [comments] https://mondoweiss.net/2024/02/we-deserve-the-truth-about-what-happened-on-october-7/#:~:text=Stories%20of%20atrocity%20on%20October,deserve%20to%20know%20the%20truth Stories of atrocity on October 7 have been used to justify the ongoing assault on Gaza. But several of these high-profile claims have been found to be based on unreliable witnesses or even fabricated entirely. We deserve to know the truth. SCENES OF DESTRUCTION IN KIBBUTZ NIR OZ AFTER THE INVASION OF HAMAS FIGHTERS ON OCTOBER 7, 2023. (PHOTO: MISHEL AMZALEG/ISRAEL GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE) In the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attacks by Hamas, narratives of atrocity dominated the news cycle. It is only now, four months later, that the events of that day are being clarified. The New York Times has reportedly pulled a high-profile podcast on the “weaponization” of rape in response to concerns of “major discrepancies.” Journalists are challenging state spokespeople, and researchers cross-referencing claims against the list of terror victims maintained by Israel’s own Social Security Administration have shown that several horrifying stories first responders and IDF members initially told reporters do not reflect actual people or deaths. The IDF itself has said it cannot confirm some of its own reporting. Nevertheless, these stories spread widely. The founder of Oct7FactCheck.com saw how they impacted his friends and family. People who had previously protested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government were now insisting that “these people,” Palestinians in Gaza, were irredeemable. They cited the atrocities in the news as evidence. And yet, it has become apparent that many of the stories used to justify ongoing violence in Gaza are just that: stories. Oct7FactCheck.com is a six-member research group known collectively as “Nick Burbank.” The group, comprising an Ivy League law student, a policy graduate student, two intelligence analysts, a U.S. armed services veteran, and a tech entrepreneur, began fact-checking these claims in November. Their goal was to identify where a given claim originated, who propagated it, and whether the evidence confirmed or refuted the claim. Their findings are shared in a living document that’s updated as new information comes to light. Thus far, the team has come to conclusions on 12 different claims and identified major discrepancies in another: claims of weaponized rape that were reported on but are now being re-investigated by the New York Times. To be clear: There were no babies hung on clotheslines. There were no babies beheaded or put in ovens, no pregnant women with their stomachs cut open. The sources responsible for those fabrications are cited in articles recounting the weaponized “mass rape” of Israeli women by Hamas fighters. Several stories shared by multiple outlets use these sources, raising open questions about the strength of this reporting. One January 19 Guardian article repeats the exact same language as an article published more than a month earlier on a different site. The New York Times article drew pushback on its reporting from the family of the victim they profiled, who argued she was not the victim of sexual violence; some of those family members have given new statements to the NYT. Over the last four months, claims about October 7 have influenced the public narrative. Stories of atrocity, sometimes cobbled together from unreliable eyewitnesses, sometimes fabricated entirely, have made their way to heads of state and been used to justify Israel’s military violence. As a result, 85% of Gaza is displaced. More than 26,000 Palestinians (including over 10,000 children have been killed), and nearly three times as many people have been injured. 70% of Gazan homes are flattened. Over 100 journalists have been killed. Every university in Gaza is now destroyed. One of the claims determined to be definitively true is that IDF friendly fire on October 7 resulted in Israeli civilian deaths. In the early hours of October 7, a deadly lack of communication made it difficult for Apache pilots and drone operators to distinguish targets, leading them to deputize civilians in the kibbutzim for target identification. But by noon on October 7, the Israeli military had issued a version of the “Hannibal Directive” (as reported to YNet, the second largest Israeli newspaper by readership, and translated by the Electronic Intifada). The Hannibal Directive is an order that allows Israeli forces to stop kidnappings at all costs, up to and including the death of the hostage if all else fails. The order resulted in mass civilian deaths. Two personal accounts from civilians taken hostage on October 7 describe the IDF firing upon them while they were being kidnapped. In both instances, this resulted in the wounding or deaths of people they had been taken captive with, including one woman whose mother was killed. A similar report from YNet records the deployment of the Israeli Air Force to intercept 70 vehicles driven by Hamas militants as they returned to Gaza. The cars, some containing hostages, were destroyed before they could reach the border. An IDF military source reported that Israeli special forces were sent in the week after October 7 to recover bodies in this area. The number of Israeli dead found in these vehicles is currently not known. One of the most chilling descriptions of friendly fire occurred in Be’eri, a kibbutz heavily damaged by the events of October 7. There, IDF forces killed up to 13 hostages in a single incident when they decided to fire two tank shells into a house controlled by militants, fully aware that there were still living civilians held captive inside. The IDF fired on the house during an active hostage negotiation. There were only two survivors, one woman who miraculously survived the shelling and Yasmin Porat, who had been released during the negotiations prior to the tank shells being fired. The shelling killed her husband, who remained under the control of the militants. The aftermath of tank shelling looks very different from arson and small arms fire – there is more rubble, and less soot. In Be’eri, where fighting between IDF and militants was fiercest, homes were completely destroyed. Ha’aretz has reported that “half the damage” in Be’eri came from “munitions impacts,” the other half from “arson.” As a result, more than half of the 200 Israeli homes slated for demolition after the October 7 attack are located in Be’eri. In Nir Oz, where militants were not confronted by the IDF, houses were damaged mostly from arson. Families of the victims are now calling for an investigation into the military and police units who were present and into whether or not the shelling of the house was an implementation of the Hannibal Directive. But initially, the commander responsible for firing a tank into a house full of hostages, General Barak Hiram, was hailed as a hero. Under the heading “A General’s Dilemma,” The New York Times describes Hiram as “a rising star” before quoting him as ending an active hostage negotiation by saying, “Break in, even at the cost of civilian casualties.” Months later, additional reporting by the Times underscores the impact of the intentional use of IDF munitions by Hiram. This incident alone is responsible for 12% of the civilian casualties in Be’eri.1 It’s no secret that Israel invests heavily in “public diplomacy,” known commonly as hasbara. The incredible violence of their military offensive relies on the willingness of nations to prioritize Israeli narratives over Palestinian lives and, in the case of the Hannibal directive, Israeli lives as well. Stories of irredeemable atrocity – regardless of their truth – are essential to manufacturing the acceptability of harming civilians and building support for the Netayahu-led destruction of Gaza. The small-t truth of these stories, the facts of what happened, is less important than the capital-T Truth these stories gesture to. In one example, a YouTube advertisement created by Israel’s Foreign Affair Minister begins with the words “We know that your child cannot read this” while rainbows and unicorns frolic to a lullaby. As the music grinds to a halt, the unicorns disappear and “Forty infants were murdered in Israel by the Hamas terrorists (ISIS),” flashes onto the screen” before urging parents, “Now hug your baby and stand with us.” Business Insider reported on the way this ad and others were being used to justify Israel’s offensive in Gaza as early as October 17. That video is unlisted now, but the claim continues to be repeated. On January 2024, yet another video recycling the claims of ‘beheaded babies,’ this one propagated by the online antisemitism watchdog CyberWell, gasps in horror at the idea of Israeli atrocity propaganda being corrected. A person, scrolling online past a video debunking this same story of beheaded babies says “What? How can they even say that?” This video does not defend the claim that babies were beheaded. It can’t. Social security records make this an impossibility. Instead, it appeals to the viewer’s sense of horror and outrage. While this specific instance may not be true, this advertisement gives the viewer permission to believe a broader, truthier accusation: that Israel’s enemy is so depraved that such a thing could have happened then and may happen again in the future. There were very real atrocities that happened on October 7, including the killing of civilians in their homes and at a music festival and the taking of hostages, some of them children. But somehow, the clearest crimes committed have been crowded out of the narrative in favor of obscene, attention-grabbing lies. This re-telling of the day is disrespectful to victims and survivors alike and only increases suspicion as to what really happened. It is a narrative that only serves those in power and those seeking to justify the genocidal assault on Gaza, not those rightfully seeking answers. Notes:
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2024.01.24 06:21 DullBad6340 "hiTleR waS woRsE thAn pUtLeR"
 | No. Putler was responsible for the holocaust, the Armenian genocide, WW2, the Korean war, the Vietnam War, 9/11, the Arab Spring, the Crusades, the Islamic invasion of Spain, the formation of Israel, he was also responsible for driving the Jews out of Israel in the first place,in fact the Egyptians did nothing wrong; it was Putler who was responsible for enslaving the Jews. Putler is secretly a scaly and one day while he was wearing his snake suit he tricked Eve and told her to eat the apple. He also killed Abel. He also lead the Mongol invasions of everywhere. And the Hun invasions. And the Mughal invasions of India. And the Viking invasions.Putler was the guy who started colonialism(only the invading part not the part where they provided technology and medicine to the natives). After Putler tested positive for Covid19, he spit on Native Americans, nearly driving them extinct. Putler also killed all the dinosaurs. He was also behind the Bronze age collapse. Putler single-handedly did the Triangular Slave Trade; hell he was the guy Putler bought the slaves from. Putler also beheaded a French teacher for disrespecting Mohammad, and blamed it on wholesome Muslimerinos. All the blood diamonds are produced by Putler. He was the guy who cut Congolese workers hands off because they did not meet his supply. Putler chased Kyyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha with a skateboard and beat him up and snatched his rifle, and used it to kill Jacob Blake. During the BLM protests Putler was the one who looted and burned all the stores. Even during the Charolletsville incident, they were all shadow-clones of Putler. Putler did Pearl Harbor and bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Putler was the mastermind of the Holodomor, the Great Leap Forward, East Germany and every time a tankie screams "It was not real communism", Putler was involved. Putler grilled the last dodo. Putler shoots Palestinian kids for fun and shoots missiles at Israeli civilians. He was the guy who killed all those Rohingyas, and Uyghurs. He was also involved the current Hong Kong situation; so much involved that he was the one who sold opium to the Chinese. The Irish potato famine, Africa, the Bengal Famine; all because of Putler. Putler commits human rights violations on North Korean citizens everyday. Al Qaeda, Mujaheddin, Boko-Haram, Taliban; TRUMP. He also killed the prophet of the wholesome 100 Muslimerinos, Sulemani; in a missile strike. He also did the Rape of Nanjing and it was Putler who ordered and supplied all the Korean comfort women. Putler personally snitched on Anne Frank to Putler. The Jim Crow laws were passed by Putler, as well as the war on drugs. The partition of India was Putler's fault, as well as the resulting Kashmir issue. He also starred in the Cuban missile crisis and started the cold war. During the Russian Revolution, the peasants understood that Nikolai II's family was innocent, and would offer them a chance to leave, but Putler massacred them. Putler tried his best but failed in preventing the American and French Revolutions, but he got back at them by causing the Reign of Terror. Putler tortured Louis XVI's son and forced him into saying that he had sex with his mother and aunt, and promptly guillotined them. Putler invented pineapple-pizza and Tofu-Chicken. He was the guy who snitched on Alan Turing, revealing that he was gay. The judge felt that such a respected professor could be sent away with a slap on the wrist, but Putler rigged the jury and sentenced him to hormonal therapy. Putler rigged the New York Stock Exchange and caused the great depression. In the town of Waco, he raped a woman, blamed it on a black man and lynched him by burning him alive. He was the leader of the Khmer Rouge and wrote the plot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Despite making up only 3.0211238398812703164724804575659e-7 % of the population Putler commits 100% of the crimes. Putler also was the dictator of Uganda. Putler regularly kills journalists and opposition leaders in Russia. He was behind Princess Diana's car crash. Putler fucked a monkey and started the AIDS pandemic. He started coronavirus and ebola and the Black Death and the Spanish flu and the Bubonic plague and the syphillis outbreak and the Trojan war and tthe Bush war and the fall of Rome and the Dark Ages. After taking a dump, Putler leaves his toilet paper like this. Putler burned down the Notre Dame, and knelled on George Floyds neck. He also was the guy who sold drugs to George Floyd. Putler is the reason I am the only person in my class who doesn't have a girlfriend. Putler is the reason why the Armenia Azerbaijan crisis is even there. submitted by DullBad6340 to DJ_Peach_Cobbler [link] [comments] |
2024.01.10 23:12 AdelineAmes__ASMR [M4F] Villain King Kidnaps Journalist [Modern Fantasy] [Villain] [Maniac] [Kidnapping] [Dark] [Evil Plan] [Power Hungry] [Obsessed]
Note: I am fine with monetization as long as I get credit. Also please ask me if you want to change anything. And no inappropriate versions of this is allowed!! Please and thank you
Context; Evil king kidnaps journalist to convince her to write propaganda to solve the unrest in his kingdom.
….
King: Oh good, you are awake. I told the guards to bring you peacefully, but you decided to fight them. It really is your own fault you were knocked out. Maybe try to be more cooperative next time.
….
King: What do I want with you? A partnership of sorts.
….
King: Let me paint you a picture of what I have in mind. You see, the people are beginning to think of me as cruel. One beheading because someone spoke out against me and suddenly I am a villain. [darkly chuckles] Hardly.
….
King: DON’T INTERRUPT ME. I am not done. [pause and signs] As I was saying, my subjects are starting to think that I am a villain after a little incident. I need help restoring the people’s faith in me again before this gets completely out of hand. That is where you come in.
….
King: Yes, you. You are the most influential journalist in the kingdom. Which is exactly what I need to turn the people's opinions around.
….
King: I need you to squash the rumors about me being evil. I want you to tell the people that my actions are just and fair. The rebellious few must be sacrificed for the good of all. They are not looking out for the good of this kingdom and they need to be eliminated.
….
King: You would be writing propaganda you say? In a sense. You see, I want you to ease the minds of the public. I want to convince them that those who are rebellious are dangerous. A danger that their loving king is trying to rid the kingdom of. Convince them that without these troublemakers the kingdom will be a place of peace where everyone will agree and be happy.
….
King: Naturally. Why would I want the people to be able to think for themselves? It’s so much better for them if I do all of the thinking for them.
…
King: Of course I want total control. You see, if I am in control of everything then I will give the people what they want.
….
King: What do the people want? Oh well, everything. The people will want for nothing as long as they do exactly as I say.
….
King: A villain? On the contrary my dear. A villain would take things away from people. No no, I’m not a villain. I’m willing to give to my people.
….
King: There is always a price. Freedom is a small price to pay for what I am offering. Wouldn’t you agree?
….
King: No, you are right. The people will not agree to this at first, but the more I give them the more comfortable they will become. The more they will want the comforts that I am more than willing to provide for them. They will become comfortable and complacent. More likely to fall in line and do exactly as a say. They will choose to turn a blind eye to what I am doing in order to maintain what they have. They will not realize what they are giving up and by the time they do it will be too late. They will depend on their comforts so much that they will not be able to do without them. So lulled into security that they will hand over those who oppose me on a silver platter and not think twice about it.
….
King: The other kingdoms? Stop me? [laughs menacingly] Oh how naive you are. Yes, the other kingdoms may try to stop me at first, but after they read about me from my personal journalist, known far and wide for writing nothing but the truth, they will see things my way. They will see that my rule is superior to what they are living under and they will turn on their leaders one by one. I will not just be the ruler of this kingdom, but of all kingdoms in the land. No one will be able to stop me.
….
King: So, here is the deal. I'll give you a choice. Join me or suffer. See, I'm not a villain. I'm letting you choose. [pause] So tell me, what will it be?
submitted by AdelineAmes__ASMR to ASMRScriptHaven [link] [comments]
Context; Evil king kidnaps journalist to convince her to write propaganda to solve the unrest in his kingdom.
….
King: Oh good, you are awake. I told the guards to bring you peacefully, but you decided to fight them. It really is your own fault you were knocked out. Maybe try to be more cooperative next time.
….
King: What do I want with you? A partnership of sorts.
….
King: Let me paint you a picture of what I have in mind. You see, the people are beginning to think of me as cruel. One beheading because someone spoke out against me and suddenly I am a villain. [darkly chuckles] Hardly.
….
King: DON’T INTERRUPT ME. I am not done. [pause and signs] As I was saying, my subjects are starting to think that I am a villain after a little incident. I need help restoring the people’s faith in me again before this gets completely out of hand. That is where you come in.
….
King: Yes, you. You are the most influential journalist in the kingdom. Which is exactly what I need to turn the people's opinions around.
….
King: I need you to squash the rumors about me being evil. I want you to tell the people that my actions are just and fair. The rebellious few must be sacrificed for the good of all. They are not looking out for the good of this kingdom and they need to be eliminated.
….
King: You would be writing propaganda you say? In a sense. You see, I want you to ease the minds of the public. I want to convince them that those who are rebellious are dangerous. A danger that their loving king is trying to rid the kingdom of. Convince them that without these troublemakers the kingdom will be a place of peace where everyone will agree and be happy.
….
King: Naturally. Why would I want the people to be able to think for themselves? It’s so much better for them if I do all of the thinking for them.
…
King: Of course I want total control. You see, if I am in control of everything then I will give the people what they want.
….
King: What do the people want? Oh well, everything. The people will want for nothing as long as they do exactly as I say.
….
King: A villain? On the contrary my dear. A villain would take things away from people. No no, I’m not a villain. I’m willing to give to my people.
….
King: There is always a price. Freedom is a small price to pay for what I am offering. Wouldn’t you agree?
….
King: No, you are right. The people will not agree to this at first, but the more I give them the more comfortable they will become. The more they will want the comforts that I am more than willing to provide for them. They will become comfortable and complacent. More likely to fall in line and do exactly as a say. They will choose to turn a blind eye to what I am doing in order to maintain what they have. They will not realize what they are giving up and by the time they do it will be too late. They will depend on their comforts so much that they will not be able to do without them. So lulled into security that they will hand over those who oppose me on a silver platter and not think twice about it.
….
King: The other kingdoms? Stop me? [laughs menacingly] Oh how naive you are. Yes, the other kingdoms may try to stop me at first, but after they read about me from my personal journalist, known far and wide for writing nothing but the truth, they will see things my way. They will see that my rule is superior to what they are living under and they will turn on their leaders one by one. I will not just be the ruler of this kingdom, but of all kingdoms in the land. No one will be able to stop me.
….
King: So, here is the deal. I'll give you a choice. Join me or suffer. See, I'm not a villain. I'm letting you choose. [pause] So tell me, what will it be?