An Unworthy Addition

An Unworthy Addition

Well, the unthinkable has happened. The worst possible candidate has become President of the United States. I refuse to use his name and the title "President" in close proximity of each other. Rather, I'll call him the "Anti-POTUS," as he occupies the office but doesn't really belong there. 

Here's some of our greatest presidents, though not perfect individuals, showing their dismay or outrage at what has succeeded them. Clockwise from the top: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Drumpf, Franklin Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson. 

I try to remain defiantly optimistic, but I'm not sure there's much hope for the future. It's not so much that Trump is in office that upsets me, as the fact that a large portion of the population sees no problem with that or what he is doing already.

Gospel Troopers?

Mark "Suddenly!"

Luke "Parable!"

John "Verily verily!"

Matthew "Blessed!"

The Four Evangelists and their standard heraldic symbols (Mark=lion, Luke=bull/ox, John=eagle, and Matthew=holy man/angel) as a kind of Power Rangers team, each with their own catch-phrases.

Mark uses the word for "suddenly" or "immediately" a lot, so that's his catch-phrase. Luke has perhaps the greatest number of Jesus' parables. John stubbornly writes "Verily, verily" instead of just one "verily" when Jesus says "Verily I say to you." Matthew is notable for the Beatitudes. 

Feed My Fish

"Simon, feed also my fish. Not more than enough. Also walk with my dog."

RE: John 21:15-17

Near the end of John's Gospel, Jesus instructs Peter three times to "Feed my sheep." If it were literal we might add more animals to take care of. 

Boom! Headshot.

RE: Vergil, Aeneid IX 

So, I finished reading Aeneid book IX today, and I have to say, there were an awful lot of headshots in this book. Four of them, I think, which I have summarized above with the appropriate textual references. 

1. Tagus, an Italian, is pierced through the head by a spear thrown by Nisus
2. the son of Arcens (whose name we don't learn), gets a sling bullet to the head from Mezentius
3. Lyceus has his head chopped off by Turnus
4. Pandarus has his head sliced in two by the same. 

Vergil uses a wonderfully illustrative line for that:

      "et mediam ferro gemina inter tempora frontem"

It's a golden line (or silver?) nicely divided, like Pandarus' head, in the middle by "inter." 

What Good Can There Be From Nazareth?

"In All Theatres - April 3"

"You will see greater things than these." (John 1:50)

"From John the Evangelist, [starring] Jesus Christ, Simon "the Rock" Johnson, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, and John the Baptist"

RE: John 1:29-51, esp. 1:46

This movie poster is my reaction to today's Greek New Testament reading, especially to the montage-like way Jesus gathers his disciples and to the truculent remark by Nathanael "What good thing can there be from Nazareth?" when Philip tells him about Jesus. I also thought Jesus' remark, "You will see greater things than these" would be a good tag line for the movie. 

I imagine a sort of macho band-of-brothers kind of thing. There has to be an explosion at some point. Also, as to "Simon 'the Rock' Johnson"--that's based on the meaning of "Peter," the nick-name Jesus gives Simon, which is "Rock" or "Rocky." And since he is the son of John in the gospel of John, he can be Johnson. 

Now you see him...

RE: Tibullus I.2.41-42

Still, your husband will not believe this, just as 

The honest-speaking witch promised me with her magical aid.

For Augustan Literature today we read Tibullus I.1-3. In the second poem from his first book of elegies, Tibullus speaks of having secured the aid of a sorceress, who has cast a spell to make Tibullus' love Delia's husband (for want of a better term) unable to believe an affair is going on between those two. 

He will be able to believe nothing from anyone about us,

not even himself, if he himself should see us in the soft bed. 

Still, keep away from others: for he will perceive

everything else: Only me will he not perceive. (I.2.55-58)

Tea-Time with Argus

Re: Ovid, Metamorphoses I.679-684

By this new voice and art Juno's guardian was captivated.
"Whoever you are, you may sit with me on this rock,"
said Argus, "For there are not lusher grasses for flocks
in any place, and you see a shade suited for shepherds."
Atlas' grandson sat and detained the passing day with talk of many things,
with conversation and by playing on his joined
pipes he tried to overcome the vigilant eyes. 

A cartoon for Ovid's version of the tale of Io from his Metamorphoses. Io, having been raped by Jupiter, gets turned into a cow by him in hopes of hiding his infidelity from Juno. Not fooled, Juno slyly asks Jupiter for the cow--which it would be suspicious not to give--and thereupon puts her rival (paelex) under the watch of Argus, a one-hundred eyed monster. At length, Jupiter sends Mercury to free Io.

The translated quote above is from the point at which Mercury, disguised as a shepherd, comes up playing on his pipes. Argus invites him to rest with him in the shade. He seemed like a very decent chap, who would have offered Mercury cup of tea if the Greeks had had it. But he winds up beheaded by Mercury all the same. : \

Aerial Antics

Plato, Apology 19c, referencing Aristophanes, Clouds

Socrates as depicted by Aristophanes, being carried about in a basket and saying he is walking in the air. A doodle from last semester.