Blog Post #1: Bible Archaeology

Amanda Orchard Block 5
September 18, 2017

Blog Post #1: Bible Archaeology 

Questions:

1. What are some new things that you learned about Jesus from your own group presentation? Be specific.

One new thing that I learned about Jesus from my own group presentation was that Jesus was believed to have a "Shroud". On this shroud, there was an image of a man with crucifixion wounds. It was also believed that it appeared at the moment of Christ's resurrection. The "Shroud" was also believed to have blood on it that belonged to Jesus himself. I had no idea that any of this existed until I did a presentation on it. I had never read the bible before coming to this school, so I didn't have the slightest clue about Jesus' "Shroud".

2. What are some new things that you learned about Jesus from your classmates’ group presentations? Be specific.

Mostly all of this was new information to me because 1) I am not Catholic 2) I only go to church on Christmas and Easter and 3) did not attend a Catholic middle school. The only thing that I was familiar with was the three kings and the star. In Lutherism, I am Lutheran, on Christmas eve my family attends church every year. At church, they do a play and three teenagers play the three kings. The first king holds up a pole with a star on top; they walk towards the stage where baby Jesus is. But learned many new things from these presentations. Such as Herod killing all boys under the age of 2, Wine at Cana and the Loaves of the Fishes, the Sermon on the Mount, Pontius Pilate, Joseph of Arimathea, and the Site of Cavalry. Everything that was taught, except the three kings and the star, were new to me.

3. Which topic related to Jesus’ life did you find to be most fascinating and why?

The Reign of Herod and the Slaughter of the innocents was the topic that I found most fascinating. I found this particular topic fascinating because I just couldn't believe my ears when I heard it. I mean "Herod ordered the massacre of all boys in Bethlehem under 2 years of age", That seems a bit extreme. Just to save your title as "King of the Jews" you kill all boys in Bethlehem under the age of 2. However, I did not find it surprising that history and the Church had the same views on him. They believed that he was Cruel and Violent, and I don't blame them. Just imagine taking away a mother's son just because you would like to. What do you tell the parents, "I am killing your son because I want to be the King of the Jews. That just was fascinating and troubling to me.

4. After reflecting on Jesus’ characteristics in the last unit and the events related to his life in this unit, who are two people in your life who display similar qualities as Jesus and why?

Two people that show similar qualities are my Aunt Sharon and my Uncle Tommy. My Aunt is the kindest person on Earth. When I was little, we used to enter into the San Mateo Fair cooking competition together. And most years we won. She didn't have to do anything that I wanted to do, but she did out of the kindness of her heart. My Uncle is also my orthodontist and every time I see him at an appointment he is very caring, graceful and wants to make sure that my braces are not hurting anywhere. Even though these people don't show ALL the qualities of Jesus, they have some that are similar to him.

Works Cited:

1. Daily, Parker et al. “The Reign of Herod and the Slaughter of the Innocents.” The massacre of the Infants & History vs Church, Religion Class Block 5, 14 September 2017, Notre Dame High School Belmont. 
2. Lizleafloor. “The Shroud of Turin: Controversial Cloth Defies Explanation as Study Shows It Has DNA From Around the World.” Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, www.ancient- origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/shroud-turin-controversial-cloth-defies-explanation-study-shows-it-has-dna-020577.