A 23-year ongoing chronicle of profound spiritual evolution written by an ex-Orthodox Christian Deacon: The lifelong journey from strict religious dogma to ultimate gnosis and an esoteric awakening. I uncover the hidden truths of religious typology, the occult, hermeticism, kabbalah, spiritual alchemy, ancient myths, demonolatry, Lilithianism, Samaelism, and the Left Hand Path.
My problem is not with it limiting illegal immigration. I think that is great. What is not great is what it does to LEGAL Immigrants and LEGAL visitors to America. Currently, my wife does not have to carry her Passport & Visa with her everywhere, as she is technically a non-immigrant spouse. Once she has a green card and is an immigrant spouse, she will. So if we visit Arizona, she has to take her passport. I can live with that. But do these Arizona police, who are racially and accent profiling even know what the visa stamps and hand written information mean? I will guess that many do not.
But here is where it gets hard. When my wife applies for immigrant status and a green card, known as "Adjustment of Status" or AOS, she has to send her passport and visa in to the government where they may have it for many months. So if we live in Arizona, does that mean she has to be like a prisoner on house arrest? Yes. And that is where this very flawed law hurts legal immigrants, who we should be applauding and helping while stopping illegal immigration.
Obviously this law was written by politicians who know nothing about immigration law, which is why it is best to have such laws written by a federal immigration committee that does.
Today I am at an auto shop getting my car inspected, then I will go and get my car titled, registered, and plated for Texas. My Colorado registration and hence plates expired last month so it is time to get this done. Everyone says this will take all day, but I am hoping that it gets done quickly enough that I can take y wife to get her added on to my Bank of America bank accounts, which requires her presence due to her not yet being a permanent resident. If not, maybe we can do it before we go to the Renaissance Festival in Scarborough on Saturday!
This week YanFei has passed the halfway mark in he pregnancy and we finally have a full name for our unborn son. Daniel ZiJun Stanosheck (丹尼尔 子俊 丝丹欧械可) is our little boy's name! His given/first name, Daniel, means "God is my judge". His middle/Chinese name, ZiJun, means either "My son is handsome" or "Clever and handsome" so we just say it means "Clever and handsome son". And I have explained the meaning of my last/family name, Stanosheck, many times before on this blog. I will post ultrasound pictures soon!
My mother came to Texas for Easter and for the first ultrasound for my pregnant wife, YanFei. It was an opportunity for them to bond even closer, and to find out the sex of my second child.
So it appears we will be having a Daniel (a boy). The Chinese middle name is as of yet undecided, although I am pushing for Bei (备), in honor of the great Liu Bei, one of my wife's ancestors.
At Pascha services, my daughter sang her heart out, loudly and beautifully, which was very nice to see. She felt the entire congregation should be singing and they were not, so she would make up for all these non-singers.
And on Anti-Pascha, my wife will be baptized for the very first time. Hence my prior mentioning that Santa Fe is Spanish for Saint Faith.
Saints Faith, Hope and Charity (Latin: Fides, Spes et Caritas, Greek: Πίστις, Ἐλπὶς καὶ Ἀγάπη (Pistis, Elpis, and Agape), Church Slavonic: Вѣра, Надежда, Любы (Věra, Nadežda, Lyubov), Bulgarian: Вяра, Надежда и Любов (Vyara, Nadezhda and Lyubov), are a group of Christian martyred saints. Their mother is said to have been Sophia (Greek for Wisdom); Sapientia (Latin for Wisdom). The names are also the words designating the three key Christian virtues mentioned in Apostle Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13:13).
In the Eastern Orthodox Church the feast of these saints is kept on 17 September.
Although earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology commemorated Saints Faith, Hope and Charity on 1 August and their mother Sophia on 30 September,[1] the present text of this official but professedly incomplete catalogue of saints of the Roman Catholic Church has no feast dedicated to the three saints or their mother: the only Sophia included is an early Christian virgin martyr of Picenum in Italy, commemorated with her companion Vissia on 12 April; another early Christian martyr, Saint Faith (Fides), of Aquitania, France (Latin: Sancta Fides, French: Sainte Foy, Spanish: Santa Fe, Chinese: Shèng Fēi/圣飞), celebrated on 6 October, a Saint Hope (Spes), an abbot of Nursia who died in about 517, is commemorated on 23 May, and no saint Charity (Caritas) is included, although saints with somewhat similar names, Carissa and Carissima, are given, respectively under 16 April and 7 September.[2]
Accurate historical data about the saints is minimal. The cult is very ancient, and the names are found not only in the various early martyrologies of the Western Church, but also in the Menaia and Menologies of the Ancient Greeks. In the preserved documents, there are two groups of references. On the one hand, they mention a band of martyrs, mother and daughters, whose names are always given in Greek, and who are buried on the Aurelian Way. On the other hand, the documents speak of four martyrs, interred on the Via Appia, whose relationship is not indicated and whose names, though the same as those of the martyrs of the Aurelian Way, are yet always given in Latin. This can be interpreted as pointing to distinct groups.
Setting aside the clearly legendary accounts that have come down to us (see Migne, P.G. CXV, 497; Mombritius, Vitae Sanctorum, II, 204), the stories go as follows. In the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian (2nd century AD), a matron Sophia (Wisdom), with her three youthful daughters, Pistis, Elpis, and Agape (Greek for Faith, Hope and Charity), became Catholic martyrs, and all three were interred on the Aurelian Way. Their tomb in a crypt beneath the church afterwards erected to Saint Pancratius was long a place of resort for pilgrims, as detailed in various documents of the seventh century, such as an Itinerarium (or guide to the holy places of Rome compiled for the use of pilgrims) still preserved at Salzburg, the list, preserved in the cathedral archives of Monza, of the oils gathered from the tombs of the martyrs and sent to Queen Theodelinda in the time of Gregory the Great, etc.
Later surely than the reign of Hadrian, but at what time is uncertain, a presumably separate band of martyrs, Sapientia (Wisdom) and her three companions, Spes, Fides and Caritas (Latin for Hope, Faith and Charity), suffered death and were buried near the tomb of St Cecilia in the cemetery of St. Callistus on the Appian Way.
The coincidence in names can be explained by the fact that the early Christians often (according to Italian archaeologist Giovanni Battista De Rossi) took in baptism mystical names indicative of Christian virtues, etc. Thus Sophia, Sapientia, Fides and the like are common names in early Christian inscriptions and martyrologies.
Saint Sophia the Martyr (d. 137 AD) is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church on September 17. Born in Italy, Sophia had three daughters: Faith (age 12), Hope (age 10) and Love (age 9), who were named after virtues mentioned by Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 13.
They are said to have been martyred during the reign of Hadrian (117-138). The guards took Sophia's daughters one by one, from the eldest to the youngest and beat and tortured them to death. Sophia buried her daughters' bodies and remained by their graves for three days until she died herself.
In the year 777 their relics were interred at El'zasa, in the church of Esho.
There is a common misconception that the capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia, is named after Saint Sophia the Martyr, and so the city's holiday is on September 17. Sofia is in fact named after its ancient cathedral church of Saint Sophia, consecrated not to the early Christian martyr but to the Divine Wisdom of God (Aghia Sophia in Greek). There are several icons of St. Sophia the Martyr and her daughters in that church, though.
Troparion of St. Sophia and her 3 daughters (Tone 5):
Thou didst blossom in the courts of the Lord as a fruitful olive tree, O holy Martyr Sophia; in thy contest thou didst offer to Christ the sweet fruit of thy womb, Love, Hope and Faith. With them intercede for us all.
Tonight I received a personal email from Father Damascene, author of "Christ the Eternal TAO", which is more than a book for converting those from Eastern Religions to Orthodox Christianity, but great Catechesis or Faith-Invigorator for a cradle or long time Convert, needing a spiritual boost. Recently I read it thoroughly and it connected a lot of dots I needed connected recently. It is probably one of my favorite books of all time! The book would be great for catechizing Chinese who know of The Way/Tao, and how it can very easily lead them to realize who The Way/Tao truly is.
Anyway, if you know someone who is Chinese, the book can be found at http://LogosTao.CN. But for native-English speakers, you can buy the book here.
Here is the product description from AmaZon.com:
Not until now has the ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu been presented alongside the otherworldly revelation of Jesus Christ in a way that encompasses the full significance of both. Christ the Eternal Tao presents the Tao Teh Ching as a foreshadowing of what would be revealed by Christ, and Lao Tzu himself as a Far-Eastern prophet of Christ the incarnate God.
Through heretofore unpublished translations and teachings of Gi-ming Shien -- perhaps the greatest Chinese philosopher to have ever come to the West -- this book uncovers the esoteric core of the Tao Teh Ching. Then, through the transmission of mystics of the ancient Christian East, Lao Tzu's teaching is brought into a new dimension, exploding with new meanings. Christ, in turn, is seen in a unique light, His pure image shining in the clarity of Lao Tzu's intuitive vision.
With its practical, time-tested advice on how to unite oneself with the incarnate Tao and acquire uncreated Teh, this is both a philosophical source-book and a spiritual manual, touching the heart and leading one to profound inward transformation. It is a long-awaited Answer to those who, having turned away from modern Western "churchianity," are drawn to the freshness, directness and simplicity of Lao Tzu, and at the same time are strangely, inexplicably drawn back to the all-compelling reality of Jesus Christ.
The book is adorned with Chinese calligraphy and seals (created especially for it by well-known Chinese artists), and with traditional Chinese paintings of the life of Christ.
Daniel (Hebrew: דָּנִיֵּאל, Tiberian Dāniyyêl ; Irish or Gaelic Language Dainéal or Domhnall; Syriac: ܕܢܝܐܝܠ, Daniyel; Arabic: دانيال,Persian: دانيال, Dâniyal or Danial, also Dani, داني ; Danyal; Greek: Δανιήλ, Dhanil; Russian: Даниил, Daniil; Chinese: 丹尼尔, Dānníěr) is the central protagonist of the Book of Daniel. The name "Daniel" means "God is my judge": Dan means "judgment" or "he judged", "i" is the hiriq compaginis meaning "of" (not to be confused with the modern Hebrew first person possessive suffix -i), and "El" means God.
According to the Biblical book of Daniel, at a young age Daniel was carried off to Babylon where he was trained in the service of the court under the authority of Ashpenaz. It is also written that Daniel became famous for interpreting dreams and rose to become one of the most important figures in the court and lived well into the reign of the Persian conquerors.
Christianity regards Daniel as a saint and as prophet. Judaism considers the Book of Daniel a part of its canon (Jewish Law), but does not regard Daniel as a prophet. Islam also regards Daniel as a prophet, though he is not mentioned explicitly in the Qur'an.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (BC 606), Daniel and three other youths named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the Jewish young nobility carried off to Babylon, along with some of the vessels of the first temple. Daniel and his three Jewish companions were subsequently evaluated and chosen for their intellect and beauty, to be trained as Chaldeans, who constituted the ranks of the advisors to the Babylonian court. (Daniel 1)
There Daniel was obliged to enter into the service of the king of Babylon, and in accordance with the custom of the age, received the Chaldean name of Belteshazzar, i.e., prince of Bel, or Bel protect the king (not to be confused with the neo-Babylonian king, Belshazzar). His residence in Babylon was very probably in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, now identified with a mass of mounds called the Kasr, on the right bank of the river. However, Daniel and his three companions remained fiercely loyal to their Jewish religious and cultural identity, an identity which would sooner or later come into conflict with the paganism of the Babylonian court.
Daniel's training (Daniel 1:4) was to fit him for service to the empire. Daniel became distinguished during this period for his piety, and for his strict observance of the Torah (Daniel 1:8-16), and gained the confidence and esteem of those who were over him.
At the close of his three years of discipline and training in the royal schools, Daniel was distinguished for his knowledge and proficiency in the pagan practices of his day, and was brought out into public life. He soon became known for his skill in the interpretation of dreams (Daniel 1:17; Daniel 2:14). Daniel made known and interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream; as well as a later dream preceding the king's descent into animal behaviour, and many years afterwards, when he was now an old man, amid the alarm and consternation of the terrible night of Belshazzar's impious feast (in which Belshazzar and his concubines drank wine out of the royal Jewish ceremonial goblets of the Temple), Daniel was called in at the suggestion of the queen-mother to interpret the mysterious handwriting on the wall. For successfully reading the cryptic handwriting by an angel of God, Daniel was rewarded by the Babylonians with a purple robe and elevation to the rank of "third ruler" of the kingdom. It is believed that the place of "second ruler" was held by Belshazzar as associated with his father, Nabonidus, on the throne (Daniel 5:16), though no where in the book of Daniel is Nabonidus mentioned by name and according to the book of Daniel Nebuchadnezzar was the father of Belshazzar. Daniel interpreted the handwriting, and "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain" by his own sons, who later fled.
After the Persian conquest of Babylon, Daniel held the office of the first of the "three presidents" of the empire under the reign of the obscure figure of Darius the Mede, and was thus practically at the head of state affairs, with the ability to influence the prospects of the captive Jews (Daniel 9), whom he had at last the happiness of seeing restored to their own land; although he did not return with them, but remained still in Babylon.
Daniel's fidelity to God exposed him to persecution by jealous rivals within the king's administration. The fact that he had just interpreted the emperors' dream had resulted in his promotion and that of his companions. Being favored by the King, Cyrus the Great, he was untouchable. His companions were vulnerable to the accusation that had them thrown into the furnace for refusing to worship the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar as a god; but they were miraculously saved, and Daniel would years later be cast into a den of lions (for continuing to practice his faith in YHWH), but was miraculously delivered; after which Cyrus issued a decree enjoining reverence for "the God of Daniel" (Daniel 6:26). He "prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Great," whom he probably greatly influenced in the matter of the decree which put an end to the Jewish Captivity (BC 536).
Daniel's ministry as a prophet began late in life. Whereas his early exploits were a matter of common knowledge within his community, these same events, with his pious reputation, serve as the basis for his prophetic ministry. The recognition for his prophetic message is that of other prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel whose backgrounds are the basis for their revelations.
The time and circumstances of Daniel's death have not been recorded. However, tradition maintains that Daniel was still alive in the third year of Cyrus according to the Tanakh (Daniel 10:1). He would have been almost 100 years old at that point, having been brought to Babylon when he was in his teens, more than 80 years previously. Many posit that he possibly died at Susa in Iran. Tradition holds that his tomb is located in Susa at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal. Other locations have been claimed as the site of his burial, including Daniel's Tomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, as well as Babylon, Egypt, Tarsus and, notably, Samarkand, which claims a tomb of Daniel in the Ruins of Afrasiab, with some traditions suggesting that his remains were removed, perhaps by Tamerlane, from Susa to Samarkand (see, for instance, The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, section 153).
In the Deuterocanonical portion of Daniel known as Bel and the Dragon, the prophet Habakkuk is miraculously transported by an angel to take a meal to Daniel while he is in the lions' den. In response, Daniel prays, "Thou hast remembered me, O God; neither hast thou forsaken them that seek Thee and love Thee".[1]
Legend holds that many sites throughout the Ancient Near East are the place of his burial. There are six different locations all claiming to be the site of the tomb of the biblical figure Daniel: Babylon, Kirkuk and Muqdadiyah in Iraq, Susa and Malamir in Iran, and Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, the feast days celebrating St. Daniel the Prophet together with the Three Young Men, falls on December 17 (during the Nativity Fast), on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers[2] (the Sunday which falls between 11 and 17 December), and on the Sunday before Nativity[3]. Daniel's prophesy regarding the stone which smashed the idol (Daniel 2:34-35) is often used in Orthodox hymns as a metaphor for the Incarnation: the "stone cut out" being symbolic of the Logos (Christ), and the fact that it was cut "without hands" being symbolic of the virgin birth. Thus the hymns will refer to the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) as the "uncut mountain".
In the West, the Roman Catholic Church commemorates Daniel on July 21.[4]
He is commemorated as a prophet in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod together with the Three Young Men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), on December 17.[5]
He is commemorated as a prophet in the Coptic Church on the 23rd day of the Coptic month of Baramhat.[6]
James B. Jordan (1995). "Daniel: Historical & Chronological Comments II" (Scholar search). Biblical Chronology 7:1.
Sergei Bulgakov, Manual for Church Servers, 2nd ed. (Kharkov, 1900) pp. 453-5. December 11-17: Sunday of the Holy Forefathers Translation: Archpriest Eugene D. Tarris
Bulgakov, op. cit., pp. 461-2 December 18-24: Sunday before the Nativity of Christ of the Holy Fathers
Francis E. Gigot (1889). "Daniel". Catholic Encyclopedia on CD-ROM. New Advent.
Margaret is derived from the Greek word margarites (wikt:μαργαρίτης) or "beautiful pearl." Alternately, it might be of Persian origin, derived from the Persian language marvârid (مروارید), "a beautiful pearl" or "daughter of light". Marg from Marq or Marka meaning "chicken" (مرغ), probably because pearls looked like small bird eggs.
Margaret the Virgin, also known as Margaret of Antioch (in Pisidia), virgin and martyr, is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20; and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. She was reputed to have promised very powerful indulgences to those who wrote or read her life, or invoked her intercessions; these no doubt helped the spread of her cultus.[1]
Left is "Saint Margaret and the Dragon", alabaster with traces of gilding, Toulouse, ca 1475 (Metropolitan Museum of Art).
According to the Golden Legend, she was a native of Antioch, daughter of a pagan priest named Aedesius. She was scorned by her father for her Christian faith, and lived in the country with a foster-mother keeping sheep. Olybrius, the praeses orientis (Governor of the Roman Diocese of the East), offered her marriage at the price of her renunciation of Christianity. Upon her refusal, she was cruelly tortured, during which various miraculous incidents occurred. One of these involved being swallowed by Satan in the shape of a dragon, from which she escaped alive when the cross she carried irritated the dragon's innards. The Golden Legend, in an atypical moment of scepticism, describes this last incident as "apocryphal and not to be taken seriously" (trans. Ryan, 1.369). She was put to death in A.D. 304.
The Eastern Orthodox Church knows Margaret as Saint Marina, and celebrates her feast day on July 17. She has been identified with Saint Pelagia – "Marina" being the Latin equivalent of the Greek name "Pelagia" – who, according to a legend, was also called Margarita. We possess no historical documents on St Margaret as distinct from St Pelagia. The Greek Marina came from Antioch, Pisidia (as opposed to Antioch of Syria), but this distinction was lost in the West.
The cultus of Saint Margaret became very widespread in England, where more than 250 churches are dedicated to her, most famously, St. Margaret's, Westminster, the parish church[2] of the British Houses of Parliament in London. Some consider her a patron saint of pregnancy. In art, she is usually pictured escaping from, or standing above, a dragon.
She is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, being listed as such in the Roman Martyrology for July 20.[3] She was also included from the twelfth to the twentieth century among the saints to be commemorated wherever the Roman Rite was celebrated.[4][5] Margaret is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and is supposedly one of the saints who spoke to Joan of Arc.
"Margaret of Antioch" The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. David Hugh Farmer. Oxford University Press 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed 16 June 2007
These are some good additions to the New Testament above, as it ties the Old Testament in to the New even more, although these books are heavy reading. Likely one cannot read more than a chapter at a time of these. I own all of these and love them all very much, although occasionally the publisher is polemical in their writings, but this can be chosen to be ignored for the greater enjoyment and education of the reader:
Though I have also occasionally heard some somewhat good things about this cheaper, annotated Bible too. However, I do not own it and cannot tell you anything about it from a first hand experience:
Here are the individual books on each of the Gospels that is over 1100 years old, translated in to every day English. I highly recommend that you buy the hardcover versions, as they will stand up to a lot of usage, and in most cases cost the same as the paperback versions!
(King James Version & Chinese Union Version-Simplified Characters)
1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 1 基督既在肉身受苦，你们也当将这样的心志作为兵器，因为在肉身受过苦的，就已经与罪断绝了。
2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 2 你们存这样的心，从今以後就可以不从人的情欲，只从神的旨意在世度余下的光阴。
3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 3 因为往日随从外邦人的心意行邪淫、恶欲、醉酒、荒宴、群饮，并可恶拜偶像的事，时候已经够了。
4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 4 他们在这些事上，见你们不与他们同奔那放荡无度的路，就以为怪，毁谤你们。
5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 5 他们必在那将要审判活人死人的主面前交账。
6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 6 为此，就是死人也曾有福音传给他们，要叫他们的肉体按著人受审判，他们的灵性却靠神活著。
7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 7 万物的结局近了。所以，你们要谨慎自守，警醒祷告。
8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 8 最要紧的是彼此切实相爱，因为爱能遮掩许多的罪。
9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 9 你们要互相款待，不发怨言。
10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 10 各人要照所得的恩赐彼此服事，作神百般恩赐的好管家。
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 11 若有讲道的，要按著神的圣言讲；若有服事人的，要按著神所赐的力量服事，叫神在凡事上因耶稣基督得荣耀。原来荣耀、权能都是他的，直到永永远远。阿们！
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 12 亲爱的弟兄啊，有火炼的试验临到你们，不要以为奇怪（似乎是遭遇非常的事）
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 13 倒要欢喜；因为你们是与基督一同受苦，使你们在他荣耀显现的时候，也可以欢喜快乐。
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 14 你们若为基督的名受辱骂，便是有福的；因为神荣耀的灵常住在你们身上。
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 15 你们中间却不可有人因为杀人、偷窃、作恶、好管闲事而受苦。
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 16 若为作基督徒受苦，却不要羞耻，倒要因这名归荣耀给神。
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 17 因为时候到了，审判要从神的家起首。若是先从我们起首，那不信从神福音的人将有何等的结局呢？
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 18 若是义人仅仅得救，那不虔敬和犯罪的人将有何地可站呢？
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 19 所以那照神旨意受苦的人要一心为善，将自己灵魂交与那信实的造化之主。
(International Standard Version & Chinese Union Version-Simplified Characters)
1 If I speak in the tongues of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal. 1 我若能说万人的方言，并天使的话语，却没有爱，我就成了鸣的锣，响的钹一般。
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing. 2 我若有先知讲道之能，也明白各样的奥秘，各样的知识，而且有全备的信，叫我能够移山，却没有爱，我就算不得什麽。
3 Even if I give away all that I have and surrender my body so that I may boast but have no love, I get nothing out of it. 3 我若将所有的 济穷人，又舍己身叫人焚烧，却没有爱，仍然与我无益。
4 Love is always patient, Love is always kind, Love is never envious Or vaunted up with pride. Nor is she conceited, 4 爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈；爱是不嫉妒；爱是不自夸，不张狂，
5 And never is she rude, Never does she think of self Or ever get annoyed. She never is resentful, 5 不做害羞的事，不求自己的益处，不轻易发怒，不计算人的恶，
6 Is never glad with sin, But always glad to side with truth, Whene'er the truth should win. 6 不喜欢不义，只喜欢真理；
7 She bears up under everything, Believes the best in all, There is no limit to her hope, And never will she fall. 7 凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。
8 Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 8 爱是永不止息。先知讲道之能终必归於无有；说方言之能终必停止；知识也终必归於无有。
9 For what we know is incomplete and what we prophesy is incomplete. 9 我们现在所知道的有限，先知所讲的也有限，
10 But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will be done away with. 10 等那完全的来到，这有限的必归於无有了。
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. 11 我作孩子的时候，话语像孩子，心思像孩子，意念像孩子，既成了人，就把孩子的事丢弃了。
12 Now we see only a blurred reflection in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now what I know is incomplete, but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 12 我们如今彷佛对著镜子观看，模糊不清（原文作如同猜谜）；到那时就要面对面了。我如今所知道的有限，到那时就全知道，如同主知道我一样。
13 Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 13 如今常存的有信，有望，有爱这三样，其中最大的是爱。
So last night we went to see the show since we were comped 3 tickets. The costumes, the interactive backdrop, and much of the dancing was beautiful, so overall I liked it.
My wife did not. She said classical Chinese dance shows in China were much much better, especially in Changsha. My daughter quasi-agreed, saying that this is probably the best you can get in America, but that the Miao people's show in old Feng Huang Chen in Hunan Province, China was much better. She was disappointed that the M.C. said that you could not see a show like this in China. But, the M.C. was right, because this show was promoting Falun Gong/Falun Dafa.
Although it is definitely talking about the teachings of Falun Dafa about half of the performances, the other half is historical dances and stories. Some sites have complained about this evangelism, and anti-PRC polemics such as the liberal, secular Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the anti-Falun Gong site, Facts.org.cn. That said, was surprised that after the show there was no handing out of leaflets about Falun Gong, free copies of the Epoch Times, or any other thing. It was more like they were telling us about their faith and not trying to recruit us.
With the program guides, there was a comment sheet to fill out. I voted the performance a Very good, my daughter called it good, and my wife called it poor. There were a lot of Chinese people there, not just Falun Gng memas well as Americans of all types of backgrounds. Most people dressed up nice, as if going to a ballet or theatrical performance. New Tang Dynasty Television in Dallas was there doing interviews with performers and people who loved the show.
Anyway, if you have never been to China, I think you will like this show, so if you are interested, you can see when they will near your city at the Shen Yun Performing Arts Website and see a preview at the Sound of Hope Network.
The Han Dynasty (simplified Chinese: 汉朝; traditional Chinese: 漢朝; pinyin: Hàn Cháo; Wade-Giles: Han Ch'ao; IPA: [xan tʂʰɑʊ̯]; 206 BCE–220 CE) was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE) and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms (220–265 CE). It was founded by the peasant rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty (9–23 CE) of the former regent Wang Mang. This interregnum separates the Han into two periods: the Western Han (206 BCE–9 CE) and Eastern Han (25–220 CE). Spanning over four centuries, the period of the Han Dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history. When Cao Pi, King of Wei, son of Cao Cao, usurped the throne from Emperor Xian, the Han Dynasty ceased to exist.
Shu Han (traditional Chinese: 蜀漢; simplified Chinese: 蜀汉; pinyin: Shǔ Hàn), sometimes known as the Kingdom of Shu (蜀 shǔ) was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty, based on areas around Sichuan which was then known as Shu. Some historians argue it was the last Han dynasty because Liu Bei was directly related to the Han sovereignty. The other two states were Cao Wei in central and northern China, and Eastern Wu in southern and southeastern China.
The Han Dynasty was an age of economic prosperity, and saw a significant growth of the money economy first established during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1050–256 BCE). The coinage issued by the central government mint in 119 BCE remained the standard coinage of China until the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). To pay for its military campaigns and the settlement of newly conquered frontier territories, the government nationalized the private salt and iron industries in 117 BCE. These government monopolies were repealed during the Eastern Han period, and the lost revenue was recouped through heavily taxing private entrepreneurs. The emperor was at the pinnacle of Han society. He presided over the Han government, but shared power with both the nobility and appointed ministers who came largely from the scholarly gentry class. From the reign of Emperor Wu onward, the Chinese court officially sponsored Confucianism in education and court politics, synthesized with the cosmology of later scholars such as Dong Zhongshu. This policy endured until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 CE. Science and technology during the Han period saw significant advances, including papermaking, the nautical steering rudder, the use of negative numbers in mathematics, the raised-relief map, the hydraulic-powered armillary sphere for astronomy, and a seismometer employing an inverted pendulum.
The Kingdom of Shu-Han was not simply a nation of war. During times of peace, Shu began many irrigation and road-building projects designed to improve the economy. Many of these public works still exist and are widely used. For example, the Nine-Mile Dam (Zipungpu Water Control Project) is still present near Chengdu in Sichuan province. These works helped improve the economy of Southwest China and can be credited with beginning the history of economic activity in the Sichuan area. It also allowed trade with Southern China, ruled by Eastern Wu.
Here are the Han leaders from Liu Bang to the son of Liu Bei:
Some blog posts and articles on this site may contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my links at no extra cost to you, and your support helps me continue creating content.
.
.
, on the right bank of the river. However, Daniel and his three companions remained fiercely loyal to their Jewish religious and cultural identity, an identity which would sooner or later come into conflict with the paganism of the Babylonian court.
(Daniel 10:1). He would have been almost 100 years old at that point, having been brought to Babylon when he was in his teens, more than 80 years previously. Many posit that he possibly died at Susa in Iran. Tradition holds that his tomb is located in Susa at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal. Other locations have been claimed as the site of his burial, including Daniel's Tomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, as well as Babylon, Egypt, Tarsus and, notably, Samarkand, which claims a tomb of Daniel in the Ruins of Afrasiab, with some traditions suggesting that his remains were removed, perhaps by Tamerlane, from Susa to Samarkand (see, for instance, 
, section 153).
, the prophet Habakkuk is miraculously transported by an angel to take a meal to Daniel while he is in the lions' den. In response, Daniel prays, "Thou hast remembered me, O God; neither hast thou forsaken them that seek Thee and love Thee".
. New Advent.
. Taanathshiloh.
. Oxford and London: James Parker and Co.. pp. 11.
, in an atypical moment of scepticism, describes this last incident as "apocryphal and not to be taken seriously" (trans. Ryan, 1.369). She was put to death in A.D. 304.
, and is supposedly one of the saints who spoke to Joan of Arc.
. David Hugh Farmer. Oxford University Press 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed 16 June 2007
, July, v. 24—45
(London, 1899), i. 131—133 and iii. 19.
