The Alamo and the "Masada Complex"

Prof. Lester L. Grabbe of the University of Hull has written a fascinating piece on cultural memory that juxtaposes the Alamo with Masada in Israel. In this article he takes a look at how two "last stands" were remembered and what sort of symbols they've become. I know this isn't directly related to apocalyptic literature, but it's not every day that biblical studies and San Antonio history come together (and hey, I'm sure someone saw Masada through apocalyptic eyes). Read "History and the Nature of Cultural Memory: The Alamo and the 'Masada Complex'".

Music one can get behind

Hieronymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights has always been one of my favorites. It sits nicely in the long tradition of final judgment scenes, but it's unlike anything else.

One of the great things about about it is the detail. Now, at long last, some has transcribed the musical score written on the butt of one of the sinners. Check out the story here, and do click on the link to hear the actual butt music.

Will there be a sequel?

This is too good not to share. Yes, it's the Onion. Yes, it's satire. But it's still insightful. Plus, it's funny.

http://www.theonion.com/article/reclusive-deity-hasnt-written-a-new-book-in-2000-y-36936

Revising the Date

A quick update. The leader of the group predicting the end of the world on October 7 has followed up with a revision.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/08/christian-group-doomsday-prediction-adjustment-ebible-fellowship

Tracking the end...again and again

Hello, Saints. I finally got around to creating a blog for our course. There are so many great, relevant new stories that come out on a regular basis, and TLearn gets a bit clunky. I'll use this site to share stories I come across as well as occasional thoughts. I'm trying to figure out to how subscribe you all to this site and to make you all authors, so you can post and comment at will.

More details coming soon. To get us going, here's a gem that I encountered this week:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/06/end-of-world-7-october-ebible-fellowship?CMP=share_btn_fb

We're past the date of the end of the world according to the group featured in the story, but it's still interesting.