The Colors Of Jesus

First off, what we think is academic, because we aren’t believers of the Jesus narrative.

But, be that as it may, the argument of Jesus and color continues with those who do believe the story.

There are those who think the European Christ statues should come down because he is too light skinned.

As far as we know, there isn’t a description of Jesus that can be found from a time before about the second century. 

As you can see in the above photo, ancient graffiti isn’t any help either. 

The text reads: “Alexamenos worshiping God.”

Then here we have this image, possibly the oldest surviving attempt to represent him, Jesus is clearly being depicted as a Roman of Italian or Greek extraction. 

But how did they decide on this image?

Remember that Jesus had previously been depicted as an abstract symbol or arcane combination of letters.

Many churches and cultures do portray Jesus as a brown or black man. 

Orthodox Christians usually have a  different version to that of European art.

A church in Africa, you’ll probably see African Jesus displayed.

But in most, if not all Christian churches Jesus is a white guy.

If people are made in Gods image and if God is always default white, it’s rather difficult to unravel who’s who.

Maybe Jesus was Asian...some people think so.

Then below we have, it’s either the Asian Moses or Asian Jesus/Moses receiving tablets of some kind.

Not sure about who’s doing what here.

So what was Jesus suppose to look like? 

The Bible offers few clues as to his physical appearance, but we are told he was a Jew living in Judea during the first century. (he also lived in Japan, but that’s another post)

Jewish studies professor Deborah Forger thinks that he most likely had olive skin, brown hair and brown eyes.

Then there’s the discussion that Jesus could have been black.

But when white Christians hear this they often say, "He may not have been white, but he definitely wasn't black!"

We are told the Bible says that black people lived among the Israelite population, so why not?

As people are looking for Jesus, his color, his ethnicity, his true identity, isn’t it odd that the most well known individual to ever walk the earth, isn’t well known at all.

Author David Fitzgerald writes:

“The further we go back in Christian history, the more diverse it appears, and the less likely it began with a single founder. Instead there are abundant indications that its origins are tied to the pagan mystery faiths.”

Fitzgerald points out that Philo of Alexandria (c.20 BCE - c. 50) A writer, political commentator and well known Jewish statesman, perhaps the greatest Jewish philosopher of the Greco- Roman world knew nothing of Jesus.

Philo was one of the best known writers in the ancient world, with commentaries on politics and current events.

He had great interest in religion and he wrote about it.

But he says absolutely nothing about Jesus, or about Christianity.

Philo would have been there at the time and place of Jesus. 

He lived before, during and after the time of Christ, and he knew all about Jerusalem.

So when Jesus starts teaching and has his procession into the Holy City, driving the moneychangers from the temple, the big trial and  crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven, the two big  earthquakes, the darkness, and all those dead coming out of their graves on their way to Jerusalem – Philo would have seen all of that, he was there.

But apparently Philo wasn’t impressed with any of the Jesus events.

He never mentions any of these exciting things.

And as David Fitzgerald points out, “this absence is particularly strange considering what a huge influence Philo had on Christian theology. The early Christians were Philo’s biggest fans.”

Our point is this, people can argue all day long what color their deity is, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if believers just had more tolerance for differing beliefs?

Additionally, wouldn’t it be even more important to know if their deity actually exists?

The Burning Times

The Burning Times is a Canadian documentary about the witchcraft trials & persecutions that swept through Europe in the 15th-17th centuries. 

This was a period when those accused of being heretics or witches were tortured & executed, often by fire.

The tragedy of the Burning Times was that women and even some men who were considered allies and healers to their communities were betrayed and turned into the Church for being Satan's soldiers. 

The Church preached that anyone with supernatural abilities, in many cases (particularly midwives) with the knowledge to heal, was working for and with the devil and acquired these superhuman abilities by making a deal with him. 

The documentary is about an hour long and you can watch it:

Watch Here

A lot of people are asking about the opening music, it is haunting and beautiful, isn’t it?

It’s called “Tango to Evora” by Lorena McKennitt.

Sun Medallion Pasta with Walnut and Dandelion To Honor The Solstice Sun

For ancient cultures all over the world, the energy of the Summer Solstice was celebrated through ceremonies honoring the sun on the longest day of the year. 

Some communities in Europe would gather together and feast, then light a wheel on fire and roll it down a hill to represent the waning pattern of the sun over the coming months. 

And what would a celebration be without some delicious foods? 

Common in many cultures are round cakes or breads with a cross cut into the top baked in honor of the sun. These “sun breads” in Nordic countries were baked with honey and were believed to bring fertility and abundance to the fields and the people. 

Some old recipes even called for the addition of midsummer dew to impart magical healing powers to the bread. 

So, let’s honor the sun in a similar way, pulling on another ancient culinary tradition: that of beautiful stamped pastas called “corzetti” from Italy’s northwestern region of Liguria. 

These medallions are both beautiful and delicious. 

The dough is flavored with white wine and sometimes perfumed with herbs, which release a beautiful fragrance as the pasta cooks. 

What a perfect jumping-off point for a hearty midsummer meal!

While corzetti are usually prepared with special wooden molds designed just for making them, it’s pretty easy to create beautiful designs using tools you have around your kitchen - pastry cutters, pastry tips, chopsticks, and even dried pasta shapes used as a stamp. 

This way you can make plenty of varied designs and interpretations of sun wheels, and even let younger family members design their own works of art. 

Walnut Pesto: 

1/3 c. raw walnuts

1 garlic clove 

2 c. wild greens and herbs - basil and dandelion leaves are wonderful, as well as sage

1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

sea salt to taste

1. Toast walnuts in a hot cast iron pan until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool. (Be sure to make a few extra for plating your pasta!)
2. Meanwhile, grate the garlic clove into a small dish and top with the lemon juice to sit for a couple of minutes. 
3. While the walnuts are cooling,  add the herbs to a blender or food processor and blend until the leaves have broken up. Then, add the lemon juice and olive oil and blend until it becomes a paste.
4. Add the  parmesan, toasted walnuts, and sea salt to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture is blended and the nuts are broken into the size of small breadcrumbs. Refrigerate pesto until ready for use. 

Corzetti Pasta: 

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3 egg yolks

1/3 c. white wine

1 Tbs. oil

1 pinch salt

1/4 c. dandelion petals

1. In a high speed blender, combine the dandelion petals, white wine, and oil and blend until very smooth. 
2. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, then make a well in the center and add the rest of the ingredients. Whisk the mixture, gradually incorporating the flour into it. You should have a nice stiff dough. If the dough is crumbly, add a bit more wine to bring it together. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. 
3. Using a pasta roller or a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1 mm thick. 
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and unroll a little at the time to keep the rest of it moist while you work. Emboss designs into it with various kitchen tools and utensils, then cut them out with a round pastry cutter. Place finished medallions on a clean kitchen towel - it’s okay if they dry out a bit while you finish the rest. 
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the corzetti in the boiling water until al dente (about 4 minutes.) Drain and toss with a bit of olive oil.

To serve: 

1/4 c. fresh whole walnuts, toasted

1 avocado, sliced into thin slices

Pesto

Cooked corzetti, hot

fresh greens and/or dandelion petals, if desired

lemon slices

1. Place a small scoop of pesto into a shallow bowl. Top with the pasta medallions, toasted walnuts, and avocado slices. Garnish with fresh greens and dandelion petals and serve with a bit of lemon on the side.

Our Cats

 4 of our 9 cats found something very interesting outside.