W W W . B I B L I O N . P T
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e d i t i o n a christian book magazine | #12
Chesterton Maxwell Shakarian The bible miniseries reviewing the iconic tv show
Savonarola's dream A friar's vision of Florence as the new apostolic see
Supper The Last
the curtain call to three years of magazine publications
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W E L COME
EDITORIAL The Best Things in Life Are Free COV ER :
L AS T S U P P ER D ESIGN : DA N I E L G O M ES COV ER IMAGE : WIKIMEDIA CO M M O N S
Revista de Livros, Livros em Revista
iSSUE XII April / May / June 2019 COLlaborating in this issue: Daniel Gomes (Assistant Editor), Vitor Marini (Author Portraits), Samuel Ascenção (Production Support)
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MISSION/PURPOSE: To promote and encourage reading habits of Christian themes, fostering the necessary conditions to allow everyone to access these works. Learn more about our drive and our principles at www.biblion.pt. CONTENTS: The content of the articles hereby presented is subject to their authors’ opinions. CONTENT USAGE: Given that the main goal is the promotion of works and authors, content sharing is allowed for non-commercial ends only, and requires the source of this content to be mentioned. PRICING & AVAILABILITY: Prices mentioned include IVA. Products are subject to stock availability at the time of the order.
Due to personal research, I am currently in the process of reading a good dozen books, most of them on the same subject, contrasting this scientific-literary "round-up" with an interesting reading about the Marriott family, known worldwide by their global hotel chain. John Willard Marriott guided his life, both private and publicly, by the inalienable values of integrity, ethics and faith. He started his business with a small street market selling fresh beer, in the midst of the Depression, in the late 1920s, evolving into catering and hotel management. J.W., as he was known, died in 1985, receiving funeral eulogies from prominent individualities of American society, politics and the ecclesiastical milieu, including an intervention by Billy Graham. As one can read in his son's biography, Bill Marriot, coming out in September, President Reagan himself referred to him as "the living example of the American Dream," and "one who never lost the value of honesty, decency and hard work…” One of his last sentences reveals well the way he truly felt about material goods. "The best things in life are free," alluding to the Moon, which belongs to everyone, and to the Moonlight, whose brilliance belongs to all. Nature is free, enjoy it.
PAU L O S É R G I O G O M E S
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Original Article
Savonarola's dream Meet the Dominican friar who challenged everything and everyone to make Florence the spiritual capital of the Christian world.
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leadership
Maxwell & Shakarian Two leaders. Two servants. Two books. Biblion reflects on the work of John C. Maxwell and Demos Shakarian.
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Patreon Post
The great library of alexandria A study and a tribute to the gargantuan hub of learning and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
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biography
networking kills The dark side of networking and overwhelming reliance on business connections.
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Television
The Bible Series Biblion's review of the TV series that brought biblical stories back to mainstream audiences.
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the team
Paulo SĂŠrgio Gomes editor - in - chief
Paulo SÊrgio has developed his career within tourism business, where he achieved personal fullfilment and recognition. Along the way, he has devoted his skills and resources to a few philantropic projects, ranging from financial education, grassroots soccer and overseeing an in-church bookshop. Currently, he manages the project of a lifetime – a little magazine called Biblion, striving to keep reading habits and book publishing alive in his home country.
Daniel T. Gomes assistant editor
/
copywriter
The younger half of Biblion's "father & son" duo, Daniel T. Gomes is a graphic designer and content creator from Lisbon, Portugal. He is responsible for much of the magazine's design, although his role also extends into proofreading and translating written content.
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our identity
GET TO K
Who We Are - Biblion is a free, quarterly digital magazine that promotes healthy literature and reading habits. - Created in 2016, Biblion was first undertaken by Portuguese publisher Unique Creations, and now enjoys the support of both resident and guest collaborators. - Currently, the magazine is on its twelfth issue, with Digital (Issuu) and Interactive (Joomag) versions available in Portuguese (EU) and English (US)
What We Do - Reviews concerning books deemed beneficial for the reader’s intellectual and/or spiritual edification; - Interviews of authors, pastors and personalities involved with the development and spreading of Christian literature; - Articles relative to ethical and religious subjects; - In-house content production; - Dissemination of both Christian and general literature; - Endorsement of reading habits for all ages.
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our identity
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Our Mission - Promoting Christian literature and its production in European Portuguese; - Stimulate the publication of works from Portuguese authors; - Encourage the practice of “fair pricing” and make literature available to everyone’s financial conditions; - Promote wholesome reading habits; - Host the healthy dialogue among different perspectives.
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original article
Savonarola's Dream by daniel t. gomes the story of girolamo savonarola and his vision of a holy florence
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B I B L I O N - A C H R I S T I A N B OO K M AG A Z I N E
The Renaissance era saw a paradoxical combination of technological and cultural development with religious zeal and persecution. As universities and workshops produced ever more innovative people, the Catholic Church cracked her scourge deeper and deeper into any teachings or groups that could undermine her authority. While the age is ripe with instances of this contradicting state of affairs, one stands out from all the rest - one episode, short and yet incredibly marvelous, characterized by a clergyman who defied both his earthly and spiritual superiors. This is the story of Girolamo Savonarola and his dream of a holy Florence. Friar, fanatic, despot, martyr, heretic - many are the titles that throughout history have accompanied the name of Girolamo Savonarola, a figure that still baffles many historians both secular and religious to this very day. A Dominican monk sent to Florence in 1481, Savonarola gradually became the most influential preacher in the city, enthralling his listeners with vociferous disapproval of Florence’s immorality and political corruption.
As his influence grew, so did the boldness of his claims: he attributed a prophetic element to them, seeing himself as divinely appointed to reshape Florence into a “New Jerusalem,� and deemed enemies of Florence and of the Church any who would oppose him. At a time when the Medici family ruled supreme in Florence, Savonarola attacked the reigning oligarchy constantly, playing a key role in the banishment of di Medici from the city two years after the death of their patriarch, Lorenzo the Magnificent, in 1494. Now with a clear path, Savonarola was instrumental in establishing a theocratic republic in Florence, attributing the ultimate seat of power to God. In his vision of a Florence that would replace Rome as the heart of Christendom, the friar had sided with Charles VIII against the rest of Italy when the King of France invaded the Papal States. This inevitably put Savonarola at odds with Pope Alexander VI, who demanded that the friar should travel to Rome and answer for his actions. Savonarola, considering himself untouchable by his divine appointment and by his
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hold over the people of Florence, more than once that he would not only disregarded the Pope’s desubject himself and his writings “to mands, but became more and more the correction of the Holy Roman aggressive in his criticism of Rome, Church,” his ardent vision of himthe Holy See and the Pope himself. self as the ordained prophet of God It was not until a mismeant that he ultimately conducted ordeal by fire saw his message as divine in 1498 that his enemies revelation. Any opposi“I am like the hail. - the Franciscans and the tion to his message, then, Cover thyself lest supporters of Piero di could not be an act of it come down upon Medici, who Savonarola God, but an attempt from thee , and strike thee … had helped banish from the Devil to undermine Florence - were able that is clothe thyself the prophet - even if said with virtue and no to turn public opinion opposition came from against the friar, bringing the Pope. Add to this hail stone will touch about a swift execution deep-seated belief in his thee.” to Savonarola and his own divine commission girolamo two closest associates. an uncanny ruthlessness s av o n a r o l a With Savonarola’s death, when standing before Florence returned to the hands of the pulpit - going as far as to call the Medici family and to the hub of for the heads of any “traitor” who unrestrained lavishness it used to be. would restore the Medici to power The dream had vanished with its - and one is left with the dilemma so dreamer. commonly attributed to controversial It is not surprising that many who figures of history: that this man was read about Savonarola are quick to either incredibly ingenious or incredismiss him as a ravenous madman. dibly insane. He believed himself above scrutiny Nevertheless - and before this of anything but God’s Word, heewould be deemed some form of ding to no one regardless of rank “character assassination,” which or station. Even though he claimed is not - Savonarola showed several
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What if the anti-Papal Council came to be? Several months after his excommunication, Savonarola called for a gathering of the most powerful European rulers and aristocrats of his time in order to depose Pope Alexander VI. In Savonarola’s opinion, Alexander VI - the infamous patriarch of the Borgia family - was utterly corrupt and unfit to remain the head of the Catholic Church. The friar undoubtedly saw much of Lorenzo the Magnificent in Alexander, and much of the Medici’s hold of Florence in the Borgia’s hold of Rome. The call for a council that would oust the Spanish pope was most urgent and necessary. Even in his time, Alexander VI was known for fostering the family’s nepotist ties and cold-blooded crimes that have made the name “Borgia” synonymous with unrelenting debauchery and ambition. With the death of his son Giovanni, second Duke of Gandía, Alexander’s reprehensible behavior became all the more apparent. The Pope was losing favor both in Rome and abroad. It was the perfect timing for the removal of the Borgia from the Holy See. Alexander VI, however, intercepted almost all communication made between Florence and the European powers that were to take part of this council. Now with tangible reason to brand Savonarola as an enemy of the Church, Alexander sought the immediate suppression of the friar. By the end of May of 1498, Savonarola had failed the ordeal by fire and been executed. The anti-Papal Council had been averted. Had Savonarola succeeded in calling the anti-Papal Council, Alexander may not have been Pope for much longer. Charles
VIII of France, who had successfully invaded and plundered Northern Italy before being forced to retreat in 1495, was eager to conquer permanently those territories he could not hold on to upon his retreat, including Rome. If other powers - namely, the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdoms of England and Hungary - were to join the French, Alexander’s days as Bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States were numbered. While it is hard to predict how the political landscape of Italy would have changed, it becomes evident that not even all the kingdoms, duchies, republics, marquisates and bishoprics of Italy could have defended Alexander VI against the anti-Papal forces. Such a triumph would have strengthened Savonarola’s position in such a way as to make him the perfect candidate to replace Alexander and become the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church - probably a mere formality in his eyes, since he already saw himself as the chosen mouthpiece of God anyway. As the formal successor of Alexander VI and backed by this formidable council of Christian rulers, the Dominican friar would have reshaped the Catholic Church to fit his vision. This would most likely entail the relocation of the Apostolic See to the city of Florence, thus merging the Papal States with the Florentine Republic. From there, Savonarola would have probably worked towards the fulfillment of his dream: turning Florence into the “New Jerusalem” of the Book of Revelations, centralizing all the wealth and power of the two merged states into the capital city. www.biblion.pt 11
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times that there was merit to his he gave it to God, dedicating Flodream of a theocratic Florence. By rence’s eternal allegiance to God vowing to liberate Floand effectively making rence from tyranny, the it a theocratic state. zealous ascetic brought Besides this, Savona“It should be borne in back the democratic rola appears to have mind that the temper of ideals of the Florentine prevented “retaliatory the multitude is fickle, Republic, which had measures” against and that while it is easy been circumvented by sympathizers of the to persuade them of a the Medici, while ascriMedici family upon thing, it is hard to fix bing the highest posithe establishment of them in that persuasion . tion of political power the theocratic republic. to God. Furthermore, […] Moses, Cyrus, Theseus, In spite of his austere and Romulus could Savonarola himself outlook towards arts never have made their did not hold a political and literature (the office, despite having Bonfire of the Vanities ordinances be observed provided the divinely being a clear example for any length of time -inspired blueprint for of this), the friar was had they been unarmed, the new government of friends with several as was the case, in our Florence. According to Florentine artists and own days, with the Friar Philip Schaaf, the friar thinkers, including Pico Girolamo Savonarola, shaped Florence’s podella Mirandola and whose new institutions litical system after that Girolamo Benivieni. came to nothing so soon of Venice, composed of The rise and fall of two councils, with the as the multitude began to Fra Savonarola shows waver in their faith…” greater council being us just how erratic and composed of ever y misunderstood the N i cco l ò M ac h i av e l l i male citizen in good heart of Renaissance THE PRINCE standing who qualified was. While under the as member of the beneficiati. The sway of the Medici, Florence stood lifelong office of doge, i.e. “ruler,” as a nepotist oligarchy, whose poli-
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tical, social and spiritual corruption were cloaked, if barely, by the layered veil of cultural progress, scientific advancement and aesthetics. The Dominican friar turned this system into a more open and transparent republic, though at the cost of making the Florentine city-state an extremely strict, moralist theocracy in nature an impractical system that dissolved into its previous condition as soon as Savonarola died and the Medici returned. All this happened in just four years, yet these were sudden and monumental changes in Florence, still regarded today with much curiosity. How could the people of Florence transition from one system to another and then back to the first in such short time, given how disparate and incompatible those two systems were? Perhaps we will never know. Perhaps we know it all too well. Perhaps the dream lives on - the dream of revolution and change, a dream beating in the hearts of many who yearn for it, yet know not or care not how such a dream becomes real, as long as it does.
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Chesterton's take on Savonarola One of the most acute commentaries on Savonarola is made by none other than G. K. Chesterton in his book, Twelve Types. Here the English author distinguishes the historical Savonarola from the moral Savonarola, ignoring the former and focusing almost exclusively on the latter. Chesterton praises Savonarola’s defense of morals and natural law in the face of hedonism and indifference. Acknowledging the complexity of such a personality as Savonarola, Chesterton supports the Dominican friar in his outrage against the overbearing decadence of Florence under the Medici family. “He saw that the actual crimes were not the only evils: that stolen jewels and poisoned wine and obscene pictures were merely the symptoms; that the disease was the complete dependence upon jewels and wine and pictures. This is a thing constantly forgotten in judging of ascetics and Puritans in old times,” the author states concerning Savonarola’s rationale behind his actions. Chesterton goes on to expose the criminal nature behind much of the Renaissance’s fame, and points out that Savonarola was attempting to withhold the people of Florence from a fate of nonchalance and slavery to libertinism: “Savonarola
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addressed himself to the hardest of all earthly tasks, that of making men turn back and wonder at the simplicities they had learnt to ignore. It is strange that the most unpopular of all doctrines is the doctrine which declares the common life divine. […] Few men understood his object; some called him a madman, some a charlatan, some an enemy of human joy. They would not even have understood if he had told them, if he had said that he was saving them from a calamity of contentment which should be the end of joys and sorrows alike.” While never admitting so, Chesterton seems to imply that the righteous endeavor of the moral Savonarola justified the actions perpetrated by the historical Savonarola. Either way, the English author manages to present a judicious and timeless account of the friar’s motives in the face of unchecked dependence on pleasure and satisfaction. Indeed, it is hard to read Chesterton’s commentary without hearing the echoes of Renaissance’s negligent civilization, “a civilization which had already taken the wrong turn, the turn that leads to endless inventions and no discoveries, in which new things grow old with confounding rapidity, but in which no old things ever grow new.”
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leadership
the upgraded edition of a leadership classic
developing the leader within you 2.0 john c. maxwell harpercollins leadership by Paulo SĂŠrgio Gomes
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the launch of the first edition of Developing the Leader Within You, one of the most influential leaders in the business world, John Maxwell, brings a whole new and improved version to a new generation of readers. The book has for the most part been rewritten, while retaining the basic foundations of the teaching which formed the basis of the original volume. Its content is now more
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focused on requirements sought by those with top-level responsibilities, a particular concern to make the reader a more effective leader. Checking out an update that is justified, Maxwell included two new themes, essential for those who want to specialize: Service and Personal Growth. Surely the reader will see a rapid improvement in its capabilities, its efficiency and impact while in the exercise of its functions. In the introduction, the renowned author
B I B L I O N - A C H R I S T I A N B OO K M AG A Z I N E
and lecturer recalls the importance of the five levels of leadership that he intends to lead: position, permission, productivity, personal development and reputation (Pinnacle). Throughout the book, Maxwell systematizes the ten professional development pillars that are fundamental to the affirmation of a leader within his or her organization. From Influence to Attitude, to Vision and Character, to Mastering Problem Solving, to Service to People, the author provides precious ethical values​​ that guide his own conduct. Their experience in creating significant positive change between teams and in institutions, priorities as the key to the team management process, or the
necessary and expensive self-discipline, are dissected in detail, instructing the reader about the secrets behind a demanding position, where the reputation factor decorates a few with the status of true leader. John Maxwell devotes a special chapter to the personal development of the leader, so important aspect so that he can reach the fullness of his abilities throughout his career. Giving the example of the cellist Pablo Casals when asked why he practiced several hours a day, he answered: "Because I feel that I am progressing." Continuing to develop your professional skills is the best you can do for yourself.
enchiridion Vol. I - April 20
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leadership
the amazing success story of a god-fearing businessman
the happiest people on earth demos shakarian Createspace publishing by Paulo SĂŠrgio Gomes
Descendant of Armenian emigrants who settled in California at the beginning of the century. XX, Demos Shakarian, who has always presented himself as a simple farmer, was used by God in a surprising way through the global ministry of evangelization made up of ordinary professionals and entrepreneurs - the "Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International." In his biography, written by the couple John and Elizabeth Sherrill,
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we began by learning about the suffering of the Armenian people in one of the most tragic genocides in history when the Ottoman Empire invaded the oldest Christian nation in the world. Everything happened already in the middle of the twentieth century, parallel to the First World War, but despite hundreds of thousands of deaths, many were saved thanks to the prophecy of Efrim, an 11-year-old boy who in 1855 warned the Christian community to
B I B L I O N - A C H R I S T I A N B OO K M AG A Z I N E
flee to the other side of America, the California. Demos Shakarian's grandfather, also called Demos, was part of that Armenian exodus that crossed half-world, corresponding to the catastrophic vision of the "boy-prophet", delivering the family to the massacre. In 1905, he sold the estate and left for California with his wife, five daughters (Hamas, the youngest, the great-grandmother of the famous Kardashians) and the only son, Isaac, then 13 years old. After his father's death while working on the construction of the railway in the middle of the Nevada desert, it was up to Isaac to take over as patriarch of the family, not even allowing his mother to work. Such family duty could have cost him his life due to lung disease, which eventually led him to leave his job at a factory. At the time, there was a crisis of unemployment and, as in everything, he resorted to the Scriptures seeking a solution, finding it in Deuteronomy 28, and made this verse his guide. He invested his meager savings in buying a cart and a horse as he realized that local markets did
not have fresh food, thus starting his new business: collecting fruits and vegetables from the farms around Los Angeles and going door-to-door, supplying the inhabitants of the city. So, in spite of the Great Depression, Isaac would thrive far beyond what it ever imagined. By the mid-1930s, the Shakarian farm was the largest in California, but Isaac set a goal to reach 3,000 dairy cows, which he would attain by becoming the largest individual dairy producer in the world at the time. The business expanded into other areas such as dairy transports or fertilizer factories, but Demos and his father always applied their Pentecostal beliefs in the day-to-day management of the cow stable to negotiation with unscrupulous entrepreneurs. This same stance led Demos and his wife, Rosa, to devote themselves early in the organization of evangelistic campaigns, from a picnic park to other Californian cities, inviting some of the most prominent preachers of the day such as Oral Roberts, Tommy Hicks, David DuPlessis or Charles Price. Shakarian shared
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with Price the dismay of seeing so few men attending the services, and the prodigious preacher prophesied that he was the one chosen by God to lead a great movement that would spread the Gospel through the four corners of the world among ordinary people who do not attend church . And in fact, in 1951, in a very timid manner, a small group of businessmen began to gather at Clifton's Restaurant every Saturday to share their walks with Christ, to pray for each other, and to invite friends of the business world to know the Gospel. Despite all of Demos' commitment, the first year saw no growth in ministry and the end seemed the only outcome of his dream. Faced with the apparent failure of the idea, Shakarian was determined to close the association. On the eve of the last meeting, to which he invited his friend and talented evangelist Tommy Hicks, while sharing his disappointment something wonderful began to reverse the situation. After a night of intercession, Demos received direct instruction from God through a clear vision of the future
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that confirmed the continuity of the association. From then on, that movement has continued to grow, reproducing up to 8,000 cells in 192 countries, always based on the voluntary work of professionals and entrepreneurs who share their faith with colleagues and business partners, leading many to to know Christ. In spite of his modest humility and shyness as a farmer, and as a "helper," Demos led the association to the end of his life, which led him to share his belief and ministry values ​​with thousands of people, from the simplest citizen to the most illustrious and charismatic world leaders, like Fidel Castro, who confided to him to have enjoyed speeches of Billy Graham and Oral Roberts, while recovering in a hospital of Texas. For Demos, "the important thing is that the Lord tells each one of us to go with the gift that He has given us, knowing that when we realize this gift and use it, whatever the condition of the world around us may be, we will be the happiest people on earth."
the first in a trilogy
enchiridion vol. i coming april 21st
PATREON POST
the lost hallmark of human understanding
The Great Library of Alexandria by Daniel t. Gomes
Ancient Egypt was home to several great marvels of its time, defying the splendorous constructions found in other Near-Eastern and Mesopotamian cultures. Out of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only the Great Pyramid of Giza has withstood the test of time. Magnificent temples in Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel continue to inspire awe despite their decay, while the tomb of Tutankhamun stands as a testament of pharaonic power and wealth.
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Yet it was in Egypt’s twilight years that the city of Alexandria affirmed itself as a Mediterranean power. The Ptolemaic reign of Ancient Egypt undertook two innovative enterprises in Alexandria, the Lighthouse and the Great Library - one to light up the coast’s physical darkness, the other to light up the citizens’ intellectual darkness. While the Lighthouse was a renowned prowess of engineering, the Great Library was at one point the largest vault of human knowledge and the hallmark of Hellenistic
B I B L I O N - A C H R I S T I A N B OO K M AG A Z I N E
scholarship. Comprising dozens of thousands of texts and parchments, the Library stood for centuries as the world’s learning hub. It was an unprecedented endeavor that stays alive in the books of history as well as in our imagination, millennia after its destruction. Legend asserts that when Alexander the Great invaded Egypt and founded the city of Alexandria, he desired to build a “library” dedicated to the Muses - the Musaeum. His successors in Egypt, the Greco-Egyptian kings of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, took upon themselves to raise up this museum, with the addition of a library
that would supersede anything remotely similar in their time. According to one source, King Ptolemy I Soter sought Theophrastus to tutor his heir; the latter declined, but recommended Demetrius of Phaleron, a former student of Aristotle, as a tutor in his stead. Demetrius, who had previously helped Theophrastus in founding a philosophical school of his own, accepted Ptolemy’s invitation and became heavily involved in the construction of the Musaeum complex. Under Ptolemy II Philadelphus and subsequent Hellenistic rulers, a number of foreign scholars took up
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PATREON POST
residence in the Museum: among them were revered names such as Euclid, Aristarchus, Archimedes and Strabo, to name a few. These scholars profited from Ptolemaic patronage to stay and work in Alexandria, a patronage they repaid by contributing to the Library’s accumulated wisdom. The Library grew with the city, becoming home to thousands upon thousands of scrolls. Such was the immensity of its contents that it prompted the construction of a satellite library in the Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis. The Library sought to retain, copy, translate and examine every piece of writing it could find in its quest for collecting knowledge. At its core, however, the Great Library of Alexandria was a paradoxical concept. It was not built with the intent of merely being the largest depository of literature in the world; it was meant to be the only one. It is safe to say that the Ptolemaic kings wanted to eclipse every other nation in its collection of domestic and foreign intelligence. Such was pro24 ISSUE #12
ven when Ptolemaic kings stopped exporting papyrus to the Seleucids, who were building their own library in Pergamum. Devastation was brought to the Great Library as the city of Alexandria lost its relevance. The Great Fire of Alexandria in 48 BC, the plundering of the city by Caracalla in the third century AD, the destruction of the Serapeum under Theodosius and the Arab invasion in the seventh century all worked together to put a gradual yet definitive end to the Library’s existence. The Library’s destruction is still mourned to this day; its size and content knew no equal, and its tragic loss represented an equally tragic loss for humankind in its attempt to understand itself. While cloud storage and the Internet have presented themselves as invaluable resources for the safekeeping of knowledge, the dream of Alexandria remains too appealing to give up on - and if there ever was a dream worth pursuing, is that of creating the means to light up the people’s minds.
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biography
the whole truth about collecting connections
networking kills mark h. maxwell intervarsity press by Paulo SĂŠrgio Gomes
Mark Maxwell never thought of becoming a college professor, but when that day arrived, with a strong career in the music industry, he did not hesitate to make an impact on his students. Surprising the whole class, he cared little for rules and "rights," beginning the first class praying for each of his students. It is from his experience teaching young adults, that Maxwell, worried about the loss of creative processes among the you-
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ngest, realized the concrete reality and the need to share it in a book. We all know how the focus has shifted in high school and college. Those responsible for educational programs are increasingly likely to want to prepare their students for the (ultra) competitive education rather than fostering the development of critical and creative capacities. Faced with the overwhelming predominance of Twitter, Facebook and others, the author asks whether
B I B L I O N - A C H R I S T I A N B OO K M AG A Z I N E
the explosion of social media in the last ten years has made it less and less propitious for creative geniuses to find space to emerge and grow. Mark Maxwell proposes and urges his students to create purpose through service to others and to the community, to the detriment of the unbridled pursuit of futile and self-seeking connections, the norm in modern social and professional relationships. The so-called networking repels and divides, while serving attracts and is attractive, and Maxwell advocates that one ought to serve unselfishly, caring without obligation and in a true and dignifying way, for only then can he walk a genuine path of success that will endure.
In this personal biography, Mark Maxwell tells of striking episodes of his life, from his youthful days, in which undesirable dependencies and behaviors dominated him, to the surprising accounts of how God's dependence led him to the most important decisions and led him to success in the record industry and as a lawyer. He says he is unable to make good, safe decisions, especially when they involve major changes in his family's life, without depending on the prayer and advice of close friends, especially his pastor. Mark states that when we determine our career or our future based on our personal capacities, dreams and tastes, we lose what God has outlined for us, limit the dreams He
enchiridion Vol. I - April 20
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has for us to serve others, and cut off the destiny He has prepared for those who are under our care and influence. And he emphasizes, "A successful life is about God's dream for others through us. It's serving. " Through his testimony, Maxwell shows us the effectiveness of keeping a regular time with God, getting away from his environment, disconnecting himself, talking personally to God and, above all, listening to Him. Receive guidance and tasks. He uses the words Viktor Frankl so well put forth in his classic Man's Search of Meaning, "The purpose is not to find yourself, but to lose yourself." So what is your task? After experiencing the pressure that life caused to his father, in a cocktail of alcoholism, mental illness and unemployment, the author went
through a dark period of negative spiral many years later, while already practicing law, with labor and financial problems, that led him to question God about whether we are capable of bearing the emotional weight of this kind of burden. You will then have found the answer in Hebrew, where "galal" means true rest, which begins when you let go of that kind of guilt. Mark Maxwell's career is a living exercise of how much God can transform us if we trust in Him, and by serving Him. God taught him to respond to troublesome conflicts by serving with genuine compassion and interest, praying for family and friends, and especially for clients, following the motto "Be faithful where you are."
wherever, whenever
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the first in a trilogy
enchiridion vol. i coming april 21st
television
An unexpectedly sophisticated and (mostly) accurate depiction of God’s Word
"the bible" series Daniel T. Gomes
Ever since The Passion of the Christ, the vast majority of films and TV series on biblical stories have failed to make an impact on mainstream audiences. Usually directed by small, independent companies with scarce resources and cast options, these projects have next to no chance of competing with Hollywood’s blockbusters and all their star power and enormous budgets. For years, it seemed that religious entertainment was confined to a niche market, that epic feature films and series belonged
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in the past, as mere antiquities in the history of motion picture. And then The Bible series came out. Rumors first began to appear in 2011 that a large-scale production centered on biblical stories was to take place in the following year. This production, spearheaded by reality show producer Mark Burnett and his wife, actress and producer Roma Downey, would be a 10-hour miniseries broadcast on the History Channel. Back then, this was already huge
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news to Christian entertainment, since most TV series derived from the Bible would not find airtime outside of select Christian broadcasters or other alternative media outlets. But the Burnett-Downey couple had not only managed to show their product on a well-known TV channel; they claimed this new show was going to have “the biggest audience History has ever had.” Fast-forward two years, and The Bible series is a resounding success. Despite critical reception being barely average, the show opens to an exceptionally high number of viewers. Millions of people craving for a visual depiction of the biblical saga worthy of their time watched the weekly show, which led TV ratings for its scheduled time. Boasting of a talented cast, excellent location shoots and resources that only a company such as the History Channel could provide, The Bible proves to be a solid work of entertainment. It is clearly able to use creative license without losing its reverence for the Scriptures, as is the 2014 feature film Son of God, based on the miniseries.
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While mostly an amalgamation of the series’ last five episodes, the movie makes nearly $70 million against its $22 million budget. It is now evident that people want to see more Christian movies whose quality can compete with bigger secular productions. The extraordinary ratings of the miniseries and its subsequent film do not go unnoticed by Hollywood. In fact, a sort of “Renaissance” of the epic religious genre takes hold of several studios, sparking a number of feature films set to make the most out of this fad. Along with Son of God, the year of 2014 saw the release of Noah and Exodus: Gods and Kings, two movies loaded with all the special effects and star power of a top quality A-movie, but which stray all too clearly from the religious source. While not as big as The Passion of the Christ, both movies are still box office hits and prompt the production of feature films deriving more or less from Christian themes and works: a reboot of Left Behind (2014), Last Days in the Desert (2015), a reboot of Ben-Hur (2016) and Risen (2016), to
name a few. While most of these are far from true representations of the Christian faith, they succeed in the box office for the most part, showing that religious-inspired drama lives yet again. Still, none of these productions achieve the canonical accuracy of The Bible. Even though the miniseries employs some level of scripted adaptation to the literal story, it respects the current interpretation of its source by Christian standards. Unlike some of these silver screen hits, the producers of The Bible sought out several pastors, theologians and evangelists for their input. Even though the series omits or changes several events of a given story, the exegesis is present, and the general idea of said passage remains identical to Christian interpretation - something that is lacking in Hollywood’s blockbuster adaptations. With a degree of excellence rarely seen in religious drama since the epic feature films of the 1950’s, The Bible is certainly a series worth watching for those who want to experience the famous stories of God’s Word on their screens.
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