The Black Madonnas of Europe The Mother Mary is an image of purity and beauty. She is an aspiration for women all around the world. As the Mother of Christ, she sacrificed in order to do the will of God, but today’s ideals have influenced people into thinking that the angelic nature of the Mother Mary must mean that she was white, and therefore, Christ was white. Just recently have the Black Madonnas of Europe became a large controversy. Racism has caused a stir in all aspects of society. In years previous, there was of mix of colors just like today, but they weren’t classified as people of color are today. They were viewed as a normalcy of society. As a result, writers of the time felt no need to specifically state whether a person was white or of color. Any character in any story, for instance the Bible, from the past could be of color just as easily as they could be white. In fact, in the case of Mary, it is more likely that she was a woman of color. As a Jewess, Mary would normally be considered dark skinned. St. Luke also may have clued in to this when he painted three paintings of a darkly colored Virgin Mother. Thirdly, in art, when Mary is depicted with Jesus as a young boy, it is usually the case that both are depicted as people of color. The artists would be correct in assuming that if either one was dark skinned, the other would also due to the principle of heredity. In a world so full of ignorance and racism, many writers and even everyday people…
Stephen Crane characterized the characters of the novel through their actions and interactions with other characters during the story. Such as Jimmie, from the opening scene it was obvious he was violent and did not care much for rules and even his own safety. In the opening fight scene Stephen Crane wrote,“In the yells of the whirling mob of Devil’s Row children there were notes of joy like songs of triumphant savagery. The little boys seemed to leer gloatingly at the blood upon the other…
In his novel, Star of the Sea, Joseph O’Connor recounts the story of the people on the ship, Star of the Sea, as they make the perilous journey across the Atlantic Ocean from Ireland to America in search of a better life. However, the individuals aboard the ship are corrupt and deceitful, but one character, Mary Duane, remains unscathed by the sin surrounding her. Thus, in the novel, Star of the Sea, Mary Duane serves as the hero of the story. For a hero to begin their journey, he or she must…
Mary’s Earthly Apparitions Besides the four Marian Dogmas of the Catholic Church, Mary has inspired the lives of millions of people across the world. Mary is the Church’s leading intercessor for prayer, and she considered to be the patroness of humanity. Something truly miraculous that Catholic’s believe in regarding Mary is Marian apparitions. A Marian apparition is a supernatural appearance of the Blessed Mother Mary here on earth. The three most famous accounts of Marian apparitions occurred…
Our Mother Revealed Throughout the course of history, art and religion have been connected. “Art is created and enjoyed by many people for many reasons.” One of art’s earliest ambitions was the practice of religious ritual (Jirousek, Charlotte). Over the span of many centuries, the Church was the number one supporter of artists. In today’s society, like those of the past, a fundamental purpose of art revolves around religion (Jirousek, Charlotte). Mary, the Mother of God, plays an extremely…
inspiration for positive social change. Due to his uncommonly long papacy he fully developed numerous theological ideas and promulgated numerous seminal encyclicals, some of which presented a somewhat revolutionary view for. The two most essential areas in which Pope John Paul II influenced Catholic theology where in his renewed emphasis on Mariology and his outreach and with other world-faiths and encouragement of Christian. As a young man the future…
unrestrictedly. The widespread resistance to this practice of selling indulgences started when Johann Tetzel was sent to Germany by Pope Leo X to sell indulgences as a way to raise money so that St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome could be rebuilt. One year later, Martin Luther wrote his 95 theses. His 95 theses was a direct objection to the Catholic church’s practice of indulgences. What Luther disagreed with is that he believed the Pope did not have the right to grant forgiveness of sins. After…