08.31.05
Posted in Herodotus' Children at 11:32 pm by Stephanie
Fabulously interesting discussion going on in my “Historian’s Craft” about what history is and what the “truth” is. So very nice to be in a class with people who are both my intellectual equal and quite capable of challenging me at every turn, as I do them.
While working on my first assignment (note taking based on the reading of John Arnold’s History: A Short Introduction), my mind wandered to how it all started for me. Where did this passion for history get ignited? Believe me, it is a huge passion and it gets bigger and bigger as time goes on.
I’m not sure, but maybe it was sparked by a bishop in the diocese of New Mexico. I was in middle school and whenever the bishop arrived to celebrate Episcopalian Mass, instead of standing at a lectern and delivering
the sermon he would take his big Snoopy doll and sit on the steps in front of the altar and invite the little kids to sit with him. Then he would tell stories that tied into his sermon thesis.
One Easter the bishop explained why certain actions were important. He put them in the context of the time (a really big topic we have been covering in class). The big deal about Jesus washing everyone’s feet was because their feet were nasty. There were no sewers, so chamber pots and food scraps were emptied into the streets. Animals did their business in the streets. And people walked around in bare feet or, if they were lucky, sandals through these dusty, dirty streets. Bathing wasn’t really a regular thing either, so feet were just … nasty.
So, number 1, Jesus washing his disciples’ feet was a big deal because their feet were so dirty.
Then, there was the issue of servitude. Only servants washed another’s feet because they had to kneel in front of the person whose feet they were washing. So, number 2, for Jesus to wash another person’s feet was to take on the role of servant, abasing himself in front of his disciples.
This was huge stuff and my still formative mind took it in, mulled it over and thought, “Oh! I get it now.” And maybe, that is the day an historian heard her muse, Clio.
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08.30.05
Posted in Current History at 8:56 pm by Stephanie
Tidbits from the radio news today:
- Katrina has caused the most damage of any storm in American history EVER
- Every building in New Orleans has sustained some sort of damage.
America has an almost 250 year “official” history as a country, and more than that as colonies, settlements, etc. In all that time, no storm has ever done this sort of damage, and it wasn’t even as bad as expected!
Every building, every single building in New Orleans. All of them have sustained some sort of damage. The French Quarter, birthplace of the blues and American jazz may wind up completely under water. New Orleans; home to Louis Armstrong, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Mardi Gras, Emeril, Paul Prudhomme, Anne Rice … damaged, ruined.
The SuperDome is now a refugee camp. 80% of the city was evacuated, those that couldn’t get out couldn’t afford gas, didn’t have a car (or one that worked), were ill or infirm. An interview with a 3rd-grade teacher said he didn’t have a car that worked and that was why he was still in New Orleans. He gave money to some people that did have a car for gas money so they could get out.
I seem to be rambling, the scope of this is staggering. I keep fixating on the smaller things. Maybe this is the way history is written, about the smaller things because the big picture is too large.
Taking a back seat to New Orleans are Mississippi, Alabama and the rest of the state of Louisiana. It will take months and years to recover from this one. No one can get in to do damage assessments.
And one other historic note: Katrina has pushed the price of oil up over $70/barrel. Price at the pump in Northern California, almost $3/gallon. I did see one station that was up to $3.05/gallon.
I feel so old when I think, “When I was in high school, gas was .50/gallon!”
BBC News Online
Wikipedia - Hurricane Katrina
Weather Channel
Google: Hurricane Katrina
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08.29.05
Posted in TiH at 11:36 pm by Stephanie
Aug 29 30, St. John the Baptist beheaded by Herod rewarding Salome for dance
((c)Copyright 1990-2005 by Robert Heckendorn, All Rights Reserved.)
Out of all the things that happened this day in history, I picked this one to write about because I just saw a documentary about the Bible’s “Scarlet Women” and Salome was one of the women they discussed. (Biography Channel’s “Mysteries of the Bible: Scarlet Women”)
So, the anecdotal story first:
Salome was the daugher of Herodias, wife of Herod Antipas. Herod felt threatened by John the Baptist but was afraid to outright kill him. Herodias, on the other hand (or so the story goes), was sneaky and underhanded and devised a plan. On Herod’s birthday, mum sent sexy, nubile Salome out to dance. So taken by his (step)daughter’s dance, Herod promised her anything. Salome rushed backstage to her mother and asked what she should demand. Mama, being the good stage mother, told her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. Dutiful Salome did as she was told and voila! That pesky political problem was solved.
The biblical version that’s been handed down for centuries, has John’s undoing as Salome’s doing. But, here is an interesting questions raised by the historians in this program: Why, if Salome’s name isn’t even mentioned in the bible is it her that we remember? Why not Herodias, whose name is mentioned? (See Mark, Chapter 6)
Who put whom up to what?
This is no mere story of a king thinking with the wrong head and letting the women in his life (Salome, manipulated by her mother) take control. This is a story of politics (the Romans were having a very difficult time with those pesky Jews), near-incest (Herodias was Antipas’ half-brother’s wife), divorce court (Antipas divorced his first wife to marry Herodias) and good old fashioned religious dictums (John the Baptist condemned Antipas’ 2nd marriage). It’s rip-roaring good stuff … maybe all blown out of proportion to make a point about … what?
Why does the bible blame a young girl for the ignominious downfall of one of its most important prophets? It was John the Baptist, after all, who was the baptiser of the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. What is the point of martyring John in such a fashion?
Unless, it is to put Jesus front and center. The story of John’s death ends rather abruptly in Mark. After his followers pick up his corpse from Antipas, and lay it in a tomb, Jesus gathers his apostles to him and they go for a … rest. And then this leads to the whole loaves and fish for the multitudes and the walking on water and healing the sick … and John is no longer mentioned.
A common thread through this documentary (which began with the story of Eve) was the Bible’s need to demonize women (both literally and figuratively). Paul believed that women were to be subjugated to men because God created man first and then woman out of man’s rib. (Paul had his own issues with women, how’s that for stating the obvious?)
This whole “thing” with women gets sexuality and motherhood and goddesshood all mixed up in a gnarly mess and, through centuries of stereotyping, women get blamed for almost every narsty thing that happens to a man.
I’m not a biblical scholar, or a theologian, nor do I have any answers. Just lots of questions and sometimes I bump into something that makes me go, “hunh.”
Biography Channel
The Catholic Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
Google:
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Salome
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Salome+history+bible
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Salome+bible
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Herod Antipas
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Herod Antipas
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Google:
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John the Baptist + Bible
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Personal Work:
San Juan Bautista - named after St. John the Baptist, one of the string of California Missons founded by Fr. Junipero Serra. This project was for my “History of California” class at Foothill Community College.
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08.28.05
Posted in Herodotus' Children at 8:19 pm by Stephanie
It’s finally here! Breathing History is my brain child but midwifery was provided by WordPress and Dreamhost.
Be sure to read The Verbiage; which basically tells you the reason for Breathing History’s existence, that all content is my responsibility - not any academic institution that I may be attending at any moment in time and, while you are encouraged to add your thoughts in comments or contact me via email, I will not tolerate anything considered offensive and I reserve the right to delete and/or blacklist anyone who doesn’t play nice.
All those years of being a season ticket holder for the San Jose Sharks when my seatmates kept telling me they were my tickets and I could do with them what I chose are finally paying off. This is my blog and I will do what I chose with it.
Content to be added as time permits includes links, book and movie reviews, commentary on current historical events, synopses of class work and research for a particular project.
I hope you’ll join the discussion as we discover what it is to be one of Herodotus’ children.
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