14 Comments CherryPie on Mar 18th 2018
Earlier this week the spring weather looked promising but now a cold blast of snow has returned from the east.
During Saturday, we expect snow showers to affect parts of Northeast, East and Southeast England down to sea level with patchy accumulations in places, especially where showers converge and become better organised. At the moment, we expect this across parts of Lincolnshire, Norfolk and regions around the Thames Estuary.
During Sunday we expect more widespread snow showers to develop across parts of Southeast, Central and Southern England as well as parts of East Ireland. There remains a low/moderate risk of heavier snow developing for a time across parts of Southern England on Sunday morning with accumulations of 1-5cm, perhaps higher across parts of the North/South Downs and High Weald areas.
A significant wind chill will develop across much of England and Wales on Saturday and Sunday with overnight penetrating ground frosts and ice on untreated surfaces.
10 Comments CherryPie on Mar 17th 2018
…Duomo di Salerno
Over the past couple of weeks several things have cropped up disrupting my routine and pulling me off in different directions. I haven’t had the space to clear my head to enable me to write about Salerno Duomo (Cathedral). Unless I get blown off course again the post is coming soon 
10 Comments CherryPie on Mar 15th 2018
…The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men
Synopsis (From inside the book cover):
Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the “wise men from the East” as pious legend. Matthew’s gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche.
For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously.
But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy?
In an astonishing feat of detective work, Dwight Longenecker makes a powerful case that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem really happened. Piecing together the evidence from biblical studies, history, archeology, and astronomy, he goes further, uncovering where they came from, why they came, and what might have happened to them after eluding the murderous King Herod.
In the process, he provides a new and fascinating view of the time and place in which Jesus Christ chose to enter the world.
The evidence is clear and compelling. The mysterious Magi from the East were in all likelihood astrologers and counselors from the court of the Nabatean king at Petra, where the Hebrew messianic prophecies were well known. The “star” that inspired their journey was a particular planetary alignment―confirmed by computer models―that in the astrological lore of the time portended the birth of a Jewish king.
The visitors whose arrival troubled Herod “and all Jerusalem with him” may not have been the turbaned oriental kings of the Christmas carol, but they were real, and by demonstrating that the wise men were no fairy tale, Mystery of the Magi demands a new level of respect for the historical claims of the gospel.
Review:
In his well researched book Dwight Longenecker presents us with a new theory of the origins of the wise men that visited Jesus shortly after his birth. He strips away the legends and myths that over time have added to and embellished the accounts as they are told in the Biblical Scriptures. He explores Matthew’s account of the birth and sets the birth in its historical context which provides clues as to where the wise men might have travelled from. In his book he presents his evidence in a way that is accessible to all. A recommended read for anyone who is interested in the subject.
In addition to the book index there is an extensive bibliography allowing for readers to explore the themes further.
6 Comments CherryPie on Mar 12th 2018
A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.
Victor Hugo
10 Comments CherryPie on Mar 11th 2018
8 Comments CherryPie on Mar 9th 2018
