A Research and Discussion Challenge
Dec 23rd, 2011 by admin
A RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION CHALLENGE
Discovery of the Prophecies of Joachim of Fiore regarding the Holy Trinity and his notion of three epochs of time with the corresponding three phases of Christianity, (scroll down or check the archive for the article on Joachim, below) intriguing as they were, prompted questions on how this one view compares with the writings of Heindel. What did Max Heindel tell us about the Holy Trinity? What is the Holy Spirit, known also as the human spirit and as the Holy Ghost; the third segment of the tripartite manifestation of God?
To do a thorough study on the subject, we first may examine writings about Fiore and his life and ideas and then search through the Heindel works for passages relating to the topic. The internet provides a good start for a study on Fiore, even if we reference only Wikipedia, a most popular source of information on any topic. For the Heindel writings, The Rosicrucian Fellowship provides the downloadable Collected Works of Heindel with an integrated search engine, free, at its website, http://www.rosicrucian.com/ebooks/ebooks.htm.
To save you some of the trouble of the search, The Rosicrucian Fellowship MMX recently created a new brochure titled, The Holy Trinity and The Lord’s Prayer. You can find this brochure with added illustrations under the same title below at this site if you scroll down or check the archive.
This brings us to the next source of study and enlightenment, which would be other artistic or literary works on the topic. Some of us are more visual in our perceptions and some are more left-brain or logic-oriented in the cognitive processes. Therefore, to do a group study on any topic, it helps to have both, words and illustrations; hence, the works of art that you see in the article, below.
Paintings abound on the topic of the second of the tripartite manifestation, the Son, but the Holy Spirit is not so easy to paint, because not many artists have sufficient imagination. Therefore, it is often given only in symbolism. That still may be better than just words. Now, let’s take a look at the first illustration that approaches the topic of The Holy Trinity.
Disputation Over the Trinity - Andrea del Sarto 1517
We found one which will not give answers to our questions but it will instead lead us on a treasure hunt of ideas as it alludes to “A Disputation Over the Holy Trinity” among saints who lived in different eras and did not know each other personally, but who had opposing ideas, evidently, about The Holy Trinity.
Now, we have quite a task, indeed. How do Fiore’s and Sebastian’s and Peter’s and Lawrence’s and Augustine’s and Francis’ and Magdalene’s ideas differ or compare with Heindel’s ideas about The Holy Trinity? This seems to be what the artist is suggesting – that we investigate the question.
To get you started, there are a few well-known facts about each of these individuals that may help you to identify who they were.
Sebastian: is most often depicted in art and literature tied to a post and shot with arrows; however, he was rescued and healed by Saint Irene of Rome before criticizing the emperor and ultimately being clubbed to death; he died in c.288.
Peter: was the impetuous apostle who was named “the rock” by Christ.
Lawrence: was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258. He was grilled to death and so is associated with the “gridiron.” His name in Latin means laurelled.
Augustine: in his early years was heavily influenced by Manicheaeism and neo-Platonism and later was considered to be independent in his theology and philosophy. He believed that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom and formed the concepts of original sin and just war. Born November 13, 354.
Francis: was the gentle Italian Catholic friar who had the audacity to want to reform the vatican; he received an audience from the pope. Died October 3, 1226.
Magdalene: was the most important female disciple in the movement of Jesus who cleansed her of seven demons. She was present at the cross during the crucifixion and she was the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection.
If this challenge stimulated your curiosity, it is for you only to decide how to and when to pursue the challenge or begin your own independent study. ………….Comments?