Curious Christian

Exploring life, art, spirituality, and the way of Jesus

Jesus from a Rastafarian perspective

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-23

Rastafarians have a very unusual take on Jesus. Rastas accept the existence of a single triune god, called Jah, who has incarnated on earth several times, including in the form of Jesus. They accept much of the Bible, although they believe that its message has been corrupted over time by Babylon,…
Continue reading →: Jesus from a Rastafarian perspective
Jesus through Maori eyes

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-23

Here are some of my favourite paintings of Jesus from Mouri artists. The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. A number of these images feature Jesus with a full-face moko (traditional tattoo) and trinitarian symbolism. Click through for more details.
Continue reading →: Jesus through Maori eyes
The story of John the Dwarf

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-23

John the Dwarf was a native of Egypt who lived around 339 AD – 405 AD. At the young age of eighteen he was inspired to retire to the desert of Skeet where he became a disciple of an old hermit, Aba Pemouah. John the Dwarf is best known for…
Continue reading →: The story of John the Dwarf
The Healing at the Pool

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-22

The story of the healing at the pool is told in the Gospel of John: Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here…
Continue reading →: The Healing at the Pool
Not quite hermits

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-21

I have been reflecting on the desert fathers and mothers and their spiritual offspring the last few weeks and one monastic style in particular has piqued my interest: that of the Sketes. They seem to embody a half way house between the hermits and the more communal monks, living apart…
Continue reading →: Not quite hermits
Balaam and his animal guide

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-21

Talk of animal guides is common enough in Pagan traditions, especially Shamanism, but not so much within Christianity or Judaism. Nevertheless, the story of Balaam and his donkey, found within the Old Testament book of Numbers, provides a striking example of the will of the Creator being communicated to humanity through a…
Continue reading →: Balaam and his animal guide
A blessing for spring

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-21

In his second letter to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul blesses his readers with these words, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in…
Continue reading →: A blessing for spring
Jesus calls his first disciples

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-20

This is Luke’s version of the story: One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into…
Continue reading →: Jesus calls his first disciples
King Solomon: Illustrations From An Ethiopian Manuscript

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-18

Ethiopian painting of the Queen of Sheba / King Solomon narrative from the Kabra Nagas, a 14th century Ethiopian manuscript.
Continue reading →: King Solomon: Illustrations From An Ethiopian Manuscript
Alpha and Omega

Published by

Matt Stone

on

2017-10-16

“Alpha and Omega” by Il-Grande-Iulio This symbol is inspired by Revelation 22:13 where Jesus declares, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” I quite like this overlapped design, as it’s also somewhat suggesting of a communion chalice and the Trinity.
Continue reading →: Alpha and Omega