I'm leaving Berlin after a wonderful stay with the Muellers. I'll let you know in a later update all about Goethe, which was also very good and helpful. I'm heading to Cottbus and then Klitten to see the Wendish country, before heading over to Frankfurt and Oberursel on Sunday. I hope to update you more when I get there. Until then!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Posted with Blogsy
The Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche and the Tiergarten
On Tuesday I visited the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, south of Berlin Mitte. Although it was an extremely beautiful and large church, bombs during WWII reduced it to rubble. Another church was built nearby to serve the needs of the congregation; the inside is covered in blue glass, though I didn't particularly like the modern style.
There was a part of the original church that was left standing, but it was covered in scaffolding. You can see the before and after pics here, before WWII, after WWII, after the scaffolding:
There was a part of the original church that was left standing, but it was covered in scaffolding. You can see the before and after pics here, before WWII, after WWII, after the scaffolding:
The murals inside were absolutely gorgeous. I think they were spared from the bombing and the fires, though they were also restored later.
Finally, I took a stroll through the Tiergarten. It was a beautiful day to so, and I thoroughly enjoyed the change in climate. It's amazing how one can step from the hustle and bustle of the exhaust-filled streets into a oxygenated paradise of trees, bushes, grass, and sunlight. The temperature cooled by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but it was quite welcome, even on a brisk late summer day. I can't post all my pictures here, but here are a few.
"The Greater Path"- the main path through the southern part of the Tiergarten.
A very beautiful place where I ate my lunch.
The hunter urges on his hounds.
And he rejoices over the fox.
The Tiergarten was actually made in order to provide the King of Prussia with close hunting grounds. It was stocked with deer, foxes, and other game. Yes, animals are welcome there now, but that's not why it was called the "Animal Garden."
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Finns, Wandering around Berlin, and the March for Life
I didn't post this weekend on my blog, because the Müllers invited four Finns over. They stayed from Thursday until Sunday morning, going to St. Mary's this morning- see my post below on church this and last weekend. Sonja had met Sebastian at a Corpus Christi conference (it's the Scandinavian version of Higher Things). Because one of them couldn't speak very good German, we mostly spoke in English. I know it's not the best for me, but that way we could all understand each other. Sebastian's German was about at my level, so I enjoyed talking with him "auf Deutsch." The one who couldn't speak much German also had a very heavy Russian-sounding American accent, so I had a lot of laughs when listening to him. I tried to imagine him with a Kalashnikov.
We didn't do anything together on Friday, primarily because I had class in the afternoon. They came back in the evening, though, and we ended up talking until 2:30! Of course, there was German beer and Russian vodka involved, so conversation was lively and philosophical. It was interesting to ask them about life in a socialistic society and compare it with America.
As per my usual modus operandi, I didn't take pictures of them. Sigh. I really must remember to take pictures of people.
But on Saturday we agreed to meet at the March for Life. They had something to do in the morning, and I wanted to visit the DDR Museum, so we went our separate ways, agreeing to meet at 1.
The DDR Museum was very interesting and informative. It's definitely a quick must-see for anyone interested in recent German history. It's also a quick museum- you can walk through it in 30 mins to an hour. I got to see and sit in a Trabi (the car of the DDR). It had a 2-cycle engine and was very hard to get- people were on a waiting list for years to buy one. It was also very pollutant- perhaps one of the reasons the whole DDR looked dirty and full of grime.
The Stasi were quite scary. No one knew who was a part of them and who wasn't. Your spouse could be Stasi, and you wouldn't know. They would report people detrimental to socialism, who would then be interrogated and sometimes imprisoned for long amounts of time. That's just a short overview.
The youth gathered in churches to listen to modern music, even though almost no one believed in God in the DDR.
It was interesting to see how much the DDR was focused on military-based activities, whether in sports or in society.
And, as usual, everything was a decade behind the rest of the world.
This is perhaps the worst crime of all. Knowledge should never be suppressed, even if it contradicts your political or religious system.
After that, I walked down the "Unter dem Linden Straße." It had a lot of beautiful buildings on either side of it; it led directly from Alexander Platz to the Brandenburg Tor, and onward to the Siegessäule. Here are some pictures of my walk. The first is of Humbolt University. I hope my panorama photo worked out; I couldn't back up much because of construction.
After I joined up with them, we walked in the March for Life in Berlin. It was about 4km long and took roughly 20 mins. The people I talked to were excited that so many people showed up- 3500! I would definitely agree with them- there didn't seem that many at the opening rally, and I kinda sped up through the whole march so I ended up near the front, but it was exciting to sit down and watch the crowds behind us just pour in. After a brief concluding speech, many people went inside St. Hedwig's Cathedral for a service. The Finns and I went out for Starbucks, since it was chilly outside. That was the positive side of the March for Life.
Now for the negative... I had never before met a Satanist before. I'll be honest: there's not many in the Midwest, and if someone professes to be a Satanist, they're probably just Goth and going through a rebellious stage in their life. At the March for Life, there were about 100 protesters who were making as much noise as possible with chants and whistles. Not only at the rally did they boo and hiss from a distance, but they even wove their way into the March itself and started their chants and whistling. It's probably a good thing I can't understand much German, but one of chants was, "Hey! Hey! Mittelalter, Mittelalter!" (They were calling us Middle Ages people.) Another one, which I had to ask for clarification about the pronunciation of the last word, went like "Kein Gott, Kein Staat, Kein Patriachat!" (No God, No State, No Patriarchy!) The last chant went something like this in English, "If Mary had had an abortion, we wouldn't have to put up with you people!" So...it was pretty vile stuff. Not only that, but what made it really Satanic were the symbols that some of the protesters were carrying. There was a pole with a circle on top, from which were hanging various trinkets, as well as a bull's horn. I can honestly say that this was the first time in my life that I've been personally thankful for the police, especially after the professional way the German police conducted themselves. The protesters were allowed to protest, as free speech allows, but when one of them squabbled with a marcher (both were probably to blame, since he grabbed her whistle with a swift movement after she had been blowing it in his ear for about 10 minutes straight...she proceeded to kick him), the protester was seized by the police and pinned to a wall, to the consternation of the protesters, who then focused their attention on the police, and not us. The police also broke up the protesters at times, forcing them out of our midst and onto the sidewalk, where they needed to stay.
It was great to be in the company of other Christians, though. We sang a few hymns and generally tried to ignore the protesters. I won't say it was a great experience, but I'm very glad I participated in it. May God give courage to all of us to stand up for the rights of the unborn, and to encourage young mothers to bear their children. I hope such Marches for Life can make a difference in even one person's life, because it's honestly a matter of life and death.
This is my only picture from the March for Life, because I was pretty scared about taking out my iPad during most of the March. However, you can see a video of the March for Life here. Unfortunately it's not very good. The picture quality is good, but the video is very jerky- it jumps forward quickly before stalling. If you want to know where I am, I should be near the end of the group with white crosses, since I was one of the last ones to get a cross. However, I might have walked ahead a bit. I don't know where this was filmed. Unfortunately I can't spot myself or the group of Finns I was with- we usually stayed either in the middle or on the right (where the man was filming this). Obviously I'm tall, and my cross would be one of the highest there. So if you find me, let me know! The closest guess I have is at 2:44 in the right hand side. See also the guy's blog, http://thomaslachetta.wordpress.com/. Although I'm probably in this video, check out the next one for a smoother video.
Another one, this time following the March. I'm not in this one, because the videographer is further back than where I was. Nevertheless, it's a clearer and smoother picture.
For those of you who know German, check this one out (it's a bit long):
Hopefully you got a taste of the March for Life in Berlin. It was very different from the one in Fort Wayne, but I hope we made a difference. Apparently it was the largest gathering of people against abortion in Germany.
We didn't do anything together on Friday, primarily because I had class in the afternoon. They came back in the evening, though, and we ended up talking until 2:30! Of course, there was German beer and Russian vodka involved, so conversation was lively and philosophical. It was interesting to ask them about life in a socialistic society and compare it with America.
As per my usual modus operandi, I didn't take pictures of them. Sigh. I really must remember to take pictures of people.
But on Saturday we agreed to meet at the March for Life. They had something to do in the morning, and I wanted to visit the DDR Museum, so we went our separate ways, agreeing to meet at 1.
The DDR Museum was very interesting and informative. It's definitely a quick must-see for anyone interested in recent German history. It's also a quick museum- you can walk through it in 30 mins to an hour. I got to see and sit in a Trabi (the car of the DDR). It had a 2-cycle engine and was very hard to get- people were on a waiting list for years to buy one. It was also very pollutant- perhaps one of the reasons the whole DDR looked dirty and full of grime.
The Stasi were quite scary. No one knew who was a part of them and who wasn't. Your spouse could be Stasi, and you wouldn't know. They would report people detrimental to socialism, who would then be interrogated and sometimes imprisoned for long amounts of time. That's just a short overview.
The youth gathered in churches to listen to modern music, even though almost no one believed in God in the DDR.
It was interesting to see how much the DDR was focused on military-based activities, whether in sports or in society.
After that, I walked down the "Unter dem Linden Straße." It had a lot of beautiful buildings on either side of it; it led directly from Alexander Platz to the Brandenburg Tor, and onward to the Siegessäule. Here are some pictures of my walk. The first is of Humbolt University. I hope my panorama photo worked out; I couldn't back up much because of construction.
The Saint Hedwig Cathedral- also the place where the March for Life ended.
After I joined up with them, we walked in the March for Life in Berlin. It was about 4km long and took roughly 20 mins. The people I talked to were excited that so many people showed up- 3500! I would definitely agree with them- there didn't seem that many at the opening rally, and I kinda sped up through the whole march so I ended up near the front, but it was exciting to sit down and watch the crowds behind us just pour in. After a brief concluding speech, many people went inside St. Hedwig's Cathedral for a service. The Finns and I went out for Starbucks, since it was chilly outside. That was the positive side of the March for Life.
Now for the negative... I had never before met a Satanist before. I'll be honest: there's not many in the Midwest, and if someone professes to be a Satanist, they're probably just Goth and going through a rebellious stage in their life. At the March for Life, there were about 100 protesters who were making as much noise as possible with chants and whistles. Not only at the rally did they boo and hiss from a distance, but they even wove their way into the March itself and started their chants and whistling. It's probably a good thing I can't understand much German, but one of chants was, "Hey! Hey! Mittelalter, Mittelalter!" (They were calling us Middle Ages people.) Another one, which I had to ask for clarification about the pronunciation of the last word, went like "Kein Gott, Kein Staat, Kein Patriachat!" (No God, No State, No Patriarchy!) The last chant went something like this in English, "If Mary had had an abortion, we wouldn't have to put up with you people!" So...it was pretty vile stuff. Not only that, but what made it really Satanic were the symbols that some of the protesters were carrying. There was a pole with a circle on top, from which were hanging various trinkets, as well as a bull's horn. I can honestly say that this was the first time in my life that I've been personally thankful for the police, especially after the professional way the German police conducted themselves. The protesters were allowed to protest, as free speech allows, but when one of them squabbled with a marcher (both were probably to blame, since he grabbed her whistle with a swift movement after she had been blowing it in his ear for about 10 minutes straight...she proceeded to kick him), the protester was seized by the police and pinned to a wall, to the consternation of the protesters, who then focused their attention on the police, and not us. The police also broke up the protesters at times, forcing them out of our midst and onto the sidewalk, where they needed to stay.
It was great to be in the company of other Christians, though. We sang a few hymns and generally tried to ignore the protesters. I won't say it was a great experience, but I'm very glad I participated in it. May God give courage to all of us to stand up for the rights of the unborn, and to encourage young mothers to bear their children. I hope such Marches for Life can make a difference in even one person's life, because it's honestly a matter of life and death.
This is my only picture from the March for Life, because I was pretty scared about taking out my iPad during most of the March. However, you can see a video of the March for Life here. Unfortunately it's not very good. The picture quality is good, but the video is very jerky- it jumps forward quickly before stalling. If you want to know where I am, I should be near the end of the group with white crosses, since I was one of the last ones to get a cross. However, I might have walked ahead a bit. I don't know where this was filmed. Unfortunately I can't spot myself or the group of Finns I was with- we usually stayed either in the middle or on the right (where the man was filming this). Obviously I'm tall, and my cross would be one of the highest there. So if you find me, let me know! The closest guess I have is at 2:44 in the right hand side. See also the guy's blog, http://thomaslachetta.wordpress.com/. Although I'm probably in this video, check out the next one for a smoother video.
Another one, this time following the March. I'm not in this one, because the videographer is further back than where I was. Nevertheless, it's a clearer and smoother picture.
For those of you who know German, check this one out (it's a bit long):
Hopefully you got a taste of the March for Life in Berlin. It was very different from the one in Fort Wayne, but I hope we made a difference. Apparently it was the largest gathering of people against abortion in Germany.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Bundestag
On Tuesday I visited the German Parliament. Obviously one can't just walk right in, so I had to apply ahead of time and provide them my name and passport information. It wasn't the most exciting place I've visited, but I took plenty of photos. We had a tour guide, but I couldn't understand much of what she said, especially when she talked about how the German government is organized. We also couldn't go very many places, but at least I got to sit inside the parliament chamber, empty at the time, and also climb to the top and get some nice photos of the Berlin landscape.
There's a chapel inside the Bundestag, which I thought was quite interesting and appropriate, given that Germany has two official state churches (Evangelical and Roman Catholic). Unfortunately, this chapel is meant to be a place of worship for any beliefs...including Islam. See the raised section in the lower part of this picture? It points to Mecca. Welcome to the land of ecumenism, even inter-religion ecumenism.
Hehe...the old Germany national anthem, which starts out, "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles." And I wonder why it's not used today.
We weren't allowed in the main area of the parliament chamber, but we got into the second level, where the public can sit. The German eagle looks less regal than the American eagle; at least ours doesn't look like it's doing a karate move.
The roof of the chamber, which is apparently an open roof, allowing stale, hot air to escape without rain getting in.
A look over the Tiergarten, with the Soviet Memorial and the Siegessäule in the distance.
Gottesdienst at St. Mary's Church in Zehlendorf
Last Sunday, as well as today, I attended St. Mary's Lutheran Church in Berlin-Zehlendorf (SELK). Pastor Dr. Gottfried Martens is the pastor of that congregation, and I have gotten to meet him twice now. He is very energetic and speaks good English.* Here is the English website, if you want to check it out: http://www.lutherisch.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=48. God has blessed St. Mary's with many Persians who are newly interested in Christianity. The ecumenical movement in the EKD (the state church in Germany) has actually hindered missional activities there, because they value peace and discussions with Muslims over the salvation of unbelievers. It's great that Pastor Martens has remained faithful and confessional, and it's great to see such a church grow. Here's a Christianity Today article about this growing movement in Germany: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/july-august/the-other-iranian-revolution.html. Interestingly, there was a baptism today of one such man from Tehran.
After the services, both this and last week, there were meals. Last week's had the theme of Russian food, mostly cooked by one of the members, while this week we had traditional German food- lots of potato salads and variously cooked meat. All was very delicious. I also met Jacob Corzine, who is an American student studying for his Doctorate diploma at Humbolt University. He had studied at Oberursel a number of years ago.
So if you ever come through Berlin on a Sunday, I highly encourage you to stop by St. Mary's and introduce yourself to Pastor Martens. The church is very welcoming to visitors, and it has been a great blessing to worship with the people there.
*For you grammar nuts out there who might point out above my use of "good" versus "well," yes, it is Pastor Martens' English knowledge that is good. If I wanted to say that his speaking was of a good quality, I'd say "He speaks English well." He does indeed speak English well, but he also knows English well. For those of you who don't care, I don't blame you. Don't read on. For those of you who don't know what's going on, it's an joke among those (of us) interested in English grammar that he who say "I speak English good" is self-defeating, because he who says such a sentence does not indeed speak English well.** I would actually contend that if his English can be understood, it has been spoken well, but if he makes grammatical mistakes, it is his knowledge or implementation of such knowledge that is deficient.
**My diatribe on grammar has not ended. I use the general "he" instead of the politically correct "s/he," "they," or "whoever," because none of these choice would be grammatically correct. I don't intend to exclude women, because "he" doesn't. "She" is a marker of the particular, intended to elevate the woman from the general "he" when it is used. Thus when an author wants to point to a general person of unknown sex, either man or woman, he (see what I did there?) should use "he"; only when the sex is known should one be more specific with "he" or "she." And yes, the two uses, but not meanings, of "he" are the same. See in the above paragraph; I switch from talking about Pastor Martens in particular to the general speaker of English. There is a difference! One is particular and one is general.
I could go on about the position of the final apostrophe after periods and commas, but not after exclamation points, colons, semicolons, and question marks; or about the use of semicolons after a list, but perhaps you could look those up on your own.
So if you ever come through Berlin on a Sunday, I highly encourage you to stop by St. Mary's and introduce yourself to Pastor Martens. The church is very welcoming to visitors, and it has been a great blessing to worship with the people there.
*For you grammar nuts out there who might point out above my use of "good" versus "well," yes, it is Pastor Martens' English knowledge that is good. If I wanted to say that his speaking was of a good quality, I'd say "He speaks English well." He does indeed speak English well, but he also knows English well. For those of you who don't care, I don't blame you. Don't read on. For those of you who don't know what's going on, it's an joke among those (of us) interested in English grammar that he who say "I speak English good" is self-defeating, because he who says such a sentence does not indeed speak English well.** I would actually contend that if his English can be understood, it has been spoken well, but if he makes grammatical mistakes, it is his knowledge or implementation of such knowledge that is deficient.
**My diatribe on grammar has not ended. I use the general "he" instead of the politically correct "s/he," "they," or "whoever," because none of these choice would be grammatically correct. I don't intend to exclude women, because "he" doesn't. "She" is a marker of the particular, intended to elevate the woman from the general "he" when it is used. Thus when an author wants to point to a general person of unknown sex, either man or woman, he (see what I did there?) should use "he"; only when the sex is known should one be more specific with "he" or "she." And yes, the two uses, but not meanings, of "he" are the same. See in the above paragraph; I switch from talking about Pastor Martens in particular to the general speaker of English. There is a difference! One is particular and one is general.
I could go on about the position of the final apostrophe after periods and commas, but not after exclamation points, colons, semicolons, and question marks; or about the use of semicolons after a list, but perhaps you could look those up on your own.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Three Museums in One Day
With the Müllers gone for the weekend, Benjamin to Hamburg because of work and Sonja to Oberursel to prepare for her exam, I decided to make the most of my Saturday on the Museum Island. A day ticket gets you in any museum for that day, no matter how many museums you visit. The only exception is the Pergamon Museum, which you must buy a separate ticket for. I took over 100 pictures, so you might want to see the full album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151151926933788.472291.500163787&type=1&l=92a1654c55.
I left mid-morning and started at the Bode Museum. There were a few themes throughout it. The first was Byzantine and Middle Ages art, which mostly focused around Christianity. It also has one of the largest coin collections in the world. Its sculptures date from the early Middle Ages through the Renaissance. So, there was much to see and admire, especially for Christians. I was really looking forward to seeing the oaken sculpture of John the Baptist's head on a platter, but it had been removed, probably for restoration. There were a LOT of statues, paintings, and reliefs of the Virgin Mary. I knew that she was a big deal in the Medieval Church, but I was blown away. One could probably count how many times Mary and Jesus were depicted in Bode, and Mary would probably edge Jesus out. Here's a whole two rooms devoted to Mary (except the statue of a cherub in the middle):
I was very impressed by the altar pieces; Bode had a large number still very well preserved. This one amused me...Peter obviously isn't too happy about letting people into heaven, or is it because he's on the back side of the altar piece? I'll let you decide. Let me know if that isn't St. Peter to the right. I think it is, because he's carrying the church and has a key in his left hand. If it isn't St. Peter, he still looks like a very angry bishop.
This giant crucifix reminded me of the crucifix at Concordia University Wisconsin, because in chapel there, there used to be Mary standing just under Jesus.
This mosaic came from the apse of a Roman Catholic church in Italy (I think). The church had been deconsecrated, and the mosaic sold to the Bode museum for preservation. I was impressed by the imagery, and the audio guide actually did a very good job at explaining everything to those who wouldn't point everything out. Just a few notes: there are three depictions of Christ, one on top of another. The main picture is Jesus holding the cross in victory with a book in his left hand. The two verses, proclaiming that Jesus and the Father are one, were chosen to combat Arianism, a heresy which had been growing at the time this church was built. Arianism stated that Jesus did not always exist but had been created by God the Father. Thus Jesus is simply a creature, though semi-divine, as they would claim. And who fought against him in which Church Council? Fellow seminarians, you better be able to answer it before you finish reading this sentence. It's Athanasius and the First Council of Nicaea in 325. The Nicene Creed came out of this Council as a repudiation of Arius' beliefs and teachings. If you're interested about learning more, I encourage you to ask your pastor, who should be able to tell you more and/or put some books into your hands. Back to the mosaic... Jesus is flanked by two angels, Michael and Gabriel. Theh lamb above him is also a representation of Jesus as the Lamb of God, who shed his blood for our sins. You must look up to get a better view of it. Coming down from the lamb are 10 doves. The audio guide said that they symbolized the disciples, which I was confused about. Usually there's 12 depictions of the disciples, with one symbolizing Judas in a different manner. But even if they took out Judas, there should be 11. Does anyone have any guesses? And finally there's Jesus in Judgment, sitting on the throne of God with the Book of Life in his hand. Beneath him is the foaming sea, representing earth and the chaos of sin there. It is finally calmed and restored to perfection in the Last Day. We know nevertheless that Jesus is in control and will come again. Seven of the angels to his sides have trumpets and symbolize the seven angels in Revelation chapters 8-11. The third angel from the left is kinda fat...
Finally, I really liked this painting. One can see a direct line from God in heaven down through the Lamb (its blood pouring into a chalice) and the altar to the baptismal font...very sacramental. After looking again at this painting, I can see four groups. The bottom right represents the Holy Orders (monks, bishops, popes, priests), the bottom left the male laity (especially scholars), and the upper right the women. I have no idea who the upper left group represents. There are some bishops and laity mixed together. Perhaps the Eastern Orthodox Church, separated as they are from the western church? Just a conjecture. Nevertheless, they join in the worship of the lamb.
After the Bode Museum, I visited the Altes Museum. It's differentiated from the Neues Museum only in name. They both contain old sculptures, art, and artifacts. In fact, the artifacts in the Neues Museum (primarily Egyptian) are older than those from the Altes Museum (Roman and Greek).
My interest in mythology and Roman and Greek history was again piqued. There was so much that I recalled from my high school days. Again, look through the album above for the album. One thing I learned was that the Caesars' marble busts probably weren't true likenesses of them, but represented his character and birth in various ways. For example, it was important that every Caesar look like the other Caesars, to stress the continuity in their ruling. The sculptors did this by parting the hair in the exact same way in every bust. Every Caesar has similar locks of hair curling in very similar ways, as you can see here. Most likely the hair styles changed through the decades of Roman rule, but the busts needed to look alike.
I left mid-morning and started at the Bode Museum. There were a few themes throughout it. The first was Byzantine and Middle Ages art, which mostly focused around Christianity. It also has one of the largest coin collections in the world. Its sculptures date from the early Middle Ages through the Renaissance. So, there was much to see and admire, especially for Christians. I was really looking forward to seeing the oaken sculpture of John the Baptist's head on a platter, but it had been removed, probably for restoration. There were a LOT of statues, paintings, and reliefs of the Virgin Mary. I knew that she was a big deal in the Medieval Church, but I was blown away. One could probably count how many times Mary and Jesus were depicted in Bode, and Mary would probably edge Jesus out. Here's a whole two rooms devoted to Mary (except the statue of a cherub in the middle):
I was very impressed by the altar pieces; Bode had a large number still very well preserved. This one amused me...Peter obviously isn't too happy about letting people into heaven, or is it because he's on the back side of the altar piece? I'll let you decide. Let me know if that isn't St. Peter to the right. I think it is, because he's carrying the church and has a key in his left hand. If it isn't St. Peter, he still looks like a very angry bishop.
This giant crucifix reminded me of the crucifix at Concordia University Wisconsin, because in chapel there, there used to be Mary standing just under Jesus.
This mosaic came from the apse of a Roman Catholic church in Italy (I think). The church had been deconsecrated, and the mosaic sold to the Bode museum for preservation. I was impressed by the imagery, and the audio guide actually did a very good job at explaining everything to those who wouldn't point everything out. Just a few notes: there are three depictions of Christ, one on top of another. The main picture is Jesus holding the cross in victory with a book in his left hand. The two verses, proclaiming that Jesus and the Father are one, were chosen to combat Arianism, a heresy which had been growing at the time this church was built. Arianism stated that Jesus did not always exist but had been created by God the Father. Thus Jesus is simply a creature, though semi-divine, as they would claim. And who fought against him in which Church Council? Fellow seminarians, you better be able to answer it before you finish reading this sentence. It's Athanasius and the First Council of Nicaea in 325. The Nicene Creed came out of this Council as a repudiation of Arius' beliefs and teachings. If you're interested about learning more, I encourage you to ask your pastor, who should be able to tell you more and/or put some books into your hands. Back to the mosaic... Jesus is flanked by two angels, Michael and Gabriel. Theh lamb above him is also a representation of Jesus as the Lamb of God, who shed his blood for our sins. You must look up to get a better view of it. Coming down from the lamb are 10 doves. The audio guide said that they symbolized the disciples, which I was confused about. Usually there's 12 depictions of the disciples, with one symbolizing Judas in a different manner. But even if they took out Judas, there should be 11. Does anyone have any guesses? And finally there's Jesus in Judgment, sitting on the throne of God with the Book of Life in his hand. Beneath him is the foaming sea, representing earth and the chaos of sin there. It is finally calmed and restored to perfection in the Last Day. We know nevertheless that Jesus is in control and will come again. Seven of the angels to his sides have trumpets and symbolize the seven angels in Revelation chapters 8-11. The third angel from the left is kinda fat...
Finally, I really liked this painting. One can see a direct line from God in heaven down through the Lamb (its blood pouring into a chalice) and the altar to the baptismal font...very sacramental. After looking again at this painting, I can see four groups. The bottom right represents the Holy Orders (monks, bishops, popes, priests), the bottom left the male laity (especially scholars), and the upper right the women. I have no idea who the upper left group represents. There are some bishops and laity mixed together. Perhaps the Eastern Orthodox Church, separated as they are from the western church? Just a conjecture. Nevertheless, they join in the worship of the lamb.
After the Bode Museum, I visited the Altes Museum. It's differentiated from the Neues Museum only in name. They both contain old sculptures, art, and artifacts. In fact, the artifacts in the Neues Museum (primarily Egyptian) are older than those from the Altes Museum (Roman and Greek).
My interest in mythology and Roman and Greek history was again piqued. There was so much that I recalled from my high school days. Again, look through the album above for the album. One thing I learned was that the Caesars' marble busts probably weren't true likenesses of them, but represented his character and birth in various ways. For example, it was important that every Caesar look like the other Caesars, to stress the continuity in their ruling. The sculptors did this by parting the hair in the exact same way in every bust. Every Caesar has similar locks of hair curling in very similar ways, as you can see here. Most likely the hair styles changed through the decades of Roman rule, but the busts needed to look alike.
Finally I visited the Neues Museum, which housed a lot of Egyptian artifacts. The bust of Queen Nefertiti is quite famous; so famous that they wouldn't let anyone take pictures of it. Here instead is a picture from the internet:
It's 3,300 years old! There were also a lot of richly decorated coffins.
Around the upper part of the courtyard is a frieze by Hermann Schievelbein, from the 19th Century. It depicted Mt. Vesuvius in the middle spewing lava out of his mouth. From him people were fleeing, taking their possessions with them. Interestingly, two people are welcoming them and their goods. Those people look quite...German. Yes, indeed- the Schievelbein depicted Friedrich August Stüler (the museum’s architect) and Ignaz von Olfers (its first director) welcoming the artifacts of antiquity into his museum for others to observe and learn from. So though the people of Herculaneum and Pompeii died terrible deaths, and though people throughout antiquity also died as all men do, all have left behind invaluable artifacts that we should treasure today. They are in the left side of the first picture below. And in the second picture is Vesuvius.
After that, I wanted to visit the Alte Nationalgalerie (an art museum), but it had already closed. I doubt I'll go back to visit it in the next few weeks, since I won't be in Berlin for much longer, but perhaps later.
Enjoy this video of a violin player outside the Altes Museum. He knew some Vivaldi and Mozart, and I sat and listened for 10-20 minutes, as did a number of others.
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