|
|
||
Shake-up in disciple rankings; suns as Crackerjack; ugly von Ducklings Date published: 4/8/2006
Here & there
Judas in rehab Have we got Judas Iscariot, the biblical betrayer of Christ, all wrong the last two millennia? Was he, in the words of the Animals (remember them?), just a soul whose intentions were good? What's being called "The Gospel of Judas," unearthed in Egypt in 1978 and recently translated, portrays him as the most heroic of the disciples. Judas handed over Jesus to his tormenters, claims this papyrus-inscribed account, at the former's command and with his special blessing to fulfill Christ's salvific mission on Earth. The Judas manuscript is unlikely ever to make the cut for inclusion in Holy Scripture. Heretics could write, too, which led not only to the early church's practice of burning books (sometimes with the authors still holding them) but to ecclesiastical councils that separated the wheat from the chaff. Our advice to believers is to refrain from theological overhaul. Recognize, too, that the spirit of revisionist fervor remains strong. Who knows what biblical villains will next be rehabilitated? Imagine the headlines: Researchers claim Herod pioneer of population control Abel trespassed, asserts NRA historian; 'Deserved what he got' New findings suggest Satan really not a half-bad guy How about super-duper-massive holes? Elsewhere in the world of science, astronomers have discovered that two supermassive black holes in space are converging. Locked in a death spiral, they could merge to create a "super-supermassive" black hole (not exactly wordsmiths, these whitecoats) capable of swallowing billions of stars. A black hole is a very dense area in space with a strong gravitational pull that sucks in suns, capturing even their light. A supermassive black hole is, well, bigger. And a super-supermassive black hole is really something to see. Or not, as the case actually is. Since black holes don't give off light, the only way to "see" them is by the incredible amounts of X-ray emissions they produce. "Black holes are the ultimate garbage disposals," notes Craig Sarazin, professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia. "The material they swallow disappears without any trace, except for the gravity of the black hole." Our own Milky Way galaxy has a supermassive black hole that already has swallowed the equivalent of 4 million suns. With that appetite, will it run for Congress? Inexplicable Datum Dept. In a 42-country survey, West Germans were least likely to say they were "very proud" to be citizens of their nation. Just 20 percent agreed. Seventy-six percent of Americans chose "very proud."
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
|
|
||||||||||||
