4/4/2025 Vocab learned (Taiwanese、Mandarin):
嘴秋 = Talking big, vain.
窝囊 = 受了委屈心里不痛快
嗆聲 chàngshēng, “chhiàng-siaⁿ” = to provoke/challenge
勿谓言之不预也 = 是中华人民共和国通过官方媒体发出的最严重警告
Painting of the day: An Arrest, Painted by Christian Ludwig Bokelmann (1844-1894), Painted in 1881, Oil on canvas, Christie’s / Wikimedia Commons
Patrick van der Vorst alluded this painting to Jesus' arrest (attempted) in John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30. Contrasting the public humiliation of just cause in the painting with that which was intended to judge the Judge.
4/3/2025 Thanks to Ryan from Reformed Forum, finally got this cleared out. I kept hearing "Doctor Piper" on Presbyterian podcasts and it was apparent that they weren't talking about the Baptist Dr. John Piper. I may have had it cleared out before but googling "presbyterian piper" and such just won't work when (if) I forgot about it. This is what Ryan answered me: Dr. Joseph Pipa, President Emeritus of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is one of the founding ministers of the PCA and currently serving as one of the pastors of Antioch Presbyterian Church in South Carolina. I would never have been able to figure this out on my on given Google's current artificial intelligence.
4/3/2025 Jared Madsen explores the Chinese poem Bamboo Grove Villa (竹里館) by Buddhist 王維 aka 詩佛. Using excerpts from the movie: 长安三万里 (2023), shown below this video. Interesting vocabulary learned: 篁 huang2 = bamboo forest.
独坐幽篁里，
弹琴复长啸。
深林人不知，
明月来相照。
4/3/2025 Painting of the day: The Death of Moses, Painting by Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889), Painted in 1850, Oil on canvas, Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France
This is a huge painting, Fr. Patrick van der Vorst related this to John 5:31-47, where Jesus rebuked the Jews - "There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope." God depicted on the left as Moses is dying before God, gazing at the promised land. The style of flowing drapery and muscular form imitates that of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel paintings.
4/2/2025 Painting of the day: The Concert, Painted by Gerrit Van Honthorst (1592-1656),Painted in 1623, Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Fr. Patrick van der Vorst related this painting to John 5:17-30: I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me to illustrate the beauty in harmony. What's worthy of note is Gerrit van Honthorst, one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age, after training in Utrecht, Gerrit travelled to Italy, where he absorbed tenebrism (strong contrasts of light and dark) characteristic of Caravaggio’s work. Upon returning to the Netherlands, he became famous for his candlelit night scenes, earning him the nickname “Gherardo delle Notti” (Gerard of the Nights). His compositions are often filled with warmth, life, and fun storytelling, whether depicting biblical narratives, historical subjects, or lively genre scenes of musicians. His reputation led him to prestigious commissions from European courts, including working as a painter for King Charles I of England and Prince Frederick Henry of Orange. ~ van der Vorst.
4/1/2025 Painting of the day: Christ Healing the Lame at the Pool of Bethesda, Drawing by Perino del Vaga (1501-1547), Drawn in 1538-1539, Pen and brown ink, over red chalk, on paper; Morgan Library, New York
This Morgan Library is near where I work and I haven't even visited.
Excerpt from Fr. Patrick van der Vorst, using John 5:1-3, 5-16: At the top of the drawing, an angel hovers, said to be the one who stirred the healing waters of the pool...Born in Florence, Perino del Vaga later moved to Rome, where he joined Raphael’s workshop...Jesus’ question... ‘Do you want to be well again?’ I agree with Vorst that it seems that this lame was not too grateful and rather complained than answering Jesus directly what he wanted. The blind in the soul couldn't see true blessings. And it reminds us to truly wish to be healed by our Lord, of addictions, impatience, grumpiness, etc. Or do we just wish to blame someone/something else for any shortcomings in us. It is also interesting that in verse 14, Jesus did warn the healed sinner: "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." And the next verse just state that he went to tell the Jews it was Jesus who healed him. This is probably the most gracious act of our Lord amongst those seemingly unappreciative accounts.
3/31/2025 Painting of the day: Death and Life, Painting by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), Painted in 1910, Oil on Canvas, Leopold Museum, Vienna. Contrasting death and life (vibrant colors, all ages, mother, father, etc.)
3/30/2025 Painting of the day: The Prodigal Son, Painting by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), Painted in 1618, Oil on canvas, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
Observe the son's face (right), the owner's daughter couldn't help him. The animals have better colors than he.
Paraphrasing Lane Tipton: If you truly get the relationship of your gracious election and righteousness, you would probably see non-Christians better than you. I added this on FB: Why most Christians who claimed to be reformed, don't really get what reformed by often criticizing/looking down on non-Christians on certain ways: