Enlightenment through the Wisdom of Sophia

In the Judeo-Christian tradition the goddess Sophia is the beginning, the source of wisdom, and keeper of the knowledge of all that is righteous and just. With her sound wisdom and guidance, rulers lead their kingdoms to prosper. In the darkness and ignorance that thrive in her absence, the proverbial wasteland eats away at the soul and nations perish. Sophia ("Wisdom"), also called "the Sophia" with the article, is the Gnostic Great Mother or in Greek,meter. She is the Goddess of Heaven and the Mother of the Stars and the Hebdomas, the Seven powers who created the world. They are sometimes called "angels" but are of ambiguous character, since in Gnostic belief this material world is thought to be a lesser emanation of the divine world, filled with hostile and evil powers. The Seven find their antecedants in the seven "planets" of Babylonian belief.

Gnosis means "deep knowledge" or "spiritual understanding", and was usually understood by the Gnostics to mean "revelation". Our word "know" has its roots in "gnosis". The Gnostics were an early mystic sect who existed prior to Christianity, but who were much influenced by it later. In the early centuries of the current era it presented serious competition for the mainstream Church. The new orthodox Church that developed in response rejected Gnosticism and its writings, which included the Gospels of Thomas, Phillip, and Mary Magdalene.
Sophia is considered one of the Aeons, Angels of Manifested Thought, who created all things. She is the mother of Sophia-achamoth (who represents astral light), Enthumesis ("Consideration" or "Esteem") and the Elohim ("the Gods"). With Phronesia ("Purpose" or "Practical Wisdom") and Dynamis ("Power") She created the Angels and the Principalities (the Higher Angels). Called the Spirit of God, She is also sometimes said to be His mother, and some call Her the Bride of Christ.
She is represented here as all-seeing Wisdom.
Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople, now Istanbul (not Constantinople--it's been a long time gone), was built by the Emperor Constantine in February 15, 360 CE in honor of Her and remains one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
Hagia Sophia is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has always been the precious of its time.
The mystical city Istanbul hosted many civilizations since centuries, of which Byzantium and Ottoman Empires were both the most famous ones. The city today carries the characteristics of these two different cultures and surely Hagia Sophia is a perfect synthesis where one can observe both Ottoman and Byzantium effects under one great dome.The Hagia Sophia has a classical basilica plan. The main ground plan of the building is a rectangle, 230 feet (70 m) in width and 246 feet (75 m) in length. The area is covered by a central dome with a diameter of 102 feet (31 m), which is just slightly smaller than that of the Pantheon in Rome.

The main dome is carried on pendentives: four concave triangular sections of masonry which solve the problem of setting the circular base of a dome on a rectangular base. Each pendentive is decorated with a seraphim. The weight of the dome passes through the pendentives to four massive piers at the corners, and between them the dome seems to float upon four great arches.
At the western and eastern ends, the arched openings are extended by semi-domes. The flat wall on each side of the interior (north and south) is called atympanum, and each one has 12 large windows in two rows, seven in the lower and five in the upper.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History of Homosexual: Ancient Greece

Image
How we from being happily accept in society to being hate and have to fight for equality? Let start begin in the ancient world work our way to the source of the problem. The Ancient Greece "The noble lover of beauty engages in love wherever he sees excellence and splendid natural endowment without regard for any difference in physiological detail." - Plutarch The ancient Greeks are widely known for their gay exploits. Many people are aware of Greek homosexual love poetry, the same-sex relations of Greek gods and heroes, and the gay relationship between Alexander the Great and Hephaestion. It is important in the beginning to define our vocabulary. The term ’homosexuality’ as it is used and understood today is not mainly applicable to Greek of ancient times for three reasons: First of all, most Greeks were bisexual. Second, homosexuality and 'gay' as sexual identities are recent developments. They were emerged only in the 2Oth Century (our idea of what i...
Please read more »

Seven Wonders of the World: Colossus of Rhodes

Image
Travelers to the New York City harbor see a marvelous sight. Standing on a small island in the harbor is an immense statue of a robed woman, holding a book and lifting a torch to the sky. It is sometimes referred to as the "Modern Colossus," but more often called the Statue of Liberty. This awe-inspiring statue was a gift from France to America and is easily recognized by people around the world. What many visitors to this shrine to freedom don't know is that the statue, the "Modern Colossus," is the echo of another statue, the original colossus, which stood over two thousand years ago at the entrance to another busy harbor on the Island of Rhodes. In the late 4th century BC, Rhodes, allied with Ptolemy I of Egypt, prevented a massive invasion staged by their common enemy, Antigonus I Monophthalmus and his son Demetrius. In 304 BC a relief force of ships sent by Ptolemy arrived, and Antigonus's army abandoned the siege, leaving most of their siege equi...
Please read more »

Daily life of Roman life: Slavery

Image
Slavery had a long history in the ancient world and was practiced in Ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as Rome. Most slaves during the Roman Empire were foreigners and, unlike in modern times, Roman slavery was not based on race. Slaves were considered property under Roman law and had no legal personhood. Unlike Roman citizens, they could be subjected to corporal punishment, sexual exploitation (prostitutes were often slaves), torture, and summary execution. The testimony of a slave could not be accepted in a court of law unless the slave was tortured—a practice based on the belief that slaves in a position to be privy to their masters' affairs would be too virtuously loyal to reveal damaging evidence unless coerced (yeah right). Over time, however, slaves gained increased legal protection, including the right to file complaints against their masters. How did people become Roman Slaves? People became slaves among the Romans by the following ways: Prisoners of war Sailors ...
Please read more »