Jesus was not born in a stable. That’s not to say the birth wasn’t attended by farm animals — the Gospel of Luke tells us twice the baby’s first bed was a feeding trough — but rather that the animals lived in the house.
Peasant homes in first century Bethlehem were designed with what we would today call an “open concept.” They typically had one large room with the nicer living space in an open loft or on the roof, while the main floor area was where the family’s animals would be brought for safekeeping at night. The guestroom that was unavailable to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph was that loft or roof space, and the big room where they stayed instead served as the kitchen, living room, dining room, and farmyard all at once. The defining feature of Jesus’ birthplace was not isolation, as we often tend to think, but an utter lack of privacy: Mary delivered in a crowded farmhouse with few, if any, interior walls.
And that was perfectly normal, if not exactly desirable, for our modern fixation on the open floor plan is a historical anomaly. It flies in the face of literally millennia of consensus that more rooms is better, and it is a dreadful mistake. The last 70 years of open concept construction and remodeling has left us with dysfunctional houses, homes that are less conducive to hospitality, less energy efficient, and more given to mess.
Bonnie Kristian, “Open concept homes are for peasants”, The Week, 2019-05-12.
June 18, 2019
QotD: The birth of Jesus and the open concept house
June 15, 2019
Miscellaneous Myths: Io
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published on 14 Jun 2019The moon! The myth! The legend! The three millionth woman to live through an absolute nightmare just because Zeus couldn’t be bothered to keep it in his pants!
Still had a better life than Callisto, though.
Pro tip, if someone is listed on wikipedia as a “lover” of zeus, that does not at all indicate that their relationship was consensual.
PATREON: https://www.Patreon.com/OSP
May 23, 2019
The early days of the S.A.S.
Lindybeige
Published on 31 Oct 2017One of the world’s most famous regiments was nearly disbanded after one disastrous mission.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LindybeigeI forgot to say that David Stirling was twenty-five years old when recovering from his injury and dreaming up the future SAS. Within two years, all the major airfields within 300 miles of the front had been raided by the SAS, some of them up to four times.
The camouflage used on the vehicles of the LRDG, and later the SAS, was rose pink and olive green, and by all accounts it worked very well.
Main sources: SAS Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre, Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy Maclean.
Lindybeige: a channel of archaeology, ancient and medieval warfare, rants, swing dance, travelogues, evolution, and whatever else occurs to me to make.
▼ Follow me…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lindybeige I may have some drivel to contribute to the Twittersphere, plus you get notice of uploads.
website: http://www.LloydianAspects.co.uk
May 16, 2019
Bronze Age collapse
archeo atlas
Published on 3 Jan 2014The Influence of Climatic Change on the Late Bronze Age Collapse and the Dark Ages
May 12, 2019
History-Makers: Homer
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published on 10 May 2019Visit PhilosophicalPhridays.com to learn more about Blue’s BOOK!
“History-Makers” is a new series from Blue, digging into the backstories of history’s most influential writers and their great works. We begin at the beginning, with the Greek poet Homer, trying to figure out how exactly he wound up with the Iliad and Odyssey!
Let me know which History-Maker you’d like me to cover in the comments below!
PATREON: https://www.Patreon.com/OSP
May 1, 2019
Mythology Matters #4 – Persian Myths – Extra Mythology
Extra Credits
Published on 29 Apr 2019Join the Patreon community! http://bit.ly/EMPatreon
In this episode, Extra Credits goes to King’s Landing — er, so we can talk about the things we couldn’t fit in to our Persian myths episodes, *obviously.*
Myths offer us a fascinating look into the things that a culture historically valued, even though as modern viewers we may have a hard time relating to them.
April 27, 2019
Israeli Light-Barrel FAL (from DS Arms)
Forgotten Weapons
Published on 23 Mar 2019http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg…
Israel was one of the very First Nations to adopt the FN FAL rifle – after Canada but before many
actualother NATO nations. Israel made its first purchases of the rifles in 1955, and delayed them almost immediately in the 1956 Suez Crisis. The first rifles were wholly made by FN in Belgium, but over time IMI in Israel would produce almost all parts except receivers (they had a good working relationship with FN, which had licensed production of the Uzi submachine gun from IMI). These first rifles are good examples of many early FN design elements, which are not seen on later major NATO contracts, as the design details evolved over time. Israel would use the FAL through the Yom Kippur War in 1973 before transitioning to the 5.56mm Galil rifles.In addition to the light-barrel infantry rifle, Israel also adopted a heavy barreled version of the FAL as a light machine gun or automatic rifle. These were fitted with stout bipods, but used the same 20-round magazines as the standard rifles.
A very small number of Israel semiauto FAL rifles were imported in the late 1980s, and they are very scarce in the United States today – or they were, until DS Arms acquired a supply of Israeli light-barrel parts kits and began assembling them into complete rifles to sell. They are particularly nice builds as the DSA markings and serial number are on the inside of the magazine well, allowing the external surface to be engraved with a very nice recreation of the original Israeli receiver markings with their distinctive Hebrew text and IDF insignia.
Stay tuned for an upcoming 2-Gun Action Challenge Match on InRangeTV using this rifle!
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
PO Box 87647
Tucson, AZ 85754
April 23, 2019
Zal and Rudabeh: A Love Story – Persian Myth #2 – Extra Mythology
Extra Credits
Published on 22 Apr 2019Join the Patreon community! http://bit.ly/EMPatreon
Zal was raised not by his father, who feared his amazing white hair, but by the terrifying creature Simorgh — becoming a man of the mountains in the process. When his father decided to accept him back into society, his muscular frame caught the eye of the princess Rudabeh — but would he be able to gain favor for his wits?
April 18, 2019
Holiday Tales: Easter!
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published on 30 Mar 2018Happy Good Friday, everyone! Easter’s in two days, so let’s take a hot minute to see if we can figure out what exactly we’re celebrating when we pull out our egg baskets and chocolate bunnies, and why exactly we do it the way we do. Will we be able to unravel the mysteries of Easter before Jesus’s death timer hits zero? (Spoiler: no!)
PATREON: www.patreon.com/user?u=4664797
April 13, 2019
April 10, 2019
Zahhak the Demon King – Persian Myth #1 – Extra Mythology
Extra Credits
Published on 8 Apr 2019Join the Patreon community! http://bit.ly/EMPatreon
Zahhak was not always a demon king — but, deceived by a young man named Iblis, he was motivated to slay his father to obtain world power. His pride would cause him to turn into a monstrous demon king, with serpents on his shoulders that fed on the Arabian people, for a thousand years… until Feraydun showed up…
April 9, 2019
Siege of Vienna – Opening Bombardment – Extra History – #1
Extra Credits
Published on 6 Apr 2019Mehmed IV wanted to live up to, and even surpass, the legacy of his forefather Mehmed II, who had secured the Ottomans’ inheritance to the Roman Empire through his conquest of Constantinople. So the current Mehmed decided to target Vienna — but Emperor Leopold dismissed these threats…
Over a hundred thousand Ottoman troops are heading for Vienna. Only 15,000 men defend the walls. They have only six days to prepare the city. How long can they hold?
Join us on Patreon! http://bit.ly/EHPatreon
April 7, 2019
Epic Moments in History – The 9 Lives of Alexander the Great
Invicta
Published on 4 Sep 2017Alexander the Great is one of the most famous historical figures of all time. Yet many are unaware of the 9 times he cheated death over the course of his epic campaigns into the east!
Support future documentaries: https://www.patreon.com/InvictaHistory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InvictaHistoryVideo Credits:
Research – Invicta
Script: Invicta
Narration – Invicta
Artwork – Robbie McSweeney (https://www.artstation.com/artist/rob…)Bibliography:
Alexander the Great by Phillips Freeman
The Campaigns of Alexander by ArrianMusic: “Rome: Total War OST” by Jeff van Dyck
“Total War: Rome II OST” by Richard Beddow
April 4, 2019
Mythology Matters – Gilgamesh Meaning – Extra Mythology – #3
Extra Credits
Published on 3 Apr 2019Join the Patreon community! http://bit.ly/EMPatreon
The myth of Gilgamesh is a metaphor for building a civilization — yes, really? Let’s go behind-the-scenes on our Bronze Age myth!
March 28, 2019
QotD: Sharia law
In order of importance, [Sharia] has four sources. First, there is the Koran, which is the record of what was revealed to Mohammed by God, speaking through the Archangel Gabriel, Its injunctions are absolutely binding on the faithful. Second, there is the sunna, or the practice of Mohammed, as understood from the hadith, or traditional stories of his sayings and doings. These are less holy than the Koran, being only what was observed of a particularly honoured man, and not the direct Word of God given at third hand. Also, there are nearly two million of them, and they often contradict one another. But they count, once any consistent doctrine can be divined from them on a particular issue, as reliable guides. Third, there is the ijima or consensus of opinion among the ulema, or learned Moslems. Fourth, there is qiyas, or a process of analogical reasoning by which, in the absence of any rule or precedent, a case is to be decided in a manner consistent with the existing body of law. In addition to these, we can be fairly certain that much law has been inherited from pre-Islamic Arabian custom, and from the near eastern societies that subsequently became Moslem.
The main development of Islamic law came to an end in the eighth century with the Foundation of what remain the four traditional schools of legal interpretation. The task of all succeeding jurists was seen increasingly to consist as no more than the application and development of principles already laid down. Then, some time during the tenth century, there came what is known as “The Closure of the Gate of Interpretation ”. Since then, the exercise of itjihad — or independent judgment — has not, in theory, been permitted at all.
Islamic law differs from our own not only in its derivation, but also in its content. With us, despite what remains from the old regimes, and despite a great mass of socialist legislation during the present century, law is a means largely of protecting life and property. Among the Islamic lawyers, this has been an end only incidental to the main one, of ensuring conformity to the will of God. “The sacred law of Islam…” according to the great western scholar of the subject, Joseph Schacht, “is an all-embracing body of religious duties, the totality of Allah’s commands that regulate the life of every Muslim in all its aspects”. Not surprisingly, any country where the government takes Islam seriously is invariably, in western terms, an exceptionally gloomy and repressive place.
Let us look at Saudi Arabia. Within the bounds set by Islamic law, the country is an absolute monarchy. It lacks even the pretence of representative institutions and freedom of the press. All public officers are appointed by the King, and are responsible in the final instance to him alone. No religion other than Islam is tolerated in public — not even the sale of crosses being allowed — and anyone who is not a Moslem is made a victim of official discrimination. All publications are subject to a searching, and what often strikes westerners as a frivolous, censorship. On the 13th of March, 1989, The Times was allowed on sale only after the censors had snipped out the relevant part of a photograph in which a lady was showing more of herself than was thought decent. Women, indeed, are treated as inferior beings, and this treatment goes far beyond the close regulation of their dress by the police. They can be divorced at will. The range of employments open to them is restricted by law, and they can take none that involves contact with any man not related to them. They cannot drive cars. They cannot travel unaccompanied by a male relative. Adultery and certain other sexual acts carry the death penalty. The drinking of alcohol, while not absolutely prohibited, is discouraged. Tobacco is only grudgingly allowed. Gambling is forbidden. Music and dance are frowned on.
