Essay Question One The beliefs about death had evolved greatly over the periods of time. Whether it may have been the First humans, the Sumerians, the Ancient Americans, Jewish, Christian, or any religion in between, each era was a bit different. The comparison and contrast to one another have different aspects to how they perceive the afterlife or what happens before and after death. As time passed, many different religious faiths existed. How each transpired was solely based on the era. In ancient times, there were a variety of religious faiths in existence. However, there were three that stood out from the rest. The first was the Mesopotamian faith (early ancient times), which was of great importance within Mesopotamian culture. For Mesopotamians, the gods were living realities who affected all aspects of life. The center of each Mesopotamian community was the temple complex, which consisted of ziggurat with a temple at the top. It was here that the main god or goddess, in the form of a statue, resided. It would be here that all religious ceremonies took place. This temple complex would dominate both individual and commercial life, thus demonstrating the close relationship between religion and culture within Mesopotamia and the belief that there was an afterlife of immortality. The second was the Egyptian faith. Like the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians held their faith in high regard. They had a vast number of gods, all of which were associated with heavenly bodies and natural forces’. However, there was one period in Egyptian history that only one god was worshiped. It lasted only until the death of the pharaoh who implemented it. Aside from the worshipping of the gods, his great focus in Egyptian faith seemed to be preparation for the afterlife. A great deal of time and energy was invested in creating burial chambers particularly among the ruling class and royalty. The various pyramids that were built for different pharaohs served as gateways to the afterlife
Finally, there was the Jewish faith. As with the first two faiths, the Jews held their religious beliefs in high regard. However, unlike the first two, the Jews practiced monotheism. This meant they worshiped only one god - Yahweh. Initially, there were those Jews who worshiped other gods as well. It would not be until the 6th century B.C. that Yahweh would be seen as the one and only god. This belief in one god became a major tenet of the Jewish faith, as well as in Christianity, which evolved from Judaism. Man had the belief that there is a heaven and a hell and one god who choses your afterlife.
What do you believe? Is there a heaven or hell; is there one true god, or multiple gods? Is there such a thing as reincarnation? No matter what the comparison is, it is based on the religion that you believe. The belief comes from what era you were raised in and how the common man believed. There is no belief that is right or wrong. No one really knows what happens after death, it is all theory based on scripts and scrolls written from those times by the living man.

Essay Question Three

The attempt to experience God through works of art and decoration in the Middle Ages by Christians seems to be an elaborate “story”. When it is read on paper, it seems as though the architects in that era told their own “story” of depicting their God. However, the creativity of the beautiful cathedrals is seemingly a passion of each architect to help others receive the “light” of God. The designs, colors, and thought process brings a beauty that I would love to experience to make my very own judgment on how to perceive what the architect was trying to portray. The Gothic style was characterized by soaring vertical lines and jewel-like stained glass windows, a synthesis of stone and glass inspired by the most profound religious feeling. These buildings not only reflected the religious fervor but also the power and wealth in the Gothic age. The first Gothic style architect was Abbott Sugar. Sugar was an architect that had emphasis on light and luminosity. His belief was that God revealed himself through material things lead to the rebuilding of his abbey church. With this belief came the vision that the spirit of God was portrayed with precious gems and golden reliquaries and light symbolized the incarnation of God. The Gothic style of Sugar’s structural elements of pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and external buttresses created a masterpiece of soaring lines that lifted the beholders eyes and spirits. After the Gothic style of Sugar, cathedrals arose around Paris. The Chartres Cathedral surpassed all others in perfection of its architectural design. The cathedral became one of the holiest shrines in Europe due to housing what was claimed to be the tunic of the Virgin Mary. The cathedral was burned down but the tunic was saved and believers thought this was a sign to rebuild in the mothers honor. Twenty-five years after this fire a new Gothic church was born. The visible structure of the completed nave interior represented the beauty and proportion of God’s ordered cosmos, a visible manifestation of divine truth. With this splendid beauty of this cathedral, came a manifestation of beauty and splendor to the human senses and intellect. The glass windows of the cathedrals were that known as “rose windows”. These windows contained colored glass, filling the interior with a subdue light that symbolized God’s mysteries. Each depicted a visual “Bible of the Poor”, to help instruct the illiterate and pilgrims who worshiped there. The predominant colors of blue and red were the favorite colors of the Gothic glassmakers. The belief was that these colors symbolized the Virgin and the lineage of Christ. The stories were also depicted in stone on schools. This told stories such as the incarnation of Christ and the entrances to Heaven. Much like the stories told in the glass windows, architects could find ways to make believers feel as though God was always watching over them. The power of the visuals made people believe that there was a God all around them with a sense of security in their belief. I have never experienced these cathedrals for myself, although I have heard many say that it is “breathtaking!” The thought of how one felt in those ages has crossed my mind and makes me wonder if my faith would different or stronger for just the visual of the splendid beauty.