Etemenanki Ziggurat

Built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley, ziggurats were great stepped pyramids that dominated the landscape. At the tops (closer to the sky) were great shrines, where sacrifices were offered to the gods. The Etemenanki Ziggurat in Babylon was dedicated to Marduk and survived until the third century BC, but their is debate over when it was built. It may have been the great ziggurat described in literature going back two thousand years BC, or it may have been built as recently(?) as 900 BC. It has been suggested that this great pyramid may have been the basis for the story of the Tower of Babel. Recently a LEGO version was unveiled by Michal Herbolt, aka gearcs:

Back to the Ark

A couple of days ago I mentioned the Harvest Bible Chapel construction of a giant Noah's Ark last year as part of their Vacation Bible School program. TFOL and Harvest member Casey McCoy was able to get me some additional photos of their final product.

More Temple

You may remember from last year that kids attending Vacation Bible School at the Harvest Bible Chapel in Illinois built a giant Noah's Ark from LEGO. This year they had another project, Solomon's Temple. TFOL (that's Teen Fan of LEGO) Casey McCoy is a member of that church and helped out, and he took extensive photos of the event.

Yom Kippur

I've been really busy lately and haven't been blogging, so I missed Yom Kippur. This day, the 'Day of Atonement', closes out the High Holy Days of the Jewish religious calendar. During the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, on this day the high priest brought a sacrifice into the Holy of Holies to ask God for forgiveness for the sins of the nation. Today's Jews observe the day with prayer and fasting. To note the day (belatedly), let's take another look at Tbone TBL's LEGO rendition of Solomon's Temple.


Including the entrance to the Holy of Holies:

Standing apart

From Equinnox:
Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

-Romans 12:2

Water into wine

According to John 2:1-11, Jesus first miracle took place at a wedding in Cana. After the wine ran out during the festivities, Jesus asked the servants to fill up jars with water, and when they tasted from the jars they were the finest wine. Minkowsky reproduced this miracle with a touch of humor in a recent MOC. You have to watch the movie to get the full effect. Be sure to look through the whole gallery for some great details.

Dissolution of the monasteries

England's Henry VIII was locked in a struggle with the Catholic Church, including over his desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon. This finally resulted in the Act of Supremacy in 1534, declaring the Church of England with himself as head. The monasteries continued to be a center of Catholic power, with the monks holding large amounts of property and acting as local authorities. The Suppresion Acts of 1536 and 1539 declared that these monasteries were disbanded, and their property was taken over by the state. SlyOwl illustrated this, winning the religious life category from last year's Colossal Castle Contest.