For Thomas Carlyle in Past and Present , the 'Gospel of Mammonism' became simply a metaphoric personification for the materialist spirit of the nineteenth century. Mammon is somewhat similar to the Greek god Plutus, and the Roman Dis Pater, in his description, and it is likely that he was at some point based on them; especially since Plutus appears in The Divine Comedy as a wolf-like demon of wealth, wolves being associated with greed in the Middle Ages.
Thomas Aquinas metaphorically described the sin of Avarice as "Mammon being carried up from Hell by a wolf, coming to inflame the human heart with Greed". Demonology Explore. Wiki Content. Explore Wikis Community Central. Register Don't have an account? History Talk 0. Fan Feed 1 Asmodeus 2 Astaroth 3 Moloch.
We may believe we serve God, but our true allegiance is seen in how we devote our time and how we use our resources. We must be careful not to worship God in word while worshiping mammon in deed. Everything we worship requires something from us. Jesus encouraged his followers to follow his example and to take up their own cross.
He told them to put one another first and to put themselves last. His parables and teachings often encouraged personal and private sacrifices that would be rewarded by Jesus. Mammon also requires sacrifices. There are a million offerings we can make to mammon. You can work tirelessly. You can horde your wealth. You can take advantage of others. There are millions of ways to serve mammon, and many of them appear to reward us faster than serving God. John Chrysostom, the early fifth-century archbishop of Constantinople, explained it this way:.
If we want to understand what Jesus was trying to tell us about mammon, we need to look at his words in context. In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins talking about treasure. It seems as though the woman's robes are moving around her, this gives the painting an overall sense of movement and realism. Evelyn has painted the woman's face to look desperate and withdraw, this adds to the woman's pleading form. Her robes are in pink and purple tones, which reflects her damaged outlook on spiritual wealth and worship.
The pink and purple of the woman's robes are also symbolic of spirituality and of worship. Evelyn often used these colours in her artwork. Mammon is the depiction of wealth. He became an evil influence that was worshipped in the place of God especially in the Industrial Revolution.
Evelyn has painted Mammon in a bronze and gold colour palette, this gives the impression that Mammon is a statue. Lord God, heavenly Father, rule and govern our hearts by your Holy Spirit, that we may not, hear your Word in vain and become so devoted to worldly things that we forget eternal things, but that we serve those who are in need and not defile ourselves with carousing and pride.
Keep us from despair when we experience trials and misfortunes and move us to trust wholly in your fatherly help and grace, so that in faith and Christian patience we may overcome all things; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever.
Source: Veit Dietrich, d. Photo by Kuncheek from Pexels. This article is part of our Christian Terms catalog exploring words and phrases of Christian theology and history.
Here are some of our most popular articles covering Christian terms to help your journey of knowledge and faith:. Christian Meaning of Humility. Who are Gentiles? Biblical Meaning What is Fornication? Share this. What is Mammon? Its Bible Definition and Meaning Today Learn about the biblical definition of mammon and what it means for our lives today.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia gives the following information about the biblical term "mammon": A common Aramaic word mamon for riches, used in Matthew and in Luke
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