Do you think it's possible that the New Testament was written to offset the harsh tone of the Old Testament?
No. The idea that the Old Testament is more harsh originates with those who have never studied the Bible. Have they read the psalms? Listened to the hopes and admirations of the prophets who wrote those books? Considered all the promises recorded from God to Adam, Eve and the rest mankind after the fall, and throughout the Old Testament? If anything it reveals an extremely patient God who could squished the clay and started over.Some parts of the New Testament are MORE HARSH:Read the letters to seven churches in Rev. chapters 1–3Jesus condemnation of the religious leaders in Matt. 23Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?The New Testament pictures to us the day that God will clean house (so to speak), rid the world of evil (men and angels), and create the world He has promised to the faithful.It’s the same story through the entire Hebrew-Christian Bible.
Why is poetry important in general?
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:Its loveliness increases; it will neverPass into nothingness; but still will keepA bower quiet for us, and a sleepFull of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathingA flowery band to bind us to the earth,Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearthOf noble natures, of the gloomy days,Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened waysMade for our searching: yes, in spite of all,Some shape of beauty moves away the pallFrom our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boonFor simple sheep; and such are daffodilsWith the green world they live in; and clear rillsThat for themselves a cooling covert makeAgainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:And such too is the grandeur of the doomsWe have imagined for the mighty dead;All lovely tales that we have heard or read:An endless fountain of immortal drink,Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.The above is the first stanza from John Keats’ Endymion. I don’t have anything in particular to say about the poem, but when talking about the importance of poetry, I felt compelled to include it because the poem as it exists itself is important and a thing of beauty.I’m not particularly well versed in the study of poetry, or even literature on the whole. I read books, I read poems, I come up with my own ideas, but it is for the joy of it, not academic exercises (I realise the two can be one and the same).So, as such, it wouldn’t be for me to write about the importance of poetry from an academic standpoint. I could try, but I wouldn’t do it justice, and points I might highlight would be far better found in books on poetry, or even here on Quora.Instead, I will simply talk about why poetry is important to me, and therefore why it might be important to you.To me, poetry is using condensed language to tell a story. It distils feelings down to their rawest state, compressing the language and displaying it in an almost formulaic manner.It causes your perspective to shift and your interpretations to mutate. Feel things more intensely. It goes beyond the seemingly human capacity to write or perceive or paint it, to the point that it reaches across from your soul to the soul of the poet.It’s that feeling that gives poetry its inherent importance.
What is the Historical backround of Greece?
Everything (almost) that you need to know about Greece, you should be able to find here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece