Archive for the ‘Genesis 1’ Tag
Above: Icon of the Resurrection
Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
The Light of Christ, Part II
APRIL 3-4, 2021
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
At least three of the following sets:
Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18
Isaiah 55:1-11 and Isaiah 12:2-6
Ezekiel 20:1-24 and Psalm 19
Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43
Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Psalm 98
Then:
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Matthew 28:1-10
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The history of the Great Vigil of Easter is interesting. We do not know when the service began, but we do know that it was already well-established in the second century C.E. We also know that the Great Vigil was originally a preparation for baptism. Reading the history of the Easter Vigil reveals the elaboration of the rite during ensuing centuries, to the point that it lasted all night and was the Easter liturgy by the fourth century. One can also read of the separation of the Easter Vigil and the Easter Sunday service in the sixth century. As one continues to read, one learns of the vigil becoming a minor afternoon ritual in the Roman missal of 1570. Then one learns of the revival of the Easter Vigil in Holy Mother Church in the 1950s then, in North America, in The Episcopal Church and mainline Lutheranism during the liturgical renewal of the 1960s and 1970s. Furthermore, if one consults the U.S. Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (1993) and The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992), on finds the ritual for the Great Vigil of Easter in those volumes.
The early readings for the Easter Vigil trace the history of God’s salvific work, from creation to the end of the Babylonian Exile. The two great Hebrew Biblical themes of exile and exodus are prominent. Then the literal darkness ends, the lights come up, and the priest announces the resurrection of Jesus. The eucharistic service continues and, if there are any candidates for baptism, that sacrament occurs.
One of the chants for the Easter Vigil is
The light of Christ,
to which the congregation chants in response,
Thanks be to God.
St. Paul the Apostle, writing in Romans, reminds us down the corridors of time that the light of Christ ought to shine in our lives. May that light shine brightly through us, by grace, that we may glorify God every day we are on this side of Heaven.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 29, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PERCY DEARMER, ANGLICAN CANON AND TRANSLATOR AND AUTHOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF SAINT BONA OF PISA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC AND PILGRIM
THE FEAST OF JIRI TRANOVSKY, LUTHER OF THE SLAVS AND FOUNDER OF SLOVAK HYMNODY
THE FEAST OF JOACHIM NEANDER, GERMAN REFORMED MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/the-light-of-christ-part-iv/
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Above: Paul Writing His Epistles, by Valentin de Boulogne
Image in the Public Domain
Two Creations
APRIL 5 and 6, 2021
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The Collect:
Almighty God, you give us the joy of celebrating our Lord’s resurrection.
Give us also the joys of life in your service,
and bring us at last to the full joy of life eternal,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 32
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 1:1-19 (Monday)
Genesis 1:20-2:4a (Tuesday)
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (Both Days)
1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (Monday)
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (Tuesday)
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I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord.
–Psalm 118:17, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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We read of two creations–one of the perishable, the other of the imperishable. Genesis 1:1-2:4a is a Jewish revision of a Babylonian creation myth. This is evident from literary analysis and the study of the past, so I brook no Creationist foolishness. Besides, my main purpose in this post is to put Genesis 1:1-2:4a beside 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 and write from that place of comparison and contrast. So here we go:
- People bear the image of God in Genesis.
- People bear the image of perishable Adam and can bear the image of imperishable Christ in 1 Corinthians.
- The fruits of the old creation grow old, decay, die, and decompose.
- The fruits of the new creation do not perish.
- The two types of bodies in 1 Corinthians 15 are physical, but the spiritual body has a different composition than does the perishable body. The spiritual body is something different. It is not a reanimated corpse.
- God is crucial for both creations.
The nature of the spiritual body is mysterious, but is not some mystery beneficial? If such unknown factors do anything, they prevent us from having even more swelled heads, I suppose.
More important than the mystery and the answer to it is something unambiguous: the central role which St. Paul the Apostle attributes to God–Christ, to be precise. To ponder that detail is more profitable spiritually than attempting to resolve a mystery we will probably never solve in this realm of reality.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 17, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE EIGHTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF MARIA STEWART, EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF EGLANTYNE JEBB, FOUNDER OF SAVE THE CHILDREN
THE FEAST OF FRANK MASON NORTH, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER
THE FEAST OF SAINT OLYMPIAS, ORTHODOX DEACONESS
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/two-creations/
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Above: The New Jerusalem
Image in the Public Domain
And the Sea Was No More
THURSDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 14-16, 2020
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The Collect:
Almighty and ever-living God,
you hold together all things in heaven and on earth.
In your great mercy, receive the prayers of all your children,
and give to all the world the Spirit of your truth and peace,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 34
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 6:5-22 (33rd Day)
Genesis 7:1-24 (34th Day)
Genesis 8:13-19 (35th Day)
Psalm 66:8-20 (All Days)
Acts 27:1-12 (33rd Day)
Acts 27:13-38 (34th Day)
John 14:27-29 (35th Day)
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You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water;
but you brought us into a place of refreshment.
–Psalm 66:12, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
–Revelation 21:1, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
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Water can be scary, for it has the potential to destroy much property and end lives. In much of the Bible water signifies chaos. The first creation myth (Genesis 1:1-2:4a), actually not as old as the one which follows it, depicts a watery chaos as the foundation of an ordered, flat earth with a dome over it. The lections from Genesis 6-8, being the union of of various texts (as evident in late Chapter 6 and early Chapter 7 with regard to the number of animals to take aboard the Ark), is a composite myth in which water is a force of divine destruction and recreation. And the water is something to fear in Acts 27. It is no accident that, in Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem has no sea; the city is free of chaos.
Professor Amy-Jill Levine, in her Teaching Company course, The Old Testament (2001), says that she does not like Noah. He, in the story, could have tried to save lives if he had argued with God, as Abraham did, she says. Maybe she has a valid point. It is certainly one nobody broached in my juvenile or adult Sunday School classes, for my first encounter with the idea came via DVD recently. Yet the story which the Biblical editor wanted us to hear was one of God’s covenant with Noah.
That theme of covenant fits well with the calm and confidence of St. Paul the Apostle en route to Rome. He had a legal case arising from preaching (Acts 21:27 forward). The Apostle had exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal directly to the Emperor (Acts 25:11). Yet Herod Agrippa II (reigned 50-100), a client ruler of the Roman Empire, had stated that the Apostle could have gone free if he had not appealed to the Emperor (Acts 26:32), who, unfortunately, was Nero. Anyhow, Paul’s calm and confidence during the storm on the Mediterranean Sea, with the danger on board the ship, came from a positive spiritual place.
That peace is the kind which Jesus bequeaths to us and which the world cannot give. That peace is the sort which enables one to remain properly–seemingly foolishly, to some–confident during daunting times. That peace carries one through the chaotic waters and the spiritual wilderness until one arrives at the New Jerusalem. That peace is available via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 18, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE EIGHTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF MARC BOEGNER, ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF DOROTHY SAYERS, NOVELIST
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/and-the-sea-was-no-more/
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Above: St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia, April 7, 2012
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
Embrace This Mystery
LATE SATURDAY, APRIL 20-EARLY SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2019
(BETWEEN SUNSET AND SUNRISE)
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READINGS AT THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
(Read at least two,)
(1) Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
(2) Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
(3) Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
(4) Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Canticle 8, page 85, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(5) Isaiah 55:1-11 and Canticle 9, page 86, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(6) Baruch 3:9-15, 3:32-4:4 or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 and Psalm 19
(7) Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43
(8) Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
(9) Zephaniah 3:12-20 and Psalm 98
DECLARATION OF EASTER
The Collect:
Almighty God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. or this O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord’s resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
READINGS AT THE FIRST HOLY EUCHARIST OF EASTER
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Luke 24:1-12
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My custom regarding posts for the Easter Vigil is to list the manifold and myriad readings (most of which are optional) and to offer a brief reflection. Consistent with that practice I invite you, O reader, to approach the question of divine power, which gave us the Resurrection, with awe, wonder, reverence, and praise. The Resurrection of Jesus is a matter of theology; historical methods cannot analyze it properly. I am a trained historian, so far be it from me to criticize methods which work well most of that time. But I am also a Christian, and I recognize the existence of mysteries beyond the bounds of historical scrutiny. Life is better with some mysteries than without them. So I invite you, O reader, to embrace this mystery.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 31, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/embrace-this-mystery/
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Above: Fishing on the Sea of Galilee
Image Source = Library of Congress
Genesis and Mark, Part II: The Image of God
FEBRUARY 18, 2021
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 1:20-2:3
Psalm 38 (Morning)
Psalms 126 and 102 (Evening)
Mark 1:14-28
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A Related Post:
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/prayer-for-thursday-after-ash-wednesday/
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Certainly Jesus knew James and John, the sons of Zebedee, for Zebedee was our Lord’s uncle. James and John were therefore first cousins of Jesus. There was nothing inherently wrong with fishing; it was honest and socially useful work. Yet our Lord had a higher purpose in mind for his cousins.
The concept of the image of God unites the readings from Genesis and Mark. But what is the image of God? It is not physical, for God is spirit. Perhaps the best way to identify the image of God in human beings is to notice some contrasts with the rest of the Animal Kingdom. We are almost genetically identical to chimpanzees, but they do not compose sonnets. Elephants are quite intelligent and mourn their dead. Who knows (other than God and whales) what whale songs mean? I, along with some great Christian saints, assume that our fellow creatures of certain intelligence possess souls, but they members of these species have not forged civilizations as we know them. Likewise, I adore cats. Their bodies are perfectly evolved for their purposes in nature. And I have no doubt that cats I have known well have had souls. But I, as a human, have a spark which cats lack.
We humans have potential which other mammals lack. And we ought to live up to higher standards. We are animals biologically; evolutionary forces have shaped us physically. But we are more than skin, meat, blood, and bones; we are souls who bear the image of God.
Thus we ought to act accordingly. We should pursue our highest and greatest potential. We ought to help others pursue and achieve theirs. We ought to love each other and ourselves as bearers of the divine image. If we do this, we will cease to hate and kill one another. We will cease to exploit each other and condone or turn a blind eye to exploitation. We will cease to discriminate against each other. We will do all this because we recognize the divine spark in each other and know that we are not so different from each other as we thought once.
I propose a Lenten discipline to continue afterward: Looking for and finding the image of God in others then treating them with the great respect due a bearer of the divine image. That is an excellent habit, one which will banish a host of bad ones.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 28, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST U.S. METHODIST BOOK OF WORSHIP, 1945
THE FEAST OF SAINT GUALFARDUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CHANEL, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/genesis-and-mark-part-ii-the-image-of-god/
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Above: Ashen Cross
Genesis and Mark, Part I: New Beginnings
FEBRUARY 17, 2021
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 1:1-19
Psalm 5 (Morning)
Psalms 27 and 51 (Evening)
Mark 1:1-13
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A Related Post:
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/prayer-for-ash-wednesday/
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The first (actually second written) myth of creation in Genesis, of which we read a part today, tells of the creation of order from chaos:
When God began to create heaven and earth–the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water….
–Genesis 1:1-2, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
Meanwhile, in the Gospel of Mark, the oldest of the canonical Gospels (written probably 67-70 CE), the narrative opens with
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
–Mark 1:1, The New Jerusalem Bible
Subsequent verses assume certain knowledge. For example, who was John the Baptist? And what was his background? For more details, read parts of Matthew and Luke, Gospels drew from Mark and expanded on it.
It is appropriate to read about new beginning on Ash Wednesday. This is the first day of Lent, a season of somberness, spiritual self-examination, and preparation for Easter. In churches we put away flowers and the word “alleluia.” Lent is an excellent time to strive to cease a bad habit and to learn a good one to replace it. It is an excellent time to focus on cooperating with God in converting chaos into a proper order. Certainly each of us needs more internal order and less internal chaos.
And may we remember that Jesus, although new from a human perspective, was actually quite old. (Read John 1:1-18.) The form was new; the substance was ancient. Sometimes God approaches us in new ways. The message is old but the medium is new or more recent.
One might not restrict these spiritual exercises to Lent alone, of course. Yet may one not dismiss the importance of the church year. There is great value in having certain time set apart for different emphases.
May you, O reader, have a holy Lent. And may God’s blessings on you bless others. We are made to live in community after all, and what one person does affects others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 27, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF NEW JERSEY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTONY AND THEODOSIUS OF KIEV, FOUNDERS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONASTICISM; SAINT BARLAAM OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT; AND SAINT STEPHEN OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF THE EARLY ABBOTS OF CLUNY
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH WARRILOW, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/genesis-and-mark-part-i-new-beginnings/
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Easter Vigil, St. Peter and St. Paul Episcopal Church, Marietta, Georgia, April 4, 2010
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
He’s Alive!
LATE SATURDAY, APRIL 3-EARLY SUNDAY, APRIL 4, 2021
(BETWEEN SUNSET AND SUNRISE)
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READINGS AT THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
(Read at least two,)
(1) Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
(2) Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
(3) Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
(4) Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Canticle 8, page 85, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(5) Isaiah 55:1-11 and Canticle 9, page 86, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(6) Baruch 3:9-15, 3:32-4:4 or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 and Psalm 19
(7) Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43
(8) Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
(9) Zephaniah 3:12-20 and Psalm 98
DECLARATION OF EASTER
The Collect:
Almighty God, who for our redemption gave your only- begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. or this O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord’s resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
READINGS AT THE FIRST HOLY EUCHARIST OF EASTER
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Mark 16:1-8
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A Related Post:
Great Vigil of Easter, Year A:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/great-vigil-of-easter-year-a/
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Recently, while listening to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio, I heard an interviewee say,
We danced our religion before we thought it.
This is objectively accurate.
I am an intellectual–an unapologetic one. So I like to ponder various matters deeply, exploring their nuances. This is healthy, for one ought to exercise one’s brain power frequently. Yet sometimes intellect and reason cannot explain something. The Resurrection of Jesus is one of these matters.
Without the Resurrection Christianity is a lie and we who affirm the reality of this event are pitiable fools, the the latest in a long line of deluded idiots. Yet the saints who preceded us were not deluded fools, and Christ is risen indeed.
Happy Easter!
KRT
