Mister and Miss Tolentine Missosology-Verse 2014

The Search for Mister and Miss Tolentine Missosology-Verse 2014 is now open.

A panel of online judges will handpick Mister and Miss Tolentine Missosology-Verse 2014 based facial beauty (30%), performance in preliminary competition (30%), preliminary interview (30%) and online voting (10%).

The TOP 3 Favorites will be published in the Tolentine Missosology Leaderboard days before the pageant night.

This special award will be announced and awarded on the Pageant and Coronation Night on March 5, 2014.  The winners will receive a Tolentine Missosology Sash and Cash Prize.

Who do you think deserves to be the Mister and Miss Tolentine Missosology-Verse 2014?

TO VOTE, CLICK THE BOX WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE NAMES OF YOUR FAVORITE BIBLICAL BEAUTIES AT THE UPPER RIGHT SIDE COLUMN OF THIS BLOG.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr for Tolentine Missosology

Abraham - Father of the Jewish Nation

Abraham, the founding father of the Jewish nation of Israel, was a man of great faith and obedience to the will of God. His name in Hebrew means "father of a multitude." Originally called Abram, or "exalted father," the Lord changed his name to Abraham as a symbol of the covenant promise to multiply his descendants into a great nation that God would call his own. Continue reading here.

Sarah – Wife of Abraham

Sarah (originally named Sarai) was one of several women in the Bible who were unable to have children. That proved doubly distressing for her because God had promised her husband Abraham that he would be the father of the Jewish nation, with descendants more numerous than the stars in the sky. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

Adam - The First Man

Adam was the first man on earth, and for a short time he lived alone. He arrived on the planet with no childhood, no parents, no family and no friends. Perhaps Adam's loneliness moved God to quickly present him with a companion, Eve. Before God created Eve, he had given Adam the Garden of Eden. It was his to enjoy, but he also had the full responsibility of taking care of it. Adam knew that one tree was off-limits, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Continue reading here.

EVE – Mother of All the Living

 Eve was the first woman on earth, the first wife, and the first mother. She is known as the "Mother of All the Living." And although this is quite a remarkable accomplishment, very little is known about Eve. There is not much said of her in the book of Genesis. Like most mothers, even though her accomplishments were great, they were for the most part, overlooked.

Eve was Adam's companion, his helper, the one who would complete him and share equally in his responsibility over creation. She too was made in God's image, displaying a portion of the characteristics of God. Together only could Adam and Eve fulfill God's purpose in the continuation of creation. With Eve, God brought human relationship, friendship and marriage into the world. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

Ahasuerus – A Persian King

According to the Book of Esther, King Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes) ruled over 127 provinces that stretched from India to Ethiopia. He was a Persian king whose capital was located in the city of Shushan (Esther 1:1-3). The Purim story begins in the third year of King Ahasuerus’ reign. The king has decided to celebrate his rule with an extravagant party and while in a drunken stupor he commands his wife, Queen Vashti, to appear before him and his male guests “wearing her royal crown” (Esther 1:10). Over the centuries readers have interpreted this to mean that Vashti was told to appear wearing only her crown, which would explain why she refused her husband’s command. Continue reading here.

Esther - Queen Esther Saved the Jewish People

One of the most well known heroines in the Jewish Bible is Queen Esther, who became the king of Persia's consort and thereby had the means to save her people from slaughter. The Jewish holiday of Purim, which typically falls sometime in March, tells Esther's story. In many ways, Esther's story – known as the Book of Esther in the Christian Old Testament and the Megillah (Scroll) of Esther in the Jewish Bible – reads like a Cinderella tale. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

ISAAC – Son of Abraham

Isaac was a miracle child, born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age as the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to make his descendants a great nation.

Three heavenly beings visited Abraham and told him in a year he would have a son. It seemed impossible because Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100! Sarah, who was eavesdropping, laughed at the prophecy, but God heard her. She denied laughing. God told Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son" (Genesis 18:13-14, NIV). Of course, the prophecy came true. Abraham obeyed God, naming the baby Isaac, which means "he laughs." Continue reading here.

REBECCA – Wife of Isaac

Rebecca was assertive in a time when women were expected to be submissive. This quality helped her become Isaac's wife but caused trouble when she pushed one of her sons ahead of the other. Abraham, father of the Jewish nation, did not want his son Isaac to marry one of the pagan Canaanite women in the area, so he sent his servant Eliezer to his homeland to find a wife for Isaac. When the servant arrived, he prayed that the right girl would not only offer him a drink of water from the well, but offer to water his ten camels too. Rebecca came out with her water jar and did exactly that! She agreed to go back with the servant and became Isaac's wife. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

JACOB – Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel

Jacob was one of the great patriarchs of the Old Testament, but at times he was also a schemer, liar, and manipulator. God established his covenant with Jacob's grandfather, Abraham. The blessings continued through Jacob's father, Isaac, then to Jacob and his descendants. Jacob's sons became leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. The younger of twins, Jacob was born holding on to his brother Esau's heel. His name means "he grasps the heel" or "he deceives." Jacob lived up to his name. He and his mother Rebecca cheated Esau out of his birthright and blessing. Later in Jacob's life, God renamed him Israel, which means "he struggles with God." Continue reading here.

RACHEL – Wife of Jacob

Rachel was one of the Matriarchs (Imahot) of the Jewish People. 

Rachel was the daughter of Laban, the younger sister of Leah, the beloved wife of Jacob (Yaacov), and the mother of Joseph (Yosef) and Benjamin (Binyamin). 

The Book of Genesis describes how Rachel and Jacob first met at the well of Haran. Jacob fell in love with her and served Laban for seven years in order to marry her. Laban used a veil to trick Jacob into marrying his older daughter Leah instead. Jacob agreed to serve Laban for seven more years in order to marry Rachel. After many childless years, Rachel gave birth to Joseph. When Jacob and his family left Haran, Rachel took her father's household gods. Laban caught up with them and searched their tents for the idols, but he did not find them. While on the road from Beth-el to Ephrata, Rachel gave birth to a second son, Benjamin, and then she died. She was buried where she died, near Ramah, rather than in the family grave at the Cave of Machpelah. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

JOSEPH – Interpreter of Dreams

Joseph in the Bible is one of the greatest heroes of the Old Testament, second perhaps, only to Moses. What separated him from others was his absolute trust in God, regardless of what happened to him. He is a shining example of what can happen when a person surrenders to God and obeys completely. In his youth, Joseph was proud, enjoying his status as his father's favorite. Joseph bragged, giving no thought to how it hurt his brothers. They became so angry with his arrogance that they threw him down a dry well, and then sold him into slavery to a passing caravan. Continue reading here.

ASENATH – Wife of Joseph, son of Jacob

Asenath is a figure in the Book of Genesis (41:45.50; 46,20),an Egyptian woman whom the Pharoah gave to Joseph son of Jacob to be his wife. The daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On, she bore Joseph two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who became the patriarchs of the Israelite tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim.

Genesis records nothing more about Asenath, but her story is elaborated in the apocryphal Joseph and Asenath. There, she is a virgin who rejects several worthy suitors in favor of Joseph, but Joseph will not have a pagan for a wife. She locks herself in a tower and rejects her idolatry in favor of Joseph's God Yahweh, and receives a visit from an angel who accepts her conversion. A ritual involving a honeycomb follows. Bees cover her and sting her lips to remove the false prayers to the pagan gods of her past. Joseph now consents to marry her. She bears him their sons Mannaseh and Ephraim. Pharaoh's son wants Asenath for himself, however, and with the aid of Joseph's brothers Dan and Gad, he conspires to kill her husband. The loyal brother Benjamin interferes, and Pharaoh's son is ultimately slain. Asenath forgives the conspirators, and she and Joseph rule over Egypt for 48 years, after which they pass the crown to Pharaoh's grandson. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

JOSEPH – Earthly Father of Jesus

God chose Joseph to be the earthly father of Jesus. The Bible tells us in the Gospel of Matthew, that Joseph was a righteous man. His actions toward Mary, his fiancé, revealed he was a kind and sensitive man. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he had every right to feel disgraced. He knew the child was not his own, and Mary's apparent unfaithfulness carried a grave social stigma. Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, under Jewish law she could be put to death by stoning.

Although Joseph's initial reaction was to break the engagement, the appropriate thing for a righteous man to do, he treated Mary with extreme kindness. He did not want to cause her further shame, so he decided to act quietly. But God sent an angel to Joseph to verify Mary's story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God's will. Joseph willingly obeyed God, in spite of the public humiliation he would face. Perhaps this noble quality made him God's choice for the Messiah's earthly father. Continue reading here.

MARY – Wife of Joseph

Mary was a young girl, probably only about 12 or 13 years old when the angel Gabriel came to her. She had recently become engaged to a carpenter named Joseph. Mary was an ordinary Jewish girl, looking forward to marriage. Suddenly her life would forever be changed.

Mary was fearful and troubled in the presence of the angel. She could never have expected to hear the most incredible news — that she would have a child, and her son would be the Messiah. Although she could not comprehend how she would conceive the Savior, she responded to God with belief and obedience. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

MOSES – Giver of the Law

Moses stands as the dominant figure of the Old Testament. God chose Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt and mediate his covenant with them. Moses handed down the Ten Commandments, then completed his mission by bringing the Israelites to the edge of the Promised Land. Although Moses was inadequate for these monumental tasks, God worked mightily through him, supporting Moses every step of the way. Continue reading here.

ZIPPORAH – Wife of Moses

Zipporah is mentioned in the Book of Exodus as the wife of Moses, and the daughter of Reuel/Jethro, the priest or prince of Midian. In the Book of Chronicles, two of her descendants are mentioned: Shebuel, "son" of  Gershom and Rehabiah "son" of Eliezer. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

SAMSON – Judge of Israel

Samson is one of the last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges chapters 13 to 16. According to the biblical account, Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats such as killing a lion, slaying an entire army with only the jawbones of an ass, and destroying a pagan temple.  Samson had two vulnerabilities, however: his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless. These vulnerabilities ultimately proved fatal for him. Continue reading here.

DELILAH – The Temptress

Delilah appears only in the Book of Judges 16, where she is the "woman in the valley of Sorek" whom Samson loved, and who was his downfall. Her figure, one of several dangerous temptresses in the Hebrew bible, has become emblematic: "Samson loved Delilah, she betrayed him, and, what is worse, she did it for money," Madlyn Kahr begins her study of the Delilah motif in European painting. The story of Samson in Judges 13-16 portrays a man who was given great strength by God but who ultimately lost his strength through Delilah inviting someone to shave his hair while he slept (Judges 16:19). Samson was born into an Israelite family, the son of Manoah and his wife who is never named. Both are visited by the Angel of the Lord and told that their child will be a Nazirite from birth. Continue reading here.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christelle Villaruz/Ricky Noel Diancin, Jr. for Tolentine Missosology

ZECHARIAH – Father of John the Baptist

Zechariah, a priest in the temple in Jerusalem, played a key role in God’s plan of salvation because of his righteousness and obedience.

A member of the clan of Abijah (a descendant of Aaron), Zechariah went to the temple to carry out his priestly duties. At the time of Jesus Christ, there were about 7,000 priests in Israel, divided into 24 clans. Each clan served at the temple twice a year, for a week each time. Luke tells us Zechariah was chosen by lot that morning to offer incense in the Holy Place, the temple's inner chamber where only priests were allowed. As Zechariah was praying, the angel Gabriel appeared at the right side of the altar. Gabriel told the old man that his prayer for a son would be answered. Zechariah's wife Elizabeth would give birth and they were to name the baby John. Further, Gabriel said John would be a great man who would lead many to the Lord and would be a prophet announcing the Messiah. Continue reading here.

ELIZABETH – Mother of John the Baptist

The inability to bear a child is a common theme in the Bible. In ancient times, barrenness was considered a disgrace. But time and again, we see these women having great faith in God, and God rewards them with a child.

Elizabeth was such a woman. Both she and her husband Zechariah were old, she past child-bearing years, yet she conceived through the grace of God. The angel Gabriel told Zechariah the news in the temple, then made him mute because he did not believe.

Just as the angel foretold, Elizabeth conceived. While she was pregnant, Mary, the expectant mother of Jesus, visited her. The baby in Elizabeth's womb leaped for joy on hearing Mary's voice. Elizabeth gave birth to a son. They named him John, as the angel had commanded, and at that moment Zechariah's power of speech returned. He praised God for his mercy and goodness. Continue reading here.

VOTE NOW your favorite Bible Beauties to win the Mister and Miss Tolentine Missosology-Verse 2014 Award! Online Voting begins February 24 (Thursday, 11:00 PM) and ends on March 4, 2014 (Tuesday, 9:00 PM). The online votes will constitute ten percent (10%) of the total scores in the selection of the winner of this award.

Read VERSE 2014: A Biblical Beauty Pageant General Rules and Mechanics here.

VOTE FOR MISTER AND MISS SOCIAL MEDIA HERE.