Je'Hosh'A'Phat, King of Judah, son of A'Sa and Azub'Ah daughter of Shil'Hi. He came to the throne at the age of 35, and reigned for 25 years, and was succeeded by his son Je'Ho'Ram.
1 KIngs 22 indicates that (1) Je'Hosh'A'Phat continue the religious policies of A'Sa and so was faithful to God, but he did not take the 'high places' away. (2) He made peace with the rulers of Israel. (3) He had 'ships of Tarshish' constructed for gold trade with Ophir, but the vessels were wrecked at Ezion-Geber.
2 Chronicles 20 construes this last matter differently, condemning Je'Hosh'A'Phat for collaborating with Ahaz'Iah in the venture and noting that the ships were built in Ezion-Geber, and destroyed after the prophet Eli-Ezer rebuked Je'Hosh'A'Phat for entering into an agreement with the Israelite king.
The reports about Je'Hosh'A'Phat's military alliances with Ahab against the Syrians, and with Jehoram against Moab, depict the king of Judah as a godly man, who insisted on hearing the Word of God's prophet before going into battle.
Chronicles enlarges the Kings account of Je'Hosh'A'Phat dramatically and depicts the king more favorable, reporting that he fortified, provisioned, and garrisoned his territories against Israel and other foreign powers, and because of that God blessed him with peace.
Chronicles reproduce with few changes the Kings' report about the Battle with Syria at Ramoth-Gilead, but it notes that the seer Jehu, son of Hanani, rebuked Je'Hosh'A'Phat for his alliance with Israel.
In addition, 2 Chronicles 20 describes Je'Hosh'A'Phat successful defense of his territory against an alliance of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites (inhabitants of Mount Seir), a narrative with superficial parallels to 2 Kings 3. Je'Hosh'A'Phat proclaimed a fast, appealed to God for help, and under the guidance of the Levite Jahazi-El led his people out for battle, where they found that their enemies had destroyed one another.
"Then Je'Hosh'A'Phat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Ko'Ha'Thites and the Kor'A'Hites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a Very Loud Voice."
"And they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Teko'a; and as they went out, Je'Hosh'A'Phat stood and said, 'Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and You Will Be Established; Believe His Prophets, and You Will Succeed.' "
"And when Je'Hosh'A'Phat had taken counsel with the people, He Appointed Those Who Were To Sing To The Lord and Praise Him in Holy Array, as they went before the army, and say, 'GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOR EVER.' "
"And When They Began To Sing and Praise, the Lord set an Ambush Against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed."
"For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, destroying them utterlyand when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
When Judah came to the Watchtower of the Wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and behold,
they were dead bodies lying on the ground, none had escaped."
"When Je'Hosh'A'Phat and His People came to take the spoil from them, they found cattle in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were 3 days in taking the spoil, it was so much. On the 4th day they assembled in the Valley of Bera'Cah, for There They Blessed the Lord; therefore the Name of that place has been called the Valley of Bera'Cah to this day."
"Then they returned, Every Man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Je'Hosh'A'Phat at Their Head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord Had Made Them Rejoice Over Their Enemies. They came to Jerusalem, with Harps and Lyres, and Trumpets, to the House of the Lord."
"And the Fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord Had Fought Against The Enemies Of Israel. So the Realm of Je'Hosh'A'Phat was quiet, For His God Gave Him Rest Round About."
Finally, in Chronicles, Je'Hosh'A'Phat is portrayed as a diligent ruler concerned with the right religious observance of His People and the Administration of Justice in the Land. He sent princes, Levites, and priests into the cities of Judah to Teach The Book Of The Law Of God, and appointed judges throughout his kingdom, establishing in Jerusalem Levites, priests, and heads of families to judge disputes brought to them.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Sunday, August 21, 2016
WHY THE IBIS IS MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURES?
The Ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the Order of the Pelicaniformes, also known as Ciguigne, Hibicis, Ibex, Ybeux. The bird stays near the edge of the water, looking for dead fish or other carrion to eat, because it does not know how to swim. They have long down curved bills, and usually feed as a group. Most species nest in trees. The Ibis is known for clearing the water from reptiles left by the inundation of the Nile.
The word Ibis comes from Greek, Latin, and Ancient Egyptian. According to the historian Josephus, Moses employed Ibises against serpents during a desert campaign in Ethiopia in his early life.
There is one, among other references in the Scriptures, God uses the bird to show humans the nature, instinct, and purpose each one of us has in his creation: "Who tells the Ibis when the Nile will flood, or who tells the rooster that rain will fall." If we use other translations, it will say, "Who has put wisdom in the innermost being or given understanding to the mind?" The teaching refers to the mind realm and indirectly to the domain of Thot, the Egyptian god of mind and memory.
Living on the banks of the Nile, the Ibis is an element of the ancient Egyptian landscape. Sculpted in the 4th BC, the bird was venerated and often mummified. Egyptians revered the Ibis as an incarnation of Thot, who was the scribe of the gods and the creator of language. In the town of Hermopolis, Ibises were reared specifically for sacrificial purposes and at Saqqara, archaeologists found mummies of 1 1/2 million ibises and hundreds of thousands of falcons.
The Ibis also was associated with certain disciplines: writing, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.
According to Herodotus and Pliny the Elder, the bird was invoked against incursions of winged serpents.
Herodotus (5th BC), in his History Book, wrote: There is a region moreover in Africa, situated nearly over the city of Buto, to which place I came to inquire about the winged serpents: and when I came thither I saw bones of serpents and spines in quantity so great that it is impossible to make a report of the number. The region in which the spines are scattered upon the ground is of the nature of an entrance from a narrow mountain pass to a great plain. which adjoins the plain of Egypt. At the beginning of spring winged serpents come flying from Arabia towards Egypt, but are met in this entrance (gorge) by the birds called Ibises, who forbid their entrance and kill them all. The Arabians assert, and the Egyptians also admit, that it is on account of the service the Ibis is hold in so much reverence.
The description of the Black Ibis which contends with the serpents is :- a bird of a deep-black color, with legs like a crane; -its beak is strongly hooked, and its size is about that of the land-rail.
The commoner sort, for there are two quite distinct species, has the head and the whole throat bare of feathers; its general plumage is white, but the head and neck are jet black, as also are the tips of the wings and the extremity of the tail; in its beak and legs it resembles the other species."
Pliny the Elder (1st BC), in his Natural History Book, wrote: "The Ibis is a bird from Egypt. It is all over black, with a bill very thick in the beginning, but ending in a point, for better seizing its pray, which is caterpillars, locusts, and serpents. It uses its curved beak to purge itself through the part by which it is most conducive to health for the heavy residue of foodstuffs to be excreted. The people of Egyp invoke the Ibis to guard against the arrival of snakes. The Ibis is born black at Pelesium, but is white everywhere else."
According to local legend the Northern Bald Ibis was one of the first birds that Noah released from the Ark as a symbol of fertility, and a lingering sentiment in Turkey helped the colonies there to survive long after the demise of the species in Europe.
The mascot of the University of Miami is the White Ibis. The Ibis was selected because of its legendary bravery during hurricanes. The ibis is the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first to reappear once the storm has passed.
The word Ibis comes from Greek, Latin, and Ancient Egyptian. According to the historian Josephus, Moses employed Ibises against serpents during a desert campaign in Ethiopia in his early life.
There is one, among other references in the Scriptures, God uses the bird to show humans the nature, instinct, and purpose each one of us has in his creation: "Who tells the Ibis when the Nile will flood, or who tells the rooster that rain will fall." If we use other translations, it will say, "Who has put wisdom in the innermost being or given understanding to the mind?" The teaching refers to the mind realm and indirectly to the domain of Thot, the Egyptian god of mind and memory.
Living on the banks of the Nile, the Ibis is an element of the ancient Egyptian landscape. Sculpted in the 4th BC, the bird was venerated and often mummified. Egyptians revered the Ibis as an incarnation of Thot, who was the scribe of the gods and the creator of language. In the town of Hermopolis, Ibises were reared specifically for sacrificial purposes and at Saqqara, archaeologists found mummies of 1 1/2 million ibises and hundreds of thousands of falcons.
The Ibis also was associated with certain disciplines: writing, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.
According to Herodotus and Pliny the Elder, the bird was invoked against incursions of winged serpents.
Herodotus (5th BC), in his History Book, wrote: There is a region moreover in Africa, situated nearly over the city of Buto, to which place I came to inquire about the winged serpents: and when I came thither I saw bones of serpents and spines in quantity so great that it is impossible to make a report of the number. The region in which the spines are scattered upon the ground is of the nature of an entrance from a narrow mountain pass to a great plain. which adjoins the plain of Egypt. At the beginning of spring winged serpents come flying from Arabia towards Egypt, but are met in this entrance (gorge) by the birds called Ibises, who forbid their entrance and kill them all. The Arabians assert, and the Egyptians also admit, that it is on account of the service the Ibis is hold in so much reverence.
The description of the Black Ibis which contends with the serpents is :- a bird of a deep-black color, with legs like a crane; -its beak is strongly hooked, and its size is about that of the land-rail.
The commoner sort, for there are two quite distinct species, has the head and the whole throat bare of feathers; its general plumage is white, but the head and neck are jet black, as also are the tips of the wings and the extremity of the tail; in its beak and legs it resembles the other species."
Pliny the Elder (1st BC), in his Natural History Book, wrote: "The Ibis is a bird from Egypt. It is all over black, with a bill very thick in the beginning, but ending in a point, for better seizing its pray, which is caterpillars, locusts, and serpents. It uses its curved beak to purge itself through the part by which it is most conducive to health for the heavy residue of foodstuffs to be excreted. The people of Egyp invoke the Ibis to guard against the arrival of snakes. The Ibis is born black at Pelesium, but is white everywhere else."
According to local legend the Northern Bald Ibis was one of the first birds that Noah released from the Ark as a symbol of fertility, and a lingering sentiment in Turkey helped the colonies there to survive long after the demise of the species in Europe.
The mascot of the University of Miami is the White Ibis. The Ibis was selected because of its legendary bravery during hurricanes. The ibis is the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first to reappear once the storm has passed.
RAVENS AND THEIR PECULIAR INTELLIGENCE.
The raven has long been associated with death and dark omens, but the real bird is somewhat of a mystery. Unlike its smaller cousin the crow, not a lot has been written about this remarkable bird.
The raven belongs to the most intelligent of all birds. To give some idea of its intelligence, if the average IQ for a human being is measured at the 100 mark, then the average IQ of a raven is 138.
Its linguistic skills are legendary, and the bird can understand as well as imitate human words. In captivity, ravens learn to talk better than parrots.
Ravens are able to mimic other noises like wolves or foxes to attract them to carcasses that the raven is not capable of braking open. When the wolf is done eating, the bird gets the leftovers. They also can trick animals out of their food by making another raven distract the animal while the one plotting it steals the food. They have few predators and live 17 years in the wild and up to 40 in captivity.
Ravens also make very sophisticated nonvocal signals. They gesture to communicate. The bird points with it beak to indicate an object to another bird, just as we do with fingers. They also hold up an object just to get another bird's attention.
Ravens can live in a variety of habitats, from snow to desert to mountains to forests. They are scavengers with a huge diet that includes fish, meat, seeds, fruit, carrion, and garbage. Despite their trickster nature, ravens feel empathy. When a raven's friend loses in a fight, the bird will console the losing bird. They also remember birds they like and will respond in a friendly way to certain birds for at least 3 years after seeing them. They also respond negatively to enemies and suspiciously to strange ravens.
Many Europeans cultures took one look at this large black bird known for its intense gaze and thought it as an evil act of the flesh. In France, people believed ravens were the souls of wicked priests, while crows were wicked nuns. In Germany, ravens were the incarnation of damned souls or sometimes Satan himself. In Sweden, ravens that croaked at night were thought to be the souls of murdered people who didn't have proper burials. And in Denmark, people believed that night ravens were exorcized spirits, and you'd better not to look up at them in case there was a hole in the bird's wing, because you might look through the hole and turn into a raven yourself.
Cultures from Tibet to Greece have seen the raven as a messenger for the gods. Celtic goddesses of warfare often took the form of a raven during battles. The Viking god, Odin, had two ravens, Hug'In (thought) and Mun'In (memory), which flew around the world every day and reported back to Odin every night about what they saw. The Chinese said ravens caused bad weather in the forest to warn people that the gods were going to pass by.
The raven's intelligence and its playful nature make the bird the ultimate symbol of the trickster. They have been observed in Alaska and canada using snow-covered roofs as slides. In Maine, USA, they have been seen rolling down snowy hills. They often play keep-away with wolves, otters, and dogs. Ravens make toys using sticks, pine cones, golf balls, or rocks to play with each other or by themselves. Sometimes they just taunt or mock other creatures because they feel funny.
Ravens love to lie in anthills and roll around so the ants swarm on them, or they chew the ants up and rub their guts on their feathers. Songbirds, crows, and jays do it too. Maybe the ants acts as insecticide and fungicide for the bird or have a soothing effect over the bird's skin.
Ravens will work together for the benefit of the group, and so have come to symbolize the benefits of teamwork.
Ravens mate for life and live in pairs in a fixed territory. When their children reach adolescence, they leave home and join other groups of young ravens. They live and eat together until they mate and pair off. Scientist have found higher level of stress hormones in teenage raven droppings than in the droppings of mated adults.
A raven appear several times throughout the Bible and are used as symbols of greater meaning because of the level of intelligence that the bird has, or because the bird was prolific in that time period. We have the most common verses using the raven and its applicable meaning:
Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no store room nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! (Luke 12).
It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there (1Kings17). Every raven in its kind (Lev11).
He sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth (Gen8).
He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens which cry (Psalm147).
The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it (Prov30).
His head is like gold, pure gold; his locks are like clusters of dates, and black as a raven (Sol.Songs 5).
But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, and owl and raven will dwell in it; and he will stretch over it the line of desolation and the plumb line of emptiness (Isaiah34).
Who prepares for the raven its nourishment when its young cry to God and wander about without food (Job38).
Ravens were used as sacrifices. God provided food for ravens. Ravens were unclean and not to be eaten. Ravens were described as having black color. Ravens are described as carnivorous. Elijah was fed by ravens. The plumage of the ravens illustrate the glory of Christ. The raven of the valley was called to execute punishment. Ravens are described as solitary in disposition and improvident. A raven was sent by Noah from the Ark.
The raven belongs to the most intelligent of all birds. To give some idea of its intelligence, if the average IQ for a human being is measured at the 100 mark, then the average IQ of a raven is 138.
Its linguistic skills are legendary, and the bird can understand as well as imitate human words. In captivity, ravens learn to talk better than parrots.
Ravens are able to mimic other noises like wolves or foxes to attract them to carcasses that the raven is not capable of braking open. When the wolf is done eating, the bird gets the leftovers. They also can trick animals out of their food by making another raven distract the animal while the one plotting it steals the food. They have few predators and live 17 years in the wild and up to 40 in captivity.
Ravens also make very sophisticated nonvocal signals. They gesture to communicate. The bird points with it beak to indicate an object to another bird, just as we do with fingers. They also hold up an object just to get another bird's attention.
Ravens can live in a variety of habitats, from snow to desert to mountains to forests. They are scavengers with a huge diet that includes fish, meat, seeds, fruit, carrion, and garbage. Despite their trickster nature, ravens feel empathy. When a raven's friend loses in a fight, the bird will console the losing bird. They also remember birds they like and will respond in a friendly way to certain birds for at least 3 years after seeing them. They also respond negatively to enemies and suspiciously to strange ravens.
Many Europeans cultures took one look at this large black bird known for its intense gaze and thought it as an evil act of the flesh. In France, people believed ravens were the souls of wicked priests, while crows were wicked nuns. In Germany, ravens were the incarnation of damned souls or sometimes Satan himself. In Sweden, ravens that croaked at night were thought to be the souls of murdered people who didn't have proper burials. And in Denmark, people believed that night ravens were exorcized spirits, and you'd better not to look up at them in case there was a hole in the bird's wing, because you might look through the hole and turn into a raven yourself.
Cultures from Tibet to Greece have seen the raven as a messenger for the gods. Celtic goddesses of warfare often took the form of a raven during battles. The Viking god, Odin, had two ravens, Hug'In (thought) and Mun'In (memory), which flew around the world every day and reported back to Odin every night about what they saw. The Chinese said ravens caused bad weather in the forest to warn people that the gods were going to pass by.
The raven's intelligence and its playful nature make the bird the ultimate symbol of the trickster. They have been observed in Alaska and canada using snow-covered roofs as slides. In Maine, USA, they have been seen rolling down snowy hills. They often play keep-away with wolves, otters, and dogs. Ravens make toys using sticks, pine cones, golf balls, or rocks to play with each other or by themselves. Sometimes they just taunt or mock other creatures because they feel funny.
Ravens love to lie in anthills and roll around so the ants swarm on them, or they chew the ants up and rub their guts on their feathers. Songbirds, crows, and jays do it too. Maybe the ants acts as insecticide and fungicide for the bird or have a soothing effect over the bird's skin.
Ravens will work together for the benefit of the group, and so have come to symbolize the benefits of teamwork.
Ravens mate for life and live in pairs in a fixed territory. When their children reach adolescence, they leave home and join other groups of young ravens. They live and eat together until they mate and pair off. Scientist have found higher level of stress hormones in teenage raven droppings than in the droppings of mated adults.
A raven appear several times throughout the Bible and are used as symbols of greater meaning because of the level of intelligence that the bird has, or because the bird was prolific in that time period. We have the most common verses using the raven and its applicable meaning:
Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no store room nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! (Luke 12).
It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there (1Kings17). Every raven in its kind (Lev11).
He sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth (Gen8).
He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens which cry (Psalm147).
The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it (Prov30).
His head is like gold, pure gold; his locks are like clusters of dates, and black as a raven (Sol.Songs 5).
But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, and owl and raven will dwell in it; and he will stretch over it the line of desolation and the plumb line of emptiness (Isaiah34).
Who prepares for the raven its nourishment when its young cry to God and wander about without food (Job38).
Ravens were used as sacrifices. God provided food for ravens. Ravens were unclean and not to be eaten. Ravens were described as having black color. Ravens are described as carnivorous. Elijah was fed by ravens. The plumage of the ravens illustrate the glory of Christ. The raven of the valley was called to execute punishment. Ravens are described as solitary in disposition and improvident. A raven was sent by Noah from the Ark.
Friday, August 19, 2016
WHY PAUL WENT TO TRO' AS?
TRO'AS was the principal port of North West Asia Minor. It was located about 20mi/32km South of the Helles'Pont (Dardan'Elles) and somewhat more than half that distance South of the traditional site of ancient Troy. In fact, Tro'as drew its name from Tro'ad, the term applied to that part of the region of Mysia that surrounded Troy.
Tro'as as a maritime city of Mysia was the chief city on the coast of the Aegean Sea, opposite the South east extremity of the island of Tenedos, and named after ancient Troy, which was at short distance from it (4mi/6.4km) to the North. It was a Macedonian and Roman colony of considerable importance, and was called Alexandria Tro'as.
Tro'as city was 1st built during the latter part of the 4th BC by Antigon'Us, one of the greatest generals of Alexander the Great, under the name of Antigon'Ea Tro'as. Lys'Imach'Us enlarged the city, and it became the chief port between Macedon' Ia and Asia Minor. The roads to the interior were good. For a time the Seleu'Cid kings made their homes here. Later, when the city became free, it struck its own coins, of which vast numbers are found; a common type is one upon which is stamped a graazing horse.
In 133 BC Tro'as came into the possession of the Romans, and thereafter the Region of Mysia became part of the Roman Province of Asia. Julius Caesar for a time designed to establish there the 'seat of his empire;' and Augustus and Constantine meditated the same project. Augustus further favored the city by making it a 'Roman colonia,' independent of the Roman provincial governor of Asia, and by exempting its citizens from both land and poll taxes.
Roman sentiment attracted them to Tro'as, the alleged 'seat' from whence Aeueas, the fabled progenitor of Rome's founder, originally migrated.
During Byzantine times Tro'as was the 'seat' of a Catholic Diocese, a territorial unit of administration.
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated in a larger unit, the 'diocese.'
With the adoption of Christianity as the Empire' s official religion in the 4th CE, the clergy assumed official positions of authority alongside the civil governors. A formal church hierarchy was set up, parallel to the civil administration, whose areas of responsibility often coincided.
With the collapse of the Western Empire in the 5th CE, the bishops in Western Europe assumed the large part of the role of the former Roman governors. A similar, though less pronounced, development occurred in the East, where the Roman administrative apparatus was largely retained by the Byzantine Empire.
Tro'as was visited several times by the apostle Paul and his companion 'the beloved physician,' and on one of these visits he left his cloak, some scrolls and parchments there after his 1st imprisonment.
On his 2nd journey, here Paul saw the 'vision of a man of Macedonia,' who appeared to him, saying, 'Come over, and help us'.
After leaving Ephesus on his 3rd journey Paul stopped in Tro'as and there then preached the Good News. He said, 'A door was opened to me in the Lord..' . After an undisclosed period of time, Paul was concerned about Titus because he didn't arrive on the prefixed time so he departed for Macedon'Ia, hoping to find him there. Paul spent that winter in Greece before returning again to Tro'as.
In the following spring Paul stayed 7 days in Tro'as ministering and spiritually building up the Spirit of Christian church. When assembled with them the night before leaving, and while Paul prolonged his speech, a young man named Eu-Tych-Us, who was seated at the third-loft window, fell asleep at midnight and tumbled to his death. Paul miraculously brought the boy back to life and continued conversing to the assembly until daybreak. The experience was taken as a reproof of carelessness and drowsiness in the spiritual teachings that lead to death (Acts 16,20; 2Cor.2; 2Tim.4).
It is likely that Paul visited Tro'as again after being released from house arrest in Rome. Then Paul wrote to Timothy during his 2nd imprisonment in Rome asking him to bring his cloak and certain scrolls and parchments that were left by Paul in the house of Carpus in Tro'as.
The land of ancient Tro'as is now a forest of magnificent oaks that has sprung up around it and extends over many miles. The walls enclose a rectangle. The rains are still large, and the harbor still traceable.
The name of the place is known now as 'Old Constantinople.'
Tro'as as a maritime city of Mysia was the chief city on the coast of the Aegean Sea, opposite the South east extremity of the island of Tenedos, and named after ancient Troy, which was at short distance from it (4mi/6.4km) to the North. It was a Macedonian and Roman colony of considerable importance, and was called Alexandria Tro'as.
Tro'as city was 1st built during the latter part of the 4th BC by Antigon'Us, one of the greatest generals of Alexander the Great, under the name of Antigon'Ea Tro'as. Lys'Imach'Us enlarged the city, and it became the chief port between Macedon' Ia and Asia Minor. The roads to the interior were good. For a time the Seleu'Cid kings made their homes here. Later, when the city became free, it struck its own coins, of which vast numbers are found; a common type is one upon which is stamped a graazing horse.
In 133 BC Tro'as came into the possession of the Romans, and thereafter the Region of Mysia became part of the Roman Province of Asia. Julius Caesar for a time designed to establish there the 'seat of his empire;' and Augustus and Constantine meditated the same project. Augustus further favored the city by making it a 'Roman colonia,' independent of the Roman provincial governor of Asia, and by exempting its citizens from both land and poll taxes.
Roman sentiment attracted them to Tro'as, the alleged 'seat' from whence Aeueas, the fabled progenitor of Rome's founder, originally migrated.
During Byzantine times Tro'as was the 'seat' of a Catholic Diocese, a territorial unit of administration.
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated in a larger unit, the 'diocese.'
With the adoption of Christianity as the Empire' s official religion in the 4th CE, the clergy assumed official positions of authority alongside the civil governors. A formal church hierarchy was set up, parallel to the civil administration, whose areas of responsibility often coincided.
With the collapse of the Western Empire in the 5th CE, the bishops in Western Europe assumed the large part of the role of the former Roman governors. A similar, though less pronounced, development occurred in the East, where the Roman administrative apparatus was largely retained by the Byzantine Empire.
Tro'as was visited several times by the apostle Paul and his companion 'the beloved physician,' and on one of these visits he left his cloak, some scrolls and parchments there after his 1st imprisonment.
On his 2nd journey, here Paul saw the 'vision of a man of Macedonia,' who appeared to him, saying, 'Come over, and help us'.
After leaving Ephesus on his 3rd journey Paul stopped in Tro'as and there then preached the Good News. He said, 'A door was opened to me in the Lord..' . After an undisclosed period of time, Paul was concerned about Titus because he didn't arrive on the prefixed time so he departed for Macedon'Ia, hoping to find him there. Paul spent that winter in Greece before returning again to Tro'as.
In the following spring Paul stayed 7 days in Tro'as ministering and spiritually building up the Spirit of Christian church. When assembled with them the night before leaving, and while Paul prolonged his speech, a young man named Eu-Tych-Us, who was seated at the third-loft window, fell asleep at midnight and tumbled to his death. Paul miraculously brought the boy back to life and continued conversing to the assembly until daybreak. The experience was taken as a reproof of carelessness and drowsiness in the spiritual teachings that lead to death (Acts 16,20; 2Cor.2; 2Tim.4).
It is likely that Paul visited Tro'as again after being released from house arrest in Rome. Then Paul wrote to Timothy during his 2nd imprisonment in Rome asking him to bring his cloak and certain scrolls and parchments that were left by Paul in the house of Carpus in Tro'as.
The land of ancient Tro'as is now a forest of magnificent oaks that has sprung up around it and extends over many miles. The walls enclose a rectangle. The rains are still large, and the harbor still traceable.
The name of the place is known now as 'Old Constantinople.'
Thursday, August 18, 2016
GOD AND THE MIND WORLD.
The study of dreaming, in the mind world, through the field of neuroscience, psychology, and even literature, still debates about why we dream but the plain fact is that the reasons are still mysterious.
When man was created he spent a great deal of time alone in the mind realm, and during that time God tested him. He was sent to name all the animal kingdom that resided at that level and with that name was kept forever. In other words the first man was sent to the mind realm to study the nature of every entity living in it through its behavior and naming them accordingly.
Always the symbolic way to represent the mind is using one of the 4 elements -water- because it gives us the idea of how the substance of the mind world is made of.
We read at the beginning of the scriptures that God divided the waters of the raging ocean that engulfed everything, in the mind realm, in total darkness making it clear that His Spirit was the only One able to move above the waters (everything is His creation).
The spirit of Light was the first to appear in that realm according to the will of God and He was pleased with what He saw. Its nature was righteous. He then separated the spirit of Light from the spirit of Darkness (Night). With this battle of Light and Darkness in the mind realm, the spirit of earth still was formless and desolate, as it is mentioned at the beginning of Genesis.
The raging ocean engulfed in total darkness gives us the idea of the rebel mind against God and being separated from Him in a total chaos that engulf everything. The nature of that spirit is vulnerability and quickness to accept an oppositional behavior. Then the mind of a believer needs to be tested in order to acquire strength to stand in what is right. The mind reveal wishes or emotions that we do not realize we have. Any dream, no matter how scary it would be, can be looked at as a way of getting something that we want.
When God separated the waters of the spirit of Light from the waters of the spirit of Darkness, the two different natures were defined by their waters, clean or unclean nothing in between.
Then God commanded,"Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places."
The dome separated the water under it from the water above it. Then God made all the water below the dome come together in one place. In other words all the spirits belonging to that nature clumped together. Their nature made the land appear and the flesh of the earth was form and the water which had come together (mind), He named "Sea." God was pleased with what He saw.
Then God commanded that the flesh of the earth now with its own mind, produce all kind of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit. The earth produced according to God's will.
Then the waters above the dome were separated too in the same way God did with the land and the sea.
The Light and his beings were separated from the Night and his beings. Then lights appeared in the dome to show the time when Days, Years, and religious festivals would begin. Their shinning in the dome would give light to the earth.
Then God made the two larger lights, always maintaining a duality in His creation, the sun to rule over the Day and the moon to rule over the Night, separating Light from Darkness.
After the separation God commanded the water above the dome be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the element air be filled with birds (angels). So the great sea monsters, all kind of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds, were created, lo live above the dome as their heavenly beings. God blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea in the upper dome, and told the birds to increase in number.
After all of these had happened and we do not have any idea how long the process lasted, God then commanded the flesh of the earth produce all kind of animal life (instinct minds): domestic and wild, large and small, maintaining the dual pattern. So God made them all, and He was pleased with what He saw. If God is a Spirit, and He was pleased with it, means that His Creation was perfect in His Mind.
Then, after everything was in its right place, God said, "And now We will make human beings; they will be like Us and resemble Us." God is not speaking in singular, He is mentioning someone else.
Since God is the mastermind behind everything, He needed a speaker of His Will, and that was the spirit of Light, the Word, His own Son, Jesus Christ. The Mind and the Word.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
DEMON POSSESSION.
What are Demons? The definition of a demon is a malevolent spirit being, an unclean spirit, a fallen angel and comes from the Greek word "Coine" meaning "Daimonion." When we want to express the nature of their behavior, the ancient Greeks used the word "daiesthai" which literally means "to disturb" or "to divide" and denote an entity or spirit of supernatural power.
Demon possession is defined as the captive control and influence of a person by this malevolent spirit.
In Bible times demonized persons were afflicted in various ways: some were unable to speak, some were blind, some acted insane, and some possessed super human strength.
All were woefully mistreated by these invisible bullies. Men, women, and children were their victims.
Sometimes the agony was compounded when many demons gained possession of a person at the same time. When the demon was expelled, the person returned to a normal, sane state of mind.
It is quite interesting that during the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry, the demons themselves were the first ones to truly recognized that Jesus was more than a man, in other words Jesus' identity and addressed Him as the "Son of God," the "Holy One of God," and "Jesus, Son of the Most High God."
However, at no time Jesus allowed them to be witnesses in His behalf. On the other hand, a man who was set free from the power of the demons was encouraged to publish to his relatives "all the things God had for him."
There is a difference between demon possession and ordinary physical sickness and disease. Jesus had the power to cure both types of disorders. Some of Jesus' greatest miracles involved the setting of possessed persons who became free from captivity to the demons. Demons were powerless against Him and shudder with fear and trepidation before Him. They know that their ultimate fate is the lake of fire.
But not everyone was happy with this demon expelling work. The Pharisees accused Jesus of being in league with the ruler of the demons, Beel-Zebub, whereas in reality, as Jesus pointed out, they themselves were the offspring of the Devil.
Jesus openly confessed that the source of His mastery over the demons was God's Spirit. Jesus also gave authority over the demons to his 12 apostles, and later to the 70 that He sent out, so that "in the Name of Jesus" they too were able to free the demon-possessed. Even one not an immediate associate of Jesus or His apostles was able to exorcise a demon on the basis of Jesus' Name.
After the death of Jesus, the apostles continued to have this power. Paul, for example, ordered a "demon of divination" out of a slave girl, much to the anger of her money-loving owners. But when certain impostors, the 7 sons of a priest, named Sceva, attempted to cast out a demon in the name of "Jesus whom Paul preaches,"the demon-possessed man seized and severely mauled the 7 of them and stripped them naked.
We know that demons are powerful spirit beings that fell from grace and followed Satan and in their fall from grace became demons, and often the wild and uncontrolled conduct of mentally unbalanced persons is due to possession by these invisible minions of Satan.
Sometimes it is reported that spirit mediums have cast these demons out; this calls to mind what Jesus said: "Many will say to me in "that Day," 'Lord, Lord, did we not ... expel demons in your name?' And yet I will confess to them: "I never knew you!" Compelling reasons, then, for heeding the counsel, "Be watchful," and "Put on the complete suit of armor from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil and his demons."
Satan and his demons know the Bible better than we do and even they believe in God and shudder so just because someone says that they believe in God it does not mean that they are saved.
So, be careful when you try to free a person from the demon power. These are nothing to mess with.
Who are we to mess with spiritual powers? Even so, I heard people who say that they are able to cast out demons but no one is ever taught to do this or told to do this anywhere in the Bible neither by the apostles nor the 70 ones that were sent out. I do not say that exorcisms do not happen but it is very clear that supernatural forces are involved in it. It is compared to playing with lightning, a very dangerous thing indeed.
We have to acknowledge the fact that even "when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, who was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.' " Peter warns us saying, "if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment."
Apparently the Holy Spirit was involved in the warning given to the apostle Paul that demons would infiltrate the church and teach their own doctrines. We do not have to look very far today to see that this is happening with increased speed in many of today's churches.
The day is coming when God will finally judge these demons but he will also judge the false prophets.
It means that there are no shortages of false prophets today who claim that God speaks to them and foretells the future. If they are not right then their fate will be the same as those spirits of uncleanness or demons which is exactly what they really are.
Demon possession is defined as the captive control and influence of a person by this malevolent spirit.
In Bible times demonized persons were afflicted in various ways: some were unable to speak, some were blind, some acted insane, and some possessed super human strength.
All were woefully mistreated by these invisible bullies. Men, women, and children were their victims.
Sometimes the agony was compounded when many demons gained possession of a person at the same time. When the demon was expelled, the person returned to a normal, sane state of mind.
It is quite interesting that during the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry, the demons themselves were the first ones to truly recognized that Jesus was more than a man, in other words Jesus' identity and addressed Him as the "Son of God," the "Holy One of God," and "Jesus, Son of the Most High God."
However, at no time Jesus allowed them to be witnesses in His behalf. On the other hand, a man who was set free from the power of the demons was encouraged to publish to his relatives "all the things God had for him."
There is a difference between demon possession and ordinary physical sickness and disease. Jesus had the power to cure both types of disorders. Some of Jesus' greatest miracles involved the setting of possessed persons who became free from captivity to the demons. Demons were powerless against Him and shudder with fear and trepidation before Him. They know that their ultimate fate is the lake of fire.
But not everyone was happy with this demon expelling work. The Pharisees accused Jesus of being in league with the ruler of the demons, Beel-Zebub, whereas in reality, as Jesus pointed out, they themselves were the offspring of the Devil.
Jesus openly confessed that the source of His mastery over the demons was God's Spirit. Jesus also gave authority over the demons to his 12 apostles, and later to the 70 that He sent out, so that "in the Name of Jesus" they too were able to free the demon-possessed. Even one not an immediate associate of Jesus or His apostles was able to exorcise a demon on the basis of Jesus' Name.
After the death of Jesus, the apostles continued to have this power. Paul, for example, ordered a "demon of divination" out of a slave girl, much to the anger of her money-loving owners. But when certain impostors, the 7 sons of a priest, named Sceva, attempted to cast out a demon in the name of "Jesus whom Paul preaches,"the demon-possessed man seized and severely mauled the 7 of them and stripped them naked.
We know that demons are powerful spirit beings that fell from grace and followed Satan and in their fall from grace became demons, and often the wild and uncontrolled conduct of mentally unbalanced persons is due to possession by these invisible minions of Satan.
Sometimes it is reported that spirit mediums have cast these demons out; this calls to mind what Jesus said: "Many will say to me in "that Day," 'Lord, Lord, did we not ... expel demons in your name?' And yet I will confess to them: "I never knew you!" Compelling reasons, then, for heeding the counsel, "Be watchful," and "Put on the complete suit of armor from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil and his demons."
Satan and his demons know the Bible better than we do and even they believe in God and shudder so just because someone says that they believe in God it does not mean that they are saved.
So, be careful when you try to free a person from the demon power. These are nothing to mess with.
Who are we to mess with spiritual powers? Even so, I heard people who say that they are able to cast out demons but no one is ever taught to do this or told to do this anywhere in the Bible neither by the apostles nor the 70 ones that were sent out. I do not say that exorcisms do not happen but it is very clear that supernatural forces are involved in it. It is compared to playing with lightning, a very dangerous thing indeed.
We have to acknowledge the fact that even "when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, who was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.' " Peter warns us saying, "if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment."
Apparently the Holy Spirit was involved in the warning given to the apostle Paul that demons would infiltrate the church and teach their own doctrines. We do not have to look very far today to see that this is happening with increased speed in many of today's churches.
The day is coming when God will finally judge these demons but he will also judge the false prophets.
It means that there are no shortages of false prophets today who claim that God speaks to them and foretells the future. If they are not right then their fate will be the same as those spirits of uncleanness or demons which is exactly what they really are.
Monday, August 15, 2016
THE FIRST POWERFUL CURSE .
The desiring, threatening, or pronouncing evil upon someone or something is the basic idea of a number of Hebrew and Greek words in the Scriptures that are translated by the word 'curse' or similar expressions.
The 1st powerful curse employed was at the time of the Edenic rebellion and was directed by God against the instigator of the rebellion that used nature as an agent for his transgression.
The serpent was produced by the earth and was the most cunning animal that the Lord God had made.
In other words, the nature of this animal is used as a symbolic comparison of human's nature influenced by the forces of good and evil.
The woman was the personification of God's church in the earth, according to man's will.
When God pronounced His Judgment, He said to the snake, "You will be punished for this, you alone of all the animals must bear this curse:
'From now on you will crawl on your belly, and you will have to eat dust as long as you live. I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offsprings will crush your head, and you will bite her offspring's heel.'
The evil spirit of rebellion orchestrated by Satan is explained in 2 Corinthians 11. Paul speak about the False Apostles saying, 'You are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself.'
The nature of the first man, and Paul's is described like a pure virgin. The woman was form from man's rib in a symbolic representation of the nature of the Church of God in the earth.
Paul then says, 'I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ.'
Corruption entered into the body of God's Church through the woman's deceived mind and the seed of rebellion was planted in the human heart. Satan, in his crafty and deceiving way, made her belief in his preaching and became one to her in the same evil spirit.
Paul continue, 'You will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ -in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies. When you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us.'
The fact that the serpent represents the nature of man God uses this animal to teach us how Satan's evil spirit takes over man's nature and deceive it.
Then Paul says, 'When I preached the Good News of God to you, I humbled myself in order to make you -in your nature- important. I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those who believe about themselves being very special and so-called 'apostles' of yours. Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking comparing their ways, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions. I will go on doing what I am doing now, in order to keep those other 'apostles' from having any reason to boasting and saying that they work in the same way that we do. Those men are not true apostles -they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to 'look like' real apostles of Christ. Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.'
The 1st powerful curse employed was at the time of the Edenic rebellion and was directed by God against the instigator of the rebellion that used nature as an agent for his transgression.
The serpent was produced by the earth and was the most cunning animal that the Lord God had made.
In other words, the nature of this animal is used as a symbolic comparison of human's nature influenced by the forces of good and evil.
The woman was the personification of God's church in the earth, according to man's will.
When God pronounced His Judgment, He said to the snake, "You will be punished for this, you alone of all the animals must bear this curse:
'From now on you will crawl on your belly, and you will have to eat dust as long as you live. I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offsprings will crush your head, and you will bite her offspring's heel.'
The evil spirit of rebellion orchestrated by Satan is explained in 2 Corinthians 11. Paul speak about the False Apostles saying, 'You are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself.'
The nature of the first man, and Paul's is described like a pure virgin. The woman was form from man's rib in a symbolic representation of the nature of the Church of God in the earth.
Paul then says, 'I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ.'
Corruption entered into the body of God's Church through the woman's deceived mind and the seed of rebellion was planted in the human heart. Satan, in his crafty and deceiving way, made her belief in his preaching and became one to her in the same evil spirit.
Paul continue, 'You will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ -in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies. When you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us.'
The fact that the serpent represents the nature of man God uses this animal to teach us how Satan's evil spirit takes over man's nature and deceive it.
Then Paul says, 'When I preached the Good News of God to you, I humbled myself in order to make you -in your nature- important. I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those who believe about themselves being very special and so-called 'apostles' of yours. Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking comparing their ways, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions. I will go on doing what I am doing now, in order to keep those other 'apostles' from having any reason to boasting and saying that they work in the same way that we do. Those men are not true apostles -they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to 'look like' real apostles of Christ. Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.'
Saturday, August 13, 2016
R-OMAN-IAN MYTHS AND THE EVIL WORLD.
The creation stories in Romanian mythology are numerous and varied, from its ancient, Indo-European roots to a Christianization of the tale involving God and His enemy, Satan.
According to R-Oman-ian beliefs, God made the earth with the help of animals, while Satan was trying to thwart His plans. Before the earth existed, a boundless supernatural ocean called 'Apa Sam-Betei was the abode of God and the Devil (Nefar-Tatul), seen as master and servant rather than equals.
Upon deciding to create the earth, God sent Nefar-Tatul, his servant to bring a handful of clay from the ground of the World Ocean in His Holy Name.Nefar-Tatul set forth and tried to bring the clay to the surface in his name instead, but could not succeed until he brought it up in the Name of God.
As this piece of clay grew into the earth, God laid Himself down to sleep. Nefar-tatul then tried to push Him over the side, but the ever-expanding earth would hinder that. After trying to throw God off the earth in every one of the four cardinal directions, he shied away from the cross he drew in the ground himself.
Other accounts suggest that the Devil and his demons were once angels of God. The Devil, however, tried to rebel, and, in response, God opened up the heavens so that he might fall to the earth.
Fearing that Heaven might be voided, the archangel Micha-El re-sealed it, thus freezing the demons that had not yet fallen to hell in place.
This account relates to the concept of 'soul customs,' where every soul is intercepted on its way to heaven by these demons, who forced it into hell. An old Romanian proverb says: "Do not speak badly of the Devil because you cannot know to whom you will belong."
According to popular Romanian mythology, it is not considered difficult to establish a connection with the Devil. He can appear quickly, happy with the availability of the soul of the person who wishes to be initiated into the secrets of witchcraft. They use portal / crossroad or unclean places where they invoke his name out loud, in order to obtain his infernal aid.
Each wizard and witch has access to a Black Book which contains all the incantations, chants and magic formulas. Usually before dying, wizards or masters of the same rank pass on this knowledge to an apprentice, but sometimes such books remain without a master. When that happens, whoever finds the book have the choice of open it up or keep it closed. If the Black Book is open by an untrained person, he/she become a slave of the evil power governed by the Book.
When the Book is opened, demons appear immediately in front of it asking for work. Not knowing how to maintain them always busy, the demons end the life of the Book's possessor letting it to be placed in another and more skillful hand, otherwise the cycle continue.
It is said that only wizards and witches know what tasks to give to the devils by making them do things such as making ropes out of water and sand (craftiness along generations of people) or stopping rivers from flowing into the sea (lies that takes the Truth out of its way).
This information is used as a warning to all those who dare to play with evil forces without knowing the price that must be paid for the recklessness of their actions.
The epitome of dark myths and legends dwell deep within the wide forest of Romania, a country that was once brutal and full of mysteries.
These stories appear not only in Romanian mythology, but also in Ar-Oman-ian, Slavic Maced-Onian and Bulg-Ar-Ian mythologies.
God's 7 names are commonly addressed in Romanian's myths as the origin of God, which is explained in a Russian doll-type fashion. Before every God's name there was another God that formed Him.
Rabbinic Judaism describes in a different way the 7 holy names that, once written, should not be erased: YHWH, El (God), El-Ohim (Gods), El-Ohim (Gods), El-Oha (God), El Shadd-Ai, and Tz-Eva-Ot or S-Aba-Oth (Of Hosts).
According to R-Oman-ian beliefs, God made the earth with the help of animals, while Satan was trying to thwart His plans. Before the earth existed, a boundless supernatural ocean called 'Apa Sam-Betei was the abode of God and the Devil (Nefar-Tatul), seen as master and servant rather than equals.
Upon deciding to create the earth, God sent Nefar-Tatul, his servant to bring a handful of clay from the ground of the World Ocean in His Holy Name.Nefar-Tatul set forth and tried to bring the clay to the surface in his name instead, but could not succeed until he brought it up in the Name of God.
As this piece of clay grew into the earth, God laid Himself down to sleep. Nefar-tatul then tried to push Him over the side, but the ever-expanding earth would hinder that. After trying to throw God off the earth in every one of the four cardinal directions, he shied away from the cross he drew in the ground himself.
Other accounts suggest that the Devil and his demons were once angels of God. The Devil, however, tried to rebel, and, in response, God opened up the heavens so that he might fall to the earth.
Fearing that Heaven might be voided, the archangel Micha-El re-sealed it, thus freezing the demons that had not yet fallen to hell in place.
This account relates to the concept of 'soul customs,' where every soul is intercepted on its way to heaven by these demons, who forced it into hell. An old Romanian proverb says: "Do not speak badly of the Devil because you cannot know to whom you will belong."
According to popular Romanian mythology, it is not considered difficult to establish a connection with the Devil. He can appear quickly, happy with the availability of the soul of the person who wishes to be initiated into the secrets of witchcraft. They use portal / crossroad or unclean places where they invoke his name out loud, in order to obtain his infernal aid.
Each wizard and witch has access to a Black Book which contains all the incantations, chants and magic formulas. Usually before dying, wizards or masters of the same rank pass on this knowledge to an apprentice, but sometimes such books remain without a master. When that happens, whoever finds the book have the choice of open it up or keep it closed. If the Black Book is open by an untrained person, he/she become a slave of the evil power governed by the Book.
When the Book is opened, demons appear immediately in front of it asking for work. Not knowing how to maintain them always busy, the demons end the life of the Book's possessor letting it to be placed in another and more skillful hand, otherwise the cycle continue.
It is said that only wizards and witches know what tasks to give to the devils by making them do things such as making ropes out of water and sand (craftiness along generations of people) or stopping rivers from flowing into the sea (lies that takes the Truth out of its way).
This information is used as a warning to all those who dare to play with evil forces without knowing the price that must be paid for the recklessness of their actions.
The epitome of dark myths and legends dwell deep within the wide forest of Romania, a country that was once brutal and full of mysteries.
These stories appear not only in Romanian mythology, but also in Ar-Oman-ian, Slavic Maced-Onian and Bulg-Ar-Ian mythologies.
God's 7 names are commonly addressed in Romanian's myths as the origin of God, which is explained in a Russian doll-type fashion. Before every God's name there was another God that formed Him.
Rabbinic Judaism describes in a different way the 7 holy names that, once written, should not be erased: YHWH, El (God), El-Ohim (Gods), El-Ohim (Gods), El-Oha (God), El Shadd-Ai, and Tz-Eva-Ot or S-Aba-Oth (Of Hosts).
ION - IA = SMYRN - A.
Ion-Ia is am ancient region of central coastal Ana-Tolia in present day Turkey, the region nearest Izmir, which was historically Smyrn-A.
The Ion-Ians were one of the 4 major tribes that the Greek considered themselves to be divided into, during Antiquity; alongside Dori-Ans, Aeol-Ians, and Acha-Eans.
In the Book of Genesis, Jav-An is a son of Jap-Heth (Greek: Iap-Heth = enlarge). Jap-Heth, one of the sons of Noah in the Abrahamic tradition, is considered to be the progenitor of Europeans and some As-Ian peoples.
In Greek mythology, Iap-Etus, also Jap-Etus (Wound, Piercer) is the one Titan mentioned by Homer in the "IL-Iad as being in Tartar-Us with Cron-Us. He is a brother of Cron-Us, who ruled the world during the Golden Age. Iap-Etus, the son of Uran-Us and Ga-Ia, and father (by an Ocean-Id named Cly-Mene or As-Ia) of At-Las, Prome-Theus, Epime-Theus, and Menoet-Ius.
The sons of Iap-Etus were regarded as mankind's ancestors, and as such some of humanity's worst qualities were said to have been inherited from these 4 gods, each of whom were described with a particular moral fault that often led to their own downfall. For instance, sly and clever Prome-Theus represent crafty scheming in the negative sense; the inept and guileless Epime-Theus, foolish stupidity; enduring At-Las, excessive daring; and arrogant Menoet-Ius, rash violence.
Horace December 8, 65 / November 27, 8 BC), a Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus, describes how "audax Iap-Eti genus / Ignem fraude mala gentibus intulit" meaning "the bold offspring of Iap-Etus brought fire to peoples by wicked deceit."
The Foundation Myth which was current in the Classical period suggested that the Ion-Ians were named after Ion, illegitimate child of Cre- Us-A, daughter of Erech-Theus and wife of Xuth-Us.
She conceived Ion with Apol-Lo then she abandoned the child. Apol-Lo asked Her-Mes to take Ion from his cradle. Ion was saved and raised by a priestess of the Delphic Oracle.
Xuth-Us was a son of Hellen and Orse-Is and founder, through his sons, of the Acha-Ean and Ion-Ian nations. He had two sons by Cre-Us-A: Ion, and Acha-Eus.
Xuth-Us was informed by the oracle that the first person he encountered when leaving the oracle would be his son, and this person was Ion. He interpreted it that he had fathered Ion, when, in fact, Apol-Lo was giving him Ion as an adoptive son.
In Sanskrit sources, the use of the word "Yona" appears in relation to the Greek kingdoms which neighbored or sometimes occupied the Pun-Jab region over a period of several centuries from the 4th BC to the 1st CE, such as the Seleu-Cid empire, the Greco-Bactrian kingdom and the Indo-Greek kingdom.
After Alexander the Great's invasion, the Greek settlements had existed in Eastern parts of Acha-Emen-Id empire, as neighbors to the Cambojas, a tribe of Indo-Iranian origin. The Cambojas are also described as a royal clan of the Sakas, the term used in Persian and Sanskrit sources for the Scyth-Ians.
The Scyth-Ians to the far North of Assyria were also called Saka Suni (Saka or Scythian sons).
The Maha-bha-Rata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Rama-Yana, contains prophecies that MLec-Cha (Barbarian) kings of the Sakas, Yavanas, Cambojas, Bahlikas etc. shall rule the earth unrighteously in Cali-Yuga ..." . This reference alludes to chaotic political scenario following the collapse of the Ma-Ur-Ya and Shunga empires in the Northern region and its subsequent occupation by foreign hordes such as of the Yonas, Cambojas, Sakas, and Pahlavas.
The Rama-Yadan records prophecies the 180 BC Yona attacks on Saket, Panchala, Mathura, and Pataliputra, against the Shunga empire: "After having conquered Saketa, the country of the Panchala and the Mathuras, the Yavanas, wicked and valiant, will reach Cusu-Madh-Vaja (the town of the flower-standard). The thick mud-fortifications at Pataliputra being reached, all the provinces will be in disorder, without doubt."
"Ultimately, a great battle will follow, with tree-like engines (siege engines). The Yavanas (Greeks) will command, the Kings will disappear. The Yavanas, intoxicated with fighting, will not stay in Madh-Adesa (the Middle Country); there will be undoubtedly a civil war among them, arising in their own country, there will be a terrible and ferocious war."
The Ion-Ians were one of the 4 major tribes that the Greek considered themselves to be divided into, during Antiquity; alongside Dori-Ans, Aeol-Ians, and Acha-Eans.
In the Book of Genesis, Jav-An is a son of Jap-Heth (Greek: Iap-Heth = enlarge). Jap-Heth, one of the sons of Noah in the Abrahamic tradition, is considered to be the progenitor of Europeans and some As-Ian peoples.
In Greek mythology, Iap-Etus, also Jap-Etus (Wound, Piercer) is the one Titan mentioned by Homer in the "IL-Iad as being in Tartar-Us with Cron-Us. He is a brother of Cron-Us, who ruled the world during the Golden Age. Iap-Etus, the son of Uran-Us and Ga-Ia, and father (by an Ocean-Id named Cly-Mene or As-Ia) of At-Las, Prome-Theus, Epime-Theus, and Menoet-Ius.
The sons of Iap-Etus were regarded as mankind's ancestors, and as such some of humanity's worst qualities were said to have been inherited from these 4 gods, each of whom were described with a particular moral fault that often led to their own downfall. For instance, sly and clever Prome-Theus represent crafty scheming in the negative sense; the inept and guileless Epime-Theus, foolish stupidity; enduring At-Las, excessive daring; and arrogant Menoet-Ius, rash violence.
Horace December 8, 65 / November 27, 8 BC), a Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus, describes how "audax Iap-Eti genus / Ignem fraude mala gentibus intulit" meaning "the bold offspring of Iap-Etus brought fire to peoples by wicked deceit."
The Foundation Myth which was current in the Classical period suggested that the Ion-Ians were named after Ion, illegitimate child of Cre- Us-A, daughter of Erech-Theus and wife of Xuth-Us.
She conceived Ion with Apol-Lo then she abandoned the child. Apol-Lo asked Her-Mes to take Ion from his cradle. Ion was saved and raised by a priestess of the Delphic Oracle.
Xuth-Us was a son of Hellen and Orse-Is and founder, through his sons, of the Acha-Ean and Ion-Ian nations. He had two sons by Cre-Us-A: Ion, and Acha-Eus.
Xuth-Us was informed by the oracle that the first person he encountered when leaving the oracle would be his son, and this person was Ion. He interpreted it that he had fathered Ion, when, in fact, Apol-Lo was giving him Ion as an adoptive son.
In Sanskrit sources, the use of the word "Yona" appears in relation to the Greek kingdoms which neighbored or sometimes occupied the Pun-Jab region over a period of several centuries from the 4th BC to the 1st CE, such as the Seleu-Cid empire, the Greco-Bactrian kingdom and the Indo-Greek kingdom.
After Alexander the Great's invasion, the Greek settlements had existed in Eastern parts of Acha-Emen-Id empire, as neighbors to the Cambojas, a tribe of Indo-Iranian origin. The Cambojas are also described as a royal clan of the Sakas, the term used in Persian and Sanskrit sources for the Scyth-Ians.
The Scyth-Ians to the far North of Assyria were also called Saka Suni (Saka or Scythian sons).
The Maha-bha-Rata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Rama-Yana, contains prophecies that MLec-Cha (Barbarian) kings of the Sakas, Yavanas, Cambojas, Bahlikas etc. shall rule the earth unrighteously in Cali-Yuga ..." . This reference alludes to chaotic political scenario following the collapse of the Ma-Ur-Ya and Shunga empires in the Northern region and its subsequent occupation by foreign hordes such as of the Yonas, Cambojas, Sakas, and Pahlavas.
The Rama-Yadan records prophecies the 180 BC Yona attacks on Saket, Panchala, Mathura, and Pataliputra, against the Shunga empire: "After having conquered Saketa, the country of the Panchala and the Mathuras, the Yavanas, wicked and valiant, will reach Cusu-Madh-Vaja (the town of the flower-standard). The thick mud-fortifications at Pataliputra being reached, all the provinces will be in disorder, without doubt."
"Ultimately, a great battle will follow, with tree-like engines (siege engines). The Yavanas (Greeks) will command, the Kings will disappear. The Yavanas, intoxicated with fighting, will not stay in Madh-Adesa (the Middle Country); there will be undoubtedly a civil war among them, arising in their own country, there will be a terrible and ferocious war."
Thursday, August 11, 2016
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS?
The Biblical expression of the word "righteousness" is rendered as "justification." The fully explanation of the matter is found in the Christian Greek Scriptures, basically carrying the idea of "absolving" or "clearing" of any charge, holding as "guiltless," and hence "acquitting," or pronouncing and treating as righteous.
Paul, the apostle, speaks of God as being "proved righteous" in His Words" and winning when being judged by detractors. Paul stated that the person who dies is "acquitted from his sin,"having paid the penalty of death. Paul, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 10, shows to those who look at things according to their face value, the need to make a proper evaluation of matters, to look at both sides of the ledger, as it is. At the same time, Paul is concerned that 'no one should put to his credit" more than was correct as regard on his ministry. (2 Corinthians 12).
Jesus said that "wisdom is proved righteous by its works" and that, when rendered an account on Judgment Day, men would be "declared righteous" or "condemned by their words."
Jesus also said that the humble tax collector "who prayed repentantly"in the temple "went down"to his home "proved more righteous" than the boastful Pharisee praying at the same time.
Righteousness also refers to "an act of God" whereby one is accounted "guiltless," and in declaring a person "perfect in integrity,"and "judged worthy of the right of life."
The first man was perfect, righteous, and considered a son of God, by virtue of God's creation of him and was declared "very good" by His Creator. But man failed to maintain integrity before God and lost righteousness for himself and for his future offspring.
From among his descendants there came "men of faith" who "walked with the True God,"such as Noah, Enoch, and Job.
Of Abraham, it is stated that he exercised "faith in God" and it was "counted to him as righteousness."
The Greek understanding of the word "count" was used regularly in ancient times for numerical calculations such as in accounting, being used when referring both to something that was entered on the "debit side" of an account and also to something enetred on the credit side thereof.
In the Scriptures, in general, it is used to mean "reckon (group, class, or type), credit, count, rate, taking into account, esteem, and appraise,"
In 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, says that "Love does not keep 'account' of the injury."David, the Psalmist, is quoted in Romans, chapter 4, saying that "Happy is the man whose 'sin' God will by no means 'take into account.'"
Rahab of Jericho "manifested her faith by her works,"and so was "declared righteous,"and her life being spared when the city of Jericho was destroyed.
Paul, the apostle, speaks of God as being "proved righteous" in His Words" and winning when being judged by detractors. Paul stated that the person who dies is "acquitted from his sin,"having paid the penalty of death. Paul, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 10, shows to those who look at things according to their face value, the need to make a proper evaluation of matters, to look at both sides of the ledger, as it is. At the same time, Paul is concerned that 'no one should put to his credit" more than was correct as regard on his ministry. (2 Corinthians 12).
Jesus said that "wisdom is proved righteous by its works" and that, when rendered an account on Judgment Day, men would be "declared righteous" or "condemned by their words."
Jesus also said that the humble tax collector "who prayed repentantly"in the temple "went down"to his home "proved more righteous" than the boastful Pharisee praying at the same time.
Righteousness also refers to "an act of God" whereby one is accounted "guiltless," and in declaring a person "perfect in integrity,"and "judged worthy of the right of life."
The first man was perfect, righteous, and considered a son of God, by virtue of God's creation of him and was declared "very good" by His Creator. But man failed to maintain integrity before God and lost righteousness for himself and for his future offspring.
From among his descendants there came "men of faith" who "walked with the True God,"such as Noah, Enoch, and Job.
Of Abraham, it is stated that he exercised "faith in God" and it was "counted to him as righteousness."
The Greek understanding of the word "count" was used regularly in ancient times for numerical calculations such as in accounting, being used when referring both to something that was entered on the "debit side" of an account and also to something enetred on the credit side thereof.
In the Scriptures, in general, it is used to mean "reckon (group, class, or type), credit, count, rate, taking into account, esteem, and appraise,"
In 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, says that "Love does not keep 'account' of the injury."David, the Psalmist, is quoted in Romans, chapter 4, saying that "Happy is the man whose 'sin' God will by no means 'take into account.'"
Rahab of Jericho "manifested her faith by her works,"and so was "declared righteous,"and her life being spared when the city of Jericho was destroyed.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
THE SYMBOLISM OF BEHEMOTH.
Behemoth is the term in the Hebrew language for 'a great beast,' representing loyalty, integrity, majesty and dignity, making altogether a single beast of gigantic proportions mentioned in the Scriptures and the representation of mind power and be parallel to the Leviathan sea monster. Metaphorically, both names have come to be used to represent the power of an extremely large and powerful entities and its dualism in their acting forces, but both rooted in the power of the flesh.
In the Book of Job, chapter 40, God speak to Job in this way:"Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?"The representation of Job as a righteous being is being replaced by the word 'faultfinder,'
and, since the Hebrew word 'Behemoth' represent 'majesty and dignity' in the flesh then Job's faultiness acquired from the original sin is equalized with 'Behemoth' as a 'faultfinder.'
Then God says to the spirit of faultiness in Job,"Are you trying to prove that I an unjust -to put Me in the wrong and yourself in the right? Are you as strong as I am? Can your voice thunder as loud as mine? If so, stand up in your honor and pride; clothe yourself with majesty and glory.
God is making a symbolic meaning of the power invested in humankind when He made them. God clothed man with majesty and glory but not rooted in the flesh instead it was rooted in His divine Spirit. When the human mind became corrupted by the original sin it was transformed in the symbolic way of Behemoth a powerful faultfinder beast representing the majesty and glory of man in the flesh.
God then tells Job to redirect his overflowing anger rooted in the flesh to bring down all the greedy and the wicked that corrupt the way of the righteous, meaning to restore in his mind the spiritual loyalty and integrity that comes from God, instead of arguing or questioning God's ways, "Look at those who are proud; pour out your anger and humble them. Yes, look at them and bring them down; crush the wicked where they stand. Bury them all in the ground; bind them in the world of the dead. Then I will be the first to praise you and admit that you won the victory yourself."
Then God gives to Job the description of Behemoth's garments, "Look at the monster Be'Hemoth, which I created as I created you. He eats grass like an ox, but his strength is in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stand up and be stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together making them strong. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. He is the first of the works of God; let Him who made Be'Hemoth bring near His Sword!"
Only God can defeat the monster because He was his creator. He came together with the divine spirit that God put in man and was clothed with divine loyalty, integrity, majesty and glory.
Then Death rob that divine nature and transformed it in sin, guilt, greed, and wickedness.
In the Book of Job, chapter 40, God speak to Job in this way:"Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?"The representation of Job as a righteous being is being replaced by the word 'faultfinder,'
and, since the Hebrew word 'Behemoth' represent 'majesty and dignity' in the flesh then Job's faultiness acquired from the original sin is equalized with 'Behemoth' as a 'faultfinder.'
Then God says to the spirit of faultiness in Job,"Are you trying to prove that I an unjust -to put Me in the wrong and yourself in the right? Are you as strong as I am? Can your voice thunder as loud as mine? If so, stand up in your honor and pride; clothe yourself with majesty and glory.
God is making a symbolic meaning of the power invested in humankind when He made them. God clothed man with majesty and glory but not rooted in the flesh instead it was rooted in His divine Spirit. When the human mind became corrupted by the original sin it was transformed in the symbolic way of Behemoth a powerful faultfinder beast representing the majesty and glory of man in the flesh.
God then tells Job to redirect his overflowing anger rooted in the flesh to bring down all the greedy and the wicked that corrupt the way of the righteous, meaning to restore in his mind the spiritual loyalty and integrity that comes from God, instead of arguing or questioning God's ways, "Look at those who are proud; pour out your anger and humble them. Yes, look at them and bring them down; crush the wicked where they stand. Bury them all in the ground; bind them in the world of the dead. Then I will be the first to praise you and admit that you won the victory yourself."
Then God gives to Job the description of Behemoth's garments, "Look at the monster Be'Hemoth, which I created as I created you. He eats grass like an ox, but his strength is in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stand up and be stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together making them strong. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. He is the first of the works of God; let Him who made Be'Hemoth bring near His Sword!"
Only God can defeat the monster because He was his creator. He came together with the divine spirit that God put in man and was clothed with divine loyalty, integrity, majesty and glory.
Then Death rob that divine nature and transformed it in sin, guilt, greed, and wickedness.
Friday, August 5, 2016
THE PERSONIFICATION OF DEATH.
Death as a personified force it has been imagined in many different ways. The most popular depiction of it as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak arose in 14th century England.
In some mythologies, Death comes to collect the soul of the deceased to the afterlife, without having control over when or how the victim dies.
Mot was the personification of Death to the Canaanites. He was considered a son of the king of the gods. El, was the supreme god, the Father of mankind and all creatures. El also fathered many gods, most importantly Hadad, Yam, and Mot, each sharing similar attributes to the Greco-Roman gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades respectively. As recorded on the clay tablets of Ugarit, El is the husband of the feminine force Ash-Erah.
The Phoenicians also worshipped Death under the name 'Mot' and a version of Mot later became Maweth, the devil or angel of Death in Judaism.
Alexander the Great is reputed to have found an entrance to Eden in an area of Africa near the equator, governed only by women, but was unable to enter.
According to the Hebrew Scriptures, Death came into the world as a consequence of Adam's sin. The first human couple were expelled from the idyllic Garden of Eden, after they ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and to prevent them eating from the Tree of Life and gainning immortality. The path back is guarded by a Cherub with a flaming sword (Gen.3).
The prophet Ezekiel described the idyllic Garden of Eden as full of precious stones and stones of fire (Ez.28), situated at the very centre of the world, and being of enormous dimension, and everything on this earth had its form engraved in it. It was divided into a lower earthly garden and an upper, heavenly one. Adam and Eve lived in the lower garden which contained beautiful fruit trees. The upper one was full of spiritual delights, where the soul of the righteous went after Death to hear God expound the Truth. The Garden was only a small part of Eden, the main part of it no human eye has ever seen.
When souls depart this life, each individual determine by his/her actions the place they will have in eternity. Those who are especially holy, being free from the power of the Angel of Death, die from the effect of the serpent's poison which contaminated Eve and her progeny.
Death itself is viewed as part of the Creation, as God was referring to Death when he declared that the World was very good, since it was the byproduct formed after the war of the elements that occur in the spiritual world, and a way to filter the souls of the good ones passing into the Garden of Eden through the Cave of Mach-Pelah where they were greeted by the Patriarchs, and being called alive even after death, because they were death to the pleasures of this world but alive to eternity, while the wicked are dead even while still living in the material world.
The Angel of Death is one of the angels whose specific task is to end human life. The Angel of death is covered with eyes, so that those who see him gape in amazement, and a drop of poison from his sword falls into their open mouthes.
When someone dies, therefore, all water in the house should be poured away in case poison from the angel's sword fell into it. This symbolizes that all negative energies that were among the people surrounding him has to be cleansed leaving the individual's soul purified from it, finding peace in his/her heart.
The odor of Paradise wafts from the Garden of Eden, and helps neutralize the pungent breath issuing from the mouth of the Leviathan.
During the 2nd coming of the Messiah, the way to Eden will be revealed, and people will discover wonderful plants and trees. The Messiah himself will be the only one able to read the Truth from the Book of Life, which is written in a fire of many colors.
In some mythologies, Death comes to collect the soul of the deceased to the afterlife, without having control over when or how the victim dies.
Mot was the personification of Death to the Canaanites. He was considered a son of the king of the gods. El, was the supreme god, the Father of mankind and all creatures. El also fathered many gods, most importantly Hadad, Yam, and Mot, each sharing similar attributes to the Greco-Roman gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades respectively. As recorded on the clay tablets of Ugarit, El is the husband of the feminine force Ash-Erah.
The Phoenicians also worshipped Death under the name 'Mot' and a version of Mot later became Maweth, the devil or angel of Death in Judaism.
Alexander the Great is reputed to have found an entrance to Eden in an area of Africa near the equator, governed only by women, but was unable to enter.
According to the Hebrew Scriptures, Death came into the world as a consequence of Adam's sin. The first human couple were expelled from the idyllic Garden of Eden, after they ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and to prevent them eating from the Tree of Life and gainning immortality. The path back is guarded by a Cherub with a flaming sword (Gen.3).
The prophet Ezekiel described the idyllic Garden of Eden as full of precious stones and stones of fire (Ez.28), situated at the very centre of the world, and being of enormous dimension, and everything on this earth had its form engraved in it. It was divided into a lower earthly garden and an upper, heavenly one. Adam and Eve lived in the lower garden which contained beautiful fruit trees. The upper one was full of spiritual delights, where the soul of the righteous went after Death to hear God expound the Truth. The Garden was only a small part of Eden, the main part of it no human eye has ever seen.
When souls depart this life, each individual determine by his/her actions the place they will have in eternity. Those who are especially holy, being free from the power of the Angel of Death, die from the effect of the serpent's poison which contaminated Eve and her progeny.
Death itself is viewed as part of the Creation, as God was referring to Death when he declared that the World was very good, since it was the byproduct formed after the war of the elements that occur in the spiritual world, and a way to filter the souls of the good ones passing into the Garden of Eden through the Cave of Mach-Pelah where they were greeted by the Patriarchs, and being called alive even after death, because they were death to the pleasures of this world but alive to eternity, while the wicked are dead even while still living in the material world.
The Angel of Death is one of the angels whose specific task is to end human life. The Angel of death is covered with eyes, so that those who see him gape in amazement, and a drop of poison from his sword falls into their open mouthes.
When someone dies, therefore, all water in the house should be poured away in case poison from the angel's sword fell into it. This symbolizes that all negative energies that were among the people surrounding him has to be cleansed leaving the individual's soul purified from it, finding peace in his/her heart.
The odor of Paradise wafts from the Garden of Eden, and helps neutralize the pungent breath issuing from the mouth of the Leviathan.
During the 2nd coming of the Messiah, the way to Eden will be revealed, and people will discover wonderful plants and trees. The Messiah himself will be the only one able to read the Truth from the Book of Life, which is written in a fire of many colors.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
THE CAPSIAN CULTURE.
The Capsian Culture was a Mesolithic culture of the Maghreb (Sunset), which lasted from about 10,000 to 6,000 BCE. The start and ends dates of the Mesolithic vary by geographical region. The times vary greatly. Mesolithic peoples continued with intensive hunting while others were practicing the initial stages of domestication.
The Maghreb (Sunset) Region was usually defined as much or most of the region of North West Africa, West of Egypt. The traditional definition included the Atlas mountains and the coastal plains of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Later, following the 1989 formation of the Arab Maghreb Union, included the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (Agabe) and the desert flat land of Western Sahara.
The ancient Capsian were concentrated mainly in modern Tunisia, and Algeria, with some sites attested in Southern Spain to Sicily. It is traditionally divided into two horizons, The Typical Capsian and the Upper Capsian. They represent variants of one tradition, the differences between them being both typological and technological.
During the period of time in which the culture developed, the environment of the Maghreb (Sunset) was open savanna with Mediterranean forests at higher altitudes. A savanna was a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy did not close. The open canopy allowed sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer of grassland.
Capsa (Gafsa), the capital of the South West Tunisia lends its name to the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 111,170, Gafsa is the 9th largest Tunisian city. The city lies 369 km / 229mi by road South West of Tunis.
Excavations at prehistoric sites in the area have yielded artifacts and skeletal remains associated with the Capsian culture. Nothing is known about ancient Capsian religion, but their burial methods suggests a belief in an afterlife. Decorative art is widely found at their sites, including figurative abstract rock art, and ochre is found coloring both tools and corpses. Ostrich eggshells were used to make beads and containers; seashells were used for necklaces.
The city of Capsa belonged to Jug-Ur-tha (160-104BC), King of Numidia, born in Cirta (modern-day Constantine) who deposited his treasures there. The people of Numidia were semi-nomadic and indistinguishable from other Libyans in North Africa. It was captured by Gaius Marius in 106 BC and destroyed, but later became a Roman colony, and was an important city of Roman Africa. Roman cisterns are still evident in the city ruins. The Vandals, an East Germanic Tribe who were first heard of in Southern Poland, but later moved, conquered the Roman city and ruled it until 477 CE.
The Berbers then occupied it, making it the capital of a Roman-Berber kingdom until subjected to Byzantium under Justinian I (527-565CE). He made Capsa the capital of the Province of Byzacena.
In 688 CE the city was conquered by the Arabs losing its importance.
The Maghreb (Sunset) Region was usually defined as much or most of the region of North West Africa, West of Egypt. The traditional definition included the Atlas mountains and the coastal plains of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Later, following the 1989 formation of the Arab Maghreb Union, included the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (Agabe) and the desert flat land of Western Sahara.
The ancient Capsian were concentrated mainly in modern Tunisia, and Algeria, with some sites attested in Southern Spain to Sicily. It is traditionally divided into two horizons, The Typical Capsian and the Upper Capsian. They represent variants of one tradition, the differences between them being both typological and technological.
During the period of time in which the culture developed, the environment of the Maghreb (Sunset) was open savanna with Mediterranean forests at higher altitudes. A savanna was a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy did not close. The open canopy allowed sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer of grassland.
Capsa (Gafsa), the capital of the South West Tunisia lends its name to the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 111,170, Gafsa is the 9th largest Tunisian city. The city lies 369 km / 229mi by road South West of Tunis.
Excavations at prehistoric sites in the area have yielded artifacts and skeletal remains associated with the Capsian culture. Nothing is known about ancient Capsian religion, but their burial methods suggests a belief in an afterlife. Decorative art is widely found at their sites, including figurative abstract rock art, and ochre is found coloring both tools and corpses. Ostrich eggshells were used to make beads and containers; seashells were used for necklaces.
The city of Capsa belonged to Jug-Ur-tha (160-104BC), King of Numidia, born in Cirta (modern-day Constantine) who deposited his treasures there. The people of Numidia were semi-nomadic and indistinguishable from other Libyans in North Africa. It was captured by Gaius Marius in 106 BC and destroyed, but later became a Roman colony, and was an important city of Roman Africa. Roman cisterns are still evident in the city ruins. The Vandals, an East Germanic Tribe who were first heard of in Southern Poland, but later moved, conquered the Roman city and ruled it until 477 CE.
The Berbers then occupied it, making it the capital of a Roman-Berber kingdom until subjected to Byzantium under Justinian I (527-565CE). He made Capsa the capital of the Province of Byzacena.
In 688 CE the city was conquered by the Arabs losing its importance.
Monday, August 1, 2016
EMPE-DOC-LES AND HIS SUPERNATURAL THEORIES.
Empedocles was a Greek citizen of Agri-Gentum, a Greek city founded on a plateau overlooking the Sea, with 2 nearby rivers, and a ridge to the North offering a degree of natural fortification, in the southern coast of Sicily, the largest island in the Central Mediterranean Sea. It grew rapidly, becoming one of the richest and most famous leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden age of ancient Greece with a population estimated in the range 200,000-800,000 before 406 BC. Sicily is separated from the Italian peninsula by the narrow Strait of Messina. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Edna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently 3,329m/10,922ft high, and one of the most active in the world. The earliest evidence of human activity on the island dates from as early as 12,000 BC.
The Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the North East of mainland Sicily form a volcanic complex, and include Stromboli that is a small island off the North coast of Sicily. The 3 volcanoes: Vulcano, Vulcanero and Lipari are still active. As an example of how the work of the elements were a philosophical theme in the past we present the myth about Vulcano.
Vulcano (Greek: Thermessa=Source of Heat) is located about 25 km North of Sicily: 21km2/8 sq mi in area, 499m/1,637ft above sea level. It appeared in the Greek myths as the private workshop of Hephaestus, an Olympian God, protector of the blacksmiths. He owned another two at Etna and Olympus. Similarly the Romans believed that Vulcano was the chimney of the god Vulcan's workshop and therefore named the island after him. The island had grown due to his periodic and supernatural clearing of cinders and ashes from his forge. The earthquakes that either preceded or accompanied the explosions of ash were considered to be due to Vulcan making weapons for Mars and his armies to wage his supernatural wars. Then the island use was mainly for raw materials, harvesting wood and mining alum and sulfur, being the principal activity on the island until the end of the 19th century. When the Bour-Bon rule collapsed in 1860 a British man bought the Northern part of the island, built a villa, reopened the local mines and planted vineyards for a sweet variety of grapes to make wine. He lived in Vulcano until the last and major eruption in 1888. It lasted two years, by which time he sold his property to the locals and never returned to the island. The villa is still intact.
Empe-doc-les' philosophy is best known for originating the Cosmos-Genetic Theory of the Four Classical Elements. The 4 elements were simple, eternal and unalterable and a change in any of them was the consequence of their mixture and separation. The existence of moving powers were also responsible for its mixture and separation. The 4 elements, in the beginning, were eternally brought into union. At their best in their originally state, they were able to coexist in a condition of rest in the form of a sphere. They existed together in their purity, without mixture and separation, and the united power of Love predominated in the sphere. The separating power of Strife guarded the extreme edges of the sphere. Since that time, Strife gained little by little more sway and the bond which kept the pure elementary substances together was dissolved. Then they were transformed into the world of phenomena we see today, full of contrasts and oppositions, operated by both Love and Strife. Then Empedocles assumed the existence of a cyclical universe whereby the elements return and prepare the formation of the sphere for the next period in the universe.
He is credited with the first comprehensive theory of light and vision. He put forward the idea that we see objects because light streams out of our eyes and touches them. Knowledge was explained by the principle that the elements (fire, air, water, earth) in the things outside us are perceived by the corresponding elements in ourselves. Our whole body is full of pores and hence respiration takes place over the whole frame. In the organs of sense these pores are specially adapted to receive the environmental messages which are continually rising from bodies around us; and in this way perception is explained. Thus in vision, certain particles go forth from the eye to meet similar particles given forth from the object, and the resultant contact constituted the personal vision. Perception was not merely a passive reflection of external objects.
Empe-doc-les noted the limitation and narrowness of human perceptions. We see only a part, but it fancy and make us believe that we grasped the whole. Then the senses were not able to lead the individual to Truth. Thought and Reflection must be taken from the insight to look at the thing on every side. It is our responsibility to lead our soul to a higher level, while laying bare the roots that make the elements so different in displaying the identity that exist between what seem unconnected parts of the universe.
Empedocles knew about the corporeality of Air able to resist liquid. He attempted to explain the phenomena by means of an elaborated analogy with the water clock (clepsydra), an ancient device for transmitting liquids from one vessel to another. Although a simple wine skin sufficed to demonstrate a partial vacuum, in principle, more advanced suction pumps were developed in Roman Pompeii.
Empe-doc-les believed in the transmigration of the soul, that souls can be moved in between humans, animals and even plants. All living things, according to him, belonged to the same spiritual realm. Plants and animals were links in a chain where humans were a link too. He urged a vegetarian lifestyle, since the body of animals were the dwelling places of punished souls. Wise people, who have learned the secret of life, were next to the divine, and their souls were free from the cycle of transmigration, and able to rest in happiness for eternity.
A legend was recorded that Empedocles died by being taken or carried up into the sky by a volcanic eruption from Mount Edna in Sicily, so that the people would believe his body had vanished and his soul turned into an immortal entity. However, the volcano threw back one of his bronze sandals, revealing that he survived the fate and continues his life on the Moon by being fed on dew.
In 2006, a massive underwater volcano off the coast of Sicily was named Empedocles.
The Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the North East of mainland Sicily form a volcanic complex, and include Stromboli that is a small island off the North coast of Sicily. The 3 volcanoes: Vulcano, Vulcanero and Lipari are still active. As an example of how the work of the elements were a philosophical theme in the past we present the myth about Vulcano.
Vulcano (Greek: Thermessa=Source of Heat) is located about 25 km North of Sicily: 21km2/8 sq mi in area, 499m/1,637ft above sea level. It appeared in the Greek myths as the private workshop of Hephaestus, an Olympian God, protector of the blacksmiths. He owned another two at Etna and Olympus. Similarly the Romans believed that Vulcano was the chimney of the god Vulcan's workshop and therefore named the island after him. The island had grown due to his periodic and supernatural clearing of cinders and ashes from his forge. The earthquakes that either preceded or accompanied the explosions of ash were considered to be due to Vulcan making weapons for Mars and his armies to wage his supernatural wars. Then the island use was mainly for raw materials, harvesting wood and mining alum and sulfur, being the principal activity on the island until the end of the 19th century. When the Bour-Bon rule collapsed in 1860 a British man bought the Northern part of the island, built a villa, reopened the local mines and planted vineyards for a sweet variety of grapes to make wine. He lived in Vulcano until the last and major eruption in 1888. It lasted two years, by which time he sold his property to the locals and never returned to the island. The villa is still intact.
Empe-doc-les' philosophy is best known for originating the Cosmos-Genetic Theory of the Four Classical Elements. The 4 elements were simple, eternal and unalterable and a change in any of them was the consequence of their mixture and separation. The existence of moving powers were also responsible for its mixture and separation. The 4 elements, in the beginning, were eternally brought into union. At their best in their originally state, they were able to coexist in a condition of rest in the form of a sphere. They existed together in their purity, without mixture and separation, and the united power of Love predominated in the sphere. The separating power of Strife guarded the extreme edges of the sphere. Since that time, Strife gained little by little more sway and the bond which kept the pure elementary substances together was dissolved. Then they were transformed into the world of phenomena we see today, full of contrasts and oppositions, operated by both Love and Strife. Then Empedocles assumed the existence of a cyclical universe whereby the elements return and prepare the formation of the sphere for the next period in the universe.
He is credited with the first comprehensive theory of light and vision. He put forward the idea that we see objects because light streams out of our eyes and touches them. Knowledge was explained by the principle that the elements (fire, air, water, earth) in the things outside us are perceived by the corresponding elements in ourselves. Our whole body is full of pores and hence respiration takes place over the whole frame. In the organs of sense these pores are specially adapted to receive the environmental messages which are continually rising from bodies around us; and in this way perception is explained. Thus in vision, certain particles go forth from the eye to meet similar particles given forth from the object, and the resultant contact constituted the personal vision. Perception was not merely a passive reflection of external objects.
Empe-doc-les noted the limitation and narrowness of human perceptions. We see only a part, but it fancy and make us believe that we grasped the whole. Then the senses were not able to lead the individual to Truth. Thought and Reflection must be taken from the insight to look at the thing on every side. It is our responsibility to lead our soul to a higher level, while laying bare the roots that make the elements so different in displaying the identity that exist between what seem unconnected parts of the universe.
Empedocles knew about the corporeality of Air able to resist liquid. He attempted to explain the phenomena by means of an elaborated analogy with the water clock (clepsydra), an ancient device for transmitting liquids from one vessel to another. Although a simple wine skin sufficed to demonstrate a partial vacuum, in principle, more advanced suction pumps were developed in Roman Pompeii.
Empe-doc-les believed in the transmigration of the soul, that souls can be moved in between humans, animals and even plants. All living things, according to him, belonged to the same spiritual realm. Plants and animals were links in a chain where humans were a link too. He urged a vegetarian lifestyle, since the body of animals were the dwelling places of punished souls. Wise people, who have learned the secret of life, were next to the divine, and their souls were free from the cycle of transmigration, and able to rest in happiness for eternity.
A legend was recorded that Empedocles died by being taken or carried up into the sky by a volcanic eruption from Mount Edna in Sicily, so that the people would believe his body had vanished and his soul turned into an immortal entity. However, the volcano threw back one of his bronze sandals, revealing that he survived the fate and continues his life on the Moon by being fed on dew.
In 2006, a massive underwater volcano off the coast of Sicily was named Empedocles.
AARON, THE SUPERNATURAL HIGH PRIEST.
In the Hebrew Scriptures and the Koran, Aaron is the older brother of Moses and his spokesman because Moses was slow of speech, and of a slow tongue (Exodus 6 and 4)).
Unlike Moses, who grew up in the Egyptian royal court, Aaron and his elder sister Miriam remained with their kinsmen in the Eastern border-land of Egypt, Goshen.
The Land of Goshen is named in the Scriptures as the place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by the pharaoh of Joseph (Genesis 45), and the land from which they later left Egypt at the time of the Exodus. The sons of Jacob, living in Hebron, a city in the South West Bank south of Jerusalem, nestled in the Judaean Mountains at 930 m/3,050 ft above sea level, experienced a severe famine that lasted 7 years. Since Egypt was the only kingdom able to supply goods, at the 2nd year of famine, they were invited to live in the Land of Goshem.
The Land of Goshem was located in the Eastern Delta of the Nile, and is described as the best land in Egypt, suitable for both crops and livestock. No wonder why Moses was slow of spiritual speech, and of a slow tongue, since he grew inside the Egyptian court. Aaron's upbringing was different, he connected himself with pure nature in which the power of God was felt in its maximum level and the language developed by Aaron and his family were, most of the time, supernatural. They learned the way of the Hebrews and respected the Law of God.
The Nile Delta, a land-form that forms from deposition of sediment carried by the Nile as the flow leaves its mouth and spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea, was a perfect place for Aaron and his people to grow. It was and still is one of the world's largest river deltas and a rich agricultural region. People have lived in the Delta region for thousands of years, and it has been intensively farmed for at least the last five thousand years.
After the death of Joseph and those of his generation, the following generations of the sons of Jacob grew and became populous in number. The Egyptians feared potential integration or takeover, so they enslaved them and took away their sacred rights. Approximately 430 years later, Moses was called to lead the sons of Jacob out of Egypt. They pitched at 41 locations crossing the Nile Delta, to the last being the Plains of Moab.
Part of the Law of God that Moses received from Him at Mount Sinai granted Aaron the priesthood for himself and his male descendants, and Aaron became the first High Priest of the Israelites, and an Old Testament type of Christ. When crowned with a tiara Aaron represented the highest authority in Earth able to mediate between God and humankind, and when wearing a mitre, the maximum authority inside the priesthood. The elaborate Old Testament description of his vestments give us the idea of the power invested in him as the mediator of the human race. One of his attributes as a High Priest is a censer, because he alone could offer incense in the Holy of Hollies.
The Holy of Hollies was the most sacred area in the Tabernacle and in the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. It could only be entered by the High Priest once a year, to offer incense during the ritual of atonement, the reconciliation of man and God. Between the High Priest and God no intermediaries existed to effect the ritual of atonement. As the Hebrew Scriptures puts it: "Happy are you, Israel. Before Whom do you cleanse yourself and Who is it Who cleanses you? It is your Father in Heaven."
The miraculous flowering of Aaron's rod (his other supernatural attribute) was the divine indication of the exclusive right of his tribe to the privileges of priesthood. Aaron and the head of each of the other tribes of Israel laid their staffs in the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron's rod blossomed and produced ripe almonds, a sign that the Tribe of Levi, of which he was the leader, had been divinely chosen for the office by God. (Numbers 17).
Unlike Moses, who grew up in the Egyptian royal court, Aaron and his elder sister Miriam remained with their kinsmen in the Eastern border-land of Egypt, Goshen.
The Land of Goshen is named in the Scriptures as the place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by the pharaoh of Joseph (Genesis 45), and the land from which they later left Egypt at the time of the Exodus. The sons of Jacob, living in Hebron, a city in the South West Bank south of Jerusalem, nestled in the Judaean Mountains at 930 m/3,050 ft above sea level, experienced a severe famine that lasted 7 years. Since Egypt was the only kingdom able to supply goods, at the 2nd year of famine, they were invited to live in the Land of Goshem.
The Land of Goshem was located in the Eastern Delta of the Nile, and is described as the best land in Egypt, suitable for both crops and livestock. No wonder why Moses was slow of spiritual speech, and of a slow tongue, since he grew inside the Egyptian court. Aaron's upbringing was different, he connected himself with pure nature in which the power of God was felt in its maximum level and the language developed by Aaron and his family were, most of the time, supernatural. They learned the way of the Hebrews and respected the Law of God.
The Nile Delta, a land-form that forms from deposition of sediment carried by the Nile as the flow leaves its mouth and spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea, was a perfect place for Aaron and his people to grow. It was and still is one of the world's largest river deltas and a rich agricultural region. People have lived in the Delta region for thousands of years, and it has been intensively farmed for at least the last five thousand years.
After the death of Joseph and those of his generation, the following generations of the sons of Jacob grew and became populous in number. The Egyptians feared potential integration or takeover, so they enslaved them and took away their sacred rights. Approximately 430 years later, Moses was called to lead the sons of Jacob out of Egypt. They pitched at 41 locations crossing the Nile Delta, to the last being the Plains of Moab.
Part of the Law of God that Moses received from Him at Mount Sinai granted Aaron the priesthood for himself and his male descendants, and Aaron became the first High Priest of the Israelites, and an Old Testament type of Christ. When crowned with a tiara Aaron represented the highest authority in Earth able to mediate between God and humankind, and when wearing a mitre, the maximum authority inside the priesthood. The elaborate Old Testament description of his vestments give us the idea of the power invested in him as the mediator of the human race. One of his attributes as a High Priest is a censer, because he alone could offer incense in the Holy of Hollies.
The Holy of Hollies was the most sacred area in the Tabernacle and in the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. It could only be entered by the High Priest once a year, to offer incense during the ritual of atonement, the reconciliation of man and God. Between the High Priest and God no intermediaries existed to effect the ritual of atonement. As the Hebrew Scriptures puts it: "Happy are you, Israel. Before Whom do you cleanse yourself and Who is it Who cleanses you? It is your Father in Heaven."
The miraculous flowering of Aaron's rod (his other supernatural attribute) was the divine indication of the exclusive right of his tribe to the privileges of priesthood. Aaron and the head of each of the other tribes of Israel laid their staffs in the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron's rod blossomed and produced ripe almonds, a sign that the Tribe of Levi, of which he was the leader, had been divinely chosen for the office by God. (Numbers 17).
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