Flower in Fountain
Originally uploaded by Deb Snelson
Roses of Sharon
7TH DAY
Cute~She got married~
The name Yahuah has been substituted in our translations of
the Scriptures with the title Lord some 6823 times. The short form,
Yah, has also been substituted 48 times with Lord, and only in one
place was it retained as: Yah, in PS. 68:4, in the older and more
literal translations. Further, wherever we read GOD in capital letters,
that too is a substitute for Yahuah. (Koster, 2004)
Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables,
saying, "See, a sower went forth to sow.
Mat 13:4 And as he sowed, some indeed fell by the way side, and the
birds came and devoured them.
Mat 13:5 And others fell upon rocky places, where they had not much
soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of
soil.
Mat 13:6 But when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they
had no root, they withered.
Mat 13:7 And others fell among thorns; and the thorns came up, and
choked them.
Mat 13:8 And others fell into good soil, and yielded a crop, some an
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Mat 13:9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Torah
Zone Scriptures
Please, Pray for the Peace of Yerusalem
We, the People... need to pursue happiness and to clean our
houses, and not just Cornelius'sheet. After studying the false
teachings from the Protestant Reformation Movement about Jewish
Nazarene Shaul and those of Constantine and his repentance for the
founding of Catholicism, Peter (lil petra), and those...which Yahuweh
handled the protests and ignorance of HIS promises from Father Abraham
and El Shaddai in the book Galatians to converts dealing with the
Orthodox prejudices'and murders of Jewish Nazerene converts to the
Nazarene sect...to Christainity saying that it just doesn't matter what
you say or do or have done, it will be all right (there's a method to
their madness)...I agree we have the 'Mystery of Lawlessness', or the
'Mystery of Inquity' in our hearts and lives...
Please, Pray for the leaders of the nations...For the people
fail because of the sins of their leaders...and they perish for the
lack of knowledge. (Hosea)
Guess what? They've got new coins in circulation now without
the word "God" on them!
I AM THAT I AM...English, Dutch, German, Irish, Italian, with
just a lil bit of Cherokee in me. I guess that makes me a smelting pot
at the end of the rainbow here in America. I love to live for Yahushua
with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I created this website just
because I wanted to show love to my neighbor.
Yahuaniah
I queried my Hebrew friends, Rabbi Mike Weiner of "The
Congregation of Shomair Yisrael" and others from Israel. I
asked Brother Howard, of Digi Tech, "What did they
really kill people on in Israel at the time when the Mashiach died?"
His reply was, "The Stauros or the stake."
I also asked, "What kind of tree was it? The myth of the Dogwood Tree
is prevalent where I live at here in the Smokies". Brother Howard
replied, "The Olive Tree..." Rabbi Mike replied,
"The Stauros...And it was really awful!" They and
others that were from Israel all confirmed that the same Olive tree
that the Messiah Ha Yahushua was impaled on (died) is probably still
there, today."
(Yahwehistic.Info)
A prophecy for the end-time is given to us in Jer. 16:19.
Jeremiah addresses Yahuweh and says, "The Gentiles shall come to You
from the ends of the earth and say, 'surely our fathers have inherited
lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.'" the Revised Standard
Version reads, "To Thee shall the nations come from the ends of the
earth and say: 'Our fathers have inherited naught but lies, worthless
things in which there is no profit'" But these lies could keep us from
entering the New Jerusalem, as we read in Rev. 21:27, and again in Rev.
22:15 which reads, "But outside are...whoever loves and practices a
lie."
The common claim that Sabbath-keeping has been annulled in
the New Testament, has been shown to be untrue. This claim is refuted
on Scriptural grounds. Likewise the claim of many sincere believers,
who have erroneously been taught that the Moral Ten Commandment Law has
been "nailed to the cross," is also not substantiated by Scripture.
These claims have been made by many in an attempt to justify the
adoption of , or the merger of Sun-worship with the original true
Messianic Belif. Similarly, the keeping of Easter Sunday and Christmas
are also not found in Scripture.
Another "later rendering," a tradition of the Church which
our fathers have inerited, was the adoption of the words "cross" and
"crucify." These words are nowhere to be found in the Greek of the New
Testament. These words are mistranslations, a "later rendering," of the
Greek words stauros and stauroo.
Vine's Expository Dictonary of New Testament Words
says, "STAUROS denotes, primarily, an upright ppole or stake...Both the
noun and the verb stauroo, fasten to a stake or
pole, are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form
of a two-beamed cross. The shape of the latter had its origin in
ancient Chaldea [Babylon], and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz
(being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initiail of his name)...By
the middle of the 3rd century A.D. the churches had either departed
from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christain faith. In
order to increase the prestige of the apostate eclesiastical system
pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by
faith, and were permitted largely to retain signs and symbols. Hence
the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross piece lowered,
was adopted..."
Dr. Bullinger, The Companion Bible,
appx. 162, states, "crosses were used as symbols of the Babylonian
Sun-god...It should be stated that Constantine was a Sun-god
worshipper...The evidence is thus complete, that the Lord was put to
death upon an uprigh stake, and not on two pieces of timber placed at
any angle..."
Rev. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons,
pp. 197-205, frankly calls this cross "this Pagan symbol...the Tau, the
sign of the cross, the indisputable sign of Tammuz, the false
Messiah...the true original form of the letter T - the initial of the
name of Tammuz...the Babylonian cross was the recognized emblem of
Tammuz."
Let us rather use the true rendering of the Scriptural words
stauros and stauroo, namely
"stake" and "impale", and eliminate the un-Scriptural "cross" and
"crucify."(Koster, 2004 pp.29-34)
Can we continue bringing homage to the Sun, once the truth
has been revealed to us, and be found guilty of participating in the
"wicked abominations" of Eze.8:9-16? (Koster, 2004)
Eze 8:9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked
abominations that they do here.
Eze 8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping
things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of
Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
Eze 8:11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the
house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of
Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of
incense went up.
Eze 8:12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the
ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the
chambers of his imagery? for they say, YAHUWEH seeth us not; YAHUWEH
hath forsaken the earth.
Eze 8:13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see
greater abominations that they do.
Eze 8:14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the YAHUWEH'S
house which was toward the north;and, behold, there sat women weeping
for Tammuz.
Eze 8:15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn
thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
Eze 8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the YAHUWEH'S house,
and, behold, at the door of the temple of the YAHUWEH, between the
porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs
toward the temple of the YAHUWEH, and their faces toward the east; and
they worshipped the sun toward the east.
e-Sword
The Hebrew proper name for God. It probably represents the
original pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (q.v.).
I. Yahweh"
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Ed. E. A.
Livingstone. Oxford University Press, 2006. Oxford Reference Online.
Oxford University Press. 25 May 2008
Occurs nearly 6,000 times in the OT as the name for God,
but increasing reverence caused it to be replaced in public reading by
Adonai (My great Lord). When vowels were added to the Hebrew text,
those of Adonai were combined with YHWH to warn
II.(From A Dictionary of the Bible in Religion & Philosophy
See Names of God in the Hebrew Bible.
III.(From The Oxford Companion to the Bible in Religion &
Philosophy)
The God of Judaism as the tetragrammaton , YHWH, may have
been pronounced. By Orthodox and many other Jews, God's name is never
articulated, least of all in the Jewish liturgy.
IV.(From The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions in Religion
& Philosophy)
The word was used especially of the Semitic deities who were
held to produce agricultural and animal fertility. The Hebrew Prophets
had constantly to resist attempts to fuse the worship of God with that
of the local Baalim.
V. "Baal"
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Ed. E. A.
Livingstone. Oxford University Press, 2006. Oxford Reference Online.
Oxford University Press. 25 May 2008
A male fertility god whose cult was widespread in ancient
Phoenician and Canaanite lands and was strongly resisted by the Hebrew
prophets. The name comes from Hebrew ba'al ‘lord’.
VI."Baal"
A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Edited by Elizabeth Knowles. Oxford
University Press, 2006. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University
Press. 25 May 2008
In Canaanite mythology, Baal was the most important god. His
name, like that of Adonis, means “Lord.” His father was either the
weather god Dagan, a weather or storm god, or the patriarchal high god
El. He has mythological brothers in such gods as the Norse Thor, the
Aramean and Babylonian Hadad, the Assyrian Adad, and the Hebrew Yahweh,
as well as in all the Middle Eastern and Indo-European younger gods who
wrested authority from earlier, more primitive divinities. Zeus
defeating Kronos is an example. The transfer of power in the
Hittite-Hurrian Kumarbi cycle is another.Baal is sometimes directly
assimilated with related gods. He is, for instance Baal-Hadad in some
of the Ugaritic texts. Baal-Karmelos was the storm god of Mount Carmel
in Palestine, and Baal-Hammon was important in Dido's Carthage. Perhaps
more important, Baal must be seen in relation to the Babylonian god
Marduk, who, like him, gained his dominant position among the gods by
defeating the primal powers of water—in the case of Marduk, the sweet
waters personified by Apsu and the sea waters which were Tiamat. Baal
defeats the sea as the god Yamm, sometimes called Lotan the serpent,
reminding us of Yahweh's defeat of Leviathan.Whatever his form, Baal's
defeat of the water powers is clearly tied to the climatic and
agricultural processes of the Middle Eastern year. By defeating the
monster Yam, Baal was able to determine the flow of waters—that is,
rain.Baal's greatest battle was with Mot, Death himself, who had
entered the god's new palace by way of a foolishly placed window. At
one point Mot seems to have defeated his rival, as Baal is condemned to
descend to the depths of Death's throat, taking the rains, clouds, and
other storm god characteristics with him. The result in the world was
horrendous drought and devastation.But Baal's sister Anat saved the
day, descending, like the Mesopotamian Inanna/ Ishtar to Death,
splitting him in two, grinding him up, and sowing him as seed. The
result of the planting was the resurrection of Baal and the return of
life to the earth. The defeat of death and periods of prosperity and
fertility are never permanent, however, and in time Mot would challenge
and probably defeat Baal again. Thus the Baal cycle is a continuous
story of life, death, and rebirth.
VII. "Baal"
The Oxford Companion to World mythology. David Leeming. Oxford
University Press, 2004. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University
Press. 25 May 2008
The focus of Christian devotion; born born a Palestinian Jew
c.4 BCE.Palestinian Jew c.4 BCE.
VIII."Jesus"A
Dictionary of the Bible. W. R. F. Browning. Oxford University Press,
1997. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 26 May 2008
/'d i z s/ noun (a) (Relig) Jesús; ~ Christ Jesucristo (b)
(as interj) (colloq) ~ (Christ)! ¡por Dios!
IX. "Jesus"The
Concise Oxford Spanish Dictionary. Ed. Nicholas Rollin. Oxford
University Press, 1998. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University
Press. 25 May 2008
the Founder of Christianity. Not used in OE., in which it
was rendered by H lend Saviour; in ME. (XII) not usu. written in full,
but almost always in the abbreviated Gr. forms ihu(s) , ihs , etc.;
repr. ChrL. I s s , obl. cases I s — Gr. I soûs , ...— late Heb. or
Aramaic ysa', for earlier y'hsua' Joshua, which is explained as ‘Jah
(or Jahveh) is salvation’.
X."Jesus"
A Dictionary of the Bible. W. R. F. Browning. Oxford University Press,
1997. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 26 May 2008
Spanish (- ORIGIN (de) Jesús ) and Portuguese: either from
the personal name Jesú, of a personal name + de Jesús. The name Jesus
is from the Greek form, Isous, of Aramaic Yeshua, from Hebrew Yoshua, a
byform of Yehoshuah (English Joshua) ‘may Jehovah help him’.
XI. "Jesus(226)"
Dictionary of American Family Names. Ed. Patrick Hanks. Oxford
University Press, 2006. 25 May 2008
In The Oxford English Dictionary, vol.
5, p. 345, under "Holy," we read, ""the primitive pre-Christain meaning
is uncertain...Its earlier application to heathen deities is found in
ON [Old Norse]." But we did discover the origin of the word "holy"...
The Hebrew word qodesh and the equivalent Greek
word hagios, together with their derivatives, have
been translated with one of three words, or derivatives, in our older
English versions, namely: holy, hallowed, or sanctified. Another word
is also used in modern versions, and generally in ecclesiastical
literature, namely: sacred. Most of us have to be devout. However, this
conception is refuted when we read in Isa. 65:17 of the idolatrous
people "who sanctify (qadash) themselves, to go to the gardens after an
idol in the midst, eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the
mouse..." This refutation of the incorrect idea that "holy" means "to
be pious," is further confirmed by the shocking fact that one of the
Hebrew words for a harlot (whore) is qedeshah, a
derivative of qadash! Likewise, a male prostitute
(or sodomite) is called a qadesh in Hebrew.
This then causes us to seek for the real meaning of the word
qodesh (its verb being qadash)
and its Greek equivalent hagios. The Interpreter's dictionary
of the Bible, vol 2, p. 617, summarizes what most authorities
say about qodesh and hagios"...the
meaning of 'separation' is paramount...the more elemental meaning seems
to lie with 'separation'" Likewise, Vine's Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words repeatedly emphasizes the
fact of the fundamental meaning of the word to be: "separation."
Most scholars nowadays prefer to render Hebrew and the greek
words as "set apart, set-apart and apartness." With this true meaning
of "set-apart" or "separate" we can now understand why qodesh
is used in a positive sense, a good sense, and that it can equally be
used in a negative and evil sense. Someone is, or something is
set-apart unto Yahuweh, or he/it is set-apart unto evil cultic
prostitution. Thus, the word qodesh applies to
both.
Why then, if the Hebrew word qodesh as
well as the Greek hagios both mean "set-apart," why
has the word "holy" been used instead? Is it possible that the father
of all lies, the Great Deceiver, had cunningly proceeded with his
master plan of bringing idolatrous worship into True Worship? Has the
"Mystery Man" behind "Mystery of Lawlessness" and "Mystery Babylon"
been active again? (se Jer. 16:19-21, Isa. 25:7, Isa. 30:28,
Rev.17:2,4,5 as well as 2 Thess. 2:7).
The German and Dutch equivalent of "holy" is helig,
which is derived from heil. Who is Heil?
We read in Bell's new Pantheon the shocking fact
that Heil was a Saxon (Old Prussian or North
Germanic) idol! and to think that our Germanic ancestors called the
Spirit of Elohim by the name of their ancient idol!(Koster, 2004 pp
37-39)
The word 'ghost' does not exist, either. It should be "Holy
Spirit" or preferrably "Rauch ha Qodesh" in Hebrew which means "Spirit
of Apartness" or "Set-apart Spirit." Additional Transliterations: "let"
instead of "hinder," and "hinder"
instead of "let."(American
Standard Bible Preface)
Common substitution for the name Yahuweh. Etymology: Origin
Old English hlaford from hlaf-weard=loaf-keeper.Three
pagan deities with names similar to "lord," were accomodated by means
of compromise.
A prophesy for the end-time is given in Isa. 65:11 wherein
our Mighty One warns of the apostasy of HIS people, "But you are those
who forsake Yahuweh...who prepare a table for Gad, and who furnish a
drink offering for Meni." All commentators agree that Gad is a pagan
deity, and so is Meni. Gad is usually interpreted as the well-known
Syrian or Canaanite deity of "Good Luck" or "Fortune," and Meni the
deity of "Destiny." "Luc" means "shining one"...or "Lucifer". This Gad
is written in the Hebrew as GD, but the Massoretes afterwards
vowel-pointed it, adding and "a," to give us "Gad." However, we find
other references in Scriptures to a similar deity, if not the same one,
also spelt GD in the Hebrew text but time vowel-ponted to read "Gawd"
or "God" (Jos. 11:17, 12:7, 13:5), where we find "Baal-Gawd" or
"Baal-God," according to the vowel-pointed Massoretic Hebrew text. This
Baal-Gawd or Baal-God was obviously a place named after their deity.
The astrologers identified Gad with Jupiter, the Sky-deity
or the Sun-deity. Other sources of research also testify of "Gad" being
the Sun-deity. Rev. Alexander Hislop wrote, "There is reason to believe
that Gad refers to the Sun-god...The name Gad...is applicable to
Nimrod, whose general character was that of a Sun-god...Thus then, if
Gad was the 'Sun-divinity', Meni was very naturally regarded as 'The
Lord Moon.'"
Keil and Delitzsch, Commentaries on the Old
Testament, comments on Isa. 65:11. "There can be no doubt,
therefore, that Gad, the god of good fortune,...is
Baal (Bel) as the god of good fortune...this is the deified planet
Jupiter...Gad is Jupiter...Mene
is Dea Luna...Rosenmuller very properly traces back
the Septuagint rendering to this Egyptian view, according to which Gad
is the Sun-god and Meni the lunar goddess as the
power of fate."
Isa 54:11 tells us then that Yahuweh's people have forsaken
Him nad in the end-time are found to be serving Gad, the Sun-deity as
the deity of "Good Luck," and Meni, the moon-deity of "Destiny."
The word God (or god), like the Greek Theos
(or theos) is used in our versions as a title, a
generic name, usually. It translates the Hebrew Elohim(or
elohim), El(or el),
and Eloah. However, in quite a few places it is
used as a name whenever it is used as a substitute for the
Tetragrammaton, the Name of our Father, e.g. Matthew 4:4 (quoted from
Deut. 8:3), Rom. 4:3 (quoted from Gen 15:6)etc. If the word God is then
used as a substitute for the name, it must be accepted that the word
God has become a name again.
How and when this title or name become adopted into our
modern languages? Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th
edition, says, "GOD" -the common Teutonic word for a personal object of
religous worship...applied to all those superhuman beings of the
heathen mythologies. The word 'god' on the conversion of the Teutonic
races to Christanity was adopted as the name of the one Supreme
Being..." (Koster, 2004 pp 53-57)
Before we proceed to this "luck" as a word, we would like to
emphasize the fact that the idea of "luck" in itself is totally
un-Scriptural, just like "fortune." This is the reprimand of Isa.
65:11, namely, that "good luck" and "fortune" are being relied on,
instead of us relying on Yahuweh. We should be entirely dependent on
His blessings, which we can only receive from Him if we live a life
dedicated to Him and in obedience to His Word, His Son.
The word "Luck," derived from a name for the Sun-deity, is
not found as such in the older English translation of the Scripture,
but the words "lucky" and "unlucky" appear seven times in the Good
New Bible. However, it is most frequently used in our
everyday language. In the German, Netherlands and Afrikaans versions
the word is indeed used as gluck or geluk,
the latter, and probably the former too, being a word derived from the
original form, luk. This fact can be verified in Woordenboek
der Nederlandsche Taal, vol. VIII, part II, pp.3304-3306. We
read here that luk was originally a vox
media, a spiritistic medium. Also, that luk
was also written luck, luc, locke, lok, lock (pp.
3304 and 3306). On p. 3305 it states that Luk was
also the name of a "personified Goddess of Luck"
What does the word "Lucifer" basically mean? All
dictionaries tell us it means luc or luci,
plus fer or ferre, that means:
light bringer. According to some mythologists Lucifer was the son of
Zeus (Sky-deity) and Eos (Dawn-deity). In the King James
Version we read only once of Lucifer, and that is Isa. 14:12
where the king of Babylon is called Lucifer. This was taken over from
the Latin Vulgate, and many scholars prefer to use other words which
more correctly translate the Hebrew Helel,
pronounced: Hailail or Heileil. This word bascially means "the shining
one" or "the bright one." Apart from the interpretation of the king of
Babylon as being "Lucifer," we find some calling him "morning star."
Others, with good documented evidence, believe that Helel
(Heileil) is Jupiter, the Sky-deity, which later became the Sun-deity,
also called Marduk-Jupitur -Marduk being the will-known Babylonian
sun-deity...
Let us first see what and who this Helel
(Heileil, Hailail) of Isa 14:12 is. In verse 4 he is called "the king
of Babylon." this shining One Heileil, is the one who has said in his
heart, "I will descend in to heaven, I will exalt my throne above the
stars of Elohim; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation...I
will be like the Most High." Many commentators have acknowledged this
passage to be future (at the time of the writing), and not past
history. This passage is strikingly similar to 2 Thess. 2, the passage
known as "the Great Apostasy," or the revelation of the Mystery of
Lawlessness, the Man of Lawlessness sitting in the Temple, who has
taken the place of Elohim. In Isa 14 he is identified as the Shining
One, Helel, also called Light-bringer, Luci-fer.
This is clear Scriptural evidence that the Sun-deity or Sky-deity,
Heileil, the Shining One has taken the place of the True Mighty One,or
has planned to do so!
We should therefore repent of the idea of depending on
"luck," of wishing one another "good luck" (the GD of Isa 65:11), and
should rather speak of the blessing, and seek the blessing, of
Yahuwheh. Also, Lok, Luck, Lug, Loki and Lucifer,
should inspire us to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth (John
4:23-24). We should also be alerted to the Scriptural revelation of Helel
(Heilel), the Shining One, being the King of Babylon, and rather seek
to serve the "King of the Jews" - the title which was given to our
Messiah and which is found no less than 23 times in Scripture!
(Koster, 2004 pp 80-83)
The Hebrew of the Old Testament reveals to us that the
Scriptural Hebrew word (which means: so be it, or verily or surely) is
"Amein" and not "Amen." Likewise, the Greek equivalent in the greek New
Testament is also pronounced "Amein." Anyone can check on this in Strong's
Concordance,No. 543 in its Hebrew Lexicon and No. 281 in its
Greek Lexicon, or in Aaron Pick's Dictionary of Old Testament
Words for English Readers. Why then?...The Egytians,
including Alexandrians, had been worshipping, or been acquainted with,
the head of the Egytian pantheon, Amen-Ra, the great Sun-diety, for
more than 1 000 years, B.C.E. Before this deity became known as
Amen-Ra, he was only known as Amen among the Thebans.(Koster, 2004 pp
35-37)
No fewer than 25 Hebrew words are rendered by doxa
in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament.
Of these 25 words, 7 are more common, the most important being kabod.
This Greek word doxa of the Greek translation of
the Old Testament, and the doxa of the New
Testament, are usually rendered "glory" in the English version, a
translation of the Latin gloria. If we first look
at the Hebrew Old Testament, we find that kabod has
usually been rendered "honour" when applied to man, but rendered
"glory" when applied to our Heavenly Father.
Funk & Wagnalls, New Standard Dictionary
of the English Language,under "glory," gives the religious
symbolic meaning, "In religious symbolism, the complete representation
of an emanation of light from the person of a sanctified being,
consisting of the aureole and the nimbus;" and further on, "The quality
of being radiant or shining; brilliancy; brightness; luster; as the
glory of the sun;" and further on, "A sunbrust; any ring of light; a
halo."
The Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's New
International Dicitonary states, "glory is the general term
of the aureola and the nimbus"-aureola being halo or ring round the
sun, and nimbus being the sun-disc.
This meaning, as well as the word itself, would be
acceptable if the commonly used Hebrew words of the old Testament, and
the Greek word doxa, have had the same meaning of
sun-radiance or circles of light. However, we do not find any trace of
sun-radiance or emanation of light in the most common word used in the
Hebrew text, namely kabod, or in the Greek doxa.
Once more we are rudely awakened to the fact of the adoption
of sun-worship into the Church, the merger of Sun-worship with the
Messianic Belief. In the dictionaries, encyclopedias and ecclesiastical
books, we find many illustrations of our Saviour, the Virgin, and the
Saints, encircled with radiant circles or emanation of light around
them.
Kabad literally means to be heavy or to
make weighty, and esteem in its figurative sense, and its noun is kabod.
The Greek word doxa simply means opinion,
estimation, esteem, repute, coming from the verb "dokeo,"
which means "to seem."
Thus, the ecclesiatical symbolic meaning of the word
"glory," being that of radiance or emanation of light as fromt the sun,
is strong evidence of the Church's solarization of our Messiah and of
His Father. The Church identified Elohim with the Sun-deity, which was
the prevailing deity of the Roman emperors, the Roman capital and its
empire.
However, not only does the concept of "glory" stem form
Sun-worship, but we also find proof of "glory" (Gloria)
as having been a Roman goddess, discovered in the form of an icon
personified by a woman, the upper part of her body almost naked,
holding a circle on which are the zodiac signs.
Pauly-Wissowa also defines Gloria as a
personification of fame, the word being found very frequently on the
coins of Constantine and his successors.(Koster, 2004 pp 42-44)
The Hebrew word "elohim" (as well as "el" and "eloah"), has
been translated theos in Greek, similar to the
related dius and divus in
latin. (Koster 2004 pp 44)
The Hebrew language has an attested history of about three
thousand years. Though ancient Hebrew ceased to be spoken as a living
language sometime in the first few centuries of the Common Era, it
remained in common use among the Jews as a written and liturgical
language. In the last century and a half, Hebrew has been “revived” as
a spoken language, and today is as vibrant and functional as any of the
world's major tongues, spoken by more than 6 million people in Israel
and around the world. During the fifteen hundred years in which Hebrew
functioned mainly as a written language, the language nevertheless
continued to evolve, as writers labored to keep up with the needs of
society. It is not so clear when we can begin to speak of a modern
Hebrew language and literature. Some argue that the modern period began
in the mid-eighteenth century, others in the mid-nineteenth century,
and still other would cite dates in between.
By the late seventeenth century, Hebrew came to be used more
and more for secular purposes, as a result of the Jewish enlightenment
(Haskalah) movement that arose in Germany and soon spread eastward into
Poland and Russia. In this period several Hebrew periodicals were
created—notably Ha-Me'assef (1783?), Bikkurei ha-Ittim (1820?), and
Kerem emed (1833?)—and these served as a vehicle for the spread of
ideas and for the development of Hebrew as a medium for literary and
academic writing. Outstanding writers of the Haskalah include Moses
Mendelssohn (1729?), Naphtali Herz Wessely (1725?), and Shalom Cohen
(1772?). Most of the great writers were centered in central and eastern
Europe; an important exception is the Italian Samuel David Luzzatto
(1800?), who was one of the most prolific Hebrew writers of the age. A
major milestone of the Haskalah period came in 1853, the year in which
Abraham Mapu (1808?) published what is considered the first modern
Hebrew novel.
The nature of Hebrew literature changed in the 1880s, with the
pogroms of eastern Europe, the rise of Jewish nationalism, and the
beginnings of organized immigration to Palestine. The first major
writers of this new period were the Russians Aad ha-Am (the pen name of
Asher Ginsberg [1856?]) and Mendele Mokher Seforim (the pen name of
Sholem Abramovitch [1836?]), the latter of whom is also considered the
father of modern Yiddish literature. The plight of east European Jewry
and the idealism of the Zionist movement became the most common themes
in Hebrew literature. At the same time, the Hebrew language itself
continued to evolve and modernize. Whereas the first writers of the
Haskalah had struggled to adapt Hebrew to their modern needs, writers
of the late nineteenth century had several generations of modern Hebrew
writers on whom they could model their writings. Thus a true modern
style was formed. The most influential writer of this period was
undoubtedly ayyim Naman Bialik (1873?), known best for his poetry. Much
of Bialik's work dealt with the struggles of Jewish history and the
revival of Jewish nationalism; many still consider him the greatest
modern Hebrew poet.
As major changes were taking place in Hebrew literature in the
1880s, so there were the major developments pertaining to Hebrew as a
spoken language. Concomitant with the rise of Zionism and large-scale
immigration to Palestine came the movement to “revive” Hebrew as an
everyday spoken language. Foremost in this movement was Eliezer ben
Yehudah (1858?), who established the first modern Hebrew-speaking home,
and who worked tirelessly to modernize Hebrew through his periodicals
and massive dictionary project. Hebrew schools were soon established
for the new immigrants and their children, and by the time of the
arrival of the British in 1917, Hebrew was the everyday language of the
Jews in Palestine. In 1922, Hebrew became an official language of
British Palestine.
The first decades of the twentieth century saw large-scale
immigration of European Jews to Palestine. Among these immigrants were
nearly all of the major Hebrew writers of the pre-state period. In the
realm of prose, the most prominent of these was S. Y. Agnon (1888?),
unquestionably the leading prose writer of the era and beyond. In 1966,
Agnon became the first Hebrew writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature, placing Hebrew literature firmly on the world map. Poetry
also flourished in this time, and notable poets include Nathan Alterman
(1910?) and Lea Goldberg (1911?). Literature in the pre-state period
continued to reflect the past struggles of Jews and the ideals of
Jewish nationalism, but more and more came to reflect the harsh
realities that were faced by the new settlers in Palestine.
Upon the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Hebrew
became a true national language. That Hebrew could function as the
language of state as well as of the people showed just how far Hebrew
had come in little over half a century. As the population quickly grew,
so did the number of Hebrew speakers, and so did Hebrew literature. The
twentieth century saw a number of very prominent native-born writers,
including S. Yizhar (1916?), A. B. Yehoshua (b. 1936), and Amos Oz (b.
1939). Poetry has flourished as well, with such poets as Yehudah
Amichai (1924?) and aim Gouri (b. 1923), both of whom also produced
significant works of prose. Certain themes seem to be very common in
post-1948 Hebrew literature, namely, the Holocaust, Israel's wars,
immigration, and the tribulations of a nascent state.
Despite the relatively small population of Israel, modern
Hebrew literature has found a wide audience around the world. Thousands
of Hebrew books—including both older authors like Agnon and currently
active writers like Amos Oz and David Grossman (b. 1954)—have been
translated for world readership. Israel publishes more books per capita
than any other country except Great Britain, which shows not only how
many Hebrew writers there are in the twenty-first century but also how
important Hebrew literature is among the Israeli population. And the
Hebrew language continues to thrive and evolve, as new words and
expressions are created (officially under the regulation of the Academy
of the Hebrew Language), and as successive generations of native
speakers continue to use the language for every imaginable purpose.
Bibliography
Abramson, Glenda, ed. The Oxford Book of Hebrew Short Stories. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Alter, Robert, ed. Modern Hebrew Literature. New York: Behrman House,
1975.
Kutscher, E. Y. A History of the Hebrew Language. Edited by Raphael
Kutscher. Jerusalem: Magnes, 1982.
Sáenz-Badillos, Angel. A History of the Hebrew Language. Translated by
John Elwolde. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Shaked, Gershon. The New Tradition: Essays on Modern Hebrew Literature.
Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press: 2006.
Spicehandler, Ezra, et al. “Hebrew Literature, Modern.” Encyclopaedia
Judaica, 2d ed., eds. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 8, pp.
pp.684?. Detroit, Mich.: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007.
Aaron D. Rubin "Hebrew Language and Literature" The Oxford
Encyclopedia of Modern World.Ed Peter N. Stearns. Oxford University
Press, 2008. 25 May 2008
http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t254.e697
The symbol (from the German Jahvist; Yahwist in English) used by German
OT scholars and followed internationally to denote one of the sources
of the Pentateuch, which uses Yahweh for the name of God. It was
probably written in the south of the country in the 10th (or 9th) cent.
BCE, though a few recent OT scholars think it might even be
post-exilic. J is characterized by anthropomorphisms (e.g. Gen. 8: 21)
but above all records the faithfulness of God to the promises he made
to the patriarchs.
"J"
A Dictionary of the Bible. W. R. F. Browning. Oxford University Press,
1997. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 25 May 2008