Uit de oude doos: Het Judasevangelie

In 2006 was er heel wat ophef over het Evangelie van Judas.

Wij schreven toen

Wie in onze wereld aandacht wil trekken, zit altijd goed met complottheorieën, vooral op christelijk gebied. Jezus zou niet op aan een paal gestorven zijn, en dus ook niet echt uit de dood zijn opgestaan. Paulus zou een Romeins ‘undercover agent’ zijn geweest die, met listige verdraaiingen van Jezus’ boodschap, de christenen zou hebben wijsgemaakt dat ze de (Romeinse) overheid moesten gehoorzamen.

De lijkwade van Turijn zou ’s werelds eerste foto zijn, gemaakt door Leonardo da Vinci, die daarmee het Vaticaan een of andere duistere poets heeft willen bakken. Je kunt het zo gek niet verzinnen of het is verkondigd.

Nu heeft de National Geographic Society (NGS) weer uitgepakt met het verhaal dat Judas juist de ‘goede’ man was en alle andere apostelen slechterikken, of in elk geval domoren. De basis voor dit laatste verhaal is de ‘sensationele’ vondst van ‘het evangelie naar Judas’.
Nu is dat verhaal over de edele bedoelingen van Judas al bijna net zo oud als het christendom zelf, en dus niet echt nieuw. En het bestaan van dit ‘evangelie’ is ook al meer dan 18 eeuwen bekend, zij het alleen uit vermeldingen. Halfweg de vorige eeuw is er echter een late Koptische versie van opgedoken, waar sindsdien een erg schimmig spel mee gespeeld is, met als voornaamste trefwoord: geld.

Eerste pagina van het Evangelie van Judas (Pagina 33 van de Codex Tchacos)

Nu heeft de NGS met een fors bedrag de vertaling van de tekst gesponsord, en uiteraard wil men daar wat van terugzien. Dat wordt nu sensationeel in het nieuws gebracht,met complottheorie: eindelijk komt de echte waarheid aan het licht.
Helaas staat de NGS niet bekend om haar wetenschappelijke benadering van het christendom. Dit geschrift is er een uit een lange reeks van zogenaamde gnostische geschriften. Gnostiek is een leer van ‘ingewijd zijn in verborgen kennis’ (gnostiek is afgeleid van ‘gnosis’ = kennis). Gnostiek maakt gebruik van christelijke, of christelijk klinkende, elementen, maar moet in zijn aard feitelijk als niet-christelijk worden getypeerd. Voor zover de Bijbel al een rol speelt, wordt deze zeer ‘spiritueel’ en symbolisch geïnterpreteerd. Extreme stromingen zien ‘Jehova’ zelfs als de god van het kwaad, die de gangbare leer heeft verspreid als een dekmantel voor zijn negatieve bedoelingen. Een weldenkende christen, die werkelijk gelooft in God en in Zijn almacht, doet er goed aan te bedenken dat God het onmogelijk kan hebben toegelaten, dat de waarheid 2000 jaar lang door welke belang-hebbende partij dan ook kan zijn achtergehouden, en dat de goedwillende gelovige daar dan de dupe van zou zijn. En wie dat niet wil of kan aanvaarden, zou zich ernstig moeten afvragen in wat voor ‘god’ hij dan wel gelooft.

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Volgende artikel omtrent complottheorieën: Uit de oude doos: De da Vinci code

Yehowah in the Leningrad Codex

Since my childhood in the Old Roman Catholic Church I had been brought up with the Holy Name of God, though two versions of His Name were used: Jehovah (at that time written Yehowah or YHWH, later Jehovah and still later Jehovah or JHWH) and Yahweh (also later receiving the J for the Y and becoming Jahweh).

In the 1960ies the Jehovah’s Witnesses gaining more foot on the ground and the Catholic church starting loosing people to other faith groups and even having people (like me) totally abandoning the Holy Trinity, they started to create a hate against the Name Jehovah.

In a certain way we could see the growing hate against Jehovah, because most people, like still today, co-notate it with the faith group from the American organisation Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. In the land of the origin of that organisation we also could see a growing hate against non-trinitarians and users of God’s Name. On the other hand around the turn of the 20th to 21st century we saw also in the United States more people coming up for God’s Name, though they refused the contemporary or modern spelling which was by then also used in most other languages and as such said God His Name was not Jehovah, because a Y did not exist yet in ancient Hebrew, instead of accepting that it is exactly the same and in modern spelling it is agreed to write Jehovah, like others also write Jesus or Jeshua and not Iesus (e.g. like in the King James Bible of 1611) or Yeshua (like some also claim Christ his name to be).

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To remember

Leningrad Codex (or Codex Leningradensis) = oldest complete manuscript of Hebrew Bible using the Masoretic Text +Tiberian vocalization = oldest complete codex of the Tiberian mesorah

Masoretic vowel points in Leningrad Codex allow for pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton​ — the four Hebrew consonants making up the divine name — ​as Yeho·wah’.

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Additional reading

  1. Another way looking at a language #5 Aramic, Hebrew and Greek
  2. Een Naam voor een God #11 Y of J Kiezen
  3. Lord in place of the divine name
  4. Lord Of The Creation
  5. Anti Jehovah sites
  6. Al-Fatiha [The Opening/De Opening] Süra 1:1-3 In the name of Allah the Merciful
  7. Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #11 Muslim Idiom Translations
  8. Jehovah in the BASF
  9. Americans their stars, pretension, God, Allah and end of times signs #1 Abrahamic religions

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Related

  1. The Tetragrammaton
  2. Questions and Answers About the Name of God
  3. Blog 1903 Names of God: Adonai
  4. What is the name of God?
  5. Yes, Yes; No, No; Men are men; Women are Women. Numbers 30 – part 1
  6. What’s in a name?
  7. His Name Upon Us – Numbers 6:23-27
  8. Respecting God’s name
  9. Why is God called by different names in different ages? What are the significances of God’s names? |Eastern Lightning

Infinite payment of sin by the son of God

Screenshot_2016-07-25-17-56-07(1)

Jesus, the only way to God

Jeanie Shepard says she has dedicated her life to serving God, and being an example of the love of Christ. As a passionate Bible teacher, committed to inspiring and encouraging people to live their best lives now, to face their fears, and to grow stronger in the holy things of God, she believes that no other religion teaches the depth or seriousness of sin and its consequences.

We are afraid we can not agree with that, because in this world of many religious groups we can find more than one religion where the followers look at good and evil. After man came to get knowledge of good and evil that knowledge went from one to an other generation and even non-religious people thought about people going bad, what in Christendom is called sinning.

she also writes

No other religion offers the infinite payment of sin that only Christ could provide. {The Only Way}

Sculpture - head of Jesus Christ

Sculpture – head of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When she means “Christ” the Kristos or Messiah delivering people she is again missing the promise to and the believe of the Jews, and in some aspect also the Muslims. Jews and Muslims look also to the Messiah. In the Islam it is also taught that Ishi/Jesus will come back and that at his return he shall come to judge the living and the dead. For the Jews, they too wait for their Messiah to come, though for them, we do agree, they look (perhaps) for an other person than we and Jeanie Shepard are looking for. Many of them shall be surprised to find out that rabbi Jeshua is really that promised one from God.

With the writer of JSM Grow in God’s Word we too believe we should look to that Christ, though her idea of that Christ is not the biblical view nor our view. She considers that Christ to be God having come to the earth and having done as if he died, because God can not die and is an eternal Spirit. Though she says to

believe we are saved by God’s grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. {The Only Way}

she contradict in a certain way what she says, because she does not seem to accept the personality Jesus Christ. This is a general problem with a lot of people who call themselves Christian. Instead of accepting the words of Jesus Christ and the Words of his heavenly Father they prefer to believe the human doctrines and to make Jesus into their god.
Such idea undermines the position of Jesus Christ, the man who is called by the Word of God to be the son of man and the son of God.

We all should know that God is bigger than anything that we go through; but that He is also greater than Jesus. Rabbi Jeshua knew very well his position and never claimed to be God, but made it very clear where he was standing, not able to do anything without God.

Christians should take those words of Jesus at heart. They should believe that Jesus, the sent one from God, his heavenly Father works in him and still works today. Christians should understand Jesus his position, being under God, even not able to do anything of himself. Jesus like all the people who saw the miracles could see what God the Father did. It is this God of Abraham Who authorised rabbi Jeshua, Christ Jesus, to do all these things. For all that Jesus does is done by the Power of God.

Because of God having given the authority to speak and act in His Name, this son does together with the Elohim Hashem Jehovah out of love for mankind.  Everything Jesus did was out of love for God Whose Will he wanted to do, and not his own will (which he would have done when he is God). First Jesus was lower than angels, but after his ransom offering he was made higher, though God always stays the Most High.

This Most High Eternal God is the Father Who loves His only begotten beloved Son and shows him all the things that He does, and He will show him greater works than these that we may marvel. For as the Father raises up the dead and gives them life; even so God His son gives life unto whom he will. Therefore we should take heed and look at this sent one from God who may judge the living and the dead and is at the moment seated at the right hand of God (and not on God‘s throne) to be a mediator between God and man.  For the Father judges no man but has committed all judgement unto the son that everyone should honour the son, even as they honour the Father.

We should take the Words of God, given in the Holy Scriptures very serious. In the New Testament we are warned that he that does not honour the son does not honour the Father Who has sent him, plus that believe in him is important for man’s salvation.

Jesus also warns the people around him that those who hear his words and believes Him (Jehovah God) that sent him (Jesus Christ, the Messiah) has eternal life and shall not come into judgement but has passed from death unto life. But you could also read this as an implication that the ones who do not want to believe God and Jesus their words shall not pass from death to life and shall not be able to enter the small gate of the Kingdom of God.

First of all we should have to look up to the One Who sent Jesus, secondly we should look at the one sent by God.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so has He given to the son to have life in himself and has also given him power and authority to execute judgement because Jeshua (Jesus Christ) is Son of man and the son of God in whom we should put our hope.

“17  But Jesus answered them, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”
18 Therefor the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do; for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son and showeth Him all things that He Himself doeth; and He will show Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. 22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, 23 that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father who hath sent Him.

24 Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth My Word and believeth in Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. 25 “Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice 29 and shall come forth—they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 30 “I can of Mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father who hath sent Me.

31  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is Another that beareth witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesseth of Me is true. 33 “Ye sent unto John, and he bore witness unto the truth. 34 But I receive not testimony from man, but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 35 He was a burning and a shining light, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have greater witness than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me that the Father hath sent Me.” (John 5:17-36 KJ21)

We may not let our mind being filled with false human thoughts, but should listen to the Word God has given us. We may also not let our heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, by wondering what others might think if we do not follow the mainstream or do not take part in the many human traditions.

The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation, but through Christ. Jesus is the way to God and the path to eternal salvation for those who believe in him. No one comes to the Father except through the son, and Jesus is the only begotten son of the Father. He is the only acceptable sacrifice by which man’s sins are forgiven.

“”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJ21)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJ21)

All people should come to hear what Jesus has taught. He left the earth but he shall come again unto us. Those who accepted Jesus for what or who he is and love him, there can be rejoicement because they know and believe that Jesus went unto the Father, and not to himself or to take back his place as God; for his Father is greater than himself (Jesus Christ). Christians also should tell others about this son of man who is the son of God, and not a god-son, that the world may know that Jesus does not love himself but loves the Father; and as the Father gave him commandment, even so does Jeshua (Jesus Christ).

 “27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

28  Ye have heard how I said unto you, ‘I go away and come again unto you.’ If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice because I said, ‘I go unto the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye might believe. 30 “Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.” (John 14:27-31 KJ21)

When you believe those things, then you should be able to accept and believe that

Through Jesus everyone who believes is set free from every sin; (Acts 13:38-39; 1st John 2:12). Sin has a penalty that must be paid, if not through the shed blood of Jesus finish work on the cross,

not that

the only other option is the eternal torment in hell’s unquenchable fire. {The Only Way}

because by dying all payment is given for the sins done. God does not want any other payment and tells us that when we die it is finished.

Though we may not forget that

To receive the free gift of eternal salvation, we must look to Jesus alone. We must place our trust in the finished work of the cross as our payment for sin and in his resurrection.

Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved; (Acts 4:12).

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Preceding articles

Irminsul, dies natalis solis invicti, birthday of light, Christmas and Saturnalia

Entrance of a king to question our position #2 Who do we want to see and to be

Marriage of Jesus 2 Standard writings about Jesus

Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh

Marriage of Jesus 10 Old and New Covenant

Jerusalem and a son’s kingdom

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Additional reading:

  1. Do you believe in One god
  2. Sinning because being a sinner
  3. God of gods
  4. Attributes to God
  5. Jehovah God Almighty greater than all gods
  6. The very very beginning 2 The Word and words
  7. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
  8. Jesus begotten Son of God #9 Two millennia ago conceived or begotten
  9. Jesus begotten Son of God #10 Coming down spirit or flesh seed of Eve
  10. Jesus begotten Son of God #11 Existence and Genesis Raising up
  11. Jesus begotten Son of God #12 Son of God
  12. Jesus begotten Son of God #13 Pre-existence excluding virginal birth of the Only One Transposed
  13. Jesus begotten Son of God #15 Son of God Originating in Mary
  14. Jesus begotten Son of God #16 Prophet to be heard
  15. Jesus begotten Son of God #17 Adam, Eve, Mary and Christianity’s central figure
  16. Jesus begotten Son of God #19 Compromising fact
  17. Jesus begotten Son of God #20 Before and After
  18. Nazarene Commentary Matthew 3:13-17 – Jesus Declared God’s Son at His Baptism
  19. The meek one riding on an ass
  20. For the Will of Him who is greater than Jesus
  21. In the death of Christ, the son of God, is glorification
  22. Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden 4
  23. God has not destined us for wrath
  24. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #18 Fulfilment
  25. Believing what Jesus says
  26. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
  27. Preparing for the Kingdom
  28. Blindness in the Christian world
  29. If we, in our prosperity, neglect religious instruction and authority
  30. For those who believe Jesus is God
  31. For Getting to know Jesus
  32. That everyone may honour the Son and sent one from God
  33. Blinkered minds
  34. Philippians 1 – 2
  35. After darkness a moment of life renewal
  36. As Christ’s slaves doing the Will of God in gratitude

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Further reading

  1. Trying to explain Sin
  2. Sins are destructive.
  3. Sinning less will not save you from hell
  4. Sinning has consequences!
  5. Commentary for Nitzavim
  6. You Have Eternal Life
  7. Failing as a Christian
  8. “Looking For Jesus” – “Dead Works”
  9. (Part 2) Can A Christian Lose Their Salvation?
  10. When salvation comes: context
  11. October 24 – Jesus And Me
  12. 31st Sunday of the Year – The Lord comes to seek and save what was lost
  13. Daily Bread – Take Heed
  14. Don’t Wait!
  15. Sermon Recording- We’re Off to See the Wizard (Psalm 115; Exodus 20)
  16. Justified!
  17. Instantly Healed, Saved and Baptized
  18. Professing But Not Born Again
  19. Reblog: Professing But not Born Again
  20. To Be A True Christian Will Cost You
  21. 5 Dangers For Young Men
  22. A New Life of Righteousness
  23. The Power to Change
  24. A Psalm of Praise . . . .
  25. Grace
  26. saved to serve
  27. Finding Strength
  28. Truth; a Treasure to share…
  29. Lighthouse
  30. Let a man receive the truths of the doctrines of the Grace of God and he will say, “God has saved me”
  31. Time…
  32. Oct 22, 2016 Stay at the Ready, Soon you’ll see Him coming in the clouds, I will shake the Heavens and the Earth, Many are still stubborn and proud to ask Jesus to forgive them, They will find out the hard way but it will be TOO LATE, Repent while you’re still on Planet Earth
  33. Breathe in, out!
  34. Not Sure
  35. The Reckoning
  36. October 21, 2016 – cannot enter
  37. God, the Word of God, and humanity. Also, iPhones. (Reading Athanasius)
  38. Knowing and Understanding the Times!
  39. It’s All About Him!
  40. Salvation – He [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it
  41. Day 294 Covered By The Robe Of Righteousness 
  42. Blind trust in rumors will cause you to lose God’s salvation of the last days
  43. He’s Calling Out
  44. From Lost to Found
  45. Day 12: Are you ready?
  46. How Vulnerability Can Bring Us Beyond Ourselves
  47. The Wheels are Turning
  48. Meditations on TULIP, Part three
  49. Who I Am, Alone
  50. Heaven’s Delight
  51. The Deification of Man
  52. Prosperity or Poverty–God’s Opinion

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Luther on Being a Theologian: Oratio, Meditatio and Tentatio

Augustine of Hippo (354–430), Latin theologian. His writing on free will and original sin remains influential in Western Christendom.

The world has created so called scientists in the knowledge of God. Lots of people do put all their trust in such scholars who received a degree in theology at a university.
The majority of those theologians are as most of them would consider a theologian is,

“one who is dedicated to life in Christ and the contemplation of the Holy Trinity.” {What Does It Mean To Be a Theologian; by David Russell Mosley}

For many who studied the godsThe Philokalia“, a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters”, was their primary guide for what it meant to be a theologian.

We always should know that to come to know God and to worship God we do not have to be people who have a university degree in theology, but we should be people who take time to study the bible. Lots of theologians have spend more time in studying writings of other human beings instead of looking more closely at the Word of God, the Bible. When you look at the theology courses, you will notice much more time is spend at those human writings, philosophy and human doctrines than at Biblical doctrines. No wonder that there have been much more books written by trinitarian scholars than by non-trinitarian Christians, because for the latter it is evident what is written in the Bible is the truth and as such in the non-trinitarian denominations of Christianity there are not so many divisions or matters of dispute as in the trinitarian denominations of Christendom.

We should remember that each of us has to be a theologian, a person who wants to know and worships the Only One True God of gods. A knowledge of the other gods may help in this, but the main focus should be on the real True Divine Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jakob and of Jeshua, who is mostly known as Jesus Christ by English speaking countries.

Each person who claims to be a Christian should be a follower of Christ and should worship the same God Christ worshipped, namely his heavenly Father. Like Jesus prayed to his heavenly Father we also should pray to that God of Jesus, Jehovah the Most Almighty God. That Oratio (prayer) should be grounded in the Word of God.

God cannot tempted, but Jesus was and we also shall be tempted more than once. This Tentatio (affliction) is not something God uses to drive us a way from self, but is our own selfish will because we are so much busy with ourselves. In case we would be more busy with the Will of God we would not be so much and so often suffering from our wrongdoing. Then we would also be more forthcoming to God His Will and would be more able, like Christ did not his own will, not to do our own will but being happy to do God’s Will.

To avoid going astray we do need the Meditatio (meditation) which should be the continual study of the Holy Scriptures and not so much the study of the many theological works by human beings.

We should trust more the Call and the Voice of God instead the voices of so many people who call themselves theologian, whatever they may mean by that word.

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Preceding articles

Mental Enslavement and Sins Syndrome (MESS)

Some one or something to fear #7 Not afraid for Gods Name

Pascal’s Possibility

Sharing thoughts and philosophical writings

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Additional reading

  1. The importance of Reading the Scriptures
  2. No other god besides Jehovah who gives all explanation
  3. God’s forgotten Word 3 Lost Lawbook 2 Modern scepticism
  4. Theologians and a promised Spirit to enlighten us
  5. Necessity of a revelation of creation 9 Searching the Scriptures
  6. Necessity of a revelation of creation 11 Believing and obeying the gospel of the Kingdom of God
  7. Necessity of a revelation of creation 14 Searching the scriptures
  8. Missional hermeneutics 1/5
  9. Missional hermeneutics 5/5
  10. Approachers of ideas around gods, philosophers and theologians
  11. To find ways of Godly understanding
  12. Position of the Bible researcher
  13. Theology without spirituality sterile academic exercise
  14. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
  15. Being Missional
  16. Christendom Astray The Devil Not A Personal Super-Natural Being
  17. A god who gave his people commandments and laws he knew they never could keep to it
  18. Our life depending on faith
  19. Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
  20. Reasons why you may not miss the opportunity to go to a Small Church
  21. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
  22. The meek one riding on an ass
  23. Does there have to be a Holy Trinity Mystery
  24. Altered to fit a Trinity
  25. the Trinity – the Truth

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Further related writings

  1. What Hath the Church to do with the Library?
  2. Theology of Experience
  3. … 506 years ago
  4. The Calvinist ‘God’ and God
  5. Jealous God | Jealous for God
  6. So, Here Goes…
  7. The Angelic Doctor
  8. Good Morning January 25
  9. What Makes a Theologian
  10. The Pastor Theologian
  11. A Quote from St. Augustine on “The State”
  12. Theology as Discipleship
  13. 43rd of 2015.
  14. What Does It Mean To Be a Theologian
  15. What is Distinctive about Christian Analytic Theology?
  16. Pulpit Supply: Sunday School: Four Key Concepts to be a better Theologian
  17. Theologian Spotlight: Kathryn Tanner
  18. Saint Augustine
  19. Puritan John Owen – Doctrine of the Spirit and Mortification of Sin (Christian audio book)
  20. C.S. Lewis Died on This Date
  21. Albert Schweitzer
  22. Jean Guitton
  23. Biblical Christian Theology: Definition by DR. Donald E. Battle
  24. DR. Donald E. Batle: Theologian And Christology Scholar
  25. Who is qualified to write theology?
  26. What is the Recipe to Survive in the Storms of Life?
  27. Crossing Divides: Can an Atheist be a Chaplain?
  28. So Now I’m a Christian. Now What? Part 4:The Loving, Triune God
  29. Thought on the Trinity, Its Being Less than Mysterious, and the Biblical Support of an Analogy to It
  30. The Incarnation a Contradiction?
  31. 1 Corinthians 10:15 (Don’t Take My Word For It)
  32. Christ Strengthens You

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Gospel & Gratitude

In John Doberstein’s The Minister’s Prayerbook, he discusses Martin Luther’s understanding of the development of a theologian. Luther believed that the “right way to study theology” is anchored in the three rules set forth in Psalm 119: Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio. For Luther “Everything centers around the practice of meditation, for prayer prepares for it and its results are confirmed in the experience of conflict. For Luther, meditation is the key to the study of theology. No one can become a true theologian unless he learns theology through it” (Kleinig, “The Kindred Heart”, 142). The discussion that follows is taken directly from Doberstein and explores each of the three dimensions.

  • Oratio (prayer) is grounded in the Word of the Lord. Prayer is the voice of faith. That is to say, that prayer grows out of the Word of the Lord. “The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not…

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Roman, Aztec and other rites still influencing us today

Days shortening and darkness coming over us

When we look at the weather we would not have the impression we are coming to the coldest season of the year. We can not ignore the shorter days, which remind us that we are coming closer to the longest darkness of the year.

That darkness has always frightened people and therefore they looked for ways to get more light again.

Saturnalia, a Roman feast celebrated in mid-December, provided the model for many of the merry-making customs we know now as ‘The time of the Year‘ or ‘Christmas‘. From this celebration, for example, were derived the elaborate feasting, the giving of gifts, and the burning of candles.

Seasons, storms, thunder, darkness and light

In other cultures we also find that many centuries before Jesus was born they celebrated the ‘birth of light‘. The Roman Catholic Church was not shy to take over many traditions from heathen people who celebrated such elements as the ‘turn’ of the position of moon and sun and the change of season. Even the Israelites came to feast such natural elements as the four teḳufot (Teḳufat Nisan, Teḳufat Tammuz, Teḳufat Tishri and the Teḳufat Ṭebet) by which also superstition became connected with the teḳufot. Hai Gaon, in the tenth century, in reply to a question as to the prevalence of the custom in the “West” (i.e., west of Babylon) that all water that may be in the house or stored away in vessels in the first hour of the teḳufah had to be thrown away in the belief that the water is then poisoned, and if drunk would cause swelling of the body, sickness, and sometimes death, said it was followed only in order that the new season might be begun with a supply of fresh, sweet water.

Jupiter Smyrna Louvre Ma13.jpg

Zeus, god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, justice – The Jupiter de Smyrne, discovered in Smyrna in 1680

When the sun enters Capricornus; this is the beginning of winter, or “‘et ha-ḥoref”(stripping-time), when the night is the longest during the year.For several people it was the time something had to be stripped down or some things that happened in the past had to be done with. The bad things had to be forgotten or to ‘be over with’ and new paths could be taken again. It was the time of a ‘turn over’ or a rebirth. People looked forward to the rebirth of the sun and hoped that everything would go well. For that reason they offered the rest of their food to the gods of nature which had to bear them fruits and good weather, not making the god of thunder (sky and thunder god Zeus) angry by forgetting him or to have bad spirits around, lots of noise was made to get them away from the own house.

Also in Latin America we can find such very noisy parties. For many people the darker nights were there for getting the ‘good’ and ‘goods’ together. All badness had to be down away. On the 24th of December it was the big moment to look for the next day when the goddess of light would return in case they all showed the goodness and willingness to her.

From December 16 through December 23 in Latin America eight posada parties are held and on the 24th, Nochebuena (The Good Night)(Christmas Eve) is celebrated, and families make an effort to be together for a special dinner. Also in West Europe this custom of a Christmas meal has been long a favourite moment.

Roman influences

Statue of three figures, seated side by side

Capitoline Triad – the three godheads side by side transposed in the Roman catholic church and shims of that church to the Trinity, being a God the Father, god the son, and a god the holy spirit.

Constantine the Great had managed to got the church leaders to agree to many of his demands so that the Christians would not any more be persecuted. For that reason they had to agree to the three-headed Roman god and Jeshua could become the ‘counterpart’ or ‘alias’ for Zeus with his name calling ‘hail Zeus‘ or ‘Issou‘ ‘Jesus‘. And they had to keep to the Roman festivals and as such should place their Christian Zeus (Jesus) his birth on the same major feast for the ‘light’ in the Roman world. As such rabbi Jeshua became Jesus , and his birth day became the 25th of December instead of October 17. Constantine insisted that the mighty king of the gods (Jupiter) or the Roman god of the sky, thunderstorms, lightning, weather and air got honoured on his day (December 25).

But it were not only Roman customs which entered Christendom.

Aztec influences

Latin Americans should come to see that American Christmas customs are nothing but Aztec rites. El Universal, a newspaper in Mexico City, commented:

“Friars from different orders took advantage of the fact that festivities of the Indian ritual calendar coincided with the Catholic liturgical calendar, so they used this to support their evangelizing and missionary work. They replaced the commemorations to the pre-Hispanic divinities with festivities to Christian divinities, introduced European festivities and activities, and also took advantage of the Indian festivities, which resulted in a cultural syncretism from which authentically Mexican expressions have arisen.”

The Encyclopedia Americana explains:

Nativity plays early became a part of the Christmas celebration . . . The representation in church of the crèche [the manger scene] is said to have been begun by Saint Francis.”

These plays featuring the birth of Christ were performed in the churches during the beginning of the colonization of Mexico. They were organized by Franciscan monks in order to teach the Indians about the Nativity. Later the posadas became more popular. Whatever the original intention behind them, the way the posadas are held today speaks for itself. If you are in Mexico during this season, you can see or sense something that a writer for El Universal highlighted in his comment:

“The posadas, which were a way to remind us of the pilgrimage of Jesus’ parents looking for a shelter where the Child God could be born, are today only days of drunkenness, excesses, gluttony, vanities, and more and more crime.”

Traditional Nativity scenes

The idea of the nacimiento emerged during Colonial times from the original live representations in churches. While some find it attractive, does it correctly represent what the Bible says?
That is a valid question.

When the so-called three wise men — who in fact were astrologers — visited, Jesus and his family were no longer living in a stable. Time had passed, and the family was living in a house. You will find it interesting to note this detail in the inspired record at Matthew 2:1, 11. You can also note that the Bible does not say how many astrologers there were.

After Jesus had been born in Bethʹle·hem+ of Ju·deʹa in the days of Herod*+ the king, look! astrologers* from the East came to Jerusalem, saying: “Where is the one born king of the Jews?+ For we saw his star when we were in the East, and we have come to do obeisance* to him.” …  10 On seeing the star, they rejoiced with great joy. 11 And when they went into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and falling down, they did obeisance* to him. They also opened their treasures and presented him with gifts—gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1-2,10-11)

Another detail should not be ignored: In the Mexican nacimiento, the baby is referred to as “the Child God” with the idea that it was God himself who came to earth as a baby. However, the Bible presents Jesus as being the Son of God who was born on earth; he was not the same as or equal to Jehovah, the Almighty God. Consider the truth about this, presented at Luke 1:35; John 3:16; 5:37; 14:1, 6, 9, 28; 17:1, 3; 20:17.

35 In answer the angel said to her: “Holy spirit will come upon you,+ and power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason the one who is born will be called holy,+ God’s Son.+ (Luke 1:35)

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son,+ so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.+ 17 For God did not send his Son into the world for him to judge the world, but for the world to be saved through him.+ 18 Whoever exercises faith in him is not to be judged.+ Whoever does not exercise faith has been judged already, because he has not exercised faith in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.+ (John 3:16-18)

Three wise men, Santa and birthday celebrations

In Latin America, the three wise men replace the idea of Santa Claus. Still, as is done in other lands, many parents hide toys in the home. Then on the morning of January 6, the children look for them, as if the three wise men brought them. This is a money-making time for toy sellers, and some have made a fortune on what many honesthearted people recognize is just a fantasy. The myth of the three wise men is losing credibility among a goodly number, even among little children. Though some are displeased that this myth is losing believers, what can anyone expect of a fantasy maintained only for the sake of tradition and for commercial convenience?

Christmas, or the Nativity, was not celebrated by early Christians. One encyclopedia says about this:

“The celebration was not observed in the first centuries of the Christian church, since the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth.”

The Bible links the celebration of birthdays with pagans, not with God’s true worshippers.

But when Herod’s birthday+ was being celebrated, the daughter of He·roʹdi·as danced for the occasion and pleased Herod so much+ that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Then she, at her mother’s prompting, said: “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”+ Grieved though he was, the king, out of regard for his oaths and for those dining* with him, commanded it to be given. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. (Matthew 14:6-10).

This does not, of course, mean that it is not beneficial to learn and remember the actual events involved in the birth of the Son of God. The factual Bible account provides important insights and lessons for all those who want to do God’s will.

Birth of Jesus According to the Bible

You will find reliable information about Jesus’ birth in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. They show that the angel Gabriel visited a young unmarried woman by the name of Mary in the Galilean town of Nazareth. What message did he deliver?

“Look! you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name Jesus. This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.” (Luke 1:31-33.)

Mary was very surprised by this message. Not being married, she said:

“How is this to be, since I am having no intercourse with a man?” The angel answered: “Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God’s Son.” Mary, recognizing that this was the will of God, said: “Look! Jehovah’s slave girl! May it take place with me according to your declaration.” (Luke 1:34-38).

An angel told Joseph about the miraculous birth so that he would not divorce Mary, which he was planning to do after he learned of her pregnancy. He was then willing to assume the responsibility of taking care of the Son of God. (Matthew 1:18-25).

Then a decree from Caesar Augustus forced Joseph and Mary to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea, the city of their forefathers, to be registered.

“While they were there, the days came to the full for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her son, the firstborn, and she bound him with cloth bands and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the lodging room.” (Luke 2:1-7).

Luke 2:8-14 describes what followed:

“There were also in that same country shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks. And suddenly Jehovah’s angel stood by them, and Jehovah’s glory gleamed around them, and they became very fearful. But the angel said to them: ‘Have no fear, for, look! I am declaring to you good news of a great joy that all the people will have, because there was born to you today a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in David’s city. And this is a sign for you: you will find an infant bound in cloth bands and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there came to be with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: ‘Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill.’”

The Astrologers

Matthew’s account mentions that astrologers from the East came to Jerusalem looking for the place where the King of the Jews was born. King Herod was very interested in this — but not with good intentions.

“Sending them to Bethlehem,

he said:

‘Go make a careful search for the young child, and when you have found it report back to me, that I too may go and do it obeisance.’”

The astrologers found the young child and

“opened their treasures and presented it with gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

But they did not go back to Herod.

“They were given divine warning in a dream not to return to Herod.”

God used an angel to warn Joseph of Herod’s intentions. Joseph and Mary then fled to Egypt with their son. Next, in an effort to eliminate the new King, cruel King Herod ordered the killing of boys in the Bethlehem area. Which boys? Those two years of age and under. (Matthew 2:1-16).

What Can We Learn From the Account?

The visiting astrologers — however many of them there were — did not worship the true God. The Bible version La Nueva Biblia Latinoamérica (1989 Edition) states in a footnote:

“The Magi were not kings, but fortune-tellers and priests of a pagan religion.”

They came in line with their knowledge of the stars to which they were devoted. Had God wanted to guide them to the young child, they would have been led to the exact place without needing to go first to Jerusalem and to Herod’s palace. Later on, God did intervene to alter their course to protect the child.

At Christmastime this account is often surrounded by a mythical and romantic atmosphere that obscures the most important thing: that this baby was born to be a magnificent King, as was announced to Mary and to the shepherds. No, Jesus Christ is not a baby anymore, or even a child. He is the ruling King of God’s Kingdom, which very soon will eliminate all rulerships opposed to God’s will, and he will solve all problems of mankind. That is the Kingdom we ask for in the Lord’s Prayer.

44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom+ that will never be destroyed.+ And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people.+ It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms,+ and it alone will stand forever,+ (Daniel 2:44)

“You must pray, then, this way:+

“‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name+ be sanctified.*+ 10 Let your Kingdom+ come. Let your will+ take place, as in heaven, also on earth.+ (Matthew 6:9, 10).

Through the angels’ declaration to the shepherds, we learn that the opportunity for salvation is open to all who are willing to hear the message of the good news. Those who gain the favour of God become “men of goodwill.”
There are marvellous prospects for peace in all the world under the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, but people must be willing to do God’s will. Is the Christmas season conducive to this, and does it reflect that desire?
Many sincere people who want to follow the Bible feel that the answer is obvious.

10 But the angel said to them: “Do not be afraid, for look! I am declaring to you good news of a great joy that all the people will have. 11 For today there was born to you in David’s city+ a savior,+ who is Christ the Lord.+ 12 And this is a sign for you: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army,+ praising God and saying: 14 “Glory in the heights above to God, and on earth peace among men of goodwill.”* (Luke 2:10, 11, 14).

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Preceding articles:

Irminsul, dies natalis solis invicti, birthday of light, Christmas and Saturnalia

Winter Solstice 2015: Shortest Day Of The Year Celebrated As Pagan Yule

Holidays, holy days and traditions

Focus on outward appearances

Autumn traditions for 2014 – 1: Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet

Traditionalists Vow to Fight Charges of Racism in Netherlands

The imaginational war against Christmas

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Additional reading

  1. Altered to fit a Trinity
  2. Americans really thinking the Messiah Christ had an English name
  3. Spelling Yahshuah (יהשע) vs Hebrew using Yehoshuah (יהושע)
  4. First month of the year and predictions
  5. Hosea Say What?
  6. Matthew 1:18-25 – Genesis of Jesus Christ
  7. Matthew 2:1-6 – Astrologers and Priests in a Satanic Plot
  8. Matthew 2:7-12 – Pawns of Herod, the Magi Find the ‘Child’
  9. Matthew 2:13-15 – Escaping the Slaughter by a Flight to Egypt
  10. Matthew 2:16-18 – Slaughter of the Innocents
  11. Matthew 2:19-23 – Out of Egypt to Nazareth
  12. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:26-38 – Gabriel’s Appearance to Mary
  13. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:39-40 – The Young Child Grows
  14. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:41-50 – Twelve Year Old Jesus in the Temple
  15. Truth, doubt or blindness
  16. Getting out of the dark corners of this world
  17. The place where Jesus was brought up
  18. A Living Faith #7 Prayer

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Further reading

  1. Is Santa Real, Or Is He Really You, Dad?
  2. “Islam may have bad stuff. But …” – What of the other Bronze Age Invented Gods?
  3. Did Electricity kill Religion?
  4. Should we forgo happiness here for the sake of happiness hereafter?
  5. Life Comes in Threes
  6. The three gifts
  7. Wassail Ancient holiday tradition that involves drinking, singing, and making introverts nervous.
  8. A Christmas Wish
  9. America’s First “War on Christmas”
  10. A Breath of Fresh Air
  11. Lapland baby #blogmas day 19
  12. Snowflake Tea Light Cozy
  13. Christmas: The Giver’s Feast
  14. O Christmas Tree!
  15. Christmas Music Matters: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
  16. Preparing for Christmas
  17. Living in the Moment
  18. Jesus is the True and Better David (6/12)
  19. Last Minute Gift Idea
  20. Christmas Tree Farm
  21. A Christmas round up
  22. Mr. Santa’s Boogie
  23. 7 Events Which Turned Our Christmas Upside Down
  24. Jane Austen and old friends to the rescue
  25. 7th and 6th day of Christmas! !
  26. Once Upon a Holiday

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El Shaddai Who appeared unto Abraham

 

 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 ASV)

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am {1} God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect. {1) Heb [El Shaddai]}” (Genesis 17:1 ASV)

“2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovah: 3 and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as {1} God Almighty; but {2} by my name Jehovah I was not {3} known to them. {1) Heb [El Shaddai] 2) Or [as to] 3) Or [made known]}” (Exodus 6:2-3 ASV)

“Who is like unto thee, O Jehovah, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11 ASV)

“Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods; yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them.” (Exodus 18:11 ASV)

“And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20 ASV)

“Hear, O Israel: {1} Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: {1) Or [Jehovah our God, Jehovah is one]; Or [Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one]; Or [Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone]}” (Deuteronomy 6:4 ASV)

“For I will proclaim the name of Jehovah: Ascribe ye greatness unto our God.” (Deuteronomy 32:3 ASV)

“Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth [is thine]; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11 ASV)

“And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.” (2 Chronicles 2:5 ASV)

“Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable.” (Job 36:26 ASV)

“{1} Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. {1) Or [Let be]}” (Psalms 46:10 ASV)

“«A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.» Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, in his holy mountain.” (Psalms 48:1 ASV)

“Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high; Thou who hast done great things, O God, who is like unto thee?” (Psalms 71:19 ASV)

“Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, Who only doeth wondrous things:” (Psalms 72:18 ASV)

“That they may know that {1} thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth. {1) Or [thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art etc]}” (Psalms 83:18 ASV)

“There is none like unto thee among the gods, O Lord; Neither [are there any works] like unto thy works.” (Psalms 86:8 ASV)

“For who in the skies can be compared unto Jehovah? Who among the {1} sons of the {2} mighty is like unto Jehovah, {1) Or [sons of God] 2) Or [gods]; See Ps 29:1}” (Psalms 89:6 ASV)

“How great are thy works, O Jehovah! Thy thoughts are very deep.” (Psalms 92:5 ASV)

“3 For Jehovah is a great God, And a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth; The {1} heights of the mountains are his also. {1) Or [strength]} 5 The sea is his, and he made it; And his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker: 7  For he is our God, And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To-day, {1} oh that ye would hear his voice! {1) Or [if ye will hear his voice, Harden etc]} 8 Harden not your heart, as at {1} Meribah, As in the day of {2} Massah in the wilderness; {1) That is [strife] 2) That is [temptation]} 9 When your fathers tempted me, Proved me, and saw my work.” (Psalms 95:3-9 ASV)

“For thou, Jehovah, art most high above all the earth: Thou art exalted far above all gods.” (Psalms 97:9 ASV)

“He hath sent redemption unto his people; He hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his name.” (Psalms 111:9 ASV)

“For I know that Jehovah is great, And that our Lord is above all gods.” (Psalms 135:5 ASV)

“Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalms 145:3 ASV)

“but Jehovah of hosts is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness.” (Isaiah 5:16 ASV)

“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: {1} the whole earth is full of his glory. {1) Heb [the fulness of the whole earth is his glory]}” (Isaiah 6:3 ASV)

“Jehovah of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” (Isaiah 8:13 ASV)

“To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” (Isaiah 40:18 ASV)

“I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour.” (Isaiah 43:11 ASV)

“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have I not declared unto thee of old, and showed it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.” (Isaiah 44:8 ASV)

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57:15 ASV)

“Who should not fear thee, O King of the nations? for {1} to thee doth it appertain; forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is none like unto thee. {1) Or [it beseemeth thee]}” (Jeremiah 10:7 ASV)

“{1} As a sweet savor will I accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations. {1) Or [With]}” (Ezekiel 20:41 ASV)

“And I will sanctify my great name, which hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before {1} their eyes. {1) Or according to another reading [your]}” (Ezekiel 36:23 ASV)

“And I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.” (Ezekiel 38:23 ASV)

“The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret.” (Daniel 2:47 ASV)

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and {1} among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call. {1) Or [in the remnant whom etc]}” (Joel 2:32 ASV)

“For then will I turn to the peoples of a pure {1} language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one {2} consent. {1) Heb [lip] 2) Heb [shoulder]}” (Zephaniah 3:9 ASV)

“After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” (Matthew 6:9 ASV)

“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good save one, [even] God.” (Mark 10:18 ASV)

“For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name.” (Luke 1:49 ASV)

“{1} God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. {1) Or [God is spirit]}” (John 4:24 ASV)

“1  These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the son may glorify thee: 2 even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that {1} to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life. {1) Gr [whatsoever thou hast given him, to them he etc]} 3 And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, [even] Jesus Christ.” (John 17:1-3 ASV)

“I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word.” (John 17:6 ASV)

“25 O righteous Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew thee; and these knew that thou didst send me; 26 and I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:25-26 ASV)

“And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21 ASV)

“For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, [even] his everlasting power and divinity; {1} that they may be without excuse: {1) Or [so that they are]}” (Romans 1:20 ASV)

“for, {1} Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. {1) Joe 2:32}” (Romans 10:13 ASV)

“O the depth {1} of the riches {2} both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! {1) Or [of the riches and the wisdom etc] 2) Or [both of wisdom etc]}” (Romans 11:33 ASV)

“4  Concerning therefore the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is [anything] in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth; as there are gods many, and lords many; 6 yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him.” (1 Corinthians 8:4-6 ASV)

“according to the {1} gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. {1) Gr [good tidings]; See Mt 4:23 margin}” (1 Timothy 1:11 ASV)

“For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, [himself] man, Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5 ASV)

“For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:” (Hebrews 9:24 ASV)

“And we know and have believed the love which God hath {1} in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. {1) Or [in our case]}” (1 John 4:16 ASV)

“and the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and {1} who is to come. {1) Or [who cometh]}” (Revelation 4:8 ASV)

“saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign.” (Revelation 11:17 ASV)

“And I heard the altar saying, Yea, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.” (Revelation 16:7 ASV)

*

 

 

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Preceding:

Bible, sword of the Spirit to come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man

El Shaddai Die verscheen voor Abraham

El Shaddai Jehova der Abraham erschienen

El Shaddai ’Eternel et Dieu puissant Qui apparut à Abraham

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Find also:

El-Shaddai God Almighty Who no-one may see and live

No man see the Almighty God and live

"Jehovah" at Exodus 6:3 (1611 King J...

“Jehovah” at Exodus 6:3 (1611 King James Version) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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El Shaddai l’Eternel et Dieu puissant Qui apparut à Abraham

 

 

“Au commencement Dieu créa les cieux et la terre.” (Genèse 1:1 BBA)

“Abram étant arrivé à l’âge de quatre-vingt-dix-neuf ans, l’Eternel apparut à Abram et lui dit : Je suis le Dieu puissant ; marche devant ma face et sois intègre :” (Genèse 17:1 BBA)

“2 Et Dieu parla à Moïse et lui dit : Je suis l’Eternel. 3 Je suis apparu à Abraham, à Isaac et à Jacob comme Dieu puissant, mais sous mon nom d’ETERNEL je ne me suis pas fait connaître à eux.” (Exode 6:2-3 BBA)

Dieu* parla encore à Moïse et lui dit : “ Je suis Jéhovah+. J’apparaissais à Abraham+, à Isaac+ et à Jacob+ comme Dieu Tout-Puissant*+, mais en ce qui concerne mon nom de Jéhovah*+, je ne me suis pas fait connaître+ d’eux*.

“Qui est comme toi entre les dieux, Eternel ? Qui est comme toi, auguste en sainteté, Redoutable à louer, opérant des merveilles ?” (Exode 15:11 BBA)

“Maintenant je sais que l’Eternel est plus grand que tous les dieux, car il a été grand alors que les Egyptiens se sont élevés tyranniquement contre Israël.” (Exode 18:11 BBA)

“Il dit encore : Tu ne pourras pas voir ma face, car l’homme ne peut me voir et vivre.” (Exode 33:20 BBA)

“4  Ecoute, Israël, l’Eternel notre Dieu est le seul Eternel, 5 et tu aimeras l’Eternel ton Dieu de tout ton cœur, de toute ton âme et de toute ta force. 6 Et ces commandements que je te donne aujourd’hui seront sur ton cœur. 7 Tu les inculqueras à tes enfants et tu en parleras quand tu seras dans ta maison, quand tu seras en voyage, quand tu te coucheras et quand tu te lèveras. 8 Et tu les attacheras sur ta main pour te servir de signe, et ils seront comme un fronteau entre tes yeux. 9 Et tu les écriras sur les poteaux de la maison et sur tes portes.” (Deutéronome 6:4-9 BBA)

“Car je proclame le nom de l’Eternel ; Magnifiez notre Dieu !” (Deutéronome 32:3 BBA)

“A toi, Eternel, la grandeur et la force et la magnificence et la splendeur et la majesté, car à toi tout ce qui est au ciel et sur la terre ; à toi, Eternel, la royauté, à toi qui t’élèves comme Souverain de toutes choses !” (1 Chroniques 29:11 BBA)

“Et la maison que je vais bâtir sera grande, car notre Dieu est plus grand que tous les dieux.” (2 Chroniques 2:5 BBA)

“Voici, la grandeur de Dieu, nous ne la connaissons pas ; Le nombre de ses années est incalculable.” (Job 36:26 BBA)

“(46:11) Arrêtez, dit-il, et sachez que je suis Dieu ! Je suis haut élevé sur les nations, Haut élevé sur la terre.” (Psaumes 46:10 BBA)

“Cantique. Psaume des fils de Koré. (48-2) Grand est l’Eternel, il est digne de toutes les louanges, En la cité de notre Dieu, sur sa montagne sainte.” (Psaumes 48:1 BBA)

“Ta justice, ô Dieu, atteint jusqu’au ciel ; Tu as fait de grandes choses, ô Dieu ! Qui est semblable à toi ?” (Psaumes 71:19 BBA)

“Béni soit l’Eternel Dieu, le Dieu d’Israël, Qui seul fait des choses merveilleuses !” (Psaumes 72:18 BBA)

“(83:19) Et qu’ils sachent que toi, que ton nom, ô Eternel, que toi seul, Tu es le Très-Haut sur toute la terre !” (Psaumes 83:18 BBA)

“Nul entre les dieux n’est tel que toi, Seigneur, Et il n’est pas d’œuvres telles que les tiennes.” (Psaumes 86:8 BBA)

“Les cieux célèbrent tes merveilles, ô Eternel, Et ta fidélité dans l’assemblée des saints.” (Psaumes 89:6 BBA)

“(92:6) Que tes œuvres sont grandes, ô Eternel ! Et combien sont profondes tes pensées !” (Psaumes 92:5 BBA)

“3 Car l’Eternel est un grand Dieu Et un grand roi par dessus tous les dieux ! 4 Dans sa main sont les lieux profonds de la terre, Et les sommets des montagnes sont à lui. 5 A lui la mer, c’est lui qui l’a faite ; La terre aussi, ses mains l’ont formée. 6 Venez, prosternons- nous, inclinons-nous, Ployons les genoux devant l’Eternel qui nous a faits ! 7  Car il est notre Dieu, Et nous, le peuple qu’il paît, le troupeau que sa main conduit …  Si aujourd’hui vous écoutiez sa voix ! 8 N’endurcissez pas votre cœur, comme à Mériba, Comme aux jours de Massa, au désert, 9 Où vos pères m’ont tenté Et m’ont éprouvé, quoiqu’ils vissent mes œuvres.” (Psaumes 95:3-9 BBA)

“Car toi, Eternel, tu es le Très-Haut sur toute la terre, Haut élevé par dessus tous les dieux.” (Psaumes 97:9 BBA)

“Pé. Il a envoyé la rédemption à son Peuple,tsadé. Il a établi son alliance pour toujours ; Koph. Saint et redoutable est son nom.” (Psaumes 111:9 BBA)

“Car je sais que l’Eternel est grand Et que notre Seigneur est au-dessus de tous les dieux.” (Psaumes 135:5 BBA)

“Guimel. Grand est l’Eternel ; il est digne de toutes les louanges, Et sa grandeur est insondable.” (Psaumes 145:3 BBA)

“Et l’Eternel des armées est grand dans le jugement, et le Dieu saint est sanctifié dans la justice.” (Esaïe 5:16 BBA)

“Et ils criaient l’un à l’autre et disaient : Saint, saint, saint est l’Eternel des armées ! toute la terre est pleine de sa gloire !” (Esaïe 6:3 BBA)

“L’Eternel des armées, c’est lui que vous sanctifierez ; c’est lui qui sera votre crainte et votre frayeur !” (Esaïe 8:13 BBA)

“A qui donc comparerez-vous Dieu, et quelle image feriez-vous de lui ?” (Esaïe 40:18 BBA)

“C’est moi, c’est moi, l’Eternel, qui suis Sauveur, et il n’y en a pas d’autre que moi !” (Esaïe 43:11 BBA)

“Ne soyez point effrayés et ne craignez point ! Ne te l’ai-je pas fait connaître et annoncé dès longtemps ? Ne m’en êtes-vous pas témoins ? Y a-t-il un autre Dieu que moi ? Il n’y a point d’autre Rocher ! je n’en connais point !” (Esaïe 44:8 BBA)

“Car ainsi a dit le Très-Haut, dont le trône est éternel, qui s’appelle le Saint : J’habite en un lieu haut et saint, et avec celui qui est contrit et humble d’esprit, pour rendre la vie à l’esprit des humbles et pour rendre la vie aux cœurs contrits ;” (Esaïe 57:15 BBA)

“Qui ne te craindrait, Roi des nations ? Car c’est à toi que cela est dû, parce que parmi tous les sages des nations et dans tous leurs royaumes nul n’est pareil à toi.” (Jérémie 10:7 BBA)

“Je prendrai plaisir en vous comme en un parfum de bonne odeur, quand je vous aurai fait sortir d’entre les peuples et que je vous aurai rassemblés des pays où vous êtes dispersés, et je me sanctifierai en vous aux yeux des nations ;” (Ezékiel 20:41 BBA)

“je sanctifierai mon grand nom qui est déshonoré dans les nations au milieu desquelles vous l’avez déshonoré, et les nations sauront que je suis l’Eternel, dit le Seigneur l’Eternel, quand je me sanctifierai en vous, à vos yeux.” (Ezékiel 36:23 BBA)

“Et je me magnifierai et me sanctifierai et je me ferai connaître aux yeux de beaucoup de nations et elles sauront que je suis l’Eternel.” (Ezékiel 38:23 BBA)

“Le roi parla à Daniel et dit : Il est bien vrai que votre Dieu est le Dieu des dieux et le révélateur des secrets, puisque tu as pu révéler ce secret.” (Daniel 2:47 BBA)

“Et il arrivera que quiconque invoquera le nom de l’Eternel échappera ; car sur la montagne de Sion et dans Jérusalem il y aura des réchappés, comme l’a dit l’Eternel, et parmi les survivants seront ceux que l’Eternel appelle.” (Joël 2:32 BBA)

“Car alors je donnerai aux peuples des lèvres pures, afin qu’ils invoquent tous le nom de l’Eternel pour le servir d’un commun accord.” (Sophonie 3:9 BBA)

“Vous donc, priez ainsi : Notre Père qui se dans les cieux, que ton nom soit sanctifié.” (Matthieu 6:9 BBA)

“Mais Jésus lui dit : Pourquoi m’appelles-tu bon ? Nul n’est bon sinon un seul, Dieu. — ” (Marc 10:18 BBA)

“Parce que le Tout-Puissant m’a fait de grandes choses, et son nom est saint ;” (Luc 1:49 BBA)

“Dieu est esprit, et il faut que ceux qui l’adorent, l’adorent en esprit et en vérité.” (Jean 4:24 BBA)

“1  Jésus dit ces choses ; et, levant les yeux au ciel, il dit : Père, l’heure est venue, glorifie ton Fils, afin que ton Fils te glorifie, 2 selon que tu lui as donné puissance sur toute chair, afin qu’à tous ceux que tu lui as donnés il donne la vie éternelle. 3 Or c’est ici la vie éternelle, qu’ils te connaissent, toi, le seul vrai Dieu, et celui que tu as envoyé, Jésus-Christ.” (Jean 17:1-3 BBA)

“J’ai manifesté ton nom aux hommes que tu m’as donnés du monde ; ils étaient à toi, et tu me les as donnés, et ils ont gardé ta parole.” (Jean 17:6 BBA)

“25 Père juste, le monde, il est vrai, ne t’a point connu ; mais moi, je t’ai connu, et ceux-ci ont connu que c’est toi qui m’as envoyé. 26 Et je leur ai fait connaître ton nom, et je le leur ferai connaître, afin que l’amour dont tu m’as aimé soit en eux, et que moi je sois en eux.” (Jean 17:25-26 BBA)

“Et il arrivera que quiconque invoquera le nom du Seigneur sera sauvé ».” (Actes 2:21 BBA)

“En effet, les perfections invisibles de Dieu, sa puissance éternelle et sa divinité, se voient comme à l’œil, depuis la création du monde, étant considérées dans ses ouvrages, afin qu’ils soient inexcusables,” (Romains 1:20 BBA)

“Car « quiconque invoquera le nom du Seigneur sera sauvé ».” (Romains 10:13 BBA)

“Ô profondeur de la richesse et de la sagesse et de la connaissance de Dieu ! Que ses jugements sont insondables et que ses voies sont incompréhensibles !” (Romains 11:33 BBA)

“4  pour ce qui est donc de manger des aliments sacrifiés aux idoles, nous savons qu’une idole n’est rien dans le monde, et qu’il n’y a point d’autre Dieu qu’un seul. 5 Car quoiqu’il y en ait, soit dans le ciel, soit sur la terre, qui sont appelés dieux, comme effectivement il y a plusieurs dieux et plusieurs seigneurs, 6 toutefois, pour nous il y a un seul Dieu, le Père, duquel sont toutes choses, et nous sommes pour lui ; et un seul Seigneur, Jésus-Christ, par lequel sont toutes choses, et nous sommes par lui.” (1 Corinthiens 8:4-6 BBA)

“selon l’Évangile de la gloire du Dieu bienheureux, qui m’a été confié.” (1 Timothée 1:11 BBA)

“Car il y a un seul Dieu, et un seul Médiateur entre Dieu et les hommes, Jésus-Christ, homme,” (1 Timothée 2:5 BBA)

“Car ce n’est point dans un sanctuaire fait de main d’homme, imitation du véritable, que Christ est entré, mais dans le ciel même, afin de comparaître maintenant pour nous devant la face de Dieu.” (Hébreux 9:24 BBA)

“Et nous, nous avons connu et nous avons cru l’amour que Dieu manifeste en nous. Dieu est amour, et celui qui demeure dans l’amour demeure en Dieu, et Dieu en lui.” (1 Jean 4:16 BBA)

“Et les quatre êtres vivants, ayant chacun d’eux six ailes, sont pleins d’yeux tout à l’entour et au dedans ; et ils ne cessent, jour et nuit, de dire : Saint, saint, saint est le Seigneur Dieu, le tout-puissant, QUI ÉTAIT, QUI EST, ET QUI VIENT.” (Apocalypse 4:8 BBA)

“en disant : Nous te rendons grâce, Seigneur Dieu, dominateur souverain, QUI ES, et QUI ÉTAIS, de ce que tu as pris en main ta grande puissance et que tu es entré dans ton règne.” (Apocalypse 11:17 BBA)

“Et j’entendis l’autel qui disait : Oui, Seigneur, Dieu dominateur souverain, tes jugements sont véritables et justes.” (Apocalypse 16:7 BBA)

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Bible, épée de l’Esprit à venir dans l’unité de la foi et de la connaissance du Fils de Dieu

El Shaddai Die verscheen voor Abraham

El Shaddai Jehova der Abraham erschienen

El Shaddai Who appeared unto Abraham

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Dieu Tout-puissant Qui ont peut pas voir et vivre

"God save France", royalist motto, c...

“God save France”, royalist motto, ceiling of the chapel of the Château de Chantilly, France. Painting by Guiffard, 1889. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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El Shaddai Die verscheen voor Abraham

 

“IN HET BEGIN schiep God de hemel en de aarde.” (Genesis 1:1 WV78)

“Toen Abram negenennegentig jaar was, verscheen Jahwe hem en zei: ‘Ik ben God almachtig, richt uw schreden naar Mij en gedraag u onberispelijk.” (Genesis 17:1 WV78)

–  17 Toen A̱bram nu negenennegentig jaar oud was, verscheen Jehovah aan A̱bram en zei tot hem:+ „Ik ben God de Almachtige.*+ Wandel voor mijn aangezicht en betoon u onberispelijk.+ En ik wil mijn verbond geven tussen mij en u,+ opdat ik u zeer, zeer moge vermenigvuldigen.”+

En God* sprak verder tot Mo̱zes en zei tot hem: „Ik ben Jehovah.+ En aan A̱braham,+ I̱saäk+ en Ja̱kob+ ben ik altijd verschenen als God de Almachtige,*+ maar wat mijn naam Jehovah+ betreft,* daarmee heb ik mij niet aan hen bekendgemaakt.*+

“2 Wederom richtte God het woord tot Mozes en sprak tot hem: ‘Ik ben Jahwe. 3 Aan Abraham, aan Isaak en aan Jakob ben Ik verschenen als God Almachtig; mijn naam Jahwe heb Ik hun niet geopenbaard.” (Exodus 6:2-3 WV78)

“Wie is van de goden als gij, o Jahwe? Wie is er als Gij, schrikwekkend en heilig. om roemvolle daden geducht, om wonder na wonder?” (Exodus 15:11 WV78)

“Nu weet ik dat Jahwe groter is dan alle andere goden.’” (Exodus 18:11 WV78)

“Maar hij voegde er aan toe: ‘Mijn gelaat kunt gij niet zien, want geen mens kan mijn gelaat zien en in leven blijven.’” (Exodus 33:20 WV78)

“4  Luister, Israel, Jahwe is onze God, Jahwe alleen! 5 Gij moet Jahwe uw God beminnen met heel uw hart, met heel uw ziel en met al uw krachten. 6 De geboden die ik u heden voorschrijf, moet ge in uw hart prenten. 7 Ge moet er met uw kinderen telkens opnieuw over spreken, wanneer ge thuis zijt en onderweg, als ge slapen gaat en opstaat. 8 Bind ze als een teken op uw hand en als een band op uw voorhoofd. 9 Grif ze in de deurposten van uw huis en op de poorten van uw stad.” (Deuteronomium 6:4-9 WV78)

“Jahwe’s naam roep ik uit: Breng hulde aan onze God!” (Deuteronomium 32:3 WV78)

“Aan U, Jahwe, behoort de grootheid en de kracht, de luister, de roem en de majesteit, want aan U, Jahwe, behoort alles in de hemel en op de aarde. Aan U, Jahwe, behoort het koningschap, aan U, die als hoofd boven alles verheven bent.” (1 Kronieken 29:11 WV78)

“(2:4) De tempel die ik wil bouwen zal groot zijn, want onze God is de grootste van alle goden.” (2 Kronieken 2:5 WV78)

“Ja, hoogverheven is God, we kennen Hem niet, onnaspeurlijk is zijn ouderdom.” (Job 36:26 WV78)

“(46:11) Laat af en beseft dat Ik God ben, Ik: boven de volken verheven, verheven hoog boven de aarde.” (Psalmen 46:10 WV78)

“Een lied. Een psalm van de Korachieten. (48:2) Groot, hoog te loven Jahwe: in de stad van Hem, onze God, waar zijn heilige berg zich verheft, -” (Psalmen 48:1 WV78)

“uw gerechtigheid, God, naar zij oprijst, hoe Gij grote dingen gedaan hebt. Wie is, o God, gelijk Gij?” (Psalmen 71:19 WV78)

“Geloofd zij God de Heer, de God van Israel, die wonderen doet, Hij alleen.” (Psalmen 72:18 WV78)

“(83:19) weten zij dat slechts Gij – wiens naam is de Heer – over heel de aarde ten troon zit.” (Psalmen 83:18 WV78)

“Geen god, Heer komt U nabij, uw werken zijn onvergelijkelijk;” (Psalmen 86:8 WV78)

“(89:7) Wie daarboven reikt tot de Heer, welke godenzoon evenaart Hem?” (Psalmen 89:6 WV78)

“(92:6) Hoe groots is uw schepping, o Heer, hoe grondeloos zijn uw gedachten,” (Psalmen 92:5 WV78)

“3 Want een godheid groot is de Heer, koning groot, alle goden te boven. 4 In zijn hand zijn aan de diepten der aarde en de steilten der bergen beheerst. Hij; 5 aan Hem hoort de zee want Hij schiep haar, en het land, dat zijn handen formeerden. 6 Nadert, buigen deemoedig wij neer, knielen wij voor de Heer die ons maakte: 7  onze God is Hij, wij zijn het volk dat Hij weidt – de schapen in zijn hoede. Het is heden! hoort naar zijn stem: 8 verhardt niet uw hart, als bij Meriba, als bij Massa, toen in de woestijn; 9 toen uw vaderen Mij hebben verzocht, Mij tartten – en nog zagen mijn daden!” (Psalmen 95:3-9 WV78)

“Want Gij zijt de Heer, souverein, boven heel de aarde verrijzend, hoog – alle goden te boven.” (Psalmen 97:9 WV78)

“Bevrijding schonk Hij zijn volk, schiep voor de eeuwigheid zijn verbond. Heilig, ontzagwekkend zijn naam!” (Psalmen 111:9 WV78)

“Ik belijd het: groot is de Heer, onze Heer – alle goden te boven.” (Psalmen 135:5 WV78)

“Groot is de Heer, hoog te loven, nooit is te doorgronden zijn grootheid.” (Psalmen 145:3 WV78)

“Maar Jahwe van de legerscharen wordt groot in zijn oordeel, in zijn gerechtigheid toont de heilige God zijn heiligheid.” (Jesaja 5:16 WV78)

“Zij riepen elkaar toe: ‘Heilig, heilig, heilig is Jahwe van de machten; al wat de aarde vult is zijn heerlijkheid.’” (Jesaja 6:3 WV78)

“Jahwe van de legerscharen moet gij als heilig beschouwen, alleen voor Hem moet gij vrezen en beducht zijn.” (Jesaja 8:13 WV78)

“Met wie zoudt gij God vergelijken en welke voorstelling zoudt gij u van Hem maken?” (Jesaja 40:18 WV78)

“Ik, Ik alleen ben Jahwe, en een redder buiten Mij is er niet.” (Jesaja 43:11 WV78)

“Weest niet beangst of radeloos: heb Ik het u niet van oudsher bekend gemaakt en verkondigd? Gij zijt mij getuigen: is er een god buiten Mij? Er is geen andere rots, Ik ken er geen!” (Jesaja 44:8 WV78)

“Want zo spreekt de Hoogverhevene, die troont voor eeuwig, wiens naam de Heilige is: ‘Ik ben de Heilige die woont in den hoge, maar ook in het geslagen en diep vernederd gemoed: Ik geef nieuw leven aan het vernederd gemoed, nieuw leven aan het geslagen hart.” (Jesaja 57:15 WV78)

“Iedereen moet U vrezen, koning van de volken; dat komt U toe. Onder de wijze mannen van volken en koninkrijken is niemand aan U gelijk,” (Jeremia 10:7 WV78)

“Als in een geurige gave zal Ik behagen in u scheppen, als Ik u heb weggeleid uit de volken en u heb samengebracht uit de landen waarover ge verstrooid zijt, en zo door u aan de volken getoond heb dat Ik de Heilige ben.” (Ezechiël 20:41 WV78)

“Ik zal voor mijn grote naam, die ontwijd is onder de volken, die door u onder hen ontwijd is, weer eerbied afdwingen en door u aan de volken tonen dat Ik de Heilige ben; zo zullen de volken erkennen dat Ik Jahwe ben, luidt de godsspraak van Jahwe de Heer.” (Ezechiël 36:23 WV78)

“Zo zal Ik mijn grootheid laten zien en tonen dat Ik de Heilige ben. Wanneer Ik Mij openbaar zullen alle volken erkennen dat Ik Jahwe ben..” (Ezechiël 38:23 WV78)

“De koning zei tot Daniel: ‘Waarlijk, uw God is de God der goden en de heer der koningen. Hij openbaart geheimen en daarom hebt u dit geheim kunnen ontsluieren.’” (Daniël 2:47 WV78)

“(3:5) Zo zal het gaan: alwie de naam van Jahwe aanroept, hij wordt gered, want op de berg Sion en in Jeruzalem daar zal de redding zijn, zoals Jahwe heeft gezegd. En degenen die door Jahwe worden geroepen, zij zijn het die ontkomen.” (Joël 2:32 WV78)

“Maar voorwaar, dan geef Ik mijn volk andere lippen, reine lippen, om allen de naam van Jahwe aan te roepen en Hem te dienen, zij aan zij.” (Sefanja 3:9 WV78)

“Gij moet daarom zo bidden: Onze Vader die in de hemel zijt, Uw Naam worde geheiligd;” (Mattheüs 6:9 WV78)

“Jezus antwoordde: ‘Waarom noemt ge Mij goed? Niemand is goed dan God alleen.” (Markus 10:18 WV78)

“omdat aan mij zijn wonderwerken deed Die machtig is, en heilig is zijn Naam.” (Lukas 1:49 WV78)

“God is geest, en wie Hem aanbidden moeten Hem in geest en waarheid aanbidden.’” (Johannes 4:24 WV78)

“1  Zo sprak Jezus. Toen sloeg Hij zijn ogen ten hemel en zei: ‘Vader, het uur is gekomen. Verheerlijk uw Zoon, opdat de Zoon U verheerlijke. 2 Gij hebt Hem immers macht gegeven over alle mensen om eeuwig leven te schenken aan allen die Gij Hem gegeven hebt. 3 En dit is het eeuwig leven, dat zij U kennen, de enige ware God en Hem die Gij hebt gezonden, Jezus Christus.” (Johannes 17:1-3 WV78)

“Ik heb uw Naam geopenbaard aan de mensen die Gij Mij uit de wereld gegeven hebt. U behoorden ze toe; Mij hebt Gij ze gegeven en zij hebben uw woord onderhouden.” (Johannes 17:6 WV78)

“25 Rechtvaardige Vader, al heeft de wereld U niet erkend, Ik heb U erkend, en dezen hier hebben erkend dat Gij Mij gezonden hebt. 26 Uw naam heb Ik hun geopenbaard en Ik zal dit blijven doen, opdat de liefde waarmee Gij Mij hebt liefgehad, in hen moge zijn en Ik in hen.’” (Johannes 17:25-26 WV78)

“Dan zal het geschieden, dat ieder die de naam des Heren aanroept, gered zal worden.” (Handelingen 2:21 WV78)

“Van de schepping der wereld af wordt zijn onzichtbaar wezen door de rede in zijn werken aanschouwd, zijn eeuwige macht namelijk en zijn godheid. Daarom zijn zij niet te verontschuldigen.” (Romeinen 1:20 WV78)

“Want alwie de naam van de Heer aanroept zal gered worden.” (Romeinen 10:13 WV78)

“O onpeilbare rijkdom van Gods wijsheid en kennis! Hoe ondoorgrondelijk zijn zijn beslissingen, hoe onnaspeurlijk zijn wegen!” (Romeinen 11:33 WV78)

“4  Wat nu het eten van offervlees betreft, wij weten dat er in de hele wereld geen afgod bestaat en dat er geen God is behalve een. 5 Want al zijn er ook zogenaamde goden, hetzij in de hemel hetzij op aarde – en in deze zin zijn er ongetwijfeld goden en heren in menigte – 6 toch is er voor ons maar een God, de Vader, uit wie het al voortkomt en voor wie wij bestemd zijn, en een Heer, Jezus Christus, door wie het al bestaat en wij in het bijzonder.” (1 Corinthiërs 8:4-6 WV78)

“die steunt op het roemrijk evangelie van de gelukzalige God, dat mij is toevertrouwd.” (1 Timotheüs 1:11 WV78)

“Want God is een, een is ook de middelaar tussen God en de mensen, de mens Christus Jezus,” (1 Timotheüs 2:5 WV78)

“Want Christus is niet het heiligdom binnengegaan dat, door mensenhanden gemaakt, slechts een symbool is van het waarachtige heiligdom; Hij is de hemel zelf binnengegaan om er nu, voor onze zaak, bij God present te zijn.” (Hebreeën 9:24 WV78)

“Zo hebben wij de liefde leren kennen die God voor ons heeft, en wij geloven in haar. God is liefde: wie in de liefde woont, woont in God en God is met hem.” (1 Johannes 4:16 WV78)

“En de vier dieren hadden elk zes vleugels; rondom en van binnen zijn zij met ogen bezet. En zij roepen zonder rusten dag en nacht: ‘Heilig, heilig, heilig, Heer, God, Albeheerser, die was en die is en die komt.’” (Openbaring 4:8 WV78)

“zeggend: ‘Wij danken u, Heer, God, Albeheerser, die zijt en die waart, dat Gij uw grote macht gegrepen en uw koningschap aanvaard hebt.” (Openbaring 11:17 WV78)

“En ik hoorde de stem van het altaar: ‘Ja, Heer, God, Albeheerser, waarachtig en rechtvaardig zijn uw oordelen.’” (Openbaring 16:7 WV78)

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Voorgaand:

Bijbel, zwaard van de Geest in de eenheid van het geloof en van de kennis van de Zoon van God om tot een volkomen mens te komen

Volgend:

El Shaddai Jehova der Abraham erschienen

El Shaddai ’Eternel et Dieu puissant Qui apparut à Abraham

El Shaddai Who appeared unto Abraham

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God die Almagtige ’n Gees Wie geen mens kan sien en nogtans lewe nie

God die Almachtige Geest die geen mens kan zien

Allmächtige Gott denn kein Mensch wird leben, der Dich sieht

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God Our Refuge

God Our Refuge

Too often people are much more afraid of human beings instead of God. Too often they forget there is been provided a safe haven by the Most High Divine Creator. We should be aware that Adonai is not just a god, like Pharao, Moses and Jesus also are called gods, but that we should come by the way Jesus opened for us to the One and Only God of gods, Who made heaven and earth but also made us. And we are His, and as His people, the flock in His pasture (Psalms 100:3) we should find comfort in the knowledge that He is willing to Guide us and to Protect us. that we also shall come to understand that the lofty looks of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day. (Isaiah 2:11,17)

Only the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jesus and of Israel, is God in Israel, but should also be our God, wherever we may be in the world. Like Elijah, Jesus and many other prophets were His servant, and have done all these things at God His word, willing to do God His will and not theirs, we also should aim to do only God His Will and not our will nor the will of the world.

Though we always must be very careful not to rebel against Jehovah, neither fearing the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not. (Numbers 14:9)

Perhaps many are against us because we do believe in the Most High? But we should not worry, those against Jehovah, the God of our fathers, may seem to have it better than us, but this is all sham, they shall not prosper.
Let us trust the Most High Elohim, Hashem Jehovah.

Portion of column 19 of the Psalms Scroll (Teh...

Portion of column 19 of the Psalms Scroll (Tehilim) from Qumran Cave 11. The Tetragrammaton in paleo-Hebrew can be clearly seen six times in this portion. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Find also related articles:

A “seed” for the blessing of all mankind would come through the family of Abraham

My horn of plenty is pressed down / One day, as promised, I’ll cast my crown / Before your throne in worship / Gathered there with all your churches
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  • Misplaced Hope (moretolifetoday.wordpress.com)
    if the brand doesn’t fulfil its promises, abandon it and try a different name.
  • The Unfailing Watch!!!!!! (levithetford.com)
    The Lord keeps His people as a rich man keeps his treasure, as a captain keeps a city with a garrison, as a sentry keeps watch over his sovereign. None can harm those who are in such keeping. Let me put my soul into His dear hands. He never forgets us, never ceases actively to care for us, never finds Himself unable to preserve us.
  • Word. (sparrowsingsweetly.wordpress.com)
    God’s written Word directs readers to delight in the incomparable brilliance of  His Living Word.
  • God Lifts Us Up (pureglory.net)
    When words of flesh put you down, the Words of Jehovah Lifts you Up! (Psalms 110:1,2) What people meant for your evil, Jehovah Sbaoth is making for your good! (Genesis 50:20) Jehovah is causing You to Rise Today…Selah
  • Inspiration. Shine in Gods Light (vjministries.wordpress.com)
    He shall be a light to His children. People who are not able to see thier future  walk in darkness without light.But you have the light who shall guide you and lead you like He lead Israel with the pillar of fire. No more darkness no more blind curves. He shall be your light forecasting you.

My Lord, My Friend

refuge

Psalm 46; was accorded to be written by the Sons of Korah.

In Numbers 16, tells us who Korah was, a man who died for his rebellion against Moses, and these were his descendants. One part of the family became temple gatekeepers and another the singers and the musicians in the temple. {read about the gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9 verse 19, and the singers and musicians in ! Chronicles 6.}.

In Psalm 46 the descendants of Korah  portray the worst calamities imaginable {v3 & 4}, earth trembles, mountains topple, raging water, mountain quake. Yet with all these things they use as calamities, they proclaim {11}. ‘The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold’

The Sons of Korah’s song was about great calamities, but their faith in the God that created  them, is greater than anything they had gone through or could go through.

View original post 188 more words

Marriage of Jesus 9 Reason for a new marriage

Asherah goddess of heaven by some called also the Wife of Yahweh

 

Drawing on ancient inscriptions that mention “Yahweh and his asherah,” some scholars (notably William Dever in Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel) have in recent years posited that the ancient Israelites worshipped Asherah and other deities alongside Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament. In the previous chapter I tried to show you that Yahweh’s supposed wife Asherah was no part of the real followers of the One True God YHWH יהוה {Jehovah} of Hosts is his Name, the Holy One of Israel or better:  the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl.

A Revealer between many gods

A certain Andy on the bible Gateway Blog writes:

That the ancient Israelites worshiped many different gods is not news to anyone who has read the Old Testament. Although God revealed himself to His people as the one and only true God (even singling out Asherah worship for condemnation), the Israelites, surrounded by other nations that worshiped many gods, constantly backslid into idolatry. This idolatry didn’t always take the form of an outright denial of God—rather than denying Yahweh, the Israelites would often start worshipping other deities (like Asherah) alongside Yahweh; or sometimes they would worship Yahweh in a way that he had expressly forbidden. Much of the Old Testament describes theforbiddenworshipofpagangodslikeAsherahandtheBaals and the failure of Israel’s leaders to outlaw such cults. {Did God have a wife?}

Cover of "Did God Have A Wife? Archaeolog...

Cover via Amazon

Writings from the world

In the previous chapter I showed you God’s amazement at Israel’s constant backsliding into idol worship, despite all that God had done for them. I mostly spoke about the Old World except at the end when I looked at the prophetic writings in the Bible and compared it to the situation today, about what we have seen happening in several churches.

 I also wanted to warn you how we do have to be careful for writings from the world and so called findings, which are not exactly historically proven to be genuine. We have seen that many people try to bring a lot of attention to the Gnostic writings and to more contemporary writings as the Da Vinci Code. In such writings there may be spoken of a wife for God and a wife for Jesus, but nowhere in the Bible is this even hinted at.

 It is not because we can find in those papyrus manuscripts chunks of the same Bible texts that we may assume they original writings to be taken serious. I do believe many of them were retroactively rewritten to falsify the record. As I told previously it is strange that God did not protect such writings like He did with the other canonic writings. Everything which was notated in one language and translated in other languages, could be compared to early and later writings, which compared with manuscripts found much later but written much earlier confirmed the writings we had or have so far.

Human or spiritual needing or not having sexual appetite

English: Noah's testament with God

Noah’s testament with God (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Abrahamic God is not a God recognisable as a human figure needing sex like the other gods of the pantheon. The God of Moses, who is the same God of Jesus has no sexual qualities or desires.

When there is spoken about Asherah in the Bible she is not depicted as God’s wife. The true believers of God do not need to see or find a God with the same attributes as themselves or as any human being. We are made in the likeness of God, so naturally many attributes we do have come from God. But because God is a Complete God of gods, without any deficiencies we may assume that those elements which can weaken us can not be found by the Most High God. Sexuality is such one of the elements God does not have to have.

Canaanite and other gods

Robert Wright writes in his book The Evolution of God:

Many scholars have said no. Indeed, in Kaufmann’s view, the “non-mythological” nature of Yahweh “is the essence of Israelite religion” and sets Israelite religion “apart from all forms of paganism,” certainly including native Canaanite religion.

There is doubly bad news for those who, like Kaufmann, would hail Yahweh as a clean break from pagan myth. First, there are signs that the break wasn’t so clean—that, like so much else in the history of religion, it was more evolutionary than revolutionary. Second, when you try to trace this evolution, you see that Yahweh’s family tree may contain something even more scandalous than an early fusion with the Canaanite deity El. It may be that Yahweh, even while inheriting El’s genes, somehow acquired genes from the most reviled of all Canaanite deities: Baal.… {Did Yahweh have a wife? Excerpt from Chapter 5: Polytheism: The Religion of Ancient Israel}

Virgin Queen of heaven

Astarte, the goddess, the Queen of Heaven, whose worship Jeremiah so vehemently opposed.

From the previous posting you may also have come to the conclusion that God Himself who told Jeremiah that He was grieved by the idol worship of the “queen of heaven“, would than also not be married to such a queen. Many ancient sky goddesses got that title and later the Roman Catholic Church added their “queen of heaven”  or the “Blessed Virgin Mary”  The fact that archeologists have found Asherah in Samaria is not surprising when you know that according to biblical history, about half of the kings of Israel worshipped other gods and built altars and Asherah to them.

Concerning that wife of Yahweh, I presented Biblical writings where the position of the Only True God and His people is presented, under the figurative way of speaking about the relationship and bond or covenant between a husband and his wife. I do hope that you  readers came to see that  “that wife” is not Asherah or any other cultic goddess. The wife is none other than God’s people. In the Word of God (the Bible) the Creator compared His relationship with a young man youth who married a virgin, and as the bridegroom at such an occasion would rejoice, joyeth over the bride,
so shall He who is the God of gods, the Elohim rejoice over them.

“For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.  (6)  I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are Jehovah’s remembrancers, take ye no rest,  (7)  and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.  (8)  Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies; and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored:  (9)  but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.” (Isaiah 62:5-9 ASV)

Zion and Backsliding children

God could only see His people wandering off many times, though He often called them and asked them to remember what He had done for them:

“Return, O backsliding children, says Jehovah; for I am married to you. And I will take you, one from a city, and two from a family; and I will bring you to Zion.” (Jeremiah 3:14 VW)

aka. the Moabite Stone (2007-05-19T14-10-19.jp...

aka. the Moabite Stone (2007-05-19T14-10-19.jpg) Mesha Stele: YHWH, the god of Israelites as mentioned in the Moabite inscription in line 18 (context: and I took from there tvessels (or hearths) of YHWH and I dragged them before the face of Kemosh). Transliteration (modern Hebrew characters): יהוה (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This Zion is also a bride to the Most high. in Jerusalem shall be His bed, his throne, which will be given to one of the sons of Adam, who would be the righteous son of Abraham and son of king David. This young man would become the new wife but also the new husband. Zion or Tzion for The God of Abraham is the spiritual point from which reality emerges, located in the Holy of Holies of the First, Second and Third Temple. It was that what was build up by God. as happens more in the Holy Scriptures Jerusalem and the Jewish people are personified. Naming the holy city “daughter Zion” was a common practice in the Hebrew language. Not only Jerusalem was called this way, but also Babylon, Tyre and Tarshish were referred to as “daughter”. In the New Testament the Daughter of Zion is the bride of Christ, also known as the Church, according to the writer of the book of Hebrews (see Hebrews 12:22). In this sense the lower hill with the temple mount is of course the Daughter of Zion as a geographical or ‘earthly’ manifestation of spiritual reality, as well as the lively and alive place of the human congregation.

“on the contrary, you have come to mount Tziyon, that is, the city of the living god, heavenly Yerushalayim; to myriads of angels in festive assembly;” (Hebrews 12:22 CJB)

God having been married to Israel, the People of God; His son Jeshua (Jesus Christ) shall be married to the spiritual Israel, which is the Body of Christ or the Church.

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Preceding articles:

 Marriage of Jesus 1 Mary, John, Judas, Thomas and Brown

 Marriage of Jesus 2 Standard writings about Jesus

 Marriage of Jesus 3 Listening women

 Marriage of Jesus 4 Place of the woman

 Marriage of Jesus 5 Papyrus fragment  in Egyptian Coptic

 Marriage of Jesus 6 Jesus said to them “My wife”

 Marriage of Jesus 7 Impaled

 Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh

 To be continued with:

 Marriage of Jesus 10 Old and New Covenant

 

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Additional reading:

  1. Another way looking at a language #6 Set apart
  2. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #2 Purity
  3. Catholicism, Anabaptism and Crisis of Christianity
  4. Looking for True Spirituality 6 Spirituality and Prayer
  5. How long to wait before bringing religiousness and spirituality in practice
  6. Self inflicted misery #7 Good news to our suffering
  7. Signs of the Last Days
  8. Misleading Pictures
  9. A Living Faith #4 Effort
  10. Reflect on how much idolizing happens
  11. 8 fears caused by the fear of Man
  12. Wishing lanterns and Christmas
  13. Christmas, Saturnalia and the birth of Jesus
  14. Irminsul, dies natalis solis invicti, birthday of light, Christmas and Saturnalia
  15. Easter: Origins in a pagan Christ
  16. Hellenistic influences
  17. Position and power
  18. Politics and power first priority #1
  19. If we, in our prosperity, neglect religious instruction and authority
  20. God’s wisdom for the believer brings peace
  21. Worship and worshipping

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Also of interest:

Did God Have a Wife?

  • Never Mind Jesus–Did God Have A Wife? (theatlantic.com)
    The recently revealed “evidence” that Jesus had a wife deserves those quotation marks. As various people have argued, a fragment of text written centuries after the crucifixion doesn’t carry much weight as a biographical source. However, when it comes to the question of whether Jesus’s father had a wife, the evidence is stronger. And I’m not talking about Joseph, but, rather, about Jesus’s heavenly father–God.
  • Asherah, Wife of God (fractalfortress.wordpress.com)
    Asherah is a Semitic “mother goddess” who appears in several ancient sources. She was loved by the Jews, Akkadians, Hittites, Canaanites, Sumerians, and possibly the Ancient Egyptians. Due to syncretism, she absorbed the traits of the Goddess Athirat. Her titles are similarly many and include Queen of Heaven, Creator of the Gods, Lady of the Sea, and Holiness.Contrary to what you may believe, Jews were not always monotheistic: the worship of many deities was at one time a common and acceptable practice. Monotheism came late to Israel’s history. During this early time period, some scholars believe, the Goddess Asherah was worshipped alongside Yahweh, the god of the Bible. We can find evidence of this in the “Good Book” itself: in 2 Kings 21:7, Manasseh builds a statue of Asherah, and Solomon builds temples to many deities. Goddess figurines, along with numerous references to “Yahweh and his Asherah,” have also been unearthed in Israel. Furthermore, biblical verses that describes God as mother [Deut 32:18; Num 11:12-13; Isa 45:9-10, 49:15; 66:13] were probably absorbed from Asherah.
  • Asherah – the Queen of Heaven, who is Astarte and Ishtar (magickwyrd.wordpress.com)
    In biblical text the Goddess Asherah was worshiped in the temple Solomon built for Yahweh in Jerusalem. In the Book of Kings, we’re told that a statue of Asherah was housed in the temple and that female temple personnel (2 Kings 21:7) wove ritual textiles for her. Ancient texts, amulets and figurines unearthed primarily in the ancient Canaanite coastal city called Ugarit, now modern-day Syria, include reference to Yahweh and Asherah. Inscriptions are found asking for blessings together from Yahweh and Asherah, which reveals that God was not alone and his wife was a revered Goddess who had a part in religious practice and belief. All of these artifacts describe that Asherah was a powerful fertility goddess. As time passed, and over centuries, Asherah has been carefully edited out by authors who put bible texts together, to clear the way for focus on the worship of a single male god, Yahweh.
  • Asherah: Was God’s wife edited out of the Bible? – Christy Choi (bharatabharati.wordpress.com)

    “What remains of God’s purported other half are clues in ancient texts, amulets and figurines unearthed primarily in an ancient Canaanite coastal city, now in modern-day Syria. Inscriptions on pottery found in the Sinai desert also show Yahweh and Asherah were worshipped as a pair, and a passage in the Book of Kings mentions the goddess as being housed in the temple of Yahweh.” – Christy Choi
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    “Traces of her remain, and based on those traces … we can reconstruct her role in the religions of the Southern Levant,” he told Discovery News.

    Yahweh & AsherahAsherah, he says, was an important deity in the Ancient Near East, known for her might and nurturing qualities. She was also known by several other names, including Astarte and Istar. But in English translations Ashereh was translated as “sacred tree.”

    “This seems to be in part driven by a modern desire, clearly inspired by the Biblical narratives, to hide Asherah behind a veil once again,” Wright says.

  • Know Your Bible Lesson 14: Ahab & Elijah (Period 5) (924jeremiah.wordpress.com)
    By now we’ve learned that wives have a powerful spiritual influence over their husbands. Every time the Israelite men jump in the sack with some idolatrous women, they turn away from Yahweh to worship other gods. We saw this happen during the wilderness journey in Period 2, and we saw King Solomon take himself down by collecting lovers from all over the pagan world. We’re going to see this pattern again with Ahab, but somehow we get the feeling that Ahab knows what he’s doing when he rushes out to marry a sexy Baal worshiper.
  • Celebrating the Wiccan Way on Litha (anytimecostumes.com)
    Held on June 21st, the longest day of the year, this exciting holiday is a celebration of light, power, fertility, and nature. It’s meant to honor the Sun God when he is at his strongest and the Goddess pregnant with life before the harvest. It’s a bittersweet occasion as well, though–once it ends, the days begin to get shorter and shorter, marking the decline summer and the beginning of winter.
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    There are a few different stories Wiccans retell during the Litha Sabbat (holy day).
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    Since it’s a time of fertility and communion, marriages and handfastings are often held on Litha. One of its bynames–Vestalia–comes from the Roman goddess Vesta, the ruler of the hearth, and so, marriage. Juno, the goddess of union, is also the presiding deity over June, making it a popular day for couples to tie the knot…or jump the broom, depending on your preference.
  • Asherah, Part I: The lost bride of Yahweh (pterprof.wordpress.com) > Asherah, Part I: The lost bride of Yahweh + Asherah, Part II. + Asherah, Part III: The Lion Lady « Queen of Heaven

    The archaelogical record suggests that Asherah was the Mother Goddess of Israel, the Wife of God, according to William Dever, who has unearthed many clues to her identity. She was worshiped, apparently throughout the time Israel stood as a nation.  In many homes, images like the one above decorated household shrines.

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    In Ugarit, She was known as Athiratu Yammi, She who Treads on the Sea.  This suggests She was responsible for ending a time of chaos represented by the primordial sea and beginning the process of creation.  The Sea God, or Sea Serpent Yam is the entity upon which She trod.  In a particularly bizarre and suggestive passage in the Bible, 2 Kings 18:4, one monotheistic reformer, pursuing the typical course of smashing sacred stones and cutting down Asherahs records this additional fact: He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)

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    Asherah, Part II: The serpent’s bride

    In Minoan Crete a mysterious goddess bearing serpents is very ancient; in classical Greece, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, bears the serpent covered head of Medusa on her shield.  Throughout ancient Canaan, images can be found of a goddess holding or surrounded by serpents.  Some believe she is Astarte (the Canaanite version of Ishtar, who is in turn the Babylonian version of Inanna).  Inanna is said to have stolen the me, the magical tablets of wisdom, from Enki, and to have delivered that knowledge to her own people. Others believe the Canaanite serpent goddess is Asherah, in part because this goddess is often depicted standing on a lion and Asherah is also called the Lion Lady (a topic for another day).
    Asherah, Part III: The Lion Lady « Queen of Heaven
    The flower and the nudity are natural symbols of fertility; the snake is associated with wisdom. This fits with the archaelogical evidence that Asherah was worshiped by the Canaanites and later Israelites as the Mother Goddess and the Tree of Life.  (See Asherah Part I and Part II.) But why is Asherah the Lion Lady?

  • Asherah, Part I: The lost bride of Yahweh (farpointe.wordpress.com) Originally posted on Queen of Heaven
    They worshiped Her under every green tree, according to the Hebrew Bible (what Christians call the Old Testament).  The Bible also tells us Her image was to be found for years in the temple of Solomon, where the women wove hangings for Her.  In temple and forest grove, Her image was apparently made of wood, since monotheistic reformers demanded it be chopped down and burned.  It appears to have been a manmade object, but one carved of a tree and perhaps the image was a stylized tree of some kind.
  • Know Your Bible Lesson 13: Warring Kingdoms (Period 5) (924jeremiah.wordpress.com)
    In Lesson 10, we learned about how there are two different series of books which give us chronological summaries of the kings of Israel. One is the Samuel-Kings series, and the other is the Chronicles series.
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    David’s line is the true royal line—anyone else is just an imposter. The only time we hear about the kings of the north in 2 Chronicles is when they have an interaction with the kings of the south. So Chronicles is about the kings of Judah, while the author of Kings leaps back and forth between the two nations.