Peace Between the Fattened Calf and the Lion

 

This 500-year-old bowl is decorated with recumbent lions and calves before the symbol of the High God An/Anu (BLMJ 4564). Photo: David Harris.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6–9)

Isaiah 11:6 speaks of a universal peace when “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid and the calf and the lion and the fatling together." 

This unique serpentine bowl from southern Mesopotamia (c. 3300–2900 BC) appears to express this hope. The lions and calves are shown lying down peacefully one after the other. They speak of a realm in which all creatures live in harmony or shalom.

The animals on the bowl are crouched before a bundle of stylized reeds like the reeds carved into a door at the base of the Ziggurat of Anu, the High God of the early Sumerians. Dating to the late 4th millennium BC, this temple towered approximately 40 feet above the flat plain of Uruk (Erech) and would have been visible from a great distance. The word ziggurat is related from the ancient Akkadian words zaqâru - to rise high, and ziqqurratu - rising building.

Lions are historically a symbol of royal and/or priestly authority. Solomon's throne was flanked by two lions, as described in II Chronicles 9:18: "There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms." Solomon's was one of several seats of wisdom mentioned in the Bible.

I Kings 10:18,19 tells of a great ivory throne with two lions standing on the arm rests. This also described the throne of the Coptic Pope.

The lion is referred to in the names of some biblical rulers that have the ar affix. It signifies both the lion and the ruler. Ari was an honorific for a man of distinction and power. The Hebrew word ari (or aryeh), the Akkadian aria, the Aramaic arya, and the Sanskrit word aryeh mean "noble." In Genesis 49:9, Jacob refers to his son Judah as Gur Aryeh גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה, a "young lion."

The totem of Shobal's clan was the lion, fierce in its youthful strength. Shobal is one of the Horite Hebrew rulers listed in the Genesis 36.

The Igbo of Nigeria call their scribes the Ar or Aro. The late Dr. Catherine Acholonu explained, "In Nigeria the caste under reference is the Ar/Aro caste of Igbo Eri priest-kings, who were highly militarized in their philosophy."

Edward Hicks' "Peaceable Kingdom"(1834). National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

A calf is a natural prey for a hungry lion. The image of lions and calves dwelling together in peace suggests a rule of peace and plenty. Psalm 22:27-28 envisions a world where all peoples and nations turn to the Lord and acknowledge His rule.

The "fattened calf" is a Messianic reference. The golden calf fabricated by Aaron incorporated the sun resting between the horns as a sign of the divine appointment. Below is picture of what it would have looked like.

Among Abraham's cattle-herding ancestors the calf was sacrificed and eaten to solemnize covenants, ratify treaties, to commemorate the resolution of disputes and to express reconciliation. 

Calves are not sacrificed where God has made peace through the Blood of His Son. Paul articulates this in Colossians 1:20, stating that God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself "through the blood of his cross." God has made peace between Himself and humanity, and between all creation. Soon, dear readers, this reality will be evident to all. 

Related reading: The Lion and Ancient Rulers; Christ's Third Day Resurrection

The Religious Symbolism of Green Malachite

 

Malachite amulet of Horus falcon, 1550-1069 BC (New Kingdom)

The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Green malachite was associated with the Son of God. He was called HR in Ancient Egyptian (Horus in Greek). HR was regarded as the patron of royal priests and kings. Green malachite pigment was used in the cosmetics that high ranking Egyptians would paint around their eyes to mimic the falcon-headed Horus.

Green malachite was associated with Horus, whose animal totem was the falcon. The Book of the Dead speaks of how the deceased will become a falcon "whose wings are of green stone" (chapter 77). The protective Eye of Horus amulet was made of green stone. The Ancient Pyramid Texts speak of Horus as the "Lord of the green stone" (Utterance 301).

Malachite is a copper-based mineral, and copper was associated with the sun, the symbol of the High God and his son HR. The Nilotic Hebrew were known for their work with gold and copper. Copper and gold artifacts appeared in the region between the First and Second Cataracts in graves of the Middle A Group. These are dated 3600–3300 BC (Killick 2014).

Around 3,200 BC copper balances and weights were used at Nile shrines to determine cargo taxes and for trade.

Green malachite was placed in some graves at Nekhen on the Nile, the oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship (4200 BC). A leather pouch containing chunks of malachite was found among the grave goods at Tomb 39 in Nekhen, a city dedicated to Horus.

Timna is the site of some of the world's oldest copper mines. The oldest mines are at least 6,000 years old and there are newer ones as well, totaling about 10,000 shafts. The miners at Timna venerated Hathor, the mother of Horus. A temple dedicated to Hathor was discovered at the southwestern edge of Mt. Timna by Professor Beno Rothenberg of Hebrew University.

This green malachite stone, a gift from the Egyptian king with whom the Hittites signed a treaty in 1258 BC, was at the center of a shrine in the Hittite capital of Hattusa (in Çorum Province in Turkey). Among the ancient Nilotic Hebrew, green malachite represented new life and the hope of resurrection. The land of the blessed dead was described as the "field of malachite."

Related reading: The Religious Symbolism of Gold; Malachite and The Ancient Egyptians; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Copper and Iron

The Christian Broadcasting Network's Narrow Scope

 

The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American media production and distribution organization that was founded in 1960 by televangelist Pat Robertson. It produces The 700 Club, co-produces the ongoing Superbook anime, and has operated a number of TV channels and radio stations.

When it comes to biblical archaeology and biblical anthropology, the CBN does not report on data that may raise doubts about Political Zionism and the Jewish narrative concerning the Israelite conquest of the land of Canaan.

CBN's coverage of archaeology in Israel is superficial and ignores the discoveries of famous archaeologists such as Israel Finklestein, Kathleen Kenyon, Beno Rothenberg, Trude Dothan, Jody Magness, Ofer Bar-Yosef, and many others.

The Network focuses on stories that it believes lend support to the modern nation of Israel. It does not report on findings that it regards as undermining the Jewish narrative. The Network does not report on significant discoveries in the Holy Land that date to long before the time of David (c.1000 BC). The viewers of CBN do not understand the differences between the faith of Abraham and Judaism. Most viewers of the Network probably believe that Abraham was a Jew though Judaism did not exist when Abraham lived.

Israel Finklestein and other archaeologists question descriptions of the swift invasion of Canaan and the Israelite conquest and destruction of fortified cities such as Jericho and Hazor. The evidence of excavations at those sites does not support the claim. Even the rabbis admit this.

Hershel Shanks, long-time editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review, wrote that archaeology "sometimes provides evidence that seems to refute the Biblical account. That is the case, for example, with the Israelite conquest of the land as described in the Book of Joshua. The various cities that the Israelites supposedly conquered simply cannot be lined up with the archaeological evidence." (BAR, July-August 2013, p. 6)

The "Deuteronomistic History" (Martin Noth's term) is the main biblical source of the Jewish land narrative, but it comes from the context of c.730-300 BC, long after the time of Moses, and does not align well with the historical, archaeological, linguistic, and anthropological data concerning Moses and his Hebrew ancestors. In fact, the Deuteronomist Historian advocated destruction of images and places that were sacred to the early Hebrew (4000-2000 BC). 

Some of the practices of the early Hebrew are found in Judaism: circumcision, ritual washing, dietary restrictions, etc. However, the faith of Abraham and his Hebrew ancestors predates the emergence of Judaism by several thousand years. Further, the Hebrew clans were widely dispersed before the time of Abraham (c.2000 BC) as shown on the map above.

The thrust of the Deuteronomist's history and theology hangs on the notion that Yahweh promised the Israelites the land of Canaan. The Israelites were but one of many Hebrew clans and some Hebrew were living in Canaan when the Israelites arrived there. 

Political Right Bias

CBN represents American Evangelicalism's tendency to hard-right political views. It prides itself on having been "at the forefront of the culture wars since the network's inception in the early 1960s." It is fair to say that many, if not most of the regular viewers of CBN, view the Bible through the lens of American Evangelicalism and are not critical of the Network's content.

CBN sometimes presents science news from a Young Earth Creationist perspective. It does not balance this with reports of the evidence of human existence on earth for at least 300,000 years.

Related reading: Was Abraham the First Jew?; The Antiquity of Bethlehem; Biblical Anthropology: Another Reason to Believe; Reading Genesis as Verifiable History; Tracing the Influence of Prominent ANE Archaeologists; Judaism is Not the Faith of Abraham

Ethnography in the Book of Judges

 

“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD…” (Jdg 10:6)

The Book of Judges is about a Hebrew population known as the "Israelites." The writer of Judges records the repeated cycles of disobedience, oppression, repentance and deliverance as God raised up rulers, judges and prophets to free the Israelites. The narratives illustrate the consequences of unfaithfulness to God and the need for righteous rulers if the exiles hope to live in peace in the land claimed by their Israelite forefathers.

The Book probably was written closer to the time of the Babylonian Exile (597- 587 BC) than to the time of Samuel (1100- 1001 BC). As such, the author of Judges relied on early ethnographic material to set the stage.

According to Judges 3:5, "The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites."

The Israelites were but one clan of the Hebrew ruler-priest caste. They are the Hebrew people associated with Jacob/Yacob who was called Israel/Yisrael. Well before the time of the Judges, there were other Hebrew clans dispersed throughout the Nile Valley, Canaan, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and the Zagros Mountains. Arishen was a Horite Hebrew who ruled a territory in the central Zagros between 2400-2301 BC.

The term "Canaanite" refers to a mixed population living in Canaan. Some Hebrew people lived among the people living in Canaan. Rahab and her family are an example. 

The Jebusites, such as the priest-king Melchizedek, were also kin to the Hebrew. Melchizedek and Abraham were kinsmen. Before David became King of Israel, the Jebusites controlled Jerusalem and much of the land surrounding the sacred city.

The Hittites claim the Hebrew ruler Heth as an ancestor. That means that the Hittites living in Canaan and Anatolia were kin to the Israelites. Canaan became the father of Sidon his firstborn, and Heth and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. (Gen. 10:15-18 NRSV) The Hittites of Canaan recognized Abraham the Hebrew as a "great prince" among them. 

The Amorites appear to have been a migrating population that dispersed into Mesopotamia and the Orontes River Valley. Amorite was a Northwest Semitic language, like Ugaritic, Hebrew, and Aramaic. It has striking similarities to Moabite and to the language found in the 14th-century BC Amarna Letters.

The Perizzites were also kin to the Israelites. Perez was a son of Judah who never settled in Egypt.

The term "Hivites" refers to the Horite Hebrew who never left Edom and parts of Canaan. The Bible scholar, E.A. Speiser called attention to Hurrian/Horite personal names associated with Shechem and with other areas whose inhabitants the Bible calls "Hivites." Genesis 34:2 specifies Shechem as a Hivite or Horite settlement. He noted the juxtaposition of the Hurrian Jebusites and the Hivites in various biblical references and he concluded that “Hivite” was a biblical term for Horite/Hurrian. Speiser supported his identification of the Hivites with the Horite/Hurrians by reference to Genesis 36:2 and 36:20, where the terms Hivite and Horite are used interchangeably. In Genesis 36:2, Zibeon is called a Hivite, and in Genesis 36:20 Zibeon is identified as a Horite descendent of Seir. 

Other examples of the interchange of the terms Hivite and Horite may be found by comparing the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint. The Septuagint reads "Horites" for the "Hivite" of the Masoretic Text in Genesis 34:2 and Joshua 9:7.

Related reading: The Genesis 10 Ethnography; Who was Melchizedek?; Abraham and the Hittites; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: The Peoples of Canaan

What Happened to the Cedars of Lebanon?

 

“But the righteous will flourish like a palm tree and grow big like a cedar in Lebanon.” (Psalm 92:12)

The flag of Lebanon is emblazoned with an image of a great cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani).

Lebanon once had forests of cedar trees. The old forest cedars grew to heights of over 160 feet.

The cedars of Lebanon are mentioned more than 70 times in the Bible. The Hebrew word for “cedar” is 'erez. These tall evergreen trees were valued for the high quality of the wood and for the fragrant cedar oils and resins that were used to prepare medicines, perfumes, and ointments. The Lebanese cedar is resistant to rot and insects, has virtually no knots, and produces straight lumber. 

Today the cedars are found in Lebanon, southern Turkey, and Syria. A few have been found on the island of Cyprus. However, compared to the vast ancient forests, the number of Lebanese cedars today is small. Fortunately, reforestation efforts are being made in Lebanon.

The cedars of Lebanon were almost depleted 1700 years ago. Depletion of the cedar forests can be explained by the high demand among the ancient rulers of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Ancient Israel. The rulers of many kingdoms used Lebanese cedars for their royal building projects. The tall, straight trees made ideal pillars for palaces, temples and treasuries. The ports of Tyre and Sidon played a special role for shipments of Lebanese cedar heading to Egypt and Israel.

Cedar pillars were used to construct the oldest known Horite Hebrew temple at Nekhen on the Nile (3500 BC).

Artist image based on archaeological evidence.

The Palermo Stone indicates that cedar was imported to Egypt during the reign Sneferu (B.C. 2613-2589). The resin of the cedar was used in mummification of the dead. The resin extracted from the bark of Lebanese cedar contains antimicrobial properties that would help to preserve the bodies.

4000-year Egyptian ship plank

The Egyptians used Lebanese cedars to build ships, and they had a large fleet for commercial purposes. The tall cedar logs were ideal for ship masts. Ezekiel 27:5 mentions this: “And they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.”

Sargon of Akkad (2334-2279 BC) used Lebanese cedar for his royal building projects and King Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC) ordered the construction of a route through the mountains to bring the cedars from Lebanon to Babylon.

Hiram, the king of Tyre used cedar for his royal construction projects. He also supplied the cedar needed to build King David's palace. According to 2 Samuel 5:11, "King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons. They built a palace for David."

David's son, Solomon, also used cedar to build his palace and the temple in Jerusalem. The walls of the inner sanctuary of Solomon's temple were covered with cedar panels from floor to ceiling, and the ceiling beams were made of cedar.

The cedar timbers from Lebanon were brought overland to the seaport of Tyre and then floated as rafts to Joppa on the coast of Israel. From Joppa, the logs were hauled overland to Jerusalem. King Hiram sent this message to King Solomon:

"My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into log rafts to go by sea to the place that you designate to me. I will have them broken up there, and you can carry them away. In exchange, you will provide the food that I request for my household.” (1 Kings 5:9)

The commercial interests, ship construction, and royal building projects of the ancient rulers lead to the near-total denudation of the Lebanese cedars. The Roman emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117-138) was so alarmed at the depletion of the Lebanese cedar forests that he designated what remained as a protected Imperial preserve. But the unsustainable logging of the cedars continued under the Ottoman Turks who used the wood to build railroads. During the First World War, the British and the Turks used most of the cedar that remained for the war effort. Is it any wonder that the cedars of Lebanon almost disappeared?

Related reading: Trees of the Bible: Trees of Prophets; Trees as Boundary Markers; Horite and Sethite Hebrew Mounds

Divine Nature (Alpha) and Eternal Being (Omega)

 

The development of the Hebrew Aleph.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been understood and observed by what he made, so that people are without excuse. - Romans 1:20

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The ancient Nilotic people were deeply religious. The Nilotic Hebrew believed in a Creator who was a father. In fact, they called God Re which in Ancient Egyptian means "father." They believed that the Father has a Son of equal authority. The Father and the Son share the same divine nature and eternal being.

Two hieroglyphic signs speak of the eternal power and divine nature of Father and Son. In the Bible these are referred to using the Greek words alpha and omega.

Alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponds to aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Both derive from an Egyptian hieroglyph depicting an ox's head or a bull's head (shown above). In the ancient world, this symbol represented the High God to whom first place is given, that is preeminence. The horns of the ox or bull were often depicted as a cradle for the sun, the symbol of the High God. 

The Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponds to the Egyptian Shen symbol for eternity.

Jesus Christ is proclaimed as the Alpha and the Omega in Revelation 22:13. "Behold, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” 

The Revelation passage concerns Christ's appearing at the close of the Age. 

In Romans 1:20, Paul develops this in relationship to the order of creation. Paul draws on a long theological tradition of understanding that the High God and his Son share a divine nature and eternal being. He warns about the wrath of God that even now is being revealed.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. - Romans 1:18-21

Colossians 1:19-20 emphasizes Christ's preeminence by stating that "it pleased the Father that in him all things should be in him, and through him to reconcile all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross."

That is why the Crucifixion of Christ our God is thick with meaning, stands as a warning, and requires a response. To not respond is a response.

Related reading: Good Friday: Do Not Flee; Jesus Knew He is the Son of God; Signs Given That We Might Believe

The Resurrection Symbolism of Decorated Eggs

 

Painted ostrich egg 7th century BC found on Cyprus. Credit: De Agostini Picture Library

For many thousands of years humans expressed grief for the deaths of their loved ones and for their leaders. They also expressed hope that death is not the end in the way they buried those people. For at least 100,000 years some were buried in red ochre, a symbolic blood covering. This practice indicates ritual burial and a yearning for life after death.

These individuals were buried 100,000 years ago in red ocher in what is today Israel.

Many of these burials also included artifacts that indicate belief in an existence beyond the grave. This was especially true for rulers such as King Tut. Among the grave goods found in his tomb were board games, musical instruments, daggers, tunics, sandals, and food provisions, all intended to support the pharaoh in the afterlife. 

In the Nile Valley decorated eggs have been found in the graves of children. Painted ostrich eggs were place in tombs at Hierakonpolis (Nekhen), the oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship. They also have been found in many graves of children in ancient Nubia. At Naqada, a decorated ostrich egg replaced the owner's missing head. This egg is now in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

The custom of decorating eggs for Pascha or Easter has deep roots in the Messianic Faith that we call "Christianity." Decorated eggs were placed in graves as an expression of hope for life after death.

In the Eastern Orthodox churches patterned eggs are a part of the celebration of Pascha. I observed this at the Armenian Cathedral in the Julfa District of Isfahan, Iran. After the Divine Liturgy, people gathered in the courtyard and gently clicked their eggs together in greeting. 

For Christians, the Easter egg is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who believe in Him will share in His eternal life as citizens of His eternal kingdom.

Related reading: Early Resurrection Texts; Abraham's Faith Lives in Christianity; The Substance of Abraham's Faith; "Easter" Eggs in Antiquity; Funerary Rites and the Hope of Resurrection; Righteous Rulers and the Resurrection; Christ's Third Day Resurrection