tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483295122110775512024-03-27T17:53:33.310-06:00 BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY▲ ▲ Applying Anthropology to the Bible ▲ ▲
(Began 5 Sept. 2010)
Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.comBlogger382125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-72381797541639380842024-03-18T12:05:00.013-06:002024-03-19T10:58:25.589-06:00The Ruler's Staff Between His Feet<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5sfQKWPQkcD2RgwX-nN98PrYoIC793K4YKX3Lfq3IWpV1lEPnLojhf2Kw9BGiR_fSVN15ipTyI0216x4SMlJgxqWhgdmA-MmjpDWMFyOvS324LNaFj53fc2_RxVlQqfcta5fGrmVrDADFMVe7_uQRlEK47bjsTpnyODHnt8MpT_eJUwygayZfZjZoJU/s898/Assyrian_king_Ashurnasirpal_II_holding%20staff%20865-860%20BC%20British_Museum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="594" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5sfQKWPQkcD2RgwX-nN98PrYoIC793K4YKX3Lfq3IWpV1lEPnLojhf2Kw9BGiR_fSVN15ipTyI0216x4SMlJgxqWhgdmA-MmjpDWMFyOvS324LNaFj53fc2_RxVlQqfcta5fGrmVrDADFMVe7_uQRlEK47bjsTpnyODHnt8MpT_eJUwygayZfZjZoJU/w248-h376/Assyrian_king_Ashurnasirpal_II_holding%20staff%20865-860%20BC%20British_Museum.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">King Ashurnasirpal II holding the royal staff. </div><div style="text-align: center;">From Nimrud, Iraq (865-860 BC), British Museum</div><div><br /><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p>Among the early Hebrew the symbol of male authority was the rod or staff, and the symbol of female authority was the spindle. (See <a href="https://www.academia.edu/69642222/%D7%A4%D6%B6%D6%BC%D7%9C%D6%B6%D7%9A%D6%B0_spindle_SAHD_K_R_Veenhof_and_P_Sanders_"><span style="color: #990000;">K. Veenhof and P. Sanders onthe spindle in Prov. 31:9</span></a> and 2 Sam. 3:29.)<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">The
biblical Hebrew rulers held staffs as a sign of their authority. This
tile found by Flinders Petrie shows a Sethite priest of a temple of the Nilotic
Anu people. <i>Tera-neter</i> refers to a priest. The priest holds a staff as a sign
of his authority.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGp5SVGSPr8e-lVQdwAEB994f5ZTTOjj13Ag1kQ-eIvtWKDWC-7ex5yhodYRvvf3c_ij7TKCWpMEENdhHSMSjO8kM1rqM2tBoluYtWyZ__BNeTxYe5ReKshK2Y3WQjQPK401ZKMJ-2ke3qnzL_OQRlxKsUmBmsoIPT0EOBQ47GzhBpBVLqYIhsEK9Bcgs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="896" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGp5SVGSPr8e-lVQdwAEB994f5ZTTOjj13Ag1kQ-eIvtWKDWC-7ex5yhodYRvvf3c_ij7TKCWpMEENdhHSMSjO8kM1rqM2tBoluYtWyZ__BNeTxYe5ReKshK2Y3WQjQPK401ZKMJ-2ke3qnzL_OQRlxKsUmBmsoIPT0EOBQ47GzhBpBVLqYIhsEK9Bcgs=w435-h288" width="435" /></a></div><br /><br />When standing, the ruler firmly held the staff in an upright position. When seated on a throne, the staff<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "staff" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was held
between the ruler’s feet. This extremely ancient custom is attested in Genesis 49:10 - "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [Messiah] come: And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be." <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">This is the fourth foreshadowing of Messiah in the Book of Genesis. (The four Messianic allusions are Gen. 3:15; Gen. 4:1; Gen. 22, and Gen. 49:10).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDA_yQAFX17pCsyleWDu-YHWQ37H6tZDHtD5N0_I9-G6L-U5bDK-JFjJplrWPAUCwMbRnDMlDcXcWW_ZUyxjxMRHtzK7QNFrSjijNDUl0uhtpyPf-Kq9gz0Bs9-5bQOzkpLtPxFaUac6xFev4qePEEdj12VF0gF6b9JkrEMpawf8R567PMMIRmk4RCJA/s500/Sultan%20Jamal%20ul-Kiram%20US%20officers%20foreign%20Muslims%201899-1901%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="500" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDA_yQAFX17pCsyleWDu-YHWQ37H6tZDHtD5N0_I9-G6L-U5bDK-JFjJplrWPAUCwMbRnDMlDcXcWW_ZUyxjxMRHtzK7QNFrSjijNDUl0uhtpyPf-Kq9gz0Bs9-5bQOzkpLtPxFaUac6xFev4qePEEdj12VF0gF6b9JkrEMpawf8R567PMMIRmk4RCJA/w386-h251/Sultan%20Jamal%20ul-Kiram%20US%20officers%20foreign%20Muslims%201899-1901%20(1).jpg" width="386" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">This photograph of Mindanao Sultan Jamal
ul-Kiram (seated at center) with his chiefs shows them holding knob sticks as a
sign of their rank. The photo also shows a US Army officer and some visiting
Muslims. (Photo taken c. 1899-1901; credit Jose Bulang.)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavjryUBRVgTw8kibxpdFd6CKtVCTr5q7nVhiZ5DsyuCm7A-xSIiaM8TfCFAGV9OZJo1-SfOUA1nmQ9D8HJGfNezqlC5foJzBJQ88S7BhfuwmiVu-3tIoSWPOUXgk5PmlI-96QuU-_SV0UHS5i4As1LkRYVQxYfL_2UFpQ-xp2LtWQ-7QZkDet3tBLD_s/s389/hornedaltar%20Beersheba%20c.%201000%20BC%20found%201973.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="389" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavjryUBRVgTw8kibxpdFd6CKtVCTr5q7nVhiZ5DsyuCm7A-xSIiaM8TfCFAGV9OZJo1-SfOUA1nmQ9D8HJGfNezqlC5foJzBJQ88S7BhfuwmiVu-3tIoSWPOUXgk5PmlI-96QuU-_SV0UHS5i4As1LkRYVQxYfL_2UFpQ-xp2LtWQ-7QZkDet3tBLD_s/s320/hornedaltar%20Beersheba%20c.%201000%20BC%20found%201973.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Horned altar found at Beersheba (c. 1000 BC).</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></p>The ideas of God's apophatic presence "between the horns" of the altar, and God's overshadowing presence between the bull horns worn by Horus' mother predate Judaism. </div><div><br /></div><div>The horn and the staff are found in an early reference to the name Yesu (Jesu), a name clearly related to the name Yeshua or Jesus. Yesu is comprised of the following hieroglyphs:<div> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZnHAhMJDke-jktd63HBQxgkjtZ7GHlJsifjN8rb1VybwdoHyQCgR-EWTI-iL-z_0RhfcUvJFUDLGRpQprbHHTN2LcCZrlbmGbp6VV7vNZHdTWCig3kRPclP-IRjgOzWHZsTCEbF-1l2JD3opR5qoqlNq2yB369Nomd7Uj0AWZJpvs9qwXwlL7pfL" style="color: #114f51; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="1006" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZnHAhMJDke-jktd63HBQxgkjtZ7GHlJsifjN8rb1VybwdoHyQCgR-EWTI-iL-z_0RhfcUvJFUDLGRpQprbHHTN2LcCZrlbmGbp6VV7vNZHdTWCig3kRPclP-IRjgOzWHZsTCEbF-1l2JD3opR5qoqlNq2yB369Nomd7Uj0AWZJpvs9qwXwlL7pfL=w468-h106" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="468" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Source: Bill Manley, <u>Egyptian Hieroglyphs</u>, Thames and Hudson Ltd., London (2012).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The feather (letter Y) stands for one who judges, measures, or weights. The next symbol represents horns. The third symbol is the sedge plant which represents a king's staff, and finally the falcon, the totem of Horus, the patron of kings.</div><div><br /></div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></div>Related reading: <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/05/symbols-of-authority-among-early-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Symbols of Authority Among the Biblical Hebrew</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-serpent-on-mosess-staff.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Serpent on Moses' Staff</span></a><p></p><div><br /></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-18193131887235330212024-03-08T11:41:00.006-07:002024-03-08T12:49:41.489-07:00Rabbis and Priests<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3A5vvp7LkU_KG1hyUblK3BPyCQbf2KiTtIgMc8gyJseAYFOjqyNb0W0PyYhc_mjazMda9dkusMaW-JXePYPh1K3ehxcasoHijWXyxRnQdM1vrTaVlPDk10VrdnJTcoEMDmaHWnluza7M4J5sKXIacZ8BDFQt2QEG50JzpkOA9R7T6_qcWiXuMaTYkEUQ/s259/Joseph%20Arimathea.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3A5vvp7LkU_KG1hyUblK3BPyCQbf2KiTtIgMc8gyJseAYFOjqyNb0W0PyYhc_mjazMda9dkusMaW-JXePYPh1K3ehxcasoHijWXyxRnQdM1vrTaVlPDk10VrdnJTcoEMDmaHWnluza7M4J5sKXIacZ8BDFQt2QEG50JzpkOA9R7T6_qcWiXuMaTYkEUQ/w343-h272/Joseph%20Arimathea.jpg" width="343" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>A member of the Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/970693143031228"><span style="color: #990000;">The Bible and Anthropology</span></a> has asked, "Could a priest be a rabbi and vice versa? Those are always mentioned as two distinct categories, or so it seemed to me."</p><p><br /></p><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p>Many rabbis were also priests. The roles are different but could overlap. Rabbis taught and preached in the local synagogues. If their synagogue was in a town with a priestly division such as Nazareth, they also served for a term at the Temple in Jerusalem. <div><br /></div><div>During the Second Temple period (586 BC-70 AD) the twenty-four priestly divisions or "courses" served in the Temple in rotation. Each course served twice a year for a duration of two weeks. A list of priestly divisions is found in 1 Chronicles 24:7-18.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Nazareth was the home of the eighteenth priestly division, ha·pi·TSETS (Happizzez). In 1962 excavators discovered in the ruins of a synagogue at Caesarea a small piece of a list of the twenty-four priestly divisions. This third to fourth-century marble fragment is inscribed with the names of the places where four of the divisions resided, including Nazareth, the residence of Happizzez.</div><div><div><br />The priests lived in settlements throughout Israel. When it was "time for the division to go up [to Jerusalem]" (Mishnah, Ta'anit 4:2), the priests went up to Jerusalem to fulfill their obligations. When their appointed time of service in Jerusalem ended, the priests returned to their homes. When not functioning as a priest, these individuals went about their normal routines, tending to their various occupations: stone masons, miners, tomb builders, potters, tent makers, shepherds, goatherds, farmers, merchants, smiths, and carpenters. They also taught and preached in the local synagogues.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Deeper Roots</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>The point of origin of the <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html" style="color: #114f51; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #990000;">Hebrew ruler-priest caste</span></a> is the Nile Valley long before the time of Abraham. That caste had a moiety system, meaning that it was organized into two ritual groups, the <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/11/horite-mounds.html" style="color: #114f51; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #990000;">Horite Hebrew and the Sethite Hebrew</span></a>. Both groups built and maintained shrine and temples along the Nile. The oldest known site of <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2014/05/why-nekhen-is-anthropologically.html" style="color: #114f51; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #990000;">Horite Hebrew worship is at Nekhen</span></a> on the Nile (4200 BC). </div><div><p class="MsoNormal">The Hebrew are probably the oldest known caste. They served at shrines, temples, and mortuary sites at least 1000 years before the caste system of India emerged. Their preserved their ethnic identity by marrying only within their caste (caste endogamy).</p><p class="MsoNormal">During the Old Kingdom (c. 2575-2130 BC) the Hebrew priests were organized in groups called "phyles." Each phyle served a two-week duration at the royal temple before returning home. The later organization of priests in Israel appears to have developed from the earlier Hebrew phyle system.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TdKcdS3sByMyBlfrnY9pxPILwWgcWQHel8B6iRItSfX0HwyGd5R42x1T3pey6-WJf4uGC2icvk4EkXhReg18A9eui-e0UZXTJnyA2NbPBbAfxdHJNsZTK2VKPiFfMBuF5bEPRJULiLeI5Ac2RCDqKcSfSIWjL9EuEpnLc2a35gnmv89k4CGGosC7GaQ/s308/pharisees2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="308" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TdKcdS3sByMyBlfrnY9pxPILwWgcWQHel8B6iRItSfX0HwyGd5R42x1T3pey6-WJf4uGC2icvk4EkXhReg18A9eui-e0UZXTJnyA2NbPBbAfxdHJNsZTK2VKPiFfMBuF5bEPRJULiLeI5Ac2RCDqKcSfSIWjL9EuEpnLc2a35gnmv89k4CGGosC7GaQ/s1600/pharisees2.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div></div><div><b>Sanhedrin Members</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The Great Sanhedrin (the highest Jewish court) met in the Hall of Hewn Stones in the Temple in Jerusalem. It convened every day except festivals and Shabbat. Its members included priests, high ranking rabbinical authorities (rabbis), and wealthy Jews whose pure Hebrew ancestral lineages could be verified. The daughters of Sanhedrin members only married priests and rabbis. Only Jewish men belonging to prominent families were members of the Great Sanhedrin (the <i>Beth Din HaGadol</i>). The lesser Sanhedrin courts had members who were priests and rabbis also, but these courts had less authority.<div><div><div><br /></div><div>The New Testament reports that many priests became followers of Jesus (Acts 6:7). At least three of Jesus' followers were members of the Sanhedrin: Nicodemus, Joseph Arimathea, and James the Just. The first priests in the service of Christ in southern England were likely ordained by Joseph Arimathea with the written consent of 2 other Sanhedrin members who were followers of the Way.</div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div>Members of the Sanhedrin served under the presidency of the high priest much as priests today serve under the presidency of their bishop. The high priest bore the title nasi (ruler, king, prince) and retained this title even after the presidency was transferred to other hands. Similarly, in Anglican and Roman Catholic orders a bishop retains the title "bishop" even after he has stepped down from serving in that office.</div><div><br /></div>Jewish ordination was called <i>semichah</i> and it was necessary for membership in the Great Sanhedrin (The Great Court). Ordination was also required to serve in the lesser courts. Ordination was required to be a member of the Sanhedrin and that was obtained by the imposition of hands by someone who himself had been properly ordained. This is the precedent for the concept of Apostolic Succession in the Church. <br /><br />The Sanhedrin members served under the presidency of the high priest much as priests today served under the presidency of their bishop. The high priest bore the title <i>nasi</i> (ruler, king, prince) and retained this even after the presidency was transferred to other hands. Similarly, in Anglican and Roman Catholic orders a bishop retains the title "bishop" even after he has stepped down from serving in that office.<br /><br />As individuals within the Sanhedrin passed away, or became unfit for service, new members were ordained in what Jews describe as an "unbroken succession" from Moses to Yehoshua the priest of the <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/10/double-crown-of-horus.html"><span style="color: #990000;">two crowns</span></a> (Zec. 6:11), to the elders of Israel, to the prophets (including Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi), to the <i>Anshei Knesses HaGedolah</i> or "Men of the Great Assembly" founded by Ezra c. 520 B.C., to the sages of the Sanhedrin of the Second Temple (c. 520 - A.D. 70).<br /><br />The second in charge was a ruler-priest who was called <i>ab bet din</i> (father of the court). The role of the ab bet din appears to have been a combination of the roles of the bishop's chaplain and the chancellor of the diocese who serves as the chief legal consultant to the Diocesan bishop. The polity and ordination procedures of the Anglican Church seem to parallel the Sanhedrin. As priestly ordination in Judaism was abolished in 358 AD, Christian priests stand alone as the living succession of priests in the Messianic Faith that we call "Christianity."<br /><br />The third century <a href="https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13178-sanhedrin"><span style="color: #990000;">Rabbi Johanan enumerates the qualifications</span></a> for members of the Sanhedrin as follows: they must be tall, of imposing appearance, of advanced age, and scholars. They were also required to be adept in the use of foreign languages. When testimony was given to the Sanhedrin in a foreign language, at least two members who spoke that language were required to examine the witness. There was also a third member who understood the language. These three members constituted a minor court of three, who then reported the testimony to the entire Sanhedrin.<br /><br />Some High Priests lived in exile among foreign peoples. One example is Hyrcanus who was living among the Parthians. Members of the Sanhedrin did business in foreign parts and visited the local synagogues. Joseph Arimathea would have had Jewish contacts in Cornwall and Devon, places he visited as a mining consultant. Mining in Cornwall and Devon in England began as early as 2150 BC. The Ding Dong mine is one of the oldest mines in Cornwall. An old miner told A. K. Hamilton Jenkin in the early 1940's: "Why, they do say there's only one mine in Cornwall older than Dolcoath, and that's Ding Dong, which was worked before the time of Jesus Christ." (Hamilton Jenkin, A. K. Cornwall and its People. London: J. M. Dent; p. 347) <div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/scientists-find-tin-found-israel-3341918"><span style="color: #990000;">Tin ingots from Cornwall</span></a> dating to 2000 BC have been found in Israel and ingots from Cornwall dating to 1300 BC have been found at archaeological sites in Turkey and Greece. The tin trade brought people together from the Levant, the Nile Valley, Mesopotamia, and parts of Europe.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Local legend holds that the Din Dong mine was one of the places visited by Joseph Arimathea. According to the Sanhedrin rules of ordination Joseph could rightfully ordain the first "Christian" priests while in England. He needed the written consent of only 2 other ruler-priests, and it is inconceivable that he would have neglected to do so.<div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div><br /><div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2011/07/priestly-divisions.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Priestly Divisions</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Hebrew Were a Caste</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/11/horite-mounds.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Horite and Sethite Mounds</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-priesthood-in-england-part-1.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Priesthood in England</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-86504890951343485612024-03-06T16:56:00.002-07:002024-03-06T18:17:04.665-07:00Temple Women<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0jijOKyC_ze5mzVrHjEgs8CuJw0gkDSRrEVsRAxR3x0CFpZ2RidmKtrLvj3Uqt1nyLHHV-g-xGoS3v98DunDKtifFwlbQ4H_jB6sk0EbkV_sRcY6mX_jcSTzaCYmnpy3Sj8V-19YLXbMt2dBaPIzSs-UlQAgCbxvtPM-hP95jNq8RY4Unub5jZoVKfs/s699/Sargon%20territory%20cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0jijOKyC_ze5mzVrHjEgs8CuJw0gkDSRrEVsRAxR3x0CFpZ2RidmKtrLvj3Uqt1nyLHHV-g-xGoS3v98DunDKtifFwlbQ4H_jB6sk0EbkV_sRcY6mX_jcSTzaCYmnpy3Sj8V-19YLXbMt2dBaPIzSs-UlQAgCbxvtPM-hP95jNq8RY4Unub5jZoVKfs/s320/Sargon%20territory%20cropped.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargon_of_Akkad"><span style="color: #990000;">Sargon the Great</span></a> lived from about 2290 to 2215 BC. Sargon's empire included the southern region of Mesopotamia, Syria, and part of Iran. When Sargon died, his son Rimush (Ramesh) by his sister-wife ascended the throne. <p>Sargon's maternal grandfather - Sargon the Elder- conquered Nippur in 2340 B.C. and established his capital in Akkad (Agade/Agadez). His daughter was the mother of Sargon the Great. She was a temple dedicated Sumerian princess according to Sargon the Great's birth narrative: <br /><br /></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">My mother was a high priestess... My high priestess mother conceived me, in secret she bore me. She set me in a basket of rushes, with bitumen she sealed my lid. She cast me into the river which rose over me. The river bore me up and carried me to Akki, the drawer of water. Akki, the drawer of water, took me as his son and reared me. Akki, the drawer of water, appointed me as his gardener. </blockquote><p> </p><p>High status temple women such as Sargon the Great's mother were independently wealthy. Some served as royal officials over the king's water shrines with their luxurious gardens. That was the case for Sargon's daughter, Enheduanna. Sargon appointed Heduanna as the <i>En</i> (master, mistress, royal official) of the shrine at Ur. This was a shrewd political move to secure power in the south of his kingdom. En-Heduanna served the Creator God Anu, at the house or temple (<i>pr</i>) of Anu (Iannu). As with Roman Catholic nuns, she would have been considered “married” to the deity she served. En-Heduanna is credited with a <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/157578/from-the-hymn-to-inanna"><span style="color: #990000;">large body of cuneiform poetry</span></a>.</p><p>Some temple women went into business as tavern keepers. They were skilled beer brewers because this was one of the duties of temple women. Temple women performed sacred music and dance. They drew water, wove fabric, and ministered to women. They also baked bread and brewed beer. As early as 4000 B.C. beer was offered in the inner sanctum of the temple to gladden the deity’s heart. Some temple women were so adept at brewing beer that they operated taverns. This enabled them to become women of independent means. A tavern meant financial independence for the fortunate women who had the resources to own one. In some cases, women were able to set up a business because they had received royal beneficences. Temple women also received wealth from their mothers who were temple women.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The Sumerian King Lists name Kug-Bau as a "tavern keeper" and the single ruler of the Third Dynasty of Kish. She ruled between 2500 B.C. and 2330 B.C. The King List refers to her as <i>lugal</i> (ruler), not as <i>eresh</i> (queen consort). She was deified centuries later as the protector of the city of Carchemish. She also was known as Ku-Baba. The prefix Ku means holy or righteous.</p>Beer was ubiquitous in Mesopotamia, the Nile Valley, and the Indus Valley. In addition to its ritual use as an offering at the temples, it was consumed at sacred festivals. Beer was also a dietary staple and was served at taverns to local people and to travelers. It is likely that the Hebrew tavern keeper Rahab had at one time been a temple woman. She married Salma whose ancestral home was Bethlehem, and she is listed as one of Jesus Christ's ancestors. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rahab of Jericho</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Taverns were near the city gates and were attached to the city walls with casemate cells as rooms. This sheds light on the probable arrangement of Rahab's tavern. In fortified towns such as Beersheba, Khirbet Qeiyafa, and Jericho, houses attached to the city walls had casemate foundations. Rahab’s tavern likely had casemates in which she stored provisions. Jericho’s casemate walls were engineered to prevent collapse in the event of an earthquake. The casemates were constructed of two parallel walls with perpendicular braces. Some of the casemate cells were filled with dirt to increase stability. An earthquake might cause an individual casemate to collapse without causing the rest of the wall to fall. <br /></div><div><br /></div>Rahab's city of Jericho was situated at the major commercial routes of the Via Maris and the King's Highway. Her tavern would have been a prosperous business that required considerable executive and management skills. Rahab preserved her household and business from attack when she hung a scarlet cord from a window. This was the sign that had been decided beforehand with the Israelite visitors. The cord was visible from outside the city walls.<div><br />Biblical sources used different Hebrew words to describe Rahab. One refers to a sacred prostitute (tantric sex), and the other to an inn keeper. The first word is <i>qādēš</i>, and the second is the biradical <i>zn</i>. Leah Bronner points out that the ZN root could refer to <i>zonah</i> (one who sells her body) or to the word <i>zon</i>, an innkeeper. The biblical scholar and archaeologist D. J. Wiseman noted that <i>tzond</i> can be translated as “barmaid.”</div><div><br /></div>The hospitality that Rahab showed to the Hebrew spies suggests that she was simply doing her job. There is no evidence that Rahab was a harlot or that she ran a brothel. In fact, her marriage to a Salma, a Hebrew chief suggests that she was Hebrew since the Hebrew ruler-priests married exclusively within their <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">ruler-priest caste</span></a>. <div><br /></div><div>The punishment for Hebrew women who had sex outside of marriage was severe. They were to be stoned to death or burned alive. Leviticus 21:9 states, “And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.” Neither happened to Rahab. Instead, she became the wife of Salma (Salmon), a righteous Hebrew. Their son Boaz was a ruler or elder of Bethlehem. Boaz married Ruth and their son was Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of King David (Matt. 1:5).<div><div><br /></div><div>Music, beer, and sex are found in combination throughout human history. It is likely that among the non-Hebrew the occupations of innkeeper, brothel manager, and prostitute were considered as synonymous in ancient times. Because inns gained such a bad reputation, it is not surprising that the Jews and early Christians recommended keeping an open house for the benefit of strangers. The early Christians were admonished to “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13.2) and they were encouraged to “practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another” (1 Pet. 4.9). <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Temple Dancers </b><br /><div><br /></div><div>Some female tavern owners were former temple dancers or “Devadasi.” They were highly trained in the mudras of sacred dance. Some came from royal bloodlines and were among the few literate women in the region. The temples were under the rule of regional kings who sometimes gave these women sufficient gold and gems to gain their independence. It was considered an honorable deed to sponsor the Devadasi.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvyQxqFBFqhf6Llt5OfC8jYjxWHbjggQ6y03yEsq7CWe6ezSxA3RfQj3RSX_EijFI5SP9cVhbAFZeZgJ9KLQZ8ewG6QVztL0hsnli5biypzWuWsj7v7E91KuVa1zc864rALV-P8yQk8gNvJ2r0VECeSoC6hru_WETq28npwot1yeRuyEYTXGDwR_2b-M/s320/Hindu%20temple%20dancer%20mudra.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvyQxqFBFqhf6Llt5OfC8jYjxWHbjggQ6y03yEsq7CWe6ezSxA3RfQj3RSX_EijFI5SP9cVhbAFZeZgJ9KLQZ8ewG6QVztL0hsnli5biypzWuWsj7v7E91KuVa1zc864rALV-P8yQk8gNvJ2r0VECeSoC6hru_WETq28npwot1yeRuyEYTXGDwR_2b-M/s1600/Hindu%20temple%20dancer%20mudra.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hindu temple dancer performs mudras. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Mudras are gestures that convey specific meanings within Buddhist and Hindu culture. They are used in daily life and, in a very stylized form, in temple dancing. This is a photo of a temple dancer taken around 1956. Her hands say, "My heart is aflame."<br /></div><div><div><br />Many of the professional dancers worked in taverns. Nubian women who managed taverns were known for their skill as dancers and their devotion to Hathor. These women are related to the cattle-herding C-Group peoples who migrated out of Africa. The importance of cattle to the early Nilotic and Sumerian herdsmen explains the association of Hathor with her crown of bull horns in which the solar orb rests as a sign of divine appointment by overshadowing (cf. Luke 1:35). The early Hebrew were devotees of the High God and his son who was born of Hathor. Like the Nubians dancers, Horite Hebrew temple dancers participated in ritual performances to honor Hathor, the mother of Horus (HR - "Most High One" in Egyptian). The festivals included the consumption of beer. However, the Nubian dancers and tavern keepers lost status when Islamic law forbade beer consumption and the Hindu temples in northern India were demolished.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2009/03/daughters-of-priests.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Temple Dedicated Daughters of Hebrew Priests</span></a>; <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2018/08/was-virgin-mary-dedicated-royal-woman.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Was the Virgin Mary a Temple Dedicated Daughter?</span></a>; </span><a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-virgin-marys-life-in-temple-cloister.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Virgin Mary's Life in the Temple Cloister</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/11/horite-mounds.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Horite and Sethite Mounds</span></a></div><div><br /><br /><div closure_uid_im9t4x="437" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-83581816727843239972024-03-04T02:00:00.003-07:002024-03-06T09:47:45.452-07:00Elephants in the Time of Abraham<div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF9OCKzjIaDHA6LoX9yYb69JwbSAX3OKf3Bi-NQqF2BTH20BQx4iJJJN04aG0Bw6YcWVw6d907CgCwocM26wuahtnzwKPYO0ZyM3nypsUmdBN0kJ8USpPhaw01DBbzhpReXC1xqtmgIIQBY0EU6XIeiMIK5OQgTJqoWZ-TrpHURA-9WRXYtcFgClcnqk/s564/9dab3ab66996256726974de6f27fdf3a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF9OCKzjIaDHA6LoX9yYb69JwbSAX3OKf3Bi-NQqF2BTH20BQx4iJJJN04aG0Bw6YcWVw6d907CgCwocM26wuahtnzwKPYO0ZyM3nypsUmdBN0kJ8USpPhaw01DBbzhpReXC1xqtmgIIQBY0EU6XIeiMIK5OQgTJqoWZ-TrpHURA-9WRXYtcFgClcnqk/s320/9dab3ab66996256726974de6f27fdf3a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">
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Alice C. Linsley</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The <a href="https://news.umich.edu/fossil-elephant-cranium-reveals-key-adaptations-that-enabled-its-species-to-thrive-as-grasslands-spread-across-eastern-africa/"><span style="color: #990000;">oldest known elephant fossil</span></a> was found in Kenya and dates to c. 4 million years. The cranium was recovered from a site on the northeast side of Lake Turkana and is about 85% intact. Known by its museum number, KNM-ER 63642, the 2-ton cranium belonged to a massive adult male of the species <i>Loxodonta adaurora</i>, an extinct relative of the African elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana)</i>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.colyerinstitute.org/pdf/TheDistributionofProboscidea.pdf"><span style="color: #990000;">Fossil evidence</span></a> indicates that the Asian elephant once
roamed <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region>, <st1:city w:st="on">Mesopotamia</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Persia</st1:country-region>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>, Sumatra, Java, Borneo
and southern <st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place>. Elephant tooth and bone fragments found in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon indicate that elephants lived in that region in the latter part of the Bronze Age. These appear to have been wild herds.</div>
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Elephant fossils found in Mesopotamia dating to the second millennium BC are thought to be the descendants of a smaller Pleistocene variety found throughout the Mediterranean about 2 million years ago. According to R.W. Rogers, “In very early times the elephant wandered at will over the Middle Euphrates country, but it disappeared before the 13th century.” (<u>A History of Babylonia and Assyria</u>, Vol. 1, p. 284) </div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">However, textual evidence suggests that elephants were being used as service animals after the 13th century B.C. Their remarkable trunks provided a powerful gripping organ for lifting and carrying timber and other heavy materials. Sargon used Asian elephants to build his cities in Mesopotamia, and Abraham would have seen them in the region of Haran. <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2019/10/leaving-haran.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Haran is where his father Terah died</span></a> and after Terah's death, Abraham's older brother Nahor ruled over the territory in Paddan Aram.<br />
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The current distribution of elephants is greatly reduced compared to the time of Abraham. Today there remain only two species of elephants: the small-eared Indian elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) and the long eared, long-legged African elephant. The Indian elephant has a bowed upper skull. There is a difference also in the number of toes.<br />
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An older elephant species was smaller and hairier. It had very curved, slender tusks and a more rounded head, suggesting a closer relationship to the African elephant. Such a creature appears on the <a href="http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/rekhmire.htm#ixzz2gCa0j8Dm"><span style="color: #990000;">tomb wall of Rekhmire</span></a> (TT100). Rekhmire was Governor of Thebes during the reigns of Tuthmose III and Amenhotep II. At this time Egypt's empire extended into Syria. A wall painting in Rekhmire's tomb shows <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Syrians bringing tribute of carts, weapons, horses, a bear, and an elephant.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeHtFJW_5GlyDbEp2mtBFJGOoDegb-cgURgP86cBjJ-3Ok-vOZjU8nEY9_5iOnZqR04DPnmYxvpc-gMTqtCg240YTBs3Gm1d1PTjvseXCgOTOiEr1E2fg9kZJWobNUEkxiIPrlPs13Vw/s1600/Rekhmire's+tomb+elephant.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeHtFJW_5GlyDbEp2mtBFJGOoDegb-cgURgP86cBjJ-3Ok-vOZjU8nEY9_5iOnZqR04DPnmYxvpc-gMTqtCg240YTBs3Gm1d1PTjvseXCgOTOiEr1E2fg9kZJWobNUEkxiIPrlPs13Vw/w348-h209/Rekhmire's+tomb+elephant.jpg" width="348" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Elephant painting in the tomb of Rekhmire.<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A priest of On (Heliopolis) named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rekhmire"><span style="color: #990000;">Rekhmire</span></a> (</span>1471-1448) may have kept elephants in his menagerie. </div><div>
The Rekhmire tomb elephant likely depicts an extinct dwarf elephant with a shaggy coat. It is believed that some were still alive 4000-3500 years ago (Masseti 2001, 2008, Theodorou et al. 2007). This dwarf species is called <i>Elephas tiliensis</i>. A life-sized model of E. tiliensis is on display at the Paleontology Museum of Athens. </div>
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The elephant image in the Rekhmire tomb makes it clear that the Egyptians were familiar with the Syrian elephants known to Abraham in Haran.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">Elephants are social creatures and some herds have been observed to bury their calves ritually. According to researchers <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/tragic-and-mysterious-elephant-burial-ritual-witnessed-by-scientists"><span style="color: #990000;">Parveen Kaswan and Akashdeep Roy</span></a>, "Asian elephants loudly mourn and bury their dead calves, according to a study by Indian scientists that details animal behaviour reminiscent of human funeral rites."</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">
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Elephants in Noah's time</b><br />
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Noah lived approximately 4000-3800 BC in the region of Lake Chad when the Sahara experienced a <a href="https://asa-cwis.blogspot.com/2017/11/evidence-of-wet-sahara.html"><span style="color: #990000;">wet period</span></a>. Elephants in the Lake Chad Basin <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/y5118e/y5118e08a.pdf"><span style="color: #990000;">once occupied all habitats</span></a> except the driest
Sahelian grasslands. This was a time when central Africa, Arabia, Canaan, and Mesopotamia were ruled by local chiefs. </div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">Not long after Noah's time the elephant was taken as a royal symbol. At <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qustul"><span style="color: #990000;">Qustul</span></a> a local ruler was referred to as "Elephant". He ruled during the early <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naqada_III"><span style="color: #990000;">Naqada III</span></a> epoch (3200 to 3000 BC).</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br />
The oldest known zoological collection was found during excavations at Hierakonpolis (Nekhen on the Nile) in 2009. The royal menagerie dates to ca. 3500 BC and included elephants. Proto-Saharan and Nilotic rulers <a href="http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/zoos.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">kept ménageries</span></a>. The animals were kept in pairs so that they would reproduce.<br />
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In Noah's time Lake Chad sustained boating and fishing industries. The average fishermen used dugouts, but a <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2011/02/genesis-king-lists.html"><span style="color: #990000;">ruler</span></a> </span>such as Noah owned boats constructed of reeds lashed together in bundles and sealed with pitch. Noah probably had a fleet of boats, and elephants probably were used to carry the reed bundles.<br />
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At Nekhen the bones of a juvenile savanna
elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) were <a href="http://www.hierakonpolis-online.org/nekhennews/nn-10-1998.pdf"><span style="color: #990000;">found in Tomb 14</span></a>. These date to around 3100 B.C. Likely, this elephant was a prized pet of the buried ruler.<br />
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Related reading: <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2008/12/abrahams-camels.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Abraham's Camels</span></a>; <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2012/09/noahs-homeland.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Noah's Homeland in Historical Perspective</span></a>; <a href="http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/genomics/elephant/elephant-palaeoloxodon-genomes-2017.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Genomes of straight-tusked elephants</span></a> by John Hawks<br />
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Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-85961530780726276602024-03-03T19:25:00.000-07:002024-03-03T19:25:18.789-07:00Was the Yellow Emperor a Mesopotamian Priest Physician?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeimnqitr4xgRzgr_SbuHW-v60F_jhgzW3r-3LkDIbfsDhemZkswICnaRiFyTAeLNIItmsYfco3Dyubdvrcr7iC5cpl0Y6EAgLeX_gk725IZmYM62M_HCeAwXCExUJUOsphXY8EkDgSOs8LD1syzhlPEVeNvLRLNj6g88ATJqhodqGA2ZVuBG74NagmpA/s476/Portraits_of_Famous_Men_-_Yellow_Emperor_(Huangdi).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeimnqitr4xgRzgr_SbuHW-v60F_jhgzW3r-3LkDIbfsDhemZkswICnaRiFyTAeLNIItmsYfco3Dyubdvrcr7iC5cpl0Y6EAgLeX_gk725IZmYM62M_HCeAwXCExUJUOsphXY8EkDgSOs8LD1syzhlPEVeNvLRLNj6g88ATJqhodqGA2ZVuBG74NagmpA/s320/Portraits_of_Famous_Men_-_Yellow_Emperor_(Huangdi).jpg" width="222" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Yellow Emperor as depicted in the album Portraits of Famous Men c.1900 AD.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art</div><p><br /></p><p>A member of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/970693143031228"><span style="color: #990000;">Bible and Anthropology Facebook group</span></a> has asked an excellent question about the origin of Chinese medicine and a possible connection to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Emperor"><span style="color: #990000;">Yellow Emperor</span></a>. He notes that according to the Book of Jubilees knowledge of medicine was given to Noah prior to the flood. This was then passed on the Shem, who has been said to be the grandfather of China's Yellow Emperor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The traders and merchants of the ancient world did business
along the great rivers. That is why the oldest settlements are along major rivers in Africa, Mesopotamia, India, and China. The traders carried valuable
commodities as well as information and technologies. Some were royal officials who acted as emissaries between rulers. Adventurers and itinerant priests traveled with the traders for safety. In the
ancient world healing was the work of priests. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Noah and his descendants were members of<span style="color: #990000;"> <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">a ruler-priest caste</span></a></span>. However, Shem could not be the Yellow Emperor's grandfather because these two men lived at least 1100 years apart.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the ancient world, only members of the elite strata of society learned and
practiced medicine. One of the earliest known medical practitioners was Eanach
(Enoch). He served the Pharaoh as his priest-physician, a wab sxmt (<i>wab
sekhmet</i>). Eanach lived around 3000 B.C. and is said to have "healed
the pharaoh's nostrils." Likely, this means that he performed a healing
ritual that involved placing the cross-like Ankh against the Pharaoh's nose and
offering prayers for his healing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Mesopotamian priest-physician was called <i>azu</i> in
Akkadian, the oldest known Semitic language. Their skills probably were learned
from the early Nilotic ruler-priests who moved into Mesopotamia as early as 4000
BC in the service of the early kingdom builders like Nimrod, the Kushite (Gen. 10). Genetic studied indicate that some of the Chinese are in mtDNA haplogroup N
which has its point of origin in central east Africa (shown on this map).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvcfK_3Ax5sm9ob14IfBJzS3e_pk8QFsDWXBcBG3OrZTPFYEjZN3ykj4rESdvjMP7TE1qsasxMRrxCbuxRMGuGiBkrW1VykYbb8SYPaMp-hGZyxtWNT0P_B4vXnYI2tHG4OsWLT8FuovRQi6s6lSq-rrmGXFEfpaQPon0T-vXoR-lcu8i6RLoFBsZvtk/s450/mtDNA%20Haplogroup%20N%20into%20China.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="450" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvcfK_3Ax5sm9ob14IfBJzS3e_pk8QFsDWXBcBG3OrZTPFYEjZN3ykj4rESdvjMP7TE1qsasxMRrxCbuxRMGuGiBkrW1VykYbb8SYPaMp-hGZyxtWNT0P_B4vXnYI2tHG4OsWLT8FuovRQi6s6lSq-rrmGXFEfpaQPon0T-vXoR-lcu8i6RLoFBsZvtk/s320/mtDNA%20Haplogroup%20N%20into%20China.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The priest-physicians specialized in one part of the body:
head, stomach, heart, etc, as was noted by Diodorus Siculus, who wrote, "The study of medicine with them was divided
between specialists; each physician attending to one kind of illness only.
Every place possessed several doctors; some for diseases of the eyes, others
for the head, or the teeth, or the stomach, or for internal diseases." </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Priests were often leaders of their people. They were rulers
and priests. Some were deified. The legendary Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) seems to
fit this pattern. However, long after his time (2697-2598 BC) he became the
center of a Chinese cult, and his devotees embellished his achievements. He was
credited, for example, with introducing clothing, inventing explosives, and founding Taoism.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The French Sinologist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Terrien_de_Lacouperie"><span style="color: #990000;">Albert Terrien de Lacouperie</span></a> (1845–94) wrote about early
contact between Mesopotamian peoples and the peoples of China in his 1892 book <u>The
Western Origin of the Early Chinese Civilization</u>. He claimed that Chinese
civilization was founded around 2300 BC by immigrants from Mesopotamia. According
to Lacouperie's hypothesis Huangdi was a
Mesopotamian chief who led his people into China around 2300 BC.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklGmOZE1pwArtgB4Xnc-6SAywRY2-dGzErf3NkAUdnaPmVC1g4YHR0U_P-P-GgLPMN8kuVD5qk465htI0PYxAFuNBe2Yy8JAWj2GTtexdbsHc2LN_5wE2kPqIBJu8dgQa-kWS4mdMSjSAIT-hyD2LWktWrrQ20l2LrjLjTwXPkmGuYHHGsL6BxG-ykCY/s390/Yangshao%20culture%203900-3000%20BC%20looks%20Mesopotamian.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklGmOZE1pwArtgB4Xnc-6SAywRY2-dGzErf3NkAUdnaPmVC1g4YHR0U_P-P-GgLPMN8kuVD5qk465htI0PYxAFuNBe2Yy8JAWj2GTtexdbsHc2LN_5wE2kPqIBJu8dgQa-kWS4mdMSjSAIT-hyD2LWktWrrQ20l2LrjLjTwXPkmGuYHHGsL6BxG-ykCY/s320/Yangshao%20culture%203900-3000%20BC%20looks%20Mesopotamian.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yangshao vessel 3900-3000 BC</div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ancient migrating populations settled at major water systems
The Pengtoushan culture thrived along the Yangtze River between 7500–6100 B.C.,
and the Yangshao culture flourished along the central Yellow River between 5000
and 3000 B.C. Yangshao nobles wore silk garments and many motifs found on pottery vessels such as the one above resemble the motifs found on Mesopotamian pottery.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The early priests were also embalmers who prepared the mummies that have been found along the Nile and in the Taklamakan Desert of China. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarim_mummies"><span style="color: #990000;">Tarim Basin population</span></a> to which the earliest mummies belonged was agropastoral, and they lived c.2000 BC in what was formerly a freshwater environment.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p></p><p>Related reading: <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2020/05/ancient-words-for-priests.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Ancient Words for Priests</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2017/09/ancient-physician-priests.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Physician Priests of Antiquity</span></a>; <a href="https://asa-cwis.blogspot.com/2017/03/medical-care-in-ancient-world.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Medical Care in the Ancient World</span></a></p><p><br /></p></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-15975664184373078032024-02-21T12:11:00.010-07:002024-02-22T13:23:49.052-07:00Unnamed and Forgotten Hebrew Daughters<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5S4WiXGa65Up0spe4wIuwfOMk2-9ORkKGbZ8ghUZeMUp1sTbI6SODsrIiY-lOy5JKeIqsg-M1UNVBTEMerhWcT2aitqr8PFK_ZRsY_ZNsgscTOOsQnKWpgBWLVCkOWf4DFWBsxvyy9yAa4HkyUNYy75dORgLWImOMwj8UGOQd4EPE0BN0OsYUm4VNMNg/s732/1080-RebeccaAtTheWell_Giovanni-600x732.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5S4WiXGa65Up0spe4wIuwfOMk2-9ORkKGbZ8ghUZeMUp1sTbI6SODsrIiY-lOy5JKeIqsg-M1UNVBTEMerhWcT2aitqr8PFK_ZRsY_ZNsgscTOOsQnKWpgBWLVCkOWf4DFWBsxvyy9yAa4HkyUNYy75dORgLWImOMwj8UGOQd4EPE0BN0OsYUm4VNMNg/s320/1080-RebeccaAtTheWell_Giovanni-600x732.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Rebecca at the Well, Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini</div><span style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><div><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p><br />The canonical Scriptures are a reliable source of information about the early <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Hebrew ruler-priest caste</span></a>, their endogamous marriage custom, and the rights and responsibilities of Hebrew women. Because the Hebrew caste resisted innovations, their customs persisted among Abraham’s numerous Hebrew descendants. Some of Abraham's Hebrew ancestors lived in the Nile Valley, some lived in Canaan, and others lived in Mesopotamia and Anatolia. That is why it is possible to speak of Kushite Hebrew, Canaanite Hebrew, and Anatolian Hebrew.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jacob and Esau were both Hebrew rulers as they were members of the Hebrew ruler-priests caste. A trait of castes is endogamy, the custom of marriage only to members of the caste or blood relatives. Jacob and Esau married Hebrew women, including women of the clan of Seir the Horite Hebrew (Gen. 36), and women of the clan of Nahor the Younger of Paddan-Aram. One of Esau's wives was the daughter of the Hittite Hebrew ruler, Elon. The Hittites were descendants of Heth, a Hebrew ruler listed in Genesis 10:15. Some of his descendants lived in Hebron (Gen. 23:3,7) which was in Abraham's territory.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYxpoSfrk1QQm_0u87L_OFHMRnEuDj0rXdcyTwJiCFhjMYxm_poOG50G4rmwk4BR9gfRyC12tfxRZR2gO6ZJbYt55g9aGFSCxfQ-OwouVG6Y-Uqs9vxK79an2sR5D2eKv4zwLqfmlKwOtenQmws2nfZy7XOC4-ThYgjNYHHI6bzK8zNESsSfafPsfvC8/s438/Idumea.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="438" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYxpoSfrk1QQm_0u87L_OFHMRnEuDj0rXdcyTwJiCFhjMYxm_poOG50G4rmwk4BR9gfRyC12tfxRZR2gO6ZJbYt55g9aGFSCxfQ-OwouVG6Y-Uqs9vxK79an2sR5D2eKv4zwLqfmlKwOtenQmws2nfZy7XOC4-ThYgjNYHHI6bzK8zNESsSfafPsfvC8/w383-h281/Idumea.jpg" width="383" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hebron and Beersheba were the northern and southern settlements of Abraham's territory.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Abraham's territory extended between Hebron and Beersheba (shown on the map). Both settlements were in ancient Edom. Edom was called "Idumea" by the Greeks. The place names - Edom and Idumea - refer to a land of red people. In Abraham's time, the red people were associated with Nilotic populations before the Bantu arrived in the Nile Valley about 1000 years later.<div> <br /><div><div>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, and there were many Hebrew clans other than the clan of Jacob (Israel) which is the focus of the Jewish narrative.</div><div><br /></div><div>The unnamed or forgotten wives and daughters of the Hebrew ruler-priests are one of the least understood biblical populations. However, the application of kinship analysis clarifies their familial relationships. These were women of high social status who kept the bonds between the Hebrew clans strong. Many were women of strength and courage. Some exercised considerable authority in their time and place as heads of clans, judges, royal officials over water shrines, and queens. The Hebrew daughters of priests at <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-prestige-of-biblical-on.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Heliopolis (biblical On</span></a>) fulfilled their responsibilities to the temple there. They wove vestments, prepared dyes, baked bread, drew water, led the temple women in singing, and played instruments such as the harp, the lute, the lyre, and the sistrum. We may learn about their activities from historical studies, but other than Asenath of On, very little information about these women is given in the Hebrew Scriptures.<br /><br />Some Hebrew women are named in the canonical texts, but many are not. Lot’s daughters are not named, but they are identified as the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). The Bible provides very little backstory for these Hebrew daughters and no information at all about many other Hebrew daughters. For example, Jacob produced children by four women, yet only one daughter is mentioned, Dinah (Gen. 30). If the sex ratio of about 105 boys to 100 girls has remained consistent throughout the generations, Jacob likely fathered at least six daughters. Some of his daughters would have married men of Esau’s clan because marriage between the clans of two brothers was a common practice among the biblical Hebrew. <br /><br />Abraham had nine sons by four women, but no daughters are named. This raises a suspicion that certain ancestors have been forgotten on purpose because they do not serve the Jewish narrative of twelve tribes of Israel as Abraham's only descendants. Given the sex ratio, Abraham likely had at least four daughters. One of them would have married her half-sibling, Isaac. She would have been Isaac’s first wife, the bride of his youth just as Sarah was Abraham’s half-sibling and the bride of his youth. Rebekah was Isaac's second wife. That marriage took place shortly before the death of Abraham. Rebekah was to Isaac what Keturah was to Abraham. Both Keturah and Rebekah were second wives, and both were <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/01/cousin-brides-among-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">cousin brides</span></a>. Hebrew men of high status had two wives.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Abraham's <a complaint="" href="http://abraham" s=""><span style="color: #990000;">rightful heir was Isaac</span></a> so Abraham took great care to assure that he married according to the custom of the Hebrew rulers. This way Issac's rule was less likely to be challenged.<br /><br />As Abraham approached his death in Beersheba, Isaac had not taken his second wife, a prerequisite for ascension to his father's throne. As the second wife was usually a patrilineal cousin, Abraham enjoined his servant to seek a wife for Isaac among the women of Paddan-Aram in the territory of Abraham's older brother Nahor. Abraham's servant asks what he is to do if the woman refuses to come back with him to Beersheba. Abraham answered: "If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." (Gen, 24:8) Isaac was to remain in the territory over which he would rule. As Abraham's proper heir, Isaac was not to leave Abraham's territory in Edom. Abraham was confident that the Lord would ensure the servant's success, and this would not require Isaac to leave the territory over which he was to rule.</div><div><br /></div><div>Esau's inheritance as Isaac's proper heir was consistent with the marriage and ascendancy pattern of his Hebrew ancestors. Jacob's situation (sent away to <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2021/11/royal-sons-and-their-maternal-uncles.html"><span style="color: #990000;">serve a maternal uncle</span></a>) fits the pattern of sons born to cousin brides such as Rebekah. Esau may have been the firstborn son of Isaac's first wife, a daughter of Abraham and Keturah. In other words, Jacob and Esau were probably half-siblings and a later source poses them as twins.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jacob's two wives and his two concubines follows the pattern of his high-ranking Hebrew ancestors. Abraham also had two wives and <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/08/abrahams-two-concubines.html"><span style="color: #990000;">two concubines</span></a>. </div><div><br /> <br /><div>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/01/cousin-brides-among-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Cousin Brides Among the Hebrew</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/hebrew-at-ancient-sun-cities.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Hebrew at the Ancient Sun Cities</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-influence-of-hebrew-wives.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Influence of Hebrew Wives</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/11/substance-of-abrahams-faith.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Substance of Abraham's Faith</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2014/09/isaacs-wealth.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Isaac's Wealth</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2024/02/understanding-biblical-marriage.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Understanding "Biblical" Marriage Practices</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2018/04/horite-hebrew-rulers-with-two-wives.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives</span></a> </div></div></div></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-81714436444536716592024-02-06T15:39:00.004-07:002024-02-06T18:12:15.274-07:00Gender Balance of the Hebrew Social Structure<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4IjI7wZpwMnPkyRSoFC-PEqYHdOX26WDqgbl4C76sNbMNQQimiLgavncWTzD6CDZJV1fCftu94GwJQRmBVEs5vgfZ6jwlPem3oZWMZif7SPEHoY92zvVa1fOU474xMpYy-yYi7fPUsv-a6xKbENjG3ZAMtYScJ6hEq9enACm5ebdqKKxkeXktJcSxM1Y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="227" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4IjI7wZpwMnPkyRSoFC-PEqYHdOX26WDqgbl4C76sNbMNQQimiLgavncWTzD6CDZJV1fCftu94GwJQRmBVEs5vgfZ6jwlPem3oZWMZif7SPEHoY92zvVa1fOU474xMpYy-yYi7fPUsv-a6xKbENjG3ZAMtYScJ6hEq9enACm5ebdqKKxkeXktJcSxM1Y" width="170" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Symbols of authority.</div><br /><br />Dr. Alice C. Linsley<br /><br /><br />A close reading of the biblical texts makes it clear that the Hebrew social structure was not characterized by the typical features of a strict patriarchy: descent, inheritance, residence, right to govern/judge, and authority. These are not vested exclusively with Hebrew males.<div> <br /><div>Descent was traced through both the paternal and maternal lines, especially in the case of the cousin brides who named their firstborn sons after their fathers. This is called "<a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2007/04/brides-naming-prerogative.html"><span style="color: #990000;">the cousin bride's naming prerogative</span></a>".</div><div><br /></div><div>Hebrew women <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-marriage-and-inheritance-of-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">could inherit</span></a> and some owned property. Daughters received inheritances from their mothers in the form of herds, tents, textiles, sacred objects believed to enhance fertility, jewelry, and servants. Numbers 27:8 makes it clear that daughters could inherit. The law reads: "If a man dies without a son, then the inheritance shall pass to his daughter." Moses judged that Zelophehad's five daughters had a right to inherit their father's property. If a landowner died without a male heir his land was to go to a ranking daughter. If he died without a son or daughter, his property was to go to his brothers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Residential arrangements depended on the status of the Hebrew couple. Hebrew men who ruled over territories maintained their <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2018/04/horite-hebrew-rulers-with-two-wives.html"><span style="color: #990000;">two wives</span></a> in geographically separate settlements. Some sons were sent to live with their maternal uncles (avuncular residence). Some <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2011/06/sent-away-sons.html"><span style="color: #990000;">sent-away sons</span></a> established themselves in places where they had no Hebrew kin (neolocal residence). </div><div><br /></div><div>Both males and females governed as clan chiefs, judges, and prophets. However, only males served as priests.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uJ3ZnY1TYlx199lFhN-ZUiO5lQNDjT1_2hTJaRyO5ynyGjkgatbKsfyKurClUfxleFH9qDCGl7mwC5Of3DeA0OH3CgAtzsGzuM2JfrbuGeIHyWOjs2EK62wl9A17XuvP6oGwKkyh-56aRcb4JdGK-Eq8wv9pysJf-3C8-6bAPAUqaBW6TxHufsXgXtU/s681/Hathor%20amulet%20found%20at%20Hazor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uJ3ZnY1TYlx199lFhN-ZUiO5lQNDjT1_2hTJaRyO5ynyGjkgatbKsfyKurClUfxleFH9qDCGl7mwC5Of3DeA0OH3CgAtzsGzuM2JfrbuGeIHyWOjs2EK62wl9A17XuvP6oGwKkyh-56aRcb4JdGK-Eq8wv9pysJf-3C8-6bAPAUqaBW6TxHufsXgXtU/s320/Hathor%20amulet%20found%20at%20Hazor.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Figurine of Hathor found at Hazor in Israel.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The biblical Hebrew recognized three types of authority: derived, attributed, and achieved. Derived authority comes from <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2019/08/appointment-by-divine-overshadowing.html"><span style="color: #990000;">divine appointment</span></a>. The veneration of Hathor, an archetype of the Virgin Mary, testifies to the Hebrew recognition of derived authority among the females. Ancient images of Hathor show her with the sun resting over her head, a sign of appointment by the High God whose symbol was the sun. It suggests belief that she conceived the son of God by divine overshadowing as is described in Luke 1:35. The Angel explained to Mary, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."</div><div><br /></div><div>Divine appointment also was signified by the initial Y in the names of many Hebrew rulers. This solar cradle appears in these Hebrew names: Yaqtan (Joktan); Yachin (Joachin), Yishmael (Ishmael); Yishbak; Yitzak (Isaac); Yacob (Jacob); Yosef (Joseph); Yetro (Jethro); Yeshai (Jesse), Yonah (Jonah), Yoel (Joel), and Yeshua (Joshua/Jesus).<br /><br />Attributed authority came with the offices of king, priest, judge, or prophet. </div><div><br /></div><div>Achieved authority came from societal recognition of a person's righteousness, or holy living.<br /><p><br /></p><p>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-influence-of-hebrew-wives.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Influence of Hebrew Wives</span></a>, <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/05/symbols-of-authority-among-early-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Symbols of Authority Among the Early Hebrew</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2019/08/appointment-by-divine-overshadowing.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Appointment by Divine Overshadowing</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-social-structure-of-biblical-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Social Structure of the Biblical Hebrew</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-hebrew-hierarchy-of-sons.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-marriage-and-inheritance-of-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Marriage and Inheritance of Hebrew Daughters</span></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-64243964419059025302024-01-26T16:04:00.009-07:002024-02-08T09:54:10.855-07:00The Parting of Ways: Calvin Robinson's Case<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdywVLwdFLLU4cSNQ2T5k0GG5Zoo6oD4pbXhsyFbrlovytpBK6AtPn5bondpi_avYY0uXlpHzw6Z2Yh3QaJ-zQi3QyTnFzK5TTB3I3pzFAYLSai8QAb48MaPwZIP4YlSpYnXdFHNfEiVNn-K0E8-G3ldhFhjg4NSuqYRuijnrwJSMMj1u778YO2V3sezw/s400/QHKfI_bP_400x400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdywVLwdFLLU4cSNQ2T5k0GG5Zoo6oD4pbXhsyFbrlovytpBK6AtPn5bondpi_avYY0uXlpHzw6Z2Yh3QaJ-zQi3QyTnFzK5TTB3I3pzFAYLSai8QAb48MaPwZIP4YlSpYnXdFHNfEiVNn-K0E8-G3ldhFhjg4NSuqYRuijnrwJSMMj1u778YO2V3sezw/s320/QHKfI_bP_400x400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Rev'd Calvin Robinson</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p>A recent brouhaha in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) emerged when a young Anglican priest from Great Britian was asked to address a conference of Anglicans gathered in South Carolina on Saturday, January 20th. <div><br /></div><div>The priest, Calvin Robinson, is a man of color and he was asked to speak on Critical Theory (CT). He made connections between CT, Marxism, and ideological Feminism and raised a reasonable objection to the application of these ideologies to the question of women priests in the ACNA.<div><div><br /></div><div>The audience consisted of women priests who were offended. They protested and the conference organizers decided to unseat Fr. Robinson from the summary panel. The Rev'd Jeffrey S. Miller posted this explanation: <i>For the concluding panel discussion of the 2024 Mere Anglicanism Conference, Father Calvin Robinson was pulled from participating not because of his views on women's ordination, but because he failed to address in his plenary presentation the topic that was assigned to him. Father Robinson was not asked to leave the conference, but remained through its conclusion and was paid his full honorarium.</i><br /><br /></div><div>In conversation with some Anglican women who stand on opposing sides of this issue, I realized that many do not understand ideological Feminism. They think that Feminism is about equal rights and equal pay. Because of this, Calvin Robinson's connections did not seem justified. </div><div><br />Both Marxism and Feminism are based on a false perception of universal struggle between two groups. In Marxism the conflict is between those wealthy who control the means of production (factories) and the natural resources (mines, oil, etc.) and the workers who often have little political clout (this is before the time of unions). Marx wanted the workers of the world to unite and take control of the factories and mines, if necessary, by violent means.<br /><br />In Feminism, the conflict is between men and women. Feminists argue that men hold all the power, and that patriarchy is a means of oppression of women. They pose this as a universal conflict, but it is not. Anthropologically, it is easy to pop this bubble. Anthropologists have never found a single absolute patriarchy. Social structures are always more gender balanced than the Feminists would have us believe.</div><div><br /></div><div>That is especially true of the social structure of the biblical Hebrew from whom we receive the core beliefs of the Messianic Faith that we call "Christianity". The Hebrew were <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">a ruler-priest caste</span></a> which practiced endogamy. That is, marriage partners were members of the caste. The women of the caste were not priests. They were involved in different and equally important work at water shrines where they ministered to women, as <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/09/female-tavern-keepers.html"><span style="color: #990000;">inn keepers</span></a>, and as queen mothers. Many were women of great influence in their social circles. Huldah served as a royal adviser to the king. She lived in Jerusalem with her husband, Shallum, who was in charge of the priestly vestments. The narrative in 2 Kings 22 reveals the high esteem with which she was regarded by the king and the people.</div><div><br /></div>The rulers listed in Genesis were Hebrew and the social structure of the Hebrew ruler-priest caste was unusual for that time in that it exhibited considerable gender balance. There were male and female prophets; male and female clan chiefs, and both male and female ancestors were acknowledged by their descendants, especially if those ancestors were heroic or exercised great authority. Daughters could petition to receive inheritance. If a landowner died without a male heir his property was to go to a ranking daughter (Num. 27:8). In the Hebrew double unilineal descent pattern, both the patrilineage and the matrilineage are recognized and honored, but in different ways. </div><div><br /></div>The gender balance of the Hebrew social structure is evident also in the Bible's narrative couplets, such as the parallel between the blood symbolism of the Passover associated with Moses and the blood symbolism of the scarlet cord associated with Rahab. Consider the two occasions when death passed over. Moses' people were saved when they put the blood of the lamb on the doors. Rahab's household was saved when she hung a scarlet cord from her window.</div><div><br />The abusive behavior of drunken Noah toward his sons has a parallel in the abusive behavior of drunken Lot toward his daughters.<br /><br />The "mother's house" and the "father's house" had distinct obligations of equal value in the Hebrew social structure. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal">Both
males and females are portrayed positively and negatively in the Bible. Both
kill. Both promote lies. Both complain. Abraham complains to God about not
having a proper heir. Jonah complains about the repentance of the Ninevites and
the heat. Sarah complains about Hagar and Ishmael<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Ishmael" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->. Rebekah complains about her
daughters-in-law. </p><p class="MsoNormal">At
the presentation of Jesus in the Temple His identity as Messiah is affirmed by
the priest Simeon and by the prophetess Anna. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Jesus restored the widow of
Nain's deceased son to his mother (Lk. 7:11-17<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Lk. 7\:11-17" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->). Jesus restored Jairus'
deceased daughter to her father (Mk. 5:21-43<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Mk. 5\:21-43" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->).</p></div><div>A better grasp of what the Bible tells us about male and female roles should be encouraged by the ACNA bishops. Understanding the social structure of the biblical Hebrew and their Jewish descendants has direct bearing on the Church's ecclesiology and theology. (See <a href="https://asa-cwis.blogspot.com/2023/07/first-lords-is-paradigm-shifting-book.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The First Lords of the Earth: An Anthropological Study</span></a>.)</div><div><br /></div><div>It also is necessary that Anglicans be taught Anglican sacramental theology. Anglicans believe that their priests belong to the one universal Church and that the Eucharistic sacrifice is offered not only for those immediately present, but also for the whole Church. This cannot be true where the priest is a woman since she is not recognized as a priest by the universal Church. “Since the Church is universal,” writes Dr. C. B. Moss (1888-1964), “she requires a ministry which is universally recognized.”</div><div><span style="background-color: #e7f3ff; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>In his address to the 1978 Lambeth Conference (July 31), Canon John Macquarrie pointed out that many in the Anglican Communion “conscientiously believe that a woman cannot validly consecrate the Eucharist.” He added, “And who can prove beyond doubt that such persons are mistaken?”<div><br />The late Dr. J. I. Packer wrote, “Jesus is the second man, the last Adam, our great high priest and sacrifice, our prophet, priest, and king (not prophetess, priestess, and queen), and he is all this precisely in his maleness. To minimize the maleness shows a degree of failure to grasp the space-time reality and redemptive significance of the incarnation.” (J. I. Packer, “Introduction,” in Man, Woman and Priesthood, ed. James Tolhurst, Gracewing, 1989, p. 13).</div><div><br /></div><div>On a more personal note, I have observed censorship of conversations about women priests in various groups related to the ACNA. I have been shut out of forums, Facebook groups, Titus One Nine, Stand Firm, and the official ACNA Facebook group, though having studied the question for longer than the ACNA has existed. I feel that I have something of substance to offer to the conversation because I did serve as a priest in the Episcopal Church.</div><div><br /></div><div>My friend, Fr. Jay Scott Newman, had this to say in 2011 about the inevitable parting of ways:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>".<i>.. the truce which has been called on the question of women in the priesthood as a condition for bringing into being the new Anglican bodies in North America seems to me more than a bit like the truce over slavery that was required to bring the United States of America into being. But the latter truce could not hold, and neither can the former. Eventually, the disagreement must be sorted out, and that almost certainly means that the battle must be joined. And when that happens, then the great gulf between Evangelicals and Catholics on the nature and number, the origin and efficacy of the sacraments will once again be a church-dividing gulf."</i></blockquote><i></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Fr. Newman added:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote><i>"The primary category mistake of most Anglicans seems to be a refusal to accept the Principle of Non-Contradiction. For example, either sodomy is a grave sin or the foundation of a sacrament, but it can’t be both. Or, either it is possible that women have the capacity to receive presbyteral and episcopal ordination or they do not, but it can’t be both. Let’s forgot for a moment the authority of Apostolic Tradition which every Catholic must believe is an intrinsic part of the Gospel (no sola Scriptura for us), when a foundational principle of right reason like Non-Contradiction is routinely denied in practice if not in theory, then the only thing left is raw will to power."</i></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Ironically the Mere Anglicanism conference theme was<span face="neue-haas-grotesk-display" style="background-color: white; font-size: 17.6px; letter-spacing: 0.88px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span>“Speaking the Truth in Love: The Church and the Challenge of the New Morality". What happened to Calvin Robinson is regrettable and a sign of deeper problems within the ACNA.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is hoped that this incident will make Anglicans more aware of their need to speak the truth in love, to be charitable toward those with whom they disagree, and to be willing to hear what the other has to say even when it makes us uncomfortable or challenges our assumptions.<br /><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2024/02/gender-balance-of-hebrew-social.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Gender Balance of the Hebrew Social Structure</span></a>; <a href="https://eastword.substack.com/p/will-orthodox-anglicans-please-stand"><span style="color: #990000;">Will Orthodox Anglicans Please Stand Up</span></a>; <a href="https://northamanglican.com/can-two-walk-together-except-they-be-agreed/"><span style="color: #990000;">Can Two Walk Together, Except They be Agreed?</span></a>; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FIFNA/posts/pfbid02pbMxoNtveQKahMLsNe2NzJ8RZeLW6c42VU9AbGqJANaENst7Eae7bR7bL2Ei9RAZl"><span style="color: #990000;">Forward in Faith North American Response to the Mere Anglican Conference</span></a>; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xaqeyv8nW1w"><span style="color: #990000;">Mere Anglicanism; Mere Censorship: Calvin Robinson Speaks Out!</span></a>; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Y2qKxNWrI"><span style="color: #990000;">Anglican Unscripted 839 - What happened to Calvin Robinson?</span></a>; <a href="https://virtueonline.org/anglicans-clash-over-anglo-catholic-priests-disinvitation-mere-anglican-conference"><span style="color: #990000;">Anglicans Clash Over Anglo-Catholic Priest's Disinvitation</span></a>; <a href="https://amateuranglican.com/2024/01/29/womens-ordination-the-golden-calf-in-the-anglican-church-in-north-america/"><span style="color: #990000;">Richard Reeb III on WO: The Golden Calf of the ACNA</span></a></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-46650957738258228142024-01-07T13:54:00.011-07:002024-01-07T17:41:06.169-07:00Think like a biblical anthropologist!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYAM6XzpwIdDZ4bgcI9dbiB0L8uSL1qQol6F6m5sp4ifOyFRo_kbeVIFD9U1DshlJeUUuBTaF5S3CisN1nhkVgEdoMaqVP-PcsdYplYRjBNbG00Fbs53pEp9hhOcBUb23SRo3oE8BYSC-HLrNVrI4W8sz-48vWLNquzxyN-D7-hxJFUaD7FqwDzJxC5M/s1280/grave%20linen%20in%20Gebelein,%20Naqada%20IIa-b%20(%203600%20BC).%20Museo%20Egizio,%20Turin..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1280" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYAM6XzpwIdDZ4bgcI9dbiB0L8uSL1qQol6F6m5sp4ifOyFRo_kbeVIFD9U1DshlJeUUuBTaF5S3CisN1nhkVgEdoMaqVP-PcsdYplYRjBNbG00Fbs53pEp9hhOcBUb23SRo3oE8BYSC-HLrNVrI4W8sz-48vWLNquzxyN-D7-hxJFUaD7FqwDzJxC5M/w353-h233/grave%20linen%20in%20Gebelein,%20Naqada%20IIa-b%20(%203600%20BC).%20Museo%20Egizio,%20Turin..jpg" width="353" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Painted burial linen from a grave in Gebelein, Naqada IIa-b (c. 3600 BC). </div><div style="text-align: center;">Museo Egizio, Turin.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p><p><br /></p>Readers of this blog are encouraged to become familiar with the data seeking, empirical approach of Biblical Anthropology. Here we dig data out of the 66 canonical books. We read these texts through the lens of anthropology which means we want to know about kinship patterns, social hierarchies, castes, burial practices, <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2015/12/reading-magdala-stone.html"><span style="color: #990000;">sacred symbols</span></a>, artifacts of <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/05/ethnic-and-cultural-diversity-in-bible.html"><span style="color: #990000;">biblical populations</span></a>, and <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/07/belief-in-high-god.html"><span style="color: #990000;">religious beliefs</span></a>.<div><br /></div><div>Biblical anthropologists consider extra-biblical texts such as the deuterocanonical books and rabbinic interpretations. These texts do contain valuable anthropological and historical information. However, these are not our primary sources.<br /><div><br />This discipline is not about promoting private or denominational positions. We do not cherry pick favorite verses and use them to proof-text an argument or theological position. Theology is not the first concern of Biblical Anthropology.</div><div><br /></div><div>To those steeped in the mindset of "the plain meaning of Scripture" it might sound as if we were promoting strange teachings. There is nothing "plain" about the canonical Scriptures. They are dense, multi-layered, tightly woven, and provocative. They require intense study and close reading with great attention to details. This should be especially true for those who claim Scripture as their first authority (prima scriptura). </div><div><br /></div><div>We are heirs to the empiricism of the twentieth century and we can legitimately draw on that heritage when
investigating the Scriptures as objectively as possible. We may approach the Bible less polemically than past generations. We can understand difficult passages because of the work of learned Bible scholars, textual criticism, biblical archaeology, biblical anthropology, and the study of biblical languages and biblical
populations. Today the available “ordinary means” of understanding the Bible are vastly greater and more diverse than in the past.</div><div><br /></div>Archaeology in the Bible lands is "Biblical Archaeology" and the science of anthropology pertaining to the widely dispersed Biblical populations is "Biblical Anthropology". Biblical anthropology should not be confused with <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2016/05/biblical-anthropology-sciencenot.html"><span style="color: #990000;">theological anthropology</span></a>.<div><br />Anthropologists are interested in material culture. We want to know what people made, what materials were used, and how they made and used tools. We are curious about the objects they used in daily life. How did they bury their dead? Who were the heroes of the target population? Where did the rulers derive their authority? What culture traits made their population distinctive? How did they organize for war? What did they believe about the creation of the world?</div><div><br />A central task of Biblical Anthropology is to <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2014/10/something-older.html"><span style="color: #990000;">uncover antecedents</span></a>. Culture traits, ceremonies, rituals, and religious beliefs do not spring suddenly into existence. They develop organically over time from traditions received from the ancestors. Biblical Anthropology provides tested methods and tools to draw back the veil of time, to uncover anthropologically significant data that clarifies precedents, etiology, and earlier contexts. There always is something coming before what is described that helps to explain the events recounted. The deeper we dig, the farther back in time we go. A custom such as <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2017/10/artifacts-of-great-antiquity.html"><span style="color: #990000;">burial in red ocher</span></a>, with a duration of at least 100,000 years, is of particular interest to biblical anthropologists.</div><div><br /></div><div>David Noel Freedman said: “The Hebrew Bible is the one artifact from antiquity that not only maintained its integrity but continues to have a vital, powerful effect thousands of years later.” </div><div><br /></div><div>Both anthropologists and archaeologists turn to the Bible for data and clues. This often has led to wonderful discoveries! Your help is needed to advance the science of Biblical Anthropology. You don't need a degree. You need to think about the Bible as containing "all things necessary for salvation", guidance for gaining wisdom, and the data necessary for understanding the people of faith from whom we received these texts.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Finally, comments at this blog are always welcome and most are approved. Especially welcome are well-considered, well-informed comments that are backed up by data (not opinions) from the Bible.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Related reding: <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/07/belief-in-high-god.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Belief in the High God</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2014/10/something-older.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Something Older</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2011/01/biblical-anthropology-and-antecedents.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Biblical Anthropology and Antecedents</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-oldest-known-religion.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Oldest Known Religion</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-roots-of-gospel-are-in-africa.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Roots of the Gospel are in Africa</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Hebrew Were a Caste</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2018/09/a-little-about-sources.html"><span style="color: #990000;">A Little About Sources</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-11566165067686867542023-12-24T11:31:00.001-07:002023-12-24T11:41:26.116-07:00Can Molecular Models be aligned with Human Morphology?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKnr5euOFzOVfwFlkOhtAmwoK9AAtqa_LVlmaa3Qi7M2-YD8wt_PfvF-MxtdGB5r-3yCu6byqgAwz5QLRAqy0TzuD6UHnC9wudNkbdXrA50fsrc5QksE5mq33zztBmU8_6ZDHp3Yjc8h5V7piMaFrnC3RD_OB8-b-NadmS4rrIreY8sdFqWD_KiO8FWcA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKnr5euOFzOVfwFlkOhtAmwoK9AAtqa_LVlmaa3Qi7M2-YD8wt_PfvF-MxtdGB5r-3yCu6byqgAwz5QLRAqy0TzuD6UHnC9wudNkbdXrA50fsrc5QksE5mq33zztBmU8_6ZDHp3Yjc8h5V7piMaFrnC3RD_OB8-b-NadmS4rrIreY8sdFqWD_KiO8FWcA" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/08/meat-consumption-39-million-years-ago.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Evidence of meat consumption</span></a> 3 million years ago.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><br />Dr. Alice C. Linsley<br /><br /><br />The members and followers of the <a href="https://biologos.org/about-us/what-we-believe"><span style="color: #990000;">BioLogos Foundation</span></a> are almost entirely Evangelicals and they have been countering Young Earth Creationists with important data since the organization's founding in 2007. The BioLogos Foundation supports the view that God created the world using evolution of different species as the mechanism. The organization was established by Francis S. Collins who served as director of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institutes_of_Health"><span style="color: #990000;">National Institutes of Health</span></a> (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, from 17 August 2009 to 19 December 2021.<div><br /></div><div>In his 2006 book <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_of_God"><span style="color: #990000;">The Language of God</span></a>, Collins presents his struggle to reconcile Faith and Science. In my view, Collins' personal struggle was the task of meticulously setting aside false interpretations on both sides. Collins believed that scientific discoveries are an "opportunity to worship" and he rejected both Young Earth creationism (YEC) and Intelligent Design (ID). He preferred the term "theistic evolution". However, the BioLogos Foundation instead uses the term "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_creation"><span style="color: #990000;">evolutionary creationism</span></a>", the belief that the diversity of organic life results from mutation, adaptation, recombination, natural selection, and common ancestry. In humans, it is estimated that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09525"><span style="color: #990000;">about 36 recombination events</span></a> occur per generation, one or two per chromosome. </div><div><br /></div><div>Most members of the BioLogos believe in common ancestry of apes and humans. They conclude this on the basis of models in molecular genetics, not on the basis of material evidence of human morphology. It seems that Evangelicals who claim the Bible as their authority should not so easily ignore what it asserts about Humans as a special creation. Nor should those who honor science ignore what world renown paleoanthropologists have to say on this matter.</div><div> <br />Archaic humans (4 million to 300,000 years ago) walked upright, had opposing thumbs, short fingers, human ankle bones, and human dentition. In humans, the back teeth are larger than the front teeth (not so with apes), and the canines are not pointed. Humans also lack the characteristic diastema, or tooth gap, found in apes.<br /><br />When <a href="https://www.bu.edu/bostonia/summer10/desilva/"><span style="color: #990000;">Jeremy DeSilva</span></a>, a British anthropologist, compared the ankle joint, the tibia and the talus fossils of human ancestors ("hominins") between 4.12 million to 1.53 million years old, he discovered that all of the ankle joints resembled those of modern humans rather than those of apes. Chimpanzees flex their ankles 45 degrees from normal resting position. This makes it possible for apes to climb trees with great ease. While walking, humans flex their ankles a maximum of 20 degrees. The human ankle bones are quite distinct from those of apes.<br /><br />The discovery of a <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1201463"><span style="color: #990000;">complete fourth metatarsal of A. afarensis</span></a> at Hadar that shows the deep, flat base and tarsal facets that "imply that its midfoot had no ape-like midtarsal break. These features show that the A. afarensis foot was functionally like that of modern humans." (Carol Ward, William H. Kimbel, Donald C. Johanson, Feb. 2011) The Ward, Kimbel and Johanson study is very interesting. Donald Johanson was the person who announced to the world that Lucy was "ape of the South," or Australopithecus. He has since reconsidered that assessment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mary Leakey’s 1979 discoveries in Tanzania added to the evidence that humans walked the earth over 3 million years ago. At Laetoli, about 25 miles south of Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, Leakey discovered footprints of a man, woman and child created about 3.6 million years ago and preserved under falling ash from the nearby Sadiman volcano. The raised arch and rounded heel of the footprints showed that whoever left these footprints walked as humans today.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Johanson had already presented <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2012/08/was-lucy-human.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Lucy</span></a> as more ape than human though Mary Leakey would have classified her Laetoli finds as Homo/human. She expressed her regret that “the Laetoli fellow is now doomed to be called Australopithecus afarensis.” (<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230614220724.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">Lucy's muscle reconstruction</span></a> shows that she walked upright.)<br /><br />Johanson and Mary Leakey were scheduled to speak at a Nobel Symposium in Sweden in May 1978. The conference honored Mary Leakey, who received a medal from the King of Sweden for her scientific investigations. Mary Leakey received the Golden Linnaean Medal, but also was very embarrassed when Johanson announced the new name - Australopithecus afarensis - for his Afar Triangle finds and included Mary Leakey's 4-million-year-old Laetoli specimen (jawbone LH4) from Tanzania as an exhibit.<br /><br />Johanson, who was scheduled to speak before Leakey, scooped Mary's speech. Leakey was perturbed that Johanson had named her discoveries, using a nomenclature at odds with what she believed to be the evidence.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Role of Ego</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Ego plays a role in science. This is acknowledged by Dr. John Hawks whose scientific credentials are beyond question. In his article "Arguing about Species: Is It evidence or ego", Hawks wrote:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>For some people who follow human evolution news, recognizing “species” is really just about whether you’re a lumper or a splitter. Many people assume that the names of species are about ego, not evidence.<br /><br />But nature presents us with real challenges, which still cause different scientists to approach the past with different assumptions. Let me give some examples.<br /><br />Just today, I got notification of a new paper by Walter Neves and colleagues, in which they suggest that Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi are actually South African representatives of Homo habilis. Some people might scoff at this—after all, the Dinaledi fossils are only 236,000–335,000 years old, while the latest-known H. habilis is around 1.6 million. But a young date for some fossils doesn’t bar them from membership in a species with much older fossil representatives. Identity is tested with morphological evidence, not geological age.<br /></i><br /><br /><b>Archaic Humans and Modern Humans</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Scientific methods of dating are more than adequate when it comes to providing a range of time. However, as more discoveries are made, the ranges can change. For example, generally fossils dating to earlier than 200,000 years ago were regarded as archaic human, though some show features associated with anatomically "modern" humans. <br /><br />Hawks noted humans were living in the Lake Turkana-Omo region of East Africa 200,000 years ago. He wrote, "Ancient people were using this area throughout, leaving stone artifacts. It is amazing walking along the exposures, noting the stones that are the marks of ancient human activity. These early modern humans were making fundamentally the same kinds of artifacts that we find across western Eurasia, made by the earliest Neandertals, and across most of the African continent at the same time. There were regional differences in the pattern of toolmaking, but there was a broad technological commonality. This was the cultural background of our ancestors."<br /><br />There were <a href="https://www.livescience.com/how-many-human-species.html"><span style="color: #990000;">at least 8 groups of archaic humans</span></a> about 300,000 years ago. However, the genetic ancestry of modern humans appears to be limited to about 4 of these groups: Homo Erectus, Denisovan, Neanderthal, and Homo Naledi. Archaic human populations were more widely dispersed than is generally recognized.</div><div> <br /><div><div><div><div>The genomes of other archaic human ancestors have yet to be sequenced and until that is done, we must not jump to conclusions that are unsubstantiated. This is a daunting task because the recovery of viable DNA from archaic specimens is next to miraculous!</div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div></div></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/12/time-to-jettison-young-earth-creationism.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Time to Jettison Young Earth Creationism</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2017/10/artifacts-of-great-antiquity.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Artifacts of Great Antiquity</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2012/08/was-lucy-human.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Was Lucy Human?</span></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-39355261128004217392023-11-05T14:08:00.004-07:002024-01-11T11:08:04.229-07:00Jesus Knew He is the Son of God<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HOcFt9WFtqCuIEIEeAzlcKJgR9b9xBKsylMZlPvsqOHeiu4gyrwoeWvJoPVcgB-C1X50SyJmOJ-WzePjQX1TX_2dq3EWBJqFKuaO2LIlPw1eSlAeEBaUIaRUgdo_Ck5bGuFLvWz9A3-8w97JyYSXJnKpvyY9fsKSiWfGc2YVEN-a5NZ26Vm2vyq1mNc/s3488/Yesu%20Hieroglyph%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="3488" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HOcFt9WFtqCuIEIEeAzlcKJgR9b9xBKsylMZlPvsqOHeiu4gyrwoeWvJoPVcgB-C1X50SyJmOJ-WzePjQX1TX_2dq3EWBJqFKuaO2LIlPw1eSlAeEBaUIaRUgdo_Ck5bGuFLvWz9A3-8w97JyYSXJnKpvyY9fsKSiWfGc2YVEN-a5NZ26Vm2vyq1mNc/w391-h80/Yesu%20Hieroglyph%203.jpg" width="391" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus' name in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p><p>The early Hebrew believed in God Father and God Son and expected the Son of God to appear in the flesh. This is evident in the early texts of the Horite and Sethite Hebrew, some of which date to over 4000 years ago. </p>Christianity emerged out of a belief that God made a promise in Eden concerning the Woman who would bring forth the Son of God (Gen. 3:15) and that He has fulfilled that promise in Jesus Christ. The Edenic Promise of Genesis 3:15 foretells how the Woman would bring forth a son who would crush the serpent's head and restore paradise. This early Hebrew expectation was expressed about 1000 years before Psalm 91 in the Pyramid Texts. "Horus has shattered (crushed) the mouth of the serpent with the sole of his foot" (Utterance 388).<div><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-size: 13px;"> </span></div>A <a href="https://www.academia.edu/25013844/The_First_Tablet_of_the_Hurritic_Bilingual_Song_of_Release_in_the_Light_of_Hurritic_Mythological_Tradition_UGARIT-FORSCHUNGEN_Internationales_Jahrbuch_f%C3%BCr_die_Altertumskunde_Syrien-Pal%C3%A4stinas_Herausgegeben_von_Band_44_2013_In_memoriam_Pierre_Bordreuil_121-142"><span style="color: #990000;">Horite Hebrew song found at the royal complex at Ugarit</span></a>, speaks of HR (Horus) who descends to the place of the dead "to announce good tidings." The text reads: Hr ešeni timerri duri - "below in the dark netherworld" and has the Hittite phrase Šanizzin ḫalukan ḫalzi - "to announce good tidings". (See Note 2 on page 2012.)<div><br style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />The core beliefs of Christianity concerning the Incarnation by divine overshadowing (Luke 1:35), the Christ's proclamation of good tidings to the dead; the <a href="http://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2012/02/righteous-rulers-and-resurrection.html"><span style="color: #990000;">third-day resurrection</span></a>, and the ascension to the Father can be traced to the beliefs of Abraham and his Hebrew ancestors. This faith predates all the world religions. Christianity's authority is rooted in the great antiquity of its central dogmas which have been preserved by divine oversight and which are found in the canonical Scriptures.<div><br /></div><div>It has been said that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God. That claim is false. Jesus never prevaricated about his identity. He claimed his divine Sonship by referring to the Hebrew Scriptures.<br /><div><br /><div><br /><p class="bodytext" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Bitter, Georgia, "Times New Roman", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="NETBibleTagged" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #024887; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Matthew 22:41-46</a> </p>While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.<div><br /></div><div>This passage illustrates what the First Century Jews believed about the Messiah. When Jesus asked the Pharisees what they thought, they replied that Messiah is the son of David. They did not say Messiah (the Christ) is the Son of God because they did not believe that. Jesus, on the other hand, made that claim for himself when he referred to Daniel's vision and to various Psalms.</div><div><br /></div>Daniel chapter 7 describes Daniel's vision of “one like a son of man,” that is, one who is human, yet “coming with the clouds of heaven” as only a Divine One could do. The "son of man" approached the Ancient of Days (<i>Atik Yomin</i>) and was led into his presence (7:13).<div><br /></div><div>Clearly, Jesus identified himself as the fully human and fully divine one whose kingdom has no end. The Pharisees knew the book of Daniel. They recognized what Jesus was saying when he spoke of himself as the "Son of Man".</div><div><br /></div><div>They also recognized that the citation is from<span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;"> </span>Psalm 110:1 which reads: David says, “The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool'” and they recognized this as a Messianic reference. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Some may have known that this was taken from a text dating to nearly 1000 years before Psalm 110. In the Coffin Texts, we read:</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I am Horus [HR], the great Falcon upon the ramparts of the house of him of the hidden name. My flight has reached the horizon. I have passed by the gods of Nut. I have gone further than the gods of old. Even the most ancient bird could not equal my very first flight. I have removed my place beyond the powers of Set, the foe of my father Osiris. No other god could do what I have done. I have brought the ways of eternity to the twilight of the morning. I am unique in my flight. <b>My wrath will be turned against the enemy of my father Osiris and I will put him beneath my feet </b>in my name of 'Red Cloak'." (Passage 148)</blockquote><div><br /></div>Horus is the Greek for the early <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/11/horite-mounds.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Horite Hebrew</span></a> name HR which means "Most High One" in ancient Egyptian. HR was also called the son of the High God. The Father-Son relationship is expressed in the son's recognition of his Father in others. Horus was said to recognize his father in the deceased king. In a text dating to 2200 B.C. we read, "Horus is a soul and he recognizes his Father in you..." (The Pyramid Texts, Utterance 423)<br /><br />In John 14, Jesus explains to Phillip, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."<div><br /><div><div><div><br /><p class="bodytext" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Bitter, Georgia, "Times New Roman", sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="NETBibleTagged" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #024887; display: inline-block; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Luke 20:41–21:4</a> </p>Then Jesus said to them, “How is it that they say the Messiah is the Son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”</div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The Jewish elite were the most highly informed religious leaders of their people. It is difficult to believe that they did not understand what Jesus was claiming about himself. They knew that their Hebrew ancestors believed in God Father and God Son and that they expected the Son of God to appear in the flesh, yet they instructed the people to expect something different. They insisted that Messiah is a descendant of King David, and he would restore Israel's greatness. Their Messiah was too small and a projection of their own pride.</div><div><br /></div>Jesus subdues the Father's enemies so that God's children might live and prosper. This is expressed in Psalm 2:12: "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."</div><div><br /></div>John the Forerunner called the Jews to repentance so that they might receive their Messiah. The priest Simeon recognized Jesus as the Messiah and knew that his appearing meant the fall and rising of many in Israel (Luke 2:34). The prophetess Anna also recognized the child Jesus as the Messiah, and she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:38). These are the three witnesses whose testimony is valid by Jewish law. 1 John 5:8 says: "And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."<div><br /></div><div>Anna represents the Spirit, John the Forerunner represents the water, and Simeon the priest represents the blood.</div><div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2021/09/signs-given-that-we-might-believe.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Signs Given That We Might Believe</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2021/04/where-judaism-and-christianity-part-ways.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Where Judaism and Christianity Part Ways</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2020/06/abrahams-faith-lives-in-christianity.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Abraham's Faith Lives in Christianity</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/11/horite-mounds.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Horite and Sethite Mounds</span></a>; <a href="http://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2012/02/righteous-rulers-and-resurrection.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Righteous Rulers and the Resurrection</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/05/jesus-christ-in-hebrew-scriptures.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Jesus Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/11/jesus-ruler-priest-ancestors.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Jesus' Ruler-Priest Ancestors</span></a></div><div><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-35315370213830995892023-11-02T10:35:00.002-06:002023-11-02T17:40:29.339-06:00Jesus' Ruler-Priest Ancestors<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjRzn311QFwzitJ6RJ23o7X4_ShEM_OToLtORztxnNY8ebTUhNnBQ75A2rewRqliYG5CM7o6fZs_E5oNMWcwec4MtFzZhzeSSwLjGhKKG54PxSJ6UrqDEF7M21incPjaQcd4mce5fDvJsYJZCwOYhlKgoDYEaDRwkOfiw0u4DFN2Nk3VDRe0XkyN8Hw0/s600/bethlehem-in-galilee.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="552" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjRzn311QFwzitJ6RJ23o7X4_ShEM_OToLtORztxnNY8ebTUhNnBQ75A2rewRqliYG5CM7o6fZs_E5oNMWcwec4MtFzZhzeSSwLjGhKKG54PxSJ6UrqDEF7M21incPjaQcd4mce5fDvJsYJZCwOYhlKgoDYEaDRwkOfiw0u4DFN2Nk3VDRe0XkyN8Hw0/s320/bethlehem-in-galilee.webp" width="294" /></a></div><p><br /></p><br />Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth is in Galilee. Nazareth was the home of the eighteenth priestly division, ha·pi·TSETS (Happizzez). Matthew 2 explains that "Nazarene" is derived from the prophecy "He will be called a Nazorean", but this has no source in the Hebrew Bible. The term is from the <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2017/10/akkadian-lexicon.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Akkadian language</span></a>, the oldest known Semitic language. Na-Zor in Akkadian means "belonging to the Zorites". In 1 Chronicles 2:54, Salma of Judah is called the “father” of the Zorites. 1 Chronicles 2:5 states that Salma is also the "father of Bethlehem". So, the prophecy connects Jesus to both Nazareth and Bethlehem. These are the ancestral settlements of Jesus' Hebrew ancestors.<br /><br />In 1962 excavators discovered in the ruins of a synagogue at Caesarea a small piece of a list of the twenty-four priestly divisions. This third to fourth-century marble fragment is inscribed with the names of the places where four of the divisions resided, including Nazareth, the residence of Happizzez. Until that discovery there was no record of Nazareth's existence before the sixth century A.D., other than in the New Testament and some Christian literary sources. <br /><br />Since Jesus grew up in Nazareth, it is not surprising that his closest followers were Galileans. It was to Galilee that Jesus returned after His resurrection. At the Last Supper He informed his disciples: "After I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” (Matt. 26:32) This reminds us that Jesus was fully human. He expresses a desire to return home one last time before ascending to the Father.<div><br /></div><div>Luke 2:4 indicates that Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to participate in a census. The Romans kept records of the growth of the Jewish population, and they knew that Jewish identity was (and still is) traced through the mother. Bethlehem was Mary's hometown. Her father, Joachim, was a shepherd-priest of Bethlehem. Mary clearly was of the Hebrew ruler-priest lines. This is acknowledged even by those who hated her, as it is written in the Talmud: “She who was the descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters.” (Sanhedrin 106a)<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-virgin-marys-ancestry.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Virgin Mary's Ancestry</span></a>, <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2011/07/priestly-divisions.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Divisions of Priests</span></a>, <a href="http://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2013/10/which-bethlehem-is-jesus-birthplace.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Which Bethlehem Was Jesus' Birthplace?</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-ark-rested-in-bethlehem.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Ark Rested in Bethlehem</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Hebrew Were a Caste</span></a></div><div><br /><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Roboto; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-11147052851051538562023-09-26T09:52:00.005-06:002023-09-26T12:39:52.411-06:00Debt Release<div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div>Jesus announced,<i> "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.</i> (Luke 4:18-21)<div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhMNS4Gqm1BcJPxLrFv9pBSb3EHFk-fT8Z6wvCamfRCX_Cd4w_ADyVQAzHRlpX_zh65BqNZF2T-AWJp7y8Wf2X6uzCuNGZnCeZsdI3KckYFEIrsFdmU4bdOVoAtvt9h-ksFhdpqiZFBlnUoCjys_UYq7EAobbAoUUEOBB_T3gxIE9h_82wCjfCiZvnlc/s494/Clay_Cone_-_Louvre_Museum_-_AO3149.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhMNS4Gqm1BcJPxLrFv9pBSb3EHFk-fT8Z6wvCamfRCX_Cd4w_ADyVQAzHRlpX_zh65BqNZF2T-AWJp7y8Wf2X6uzCuNGZnCeZsdI3KckYFEIrsFdmU4bdOVoAtvt9h-ksFhdpqiZFBlnUoCjys_UYq7EAobbAoUUEOBB_T3gxIE9h_82wCjfCiZvnlc/s320/Clay_Cone_-_Louvre_Museum_-_AO3149.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The reforms of Urukagina cancelled the obligations of indentured families.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">Alice C. Linsley<br />
<br />
As early as 3000 B.C., kings in the Ancient Near East sometimes issued edicts that canceled specified debts and
tax claims and ordered the release of debt slaves. Some of these
edicts also decreed that landholdings lost on account of financial distress were to be returned to their
prior owners at no charge. The nature of the tradition is not well understood
because there are few preserved examples.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><a href="http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/corpus"><span style="color: #990000;">Urukagina</span></a>, ruler of the city of Lagash around 2400 B.C., decreed a debt amnesty, releasing debt prisoners and allowing them to return to their families. </div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">The Edict of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ammisaduqa"><span style="color: #990000;">Ammi-saduqa</span></a> of Babylon (r. 1646- 1626 B.C.) is another example. Ammi-saduqa was a direct descendant of Hammurabi. His edict provided for the cancellation of debts and the release of persons sold into debt slavery.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">Another example is the<span face=""roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;"> </span>ancient bilingual Hittite-Hurrian text entitled the "<a href="http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/960201/hittites.shtml"><span style="color: #990000;">Song of Debt Release</span></a>" (c. 1400 BC) in which devotees of the High God are told to release the people of Ebla from their debt.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"If you take a debt release in Ebla, I will exalt your weapons. Your weapons will begin to conquer your enemies. Your plowed land will prosper in glory. But if you do not make a debt release for Ebla, the city of the throne, in the space of seven days, I will come upon you. I will destroy Ebla, the city of the throne. I will make it like a city that never existed. I will break the surrounding wall of Ebla's city like a cup. I will knock flat the surrounding wall of the upper city like a garbage dump..."</i></blockquote><p>In 720 B.C., Vizier <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakenrenef_(vizier)"><span style="color: #990000;">Bakenranef </span></a>canceled various debts in the Egyptian delta. </p></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">In the 6th century B.C., the Athenian lawmaker Solon (c. 638 BC–558 B.C.) instituted a set of laws called "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seisachtheia"><span style="color: #990000;">seisachtheia</span></a>". The term is composed of <i>seio </i>(shake) and <i>achthos</i> (burden, debt). It meant "to shake off the burden/debt". This canceled the debts of private citizens that had reduced them to slavery and serfdom. This was to rectify a widespread problem in Athens. The law also required that Athenians who had been sold abroad were returned to the city. Solon's reforms did not abolish slavery. In fact, they allowed the guardian of an unmarried woman who had lost her virginity to sell her into slavery.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /><div>Leviticus 25:10 speaks of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(biblical)"><span style="color: #990000;">jubilee year</span></a> (Hebrew: יובל yūḇāl) every 50th year during which slaves and prisoners would be freed, and debts would be forgiven. The Deuteronomic Code called for the nullification of debts every 7th year but there is slim evidence that this was enacted. The rabbis argue that the debt release pertains only to the time when all 12 tribes were living in ancient Israel. <a href="https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/4386805/jewish/10-Jubilee-Facts-to-Know.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">Talmud, Erchin 32b</span></a> states that this law was cancelled about 130 years before the destruction of the First Temple. Because it is likely that lower-status members of each tribe remained in the Land, some argue that the Jubilee remained in force and would have been in effect during the Second Temple period as well.<br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">While the priestly code holds the cyclical release of debts as an ideal, it seems that the Israelites did not enforce the program which initially would have destabilized their society. The Israelites (Jacob's clan) were only one group of Hebrew. Other Hebrew ruler-priests were already living in the land of Canaan when they arrived. Restoring land to the original owners was not going to benefit the Israelites who were late arrivals.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">Human nature being what it is, it is likely that rulers and landlords found ways around the debt release laws. As the Lord noted, “you tithe mint and dill and cumin and neglect the weightier matters of the Law…” (Matthew 23:23). By the Middle Ages, debt release was extremely rare among the Jews who had found <a href="https://blog.nli.org.il/en/shemittah_debt/"><span style="color: #990000;">ways around the law</span></a>. Indeed, the law itself was being used to exploit people.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Related reading: <a href="https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3022&context=cklawreview"><span style="color: #990000;">Ancient Land Law: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel</span></a>; <a href="https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/513212/jewish/When-Is-the-Next-Jubilee-Year.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">The Next Jubilee Year?</span></a>; <a href="https://www.cadtm.org/When-Debts-Become-Unpayable-They-Should-Be-Forgiven"><span style="color: #990000;">When Debts Become Unpayable</span></a>; <a href="https://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2010/12/ancient-moral-codes.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Ancient Moral Codes</span></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<br /></div>
Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-56200196730997023612023-09-13T20:52:00.004-06:002024-02-21T07:41:42.670-07:00Distinguishing Midrash from Historical Realities<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSylQGpJn3sNg9zkevvMI9goxHjg-XlteA3VIsS01I-fp-QKn8stM2hwIHySzJ92lIUMHV7Gsc_ukOzMwX9K64HCivmvCe5uofQb3I2zP3rV3BfePDjXG_62FjHFVCpLktixebX9CaCcyZVkQ2-36i-ZYjjildi_tsiTQ_gcS2SFunENfM9i2cbUvPmQ/s536/menorah.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSylQGpJn3sNg9zkevvMI9goxHjg-XlteA3VIsS01I-fp-QKn8stM2hwIHySzJ92lIUMHV7Gsc_ukOzMwX9K64HCivmvCe5uofQb3I2zP3rV3BfePDjXG_62FjHFVCpLktixebX9CaCcyZVkQ2-36i-ZYjjildi_tsiTQ_gcS2SFunENfM9i2cbUvPmQ/w233-h320/menorah.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p>The Feminist professor, <a href="https://www.lancasterseminary.edu/faculty/rev-dr-vanessa-lovelace/"><span style="color: #990000;">Vanessa Lovelace</span></a>, defines midrash as "a Jewish mode of interpretation that not only engages the words of the text, behind the text, and beyond the text, but also focuses on each letter, and the words left unsaid by each line". This approach lends itself well to Jewish mysticism, but it is not helpful for those who employ an empirical, data-seeking approach to the Bible.<br /><br />Midrash is the rabbinic method of interpreting events that took place thousands of years before Judaism emerged. The centuries-long process of Midrashic accounts began with the redaction of the Bible around 450 B.C. That means that Genesis has a narrative overlayer that comes from anonymous sources dating to nearly 1700 years after the time of Jacob. <div><br /></div><div>Midrash has influenced on the shaping of the Jewish narrative more than the Hebrew Scriptures. Consider the book of Malachi, written c. 430 B.C., well after the emergence of Judaism. Here it is asserted as "divine revelation" that God loves Jacob but hates Esau (Mal. 1:2). The writer of the book of Hebrews refers to this discrimination against Esau's Hebrew people by stating that Esau was godless and immoral (Heb. 11:1). However, the same writer later contradicts himself by claiming that Esau was blessed (Heb. 11:20).<br /><br />Both Esau and Jacob were Hebrew, and their descendants were Hebrew. Their lines intermarried, as did the lines of Cain and Seth, and Ham and Shem, and Abraham and Nahor. Though these were brothers, their descendants often were in competition. The
Hebrew kinship pattern and hierarchy of loyalties reveals segmentary lineages.
The first loyalty is to the lineage of the father and his principal wife and
their son, the proper heir. The second loyalty is to the father and his second
wife (usually a cousin) and their son who belongs to the household of his maternal grandfather.
The third loyalty is to the household and clan of the cousin. A Bedouin proverb
summarizes the philosophy behind segmentary lineages:</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>I against my brother<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>I and my brother against my cousin<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>I, my brother, and my cousin against the world.</i></p></blockquote><p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div>Knowledge of the social structure of the <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Hebrew ruler-priest caste</span></a> explains why many things happened the way they did. However, the midrashim in the Old Testament often give a different explanation for events that took place before Judaism. <br /><br />Midrash is characterized by some narrative devices such as famines that drive the Hebrew people into other lands. Famines in Caanan are a device to explain why Abraham went to Egypt and why Noami and her family went to Moab. The rabbis are anxious to disguise the fact that there were Hebrew living in Egypt and in Moab. The earliest known Hebrew clans lived in the Nile Valley, and the Moabites and Hebrew share a common ancestor in Terah, Abraham’s father.<br /><br />Another device of Midrash is jealousy among brothers. Though the Genesis story does not explain why Cain killed Abel, midrash supplies the explanation that he was jealous. Likewise, Joseph’s treatment by his brothers is explained as an act motivated by jealousy. <br /><br />Midrash employs the ghastly practice of slavery to explain why Joseph is in Egypt, why Daniel is in Babylon, and why Mordecai and Esther are in Persia. In the sixth century B.C., many Judean noblemen were taken to Babylon, and Babylon was conquered by the Persians who took captives to Susa. These events have been historically verified. Midrash embroiders historical events to convey a theological message.<br /><br />Midrash tends to point to God or supernatural intervention as an explanation for why things happened. An example is Joseph’s declaration to his brothers: “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Genesis 45:5-7)<br /><br />Another example is Mordecai’s declaration to Esther: “Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:12-14)<br /><br /> Sermons from countless pulpits draw on midrash to make theological points. An example is Genesis Rabbah, a collection of Jewish homiletical interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Those who attend church and synagogue are more familiar with the Jewish narratives in Genesis than with the actual <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-social-structure-of-biblical-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">social structure of the biblical Hebrew</span></a>.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/08/midrash-in-genesis.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Midrash in Genesis</span></a>;<span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-size: 13px;"> </span><a href="https://asa-cwis.blogspot.com/2023/07/first-lords-is-paradigm-shifting-book.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The First Lords of the Earth is a Paradigm-Shifting Book</span></a>; <a href="https://justgreatthought.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-first-lords-and-messianic.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The First Lords of the Earth and Messianic Expectation</span></a>; <a href="https://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2023/08/first-lords-and-their-authority.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The First Lords and Their Authority</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-12219218791445818512023-08-28T19:06:00.019-06:002023-08-29T06:21:22.475-06:00Hebrew Daughters Presented Problems<p> </p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Hebrew were <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">a ruler-priest caste</span></a> that protected their identity, preserved their wealth, and expanded their territories through endogamous marriage. <br /><br />As was true of all royal fathers, virgin daughters posed both potential trouble and opportunity for the Hebrew rulers. Rulers were wary of fortune seeking men who sought to advance their careers, raise their social status, increase their wealth, or expand their territories through marriage to royal daughters. Such ambitious suitors posed a threat to the kingdom. For the sake of stability, some royal daughters were denied marriage and sent to the temples (later to monasteries).<div><br /></div><div>On the other hand, royal marriages were a common way of forging alliances between Hebrew clans. These were carefully arranged marriages. It was hoped that arranged royal marriages would provide for mutual defense and prevent war. <br /><div><br /></div><div>However, royal weddings were sometimes violent occasions. The anthropologist, Goran Pavlovic, reports, “In Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia, there are many places, usually with ancient stone slabs or standing stones, which local population calls <i>svatovska groblja</i> or wedding party graveyards." These places are found in remote areas with ancient necropolises dating from the beginning of the fourth millennium B.C. Many ancient necropolises were royal burial grounds where ancestors were called upon to witness the marriage bond.<br /><br />On the other hand, should a ruler seek to incite war with an enemy, he could deny marriage or take back a daughter who had been given in marriage. This may be what motivated King Saul to take back Michal who he had given as a wife to David. Saul sought provocation to eliminate David who, by that time, had been anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king.<div><br />When Shechem fell in love with Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, his father Hamor met with Jacob to arrange for his son to marry Dinah. Apparently, this marriage was approved by Jacob and the Hivite people of Shechem were kinsmen. However, Jacob’s sons, Levi, and Simeon, did not approve of the marriage and used this as an excuse to massacre Hamor’s men and loot the city. In Genesis 34:13, there is an admission that the sons of Jacob “answered Shechem and his father Hamor in a deceitful way.” The violence against the Shechem community put Jacob’s clan in jeopardy by making subsequent peaceful coexistence and marriage alliances in that region impossible. That is why Jacob reprimanded his sons for the bloodshed.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Bride Capture<br /><br />The denial of marriage among the biblical Hebrew might result in bride capture. There are two examples of this in the Bible. The first instance is found in Numbers 31 and the second in Judges 21:8-24. In both accounts the focus is on the capture of virgins. The virgin women are captured and taken back to captor’s settlements. The consummation of sexual relations rendered these women no longer marriageable in their social context. Daughters who were bought back by their families usually remained unmarried in their fathers’ households. For most young Hebrew women, that was not a preferable state. <br /><br />The Judges 21 account describes the virgins coming out to dance at an annual festival. The men of the clan of Benjamin took the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. The festival with dancing virgins was a way of marrying low-status Hebrew daughters to low-status Hebrew bachelors. Likely, the “attack” was not a surprise. It was, as Robin Fox explains in his book Kinship and Marriage, “ceremonial” but could have “uncomfortably real overtones” and might end in an actual fight or skirmish (p. 178).</div><div><br />This practice should not be equated to terrorist kidnappings, rape, and forced conversions to Islam such as practiced by groups like Boko Haram. Instead, ceremonial bride abduction is a ritual performance that takes place with the knowledge and consent of the bride and her family members. <br /><br />A collective form of bride capture is found in some societies even today, particularly among lower status women and men. The account in Judges 21 is an example of collective marriages taking place on one night.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rabbinic sources report that on a single night multiple sets of Hebrew brothers married multiple sets of Hebrew sisters.<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Mass marriages or collective wedding night festivities are common in India, Central Asia, and among some Muslim populations. In Imilchil, a Moroccan town in the Atlas Mountains, as many as forty couples marry as part of a Berber tradition known as the annual <a href="https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/08/281375/imilchil-marriage-festival"><span style="color: #990000;">Imchil Marriage Festival</span></a>.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2015/07/mothers-house-and-fathers-house.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Mother's House vs. Father's House</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/08/marriage-partner-selection-among-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Marriage Partner Selection Among the Hebrew</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-marriage-and-inheritance-of-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Marriage and Inheritance of Hebrew Daughters</span></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-89106950631054764402023-08-24T13:18:00.010-06:002023-09-03T17:12:09.195-06:00Midrash in Genesis<p> </p><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p><p><br /></p><p>The book of Genesis provides important anthropological information about the early Hebrew, a ruler-priest caste that dispersed out of Africa into Arabia, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and beyond. I have written about their social structure, religious beliefs, territorial expansion, trade routes, and influence on the populations of the Fertile Crescent and Ancient Near East in my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1961282968/"><span style="color: #990000;">The First Lords of the Earth; An Anthropological Study</span></a>. That book explains in great detail the distinctive Hebrew marriage and ascendancy pattern involving <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2018/04/horite-hebrew-rulers-with-two-wives.html"><span style="color: #990000;">two wives</span></a> and the <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-hebrew-hierarchy-of-sons.html"><span style="color: #990000;">hierarchy of their firstborn sons</span></a>.</p><p>Understanding the kinship pattern of the biblical Hebrew is important because it proves that the people of Genesis were historical; it identifies Adam and Eve's descendants as Hebrew; and it demonstrates that there were many Hebrew clans besides the clan of Jacob (Israel). Genesis through the lens of anthropology clarifies a distorted picture. The distortion comes from later <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_Rabbah"><span style="color: #990000;">Jewish midrashim</span></a>.</p>Midrash is a Jewish or rabbinic mode of interpretation prominent in the Talmud. The centuries-long process of Midrashic accounts began with the redaction of the Bible around 400 B.C. That means that Genesis has a narrative overlayer that comes from anonymous sources dating to nearly 1500 years after the time of Jacob.<div><br /></div><div>Knowledge of the social structure of the biblical Hebrew explains why many things happened the way they did. However, the midrashim in the Old Testament often give a different explanation for events that took place thousands of years before Judaism emerged. It is characterized by some literary devices such as famines that drive the Hebrew people into Egypt, or the jealousy of brothers who sell a favored son into slavery. <br /><br />Midrash tends to point to God or supernatural intervention as an explanation for why things happened. An example is Mordecai’s declaration to Esther: “Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:12-14)</div><div><br /></div><div>Another example is Joseph’s declaration to his brothers: “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Gen. 45:5-7)<br /><div><br /></div><div>The story of Joseph according to midrash supposes that Jacob's favoritism shown to Joseph invoked jealousy among Joseph's brothers who sold him into slavery. Next, he is in Egypt serving in the household of a high-ranking Egyptian named Potiphar. We are led to believe that this Potiphar is not the same man as Potiphar, a priest of the very prestigious shrine city On (Heliopolis). Due to his ability to discern the meaning of dreams, Joseph comes to the attention of the King of Egypt who elevates him to a high government position and arranges for Joseph to marry Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar, an Onite priest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, based on our knowledge of the marriage and ascendancy pattern of the biblical Hebrew, here is the story minus the midrash.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joseph was not Jacob's heir. That was Reuben, the firstborn son of Leah. Reuben lost his father's favor when he usurped Jacob's authority by sleeping with Jacob's concubine Bilhah. However, by law Reuben remained Jacob's proper heir. The proper heir was the firstborn son of the first wife, usually a patrilineal half-sister. Leah was probably Jacob's half-sister, just as Sarah was Abraham's half-sister. Midrash would have us believe that Jacob's two wives were sisters. That is unlikely. Jacob probably married according to the pattern of his Hebrew ancestors. These were arranged marriages among high-status rulers and priests. The Hebrew only married within their caste (endogamy).</div><div><br /></div><div>Joseph was the firstborn son of Jacob's cousin bride and as such he was to be sent away to serve in the household of his maternal uncle. This was a common pattern for <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2011/06/sent-away-sons.html"><span style="color: #990000;">sent-away sons</span></a>. Jacob was sent away and he served his uncle Laban. Moses was sent away and he served his uncle Jetro, a priest of Midian. It appears that Potiphar was Joseph's maternal uncle and his <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/avunculocal-residence"><span style="color: #990000;">avunculocal residence</span></a> in Egypt was consistent with the <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2008/06/biblical-kinship-symmetrical-pattern.html"><span style="color: #990000;">marriage and ascendancy pattern</span></a> of the early Hebrew ruler-priests caste.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joseph's ruler-priest caste was well recognized in Egypt since that is the point of origin of the Horite and Sethite Hebrew. The Hebrew caste had a moiety structure that consisted of these two ritual groups. There were many Horite and Sethite Mounds on Nile River.</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; font-size: 13px;">J</span>oseph was recognized as one who opens dreams and visions. In Genesis, he is called <i>abrikku</i>; which is related to the Akkadian <i>abarakku</i>, which means grand vizier (Delitzsch, Hebrew Language Viewed in the Light of Assyrian Research, p. 26). The term <i>abrikku</i> is also related to the Akkadian word for priest, which is <i>abru</i>. Joseph's Hebrew ruler-priest caste was known to have prophets. Asaph was the chief of the Temple musicians, and he prophesied in song, a common practice in the ancient world. Among the Egyptians, the gifts of the seer were highly valued.</div><div><br /></div>Joseph's marriage to his cousin Asenath was arranged by the Pharoah and Asenath's father Potiphar. Potiphar was a priest of On, the capital of the 15th Nome of Lower Egypt. Asenath's two sons did not belong to the same households. The firstborn son Manasseh belonged to the household of Potiphar and the Heliopolis shrine, whereas Ephraim, her younger son belonged to the household of Jacob. This explains why Jacob gave Ephraim the blessing that pertained to the firstborn (Gen. 48:14).<div><br />Potiphar was the high chamberlain and a member of Pharaoh’s court. He is the man with the wife who sought the amorous attention of the handsome young Joseph in her bedroom. Many do not believe that this Potiphar is the same man as an Onite priest by the same name because they do not understand that priests of the ancient world held multiple titles and served multiple roles. This easily could be the same man because the Hebrew priest's duties only took him away from his home for about 2 months of the year. We should not assume that being a priest excludes the other roles described. Consider how the Hebrew priests of Canaan were shepherds, masons, miners, carpenters, farmers, and fisherman as well as priests. There were 24 divisions of priests in Israel because each division only served twice a year at the temple in Jerusalem. <br /><br />The Potiphar Stela in the Cairo Museum (c.1070–945 B.C.) is the first known mention of this specific name. It indicates that Potiphar/Potiphera was a prominent Egyptian official, keeper of the storehouse of Ptah. The stela speaks of Potiphar as the "son of Horus, may He live forever." Evidently, Asenath and her father were devotees of Horus, the son of God. That means that they shared the same religion as Jacob the Horite Hebrew. The Hebrew <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/11/substance-of-abrahams-faith.html"><span style="color: #990000;">believed in God Father and God Son</span></a>.<br /><br />It is likely that Potiphar was Joseph’s maternal uncle. Sent-away sons went to live with and serve in the households of their maternal grandfathers. It is likely that Joseph’s mother Rachel was related to a noble Egyptian house and that Potiphar was Joseph's maternal uncle. If that is the case, the marriage arranged by Pharoah between Asenath and Joseph was consistent with the Hebrew custom of <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2022/10/cousin-brides.html"><span style="color: #990000;">marrying cousins</span></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joseph was placed in charge of assessments of grain paid as tribute to Pharoah and the oversight of Pharoah's granaries along the length of the Nile, the longest river on earth. This was a very high position and one that would have required the skills of a politically savvy man. </div><div><br /></div><div>This picture is far less distorted than the one we receive through midrash.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2017/04/great-hypostyle-hall-within-karnak.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Prestige of Biblical On</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Hebrew Were a Caste</span></a>, <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/11/horite-mounds.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Horite and Sethite Mounds</span></a>, <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2022/10/cousin-brides.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Cousin Brides</span></a>; <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/08/marriage-partner-selection-among-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Marriage Partner Selection Among the Hebrew</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/11/substance-of-abrahams-faith.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Substance of Abraham's Faith</span></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-24633630102779296322023-08-03T08:38:00.003-06:002023-08-03T08:57:15.612-06:00The Marriage and Inheritance of Hebrew Daughters<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMW_sC5k265kzQw06pOra0kMAJAp5GeJ0QMq7iKth65qV4r3cY3lRNnfTYbJ66nV0kGtezp7jhEN1LdKxvKmVmrOB6GTGphMH_EPXH80uZc_M8B1WIAB6KGvGomOsLNIn-S9s4p6Ir46YQ0zWzc5YxyNoCrRe9hStqpY-MbMICzhiY5wNh3k5srwHKe6E/s383/Royal%20concubine%20Odalisque%20Boston%20Public%20Library.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="276" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMW_sC5k265kzQw06pOra0kMAJAp5GeJ0QMq7iKth65qV4r3cY3lRNnfTYbJ66nV0kGtezp7jhEN1LdKxvKmVmrOB6GTGphMH_EPXH80uZc_M8B1WIAB6KGvGomOsLNIn-S9s4p6Ir46YQ0zWzc5YxyNoCrRe9hStqpY-MbMICzhiY5wNh3k5srwHKe6E/s320/Royal%20concubine%20Odalisque%20Boston%20Public%20Library.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p>The daughters of the Hebrew ruler-priests are perhaps the least understood biblical population because many remain nameless in the biblical texts. However, these daughters were the brides and mothers who kept the bonds between the Hebrew clans strong. <div><br /></div><div>The exchange of brides between the descendants of two brothers was common. It is an example of “matrimonial moiety” (see <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/03/glossary.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Glossary</span></a>). The early Hebrew moieties - the Horite Hebrew and the Sethite Hebrew - were tied together by the bride exchange among their rulers.<br /><br />This is an example of matrimonial moiety, a system whereby kin groups (moieties), such as the lineages of Cain and Seth, are linked by a pattern of recurrent marriage between the clans.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-64l19K3kYUIBKY82VttB0e1SfWORWPlinrrHpd3-ZVfsVCn0_Fx4Z4loZMYNR7tQ0319leJ0n0mcZcPKDApSGrhxsALkXQ71_cPnrPdSqc_0xcXfVZLIdx51tBOD-JQFjw5sRuDMJTQOMxRdEWtvOdemUWqN3Op-6orOfTtb5_U_-FsLoxbTtMjEsEc/s400/Lamech%20Segment2png.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="400" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-64l19K3kYUIBKY82VttB0e1SfWORWPlinrrHpd3-ZVfsVCn0_Fx4Z4loZMYNR7tQ0319leJ0n0mcZcPKDApSGrhxsALkXQ71_cPnrPdSqc_0xcXfVZLIdx51tBOD-JQFjw5sRuDMJTQOMxRdEWtvOdemUWqN3Op-6orOfTtb5_U_-FsLoxbTtMjEsEc/w397-h270/Lamech%20Segment2png.png" width="397" /></a></div><br /><div><br />Lamech the Elder was a descendant of Cain. His daughter, Naamah, married her patrilineal cousin methuselah and named their first-born son Lamech, after her father. The maternal ancestry of the Hebrew rulers can be traced mainly through the cousin brides.</div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Females of High Social Status<br /><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Most of the persons named in the Bible are men simply because only men served as priests and the Hebrew were a ruler-priest caste. More male ancestors are named because they assumed governance over their fathers’ territories or become high officials in the territories of their maternal grandfathers. The few wives and daughters who are named have special significance. Naamah, the first woman named after Eve, is an example. She is the key to understanding the cousin bride’s naming prerogative. She married her patrilineal cousin Methuselah and named their first-born son “Lamech” after her father.</div><div><br /></div><div>Abraham's wife Sarah was of such high social status that she was sought by the King of Egypt. Rarely were such political "marriages" consummated because the ruler already had a queen by whom he received a rightful heir. The more sons competing for the ruler's position, the greater threat was posed to him by assassination.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sarah and Abraham had the same father - Terah. However, they had different mothers because the high-ranking Hebrew rulers had two wives. The <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2018/04/horite-hebrew-rulers-with-two-wives.html"><span style="color: #990000;">pattern of two wives</span></a> is found throughout the Bible among the Hebrew rulers. However, the data needed to identify which wife is the first and which is the second is not always available. Some wives are not named. Moses' Kushite wife is an example, as are King Joash's two wives, chosen for him by the priest Jehoiada. </div><div><br /></div><div>In Genesis 36, we read about a female clan chief named Anah. She is the mother of Dishon and Oholibamah. Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, married a Horite Hebrew named Esau. Apparently, bride exchanges took place between the Hittite and Hebrew rulers, suggesting that they were close kinsmen. This is likely the meaning of the Hittite recognition of Abraham as a "great prince" among them in Genesis 23.</div><div><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Inheritance <br /><br />Daughters received inheritances from their mothers in the form of herds, tents, textiles, sacred objects believed to enhance fertility, jewelry, and servants. Numbers 27:8 makes it clear that daughters could inherit land. If a landowner died without a male heir his land was to go to a ranking daughter. If he died without a son or daughter, his property was to go to his brothers.</div></div><div><br /></div>The teraphim that Rachel hid in her camel bags were probably figurines of the great patriarch Terah and his principal wife. Her possession of these ancestor figurines represented a claim to inheritance.<br /><br />When Jacob proposed a plan to escape from servitude to Laban, his two wives were quick to support him, saying: "Are we still likely to inherit anything from our father's estate? Does he not think of us as outsiders now?" (Gen. 31:14) Laban sons became jealous of Jacob, saying, "Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father; it is at our father's expense that he has acquired all this wealth." (Gen. 31:1) Clearly, Jacob's wealth was that of his wives, their servants and their flocks and herds. Other than his initial grant as a sent-away son, Jacob received no inheritance from Isaac. Nor was he to receive anything from Laban. That is why Rachel took the ancestor figurines.</div></div></div><br />Zelophehad's daughters argued that the name of their deceased father would be lost among his people were they not to inherit. However, Zelophehad's name would be perpetuated through one of his daughters. Were she to marry a patrilineal cousin, she would name her first-born son Zelophehad after her father, according to the cousin bride's naming prerogative. <br /><br />Moses granted the five daughters' petition to inherit their father's holding, and we read this law: "If a man dies without a son, then the inheritance shall pass to his daughter." (Num. 27:8)<br /><br /><br /><div>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2007/04/brides-naming-prerogative.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/01/cousin-brides-among-hebrew.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Cousin Brides Among the Hebrew</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Hebrew Were a Caste</span></a></div><div><br /></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-63386394730627817922023-07-13T14:33:00.020-06:002024-02-03T12:53:38.895-07:00The First Hebrew Lords<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CrUWBOzx-okYDaW_Ek346RkJ7VMH1qV2uvKhFOMcsqaVS-FHLs8XQjBq8x6-XHPWzCoWJdnKfWqb7kJM0EkeQNlhXvbigfF2C3fCWQvXJp-01kMfH5j__nK2fN3O_fsAW6ewhFWuUoSo56djMyizC16ZL3pz7T_GVgsE_dXjID17-qJL4uICzPt2DNY/s3469/Book%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2625" data-original-width="3469" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CrUWBOzx-okYDaW_Ek346RkJ7VMH1qV2uvKhFOMcsqaVS-FHLs8XQjBq8x6-XHPWzCoWJdnKfWqb7kJM0EkeQNlhXvbigfF2C3fCWQvXJp-01kMfH5j__nK2fN3O_fsAW6ewhFWuUoSo56djMyizC16ZL3pz7T_GVgsE_dXjID17-qJL4uICzPt2DNY/w381-h275/Book%20cover.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dear Readers,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />It has been a long time coming, but my book <span style="color: #990000;"><span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1961282968/"><i>The First Lords of the Earth: An Anthropological Study</i></a></span> </span>is available for purchase on Amazon. Options include Kindle, paperback, or hard cover. All are priced to accommodate book lovers on a tight budget. <br /><br />This book identifies the social structure and religious beliefs of the early Hebrew ruler-priest caste (6000-4000 years ago), their dispersion out of Africa, their territorial expansion, trade routes, and influence on the populations of the Fertile Crescent and Ancient Near East. It is ancient history, anthropology, and Biblical studies wrapped into one fascinating read. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was able to make a rather complex subject easy to understand. I hope you will buy the book and discover answers to some perennial questions, such as:<br /><br /><ul><li>Was the social structure of the biblical Hebrew patriarchal?</li><li>Who were the Horite Hebrew and the Sethite Hebrew?</li><li>Where is the oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship?</li><li>Why the Hebrew ruler-priests were in Canaan before Abraham's time.</li><li>Why did so many Hebrew men have two wives?</li><li>What was the difference in status between wives and concubines?</li><li>What types of authority did the biblical Hebrew recognize?</li><li>What were some symbols of authority among the early Hebrew?</li><li>How did their acute observation of the order of creation inform their reasoning?</li><li>If Judaism is NOT the Faith of the early Hebrew, what did they believe?</li><ul><br /></ul></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope you will find the book helpful and informative. The sequel tells describes the lives of the First Hebrew Ladies and will be available in July 2024.<br /><br />Thank you for reading the posts at this blog. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Best wishes to you all,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br />Alice C. Linsley<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Related reading: <a href="https://asa-cwis.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-genesis-rulers-through-lens-of.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Genesis Rulers Through the Lens of Anthropology</span></a>; <a href="https://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2023/08/first-lords-and-their-authority.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The First Lords and Their Authority</span></a>; <a href="https://asa-cwis.blogspot.com/2023/07/first-lords-is-paradigm-shifting-book.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The First Lords is a Paradigm-Shifting Book</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/08/response-to-review-of-first-lords.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Response to a Review of First Lords of the Earth</span></a>; <a href="https://justgreatthought.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-first-lords-and-messianic.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The First Lords and Messianic Expectation</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-49119832340583161602023-06-13T10:54:00.004-06:002023-10-13T13:46:07.521-06:00Dwarfs in Ancient Nilotic Culture<p><br /></p><p>Alice C. Linsley</p>A famous dwarf in ancient Nilotic history was Seneb, a court official (c.2500 BC). His lavish burial arrangements suggest that his dwarfism was not an impediment to achieving high social rank. It appears that some dwarfs were thought to have magical powers.<div><div><br /></div><div>The earliest known depictions of dwarfs in Egypt date to the early 1st Dynasty (c. 3100 – c. 2890 BC) and were found in the royal cemetery at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abydos,_Egypt"><span style="color: #990000;">Abydos</span></a>. Royal dwarves were sometimes buried in subsidiary tombs around those of the kings. In fact, the rather high proportion of dwarfs in the royal cemeteries of the 1st Dynasty suggests their importance to early Nilotic rulers. </div><div><br /></div><div>According to a 1972 thesis published in "Department of Orthopedics and Orthopedic Diseases in Ancient and Modern Egypt", dwarves are depicted on the walls of at least fifty Old Kingdom tombs.<br /><div><br /></div><div>During the 1st Dynasty (c. 3150–2900 B.C.), dwarfs served the king and royal household in a number of capacities: cupbearers, tailors, zookeepers, etc. A unique relief from the mastaba of the high official Nyankhnesw (6th Dynasty) shows a dwarf taking a leopard for a walk.</div><div><br /></div>Old Kingdom texts (c. 2980–2475 B.C.) mention Yam. <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harkhuf"><span style="color: #990000;">Harkhuf</span></a>'</span>, the governor of Aswan, made several journeys to Yam. On Harhuf's third trip to Yam, three hundred donkeys were brought back to Egypt. The <a href="http://www.touregypt.net/inscriptionsofharkhuf.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">inscription on Harkhuf's tomb</span></a> explains: "The majesty of <a href="http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/merenre.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">Mernere</span></a> my lord, sent me, together with my father, the sole companion, and ritual priest Iry, to Yam, in order to explore a road to this country. I did it in only seven months."<br /><br />Harkhuf headed four expeditions to Upper Nubia and Yam in the reigns of Merenre and Pepi II. Harkhuf traveled by land across the hill country of Irtjet northwards, and in his travels he was dependent upon the troops of Yam who accompanied him. On one of these ventures, he captured a pygmy, though he is called a "dwarf" in Breasted's translation. An excited pharaoh promised Harkhuf that he would be greatly rewarded if the pygmy were brought back alive. This letter was preserved as a lengthy inscription on Harkhuf's tomb:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>Come northward to the court immediately; [...] thou shalt bring this dwarf with thee, which thou bringest living, prosperous and healthy from the land of spirits, for the dances of the god, to rejoice and [gladden] the heart of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Neferkare, who lives forever. When he goes down with thee into the vessel, appoint excellent people, who shall be beside him on each side of the vessel; take care lest he fall into the water. When he sleeps at night appoint excellent people, who shall sleep beside him in his tent, inspect ten times a night. My majesty desires to see this dwarf more than the gifts of Sinai and of Punt. If thou arrivest at court this dwarf being with thee alive, prosperous and healthy, my majesty will do for thee a greater thing than that which was done for the treasurer of the god Burded in the time of Isesi, according to the heart's desire of my majesty to see the dwarf.</i> (James Henry Breasted Ancient Records of Egypt, Part I 328ff)</blockquote><p> </p></div><div>It is evident from the Levitical code that dwarves were not regarded with the same respect among the Israelites (Jacob's clan). They were denied participation in the assembly along with hunchbacks, men with eye defects, eczema, scabs, or crushed testicles (Lev. 21:20).<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6vizZ3742rxESv-niOtnyHei0upBLlcBlEknYkWEqDGMwNRrq6ZNW4V1AwlreBYFx7BSwTDWuVo7Yr58We8oCrYSt0ZezB1JoGnm4g2WweXHh1I9cdhafGVEmxTL8YtKfND0_ELJvnN4eVBxeG1inE9BFAzYA3_lGs1Cx0A0iPNUUFDj1iXTgfe6/s200/bes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6vizZ3742rxESv-niOtnyHei0upBLlcBlEknYkWEqDGMwNRrq6ZNW4V1AwlreBYFx7BSwTDWuVo7Yr58We8oCrYSt0ZezB1JoGnm4g2WweXHh1I9cdhafGVEmxTL8YtKfND0_ELJvnN4eVBxeG1inE9BFAzYA3_lGs1Cx0A0iPNUUFDj1iXTgfe6/s1600/bes.jpg" width="183" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This Bes figurine dates to between 1070 and 800 B.C.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The dwarf Bes was a popular figure of good fortune who appeared on coins and amulets all over the Levant during the reign of the Ptolemies. At the end of the 6th century B.C., images of Bes had spread across the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire"><span style="color: #990000;">Achaemenid Empire</span></a>. Bes images have been found at Susa in ancient Persia and as far away as central Asia. Excavations at <a href="https://www.academia.edu/25300828/Excavations_in_the_Lower_Town_of_Ziyaret_Tepe_2012_and_2013_with_contributions_by"><span style="color: #990000;">Ziyaret Tepe</span></a> in southeastern Turkey uncovered the body of a man who was buried with a Bes figurine.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dwarves as royal officials</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Ancient records indicate that at least four dwarves held very high positions in ancient Egypt. They are Seneb, Pereniankh, Khnumhotpe, and Djeder. The image below shows Seneb with his high-status wife and his son and daughter. Seneb's son was Ankh-ima-Radjedef. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/970693143031228/user/100010986996126/?__cft__[0]=AZVEHZBew-mvzOTJ2Wr4CYl1d-CEXSCwRcHzxjoZUK_9uuc6WbeBFXJ4PowU8Nwtztroxkz-OwKuK5DIVACR3hR2S4cwP2n3vSr_hBvoMRNP5XkYRhOnUxcKj11r2HPn09B5BjBlAMtwPubbezTn01pH&__tn__=R]-R"><span style="color: #990000;">Godfrey Musila</span></a> has suggested that <i>ima</i> means honored or revered.</div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20nCcfX_BNn5NqsHjuTvugKLZKx9uZCAyRInVWcSSrld71-h3qTXlEhyphenhyphenc0jB1pXW7yQfdS5GKrnQ2zNzk-SNwUd3-XzzUUzp8aqu9H5nli0TrfddQDskSXAtBeKaz7GxCxN7HMoWQ6KY/s2048/Dwarf+Seneb+and+his+family.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1488" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20nCcfX_BNn5NqsHjuTvugKLZKx9uZCAyRInVWcSSrld71-h3qTXlEhyphenhyphenc0jB1pXW7yQfdS5GKrnQ2zNzk-SNwUd3-XzzUUzp8aqu9H5nli0TrfddQDskSXAtBeKaz7GxCxN7HMoWQ6KY/w282-h382/Dwarf+Seneb+and+his+family.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br /><br />Archaeologists excavated the mastaba of Seneb in 1925-1926. The tomb has a truncated pyramid shape and was constructed of mud bricks. In a side room of the mastaba, archaeologists unearthed a statue depicting the Seneb and his family. That is now at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.</div><div><br /><div>Note that Seneb and his son are dark from exposure to the Sun and his wife and daughter are painted white to represent the Moon. This conception of male and female rulers is very ancient. The concept is found in the Song of Solomon where the royal bride is described as "fair as the moon". The Sun-Moon binary set among the early Hebrew is a reference for a married royal couple. </div><div><br /></div><div>Joseph dreamt of his parents in those terms. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he shared with his brothers two dreams he had: in the first dream, Joseph and his brothers gathered bundles of grain, of which those his brothers gathered, bowed to his own. In the second dream, the sun (father), the moon (mother), and eleven stars (brothers) bowed before Joseph.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxiEvFbh1NtELO57R9C_jkRoTV5RtGWKtIgMWZGandyc3kWSku9foELmgwEY0h84DWQxi-ZncpNEmfiTVJD-itvCN4WsjbbHFY-r8-RhrlNjPwMziW5b54-ekZYt_Sm2KlaWnMxxGrTLEYLN2Jlls1TdQGU2kpqNco6zzlZ8i9L28Ys2zeOQYwVrS/s320/Sun%20king%20and%20moon%20queen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="241" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxiEvFbh1NtELO57R9C_jkRoTV5RtGWKtIgMWZGandyc3kWSku9foELmgwEY0h84DWQxi-ZncpNEmfiTVJD-itvCN4WsjbbHFY-r8-RhrlNjPwMziW5b54-ekZYt_Sm2KlaWnMxxGrTLEYLN2Jlls1TdQGU2kpqNco6zzlZ8i9L28Ys2zeOQYwVrS/s1600/Sun%20king%20and%20moon%20queen.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br />The Song of Songs speaks of two brides. One is "dark as the tents of Kedar" (1:5) and the other is "fair as the Moon" (6:10). This exalts Solomon's reign as divinely appointed since in the ancient world the High God's sovereignty was expressed by the journey of the Sun between the houses of his two wives.<br /><br />This is typical of the territorial claims of high kings in the Ancient Near East. The brides represent the east and the west, the territorial boundaries observed by the solar arc, the symbol of the God’s High rule over the Earth. This was a way of identifying the authority of the high king with the authority of the High God.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnJizq9xhdyJtvO2w4TZhe7Tof-GmlWgXGwivjrJHM_TZIN9rMexoWNSVElSbiIB7kPEQ6Zxmh50sOdvs5LarpMJB3oKxIfA9MBxugzHC6a66H9RSpStH8g2BFwzWJhivl_0KFGTUONm7pLYcmBFcJahJk7hRC1JUJ2XtilhKPl9UfhLCaUAUU579nppw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="782" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnJizq9xhdyJtvO2w4TZhe7Tof-GmlWgXGwivjrJHM_TZIN9rMexoWNSVElSbiIB7kPEQ6Zxmh50sOdvs5LarpMJB3oKxIfA9MBxugzHC6a66H9RSpStH8g2BFwzWJhivl_0KFGTUONm7pLYcmBFcJahJk7hRC1JUJ2XtilhKPl9UfhLCaUAUU579nppw=w253-h272" width="253" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /><br />Court dwarves served the royal persons of Europe from 1500-1700 A.D. and appear in some famous paintings, such as Diego Velázquez's 1656 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas"><span style="color: #990000;">Las Meninas</span></a> (above) housed at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://teachgoodwriting.blogspot.com/2023/02/lewis-narnian-dwarves-hint-of-africa.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Lewis' Narnian Dwarves Hint of Africa and the Bible</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/02/sovereignty-and-two-wives.html"><span style="color: #990000;">T</span><span style="color: #990000;">he Sovereignty of Two Wives</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/09/giants-in-land-and-dwarfs-too.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Giants and Dwarves in the Bible</span></a></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-77720002276240570542023-06-05T19:46:00.008-06:002023-06-05T20:10:26.055-06:00Ritual Burial Among Archaic Humans<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfvwQ2YAi4PDQ2MnInwseLZoy7oWAH0mUJGmCsCQfazwfCeypD9nEQo10CX2xus-228zpwmbqMkiBMg86HRfW9qo-XsA086f3UEoWQN9MZS5_mhyqrnzIrzEC7Dufgn0fPxynnntM1-qHdxBAPzbqe23I1g9QdyTqvTZRoTYh6o4dQ0iY0EzHnq-Q/s640/Homo%20Naledi%20hands.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="640" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfvwQ2YAi4PDQ2MnInwseLZoy7oWAH0mUJGmCsCQfazwfCeypD9nEQo10CX2xus-228zpwmbqMkiBMg86HRfW9qo-XsA086f3UEoWQN9MZS5_mhyqrnzIrzEC7Dufgn0fPxynnntM1-qHdxBAPzbqe23I1g9QdyTqvTZRoTYh6o4dQ0iY0EzHnq-Q/w389-h216/Homo%20Naledi%20hands.jpg" width="389" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Some H. naledi hands had curative but are unlike ape hands.</div><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/scientists-discover-1st-species-outside-of-humans-to-bury-their-dead/ar-AA1cadcW"><span style="color: #990000;">Carvings found near Homo naledi graves</span></a> in the Rising Star cave system are the first evidence of ritual burials (c.250,000 YBP). Homo naledi was human.</p><p>250,000 years ago, humans were living and dying in communities, caring for one another, grieving with one another, and burying their dead with respect.</p><p>For at least 100,000 years humans buried their dead in red ocher, a <a href="https://justgreatthought.blogspot.com/2019/05/on-blood-and-impulse-to-immortality.html"><span style="color: #990000;">symbolic blood covering</span></a>.</p><p>Much was happening with humans before 250,000 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE1z0W-sM6D1jS0n--PzFotiAR0XypvBJoC7y7MpP-L1EDPm7ZRbEnuzCgLjGQEfz0HLm8t3tY5utElZXY0Sk8n2XnBNvFg_RAD95PeejXjL6DN1U2yQj962Usdz4rSm5CWdxJJpy--z6Tdwi82x2uDBfYtOxLvKytqKEs1LZsujWJkU9WWHMNwzf/s320/Dikika%20bones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="320" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE1z0W-sM6D1jS0n--PzFotiAR0XypvBJoC7y7MpP-L1EDPm7ZRbEnuzCgLjGQEfz0HLm8t3tY5utElZXY0Sk8n2XnBNvFg_RAD95PeejXjL6DN1U2yQj962Usdz4rSm5CWdxJJpy--z6Tdwi82x2uDBfYtOxLvKytqKEs1LZsujWJkU9WWHMNwzf/s1600/Dikika%20bones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Evidence of butchering at 3 million YBP</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><b>2.5-3.4 million YBP </b></p><p>Humans were using <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/science/12tools.html"><span style="color: #990000;">butchering flints</span></a>. These were found in Dikika, Ethiopia. This bone shows evidence of butchering.</p><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>1.5 million </b><b>YBP</b><br /><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">Stone tools found in Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea from a time when the region was much wetter.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b>700,000 YBP</b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><b><br /></b></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">Lower Paleolithic Age butchering tools <a href="https://apnews.com/article/greece-archaeology-oldest-site-stone-tools-3e84007cde4d77a2725b7877b9b38335"><span style="color: #990000;">found in Greece</span></a>.<b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>500,000 </b><b>YBP</b></div><br />A large assemblage of hand axes excavated at Stratum 4a and 4b at the <a href="https://thenaturalhistorian.com/2014/12/18/how-rare-are-stone-age-artifacts-a-visit-to-a-stone-tool-making-center-at-kathu-south-africa/"><span style="color: #990000;">Kathu complex</span></a> in South Africa. Large mammal remains have been identified at both strata.<br /><br />A trove of hand axes found in central Israel at <a href="https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Rare-500-million-year-old-archaeological-site-uncovered-in-central-Israel-533034"><span style="color: #990000;">Jaljulya</span></a>.<br /><br />Flint tools discovered in the <a href="https://arkeonews.net/flint-tools-found-in-tunel-wielki-cave-poland-about-half-a-million-years-old/"><span style="color: #990000;">Tunel Wielki Cave</span></a> in Poland.<br /><br /><a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2014/12/500000-engraved-shell.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Engraved shell</span></a> found in Java.<br /><br /><br /><p>Material evidence of Humans as early as 4 million years ago.</p>When Jeremy DeSilva, a British anthropologist, compared the ankle joint, the tibia and the talus fossils of human ancestors ("hominins") between 4.12 million to 1.53 million years old, he discovered that all of the ankle joints resembled those of modern humans rather than those of apes. Chimpanzees flex their ankles 45 degrees from normal resting position. This makes it possible for apes to climb trees with great ease. While walking, humans flex their ankles a maximum of 20 degrees. The human ankle bones are quite distinct from those of apes.<div><br /></div><div>The discovery of a complete fourth metatarsal of A. afarensis at Hadar that shows the deep, flat base and tarsal facets that "imply that its midfoot had no ape-like midtarsal break. These features show that the A. afarensis foot was functionally like that of modern humans." (<a href="The discovery of a complete fourth metatarsal of A. afarensis at Hadar that shows the deep, flat base and tarsal facets that "imply that its midfoot had no ape-like midtarsal break. These features show that the A. afarensis foot was functionally like that of modern humans." (Carol Ward, William H. Kimbel, Donald C. Johanson, Feb. 2011) https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1201463"><span style="color: #990000;">Carol Ward, William H. Kimbel, Donald C. Johanson, Feb. 2011</span></a>) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/08/meat-consumption-39-million-years-ago.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Evidence of Meat Consumption 3 Million Years Ago</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2017/10/artifacts-of-great-antiquity.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Artifacts of Great Antiquity</span></a>; <a href="https://justgreatthought.blogspot.com/2019/05/on-blood-and-impulse-to-immortality.html"><span style="color: #990000;">On Blood and the Impulse to Immortality</span></a>; <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/lee-berger-cave-of-bones"><span style="color: #990000;">Berger Returned to the "cave of bones"</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-39556217441357997422023-05-19T16:42:00.014-06:002024-01-14T15:38:24.719-07:00Symbols of Authority Among the Early Hebrew<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHV5fX-fX3Ul0yVLTTR2caQqdcqmj4gisTxPmPp8fmt0pQCm_W1uKXyei3Z6UhSLlHtgcGWG07WVw009ZqBSoo3RiB2lFkOJod2wxg3NzsNtadRJGUXh7MdveJvHHyfUFj8izlb6fUz_d_mKZqDpB7n_1l92Hoy-i8ndl6NbxgS_kqD7Kce9TCBxEj/s1600/WS%20scepter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1391" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHV5fX-fX3Ul0yVLTTR2caQqdcqmj4gisTxPmPp8fmt0pQCm_W1uKXyei3Z6UhSLlHtgcGWG07WVw009ZqBSoo3RiB2lFkOJod2wxg3NzsNtadRJGUXh7MdveJvHHyfUFj8izlb6fUz_d_mKZqDpB7n_1l92Hoy-i8ndl6NbxgS_kqD7Kce9TCBxEj/s320/WS%20scepter.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The WaS scepter is one of the oldest symbols associated with royalty and divine appointment.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</p><br />Among the early Hebrew the authority of the ruler, both male and female, was derived from the High God. They saw themselves as divinely appointed to represent the High God on earth which also meant that they were to govern according to sacred law.<div><br /></div>Symbols of royal Hebrew authority appear on ancient images. These include <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2010/10/double-crown-of-horus.html"><span style="color: #990000;">crowns</span></a>, flails, staffs, arks, horns, the Falcon of Horus, feathers, and the solar orb overshadowing a ruler or chief.<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Among
the early Hebrew the symbol of male authority was the rod or staff, and the
symbol of female authority was the spindle. (See <a href="https://www.academia.edu/69642222/%D7%A4%D6%B6%D6%BC%D7%9C%D6%B6%D7%9A%D6%B0_spindle_SAHD_K_R_Veenhof_and_P_Sanders_"><span style="color: #990000;">K. Veenhof and P. Sanders onthe spindle in Prov. 31:9</span></a><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Prov. 31\:9" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and 2 Sam. 3:29<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "2 Sam. 3\:29" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->.)</p>A title for royal ladies who served at Bronze Age water shrines was <i>rabitu</i>. Ra-bitu is from the Akkadian words for water (<i>raatu</i>) and house/shrine (<i>biitu</i>). The emblem of the rabitu was the spindle. In the Ugaritic story of Elimelek, the queen mother holds the title "rabitu" and her emblem is the spindle. Some images of the Virgin Mary show her holding a spindle, as in the image below.<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf7x5OfQ8kUSb2NQ5bGOKXXnLdHnTiF6UQ16srKmbFW7HduLOxSh4G2QFxSGsdMVbsQ6EvIqee8fmAk56FmzOksjEfw2h9ExupnKZjEIlxIF0YQaNrhFElTQLf8afwY1sHADSHmd8bVVuQ3CO2YIhgbaUKHx3_TOww6tQFAkSFVGn9ZqzXZJBonIB4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="352" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf7x5OfQ8kUSb2NQ5bGOKXXnLdHnTiF6UQ16srKmbFW7HduLOxSh4G2QFxSGsdMVbsQ6EvIqee8fmAk56FmzOksjEfw2h9ExupnKZjEIlxIF0YQaNrhFElTQLf8afwY1sHADSHmd8bVVuQ3CO2YIhgbaUKHx3_TOww6tQFAkSFVGn9ZqzXZJBonIB4=w184-h279" width="184" /></a></div><br /><br /><div>Lions often appear on ancient royal steles. Even today they appear on the heraldry of noble and royal houses. The lion is the totem of the clan of Judah, a son of the Hebrew ruler Jacob, and a lion appears on the coat of arms of Jerusalem.</div><br />The Ark was a symbol of royal authority derived from YHWH. That is why it rested for a time in Gibeah, Saul's hometown. After David became king, he brought the ark from the house of Abinadab, that was in Gibeah to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:1-12). For three months the Ark rested in Bethlehem, David’s hometown, in the house of Obed-Edom. <br /><div><br /></div>Feathers represent the authority to judge, measure, or weight. The feather was the early hieroglyph for Y, and the symbol appears in the names of these early Hebrew rulers: Yaqtan (Joktan); Yishmael (Ishmael); Yishbak (Ishbak); Yitzak (Isaac); Yacob (Jacob); Yehuda (Judah); Yosef (Joseph); Yetro (Jethro); Yeshai (Jesse), Yonah (Jonah), Yeroboam (Jeroboam), Yosedech (Josedech), and his son Yeshua (Joshua/Jesus) who wore the double crown (Zech. 6:11).<br /><br />The idea of God's presence "between the horns" predates Judaism. It is evident in the name Yesu which is clearly related to the name Yeshua (Jesus). Yesu is comprised of the following hieroglyphs:<div> <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZnHAhMJDke-jktd63HBQxgkjtZ7GHlJsifjN8rb1VybwdoHyQCgR-EWTI-iL-z_0RhfcUvJFUDLGRpQprbHHTN2LcCZrlbmGbp6VV7vNZHdTWCig3kRPclP-IRjgOzWHZsTCEbF-1l2JD3opR5qoqlNq2yB369Nomd7Uj0AWZJpvs9qwXwlL7pfL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="1006" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZnHAhMJDke-jktd63HBQxgkjtZ7GHlJsifjN8rb1VybwdoHyQCgR-EWTI-iL-z_0RhfcUvJFUDLGRpQprbHHTN2LcCZrlbmGbp6VV7vNZHdTWCig3kRPclP-IRjgOzWHZsTCEbF-1l2JD3opR5qoqlNq2yB369Nomd7Uj0AWZJpvs9qwXwlL7pfL=w352-h70" width="352" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Source: Bill Manley, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, 2012, Thames and Hudson Ltd., London</div><br /><br />The feather (letter Y) stands for one who judges, measures, or weights. The next symbol represents horns. The third symbol is the sedge plant which represents a king, and finally the falcon, the totem of Horus, the patron of kings. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoTitle"><b>Derived Authority, Attributed Authority, and Achieved
Authority</b></p><br />The biblical Hebrew recognized three types of authority: derived, attributed, and achieved. The deification of rulers required derived and attributed streams of authority. Because the ruler was seen as God's representative on earth and the one to enforce divine law, his authority was derived from God. <br /><br />If the ruler proved over time to be just or righteous in his actions and decrees, the priests would attribute deification. This was noted by the SR designation in the ruler's epithet and or royal name. The <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-temple-castes-were-dispersed-among.html"><span style="color: #990000;">historical ruler Osiris</span></a> was deified as is evident in his name O-SiR. Among the Sumerians and Akkadians SR designated a king (<i>šarrum</i>) and a queen (<i>šarratum</i>). </div><div><br /></div>The reigns of rulers were judged after death and the righteous were often deified. Deification or apotheosis was an expression of the flamboyant honor shown to royal masters by their servants. <div><br /></div><div>In the <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Hebrew ruler-priest caste</span></a> those appointed to govern received authority by the imposition of priestly hands. Numbers 27:22-23 suggests that the practice was well established before the time of Moses the Hebrew. "Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses." </div><div><br /></div><div>In the Hebrew context, the imposition of hands by a priest involved the passage of authority. This is evident also in Deuteronomy 34:9 - "Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him..."</div><div><br /></div><div>There was succession of authority by the laying on of hands, a practice that continues in those Christian churches which uphold "Apostolic succession" and ordination <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-priesthood-in-england-part-1.html"><span style="color: #990000;">practices that align with those known to the Jewish followers of Jesus</span></a>.</div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: <a href="https://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2010/12/ancient-moral-codes.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Ancient Moral Codes</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2023/01/law-enforcement-in-ancient-egypt.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Law Enforcement in Ancient Egypt</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2023/03/rams-lions-and-royal-ladies.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Rams, Lions, and Royal Ladies</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-temple-castes-were-dispersed-among.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Story Behind Osiris</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-hebrew-hierarchy-of-sons.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons</span></a></div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-10438685974991860642023-04-29T15:58:00.017-06:002023-05-30T13:42:26.637-06:00Bronze Age Populations<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd_y2nX0sdBMbXC_ryDf_bGztBD71QYXj8TkjBWG32EGlLwZ0ZV8RooGAZF-jyGZcTZEyun5wlZ7R499HWjrCSStwCMPNmJZOpgF346SJ5qAFLFMA--ltGTntqzIay4zqfzGJMQ0DQSjWb8Zh_IGCKaNGZtwqgG9M5OMr17oiV211vp_4X4srGMyV/s1944/Bahrain%20Persian%20Gulf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1565" data-original-width="1944" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd_y2nX0sdBMbXC_ryDf_bGztBD71QYXj8TkjBWG32EGlLwZ0ZV8RooGAZF-jyGZcTZEyun5wlZ7R499HWjrCSStwCMPNmJZOpgF346SJ5qAFLFMA--ltGTntqzIay4zqfzGJMQ0DQSjWb8Zh_IGCKaNGZtwqgG9M5OMr17oiV211vp_4X4srGMyV/w416-h304/Bahrain%20Persian%20Gulf.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Alice C. Linsley</div><div><br />During the Bronze Age (c.3000 B.C. to 1100 B.C.) ancient states emerged along the Nile, the Indus River, and in the Ancient Near East. These were located in ore rich regions near major water systems where early systems of irrigation developed. This was one of the first regions inhabited by humans outside of Africa and also the region connecting Africa and Eurasia. The region’s location at the crossroads of migratory routes contributes to its importance in understanding populations of the Bible. </div><div><br /></div><div>"The Bronze Age was a highly dynamic period involving large-scale population migrations and replacements, responsible for shaping major parts of present-day demographic structure in both Europe and Asia." (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14507"><span style="color: #990000;">Population genomics of Bronze Age Eurasia | Nature</span></a>)</div><div><br /></div>Much has been written about the late "<a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-bronze-age-collapse.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Bronze Age Collapse</span></a>" which occurred in parts of Eurasia and the eastern Mediterranean, but not in the Nile Valley which was rising to prominence as a unified Egyptian empire. Studies of the Ancient Pyramid Texts (2200 B.C.) reveal a sophisticated <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2019/11/horite-mounds.html"><span style="color: #990000;">social structure and vital economy</span></a> the length of the Nile. The Egyptians had outposts in Arabia, Canaan, Mesopotamia, and as far north as Mount Silpius in Turkey where they built Meroe (IO) on the Orontes.</div><div><br />Meroe on the Orontes was about 2800 miles from the shrine city of Meroe on the Nile. Both were under the control of the ancient sea-faring Egyptians who<span style="color: #990000;"> <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2011/10/ancient-egyptians-were-seafaring.html"><span style="color: #990000;">built sea-worthy ships</span></a></span>. Meroe was the farthest outpost of the Egyptian Empire and at its peak the city would have had Amurru.<br /><br />Amurru is the name of the northernmost district of Egypt's empire, and it included the coastal region from Ugarit to Byblos. The Orontes marked the northern boundary of Amur-ru. Meroe on the Orontes was one of the northern-most Egyptian outposts.</div><div><br /></div>Most late Bronze Age historians focus on the hypothesized "Sea Peoples" that attacked ancient Egypt and other regions in the East Mediterranean between 1200–900 B.C. In this article we will look at earlier developments such as the dispersal of the early Hebrew, the dispersed descendants of Nilotic rulers, and the significance of the Egypt-Mesopotamia-Dilmun trade.<br /><br /><br />The Dispersed Hebrew<div><br /></div><div>The prestigious <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hebrew-were-caste.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Hebrew ruler-priest caste</span></a> was in the service of the early lords of the earth, great kingdom builders like Nimrod, the son of Kush (Gen. 10). Before Abrham's time they had already dispersed out of the Nile Valley into Arabia, Canaan, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Iran, and the Indus Valley. Their influence extended into regions where they traded, even as far as Southeast Asia. </div><div><br /></div><div>The practice
of <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2011/06/sent-away-sons.html"><span style="color: #990000;">sending away non-ascendant sons</span></a> also drove the dispersion of the early Hebrew. The pattern is evident in Genesis 25:6 where we are told that Abraham gave gifts to all his other sons and sent them away from his proper heir, Isaac. Wherever the Hebrew went they carried their belief in the High God who had a son known as HR in ancient Egyptian, meaning "Most High One".</div><div><br /></div><div>Early Horite and Sethite Hebrew maintained shrines along the major rivers and controlled trade on their section of the rivers. Their practice of building <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2018/02/twin-cities-of-ancient-world.html"><span style="color: #990000;">twin settlements</span></a> on opposite sides of the river made it possible to assess tariffs on cargo. The Nilotic twin cities of Nekhen and Nekheb, and the twin cities of Pe and Dep are examples. Pe and Dep merged into the city that the Greeks later called Buto.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ancient trade routes </div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">The routes
of migration were also early trade routes controlled by
regional rulers. The Sumerian rulers had a long-established trade with Dilmun
(Bahrain) and with port cities in the Indus valley. Ships sailed southeast on
the Tigris or Euphrates to the Persian Gulf, making stops at the port city of
Dilmun (Bahrain), passing the Oman Peninsula, and entering the Arabian Sea.
From there the ships sailed northeast on the Indus River to Mohenjo-Daro and
Harappa.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">As early as 7000 B.C., the island of Bahrain, identified by the Sumerians as Dilmun, served as a major trade depot with its own commercial seal. Ships coming from Dilmun and ports east traveled to the Sumerian cities of Ur,
Erech, and Nippur. The city of Eridu, regarded as the oldest Sumerian city, was
an important trade center as early as 5000 B.C. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #990000;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/20/world/t-geoffrey-bibby-83-discoverer-of-gilgamesh-s-island-dies.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Thomas Geoffrey Bibby</span></a> </span>(1917-2001) lead excavations at Dilmun in the 1950s. Bibby discovered artifacts that show that Dilmun (Bahrain) was the capital of an independent kingdom and the center of trade between ancient Sumeria and the Indus River Valley. The Bronze Age civilization at Dilmun lasted two thousand years.<br /><br /></p></div><div><br /></div><div>Genetic Studies </div><div><br /><div>The Bronze Age has been the focus of numerous DNA studies (Narasimhan et al., 2019), and anthropological investigation of social hierarchies (Luneau, 2010). The western Iron Age nomads (Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians) are believed to have mixed. This 2018 <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aat4457"><span style="color: #990000;">study</span></a> found "evidence of a stable shared genetic signature, making the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe a likely source of western nomadic groups." </div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>Studies of the DNA of the ancient Egyptians show a closer genetic affinity with ancient people from the Near East and the Levant such as Armenians. This is especially interesting given that the earlier name for the Nile River was Ar, meaning "venerable". The <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2011/07/clans-of-ar.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Ar Rulers</span></a> are evidence of the wide dispersal of kingdom builders who were associated with the Nilotic royal families. </div><div><br />An international team of scientists from the University of Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany analyzed the DNA of 93 Egyptian mummies dating from approximately 1400 BCE to 400 CE. The evidence from <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15694"><span style="color: #990000;">their study</span></a> reveals a surprising close relation to ancient people of the Near East such as Armenians.</div><div><div><i><blockquote><br />Our analyses reveal that ancient Egyptians shared more ancestry with Near Easterners than present-day Egyptians, who received additional sub-Saharan admixture in more recent times.<br /><br />We find that ancient Egyptians are most closely related to Neolithic and Bronze Age samples in the Levant, as well as to Neolithic Anatolian and European populations.</blockquote></i><br />A genetics study by <a href="http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v24/n6/full/ejhg2015206a.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Haber et. al (2015)</span></a> published not so long ago in the Nature’s European Journal of Human Genetics has demonstrated this connection.<i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i><blockquote>We show that Armenians have higher genetic affinity to Neolithic Europeans than other present-day Near Easterners, and that 29% of the Armenian ancestry may originate from an ancestral population best represented by Neolithic Europeans.</blockquote></i></div><div><br />Today’s Armenians show genetic affinity to both the ancient Europeans and ancient Egyptians. That there was plenty of contact between ancient Egypt and ancient Armenia is apparent from Egyptian artifacts that were found in ancient Armenian burials.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consider also this excerpt from a 2015 study:<br /> <blockquote><i>The Armenians show signatures of an origin from a mixture of diverse populations occurring from 3000 to 2000 BCE. This period spans the Bronze Age, characterized by extensive use of metals in farming tools, chariots, and weapons, accompanied by development of the earliest writing systems and the establishment of trade routes and commerce. Many civilizations such as in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus valley grew to prominence. Major population expansions followed, triggered by advances in transportation technology and the pursuit of resources. Our admixture tests show that Armenian genomes carry signals of an extensive population mixture during this period. We note that these mixture dates also coincide with the legendary establishment of Armenia in 2492 BCE. Admixture signals decrease to insignificant levels after 1200 BCE, a time when Bronze Age civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean world suddenly collapsed, with major cities being destroyed or abandoned and most trade routes disrupted.</i></blockquote></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Related reading: </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04052-7"><span style="color: #990000;">The genomic origins of the Bronze Age Tarim Basin mummies | Nature</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7007-8-15"><span style="color: #990000;">Evidence that a West-East admixed population lived in the Tarim Basin as early as the early Bronze Age | BMC Biology | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: #990000;"> <a href="https://www.peopleofar.com/2017/06/05/ancient-egyptians-were-closer-to-armenians-than-to-africans-a-new-genetics-study-reveals/"><span style="color: #990000;">Ancient Egyptians were closer to Armenians than to Africans; a new genetics study reveals</span></a></span></p><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ejhg2015206"><span style="color: #990000;">Genetic evidence for an origin of the Armenians from Bronze Age mixing of multiple populations | European Journal of Human Genetics (nature.com)</span></a></p><p> <a href="https://www.peopleofar.com/2015/02/25/armenians-have-a-high-genetic-affinity-to-ancient-europeans/"><span style="color: #990000;">Armenians Have A High Genetic Affinity To Ancient Europeans</span></a></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-84509561672134573022023-04-06T09:38:00.008-06:002023-04-06T10:13:28.236-06:00God's Rightful Anger <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7TaqIOA5tVD2toWQ404DqLelKNyGRGjRS3F9VnuY2qMVJOP5bax-TmtTR5CMsH5p3UrLkl2k6T9MEWCnzVGwtu7uCyEp4qHNOhXOXy4lrVqudwLAvJdN2uZ_3QzK6NIr0BpOLoqzG-HqSltFSEFafaKjupr-tpKEQ7IMoni15Opf9vNGRdOlrMn5/s700/Giotto_-_Scrovegni_-_-27-_-_Expulsion_of_the_Money-changers_from_the_Temple.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="700" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7TaqIOA5tVD2toWQ404DqLelKNyGRGjRS3F9VnuY2qMVJOP5bax-TmtTR5CMsH5p3UrLkl2k6T9MEWCnzVGwtu7uCyEp4qHNOhXOXy4lrVqudwLAvJdN2uZ_3QzK6NIr0BpOLoqzG-HqSltFSEFafaKjupr-tpKEQ7IMoni15Opf9vNGRdOlrMn5/s320/Giotto_-_Scrovegni_-_-27-_-_Expulsion_of_the_Money-changers_from_the_Temple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Casting out the money changers by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giotto"><span style="color: #990000;">Giotto</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">Alice C. Linsley</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Recently someone asked about the idea that God becomes angry. The anger of God is a biblical theme found from Genesis to Revelation. An angry God sends the flood. An <a href="https://forward.com/culture/349357/why-dead-languages-like-akkadian-still-matter/"><span style="color: #990000;">Akkadian account</span></a> from 1646-1626 B.C. gives this description: "The flood roared like a bull, like a wild ass screaming, the winds howled. The darkness was total, there was no sun."</p><p class="MsoNormal">An angry God sends fire from heaven to consume the prophets of Baal. God's wrath is to be poured out from 7 <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-seven-bowls-of-revelation-16.html"><span style="color: #990000;">cursing bowls</span></a> on all the unrighteous.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This theme is especially developed in the Deuteronomistic history in which God’s anger is unleashed against Israel's unfaithfulness and disobedience.
God allows the enemies of Israel to overcome them as divine punishment.
Those enemies include the Assyrians (721 B.C.) and the Babylonians (586 B.C.).</p><p class="MsoNormal">The wrath of God is shown to the faithless Israelites in the wilderness. "Do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness" (Deut. 9:7).</p><p class="MsoNormal">God's anger is not restricted to the clan of Jacob (Israelites), however. Even the kings of other peoples are held to His higher law. "God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day" (Ps. 7:11).</p><p class="MsoNormal">For the biblical Hebrew, the High God is King over the earth and as such expresses a sovereign's rightful anger when the welfare of his kingdom is threatened. His anger is indignation against all who put his realm in peril. The people of Israel were to demonstrate the beauty of God's reign on earth, but they failed. The Temple which was to be a "house of prayer for all nations" had become a marketplace. </p><blockquote>"It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” (Jn. 2:13-16)<div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div>Since God is associated with light, especially the light of the sun, the total darkness that came over Jerusalem on Good Friday is viewed as a sign of God's anger. The darkness expresses God' wrath as in Isaiah 13:9-10: <div><span style="font-family: "Chronicle SSm A", "Chronicle SSm B", serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><blockquote>Look, the Lord’s day of judging is coming— a terrible day, a day of God’s anger.<br />He will destroy the land<br /> and the sinners who live in it.<br />The stars will not show their light;<br /> the skies will be dark.<br />The sun will grow dark as it rises,<br /> and the moon will not give its light.<br />And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; <br />and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, <br />and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. </blockquote><p> </p>The Apostle Paul addresses the relationship of God's anger and love. He writes, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! (Rom. 5:8–9).<div><br /></div>The bowls mentioned in Revelation 15:7 contain God's wrath. The Greek word for wrath is <i>orge</i>, the same word that appears in Romans 1:18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."<div><br /><div><br /></div><div>A Common African Theme</div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal">The theme of God’s anger is also found in African narratives.
The anthropologist Charles Kraft once asked a chief in northern Nigeria,
"What did your people believe about God before the missionaries
came?" In response, the old chief told this story:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once God and his son lived close to us. They walked, talked,
ate, and slept among us. All was well then. There was no thievery or fighting
or running off with another man's wife like there is now. But one day God's son
ate in the home of a careless woman. She had not cleaned her dishes properly.
God's son ate from a dirty dish, got sick, and died. This, of course, made God
very angry. He left in a huff and hasn't been heard from since. (Charles Kraft,
<u>Christianity in Culture</u>. Orbis Books, 1990, p. 153)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some African creation stories speak of a time at the
beginning when the sky was low. It was necessary for people to be careful while
cultivating or pounding grain to avoid striking God's resting place with their
hoes or pestles. The Akan of Ghana tell the story of how God once lived on
earth, but an old woman kept striking Him with her pestle. Then one day, God
withdrew to the sky. The vertical pestle symbolizes the north-south axis and
the heavens-earth-under the earth axis.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another African story tells how "in the beginning death
had not yet entered the world. There was plenty to eat, but a women became
greedy and tried to pound more grain that she was allotted. This required using
a longer pestle. When she raised it to pound the grain, it struck the sky and
God became angry and withdrew far into the heavens. Since then, people must
toil the earth, death and disease troubles the people and it is no longer easy
to reach God." (Richard Bush, ed. <u>The Religious World</u>. MacMillan
Publishers, 1982, p. 38).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> Related reading: <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2020/01/divine-visitation.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Divine Disfavor and Divine Visitation</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2008/12/calvin-on-gods-motive-in-creation.html"><span style="color: #990000;">John Calvin on God's Motive in Creation</span></a>; <a href="https://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-seven-bowls-of-revelation-16.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Seven Bowls of Revelation 16</span></a>; <a href="http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2008/01/mount-moriah.html"><span style="color: #990000;">On a Wild and Windy Mountain</span></a></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p></p></div></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-81998094660937660812023-04-01T16:51:00.008-06:002023-04-01T19:32:08.222-06:00Why Palms on Palm Sunday?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5E-mDpTdfIY-O4ZRasZjV1nLCHNT9uM1pnP1IKSknqneBQauaE8mu0onep-55PfH3OnjmLVAulUSdcjdRbdiBHbLnkXU34J95Agx8eaTGKeKT9BGnUBxSdA9JVY9GOjeILpT_-1i9aP_hLedQknamKOcVCXKP2luhJN7L-qSRoEX0UB5ZsSbQe2Zr/s750/338138508_1192469588128929_7229032310007976149_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="750" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5E-mDpTdfIY-O4ZRasZjV1nLCHNT9uM1pnP1IKSknqneBQauaE8mu0onep-55PfH3OnjmLVAulUSdcjdRbdiBHbLnkXU34J95Agx8eaTGKeKT9BGnUBxSdA9JVY9GOjeILpT_-1i9aP_hLedQknamKOcVCXKP2luhJN7L-qSRoEX0UB5ZsSbQe2Zr/s320/338138508_1192469588128929_7229032310007976149_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>When the Romans invaded Judea in 63 B.C., there were thick forests of date palm trees stretching over a range of 7 miles across the Jordan Valley from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the shores of the Dead Sea in the south. The trees grew to a height of 80 feet and had branches all year round.<div><br /></div><div>In ancient Israel the palm branches were used each year for the festival of Sukkot to make roofing for the booths. Palm branches were used to thatch the roofs of homes and sheep cotes, to create canopies over open market spaces, and for ceremonies like weddings, etc. They were used so extensively that the Judean palms nearly disappeared from the Jordan Valley.</div><div><br /></div>There are efforts to bring back the Judean date palm. In 2005, <a href="http://arava.org/arava-research-centers/arava-center-for-sustainable-agriculture/csa-staff/dr-elaine-solowey/"><span style="color: #990000;">Dr. Elaine Solowey</span></a> germinated a 2000-year seed that had been recovered decades earlier from an archaeological excavation at the fortified high place Masada. The "Methuselah Tree" (shown below) is growing in a protected environment in Jerusalem. Genetic tests indicate that the Methuselah Tree is closely related to an ancient variety of date palm from Egypt known as <a href="http://phoenixagrotech.com/desert-agriculture/date-palms/date-palm-varieties/"><span style="color: #990000;">Hayany</span></a>. The ancient flora and fauna of the Jordan Valley and the Nile Valley are similar.<br /><br />The Methuselah date palm is now producing dates. These are the kind of palm branches that would have been used to hail King Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.<br /><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLkq4DHWM79gPpDWq0eMXD6x-NiUbeegd8M236ZZOYvHSB91lozQM3Owj8ppPWGYD17hKFnPbwLDuN5PI4-9BYYaJyIrpL3JZb4nJQo1nqDlCk3bNUIdT2jhKFi7vm4xhPG0vSbUXyF1p4fbxDnENX3bs4jKIX4k1BecsG7Gr3TY0Qa8Xv9usn9KG/s400/judeandatepalmmethuselah.jpg__800x600_q85_crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLkq4DHWM79gPpDWq0eMXD6x-NiUbeegd8M236ZZOYvHSB91lozQM3Owj8ppPWGYD17hKFnPbwLDuN5PI4-9BYYaJyIrpL3JZb4nJQo1nqDlCk3bNUIdT2jhKFi7vm4xhPG0vSbUXyF1p4fbxDnENX3bs4jKIX4k1BecsG7Gr3TY0Qa8Xv9usn9KG/s320/judeandatepalmmethuselah.jpg__800x600_q85_crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">The Methusleah Tree</div><div style="text-align: center;">Credit: <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AJudeanDatePalmMethuselah.JPG">Benjitheijneb </a><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">via Wikimedia Commons</a></span></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>When the people greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, they greeted him with palm branches as a king to be enthroned. Ceremonial installation of rulers with palms was an ancient tradition. It had been a practice of the Jebusite people of Jerusalem before David's time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fresh palm branches are still used among many peoples of Central and East Africa at the enthronement of a sovereign and a priest of high rank. Even today, fresh palm fronds are used ceremonially at the installation of Ijebu rulers and to decorate places of worship. Jude Adebo Adeleye Ogunade writes in his memoir about growing up Ijebu. He was warned not to touch the leaves of the Igi-Ose tree because, as his Mama Eleni explained, "That tree is the tree whose leaves are used to install Chiefs and Kings of Ijebu and as your grandfather was a custodian of the rites of chieftaincy and kingship you must not play with its leaves." <div><br /></div><div>The University of Oxford, Institute Paper, n°7, (1937) on Medicinal Plants lists the leaves of the Igi-Ose as a blood purifier.<div><br /></div>Related reading: <a href="https://asa-cwis.blogspot.com/2017/03/trees-of-bible.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Trees of the Bible</span></a>,<span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;"> </span><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tree-grown-2000-year-old-seed-has-reproduced-180954746/"><span style="color: #990000;">Tree Grown from 2000 Year Seed Has Reproduced</span></a>; <a href="https://teachgoodwriting.blogspot.com/2019/04/jesus-rode-on-donkey.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Jesus Rode on a Donkey</span></a>; <a href="https://asa-cwis.blogspot.com/2017/04/horticulture-in-ancient-world.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Horticulture in the Ancient World</span></a></div></div><br />Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948329512211077551.post-37090479003792348252023-03-20T12:16:00.002-06:002023-11-09T17:35:05.447-07:00The Virgin Mary's Life in the Temple Cloister<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0FzArKLT2Ah-4CZeIj-MurxBjixGOnlD-8zsCW8c88-X8VYW1N4jyGJUNP7ZD1jTxbByz7CGv9-7oHFJd0nux8UL5HfRb80yoQikdVcbQo0P43es3rQBHlEI6zZ5zYvuOKZA6NvLqCi5lMkoLHxcVwj-1glsxtfd81RR3ByH93AVQpchC91W0DYc/s909/Mary%20spinning%20purple.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="909" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0FzArKLT2Ah-4CZeIj-MurxBjixGOnlD-8zsCW8c88-X8VYW1N4jyGJUNP7ZD1jTxbByz7CGv9-7oHFJd0nux8UL5HfRb80yoQikdVcbQo0P43es3rQBHlEI6zZ5zYvuOKZA6NvLqCi5lMkoLHxcVwj-1glsxtfd81RR3ByH93AVQpchC91W0DYc/w382-h162/Mary%20spinning%20purple.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Virgin Mary with a spindle, a symbol of feminine authority.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Dr. Alice C. Linsley<br /><br /><br />Mary was Joseph’s cousin bride, and she was betrothed to Joseph as one dedicated to the Temple. That is why she is designated “almah” in the Scriptures. The Hebrew word almah (עַלְמָה) is derived from a verb meaning “to conceal” or “to hide away”. Temple virgins were “alamot” because they were cloistered until they married. <br /><br />Their duties included weaving, sewing, drawing water, singing, brewing beer, and playing musical instruments such as the sistrum and the tambourine. In the King James Version, the "alamot" are called “damsels” – “The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.” (Ps. 68:25) <br /><br />Mary and Joseph had common ancestors as is evident in the repetition of some names in the two New Testament genealogies. Their ancestors intermarried, as was the custom of the Hebrew from before the time of Abraham. <br /><br />Hippolytus of Thebes records that Mary’s mother Ana was one of three daughters of a priest named Matthan. Variant spellings of Matthan include Matthew, Matthias, Mattha, Matthat, Mattathias, Mattaniah, and Mattai. The name and its variants appear six times in Luke’s list. The name derives from the word “gift” and can refer to the “giving” of Torah. The name Mattaniah is found among the priests in I Chronicles. According to Matthew 1:15, Mary’s husband Joseph was of the priestly line of Mattai. <br /><br />If Joseph married according to the pattern of his Hebrew ancestors, Mary would be his second wife, the bride of his later years. The brothers and sisters of Jesus mentioned in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 are the children of Joseph by his first wife. Joseph had been betrothed to Mary for some time before he married her. Until that time, Mary remained a young woman dedicated to the Temple by her priest father, Joachim. <br /><br />Hebrew sons and daughters were often dedicated to the service of the temple. Samuel, the son of the priest Elkanah and his wife Hannah was dedicated to the temple (1 Sam. 1:11). From a young age, Samuel served Eli, the Ephraimite priest of Shiloh. Samuel later married, and his sons, Joel and Abijah, served as judges in Beersheba (1 Sam. 8:1-9; 1 Chr. 6:28). <br /><br />Hebrew daughters dedicated to the temple were free to marry. However, depending on the daughter’s initial vow to God, they might remain celibate. Abstinence from sexual relations did not pose a problem for a husband who already had an heir by his first wife. Joseph’s heir would have been one of Jesus’ half-brothers, probably James. In Jewish Antiquities (20.9.1), Josephus describes James as "the brother of Jesus who is called Christ."<br /><br />According to tradition, the Annunciation took place when Mary was in the Temple spinning purple thread. Some icons and paintings of the Virgin Mary show her holding a spindle and spinning purple thread. Purple thread was used to make the Temple vestments and the garments of high priests.<br /><br />As the cousin bride, it was Mary’s prerogative to name her only son after her father. However, as was anticipated by his Hebrew ancestors, Jesus was conceived by divine overshadowing of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:35) and Mary was to name her son Yeshua, which means “salvation.” The name is related to the ancient Egyptian name Yesu.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hu_Th_7_OmB_b_8JD_jGTxtKs6Cwnqqa4-rXjHhpAfnyL8fwplgOPtVtYD7P_LfWU3UamQfpwbJG4EHfCOdzYEfrhen7IXgobtO195sgVDw4IYBHry4AtUlHwqc9PV_W0WEnkxTGghjPLFS-vqZDnZG0z0z4lpTponZrDSUwW8sbcF1FiaH3tZqC/s3488/Yesu%20Hieroglyph%203.jpg"><img border="0" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hu_Th_7_OmB_b_8JD_jGTxtKs6Cwnqqa4-rXjHhpAfnyL8fwplgOPtVtYD7P_LfWU3UamQfpwbJG4EHfCOdzYEfrhen7IXgobtO195sgVDw4IYBHry4AtUlHwqc9PV_W0WEnkxTGghjPLFS-vqZDnZG0z0z4lpTponZrDSUwW8sbcF1FiaH3tZqC/w386-h73/Yesu%20Hieroglyph%203.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The hieroglyphs for Yesu indicate royal authority and show the falcon, the totem of HR (Horus in Greek) who was called the "son" of God.<div><br /><br /><div>Related reading: <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2019/12/behold-virgin-shall-conceive.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive</span></a>; <a href="https://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-virgin-marys-ancestry.html"><span style="color: #990000;">The Virgin Mary's Ancestry</span></a></div></div><div><br /></div>Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.com0