Contents
- The Bible, Apocrypha, & Pseudepigrapha
- Setting of the Bible
- Setting of Old Testament Books
- Biblical Editing
- Kings, Chronicles & the Tanakh
- Books of Jashar & the Wars
- Books of Enoch
- Books of Abraham
- Books of Moses
- Hindsight: God-Inspired Bible
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The Bible, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
This chapter focused on the history of the Old Testament, alongside cultures (and myths) that influenced the writing of biblical books. It also highlighted the apocryphal (from “crypto,” “hidden”) books of Jashar, Enoch, Abraham and Moses, with the possibility that they were written before and provided insights into the canonized Bible.
In c. 450 BC, the “Members of the Great Synagogue” (initiated by Ezra and Nehemiah) began the canonization of the Hebrew Bible; that is, they sorted out what was inspired by God. Between 275 and 100 BC, under the Greek Empire (c. 331-146 BC), Alexandrian Jews translated the Hebrew Bible and arranged the books into the now extant Greek Septuagint.[1] Under the Roman Empire (146 BC - 476 AD), the canonized Hebrew Bible was affirmed by the 90 AD Jewish Council of Jamnia; and again in c. 400 AD. It consisted of 24 books and was called Tanakh, from the first letters of its three main sections: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Kethuvim (Writings). The Torah included the five books of Moses. The Nevi’im consisted of the (a) “earlier prophets” Joshua, Judges, Samuel and the Book of Kings, (b) “later prophets” Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and (c) 12 “minor prophets” (due to their brevity). The Kethuvim included the poetic books (Psalms, Proverbs and Job), five scrolls (Songs of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentation, Ecclesiastes and Esther), Books of Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles.
In the 312 Edict of Milan, Roman Emperor Constantine I made Christianity the state religion. The 325 AD Christian Council of Nicaea, declared Jesus as “Son of God.” In c. 390 AD, the Bible (Hebrew/ Greek Old Testament and Greek New Testament) was translated to Latin by St. Jerome (347-420). It was canonized in the 393 Council of Hippo and affirmed by the 397 Synod of Carthage. Nonetheless, the Jews rejected Jesus as God and did not use the term “Old Testament” since it implied a new testament. For them, the “Bible” referred only to the Tanakh. The Christian version of the Old Testament is a set of 39 books arranged into four: (a) the Pentateuch, (b) the historical books (i.e., the earlier prophets of the Nevi’im, plus Ruth, two Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther), (c) the poetical or wisdom books, and (d) the prophetic books (i.e., the later and minor prophets of Nevi’im, plus the two books of Kings, Daniel and Lamentations).
Other scriptures included in the Septuagint, but excluded from the Hebrew or Christian Bible were considered as apocryphal.[2] Coined by St. Jerome, apocrypha generally referred to ancient Jewish scriptures written during the period between the last Jewish scripture, Malachi, and the arrival of Jesus Christ. The apocryphal books were Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus), the Wisdom of Solomon, the four Books of Maccabees, the two Books of Esdras, additions to the Book of Esther, additions to the Book of Daniel, and, Psalm 151. The apocryphal books were not recognized by Orthodox Jews and Protestant Christians. However, the Roman Catholic Church canonized Tobit, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch and 1 and 2 Maccabees; the Orthodox churches also accepted the Apocrypha, except for Esdras. Other books considered apocryphal are the five books of Enoch, Testament of Abraham, and Testament of Moses.
The Pseudepigrapha (“books with false titles”) referred to books written between 200 BC and 200 AD, titled after persons of earlier periods.[3] Among them: the Jewish 3 and 4 Esdras, Prayer of Manasseh, Jubilees, Psalms of Solomon, the Testament of Moses, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Sibylline Oracles, and Apocalypse of Baruch. Others existed in Greek and other languages, many being revisions of Jewish books: Apocalypse of Adam, Ascension of Isaiah and Shepherd of Hermas.[4]
No original manuscript of the Hebrew Bible is extant. “The oldest extant parchment scroll of the Torah dates from about 900 C.E., which is probably more than 1,300 years later than the likely time of its composition.”[5] Likewise, “The oldest…Bible is the Codex Vaticanus… in Greek ante AD 350…preserved in the Vatican Museum.”[6] The closest to the original Hebrew was the Masoretic version. The Masoretes were scholars who, over the centuries, preserved the best text and relayed the Masorah (textual traditions). “One of these versions, produced in Tiberias in the tenth century C.E., found general acceptance and is the standard Hebrew text in synagogue used today.”[7]
Setting of the Bible
When and where did the Bible start? Before Abraham (c. 1900 BC) in Ur, Mesopotamia and the written Hebrew, biblical events were depicted in hieroglyphics by the Sumerian civilization (c. 4000-2700 BC). In Sumer (biblical Shiner), Mesopotamia, the Sumerians invented cuneiform (pictographic) writing, a keystone of civilization. In c. 2400 BC, Sargon led a Semitic-speaking race from the west and conquered Sumer; he started the city of Agade (kingdom of Akkad). The language he had joined the Sumerian tongue; both were written in Sumerian cuneiform. In c. 2050-1950 BC, Sumerians from Ur regained control, but had already been backward-looking; they studied the original Sumerian texts like the present era studied Latin (a “dead language”).
In the 4th millennium BC, ancient Elam (Southwestern Iran or Khuzestan) was also under Mesopotamian rule. After 2000 BC, it controlled southern Mesopotamia.[8] In c. 1800-1600 BC, the Babylonians assumed power, with Hammurabi as its greatest ruler.[9] About that time (c. 1800 BC), Abraham left Ur and settled in Canaan. In Genesis 14, king Chedorlaomer of Elam, with the king of Shinar (Sumer) and two other kings defeated the kingdoms of Sodom, Gomorrah and three others in the Valley of Siddim (in present day Lebanon). Abraham, whose nephew Lot (from Sodom) was held captive, pursued and defeated Chedorlaomer; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah followed. In c. 1700 BC), the Jews, led by Jacob, migrated from Canaan (due to famine) to Egypt. In c. 1453 BC, Moses led the Exodus to Canaan. In c. 1600-1150 BC, the Kassites ruled southern Mesopotamia while the Assyrians gained the north. In c. 950 BC, the Jewish kingdoms of Israel and Judah arose. In the 6th century BC, Persian king Cyrus (599-530 BC) was born in Susa, the capital of Elam; he ruled the Persian Empire from Susa.
In 1975, some 4,500 year-old clay tablets among the ruins of a burnt library in Northwestern Syria revealed the Semitic Ebla civilization, which rivaled Egypt and Mesopotamia in 2400 - 2000 BC. The tablets also affirmed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.[10] Before the Exodus (c. 1453 BC), God was referred to as El. Then Exodus 3:14 revealed His name as Yahweh. The Ebla tablets proved that 1,000 years earlier, both Il and Ya forms matching El and Yahweh existed in Semitic names, like Mi-ka-il (“who is like God?”) and Mi-ka-Ya (“who is like Ya?”).[11] Other common names were Abraham, Esau, Saul and David. Ironically, King Ebrium bore an uncanny likeness to Eber, 7th generation ancestor of Abraham.[12] Ebla was conquered by Elamites and Amorites (Babylonians), but rebuilt in c. 2000 BC. In 1650 BC, it was destroyed by the Hittites.
The Phoenicians, the heirs to Ebla’s legacy, migrated to the land between the Mediterranean and the Syrian Desert. Their records (c. 2000 BC) were found among the ruins of Gubla (the Greek’s Byblos), today’s Jebeil, a village of Lebanon.[13] They revealed the Phoenician-Syrian seaport cities of Ugarit, Sidon, Tyre, Arvad, Berytus (Beirut) and Byblos. Also, the epic Ras Shamrah (c. 1400 BC), unearthed in Ugarit, revealed a hierarchy of gods, which, aside from El, had been violently opposed by the Hebrews. The head of the pantheon was El, honored by the western Semites and Canaanites. After El, was Ba’al or Hadad, the god of the atmosphere, clouds and tempest. Mot, a son of El, was the god of harvest who died, was reborn, and defeated in battle by Aleyin, the spirit of spring and a son of Ba’al. Asherat, “Mother of the Gods,” was also the mother of Baal. The similarity with Sumerian was clear: El is An, “god of the heavens;” Mot is Enki, “god of earth;” Ba’al is Enlil, “god of air;” and Asherat is Ninhursag. In c. 1000 BC, the Hebrews adopted the use of the Phoenician alphabet (phonetics) for writing. The words “Bible” and “bibliography” came from “Byblos.”
The Canaanite civilization flourished in what were now Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan during the Bronze Age (c. 3000 – 2000 BC). In Genesis 9:18 and 10:16, Canaan was the son of Ham, the third-born of Noah. In Canaanite text, Baal was the “Son of Dagon,” (El) with a forked lightning as his symbol (like the Greek Zeus). He was also Elyon, prince and heir apparent to El, but had to fight first with his brother Yam (Prince of the Sea), then his brother Mot (the Smiter). He was vanquished by Mot, but his sister Anat refused to accept his demise. Anat killed Mot, leading to the miraculous resurrection of Baal. El declared him “Prince of Earth.” Baal’s resurrection was celebrated annually as part of the Canaanite fertility ritual. A cult of Baal, particularly the human sacrifice and temple prostitutions linked with it, was denounced by Old Testament prophets.[14]
The Aramaeans were a West Semitic Syro-Palestinian people (in c. 1500 BC). In Genesis 10: 22, Aram was a son of Sem, a son of Noah. In Genesis 22: 20-21, Aram was a grandson of Abraham’s brother Nahor. In Deuteronomy 26:5, Jacob was “a wandering Aramaean.”[15] By c. 1000 BC, Aramaeans built city-state kingdoms in Syria and along the Upper Euphrates. After 1000 BC, they mixed with the Israelites. From late 8th century BC, their territories were annexed to the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian empires, (which assumed power in succession).[16] From the Persians (c. 539 BC) and thereafter, Aramaic became the common language.
Setting of Old Testament Books
Using an eclectic approach, scholars had arrived at estimates for the time when the biblical books were written (summarized primarily from “The Torah, A Modern Commentary” by W. Gunther Plaut, alongside with the “Bible” and biblical book entries in the Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge).[17] The Torah (i.e., Pentateuch) was based on four principal sources (called J, E, P and D), the combination of which resulted in the creation of the Torah as a single book by Jewish Canonization. The oldest, J, was perhaps written in ancient Judah (southern kingdom), sometime after Solomon (c. 900 BC). J used the divine name “JHWH” and was responsible for most of Genesis. Between 900 and 750 BC, a version from Israel (northern kingdom), was woven in (called Ephraim, E). E used “Elohim” and authored the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) and other passages of Genesis as well as much in Exodus and Numbers. E was most likely a contemporary of J.
D was the author of Deuteronomy (or most of it), compiled in the 7th century. The book was said to have been discovered by King Josiah in 621 BC (2 Kings 22). Some also assigned Genesis 14 to D. The priestly P authored the first chapter of Genesis, the book of Leviticus and other sections characterized by interest in genealogies and priesthood. This was considered the latest part of the Torah, composed during or after the Babylonian exile (approximately 595-516 BC). “It was intended as a sort of constitution for the Second Commonwealth when the Jews had no king and the High Priest was leader and spokesman of the nation. According to this theory, P was the framework into which J/E and D were fitted, in the fifth century BCE.”[18] The priestly source (P) contained many old strands and traditions probably pre-dating J and E, but incorporated later additions when the document was put into final form after the return from the exile.
The books of Joshua and Judges were written about 961-922 BC, but extensively edited by writers of the D source. Samuel wrote a major part of First Samuel (c. 1040 BC); however, Gad and Nathan, two prophets close to King David, wrote Second Samuel.[19] The Book of Ruth had a style consistent with 950-750 BC, but the Davidic genealogy was appended after the exile (c. 500-350 BC). Amos was a Judean shepherd and tree farmer; Isaiah was a member of the royal household in Jerusalem (Judea); Hosea lived in the northern country (Israel), a contemporary of Joel and Micah; they witnessed the destruction of Israel in the 8th-7th century BC. Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Nahum belonged to the 7th century. Ezekiel, Daniel, Obadiah and the authors of chapters 40-66 of Isaiah (called Deutero-Isaiah) were written during and after the exile (c. 537 BC). Zechariah, Jeremiah and Haggai wrote after the release from captivity and the return to Jerusalem led by Zerubbabel (c. 534 BC). Malachi and the unknown author of Jonah were with Nehemiah and Ezra when the temple was reconstructed (c. 444 BC).
After Jerusalem was restored when Nehemiah was the governor of Israel and king Artaxerxes ruled the Persian Empire on his 32nd year (c. 444 BC), the scribe Ezra made a public reading of the Torah in Jerusalem. Thereafter, the entire people agreed to a solemn vow to obey the Torah; this was ratified in writing by the leaders (Nehemiah 8-10). Traditionally, the event was considered a reaffirmation of the covenant at Mt. Sinai. “But modern scholars explain the event as marking the completion of the written Torah in substantially its present form and its adoption as the official ‘constitution’ of the Jewish community.”[20] The Torah, as edited by scribes, was formally accepted by the Jews as the rule for their life. In a sense, Judaism, the religion of the Jews was formalized.[21]
Biblical Editing
Presumably, the restoration of the Torah in c. 900 BC was based on earlier (missing) records, with two mentioned in the Bible: the “Book of Jashar” and the “Book of the Wars.” Likewise, there was a talmudic opinion that there were “Seven Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers 1-21, Balaam (Numbers 22-24), Numbers 25-end, and Deuteronomy.”[22] Numbers 1-21 dealt with regulations promulgated in Sanai after the Exodus. The “Book of Balaam,” possibly “once a separate book by that name,” consisted of four oracles about Balaam, a pagan talking with the Lord of Israel.[23] Numbers 25-36 were events before the crossing of River Jordan and the Jericho invasion.
Another major editing was also probably made after a holocaust in c. 687 BC (as claimed by Velikovski). Amos, who saw the destruction of Israel and Assyria in the days of Uzziah, c. 726 - 686 BC, prophesied “two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1). He quoted God: “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight…I will bring sackcloth upon all loins and baldness on every head” (Amos 8: 9-10). Isaiah described the aftermath: “For the Lord has poured out…a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes the prophets, and covered your heads, the seers. And the vision of all these has become…like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed’” (Isaiah 29:10-11).
After nearly 200 years, Zechariah (c. 520-518 BC, during the Persian Empire) affirmed the cataclysm and predicted a pole shift. “And the valley of my mountains shall be stopped…and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzzi’ah, king of Judah” (Zechariah 14: 5); “And there shall be continuous day…not day, not night, for at evening time, there shall be light” (14: 7). To Haggai (c. 520 BC), God spoke: “I am about to shake the heavens and the earth” (Haggai 2: 20-22). Apparently, memory recall was erased: “on that day, says the Lord of Host, I will cut off the names of the idols…so that they shall be remembered no more; and…remove…the prophets and the unclean spirits…every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesied; he will not put on a hairy mantle to deceive, but he will say… I am a tiller of the soil” (Zechariah 13: 2-5). Prophecy waned and eventually disappeared, but the writings were compiled as sacred literature. Moreover, in addition to the influence of the Babylonian tradition, the Jews apparently adopted some tenets of their Persian benefactors.[24]
Kings, Chronicles and the Tanakh
The Books of Kings and the Books of Chronicles were apparently meant as a historical consolidation until the release of Jews from captivity in c. 534 BC. Similarly, the poetic books (Psalms, Proverbs and Job), the Songs of Solomon and Ecclesiastes were collections of the maxims of David, Solomon and other prophets. The Kings and the Chronicles referred to and appeared to have been abridged from original and now non-extant works. The acts of David were cited from the “Chronicles of Samuel…Chronicles of Nathan…and Chronicles of Gad” (1 Chronicles 29:29). Solomon was cited from the “book of the acts of Solomon” (1 Kings 11:41) and the “history of Nathan” (2 Chronicles 9: 29). The acts of Rehoboam were written in the “Chronicles of Shemaiah” (2 Chronicles 12:15). Moreover, the acts of kings after Solomon were recorded in the “Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah” (1 Kings 14:29) and the “Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel” (1 King 15:31; 1 Chronicles 8:1).
“Aside from the genealogical records, First Chronicles covers a period of some 40 years, from the death of King Saul to the death of King David. The priest Ezra was credited with…this book in the year 460 B.C.E.”[25] But in 1 Chronicles 3: 19-24, the lineage of David (and Solomon) reached until the 7th generation from Zerubbabel, who led the Jewish return to Jerusalem after their Babylonian captivity in 534 BC. Seven generations meant 140-350 years after (at 20-50 years per generation) or in c. 394-184 BC. This implied that the Tanakh was again edited at least 46 years from Ezra and possibly just before or after the Greeks conquered the Persians (in 331 BC). Presumably, the Book of Esther, circa the early 2nd century BC, was added.
Books of Jashar and the Wars
The Book of Jashar was referred to when “the sun stood still” in Gibeon (Joshua 10:13). It was cited in a lamentation of David: “Thy glory, Oh Israel, is slain upon the high places! How are the mighty fallen” (2 Samuel 1: 19). The Book of the Wars was the reference for Arnon and Moab, before the Jews conquered Heshbon (Numbers 21: 14). Who was Jashar? From the Jewish lineage (Table 2-2), Jesher (Jashar or Jasher) was the son of Caleb. Caleb was 40 years old during the Exodus, when he and several others spied on Canaan. He was 85 when the Promised Land was divided (Numbers 13-14; Joshua 12: 7-8; 13; 14: 6-14; Judges 1: 9-10). Jashar belonged to the fifth generation from Judah; and the generation after Moses, along with Judges Gideon and Ehud. His contemporaries were Eleazar (Eli), the priest; Gershom, the son of Moses; Abimelech, son of Gideon; and Judges Tola, Jair and Jephthah. He was possibly in his 20s when Moses (at 80) led the Exodus. He lived through the conquest of the Promised Land. He was in his 60s (his father Caleb was 85) when the “Land” was allocated.
H.P. Blavatsky wrote that a version of the Book of Jasher was composed in Spain in the 12th century as “a popular tale” not sanctioned by the Rabbinical College of Venice. However, “It contains the whole of the Old Testament in a condense form…i.e., the five Books of Moses…the Book of Jasher is the true original form from which the subsequent Bible was in part composed.” [26] Blavatsky quoted Jasher 79: 45: the Egyptian Magi when asked by Pharaoh: “Who is he, of whom Moses speaks as the I am?” reply that the god of Moses “we have learned, is the son of the Wise, the Son of ancient kings.” The answer to the verse was in Isaiah: “The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, ‘I am a son of the wise, a sign of ancient kings?’ Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you and make known what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.” (Isaiah 19:11-12)
Books of Enoch
Enoch was the first born of Cain (Genesis, 4:17). Enoch was also the 7th Patriarch who “walked with God” (5:22). According to Flower Newhouse, in olden times, Enoch was a generic title for a “seer.”[27] The Books of Enoch were composed of five books with 110 chapters of unequal length.[28] Chapters 6-19 of 1 Enoch was an apparent elaboration of Genesis 6: 1-4 (about nefilims); it described the fall of angels, their illicit affairs with the daughters of men, which gave birth to a race of giants, along with vice and evil.[29] It ended with the deluge as punishment from God. 2 Enoch (possibly written by several authors and corrupted by Christian scribes) described the Kingdom of Peace, with the “Son of Man” catching kings living in excesses and precipitating them to hell. 3 Enoch contained angels, cosmology and physics. 4 Enoch personified the human hybrid. A white bull came out of the earth, followed by a white heifer. They gave birth to two calves, a black and a red. The black bull chased away the red, and then met a heifer; they gave birth to several black calves. The mother cow left the black bull in search of the red. The red bull appeared and they propagated. 5 Enoch contained religious and moral exhortations (in Aramaic, showing that it was written in c. 110 BC by a Palestinian Jew).
Chapter 42 of 3 Enoch described the graduation of celestial life: Angels, Archangels, Angel Princes and Angel Kings.[30] Angel Princes have “crowns of kinship to designate them from crowns of Glory.” Angel Princes of the highest ranks were called Irin (Watchers) and Qaddishin (Holy Ones); they were four in number. “And the splendor of their countenance is a reflection of the splendor of Shekinah.” Shekinah meant the divine manifestation of God’s presence or Active Light at the causal or abstract level of mind. Metatron, the Angel Prince of the Presence, had access to the Divine Presence, the face of the Godhead, who possessed knowledge of Divine Secrets and Decrees. He was the Prince of the 7th Hall; an authority and judge of all the hosts of angels and of those Angel Princes who were not above the entrance to the 7th hall.
In Daniel 10:21 & 12: 1, Gabriel and Michael were called Princes, with Michael as the “great prince who has charge” of the people of Daniel (i.e., the Jews).[31] In Daniel 8: 23-25, Gabriel told Daniel that a king of bold countenance shall rise and “in his own mind…shall magnify himself…destroy many…and even rise up against the Prince of princes.” This king most likely referred to Leviathan or Satan (Isaiah 14:12-15).
In symbolic terms, Metatron urged Enoch: “Come and I will show thee where the waters are suspended in the highest, where fire is burning in the midst of hail, where lightning lightens out in the midst of snowy mountains, where thunders are roaring in the celestial heights, where a flame is burning in the midst of a burning fire, and where voices make themselves heard in the midst of a thunder and the earthquake” (3 Enoch 42). In Cabbalistic symbolism, water related to the astral (or emotional world), fire referred to the causal world (abstract world or world of causes in contrast to the world of effects or physical world), the treasuries of sound, energy and creative inspiration. Paul had a similar experience of “being caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthian 12: 2-4).
Books of Abraham
Did Abraham and Moses write their own books, not in Hebrew which was yet non-existent, but in Egyptian hieroglyphics? In 1830, Joseph Smith, the first Mormon prophet, maintained that the Books of Abraham, Moses and other prophets were brought out of Jerusalem during the time of King Zedekiah of Judah in c. 600 BC by Lehi of the tribe of Joseph.[32] The texts were Egyptian, Assyrian, Chaldean and Arabic. In his introduction to the Book of Abraham, Smith maintained that it was “The writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, written by his own hand, upon papyrus,” translated from “some ancient Records that have fallen into our hands from the catacombs of Egypt.”[33]
The Book of Abraham was composed of 5 chapters and 3 facsimiles of Egyptian hieroglyphic writings with corresponding explanations. Chapters 1-2 and facsimile 1 detailed the lineage of Abraham, the idolatry of his father Terah, and his sojourn from Ur to Egypt as guided by Jehovah (Genesis 11-12; Joshua 24: 2; 14). Chapters 3-4 and facsimile 2 were visions about the Creation and the origin of the “Gods.” Chapter 5 shared how the Gods implemented the creation according to their plan. Facsimile 3 showed Abraham as a Priest in the tradition of the “Ancient of Days” in court with the Pharaoh and his associates and explaining the principles of astronomy. The “Ancient of Days” had bestowed the Priesthood to Adam, Seth, Noah, Melchisedek and Abraham.
The visions about the cosmos were revealed to Abraham as he offered sacrifice upon an altar he built for the Lord (Genesis 12:8; Abraham 2:20). In the cosmology the first creation was Kolob, which was nearest to the celestial resident of God. This was followed by the Egyptian Oliblish, who held the key of power pertaining to the planets. Shinehah (the Sun) borrowed its light from Kolob through a medium or key, a governing power that also governed 15 other fixed planets or stars, aside from the Moon, Earth and the Sun. In addition, Earth received power from two stars, which received their power from the revolutions of Kolob.[34] Kolob and Oliblish were also two spirits, with Kolob as the more intelligent (i.e., had a greater and deeper expanse of consciousness) and God more intelligent than them all. Apparently, the celestial bodies have their own “intelligence” and were governed in a hierarchical manner.
God had also shown the “intelligences” that was organized before the world was. These were the minds behind creation, which may be archangels. Right from the beginning, when the decision was made for them to go down to earth (either as incarnated beings or “soul-spirits”), a dissension already occurred. This had correspondence to the war between Archangel Michael and Satan in Revelation 12: 7-10. Nonetheless, the “Gods” (for they were called such in Chapter 4) went down to implement the planned creation of the world in six celestial days (a day and night of Kolob, a thousand earth years or more per day). The succeeding verses followed the Genesis creation story, which ended with Adam having a “help meet” for him (i.e., Eve). In the apocryphal Testament of Abraham, Abraham had experienced the mysteries of life and death. With Michael as guide, he viewed evolving life on its different higher heavenly realms of being.[35]
Book of Moses
In the introduction of the “Pearl of Great Price,” the Selections from the Book of Moses was “an extract from the book of Genesis of Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible, which he began in June 1830.”[36] The Selections from the Book of Moses was composed of eight chapters that alluded to verses in Genesis, Exodus, the apocryphal Books of Enoch and text not found in the canonize version. Chapter 1 cited the encounter of Moses with God, “face to face,” where Moses received his visions. Although not mentioned, the setting was the burning bush episode in “Horeb, the Mountain of God” in Midian, where Moses fled and stayed for 40 years after killing an Egyptian (Exodus 3:1). This was followed by the confrontation of Moses with Satan (Acts 7: 38; Jude 5-6). In his next meeting with God, Moses was shown many worlds created through the Son and was asked to write. Chapter 2 was similar to Genesis 1-2, the creation of the world and man.
Chapter 3 was a detail of Creation not found in Genesis. “For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth” with my “only Begotten Son” (3:5).[37] Chapter 4 related to the temptation of Eve (Genesis 3), with aspects on how Satan, also a son of God, became evil and how he induced the serpent to beguile Eve.[38] Chapter 5 related to Cain and Abel (Genesis 4). The first half of Chapter 6 reprised Genesis 5, i.e., the lineage of the Patriarchs from Adam (1st Patriarch) until Enoch (7th). The second half and chapter 7 were revelations to and prophecies of Enoch. Chapter 8 included the prophecies of Methuselah (8th), Lamech (9th), the prophecies of Noah (10th) and his sons, Japheth, Shem and Ham (in that order), until God’s decree of the destruction of all flesh by the flood.
Among the visions of Enoch: “Jesus Christ” as the “only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men” (6:52). Regarding sin, Adam and his children “taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good” and repent (6:56). As part of the plan of salvation, Adam was baptized “and the Spirit of God descended upon him and…he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man” (6:65). He was baptized “after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity” (6:66). This referred to the Priesthood in the Order of Melchisedek (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7: 2-3; 6-7).
Enoch spoke of ancient wars between the people of God and their enemies, amidst upheavals; land rose from the sea, where the enemies went; giants stood afar off and people against God were cursed. God called his people Zion, because they were of “one heart and mind, and dwelt in righteousness” (7:18). God built the city of Zion, “the City of Holiness,” which was eventually taken up into his abode in heaven. Apparently this was Salem, the kingdom of Melchisedek, the “Ancient of Days” (Genesis 14:18).The residue of the people of Adam, i.e., of Cain, who were cursed, were left to repent and, with their given “knowledge,” to learn “to love one another.” Enoch was carried further up in the bosom of the Father and saw that Satan’s power veiled all earth, but angels descended bearing testimonies of the Father and Son; “and the Holy Ghost fell on many and they were caught up…into Zion.” Enoch saw the “Son of Man” lifted up on the cross after the manner of man, ascended to the Father, provided rest to earth, and gathered the people to “Zion; a New Jerusalem.” The verses were similar to Revelation 12 onwards.
Hindsight: God-Inspired Bible
The facts behind the Old Testament contradicted the Christian dogma that it is “infallible.” Definitely, there was human error in the consolidation; alterations were made and some facts (truths) were unwittingly edited out as apocryphal. However, the fundamentalist view persisted: that the Bible is the “word of God” given directly or by inspiration. Moreover, even if the Bible was considered a human quest, throughout two and a half millennia, it had been the cornerstone of Jewish life, the starting point of Christianity and the setting for Islam. It had shaped the lives of various peoples and races. It had influenced the direction of humanity (either towards chaos or harmony). “The Torah tradition testifies to a people of extraordinary spiritual sensitivity. God is not the author of the text, the people are; but God’s voice may be heard through theirs’ if we listen with open minds.”[39] Still, understanding was not a matter of faith. The Bible must be read with an open heart and mind, with the intent to understand. Further, it must be matched with earlier records from which it was based from.
Bibliography/References
[1] Groliers, Vol. 16, “Septuagint,” p. 403; Septuagint referred to the belief that it was made by 70 scholars. See also www.allabouttruth.org/septuagint.htm
[2] The Apocrypha, (Oxford University Press, London), cited in Newhouse, pp. 75
[3] Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol. 15, “Pseudepigrapha,” p. 262;
[4] See Chapter 9 – Jesus and the New Testament for details of the Council of Nicaea and Pseudepigrapha.
[5] Plaut, et. al., p. XXIV
[6] D. McFarlan, ed., Guinness Book of Records 1992, Bantam Books, NY, p. 459
[7] Op.cit.
[8] Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol.6, “Elam,” p. 384
[9] Sitchin, p. 85--86; in the 1930s, archeologists unearthed Mari, the capital city of the Amorites (c. 3000-2000 BC). In c.1800 BC, the Amorites came down the Euphrates River from Syria to conquer the Sumerians and Akkadians. They transformed Akkad to Babel and started the Babylonian Dynasty in Mesopotamia. The chief god of Mari was Adad, equivalent to the Canaanite Baal. The Mari text also depicted an older deity, Dagan, equivalent to El.
[10] Howard La Fay “Ebla Splendour of an Unknown Empire,” National Geographic, Dec 1978, p. 754
[11] The Ebla tablets contradicted the view that God revealed his name to Moses for the first time in Exodus 6:3; it affirmed Genesis 22:14: when Abraham was stopped from cutting the throat of his son, Isaac, he called the place Jehovah-jireh (Jehovah sees). See Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, p. 167.
[12] Eber lived for 464 years (Gen. 11:16-26). From Eber (who at 34 fathered Peleg) to Abraham were 7 generations and a period of 225 years. If Abraham was born in c. 1900 BC, Eber lived from c. 2125 BC to 1661 BC. When Abraham died at 175 years old in 1725 BC, Eber was 400, outliving him by 64 years.
[13] L. Delaporte, “Phoenician Mythology,” in Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, pp. 73-86; before the 1950s, Byblos, the capital city of Phoenicia, was considered the oldest city (according to Greek tradition, it was founded by Cronos, god of time). Then in 1952-58, archeologist Dr. Kathleen Kenyon unearthed Jericho, the oldest city (dated at 8000 BC).
[14] Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol. 4, “Canaanite Civilization,” p. 63; Sitchin, pp. 78-79
[15] Jacob’s mother Rebekah, although a Hebrew, had Aramaean lineage (Genesis 25:20; Hosea 12:12).
[16] Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol. 2, “Aramaeans,” p. 69
[17] Plaut et al., pp. XXII-XXIII; Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, International Edition, Vol. 10, “Bible,” 2002, Vol. 3, p. 103. The Documentary Hypothesis, which detailed the four major sources of the Torah, was expounded by its two most prominent expositors, Karl Graft and Julius Wellhausen.
[18] Dr. Bernard Bamberger, quoted in Plaut et. el., “Torah, a Modern Commentary,” p. XXII
[19] The Watchtower, Vol. 126, No.10, “Highlights from the Book of First Samuel,” May 2005, p. 16
[20] Bernard J. Bamberger, “The Torah and the Jewish People,” in Plaut, et. al. al., p. XXIX
[21] Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, 2002, Vol. 10, “Judaism,” p. 400-404
[22] W. Gunther Plaut et al., “Torah, a Modern Commentary,” Union of American Hebrew Congregations, New York, 1981, p.1170; the Talmud is an elaboration and commentary on the Oral Law or Mishnah.
[23] Ibid, p. 1011; Charles Berlitz, Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds, Corgy Books, London, 1978, p. 182; According to Berlitz, “bileam” meant “magician” in Hebrew; “balaam” was the Mayan “priest.”
[24] Plaut, et. al., p. XVIII; the Persian Empire introduced Zoroastrianism. Among the elements of the Persian religion possibly incorporated were belief in angels, the figure of Satan, the resurrection of the dead and the “end times,” marked particularly in the Book of Daniel.
[25] The Watchtower, “Highlights From the Book of First Chronicles,” Oct 1, 2005, p. 8-11
[26] Book of Jasher, New York, 1840, cited in H.P. Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled: A Master Key, Theosophical Society Press, California, 1950, p. 399-400. Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society.
[27] Flower Newhouse, Rediscovering the Angels, the Christward Ministry, Escondido, California, 1966, p. 75-76; Rene Noorbergen, Secrets of the Lost Races, William Collins Sons and Co, Ltd., Great Britain, 1977, p. 37; Blavatsky, p. 463; 453-456; J.J. Hurtak, The Keys of Enoch (Internet Posting); Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol. 7, “Enoch,” p. 262; Vol. 14, “Phoenix,” p. 382. According to Noorbergen, the name Enoch meant “devoted, the initiated (into secret learning), a teacher,” implying that Enoch was a man of mystic knowledge. Blavatsky identified Enoch with the Zodiac sign of Libra (balance), the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek Hermes (Roman Mercury), the god of wisdom (who carried the caduceus, the symbol for balance and harmony). Enoch represented the dual man – spirit and body, the counterpart of the Angel Prince Metatron (Mediator between spirit and matter or God and man). From Hurtak: the Greek “phoenix” came from the Egyptian “Pa-hanok,” which meant, the “House of Enoch.” The Egyptian legend of the phoenix spoke of an eagle-like bird with red and gold plumage (as described by Herodotus) in Arabia, which was born, lived, and, after 500 years, eventually built its own funeral pyre. Out of the ashes, a new phoenix was reborn for another 500 years cycle. Symbolic of the rising and setting of the sun, it appeared in medieval Christianity as a symbol of death and resurrection.
[28] “3 Enoch,” trans. by Hugo Odeberg, (Cambridge University Press), cited in Newhouse, pp. 75; “Apocalypse of Enoch,” cited in Abdul Ahad Dawud, Muhammad in the Bible, Hazif and Sons, Karachi, 2001, p. 263-6; according to Newhouse, three versions of the Books of Enoch were known – Hebrew, Ethiopian, and Greek, with the Ethiopian considered as the most reliable. In Dawud, in the early 1800s, an Ethiopian copy was found in the Canon of the Abyssinian Church and translated to German by Dr. Dillman and to English by Irish Bishop Lawrence.
[29] www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Christianity/Other_Books/Dead_Sea_Scrolls; except one, almost complete copies of the five Books of Enoch, written in Aramaic, were among the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran (1940s). More intriguing is that additional, previously unknown or little-known texts were also discovered. Among these is The Book of Giants which was a rendering of 1 Enoch. The name of one of the giants is Gilgamesh, the Babylonian epic hero, c. 3rd millennium BCE.
[30] Almost all mythologies had angels. The word “angel” (Greek Angelos; Hebrew Malach) was used both as a generic term to refer to all heavenly beings; and specifically to those of the third sphere, closes to the physical. Likewise, “archangel” was generic for higher orders of heavenly beings. Angels may be considered as prisms of light (i.e., angles) that differentiated the unrestricted (high energy) light of God, the same way that the ionosphere (and ozone layer) converted the sun’s energies to sustain earth life.
[31] Angels cited in Hebrews 1: 14; 2:1-2; 5-8, Acts 7: 53; 2 Samuel 7:14, Psalm 8:4-6; 68:17; Galatians 3:19.
[32] The Book of Mormon, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Utah, 1981; Joseph Smith was born in Vermont in 1805. By his account, in 1827, he was guided by the angel Moroni to go to a hill in Manchester, Ontario county, New York, to uncover metal plates, a breastplate and two precious “seer” stones, the Urim and Thummim that enabled him to translate the contents of the plates (see Exodus 28:15-16; 30; 1 Samuel 14:41; 23:6-12; 28:26). There were four metal plates: the Plates of Ether, the Plates of Nephi, the Plates of Mormon, and the Plates of Brass. The Plates of Ether was the story of the Jaredites, who migrated to the Americas after the Tower of Babel; they fell into evil and were destroyed in a civil war. A survivor, historian Ether buried his chronicles. The Plates of Nephi and Mormon told of the prophet Lehi and his tribe; they were descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph (Genesis 41:50-52; Alma 10:3). They migrated from Jerusalem in 600 BC to escape the Babylonians and became two nations - the Nephites and Lamanites. Like the Jaredites 16 centuries earlier, they self-destructed; the Lamanites became the principal ancestors of the American Indians. The Nephites discovered the chronicles of Ether, and when their time came, they too hid their own golden plates. This was accomplished by Mormon and his son Moroni. Moroni thereafter appeared as an angel to Joseph Smith for the revelations. The Plates of Brass, which were brought by the people of Lehi, contained the five books of Moses, the record of the Jews until the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and other prophecies (1 Nephi 5:11-13).
[33] The “Book of Abraham,” in The Pearl of Great Price, published by the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt City, Utah, 1981, p. 29-42
[34] This had correspondences in astronomy and mythology. Kolob may refer to the intelligence behind the Milky Way. Sirius (8.6 light years away), is a double-star system (Sirius A and B), the brightest star in the sky after the sun. In Egyptian mythology, Sirius was the essence of Isis, goddess of wisdom and healings (Greek: Demeter, Hera and Selene). Sirius' rising marked the start of the Egyptian’s 365-day solar year. For Greeks, Sirius meant, “scorching or burning.” It had been scientifically established that the solar system and the Sirius system rotate around each other and both revolve around a still higher celestial body (Oliblish?) within the Milky Way. The solar system is also assumed to move towards the Pleiades system (400 light years away). In Greek mythology, the 7 stars of the Pleiades were named after the daughters of Atlas, with the earth (Gaea) considered as the eight. Atlas and Prometheus were sons of the Titan Iapetus; Atlas was condemned to carry the vaults of heaven on the edge of the world (i.e., the Hesparides), while Prometheus was responsible for the creation of man. Hermes (Egyptian Thoth) was the son of Zeus and Maia (one of the Pleiades), who brought wisdom into the world (i.e., the keys of Enoch). Amos 5:8 singled out the Pleiades (and Orion): “He who made the Pleiades and Orion…who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name…”
[35] Testament of Abraham, trans. G.H. Box, Macmillian Co., London, cited in Newhouse, p. 66.
[36] “Introductory Note” and “Selections from the Book of Moses,” in Pearl of Great Price, pp. 1-27
[37] In Blavatsky, p. 169; 270; the Cabbalistic Adam Kadmon model was a collective humanity within the unity of the creative God and Universal Spirit. He was the “heavenly man” created and used as vehicle to form the earthly Adam. Eve was the unity of nature; Adam, the unity of Spirit. The former was the created material principle, the latter, the ideal organ of the creative principle. The man principle was active spirit; the female principle was passive matter, (“matter” being associated with “mother” in any language). The spiritual Adam Kadmon was both male and female; as he entered the physical plane, and in the course of evolution (“a long sleep”) he eventually became separated – the physical Adam and Eve.
[38] In Ezekiel 28: 11-19, Satan was allegorically depicted as the king of Tyre, who was the “signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty;” “You were in Eden, the garden of God;” “You were blameless…from the day you were created till iniquity was found in you…you were filled with violence; and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God;” Your heart was proud… you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.”
[39] Ibid, p. XIX
This chapter focused on the history of the Old Testament, alongside cultures (and myths) that influenced the writing of biblical books. It also highlighted the apocryphal (from “crypto,” “hidden”) books of Jashar, Enoch, Abraham and Moses, with the possibility that they were written before and provided insights into the canonized Bible.
In c. 450 BC, the “Members of the Great Synagogue” (initiated by Ezra and Nehemiah) began the canonization of the Hebrew Bible; that is, they sorted out what was inspired by God. Between 275 and 100 BC, under the Greek Empire (c. 331-146 BC), Alexandrian Jews translated the Hebrew Bible and arranged the books into the now extant Greek Septuagint.[1] Under the Roman Empire (146 BC - 476 AD), the canonized Hebrew Bible was affirmed by the 90 AD Jewish Council of Jamnia; and again in c. 400 AD. It consisted of 24 books and was called Tanakh, from the first letters of its three main sections: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Kethuvim (Writings). The Torah included the five books of Moses. The Nevi’im consisted of the (a) “earlier prophets” Joshua, Judges, Samuel and the Book of Kings, (b) “later prophets” Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and (c) 12 “minor prophets” (due to their brevity). The Kethuvim included the poetic books (Psalms, Proverbs and Job), five scrolls (Songs of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentation, Ecclesiastes and Esther), Books of Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles.
In the 312 Edict of Milan, Roman Emperor Constantine I made Christianity the state religion. The 325 AD Christian Council of Nicaea, declared Jesus as “Son of God.” In c. 390 AD, the Bible (Hebrew/ Greek Old Testament and Greek New Testament) was translated to Latin by St. Jerome (347-420). It was canonized in the 393 Council of Hippo and affirmed by the 397 Synod of Carthage. Nonetheless, the Jews rejected Jesus as God and did not use the term “Old Testament” since it implied a new testament. For them, the “Bible” referred only to the Tanakh. The Christian version of the Old Testament is a set of 39 books arranged into four: (a) the Pentateuch, (b) the historical books (i.e., the earlier prophets of the Nevi’im, plus Ruth, two Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther), (c) the poetical or wisdom books, and (d) the prophetic books (i.e., the later and minor prophets of Nevi’im, plus the two books of Kings, Daniel and Lamentations).
Other scriptures included in the Septuagint, but excluded from the Hebrew or Christian Bible were considered as apocryphal.[2] Coined by St. Jerome, apocrypha generally referred to ancient Jewish scriptures written during the period between the last Jewish scripture, Malachi, and the arrival of Jesus Christ. The apocryphal books were Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus), the Wisdom of Solomon, the four Books of Maccabees, the two Books of Esdras, additions to the Book of Esther, additions to the Book of Daniel, and, Psalm 151. The apocryphal books were not recognized by Orthodox Jews and Protestant Christians. However, the Roman Catholic Church canonized Tobit, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch and 1 and 2 Maccabees; the Orthodox churches also accepted the Apocrypha, except for Esdras. Other books considered apocryphal are the five books of Enoch, Testament of Abraham, and Testament of Moses.
The Pseudepigrapha (“books with false titles”) referred to books written between 200 BC and 200 AD, titled after persons of earlier periods.[3] Among them: the Jewish 3 and 4 Esdras, Prayer of Manasseh, Jubilees, Psalms of Solomon, the Testament of Moses, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Sibylline Oracles, and Apocalypse of Baruch. Others existed in Greek and other languages, many being revisions of Jewish books: Apocalypse of Adam, Ascension of Isaiah and Shepherd of Hermas.[4]
No original manuscript of the Hebrew Bible is extant. “The oldest extant parchment scroll of the Torah dates from about 900 C.E., which is probably more than 1,300 years later than the likely time of its composition.”[5] Likewise, “The oldest…Bible is the Codex Vaticanus… in Greek ante AD 350…preserved in the Vatican Museum.”[6] The closest to the original Hebrew was the Masoretic version. The Masoretes were scholars who, over the centuries, preserved the best text and relayed the Masorah (textual traditions). “One of these versions, produced in Tiberias in the tenth century C.E., found general acceptance and is the standard Hebrew text in synagogue used today.”[7]
Setting of the Bible
When and where did the Bible start? Before Abraham (c. 1900 BC) in Ur, Mesopotamia and the written Hebrew, biblical events were depicted in hieroglyphics by the Sumerian civilization (c. 4000-2700 BC). In Sumer (biblical Shiner), Mesopotamia, the Sumerians invented cuneiform (pictographic) writing, a keystone of civilization. In c. 2400 BC, Sargon led a Semitic-speaking race from the west and conquered Sumer; he started the city of Agade (kingdom of Akkad). The language he had joined the Sumerian tongue; both were written in Sumerian cuneiform. In c. 2050-1950 BC, Sumerians from Ur regained control, but had already been backward-looking; they studied the original Sumerian texts like the present era studied Latin (a “dead language”).
In the 4th millennium BC, ancient Elam (Southwestern Iran or Khuzestan) was also under Mesopotamian rule. After 2000 BC, it controlled southern Mesopotamia.[8] In c. 1800-1600 BC, the Babylonians assumed power, with Hammurabi as its greatest ruler.[9] About that time (c. 1800 BC), Abraham left Ur and settled in Canaan. In Genesis 14, king Chedorlaomer of Elam, with the king of Shinar (Sumer) and two other kings defeated the kingdoms of Sodom, Gomorrah and three others in the Valley of Siddim (in present day Lebanon). Abraham, whose nephew Lot (from Sodom) was held captive, pursued and defeated Chedorlaomer; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah followed. In c. 1700 BC), the Jews, led by Jacob, migrated from Canaan (due to famine) to Egypt. In c. 1453 BC, Moses led the Exodus to Canaan. In c. 1600-1150 BC, the Kassites ruled southern Mesopotamia while the Assyrians gained the north. In c. 950 BC, the Jewish kingdoms of Israel and Judah arose. In the 6th century BC, Persian king Cyrus (599-530 BC) was born in Susa, the capital of Elam; he ruled the Persian Empire from Susa.
In 1975, some 4,500 year-old clay tablets among the ruins of a burnt library in Northwestern Syria revealed the Semitic Ebla civilization, which rivaled Egypt and Mesopotamia in 2400 - 2000 BC. The tablets also affirmed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.[10] Before the Exodus (c. 1453 BC), God was referred to as El. Then Exodus 3:14 revealed His name as Yahweh. The Ebla tablets proved that 1,000 years earlier, both Il and Ya forms matching El and Yahweh existed in Semitic names, like Mi-ka-il (“who is like God?”) and Mi-ka-Ya (“who is like Ya?”).[11] Other common names were Abraham, Esau, Saul and David. Ironically, King Ebrium bore an uncanny likeness to Eber, 7th generation ancestor of Abraham.[12] Ebla was conquered by Elamites and Amorites (Babylonians), but rebuilt in c. 2000 BC. In 1650 BC, it was destroyed by the Hittites.
The Phoenicians, the heirs to Ebla’s legacy, migrated to the land between the Mediterranean and the Syrian Desert. Their records (c. 2000 BC) were found among the ruins of Gubla (the Greek’s Byblos), today’s Jebeil, a village of Lebanon.[13] They revealed the Phoenician-Syrian seaport cities of Ugarit, Sidon, Tyre, Arvad, Berytus (Beirut) and Byblos. Also, the epic Ras Shamrah (c. 1400 BC), unearthed in Ugarit, revealed a hierarchy of gods, which, aside from El, had been violently opposed by the Hebrews. The head of the pantheon was El, honored by the western Semites and Canaanites. After El, was Ba’al or Hadad, the god of the atmosphere, clouds and tempest. Mot, a son of El, was the god of harvest who died, was reborn, and defeated in battle by Aleyin, the spirit of spring and a son of Ba’al. Asherat, “Mother of the Gods,” was also the mother of Baal. The similarity with Sumerian was clear: El is An, “god of the heavens;” Mot is Enki, “god of earth;” Ba’al is Enlil, “god of air;” and Asherat is Ninhursag. In c. 1000 BC, the Hebrews adopted the use of the Phoenician alphabet (phonetics) for writing. The words “Bible” and “bibliography” came from “Byblos.”
The Canaanite civilization flourished in what were now Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan during the Bronze Age (c. 3000 – 2000 BC). In Genesis 9:18 and 10:16, Canaan was the son of Ham, the third-born of Noah. In Canaanite text, Baal was the “Son of Dagon,” (El) with a forked lightning as his symbol (like the Greek Zeus). He was also Elyon, prince and heir apparent to El, but had to fight first with his brother Yam (Prince of the Sea), then his brother Mot (the Smiter). He was vanquished by Mot, but his sister Anat refused to accept his demise. Anat killed Mot, leading to the miraculous resurrection of Baal. El declared him “Prince of Earth.” Baal’s resurrection was celebrated annually as part of the Canaanite fertility ritual. A cult of Baal, particularly the human sacrifice and temple prostitutions linked with it, was denounced by Old Testament prophets.[14]
The Aramaeans were a West Semitic Syro-Palestinian people (in c. 1500 BC). In Genesis 10: 22, Aram was a son of Sem, a son of Noah. In Genesis 22: 20-21, Aram was a grandson of Abraham’s brother Nahor. In Deuteronomy 26:5, Jacob was “a wandering Aramaean.”[15] By c. 1000 BC, Aramaeans built city-state kingdoms in Syria and along the Upper Euphrates. After 1000 BC, they mixed with the Israelites. From late 8th century BC, their territories were annexed to the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian empires, (which assumed power in succession).[16] From the Persians (c. 539 BC) and thereafter, Aramaic became the common language.
Setting of Old Testament Books
Using an eclectic approach, scholars had arrived at estimates for the time when the biblical books were written (summarized primarily from “The Torah, A Modern Commentary” by W. Gunther Plaut, alongside with the “Bible” and biblical book entries in the Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge).[17] The Torah (i.e., Pentateuch) was based on four principal sources (called J, E, P and D), the combination of which resulted in the creation of the Torah as a single book by Jewish Canonization. The oldest, J, was perhaps written in ancient Judah (southern kingdom), sometime after Solomon (c. 900 BC). J used the divine name “JHWH” and was responsible for most of Genesis. Between 900 and 750 BC, a version from Israel (northern kingdom), was woven in (called Ephraim, E). E used “Elohim” and authored the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) and other passages of Genesis as well as much in Exodus and Numbers. E was most likely a contemporary of J.
D was the author of Deuteronomy (or most of it), compiled in the 7th century. The book was said to have been discovered by King Josiah in 621 BC (2 Kings 22). Some also assigned Genesis 14 to D. The priestly P authored the first chapter of Genesis, the book of Leviticus and other sections characterized by interest in genealogies and priesthood. This was considered the latest part of the Torah, composed during or after the Babylonian exile (approximately 595-516 BC). “It was intended as a sort of constitution for the Second Commonwealth when the Jews had no king and the High Priest was leader and spokesman of the nation. According to this theory, P was the framework into which J/E and D were fitted, in the fifth century BCE.”[18] The priestly source (P) contained many old strands and traditions probably pre-dating J and E, but incorporated later additions when the document was put into final form after the return from the exile.
The books of Joshua and Judges were written about 961-922 BC, but extensively edited by writers of the D source. Samuel wrote a major part of First Samuel (c. 1040 BC); however, Gad and Nathan, two prophets close to King David, wrote Second Samuel.[19] The Book of Ruth had a style consistent with 950-750 BC, but the Davidic genealogy was appended after the exile (c. 500-350 BC). Amos was a Judean shepherd and tree farmer; Isaiah was a member of the royal household in Jerusalem (Judea); Hosea lived in the northern country (Israel), a contemporary of Joel and Micah; they witnessed the destruction of Israel in the 8th-7th century BC. Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Nahum belonged to the 7th century. Ezekiel, Daniel, Obadiah and the authors of chapters 40-66 of Isaiah (called Deutero-Isaiah) were written during and after the exile (c. 537 BC). Zechariah, Jeremiah and Haggai wrote after the release from captivity and the return to Jerusalem led by Zerubbabel (c. 534 BC). Malachi and the unknown author of Jonah were with Nehemiah and Ezra when the temple was reconstructed (c. 444 BC).
After Jerusalem was restored when Nehemiah was the governor of Israel and king Artaxerxes ruled the Persian Empire on his 32nd year (c. 444 BC), the scribe Ezra made a public reading of the Torah in Jerusalem. Thereafter, the entire people agreed to a solemn vow to obey the Torah; this was ratified in writing by the leaders (Nehemiah 8-10). Traditionally, the event was considered a reaffirmation of the covenant at Mt. Sinai. “But modern scholars explain the event as marking the completion of the written Torah in substantially its present form and its adoption as the official ‘constitution’ of the Jewish community.”[20] The Torah, as edited by scribes, was formally accepted by the Jews as the rule for their life. In a sense, Judaism, the religion of the Jews was formalized.[21]
Biblical Editing
Presumably, the restoration of the Torah in c. 900 BC was based on earlier (missing) records, with two mentioned in the Bible: the “Book of Jashar” and the “Book of the Wars.” Likewise, there was a talmudic opinion that there were “Seven Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers 1-21, Balaam (Numbers 22-24), Numbers 25-end, and Deuteronomy.”[22] Numbers 1-21 dealt with regulations promulgated in Sanai after the Exodus. The “Book of Balaam,” possibly “once a separate book by that name,” consisted of four oracles about Balaam, a pagan talking with the Lord of Israel.[23] Numbers 25-36 were events before the crossing of River Jordan and the Jericho invasion.
Another major editing was also probably made after a holocaust in c. 687 BC (as claimed by Velikovski). Amos, who saw the destruction of Israel and Assyria in the days of Uzziah, c. 726 - 686 BC, prophesied “two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1). He quoted God: “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight…I will bring sackcloth upon all loins and baldness on every head” (Amos 8: 9-10). Isaiah described the aftermath: “For the Lord has poured out…a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes the prophets, and covered your heads, the seers. And the vision of all these has become…like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed’” (Isaiah 29:10-11).
After nearly 200 years, Zechariah (c. 520-518 BC, during the Persian Empire) affirmed the cataclysm and predicted a pole shift. “And the valley of my mountains shall be stopped…and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzzi’ah, king of Judah” (Zechariah 14: 5); “And there shall be continuous day…not day, not night, for at evening time, there shall be light” (14: 7). To Haggai (c. 520 BC), God spoke: “I am about to shake the heavens and the earth” (Haggai 2: 20-22). Apparently, memory recall was erased: “on that day, says the Lord of Host, I will cut off the names of the idols…so that they shall be remembered no more; and…remove…the prophets and the unclean spirits…every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesied; he will not put on a hairy mantle to deceive, but he will say… I am a tiller of the soil” (Zechariah 13: 2-5). Prophecy waned and eventually disappeared, but the writings were compiled as sacred literature. Moreover, in addition to the influence of the Babylonian tradition, the Jews apparently adopted some tenets of their Persian benefactors.[24]
Kings, Chronicles and the Tanakh
The Books of Kings and the Books of Chronicles were apparently meant as a historical consolidation until the release of Jews from captivity in c. 534 BC. Similarly, the poetic books (Psalms, Proverbs and Job), the Songs of Solomon and Ecclesiastes were collections of the maxims of David, Solomon and other prophets. The Kings and the Chronicles referred to and appeared to have been abridged from original and now non-extant works. The acts of David were cited from the “Chronicles of Samuel…Chronicles of Nathan…and Chronicles of Gad” (1 Chronicles 29:29). Solomon was cited from the “book of the acts of Solomon” (1 Kings 11:41) and the “history of Nathan” (2 Chronicles 9: 29). The acts of Rehoboam were written in the “Chronicles of Shemaiah” (2 Chronicles 12:15). Moreover, the acts of kings after Solomon were recorded in the “Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah” (1 Kings 14:29) and the “Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel” (1 King 15:31; 1 Chronicles 8:1).
“Aside from the genealogical records, First Chronicles covers a period of some 40 years, from the death of King Saul to the death of King David. The priest Ezra was credited with…this book in the year 460 B.C.E.”[25] But in 1 Chronicles 3: 19-24, the lineage of David (and Solomon) reached until the 7th generation from Zerubbabel, who led the Jewish return to Jerusalem after their Babylonian captivity in 534 BC. Seven generations meant 140-350 years after (at 20-50 years per generation) or in c. 394-184 BC. This implied that the Tanakh was again edited at least 46 years from Ezra and possibly just before or after the Greeks conquered the Persians (in 331 BC). Presumably, the Book of Esther, circa the early 2nd century BC, was added.
Books of Jashar and the Wars
The Book of Jashar was referred to when “the sun stood still” in Gibeon (Joshua 10:13). It was cited in a lamentation of David: “Thy glory, Oh Israel, is slain upon the high places! How are the mighty fallen” (2 Samuel 1: 19). The Book of the Wars was the reference for Arnon and Moab, before the Jews conquered Heshbon (Numbers 21: 14). Who was Jashar? From the Jewish lineage (Table 2-2), Jesher (Jashar or Jasher) was the son of Caleb. Caleb was 40 years old during the Exodus, when he and several others spied on Canaan. He was 85 when the Promised Land was divided (Numbers 13-14; Joshua 12: 7-8; 13; 14: 6-14; Judges 1: 9-10). Jashar belonged to the fifth generation from Judah; and the generation after Moses, along with Judges Gideon and Ehud. His contemporaries were Eleazar (Eli), the priest; Gershom, the son of Moses; Abimelech, son of Gideon; and Judges Tola, Jair and Jephthah. He was possibly in his 20s when Moses (at 80) led the Exodus. He lived through the conquest of the Promised Land. He was in his 60s (his father Caleb was 85) when the “Land” was allocated.
H.P. Blavatsky wrote that a version of the Book of Jasher was composed in Spain in the 12th century as “a popular tale” not sanctioned by the Rabbinical College of Venice. However, “It contains the whole of the Old Testament in a condense form…i.e., the five Books of Moses…the Book of Jasher is the true original form from which the subsequent Bible was in part composed.” [26] Blavatsky quoted Jasher 79: 45: the Egyptian Magi when asked by Pharaoh: “Who is he, of whom Moses speaks as the I am?” reply that the god of Moses “we have learned, is the son of the Wise, the Son of ancient kings.” The answer to the verse was in Isaiah: “The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, ‘I am a son of the wise, a sign of ancient kings?’ Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you and make known what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.” (Isaiah 19:11-12)
Books of Enoch
Enoch was the first born of Cain (Genesis, 4:17). Enoch was also the 7th Patriarch who “walked with God” (5:22). According to Flower Newhouse, in olden times, Enoch was a generic title for a “seer.”[27] The Books of Enoch were composed of five books with 110 chapters of unequal length.[28] Chapters 6-19 of 1 Enoch was an apparent elaboration of Genesis 6: 1-4 (about nefilims); it described the fall of angels, their illicit affairs with the daughters of men, which gave birth to a race of giants, along with vice and evil.[29] It ended with the deluge as punishment from God. 2 Enoch (possibly written by several authors and corrupted by Christian scribes) described the Kingdom of Peace, with the “Son of Man” catching kings living in excesses and precipitating them to hell. 3 Enoch contained angels, cosmology and physics. 4 Enoch personified the human hybrid. A white bull came out of the earth, followed by a white heifer. They gave birth to two calves, a black and a red. The black bull chased away the red, and then met a heifer; they gave birth to several black calves. The mother cow left the black bull in search of the red. The red bull appeared and they propagated. 5 Enoch contained religious and moral exhortations (in Aramaic, showing that it was written in c. 110 BC by a Palestinian Jew).
Chapter 42 of 3 Enoch described the graduation of celestial life: Angels, Archangels, Angel Princes and Angel Kings.[30] Angel Princes have “crowns of kinship to designate them from crowns of Glory.” Angel Princes of the highest ranks were called Irin (Watchers) and Qaddishin (Holy Ones); they were four in number. “And the splendor of their countenance is a reflection of the splendor of Shekinah.” Shekinah meant the divine manifestation of God’s presence or Active Light at the causal or abstract level of mind. Metatron, the Angel Prince of the Presence, had access to the Divine Presence, the face of the Godhead, who possessed knowledge of Divine Secrets and Decrees. He was the Prince of the 7th Hall; an authority and judge of all the hosts of angels and of those Angel Princes who were not above the entrance to the 7th hall.
In Daniel 10:21 & 12: 1, Gabriel and Michael were called Princes, with Michael as the “great prince who has charge” of the people of Daniel (i.e., the Jews).[31] In Daniel 8: 23-25, Gabriel told Daniel that a king of bold countenance shall rise and “in his own mind…shall magnify himself…destroy many…and even rise up against the Prince of princes.” This king most likely referred to Leviathan or Satan (Isaiah 14:12-15).
In symbolic terms, Metatron urged Enoch: “Come and I will show thee where the waters are suspended in the highest, where fire is burning in the midst of hail, where lightning lightens out in the midst of snowy mountains, where thunders are roaring in the celestial heights, where a flame is burning in the midst of a burning fire, and where voices make themselves heard in the midst of a thunder and the earthquake” (3 Enoch 42). In Cabbalistic symbolism, water related to the astral (or emotional world), fire referred to the causal world (abstract world or world of causes in contrast to the world of effects or physical world), the treasuries of sound, energy and creative inspiration. Paul had a similar experience of “being caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthian 12: 2-4).
Books of Abraham
Did Abraham and Moses write their own books, not in Hebrew which was yet non-existent, but in Egyptian hieroglyphics? In 1830, Joseph Smith, the first Mormon prophet, maintained that the Books of Abraham, Moses and other prophets were brought out of Jerusalem during the time of King Zedekiah of Judah in c. 600 BC by Lehi of the tribe of Joseph.[32] The texts were Egyptian, Assyrian, Chaldean and Arabic. In his introduction to the Book of Abraham, Smith maintained that it was “The writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, written by his own hand, upon papyrus,” translated from “some ancient Records that have fallen into our hands from the catacombs of Egypt.”[33]
The Book of Abraham was composed of 5 chapters and 3 facsimiles of Egyptian hieroglyphic writings with corresponding explanations. Chapters 1-2 and facsimile 1 detailed the lineage of Abraham, the idolatry of his father Terah, and his sojourn from Ur to Egypt as guided by Jehovah (Genesis 11-12; Joshua 24: 2; 14). Chapters 3-4 and facsimile 2 were visions about the Creation and the origin of the “Gods.” Chapter 5 shared how the Gods implemented the creation according to their plan. Facsimile 3 showed Abraham as a Priest in the tradition of the “Ancient of Days” in court with the Pharaoh and his associates and explaining the principles of astronomy. The “Ancient of Days” had bestowed the Priesthood to Adam, Seth, Noah, Melchisedek and Abraham.
The visions about the cosmos were revealed to Abraham as he offered sacrifice upon an altar he built for the Lord (Genesis 12:8; Abraham 2:20). In the cosmology the first creation was Kolob, which was nearest to the celestial resident of God. This was followed by the Egyptian Oliblish, who held the key of power pertaining to the planets. Shinehah (the Sun) borrowed its light from Kolob through a medium or key, a governing power that also governed 15 other fixed planets or stars, aside from the Moon, Earth and the Sun. In addition, Earth received power from two stars, which received their power from the revolutions of Kolob.[34] Kolob and Oliblish were also two spirits, with Kolob as the more intelligent (i.e., had a greater and deeper expanse of consciousness) and God more intelligent than them all. Apparently, the celestial bodies have their own “intelligence” and were governed in a hierarchical manner.
God had also shown the “intelligences” that was organized before the world was. These were the minds behind creation, which may be archangels. Right from the beginning, when the decision was made for them to go down to earth (either as incarnated beings or “soul-spirits”), a dissension already occurred. This had correspondence to the war between Archangel Michael and Satan in Revelation 12: 7-10. Nonetheless, the “Gods” (for they were called such in Chapter 4) went down to implement the planned creation of the world in six celestial days (a day and night of Kolob, a thousand earth years or more per day). The succeeding verses followed the Genesis creation story, which ended with Adam having a “help meet” for him (i.e., Eve). In the apocryphal Testament of Abraham, Abraham had experienced the mysteries of life and death. With Michael as guide, he viewed evolving life on its different higher heavenly realms of being.[35]
Book of Moses
In the introduction of the “Pearl of Great Price,” the Selections from the Book of Moses was “an extract from the book of Genesis of Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible, which he began in June 1830.”[36] The Selections from the Book of Moses was composed of eight chapters that alluded to verses in Genesis, Exodus, the apocryphal Books of Enoch and text not found in the canonize version. Chapter 1 cited the encounter of Moses with God, “face to face,” where Moses received his visions. Although not mentioned, the setting was the burning bush episode in “Horeb, the Mountain of God” in Midian, where Moses fled and stayed for 40 years after killing an Egyptian (Exodus 3:1). This was followed by the confrontation of Moses with Satan (Acts 7: 38; Jude 5-6). In his next meeting with God, Moses was shown many worlds created through the Son and was asked to write. Chapter 2 was similar to Genesis 1-2, the creation of the world and man.
Chapter 3 was a detail of Creation not found in Genesis. “For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth” with my “only Begotten Son” (3:5).[37] Chapter 4 related to the temptation of Eve (Genesis 3), with aspects on how Satan, also a son of God, became evil and how he induced the serpent to beguile Eve.[38] Chapter 5 related to Cain and Abel (Genesis 4). The first half of Chapter 6 reprised Genesis 5, i.e., the lineage of the Patriarchs from Adam (1st Patriarch) until Enoch (7th). The second half and chapter 7 were revelations to and prophecies of Enoch. Chapter 8 included the prophecies of Methuselah (8th), Lamech (9th), the prophecies of Noah (10th) and his sons, Japheth, Shem and Ham (in that order), until God’s decree of the destruction of all flesh by the flood.
Among the visions of Enoch: “Jesus Christ” as the “only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men” (6:52). Regarding sin, Adam and his children “taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good” and repent (6:56). As part of the plan of salvation, Adam was baptized “and the Spirit of God descended upon him and…he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man” (6:65). He was baptized “after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity” (6:66). This referred to the Priesthood in the Order of Melchisedek (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7: 2-3; 6-7).
Enoch spoke of ancient wars between the people of God and their enemies, amidst upheavals; land rose from the sea, where the enemies went; giants stood afar off and people against God were cursed. God called his people Zion, because they were of “one heart and mind, and dwelt in righteousness” (7:18). God built the city of Zion, “the City of Holiness,” which was eventually taken up into his abode in heaven. Apparently this was Salem, the kingdom of Melchisedek, the “Ancient of Days” (Genesis 14:18).The residue of the people of Adam, i.e., of Cain, who were cursed, were left to repent and, with their given “knowledge,” to learn “to love one another.” Enoch was carried further up in the bosom of the Father and saw that Satan’s power veiled all earth, but angels descended bearing testimonies of the Father and Son; “and the Holy Ghost fell on many and they were caught up…into Zion.” Enoch saw the “Son of Man” lifted up on the cross after the manner of man, ascended to the Father, provided rest to earth, and gathered the people to “Zion; a New Jerusalem.” The verses were similar to Revelation 12 onwards.
Hindsight: God-Inspired Bible
The facts behind the Old Testament contradicted the Christian dogma that it is “infallible.” Definitely, there was human error in the consolidation; alterations were made and some facts (truths) were unwittingly edited out as apocryphal. However, the fundamentalist view persisted: that the Bible is the “word of God” given directly or by inspiration. Moreover, even if the Bible was considered a human quest, throughout two and a half millennia, it had been the cornerstone of Jewish life, the starting point of Christianity and the setting for Islam. It had shaped the lives of various peoples and races. It had influenced the direction of humanity (either towards chaos or harmony). “The Torah tradition testifies to a people of extraordinary spiritual sensitivity. God is not the author of the text, the people are; but God’s voice may be heard through theirs’ if we listen with open minds.”[39] Still, understanding was not a matter of faith. The Bible must be read with an open heart and mind, with the intent to understand. Further, it must be matched with earlier records from which it was based from.
Bibliography/References
[1] Groliers, Vol. 16, “Septuagint,” p. 403; Septuagint referred to the belief that it was made by 70 scholars. See also www.allabouttruth.org/septuagint.htm
[2] The Apocrypha, (Oxford University Press, London), cited in Newhouse, pp. 75
[3] Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol. 15, “Pseudepigrapha,” p. 262;
[4] See Chapter 9 – Jesus and the New Testament for details of the Council of Nicaea and Pseudepigrapha.
[5] Plaut, et. al., p. XXIV
[6] D. McFarlan, ed., Guinness Book of Records 1992, Bantam Books, NY, p. 459
[7] Op.cit.
[8] Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol.6, “Elam,” p. 384
[9] Sitchin, p. 85--86; in the 1930s, archeologists unearthed Mari, the capital city of the Amorites (c. 3000-2000 BC). In c.1800 BC, the Amorites came down the Euphrates River from Syria to conquer the Sumerians and Akkadians. They transformed Akkad to Babel and started the Babylonian Dynasty in Mesopotamia. The chief god of Mari was Adad, equivalent to the Canaanite Baal. The Mari text also depicted an older deity, Dagan, equivalent to El.
[10] Howard La Fay “Ebla Splendour of an Unknown Empire,” National Geographic, Dec 1978, p. 754
[11] The Ebla tablets contradicted the view that God revealed his name to Moses for the first time in Exodus 6:3; it affirmed Genesis 22:14: when Abraham was stopped from cutting the throat of his son, Isaac, he called the place Jehovah-jireh (Jehovah sees). See Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, p. 167.
[12] Eber lived for 464 years (Gen. 11:16-26). From Eber (who at 34 fathered Peleg) to Abraham were 7 generations and a period of 225 years. If Abraham was born in c. 1900 BC, Eber lived from c. 2125 BC to 1661 BC. When Abraham died at 175 years old in 1725 BC, Eber was 400, outliving him by 64 years.
[13] L. Delaporte, “Phoenician Mythology,” in Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, pp. 73-86; before the 1950s, Byblos, the capital city of Phoenicia, was considered the oldest city (according to Greek tradition, it was founded by Cronos, god of time). Then in 1952-58, archeologist Dr. Kathleen Kenyon unearthed Jericho, the oldest city (dated at 8000 BC).
[14] Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol. 4, “Canaanite Civilization,” p. 63; Sitchin, pp. 78-79
[15] Jacob’s mother Rebekah, although a Hebrew, had Aramaean lineage (Genesis 25:20; Hosea 12:12).
[16] Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol. 2, “Aramaeans,” p. 69
[17] Plaut et al., pp. XXII-XXIII; Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, International Edition, Vol. 10, “Bible,” 2002, Vol. 3, p. 103. The Documentary Hypothesis, which detailed the four major sources of the Torah, was expounded by its two most prominent expositors, Karl Graft and Julius Wellhausen.
[18] Dr. Bernard Bamberger, quoted in Plaut et. el., “Torah, a Modern Commentary,” p. XXII
[19] The Watchtower, Vol. 126, No.10, “Highlights from the Book of First Samuel,” May 2005, p. 16
[20] Bernard J. Bamberger, “The Torah and the Jewish People,” in Plaut, et. al. al., p. XXIX
[21] Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, 2002, Vol. 10, “Judaism,” p. 400-404
[22] W. Gunther Plaut et al., “Torah, a Modern Commentary,” Union of American Hebrew Congregations, New York, 1981, p.1170; the Talmud is an elaboration and commentary on the Oral Law or Mishnah.
[23] Ibid, p. 1011; Charles Berlitz, Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds, Corgy Books, London, 1978, p. 182; According to Berlitz, “bileam” meant “magician” in Hebrew; “balaam” was the Mayan “priest.”
[24] Plaut, et. al., p. XVIII; the Persian Empire introduced Zoroastrianism. Among the elements of the Persian religion possibly incorporated were belief in angels, the figure of Satan, the resurrection of the dead and the “end times,” marked particularly in the Book of Daniel.
[25] The Watchtower, “Highlights From the Book of First Chronicles,” Oct 1, 2005, p. 8-11
[26] Book of Jasher, New York, 1840, cited in H.P. Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled: A Master Key, Theosophical Society Press, California, 1950, p. 399-400. Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society.
[27] Flower Newhouse, Rediscovering the Angels, the Christward Ministry, Escondido, California, 1966, p. 75-76; Rene Noorbergen, Secrets of the Lost Races, William Collins Sons and Co, Ltd., Great Britain, 1977, p. 37; Blavatsky, p. 463; 453-456; J.J. Hurtak, The Keys of Enoch (Internet Posting); Grolier Encyclopedia 2002, Vol. 7, “Enoch,” p. 262; Vol. 14, “Phoenix,” p. 382. According to Noorbergen, the name Enoch meant “devoted, the initiated (into secret learning), a teacher,” implying that Enoch was a man of mystic knowledge. Blavatsky identified Enoch with the Zodiac sign of Libra (balance), the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek Hermes (Roman Mercury), the god of wisdom (who carried the caduceus, the symbol for balance and harmony). Enoch represented the dual man – spirit and body, the counterpart of the Angel Prince Metatron (Mediator between spirit and matter or God and man). From Hurtak: the Greek “phoenix” came from the Egyptian “Pa-hanok,” which meant, the “House of Enoch.” The Egyptian legend of the phoenix spoke of an eagle-like bird with red and gold plumage (as described by Herodotus) in Arabia, which was born, lived, and, after 500 years, eventually built its own funeral pyre. Out of the ashes, a new phoenix was reborn for another 500 years cycle. Symbolic of the rising and setting of the sun, it appeared in medieval Christianity as a symbol of death and resurrection.
[28] “3 Enoch,” trans. by Hugo Odeberg, (Cambridge University Press), cited in Newhouse, pp. 75; “Apocalypse of Enoch,” cited in Abdul Ahad Dawud, Muhammad in the Bible, Hazif and Sons, Karachi, 2001, p. 263-6; according to Newhouse, three versions of the Books of Enoch were known – Hebrew, Ethiopian, and Greek, with the Ethiopian considered as the most reliable. In Dawud, in the early 1800s, an Ethiopian copy was found in the Canon of the Abyssinian Church and translated to German by Dr. Dillman and to English by Irish Bishop Lawrence.
[29] www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Christianity/Other_Books/Dead_Sea_Scrolls; except one, almost complete copies of the five Books of Enoch, written in Aramaic, were among the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran (1940s). More intriguing is that additional, previously unknown or little-known texts were also discovered. Among these is The Book of Giants which was a rendering of 1 Enoch. The name of one of the giants is Gilgamesh, the Babylonian epic hero, c. 3rd millennium BCE.
[30] Almost all mythologies had angels. The word “angel” (Greek Angelos; Hebrew Malach) was used both as a generic term to refer to all heavenly beings; and specifically to those of the third sphere, closes to the physical. Likewise, “archangel” was generic for higher orders of heavenly beings. Angels may be considered as prisms of light (i.e., angles) that differentiated the unrestricted (high energy) light of God, the same way that the ionosphere (and ozone layer) converted the sun’s energies to sustain earth life.
[31] Angels cited in Hebrews 1: 14; 2:1-2; 5-8, Acts 7: 53; 2 Samuel 7:14, Psalm 8:4-6; 68:17; Galatians 3:19.
[32] The Book of Mormon, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Utah, 1981; Joseph Smith was born in Vermont in 1805. By his account, in 1827, he was guided by the angel Moroni to go to a hill in Manchester, Ontario county, New York, to uncover metal plates, a breastplate and two precious “seer” stones, the Urim and Thummim that enabled him to translate the contents of the plates (see Exodus 28:15-16; 30; 1 Samuel 14:41; 23:6-12; 28:26). There were four metal plates: the Plates of Ether, the Plates of Nephi, the Plates of Mormon, and the Plates of Brass. The Plates of Ether was the story of the Jaredites, who migrated to the Americas after the Tower of Babel; they fell into evil and were destroyed in a civil war. A survivor, historian Ether buried his chronicles. The Plates of Nephi and Mormon told of the prophet Lehi and his tribe; they were descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph (Genesis 41:50-52; Alma 10:3). They migrated from Jerusalem in 600 BC to escape the Babylonians and became two nations - the Nephites and Lamanites. Like the Jaredites 16 centuries earlier, they self-destructed; the Lamanites became the principal ancestors of the American Indians. The Nephites discovered the chronicles of Ether, and when their time came, they too hid their own golden plates. This was accomplished by Mormon and his son Moroni. Moroni thereafter appeared as an angel to Joseph Smith for the revelations. The Plates of Brass, which were brought by the people of Lehi, contained the five books of Moses, the record of the Jews until the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and other prophecies (1 Nephi 5:11-13).
[33] The “Book of Abraham,” in The Pearl of Great Price, published by the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt City, Utah, 1981, p. 29-42
[34] This had correspondences in astronomy and mythology. Kolob may refer to the intelligence behind the Milky Way. Sirius (8.6 light years away), is a double-star system (Sirius A and B), the brightest star in the sky after the sun. In Egyptian mythology, Sirius was the essence of Isis, goddess of wisdom and healings (Greek: Demeter, Hera and Selene). Sirius' rising marked the start of the Egyptian’s 365-day solar year. For Greeks, Sirius meant, “scorching or burning.” It had been scientifically established that the solar system and the Sirius system rotate around each other and both revolve around a still higher celestial body (Oliblish?) within the Milky Way. The solar system is also assumed to move towards the Pleiades system (400 light years away). In Greek mythology, the 7 stars of the Pleiades were named after the daughters of Atlas, with the earth (Gaea) considered as the eight. Atlas and Prometheus were sons of the Titan Iapetus; Atlas was condemned to carry the vaults of heaven on the edge of the world (i.e., the Hesparides), while Prometheus was responsible for the creation of man. Hermes (Egyptian Thoth) was the son of Zeus and Maia (one of the Pleiades), who brought wisdom into the world (i.e., the keys of Enoch). Amos 5:8 singled out the Pleiades (and Orion): “He who made the Pleiades and Orion…who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name…”
[35] Testament of Abraham, trans. G.H. Box, Macmillian Co., London, cited in Newhouse, p. 66.
[36] “Introductory Note” and “Selections from the Book of Moses,” in Pearl of Great Price, pp. 1-27
[37] In Blavatsky, p. 169; 270; the Cabbalistic Adam Kadmon model was a collective humanity within the unity of the creative God and Universal Spirit. He was the “heavenly man” created and used as vehicle to form the earthly Adam. Eve was the unity of nature; Adam, the unity of Spirit. The former was the created material principle, the latter, the ideal organ of the creative principle. The man principle was active spirit; the female principle was passive matter, (“matter” being associated with “mother” in any language). The spiritual Adam Kadmon was both male and female; as he entered the physical plane, and in the course of evolution (“a long sleep”) he eventually became separated – the physical Adam and Eve.
[38] In Ezekiel 28: 11-19, Satan was allegorically depicted as the king of Tyre, who was the “signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty;” “You were in Eden, the garden of God;” “You were blameless…from the day you were created till iniquity was found in you…you were filled with violence; and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God;” Your heart was proud… you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.”
[39] Ibid, p. XIX
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