To you Jews: Jesus of Nazareth was a law abiding Jewish prophet.
To you Christians: Jesus of Nazareth was a law abiding Jewish prophet.
To you Muslims: Before the prophet Muhammad wrestled with his last teacher–the angel, his first teachers were Jews influenced by Jesus of Nazareth, a law abiding Jewish prophet.
Below are two simple syllogisms implied by the New Testament. The first is taken from theological concepts spread through its entirety. The second from 1 John 4:8 (NRSV).
IF: The Son of God
AND: The Son of Man (Humankind)
THEREFORE: Since the words, “Son” can be canceled out,
THEN: Is not God humankind?
“Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
“God IS love”
IF: We substitute IS for EQUALS
THEN: invert the statement and simple algebra is applied,
THEREFORE: Love IS God.
Then is it a probability that the love we have for each other and for all of humanity may be God?
[The logic should hold, IF the premises are “true.” John 18:38]
Most of my familiar Facebook friends,, went to my high school–good ol’ PHS. Most never knew me there. I met them, but I was a cipher & a little weird (still am). We were & are part of the Baby Boom generation, and a lot of them were freeks who protested against the demagoguery induced war in Viet Nam. Our friends never came back from this hellhole.
Now, we are middle aged and admittedly some of us sold out to the highest corporate bidder, because of family, while others “turned on, tuned in & dropped out”, because of drugs, so much so that they are dead.
Yet, we have a new generation taking over our old fogey asses: The Millennials.
These millennials, in my most humble opinion, represent a truly intelligent future. We, of the Who generation, must help them, not guide them, or act in any patronizing way, whatsoever, for we are of the past and we have failed this new generation. No, but we must become their partners in truth. We must alleviate any suspicion on their part against us. It is up to us to go hand-in-hand with those who, let’s face it, will replace us.
When did Officer Friendly die? I knew him in ’58. I always saw him walking around and helping people with their problems and actually solving crime. Did he get too old and tired, get an armored car, become flabby, grumpy and bad tempered? Then take the easy way out and solve crime by shredding people with automatic handguns and rifles? Did he become an unpaid employee of the corporate wealthy, then die of a diabetic coronary? But, when exactly?
ELOHIM RECITAL*
In the beginning, the essence of Elohim
was hovering over the face of the void;
and dark matter was without form,
and dark energy was over the face of the deep.
This essence of Elohim was a concept integrated within a void of data.
This algorithm of data created the conceptual manifestation
of a singularity within the formless void of potentiality
and mass/energy/plasma exploded into being!
The Elohim created the Big Bang;
And the Elohim saw that it was good;
the first stage of continuous creation.
And then the Elohim said,
“Let there be photons,”
and there was light.
And the Elohim saw that the light was good.
And the Elohim separated the light
from the darkness and matter and energy
separated into quantum states of being.
The Elohim called the higher energy states “light”,
and the lower energy states he called “matter”.
And there was darkness
and there was lightness;
And the Elohim saw that it was good;
the second stage of continuous creation.
Then the Elohim said,
“Let there be lights
in the expanse of the skies
to separate the day from the night.
And let them be for signs
and for seasons,
and for days and years,
and let there be lights
in the expanse of the the skies
to give light upon the planets.”
And it was so.
And the Elohim set them
in the expanse of the the skies
to give light on the planets
and to separate the light
from the darkness.
And the Elohim saw that it was good;
the third stage of continuous creation.
Billions of years evaporated
as would illimitable cold fogs
under innumerable hot suns.
And then the Elohim made
the two great lights to rule
over the day and over the night;
the greater light to rule the day,
the lesser light and the stars to rule the night.
And there was evening and there was morning;
a perfect day.
Then Elohim said,
“Let there be expansive space
in the between the waters,
and let it separate the clouds
from the waters.”
And the Elohim made the expanse
and separated the waters
that were above the expanse
from the waters
that were below the expanse.
And it was so.
And the Elohim called the expanse the Skies.
And the Elohim said,
“Let the waters under the the skies
be gathered together into one place,
and let the dry land appear.”
And it was so.
The Elohim called the dry land Earth,
and the waters that were gathered together
he called Seas.
And the Elohim saw that it was good;
the third stage of continuous creation.
And the Elohim said,
“Let the earth sprout vegetation,
plants yielding seed,
and fruit trees bearing fruit
in which is their seed,
each according to its kind,
on the earth and in the seas.”
And it was so.
The earth brought forth vegetation,
plants yielding seed
according to their own kinds,
and trees bearing fruit
in which is their seed,
each according to its kind.
And the Elohim saw that it was good.
And the Elohim said,
“Let the waters swarm with living creatures,”
so the Elohim created the great sea creatures
and let the waters swarm with every living creature
and that which swarms according to their kinds.
And the Elohim blessed them, saying,
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill
all the waters in the seas.”
And the Elohim blessed them, saying,
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill
all the lands and waters in the seas.”
And there was evening and there was morning;
another perfect day;
the fourth stage of continuous creation.
And the Elohim said,
“Let the earth bring forth living creatures
according to their kinds.
Dinosaur and reptile
and insect and mammal
of the earth according to their kinds.”
And it was so.
And the Elohim made the dinosaurs
of the earth according to their kinds
and the mammals according to their kinds,
and everything that creeps,
snakes and insects on the ground
according to its kind.
And the Elohim saw that it was good.
And the Elohim blessed them, saying,
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill all the lands.”
And the Elohim said,
“Let birds fly above the earth
across the expanse of the the skies.
and every winged bird according to its kind.”
And the Elohim saw that it was good.
And the Elohim blessed them, saying,
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill al the skies
and let birds multiply on all the earth.”
And there was evening and there was morning,
another perfect day;
the fifth stage of continuous creation.
And then the Elohim said,
“Let US make humans in the image
of OUR spirits
and after the likeness
of OUR souls.
And let them become guardians
over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the the skies
and over the animals of the earth,
over every insect thing that creeps on the earth
and over all the lands.”
So the Elohim created humans in his own image,
in the image of the Elohim
he created them;
male and female he created them.
And the Elohim said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply
and fill the earth and care for it,
and have guardianship over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the the skies
and over every living thing
that moves on the earth.”
And the Elohim said,
“Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed
that is on the face of all the earth,
and every tree with seed in its fruit.
You shall have them only for food.
And to every beast of the earth
and to every bird of the the skies
and to everything that creeps on the earth,
everything that has the breath of life,
I have given every green plant for food.”
And it was so.
And the Elohim
saw everything
that they had made,
and behold,
it was very good!
And there was evening and there was morning,
the most perfect day;
the sixth stage of continuous creation.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day Elohim finished his work that he had done,
and he entered on the seventh day into all his work that he had done.
So Elohim blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it Elohim entered his work that he had done in creation.
EHYAH-ASHER-EHYAH RECITAL*
When no bush of the field
was yet in the land
and no small plant of the field
had yet sprung up;
for the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
had not caused it to rain on the land,
and there was no Adama
to work the ground,
and a mist was going up
from the land
and was watering
the whole face of the ground,
then the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
formed the Adama of dust
from the ground
and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life,
and the Adama became a living creature.
Now the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
had planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and there he put the Adama whom he had formed.
And out of the ground
the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
made to spring up every tree
that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden,
and also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
took the Adama and put him in the garden of Eden
to work it and keep it.
And the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
commanded the Adama, saying,
“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
but of the tree of the knowledge
of the distinction between
conceptualized good and evil
you shall not eat,
for in the day that you eat of it,
you shall surely know you will die.”
Now out of the ground
the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
had formed every beast of the field
and every bird of the heavens
and brought them to the Adama
to see what he would name them.
And whatever the Adama
called every living creature,
that was then its conceptual idealization.
The Adama gave names to all livestock
and to the birds of the heavens
and to every beast of the field.
But for the Adama
there was not found a helper fit for him.
So the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
caused a deep sleep to fall upon the Adama,
and while he slept took some of his rib DNA
and closed up its place with flesh.
And the rib DNA that
the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
had taken from the Adama
he made into a woman
and brought her to the Adama.
And the man and his woman
were both naked
and were not ashamed.
Now the serpentine was more crafty
than any other beast of the field that
the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim had made.
He said to the woman,
“Did Elohim actually say,
‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent,
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
but Elohim said,
‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree
that is in the midst of the garden,
neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
But the serpent said to the woman,
“You will not surely die.
For the Elohim knows
that when you eat of it
your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like Elohim,
knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food,
and that it was a delight to the eyes,
and that the tree was to be desired
to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate,
and she also gave some to Adama
who was with her, and he ate.
Then the eyes of both were opened,
and they knew that they were naked.
And they sewed fig leaves together
and made themselves loincloths.
And they heard the sound of
the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
walking in the garden
in the cool of the day,
and the Adama and his woman
hid themselves from the presence of
the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
among the trees of the garden.
But the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
called to the Adama and said to him,
“Where are you?”
And Adama said,
“I heard the sound of you in the garden,
and I was afraid,
because I was naked,
and I hid myself.”
He said,
“Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you not to eat?”
The Adama said,
“The woman whom you gave to be with me,
she gave me fruit of the tree,
and I ate.”
Then the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
said to the woman,
“What is this that you have done?”
The woman said,
“The serpentine deceived me,
and I ate.”
And the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
made for Adama and for his woman
garments of skins and clothed them.
Then the Ehyah-Asher-Ehyah Elohim
said,
“Behold, the humans have become like one of US
in knowing distinction between good and evil.
Now, lest he reach out his hand
and take also of the tree of life and eat,
and live forever…”
* (from the Book of Genesis, Chapters One through Three using the English Standard Version, but poetically enhanced)
“Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
CHOKHMAH RECITAL**
“The YHVH created me
at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was formed,
from the first,
before the beginning of the earth,
when there were no seas
and when there were no springs
abounding with water.
I was brought into being
before the hills,
and before the mountains
had been shaped,
“I was created
when earth and fields
had not yet been made
or the world’s first bits of soil!
“When the heavens were established,
I was there!
When the circle was drawn on the face of the deep,
I was there!
When the skies were made firm above,
I was there!
When the fountains of the deep were established,
I was there!
When the sea was assigned to its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress
the marked foundations of the earth,
Then I was beside YHVH,
like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always!
Rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.
Does not Sophia shout greetings?
Does not Gnosis raise her voice?
On the high places,
or beside the highways,
or in the market places?
Does She not take her stand
beside the gates
in front of the city.
and at the entrance of doorways?
She shouts aloud!
“To you,
O humanity,
I call,
and my cry
is to all
that are alive.
“O simple ones;
learn justice.
O simple ones;
acquire intelligence.
“You who lack it, hear!
“For I will speak with honesty,
and from my lips will come rationality.
My mouth will utter sweet truth,
for inequity is disgusting to my tongue.
All the words of my mouth are righteous
and there is nothing unsavory
or corrupt within them.
They are all accurate
to one who understands
and straight to those who find Gnosis.
“Take my teaching instead of silver,
and my knowledge rather than gold;
for Chokhmah is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire
can never compare with Her.
“I, Sophia,
live with discretion,
and I give knowledge
and direction.
“The love of the YHVH
is hatred of injustice.
Pride and arrogance,
and the way of inequity
and perverted speech;
I despise.
“I have good advice
and sound wisdom;
I have insight and
I have strength.
“By me
kings and rulers reign
and decree what is just.
By me
all rulers who govern,
rule nobly and rightly.
“I love those who love me,
and those who seek me
diligently will find me.
“My fruits, my yield are honor,
and with me enduring prosperity,
much better than any riches of gold,
even fine gold or wealth of choice silver.
“I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
endowing those who love me,
and filling their hearts.
“And now, my children,
listen to me!
“Happy are those
who keep my ways
and hear my logos.
And to be wise, do not neglect it!
“Happy is the one
who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For whoever finds me
finds life
and obtains favor from the YHVH.
But those who miss me
injure themselves,
because all who hate me love death.”
** (From The Book of Proverbs; Chapter 8 – NRSV – rearranged for poetic versification)
The New Revised Standard Version [NRSV] is copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and its text is used by permission.
I climb exhaustedly, hunched over, in tears as I gain the summit of a hill of years, and from my elderly vantage point I can barely distinguish through a hazy … Continue reading Peering Through a Glass Darkly
(Title borrowed from the SF book entitled, The Man In The High Castle, by Philip K. Dick.) It strikes me as peculiar that some of us are sitting transfixed before … Continue reading The Ghost In A High Castle
BOANERGES
Matthew 4:21
Going on from there, he (Jesus) saw two other brothers, Jacob (James) the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he (Yeshua) called them.
Mark 1:19
Going on a little further, he (Jesus) saw Jacob (James) the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.
Matthew 13:55
“Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers, Jacob (James) and Joses and Simon and Judas?”
Mark 6:3
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of Jacob (James), Joses, Judas, and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?” They were offended at him.
Matthew 27:56
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob (James) and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Mark 15:40
There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jacob (James) the younger and of Joses, and Salome…
Looking carefully through the NT (as seen in the above verse samples), might one find evidence that Jesus was related to the Boanerges through his stepfather Zebedee?
JARS OF CLAY
Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.”
What if this “treasure in clay jars”, instead of being an allegorical reference to the human body, is instead referring to the complete mission dictations of Jesus as may have been written down by one of the Apostles (Thomas?), preserved in ceramic jars sometime during the destruction of the Jewish Second Temple period, then buried by those who were later named the Ebionites and–as the Nag Hammadi and Qumran documents were–are still waiting to be found?
My other intrepid amendment to Mark chapter 10 utilizing the Clementine Fragment,
indicated by [brackets]
:
1 When they had almost reached Jerusalem, as far as Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent on two of his disciples. 2 “Go to the village facing you,”he said; “and, as soon as you get there, you will find a foal tethered, which no one has ever ridden; untie it, and bring it. 3 And, if anyone says to you ‘Why are you doing that?’, say ‘The Master wants it, and will be sure to send it back here at once.’” 4 The two disciples went, and, finding a foal tethered outside a door in the street, they untied it. 5 Some of the bystanders said to them: “What are you doing, untying the foal?” 6 And the two disciples answered as Jesus had told them; and they allowed them to go. 7 Then they brought the foal to Jesus, and, when they had laid their cloaks on it, he seated himself on it. 8 Many of the people spread their cloaks on the road, while some strewed boughs which they had cut from the fields; 9 and those who led the way, as well as those who followed, kept shouting: “‘God save him! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! ‘God save him from on high!’” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem, and went into the Temple Courts; and, after looking around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
[“And they come into Bethany. And a certain woman whose brother had died was there. And, coming, she prostrated herself before Jesus and says to him, “son of David, have mercy on me”. But the disciples rebuked her. And Jesus, being angered , went off with her into the garden where the tomb was, and straightway, going in where the youth was, he stretched forth his hand and raised him, seizing his hand. But the youth, looking upon him, loved him and began to beseech him that he might be with him. And going out of the tomb they came into the house of the youth, for he was rich. And after six days Jesus told him what to do and in the evening the youth comes to him, wearing a linen cloth over his naked body. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the Kingdom of God. And thence, arising, he returned to the other side of the Jordan.”]
12 The next day, after they had left Bethany, Jesus became hungry; 13 and, noticing a fig-tree at a distance in leaf, he went to it to see if by any chance he could find something on it; but, on coming up to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 So, addressing the tree, he exclaimed: “May no one ever again eat of your fruit!”And his disciples heard what he said.
15 They came to Jerusalem. Jesus went into the Temple Courts, and began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers, and the seats of the pigeon-dealers, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry anything across the Temple Courts. 17 Then he began to teach. “Does not scripture say,”he asked, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.’” 18 Now the chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began to look for some way of putting Jesus to death; for they were afraid of him, since all the people were greatly impressed by his teaching. 19 As soon as evening fell, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
20 As they passed by early in the morning, they noticed that the fig-tree was withered up from the roots. 21 Then Peter recalled what had occurred. “Look, Rabbi,” he exclaimed, “the fig-tree which you doomed is withered up!”
22 “Have faith in God!” replied Jesus. 23 “I tell you that if anyone should say to this hill ‘Be lifted up and hurled into the sea!’, without ever a doubt in his mind, but in the faith that what he says will be done, he would find that it would be. 24 And therefore I say to you ‘Have faith that whatever you ask for in prayer is already granted you, and you will find that it will be.’
25 ‘And, whenever you stand up to pray, forgive any grievance that you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven also may forgive you your offenses.”
27 They came to Jerusalem again. While Jesus was walking about in the Temple Courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the councillors came up to him. 28 “What authority have you to do these things?” they said. “Who gave you the authority to do them?” 29 “I will put one question to you,”said Jesus. “Answer me that, and then I will tell you what authority I have to act as I do. 30 It is about John’s baptism. Was it of divine or human origin? Answer me that.” 31 They began arguing together; “If we say ‘divine,’ he will say ‘Why then did not you believe him?’ 32 Yet can we say ‘human’?” — They were afraid of the people, for everyone regarded John as undoubtedly a prophet. 33 So their answer to Jesus was — “We do not know.”
“Then I,” replied Jesus, “refuse to tell you what authority I have to do these things.”
Another change is inserted into the Secret Mark, also indicated by [brackets], in accord with Clement of Alexadria:
Mark 10:46
They came to Jericho. [“And the sister of the youth whom Jesus loved and his mother and Salome were there, and Jesus did not receive them.”] When Jesus was going out of the town with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.
Night Howling & Other Tales 