The Backyard Professor

School of the Prophets Hebrew Podcast Lesson #7

Here is the next Hebrew lesson, reading in Genesis 2:1-7.

Download hebrew_lesson07.mp3 

More Light on Book of Abraham and Egyptology

A stimulating study worth reading by the LDS Egyptologist John Gee.

http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=670

Ancient Temples, John Welch on Margaret Barker's New Book

A very interesting analysis of Margaret Barker's new book on early Christianity and temples is at T&T Clark Blog. Worth looking at!

http://tandtclark.typepad.com/ttc/2008/05/responses-to-ma.html

Hebrew Lesson #6 - Grammar - School of the Prophets

I have attempted to type this in Hebrew, alas, it is more difficult than I had supposed. So I have hand written it. We'll take it one step at a time. I shall begin reading in the podcast in Genesis 2 tomorrow. THANKS! You can click on the picture to enlarge it also, so you can see it better. Remember to start on the right side of the masculine and read from right to left, and then the feminine and you can see the feminine ending and how it's different.

Another nice blog

Yes, this is a shameless plug, since this gent is featuring my YouTube videos right now, but even past that, he has a lot of nice work on his blog. Many fun and interesting ditties and ideas about the scriptures.

http://lehislibrary.wordpress.com/

Hebrew Lessons Update

I apologize for getting a little behind in our weekly Hebrew lessons. I have been swamped with work, and the YouTube videos on Book of Mormon evidences that I have been producing. I have 30 produced this last two weeks. But, we definitely will have some grammar and continued reading in Genesis 2 in Hebrew. Between the Book of Mormon and the Hebrew Bible, I am going to be wore out by the time I reach 154 years old - GRIN!

The Naked Archaeologist

The guy who is on the History channel calling himself "The Naked Archaeologist," had a special recently with Dr. Barklay and the 2 silver scrolls discovered at Jerusalem dating 600 B.C. These scrolls have been discussed by BYU scholar William J. Adams in the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, and other scholars have shown had religious writing of scriptures on them, a perfect Book of Mormon theme. I have done some videos on these on my YouTube site, where I have many dozens of videos on the Book of Mormon now. You can see it by typing all one word - thebackyardprofessor. Or, just go here:

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=TheBackyardProfessor

Aha! A Klue!

Yes, I stole this directly from Jeff Lindsay's website. Yes he can sue me for untold of horrendous damages, but it's still good enough I used it. Love ya bro!

http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2005/05/aha-interesting-evidence-in-national.html

The April 2005 National Geographic provides at least two facts of interest to students of the LDS scriptures. Look at their Web page for the April 2005 issue. Notice especially the opening and closing sentences. Do you see the relevance? Here is an excerpt:

King Aha, "The Fighter," was not killed while unifying the Nile's two warring kingdoms, nor while building the capital of Memphis. No, one legend has it that the first ruler of a united Egypt was killed in a hunting accident after a reign of 62 years, unceremoniously trampled to death by a rampaging hippopotamus. News of his demise brought a separate, special terror to his staff. For many, the honor of serving the king in life would lead to the more dubious distinction of serving the king in death. . . .

x

Bill Hamblin's new analysis of recent Archaeological Temple

Here is a fascinating look into some recent archaeological information on the ancient temple in the Palestine area from Dr. William J. Hamblin. Enjoy!

http://web.mac.com/hamblinwj/Research/Things_Unutterable/Entries/2008/4/27_New_Ancient_Model_Temples.html

Hebrew Lesson #5 Podcast for School of the Prophets

Here we finish Genesis chapter 1 in Hebrew, and I share some nifty insights from the Zoharic rabbis about Man being made in God's image, and the eternal family. ENJOY!

Download hebrew_lesson05.mp3 

What the Kabbalah Does That Is So Important For Our Understanding It

I believe this article is interesting because Leonora Leet in her writings (late 1990's to early 2000-2004) says precisely as much, that what we need is the re-mythologization of our scriptures. That is, we have lost the spiritual, and we need it back again. Notice that the God of the Philsophers (the one who is supposed to be Spirit only as opposed to a physical embodied God) is ultimately unsatisfying. This is a small part of a very fine article by Faierstein.Morris M. Faierstein "God's Need for the Commandments" in Medieval Kabbalah

Conservative Judaism, vol. 36 (1), Fall 1982, p. 45-59.

---

Perhaps the most significant innovation of medieval kabbalistic thought was the reintroduction of mythic thought into Jewish theology. The monotheistic revolution of the Bible, which was a reaction to the mythic world of the ancient Near East, was thought to have eliminated mythic categories from Jewish consciousness. The few vestiges of mythic thought which found their way into biblical literature could be explained away as metaphors.

The founders of modern Jewish scholarship in the nineteenth century sought to perpetuate and propagate the view of Judaism as ethical monotheism for political and polemical reasons.

Data which challenged this stereotype were suppressed or dismissed as abberations of folk religion.

Hebrew vocabulary for School of the Prophets, Part 3

Here is the third installment of Hebrew vocabulary which I took from Genesis chapter 1, 2, and a few other chapters to whet your appetites.

קָרָא - qara “to call.”

וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה - velahoshek qara laylah - “and the darkness he called night.”

חֹשֶׁךְ - hoshek - “darkness”

לָיְלָה - layelah - “night”

אֲשֶׁר - ‘asher - “which”

אֶרֶץ - ‘eretz - “earth”

פְּנֵי - peni - “face” or “face of”

Hebrew Vocabulary Part 2

Here is more vocabulary to learn:

יִשְׂרָאֵל - Yisra’el - “Israel.”

בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - beni Yisra’el - “Sons of Israel.”

יַעֲקֹב - Ya’aqov - “Jacob.”

אֶל - ‘el - “to,” “toward.”

אֶל-מֹשֶׁה ‘el Moshe - “unto Moses.”

שָׁמָיִם

Hebrew Vocabulary for School of the Prophets

I found a way to include Hebrew vocabulary for you to learn also. Enjoy!

Here is some vocabulary in Hebrew you can begin learning and practicing as well. It is a lot of Hebrew which is used often in the Bible. I can add more later after church tonight.

בָּרָא - bara’ - "to create." Used only with God. This word for creating or making is unique to God alone.

הָ - ha - meaning “the.” This is placed in front of a word as a part of the word, not separate from it.

הָאָרֶץ - ha‘aretz - “The Earth.” Notice how the "the" is a part ofthe word now, not separate from it in two words.

חֹשֶׁךְ - hoshek - “darkness.”

הַמָּיִם - hamayim - “The waters.”

אֱלֹהִים - ‘elohim - “God,” “Gods,” and, interestingly enough, “Goddess.” These are the meanings of elohim following The Strongest Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Zondervan, 2001, in the Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary in the back, entry #430, page 388.

אוֹר - ‘or - “light.”

יוֹם - yom - “day.”

לָיְלָה - layelah - “night.”

רָקִיעַ - raqia’ - “firmament.”

School of the Prophets Podcast 4th Hebrew Lesson

Here is the podcast, below is the Hebrew of the third and forth days of Creation in Genesis 1. This is the Hebrew I am reading on the podcast, and then elaborating on from other sources. So you can follow along as you listen.

Download hebrew_lesson04.mp3

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל-מָקוֹם אֶחָד, וְתֵרָאֶה, הַיַּבָּשָׁה; וַיְהִי-כֵן.

Here we have Genesis 1:9.

Genesis 1:10 - וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ, וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב.

Genesis 1:11 - וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ, אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ עַל-הָאָרֶץ; וַיְהִי-כֵן.

Genesis 1:12 - וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, לְמִינֵהוּ, וְעֵץ עֹשֶׂה-פְּרִי אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב.

Genesis 1:13 - וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי.

Genesis 1:14 - וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יְהִי מְאֹרֹת בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם, לְהַבְדִּיל, בֵּין הַיּוֹם וּבֵין הַלָּיְלָה; וְהָיוּ לְאֹתֹת וּלְמוֹעֲדִים, וּלְיָמִים וְשָׁנִים.

Genesis 1:15 - וְהָיוּ לִמְאוֹרֹת בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם, לְהָאִיר עַל-הָאָרֶץ; וַיְהִי-כֵן.

Genesis 1:16 - וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-שְׁנֵי הַמְּאֹרֹת הַגְּדֹלִים: אֶת-הַמָּאוֹר הַגָּדֹל, לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַיּוֹם, וְאֶת-הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֹן לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַלַּיְלָה, וְאֵת הַכּוֹכָבִים.

Genesis 1:17 - וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים, בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם, לְהָאִיר, עַל-הָאָרֶץ.

Genesis 1:18 - וְלִמְשֹׁל, בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה, וּלְהַבְדִּיל, בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב.

Genesis 1:19 - וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם רְבִיעִי.

School of the Prophets Podcast, 3rd Hebrew Lesson

Here is the 3rd Hebrew Lesson in the Internet School of the Prophets. Enjoy! And don't forget to learn the consonants and vowels this week. Starting next week, I shall continue with more grammar, once we have the letters and vowels down pat and understood. In the meantime, as Joseph Smith adopted a Jewish Rabbi to teach them Hebrew and exegesis of the book of Genesis, so we adopt a Jewish Rabbi for our own learning.

Download hebrew_lesson_03.mp3 

School of the Prophets Podcast, 2nd Hebrew Lesson

I haven't made the podcast for this lesson yet. The link here is what the 2nd lesson is however. It is a beautiful illustration of the letters, as well as the vowels of the alphabet. LEARN this, and we are well on our way. After dinner tonight, I shall do some more readings in Genesis 1, with comments and ideas, so we can continue hearing what Hebrew sounds like.

http://www.jewfaq.org/alephbet.htm

This is also a link on their site which shows more info that is what I wished to cover. No reason to reinvent the wheel, it is a very good link!

http://www.jewfaq.org/root.htm

A NIFTY way to remember the vowels!

http://www.akhlah.com/coloring/hebrew_vowels.html

School of the Prophets Now in Session: Podcast Hebrew Lesson #1

Here is the first Hebrew lesson of the Internet School of the Prophets. I will see if I can either upload the Hebrew here, or find links for you to see it on the internet. If anyone has links, feel free to post them in the comments section. Let the School of the Prophets begin.

Download hebrew_lesson_01.mp3 

I have just found the link of links! Here you can see the English and Hebrew, and you can listen to the ENTIRE Bible in Hebrew if you wish, one verse at a time! Absolutely spectacular beyond my wildest imagination...... You don't need me to read it to you, this is fabulous! However, I can and will continue to explain Hebrew in these lessons.He reads it kind of fast.... far faster than I would, so if you desire, I can continue to read the Hebrew to you, but this is sensational.

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm

Why you will NEVER get it from only reading an English translation of the Bible

Are you familiar with the translation of the Lords prayer from the
Aramaic by Klotz? All the Semitic languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and
Arabic, use a root system which allows one word to hold multiple
meanings. Thus, a tradition of translation arose that led to each
word of a prophet being considered on many different levels of
meaning. The prayer of Jesus-sometimes called the Lord's Prayer, is
also known as the Abwoon, Father-Mother of the Cosmos. Here is a
translation from the Aramaic by Neil Douglas Klotz.

"O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos,
focus your light within us. Create your reign of unity now. Your one
desire then acts with ours, as in all light, so in all forms. Grant
what we need each day in bread and insight. Loose the cords of
mistakes binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others'
guilt. Don't let surface things delude us, but free us from what
holds us back. From You is born all ruling will, the power and the
life to do, the song that beautifies all, from age to age it renews.
Truly-power to these statements-may they be the ground from which
all our actions grow. Amen."

Raphael: The Archangel of Healing

A good friend of mine, Brett Noel, shared this with me recently, and I think it's an interesting approach, so I share it with you the readers:

My interest in the Archangel Raphael came in a round about way. I've been pondering the idea of Satan being bound for a thousand years as we are told in Revelation 20:1-3:
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent,