Did God Have a Wife?: William G. Dever
Dever, one of the world's most renowned archaeologists has finally asked the BIG question, and his research, archaeology, and scholarship have come up with the most stunning answer. Yes, God was married!
His analysis of the folk religion, and how the common folk worshipped was one of the powerful aspects of this book, the stuff that never made it into the Bible, yet is reflected in the archaeology of the people in the countryside. This is archaeology at its level-headed best.
A very shocking book, as well as revealing for his amazingly coherent, and provocative challenges, and answers to the nay-sayers of Asherah being God's wife.
I highly recommend it. (*****)
Giorgio Santillana, Hertha von Dechend: Hamlet's Mill
This is not the easiest book to read or understand, but it is by far one of the most influential ones I own for the sheer power of generating ideas and themes to research and write on. It is archeoastronomy detective work like no other text. Scholarly, erudite, difficult, astounding, breath-taking. I also rate this one as one of those books in my all time favorite top 10.
I know others have not found their overall thesis convincing, but archeoastronomy is indepted to this book for having a serious start, and it has also come a long way since, especially with John Major Jenkins work on "Maya Cosmogenesis 2012" and "The Galactic Alignment."
Archeoastronomy became a hobby of mine directly because of this book. I highly recommend it. It was reprinted for the 3rd time in 1992, and well worth shelling out the dough for it. (*****)
Jason Lotterhand: The Thursday Night Tarot
In his down to earth style and humor, Lotterhand opens up the world of the Tarot symbolisms and what they can mean for us in our every day to day lives. Without stuffy erudition, nor with New Age silliness, Lotterhand goes through the Major Arcana of the Tarot Cards and analyzes their interpretations as he understands things. You can't help but come away from this book feeling good. This is the collection of his classes he has taught for years and years, including questions from many of his students and his responses.
I have read it many times, and will continue reading it as a perfect introduction as to what the Tarot symbolisms and use really means, not what phony prognosticators of the New Age Movement have hijacked the Tarot to mean. Their use of it is an "adulterated use" to quote Paul Foster Case, another of the true Tarot interpreter geniuses.
The overall view of the Tarot following Lotterhand's interpretation is one of love.... love for God, our fellowman, as well as for ourselves. That Tarot has nothing at all in any form to do with Satan worship, devil loving wickdness, and magic is more than proven by Lotterhand's scholarship in this fascinating area. I highly and strongly recommend this cure for the disease of understanding Tarot as an evil Devil inspired system. (*****)
Leonora Leet: The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah
This book just simply stunned me. It is one of the most fascinating analysis of Sacred Geometry and modern Quantum Physics along with a detailed discovery after discover after discovery of the Jewish religious system called Kabbalah.
Leet's geometric charts make the book even easier to understand, but the depth of her cogent reasoning concerning the cosmos, geometry, and music is a sight to behold.
Her follow up book "The Universal Kabbalah" is quite interesting in the first few chapters and then bogs my mind down with so much detail and analysis that it is far over my head, though I am working on deciphering it.
Leet spent over 20 years analyzing and writing about her discoveries. The most significant one concerns the Kabbalah Tree of Life diagram which is remarkably elucidated by Leet, both in the historical aspects of its changes, as well as the reasons why it is the shape and form that it is, and the meaning of sacred geometrical extensions of the already existing lines of the Tree of Life.
A most significant contribution, not only to my own understanding of Kabbalah and Geometry, but for my own enthusiasm of learning more about the Kabbalah (****)
Margaret Barker: The Great High Priest
With her astonishing range of scholarship and working with ancient archaeological and linguistic data, Barker has changed our understanding of the ancient Hebraic Priesthood as well as religion. This book is a milestone. (*****)
Menas Kafatos, Robert Nadeau: The Conscious Universe
The Quantum Physics notion of Complementarity (two particles being connected, no matter how far apart they are in the universe), as well as understanding how the part relates to the whole is what is explored in this gem of a little book.
This is no spiritual guru linking of science and religion together by mis-representing one or the other or both of the disciplines, but a sober, real look into the ideas of consciousness, and how Quantum Physics has come around to recognizing the universal aspect of consciousness in *all things*. An amazing book, quite technically written, but with amazing conclusions. The main conclusion being that consciousness can no longer be separated from the problem of the way science operates. (****)
Robert Eisenman: The New Testament Code
Again, with his impeccible schoalrship and thirst for detail Eisenman extends his analysis and evidence for a First Century Early Christian provenance for the Dead Sea Scrolls using the internal materials of the scrolls themselves, their literary usages, their dramatis personae, and their descriptions of what sins abound with the wicked foreign leaders, which can only possibly apply to the Herodians.
I wish Eisenman's writing style was easier however. For this reason I can't give it a 5 star rating. His information is astonishingly useful however, and rather controversial, my kind of book! (****)
Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism: Howard Schwartz
Magnaminous! This compilation from all periods of Jewish mythology, using hundreds, if not thousands of the texts, shows without doubt or question that there was a Jewish mythology, and its power of presentation for relevance is unsurpassed in all of mythology.
From the Creation, the the Shekhinah as the wife of God, to Israel's woes, and successes, this detailed, and humorous, insightful, powerful book has so much in it from the lives of the Patriarchs, the prophets, and the rabbis, that it will take many months to read all the way through it. I have referenced it several times, and spent not a few very delightful evenings (even rainy days) browsing through its pages, and the excellent scholarly discussions by Schwarts itself placing things in context. This is a book I turn to again and again and again with new "Aha!" insights from every single page. (*****)
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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 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
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
Here is a fascinating look into some recent archaeological information on the ancient temple in the Palestine area from Dr. William J. Hamblin. Enjoy!
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!
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.
Continue reading "What the Kabbalah Does That Is So Important For Our Understanding It" »
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”
Continue reading "Hebrew vocabulary for School of the Prophets, Part 3" »
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
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.”
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.
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.
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