Podcasts about Ahura Mazda

Questions? Comments? Text Us!What if God had another side?In this special revisit of Episode 26, Zoroaster Sees God's Other Side, we explore one of the most profound moments in God: An Autobiography- a divine encounter that reshaped both Zoroaster's understanding of the cosmos and God's own self-awareness.Zoroaster, the ancient Persian prophet, perceived not just divine light, but divine struggle. In this remarkable dialogue, God shares how this revelation was a growth experience for Him, as He unveiled His dual nature to one of His earliest great prophets.God candidly addresses the existence of evil, not only in the world, but within Himself. Through Zoroaster's story, the problem of evil becomes a spiritual revelation: God is not a static perfection, but a being evolving toward wholeness. The universe is shown to be a shared spiritual journey, where even chaos plays a role in the unfolding of sacred order.

Questions? Comments? Text Us!Jerry shares his fascinating revelations during prayer concerning the prophet Zoroaster's profound encounter with the divine.Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest known monotheistic religions, but few know its rich history—largely preserved through oral tradition—that allows us to understand what God was communicating to Zoroaster through the cosmic battle between good and evil.In this powerful narrative, we're introduced to the figure of Ahura Mazda—the embodiment of wisdom and goodness—and His counterpart, the Hostile Spirit, often perceived as God's “evil twin.” This story dives into the eternal struggle between light and darkness, a central theme in Zoroastrian belief and one still deeply relevant to the modern spiritual seeker.Join us as we explore these ancient revelations and how they continue to echo in our understanding of the divine, the nature of evil, and the choices our souls are called to make.Are you paying attention? Visit godanautobiography.com for more information and to get your copy of God: An Autobiography, As Told To A Philosopher — the true story of an agnostic philosopher who heard the voice of God and recorded their conversations.Other Series:The podcast began with the Dramatic Adaptation of the book and now has several series:Life Wisdom Project: How to live a wiser, happier, and more meaningful life with special guests.From God To Jerry To You: Calling for the attention of spiritual seekers everywhere, featuring breakthroughs, pathways, and illuminations.Two Philosophers Wrestle With God: Sit in on a dialogue between philosophers about God and the questions we all have.What's On Our Mind- Connect the dots with Jerry and Scott over the most recent series of episodes.What's On Your Mind: What are readers and listeners saying? What is God saying?Resources:READ: "You Could Be Wrong."FROM GOD TO JERRY TO YOU PLAYLISTWould you like to be featured on the show or have questions about spirituality or divine communication? Share your story or experience with God!#fromgodtojerrytoyou #FGTJTY #godanautobiographythepodcast #experiencegod #SpiritualAwakeningShare Your Story | Site | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

This episode we continue to follow the monk Xuanzang on his path along the silk road.  From Gaochang, he traveled through the Tarim Basin, up over the Tianshan Mountains, to the heart of the Western Gokturk Qaghanate.  From there, he traveled south, through the region of Transoxania to Bactria and the land of Tukhara.  He pushed on into the Hindu Kush, witnessing the stone Buddha statues of Bamiyan, and eventually made his way to the land of Kapisa, near modern Kabul, Afghanistan.  From there he would prepare to enter the Indian subcontinent: the home of the historical Buddha. For more discussion and some photos of the areas along this journey, check out our podcast blog at https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-121   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 121: Journey to the West, Part 2   The cold winds blew through the travelers' doubled up clothing and thick furs.  Cold, wet ground meant that even two sets of boots were not necessarily enough after several days.  The frozen mist would often obscure everything except for the path immediately in front, hiding the peaks and making the sky a uniform white. In many places, the path would be blocked by rock, ice, or snow—the remnants of an avalanche, which could easily take an unsuspecting traveler.  And there was the elevation.  Hiking through the mountains, it was easy enough to reach heights of a mile or higher, and for those not accustomed to that elevation the thin air could take a surprising toll, especially if you were pushing yourself.  And the road was no less kind to the animals that would be hauling said travelers and their gear. And yet, this was the path that Xuanzang had agreed to.  He would continue to push through, despite the various deprivations that he would be subjected to.  No doubt he often wondered if it was worth it.  Then again, returning was just as dangerous a trip, so why not push on?   Last episode we introduced the monk Xuanzang, who traveled the Silk Road to India in the 7th century and returned to China.  He brought back numerous sutras to translate, and ended up founding a new school, known as the Faxian school—or the Hossou school in Japan.   As we mentioned last time, Xuanzang during his lifetime met with students from the archipelago when they visited the continent.  The records of his travels—including his biography and travelogue—are some of the best information we have on what life was like on the silk road around this time. In the last episode, we talked about Xuanzang: how he set out on his travels, his illegal departure from the Tang empire, and his perilous journey across the desert, ending up in Gaochang.  There, King Qu Wentai had tried to get him to stay, but he was determined to head out.  This episode we are going to cover his trip to Agni, Kucha, and Baluka—modern Aksu—and up to the Western Gokturk Qaghanate's capital of Suyab.  From there, we'll follow his footsteps through the Turkic controlled regions of Transoxania and into Tukhara, in modern Afghanistan.  Finally, we'll cover the last parts of his journey before he reached the start of his goal:  India. From Gaochang, Xuanzang continued on, through the towns he names as Wuban and Dujin, and into the country of Agni—known today as the area of Yanqi—which may also have been known as Wuqi.  The route was well-enough known, but it wasn't necessarily safe.  At one point, Xuanzang's caravan met with bandits, whom they were fortunately able to pay off.  The following night they encamped on a river bank with some merchants who also happened to be traveling the road.  The merchants, though, got up at midnight and headed out, hoping to get to the city early so that they could be the first ones to the market.  They only made it a few miles down the road, however, before they encountered more bandits, who slaughtered them and took their goods.  The following day, Xuanzang and his retinue came upon the merchants' remains lying in the road and saw the aftermath of the massacre. This was an unforgiving land, and the road was truly dangerous, even for those who traveled it regularly.  And yet Xuanzang was planning to travel its entire length until he reached India. So with little alternative, they carried on to the royal city of Agni. Agni, or Yanqi, sits on the southwestern edge of the basin, west of Bositeng lake, on the border between the Turfan basin and the larger Tarim Basin.  The name is thought to be a Tocharian—or Turfanian—name for the city, which is also known as Karashr. According to the biography by Huili, Xuanzang and his party didn't stay long in Agni.  Apparently Agni and Gaochang were not exactly on friendly terms, and even though the King of Agni and his ministers reportedly came out to greet Xuanzang and welcome him to their city, they refused to provide any horses.  They spent a single night and moved on. That said, Agni still made an impression on Xuanzang.  He noted how the capital was surrounded by hills on four sides, making it naturally defensible.  As for the people, he praises them as honest and straightforward.  They wore clothing of felt and hemp cloth, and cut their hair short, without hats or any kind of headwear.  Even the climate was pleasant, at least for the short time he was there.  He also notes that they used a script based on India—likely referring to the Brahmic script, which we find in the Tarim basin. However, as for the local lord, the King of Agni, he is a little less charitable.  Xuanzang claimed he was brave but “lacked resourcefulness” and he was a bit of a braggart.  Furthermore, the country had “no guiding principles or discipline and government orders are imperfect and not seriously implemented.”  He also mentioned the state of Buddhism in the country, noting that they were followers of Sarvastivada school, a Theravada sect popular along the Silk Road at the time.  Xuanzang was apparently not too pleased with the fact that they were not strict vegetarians, including the “three kinds of pure meat”.  From Agni, Xuanzang continued southwest, heading for the kingdom of Kucha.  He seems to have bypassed the nearby kingdom of Korla, south of Agni, and headed some 60 or 70 miles, climbing over a ridge and crossing two large rivers, and then proceeding another 200 miles or so to the land of Kucha. Kucha was a kingdom with over one hundred monasteries and five thousand monks following a form of Theravada Buddhism.  Here, Xuanzang was welcomed in by the king, Suvarnadeva, described as having red hair and blue eyes.  While Xuanzang was staying in Kucha, it is suspected that he probably visited the nearby Kizil grotto and the Buddhist caves, there, which include a painting of King Suvarnadeva's father, King Suvarnapuspa, and his three sons. You can still visit Kucha and the Kizil grottos today, although getting there is quite a trek, to be sure.  The ancient Kuchean capital is mostly ruins, but in the Kizil caves, protected from the outside elements, you can find vivid paintings ranging from roughly the 4th to the 8th century, when the site was abandoned.  Hundreds of caves were painted, and many still demonstrate vibrant colors.  The arid conditions protect them from mold and mildew, while the cave itself reduces the natural bleaching effect of sunlight.  The paintings are in numerous styles, and were commissioned by various individuals and groups over the years.  They also give us some inkling of how vibrant the city and similar structures must have been, back when the Kuchean kingdom was in its heyday. The people of Kucha are still something of a mystery.  We know that at least some of them spoke an Indo-European language, related to a language found in Agni, and both of these languages are often called Tocharian, which we discussed last episode.  Xuanzang himself noted that they used Indian writing, possibly referring to the Brahmi script, or perhaps the fact that they seem to have used Sanskrit for official purposes, such as the inscription on the cave painting at Kizil giving the name of King Suvarnapuspa.  The Kucheans also were clothed in ornamental garments of silk and embroidery.  They kept their hair cut, wearing a flowing covering over their heads—and we see some of that in the paintings. Xuanzang also notes that though we may think of this area as a desert, it was a place where rice and grains, as well as fruit like grapes, pomegranates, plums, pears, peaches, and almonds were grown.  Even today, modern Xinjiang grows some absolutely fantastic fruit, including grapes, which are often dried into raisins. Another point of interest for Xuanzang may have been that Kucha is known as the hometown of none other than Kumarajiva.  We first mentioned Kumarajiva back in episode 84.  Kumarajiva was one of the first people we know of who translated many of the sutras from India that were then more widely disseminated throughout the Yellow River and Yangzi river basins.  His father was from India and his mother was a Kuchean princess.  In the middle of the 4th century, when he was still quite young, he traveled to India and back with his mother on a Buddhist pilgrimage.  Later he would start a massive translation project in Chang'an.  His translations are credited with revolutionizing Chinese Buddhism. Xuanzang was initially welcomed by the king, his ministers, and the revered monk, Moksagupta.  They were accompanied by several thousand monks who set up tents outside the eastern gate, with portable Buddha images, which they worshipped, and then Xuanzang was taken to monastery after monastery until sunset.  At one of the monasteries, in the southeast of the city, there were several tens of monks who originally came from Gaochang, and since Xuanzang had come from there, they invited him to stay with them. The next day he met and feasted with the King, politely declining any meat, and then went to the monastery in the northwest to meet with the famous monk: Moksagupta.  Moksagupta himself had made the journey to India, and had spent 20 years there himself.  It seems like this would have been the perfect person for Xuanzang to talk to about his plans, but instead, the two butted heads.  Moksagupta seems to have seen Xuanzang's Mahayana faith as heretical.  He saw no reason for Xuanzang to travel all the way to India when he had all the sutras that anyone needed there in Kucha, along with Moksagupta himself.   Xuanzang's response seems to have been the Tang dynasty Buddhist version of “Okay, Boomer”, and then he went ahead and tore apart Moksagupta's understanding of his own sutras—or so Xuanzang relayed to his biographers.  We don't exactly have Moksagupta's side, and, let's face it, Xuanzang and his biographers are not necessarily reliable narrators.  After all, they followed Mahayana teachings, which they considered the “Greater Vehicle”, and they referred to the Theravada teachings as the “Hinayana” or “Lesser Vehicle”.  Meanwhile, Theravada Buddhists likely saw many of the Mahayana texts as extraneous, even heretical, not believing them to actually be the teachings of the Buddha. It must have been winter time, as the passes through the mountains on the road ahead were still closed, and so Xuanzang stayed in Kucha, spending his time sightseeing and meeting with various people.  He even went back to see Moksagupta, but the older monk shunned him, and would get up and exit the room rather than engaging with him, so they had no more conversations. Eventually, Xuanzang continued on his way west, following along the northern rim of the Tarim basin.  Two days out from Kucha, disaster struck.  Some two thousand or so Turkish bandits suddenly appeared—I doubt Xuanzang was counting, so it may have been more or less.  I imagine that memories of what had happened to the merchants near Agni must have gone through Xuanzang's mind.   Fortunately, for him, they were fighting over loot that they had pillaged from various travelers, and since they couldn't share it equally, they fell to fighting each other and eventually dispersed. He travelled for almost 200 miles after that, stopping only for a night at the Kingdom of Baluka, aka Gumo—the modern city of Aksu.  This was another Theravada Buddhist kingdom.  Xuanzang noted tens of Buddhist temples, and over 1000 Buddhist monks.  The country was not large—about 200 miles east to west and 100 miles north to south.  For reference that means it was probably comparable in size with Kyushu, in terms of overall area, or maybe the size of Denmark—excluding Greenland—or maybe the US state of Maryland.  Xuanzang described the country as similar to Kucha in just about every way, including the written language and law, but the spoken language was different, though we don't get many more details. From Baluka, he crossed northward through the Tianshan mountains, which are classified as an extension of the Pamirs known as the Ice Mountains.  Had he continued southwest, he would have hit Kashgar and crossed over between the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges into the Ferghana valley, but instead he turned north. We don't know exactly why he took this perilous option, but the route that may have been popular at the time as it was one of the most direct routes to the seat of the Western Gokturk Empire, which he was currently traveling through. The Tian Shan mountains were a dangerous journey.  Avalanches could block the road—or worse.  Xuanzang describes the permanent ice fields—indeed, it is the ice fields and glaciers of the Tian Shan that melt in the summer and provide the oasis towns of the Tarim Basin with water, even to this day.  In Xuanzang's day, those glaciers were likely even more prevalent than today, especially as they have been recorded as rapidly disappearing since 1961.  And where you weren't on snow and ice, the ground was probably wet and damp from the melt.  To keep warm, you would wear shoes over your shoes, along with heavy fur coats, all designed to reduce exposure. Xuanzang claims that 3 or 4 of every 10 people didn't survive the crossing—and that horses and oxen fared even worse.  Even if these numbers are an exaggeration, the message is clear:  This was a dangerous journey. After about seven days, Xuanzang came out of the mountains to the “Great Pure Lake”, the “Da Qing Hai”, also known as the Hot Sea or the Salt Sea, which likely refers to Issyk Kul.  The salt content, along with the great volume of water it possesses, means that the lake rarely freezes over, which is likely why it is seen as “hot” since it doesn't freeze when the fresh water nearby does.  This lake is the second largest mountain lake in the world, and the second deepest saltwater lake.  Traveling past the lake, he continued to Suyab, near modern Tokmok, in Kyrgyzstan, just west of the modern capital of Bishkek.  This was an old Sogdian settlement, and had since become the capital of the Western Gokturks.  Sogdians—like Xuanzang's guide, Vandak—were integral to the Gokturk kingdom. Their language was the lingua franca of the Silk Road, and at the time of the Gokturk Khaganate, it was also the official court language, and so when Xuanzang appeared at the court of the Great Khagan of the Western Gokturks, it was likely the language of diplomacy. When we think of Turkic people, many in the English speaking world think of Turkiye, and perhaps of the mighty Ottoman empire.  Some may think of Turkmenistan, Kazhakstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Uzbekistan, among others.  And of course, there are the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.  All of these people claim roots in the ancestral Turkic homeland in the Altai mountains, which sit largely in western Mongolia, north of China's Xinjiang region.  Much like the Xiongnu and the Mongols, they were pastoral nomads, moving their herds across the steppes, often covering great distances.  They would regularly move through different regions, perhaps returning each season, though sometimes not returning for years at a time.  They were often seen as barbarians by settled people living in cities, and yet their goods and horses were highly prized. Nomad and sedentary lifestyles would often collide.  Farmers would turn pastureland into fields, and when the nomadic people returned on their circuits, they would find walls and fences where there was once open land, and the people there would claim to “own” the land, a concept often foreign to people who were always on the move.  Nomadic people, such as the Gokturks, were not necessarily keeping vast libraries of records about themselves and their histories, and so much of what we get comes from external sources, which do not always have incredibly reliable narrators.  To many of the settled agriculturalists, groups like the Turks were marauders who raided their villages and farms.  They were a great bogeyman of the steppes, which required the firm hand of strong defenses to keep out—or so their opponents would want people to think. While they were known for their warfare, which incorporated their mobility, but they were keenly interested in trade, as well.  They understood the value of the trade routes and the various cities and states that they included in their empire.  Thus, the Sogdians and the Gokturks seem a natural fit: the Sogdians were more settled, but not entirely so, as demonstrated by their vast trade networks.  And the Sogdians also were part of the greater central Eurasian steppe culture, so the two cultures understood each other, to a degree.  They are even depicted similarly in art, with slight differences, such as long hair that was often associated with Turks over the Sogdians.  In some areas of the Gokturk empire, Sogdians would run the cities, while the Gokturks provided military aid and protection. Xuanzang's description of the people of Suyab, or the “City of Suye River”, doesn't pick out anyone in particular, and he even says that it was a place where traders of the Hu, or foreign, tribes from different countries mingle their abodes.  He mentions the people here as being called Suli, which is also the name given to the language—this may refer to “Sogdian” in general.  They write with an alphabet that is written vertically rather than horizontally—this may refer to a few scripts that were written this way, possibly based off Syriac or Aramaic alphabets that were adapted to Sogdian and other Iranian languages, but it isn't clear. We are told that the people dressed in felt and hemp clothing, with fur and “cotton” garments.  Their clothes fit tightly, and they kept their hair cut short, exposing the top of their heads—though sometimes they shaved it completely, tying a colored silk band around the forehead. He goes on to describe these people as greedy liars, possibly a reference to the mercantile nature of many of the people at the time. Something to note: The Turks of this time had not yet encountered Islam, which was just now starting to rise up in the Middle East.  The Prophet Muhammad is said to have been born around the end of the 6th century CE and was preaching in the early 7th century, though his teachings would begin to spread outward soon enough.  But that means that the Gokturks were not an Islamic empire.  Rather, their own traditions seem to have focused on the worship of Tengri, an Altaic personification of the universe, often simplified as a “sky god”.  Tengrism can be found amongst the Xiongnu, Mongols, and others, and it was the national religion of the Gokturks themselves, but there were many who also adopted other religions that they encountered, including Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Manichaeism, and Buddhism.  In fact, Xuanzang notes that the Turks he met in Suyab would not sleep or sit on beds made of wood because wood was thought to contain the spirit of fire, which he says they worshipped.  That sounds similar to Zoroastrian beliefs, where fire is associated with Ahura Mazda, who is also worshipped as a sky god.  These may have been beliefs inherited from their Eastern Iranian Sogdian partners. In Xuanzang's biography, we are given more details about his visit to Suyab.  Apparently, as he was headed to the city, he met a hunting party, which we are told was the retinue of Yehu Khan.  Hunting was an important part of life on the steppes, and it continued to be a favorite sport of the Gokturk nobility. Yehu Khan—possibly Yagbhu Khan, though that is up for some debate—is described as being dressed in a green silk robe, with his hair exposed, and wearing  a turban of white silk about ten feet long that wrapped his forehead and hung behind his back.  His “hunting” expedition wasn't just a couple of the guys.  It included about 200 officials, all with plaited hair and dressed in brocade robes—they weren't exactly out there roughing it.  He also had his soldiers, dressed in furs, felt, or fine woolen clothes, and there were so many cavalry that they stretched out of sight.  The Khan seemed pleased to meet Xuanzang, but his hunt was expected to last another couple of days, at least, so he sent an attendant named Dharmaja to take Xuanzang back to wait for the Khan to return. Three days later, Xuanzang was given an audience.  The khan was seated in a large yurt.  Xuanzang noted the seeming incongruity between the khan, sitting there in the tent, decorated with golden flowers, with the officials dressed in magnificent brocade garments sitting in two long rows in front of him and the armed guards behind him, compared to the simple felt walls of the tent. A ”yurt” is a common feature of nomadic life on the steppes.  It wasn't exactly a single person operation to haul them around, but they can be taken down and put up with relative ease.  And while yurts could be relatively simple, there are examples of much more elaborate structures.  There is little reason they couldn't be made larger, perhaps with some extra support.  In later centuries, there are examples of giant yurts that seem like real construction projects.  Use of tents, even in a city, where they had permanent palace buildings, was likely a means of retaining the nomadic steppe traditions, even while enjoying the benefits of city life. Whom exactly Xuanzang met with is a matter of debate.  His records seem to indicate that it was Tong Yabghu Qaghan of the Western Gokturk Khaganate, but other sources say that Tong Yabghu Qaghan died in 628, and the earliest Xuanzang could have been meeting with him was 630, two years later, so if that is the case, he must have met with Tong Yabghu's son, Si Yabghu Qaghan.  It is likely that Xuanzang, who was dictating his accounts years after, mentioned the Qaghan and then, when they looked up who it was, they simply made a mistake.  Remember, Xuanzang would have had everything translated through one or two languages.  He did know what he saw, however, and he recounted what he remembered. Tong Yabghu Qaghan oversaw the height of the Gokturk Qaghanate, and appears to have favored the Buddhist religion, though there were many different religions active in their territories at the time.  They oversaw an extremely cosmopolitan empire covering huge swaths of central Eurasia, including the lucrative silk road.  Xuanzang notes that at the court there were individuals from Gaochang and even a messenger from the Han—which is to say the Tang Empire.  One wonders if Xuanzang—or anyone at that time—realized just how tenuous the Khan'sposition was.  After Tong Yabghu's death, the Qaghanate would decline, and less than a decade later it would fall to the Tang dynasty, who took Suyab and made it their western outpost.  In fact, Suyab is thought to have been the birthplace, over a century later, of a young boy who would find a love of poetry.  That boy's name was Li Bai, or Ri Haku, in Japanese. He would become one of the most famous poets in Chinese history, and his poems were even known and studied in Japan.  And it was largely through Japanese study of Li Bai's poems that his works came to the English speaking world: first through Ernest Fenollosa, who had studied in Japan, and then by the celebrated Ezra Pound, who had used Ernest's notes to help with his own translations of the poems. This was, though, as I said, over a century after Xuanzang's journey.  At the time of our story, the Qaghan was throwing a feast, including Xuanzang and all of the foreign envoys.  Xuanzang comments on the food and drink—his hosts provided grape juice in lieu of wine, and cooked a special vegetarian feast just for him, while the other guests ate a feast of meat, such as veal, lamb, fish, and the like.  There was also the music of various regions along the Silk Road, which Xuanzang found to be catchy, but of course not as refined as the music he was used to, of course.  After dinner Xuanzang was asked to expound upon the Darma, largely about the basic principle that you should be kind to one another—I doubt he was getting into the deep mysteries of Buddhist philosophy. Xuanzang stuck around the court for three more days, during which time the Qaghan tried to get him to stay, but Xuanzang insisted that he had to make it to India.  And so the Qaghan relented.  He found men in his army who could translate for Xuanzang along his journey, and had letters of introduction written to at least as far as the state of Kapisa, in modern Afghanistan. And so, armed with the Qaghan's blessing and a fresh translator, Xuanzang struck out again.  They headed westward for over one hundred miles, eventually reaching Bingyul, aka the Thousand Springs.  This is the area where the Qaghan and his court would spend his summers, and the deer in the area were protected under his orders, so that they were not afraid of humans—which sounds similar to the situation with the deer in Nara.  Continuing on another fifty miles or so—the distances are approximate as Xuanzang's primary duty was not exactly to map all of this out—Xuanzang arrived at the city of Taras, in modern Kazakhstan, another place where the cultures of the Silk Road mixed and mingled.  Xuanzang didn't have much to say about Taraz, apparently, though it is one of the oldest cities in Transoxania, founded near the beginning of the Common Era.  A few miles south of there, Xuanzang reportedly found a village of re-settled ethnic Han that had been captured by the Gokturks and settled here.  They had adopted the dress and customs of the Turkic people, but continued to speak a version of Chinese. Southwest of that he reached the City of White Water, likely referring to Aksukent.  This is the same “Aksu” as the city in Xinjiang, both of which mean “White Water” in Turkic, but this one is in the south of Kazakhstan.  Xuanzang found the climate and products an improvement over what he had experienced in Taras.  Beyond that, he next arrived at the city of Gongyu, and then south again to Nujkend, and then traveling westward to the country of Chach, aka Tashkent.  Both Nujkend and Chach were large cities in nations of smaller, mostly autonomous city-states, which made up a lot of the political geography of Transoxania. I would note that Xuanzang's notes here are much more sparse than previously.  This may be because these were outside of the Tarim basin and therefore of less interest to individuals in the Tang empire.  Or perhaps he was just making his way more quickly and not stopping at every kingdom along the way. From Tashkent, he continued southeast to the Ferghana valley—the country of Feihan.  Oddly, this country doesn't appear in Xuanzang's biography, even though the Ferghana Valley seems to have been fairly well known back in the Tang Empire—it was known as the home of some of the best horses, which were one of its first major exports.  In fact, the Han dynasty even mounted a military expedition to travel to Ferghana just to obtain horses.  Xuanzang is oddly silent on this; however, he does talk about the fertile nature of the land.  He mentions that their language here is different from the lands he had been traveling through up to this point, and also points out that the people of the Ferghana valley were also visibly different from others in the area. From the Ferghana valley, Xuanzang headed west for about 300 miles or more to the land of Sutrushana—perhaps referring to the area of Ushrusana, with its capital of Bunjikat.  This country was also largely Sogdian, and described as similar to Tashkent.  From there, he traveled west through a great desert, passing skeletons, which were the only marker of the trail other than a view of the far off mountains.  Finally, they reached Samarkand, known as the country of “Kang” in Chinese, which was also the term used to mark Sogdians who claimed descent from the people of Samarkand. Samarkand is another of the ancient cities of Central Asia, and even today is the third largest city in modern Uzbekistan.  Human activity in the region goes back to the paleolithic era, and the city was probably founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.  Samarkand was conquered by Alexander the Great, and during the Achaemenid Empire it was the capital of Sogdiana.  During Xuanzang's visit, Samarkand was described as an impenetrable fortress with a large population. For all of his travel, Samarkand was the first place Xuanzang notes as specifically not a Buddhist land.  In fact, there were two monasteries, suggesting that there had been Buddhists, but if any monks tried to stay there then the locals would chase them out with fire.  Instead, they worshipped fire—likely meaning Ahura Mazda and Zoroastrianism.  This leads to a story that I have to wonder about, given the reliability of our narrators. It is said that Xuanzang was met by the King with arrogance, but after staying the night Xuanzang was able to tell the King about Buddhism and its merits.  The king was intrigued, and asked to observe the Precepts, and treated Xuanzang with hospitality and respect.  So when two of Xuanzang's attendants went to the monasteries to worship, they were chased out with fire.  When the king heard about this, he had the people arrested and ordered their hands to be cut off.  Xuanzang could not bear to witness such suffering, however, and he intervened to have them spared.  So instead the king had them flogged and banished from the city.  Ever since then, all the people believed in Buddhism. Some parts of this strike true.  It was likely that the king would entertain this strange wanderer who had arrived with letters from the great Qaghan—that may have even explained why Xuanzang had been encouraged to make the dangerous journey to Suyab in the first place, so that he could obtain such permission.  And it would not be strange for the king to listen to his teachings.  If Xuanzang's attendants were attacked, that would have been a huge breach of hospitality, and however the King felt about it, he no doubt had to do something about it.  And so all of that sounds somewhat believable.  Does that mean everyone suddenly converted to Buddhism?  I don't know that I'm quite willing to go that far.  It is also likely that there were Buddhists there already, even if the majority religion was Zoroastrianism. From Samarkand, Xuanzang traveled farther southwest, to the country of Kasanna, which seems to have been the edge of what we might call Sogdiana.   According to his biographers, however, there was a little more to all of this.  Rather, he headed west to Kusanika.  Then he traveled to  Khargan, and further on to the country of Bukhara, and then to Vadi.  All of these were “An” in Chinese, which was the name element used for Sogdians from this region.  He then continued west to the country of Horismika, on the other side of the Amu Darya, aka the Oxus River of Transoxanian fame. From there he traveled further southwest, entering into the mountains.  The path here was often such that they had to travel single-file, and there was no food or water other than what you brought with you.  Eventually they came to a set of doors, known as the Iron Gate.  This was a Turkic fortress.  It was no doubt fortuitous that he had come from his meeting with the Qaghan, and likely had permission to pass through.  From there, they entered the country of Tukhara. As we noted in Episode 119, Tukhara was in the region of Bactria.  It was bordered by the Pamir range in the east, and the Persian empire in the west.  There were also the Great Snow Mountains in the south, likely referencing the Hindu Kush. Tukhara had been conquered by the Gokturks just within the past couple of decades, and Xuanzang notes that the country had been split into largely autonomous city-states as the local royalty had died without an heir many years before.  With the Gokturk conquest, it was now administered by Tardu Shad, the son of Tong Yabghu Qaghan.  “Shad” in this case was a local title. Here, Xuanzang's narrative gets a little dicey, especially between his biography and his records.  The records of the Western Regions denotes various countries in this area.  It is unclear if he traveled to all of them or is just recounting them from records he obtained.  He does give us at least an overview of the people and the region.  I would also note that this is one of the regions he visited, again, on his return trip, and so may have been more familiar with the region than those areas he had passed through from Suyab on down. For one thing, he notes that the language of the region was different from that of the “Suli”, which appears to refer to the Sogdians.  This was the old territory of the Kushan empire, and they largely spoke Bactrian.  Like Sogdian, it was another Eastern Iranian language, and they used an alphabet based largely on Greek, and written horizontally rather than vertically.  They also had their own coins. This region had plenty of Buddhist communities, and Xuanzang describes the cities and how many monasteries they had, though, again, it isn't clear if he actually visited all of them or not.  These are countries that Li Rongji translates as “Tirmidh”, “Sahaaniyan”, “Kharuun”, “Shuumaan”, etc. It does seem that Xuanzang made it to the capital city, the modern city Kunduz, Afghanistan. Xuanzang actually had something specific for the local Gokturk ruler, Tardu Shad.  Tardu Shad's wife was the younger sister of King Qu Wentai of Gaochang, whom we met last episode.  Qu Wentai had provided Xuanzang a letter for his younger sister and her husband.  Unfortunately, Xuanzang arrived to learn that the princess of Gaochang had passed away, and Tardu Shad's health was failing.  It does seem that Tardu Shad was aware of Xuanzang, however—a letter had already come from Qu Wentai to let them know that Xuanzang was on his way.  As I mentioned last episode, letters were an important part of how communities stayed tied together.  Of course, given the perils of the road, one assumes that multiple letters likely had to be sent just in case they didn't make it.  The US Postal Service this was not. Tardu Shad, though not feeling well, granted an interview with Xuanzang.  He suggested that Xuanzang should stick around.  Then, once the Shad had recovered from his illness, he would accompany Xuanzang personally on his trip to India.  Unfortunately, that was not to be.  While Xuanzang was staying there, he was witness to deadly drama.  Tardu Shad was recovering, which was attributed to the recitations by an Indian monk who was also there.  This outcome was not exactly what some in the court had wanted.  One of the Shad's own sons, known as the Tagin prince, plotted with the Shad's current wife, the young Khatun, and she poisoned her husband.  With the Shad dead, the throne might have gone to the son of the Gaochang princess, but he was still too young.  As such, the Tagin Prince was able to usurp the throne himself, and he married his stepmother, the young Khatun.  The funeral services for the late Tardu Shad meant that Xuanzang was obliged to stay at Ghor for over a month. During that time, Xuanzang had a seemingly pleasant interaction with an Indian monk.  And when he finally got ready to go, he asked the new Shad for a guide and horses.  He agreed, but also made the suggestion that Xuanzang should then head to Balkh.  This may have meant a bit of backtracking, but the Shad suggested that it would be worth it, as Balkh had a flourishing Buddhist community. Fortunately, there was a group of Buddhist monks from Balkh who happened to be in Kunduz to express their condolences at the passing of Tardu Shad, and they agreed to accompany Xuanzang back to their hometown, lest he end up getting lost and taking the long way there. The city of Balkh is also known as “Baktra”, as in “Bactria”, another name of this region.  A settlement has been there since at least 500 BCE , and it was already an important city when it was captured by Alexander the Great.  It sits at the confluence of several major trade routes, which no doubt were a big part of its success.  Xuanzang's biography notes that it was a massive city, though it was relatively sparsely populated—probably due to the relatively recent conquest by the Gokturks, which had occurred in the last couple of decades.  That said, there were still thousands of monks residing at a hundred monasteries in and around the city.  They are all characterized as monks of Theravada schools.  Southwest of the city was a monastery known as Navasamgharama, aka Nava Vihara, or “New Monastery”.  Despite its name, the monastery may have actually been much older, going back to the Kushan emperor Kaniska, in the 2nd century CE.  Ruins identified as this “New Monastery” are still visible south of Balkh, today. The monastery is described as being beautifully decorated, and it seems that it had a relic—one of the Buddha's teeth.  There are also various utensils that the Buddha is said to have used, as well.  The objects would be displayed on festival days.  North of the monastery there was a stupa more than 200 feet in height.  South of the monastery was a hermitage.  Each monk who studied there and passed away would have a stupa erected for them, as well.  Xuanzang notes that there were at around 700 memorial stupas, such that they had to be crammed together, base to base. It was here that Xuanzang met a young monk named Prajnaakara, who was already somewhat famous in India, and well-studied.  When questioned about certain aspects of Buddhism, Xuanzang was impressed by the monk's answers, and so stayed there a month studying with the young monk. Eventually, Xuanzang was ready to continue on his journey.  He departed Balkh towards the south, accompanying the teacher Prajnakara, and together they entered the Great Snow Mountains, aka the Hindu Kush.  This path was even more dangerous than the trip through the Tian Shan mountains to Suyab.   They eventually left the territory of Tukhara and arrived at Bamiyan.  Bamiyan was a kingdom in the Hindu Kush, themselves an extension of the Himalayan Mountain range.  It Is largely based around valley, home to the modern city of Bamyan, Afghanistan, which sits along the divide between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.  Today it is a major center for individuals of the Hazara ethnic group, one of the main ethnic groups in Afghanistan, which is a multi-ethnic state that includes, today, the Pashtun, Hazara, Tajik, and Uzbek people, along with a number of smaller ethnic groups.  Today they largely reside in the mountainous areas of the Hindu Kush. Bamiyan made an impact on our protagonist.   Their language was slightly different from that in Tukhara, but using the same—or similar enough—writing system.  Buddhism was thriving in the capital, and we are told of a rock statue of the standing Buddha, over a hundred feet in height, along with a copper statue of the standing Buddha nearby.    There was also another reclining Buddha a mile or two down the road.  There were multiple monasteries with thousands of monks, and the ruler of that kingdom received Xuanzang well. Xuanzang wasn't the first monk to travel to Bamiyan from the Middle Kingdom—in this he was, perhaps unwittingly, on the trail of the monk Faxian.  Faxian likely did not see these statues, though, as we believe they were built in the 6th and early 7th century—at least the stone Buddha statues.  They were a famous worship site until February 2001, when the Taliban gave an order to destroy all of the statues in Afghanistan.  Despite this, they were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Fortunately, we have images from before their destruction.  These statues were a blend of Greco-Buddhist and Gandharan art styles—appropriate as it stands between the Hellenistic area of Tukhara and the ancient region of Gandhara—including the modern city of Kandahar and into the Indus Valley region of Pakistan. Continuing east through the mountains, Xuanzang eventually came out at the kingdom of Kapisa.  This may have had its capital around modern-day Bagram, north of modern Kabul, but the country seems to have been quite large.  Kapisa over saw some tens of other countries, and it is thought that at one time its influence extended from Bamyan and Kandahar to the area of modern Jalalabad.  Their language was even more different than that of Tukhara, but they were still using the same writing system.  The king of Kapisa is said to have been of Suli ethnicity—which would seem to indicate that he was Sogdian, or at least descended from people of the Transoxanian region.    Xuanzang notes that the ruler, as rough and fiery as he is described—as a true warlord or similar—he nonetheless made a silver image of the Buddha, eighteen feet in height, every year.  He also gave charity to the poor and needy in an assembly that was called every five years.  There were over one hundred monasteries and some 6000 monks, per Xuanzang's recollection, and notably, they were largely following Mahayana teachings. For the most part the monks that Xuanzang had encountered on this journey were Theravada—Xuanzang refers to them as “Hinayana”, referring to the “Lesser Vehicle” in contrast to Xuanzang's own “Mahayana”, or “Greater Vehicle”.  “Theravada” refers to the “way of the elders” and while Mahayana Buddhism largely accepts the sutras of Theravada Buddhism, there are many Mahayana texts that Theravada Buddhists do not believe are canonical.  We discussed this back in Episode 84. There was apparently a story of another individual from the Yellow River being sent as a hostage to Kapisa when it was part of the Kushan Empire, under Kanishka or similar.  Xuanzang recounts various places that the hostage, described as a prince, lived or visited while in the region.  Xuanzang's arrival likely stirred the imagination of people who likely knew that the Tang were out there, but it was such a seemingly impossible distance for most people.  And yet here was someone who had traveled across all of that distance.  One of the monasteries that claimed to have been founded because of that ancient Han prince invited Xuanzang to stay with them.  Although it was a Theravada monastery, Xuanzang took them up on the offer, both because of the connection to someone who may have been his countryman, but also because of his traveling companion, Prajnakara, who was also a Theravada monk, and may not be comfortable staying at a Mahayana monastery. Xuanzang spends a good deal of ink on the stories of how various monasteries and other sites were founded in Kapisa and the surrounding areas.  He must have spent some time there to accumulate all of this information.  It is also one of the places where he seems to have hit at least twice—once on the way to India, and once during his return journey. The King of Kapisa is said to have been a devotee of Mahayana Buddhism.  He invited Xuanzang and Prajnakara to come to a Mahayana monastery to hold a Dharma gathering.  There they met with several leading figures in the monastery, and they discussed different theories.  This gathering lasted five days, and at the end, the king offered Xuanzang and the other monks five bolts of pure brocade and various other gifts.  Soon thereafter, the monk Prajnakara was invited back to Tukhara, and so he and Xuanzang parted ways. And it was about time for Xuanzang to continue onwards as well.  From Kapisa, he would travel across the “Black Range” and into Lampaka.  This may refer to the area of Laghman or Jalalabad.  Today, this is in modern Afghanistan, but for Xuanzang, this would have been the northwestern edge of India.  He was almost there. And so are we, but we'll save his trip into India for next episode. Until then thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

Los nombres y escudos de las marcas, en algunos casos, encierran nombres y significados curiosos. Hay marcas cuyos logos son sencillamente el propio nombre o la inicial del nombre… pero a mí me gustan más aquellas marcas con logos más “currados” que expresan, a veces incluso ocultan, otros significados. Os vamos a contar la historia del nombre y el escudo o logo de 20 marcas… en algunos casos el nombre tiene poca historia: Es sencillamente el apellido de su fundador. En los nombres hay unas cuantas historias curiosas, pero la de los emblemas, escudos o logos, o como queráis llamarlos, son todas interesantes, y curiosas… Audi. Una marca alemana con nombre latino. Alfa Romeo. Uno de los escudos más bonitos, sin duda. Aston Martin. En este caso esas alas representan sencillamente la velocidad. BMW. No, el logo o escudo de BMW no representa una hélice en movimiento. Citroën. Los famosos dos “chevrones” no provienen del mundo militar, como he llegado a oír. Jaguar. SS fue una marca de coches británica que lanzó el SS Jaguar 100, al que todo el mundo llamó simplemente jaguar. Mercedes-Benz. El emblema es cosa del señor Daimler que diseño esta estrella de 3 puntas que simbolizan tierra, mar y aire. Ferrari. Otra de las marcas cuyo nombre, como tantas otras, es el apellido de su fundador. Lamborghini. Ferruccio nació el 28 de abril de 1916 y su signo zodiacal era Tauro. Maserati. Marca fundada en 1914 por los hermanos Alfieri, Ettore, Ernesto y Bindo Maserati. Mazda. Con nombre de dios, en concreto de Ahura Mazda. Opel. El emblema procede de un exitoso camión de los años 30 llamado “Blitz”, en alemán relámpago. Y la idea del rayo gusto. Peugeot. Lo de Peugeot tiene poco misterio: EL fundador de la marca se llamaba Armand Peugeot. Porsche. Otra marca cuyo nombre es el apellido del fundador, pero con un escudo bonito y complicado donde aparece un “cavallino rampante”. Renault. Otros originales en cuanto al nombre fueron los hermanos Renault, Louis, Marcel y Fernand. Rolls-Royce. La historia del nombre no tiene mucha “miga” pero la de su emblema, una estatuilla además del propio logo, es todo un culebrón de amor, pasión e infidelidad. Škoda. Emil creó una marca a la que puso su apellido. Subaru. Subaru es como se llama la constelación de las Pléyades en japones, formada por 6 estrellas. Toyota. El fundador de Toyota se apellidaba Toyoda. Pero decidió cambiarlo por Toyota porque le sonaba mejor. Volvo. Una marca sueca con nombre latino… y es que la cultura romana ha llegado a todos los confines del Mundo.

Nous sommes vers 660 avant notre ère, en Bactriane, une région située entre les actuels états d'Afghanistan, du Tadjikistan et de l'Ouzbékistan. C'est là que serait né (mais certains historiens situe l'événement beaucoup plus tôt, entre les XVe et XI siècles) un certain Zoroastre ou Zarathoustra. Prophète recevant la révélation du dieu Ahura-Mazda. De cette révélation sortira le livre saint de l'Avesta. C'est dans ce texte, qu'est décrite la lutte entre le royaume de la Lumière et celui des Ténèbres. Ahura-Mazda engendre Mithra, dieu du soleil, de la lune et des étoiles. Les anciens Perses vont massivement se rallier aux préceptes de Zarathoustra, le mazdéisme qui donnent une place essentielle aux mages, ou prêtres, chargés d'interpréter ses révélations. L'un des premiers monothéismes qui, pour la première fois dans l'histoire de l'humanité, promet à tous les hommes l'immortalité de l'âme sous réserve du jugement dernier. C'est ainsi que cette pensée inspirera la religion hébraïque, le christianisme et l'islam. Mais ceci n'est qu'une étape dans la complexe édification des religions. Que savons-nous aujourd'hui de leur naissance ? De quelles manières se sont-elles développées ? Qu'en est-il de la transcendance, des esprits, des dieux, du salut … Etat des lieux … Invitée : Marie d'Udekem-Gevers, Dr en sciences et en anthropologie, Université de Namur. Merci pour votre écoute Un Jour dans l'Histoire, c'est également en direct tous les jours de la semaine de 13h15 à 14h30 sur www.rtbf.be/lapremiere Retrouvez tous les épisodes d'Un Jour dans l'Histoire sur notre plateforme Auvio.be :https://auvio.rtbf.be/emission/5936 Intéressés par l'histoire ? Vous pourriez également aimer nos autres podcasts : L'Histoire Continue: https://audmns.com/kSbpELwL'heure H : https://audmns.com/YagLLiKEt sa version à écouter en famille : La Mini Heure H https://audmns.com/YagLLiKAinsi que nos séries historiques :Chili, le Pays de mes Histoires : https://audmns.com/XHbnevhD-Day : https://audmns.com/JWRdPYIJoséphine Baker : https://audmns.com/wCfhoEwLa folle histoire de l'aviation : https://audmns.com/xAWjyWCLes Jeux Olympiques, l'étonnant miroir de notre Histoire : https://audmns.com/ZEIihzZMarguerite, la Voix d'une Résistante : https://audmns.com/zFDehnENapoléon, le crépuscule de l'Aigle : https://audmns.com/DcdnIUnUn Jour dans le Sport : https://audmns.com/xXlkHMHSous le sable des Pyramides : https://audmns.com/rXfVppvN'oubliez pas de vous y abonner pour ne rien manquer.Et si vous avez apprécié ce podcast, n'hésitez pas à nous donner des étoiles ou des commentaires, cela nous aide à le faire connaître plus largement.

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The Great Myth of the Sun GodsBy Alvin Boyd KhunIt may be that many of you have come to this lecture with the expectation of hearing about the superstitious beliefs of some ancient fire-worshippers or sun-worshippers. You may wonder why we should presume to waste an evening dilating upon the childish fancies of early peoples who could conceive of no more exalted form of deity in the universe than the physical body of our sun. Can there possibly be anything important in the study of such forms of crude fetishism?Let me disabuse your minds of any such prepossession at once. We have not invited you to hear of infantile nonsense of early child-humanity. On the contrary, it is our opinion that there is not a theme within the entire range of religious interest of such sublimity and authentic grandeur as this subject of the Sun-gods. We have come to the persuasion that this is the most important lecture that we have given or shall ever give. In it there is to be found the central thesis of all religion. We have asked you to hear an exposition of the cardinal principle of all true religion. Instead of dealing with an erratic notion of primitive barbarism, we have to present to you this evening the long-lost supreme datum of all high religion. And it is our design to show that religion in the world has drifted so far away from its original base that it no longer recognizes the very first and fundamental conception about which it was in the beginning constructed. The myth of the Sun-gods is the very heart's core of religion at its best.It is commonly supposed that religious honors were paid to the sun as a deity by a few isolated peoples or sects, such as the Parsees and the ancient Ghebers of Persia, and some African tribes. In correction of this view we are prepared to support the declaration that the worship of the Sun-god was quite universal in the ancient world. It ranged from China and India to Yucatan and Peru. The Emperor and the Mikado, as well as the Incas, and the Pharaohs were Sun-god figures. And is the belief only an empty myth? So far from being such, it is at once the highest embodiment of religious conception in the spiritual history of the race.Since the word "myth" occurs in the title, it is necessary to define it so that we may the better glimpse the nature of the subject. To the modern mind the word carries with it a derogatory implication. To reduce any construction to the status of a myth is to put it out of court and render it valueless. We regard a myth as a fiction and a falsity. To show that a theory or a belief is only a myth, is to relegate it to the world of non-reality, and dismiss it from further consideration as a thing of value.Not so with the ancients. With them (the ancients) a myth was a valuable instrumentality of knowledge. It was an intellectual, even a spiritual, tool, by the aid of which truth and wisdom could at one and the same time both be concealed from the unworthy and expressed for the worthy. The ancients rightly regarded spiritual truth and experience as being incapable of expression or impartation by means of words simply. A myth or an allegory could be made the better means of conveying subtly and with a certain added force, the truth veiled under a set form of dramatic presentation. The myth would enhance spiritual truth as a drama reinforces moral situations. It was all the more powerful in its message precisely because it was known not to be outwardly a true story. No one was caught by the literal falsity of the construction. Attention could therefore be given wholly to the hidden import, which was not obscured by the outward occurrence. The myth was known to be a fiction; therefore it deceived nobody--until the third century. But at the same time it was most ingeniously designed to instruct in the deepest of spiritual truths. It was a literary device to embalm lofty wisdom in the amber of a tradition that could be easily remembered, in the guise of a human story. It was truth incarnated in a dramatic occurrence, which was known to be untrue. Outwardly fictitious, but inwardly the substance of a mighty truth, was the myth. And as such it was the universal dress in which ancient knowledge was clothed.To indicate the universality of the Sun-god myth it is only necessary to enumerate some thirty of the chief figures known as Sun-gods amongst the nations about the Eastern Mediterranean, before the advent of Jesus. There were in Egypt, Osiris, Horus, Serapis, Hermes or Taht (Thoth), Khunsu, Atum (Aten, Adon, the Adonis or Phrygia), Iusa, Iu-sa, Iu-em-hetep; in Syria, Atis, Sabazius, Zagreus, Kybele (femine); in Assyria Tammuz; in Babylonia, Marduk and Sargon; in Persia, Mithra, Ahura-Mazda and the Zoroasters; in Greece, Orpheus, Bacchus (Dionysus), Achilles, Hercules, Theseus, Perseus, Jason, Prometheus; in India, Vyasa, Krishna, Buddha; in Tibet the Boddhisattvas; besides many others elsewhere.Likewise in the ancient Mystery dramas the central character was ever the Sun-god the role being enacted by the candidate for initiation in person. He went through the several initiations as himself the type and representative of the solar divinity in the field of human experience.Moreover, the Patriarchs, Prophets, Priests and Kings of Biblical lore are no less Sun-god figures. For in their several characteristics they are seen to be typical of the Christos.From the study of a mass of the ancient material the sincere and disingenuous student becomes ere long convinced of the fact that the Jesus figure of the Gospels, whether he lived historically or not (and there is much question of it even among theologians), is just another in the long list of the solar gods. They were figured by ancient poetic genius as embodiments of divine solar glory living among men, if they were not purely the mythical constructions of the allegorists.These Sun-god characters, of none of whom can it be said positively that they were living personages, were, it must be clearly noted, purely typical figures in the national epics of the several nations. They were symbols, one might say. But of what were they symbolical? That is the point of central importance. They were representative characters, summing and epitomizing in themselves the spiritual history of the human individual in his march across the field of evolving life on earth. They were the types and models of the divine potentiality pictured as coming to realization in their careers. They were the mirror held up to men, in which could be seen the possibilities locked up in man's own nature. They were type-figures, delineating the divine life that was an ever-possible realization for any devoted man. They were the symbols of an ever-coming deity, a deity that came not once historically in Judea, but that came to ever-fuller expression and liberation in the inner heart of every son of man. The solar deities were the gods that ever came, that were described as coming not once upon a time, but continuously and regularly. Their radiant divinity might be consummated by any earnest person at any time or achieved piecemeal.They were typed as ever-coming or coming regularly because they were symboled by the sun in its annual course around the zodiac of twelve signs, and the regular periodicity of this natural symbol typified the ever-continuing character of their spiritual sunlight. The ancients, in a way and to a degree almost incomprehensible to the unstudied modern, had made of the sun's annual course round the heavens a faithful reproduction of the spiritual history of the divine spirit in man. The god in us was emblemed by the sun in its course, and the sun's varied experiences, as fabulously construed, were a reflection of our own incarnational history. The sun in its movements through the signs was made the mirror of our life in spirit. To follow the yearly round of the zodiac was to epitomize graphically the whole history of human experience. Thus the inner meaning of our mortal life was endlessly repeated in the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly cycle of the sun's passage, the seven or twelve divisions of which marked the seven- or twelvefold segmentation of our spiritual history or our initiations. (They were figured at first as seven, later as twelve, when the solar gods came upon the cosmic scene.)The careers of these solar gods, then, were a type of what is occurring to every man who is dowered with the spark of divine soul within his breast. Each one of us has had or will have his festival of conception in June, his birth into the world of fleshly life in the autumn, his spiritual awakening at Christmas, and his glorious resurrection from the dead body of this life at Easter.The Christians say the Christos came once in a single character in history, Jesus of Judea, saying nothing about his coming to Everyman at all times. They present to the world the Only-Begotten Son of the Father, confusing in one historical figure two distinct characters of ancient philosophy, the Logos and the Christos, and making both historical in a human being born of woman. Suffice it to say that neither character was historical in the ancient systems. The Logos and the Christos were cosmic forces, and the erring Christians confounded these "personages" of ancient philosophy with the mundane career of the man Jesus, who was not other than one of the mythical Sun-god heroes, or national type-figures. What a travesty of truth the Christian representation has become! What a caricature the Gospels have made of the divine spiritual principle in man's life!The ancients had no "only-begotten" son because the term used in their systems, miserably mistranslated "only-begotten," was something with quite a different connotation. It was in Greek "monogenes," and in Latin "unigenitus," and was far from meaning "only-begotten." It meant that which was begotten of one parent, the father, alone, not the offspring of the union of father and mother. By the term the ancients meant to designate him who was the projection into matter of the spirit forces of life, not the final product of the union of spirit and matter, or the male and female elements. Had the early Christian Fathers known of the inner meaning of the symbolism of the Egyptian Ptah, as Khepr-Ra, who was typed by the male beetle that incubated in the ground and without union with the female transformed and regenerated himself after twenty-eight days (exactly a moon cycle) in the form of the young scarab, symbol of the new-born sun in the moon, they would have been intelligent enough to have avoided the great schisms that divided the Church into Roman and Greek Catholic bodies over the abstrusities of this very origin of the persons of the Trinity. But Egypt was farther away from Rome of the third century than it is from us, who can now read the inscriptions that were sealed from them.All this ancient scriptural data accentuates the fact that not the historical Jesus, but the spiritual Christ, or the god within the individual heart (as expounded in the lecture on Platonic Philosophy in the Bible) is the subject of the sacred writings of old, and the kernel of the whole religious ideology. Angelus Silesius has expressed this in a stanza which should be a perpetual reminder of the futility of clinging to the historical interpretation of Gospel literature.Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, But not within thyself, thy soul will be forlorn; The cross on Golgotha thou lookest to in vain, Unless within thyself it be set up again. And the Christian hymn, "O Jesus, thou art standing, outside the fast-closed door," gives expression to the kindred idea that while we look across the map to localize the Christos in Judea, we keep the spiritual mentor of our own lives standing without, seeking an entrance into our lives in vain.By the aid of archaic sacred books we have been enabled to trace authentically the origin of the name Jesus. And it is of great importance to present this material, because it throws a flood of clear light upon the ancient conceptions of the Messiah and the coming Son, or Sun-god. In this light the name will be seen to be a type-designation and not the personal name of an historical being.It is derived from the two letters (or numbers) which in the beginning of typology symbolized the two first elements, spirit and matter, into which the primal One Life bifurcated. They are the I (or 1) symboling the male or spirit, and the O (letter) or 0 (cipher) symboling the female or material universe. Together they represented the biune male-female deity. We have, then, the letters IO, or the number 10. As the vowels were freely interchanged, in ancient languages, the name was written either IO, IA, IE , or IU, and all these forms are found. Next the I transformed into consonantal value and became a J (as it is yet in Latin), so that we find the names JO, JA, JE and JU, from each of which many names have arisen. When the creation had combined the male and female and the two had given birth to the Son, or Logoic universe, the name was given the form of three letters, and we then find such forms as IAO, JAH, IEO, JEU, ZUE. When the universe became founded on the four cardinal points or the square of four dimensions, the name was spelled variously as IEOU, JOVE, ZEUS, JEVE, DIOS, T/HEOS, HUHI, IHUH and others. In its character as a sevenfold or seven-lettered name, it took the form of JEHOVAH, SABAOTH, DEBORAH, DELILAH, SEP/HIROT/H, MICHAEL, SOLOMON, and others of seven letters. The I permuted with l (el) or 1 (one), so that IE became LE or, inverted EL, the great Hebrew character of deity. The EL and the IAH (JAH), became the most frequent determinatives of divinity, as a host of names will testify. There are Bethel, Emanuel, Michael, Israel, Gabriel, Samuel, Abdiel, Uriel, Muriel Azazel, and many others, in which the EL is prefixed. The JAH is seen in such names as EliJAH, AbiJAH, while the IAH comes in a host of such names as Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Obediah, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Messiah, Alleluiah and more.But whence comes the "s" in Jesus's name? This is of great importance. It is derived from an Egyptian suffix written either SA, SE, SI, SU, or SAF, SEF, SIF or SUF (SAPH, SEPH, SIPH or SUPH) and meaning "the son," "heir," "prince" or successor to the father. (The F is an Egyptian ending for the masculine singular.) When the original symbol of divinity, IO or IE, JO or JE, was combined with the Egyptian suffix for the succeeding heir, SU or SA, the resultant was the name IUSA, IUSE, IUSU, or IOSE; or IESU, JESU, IUSEF, IOSEF, JOSEF. One of the many forms was JESU and another was JOSEF. The final F became sibilant at times and gave us the eventual form of JESUS. The name then meant the "divine son," and combined in the Egyptian IU the idea of the coming one. Hence JESUS was the Messiah, the coming son of the divine life. There was in Egypt for ten thousand years B.C. the character of this functionary under the name of IUSA. Later he was the Iu-em-hetep, which means "the divine son who comes with peace (hetep). But most interestingly, this last word also means seven. Hence Jesus is he who comes as the seventh principle to complete the six elementary powers of natural evolution with the gift of divine intelligence, which supplants the elementary chaos with the rulership of love and intelligence and thus brings peace into a warring situation. Hence finally, Jesus is the seventh cosmic principle, announced in all religious lore as he who comes to bring peace and good will to men. And as such he was announced in the Christian Gospels. But there was more than one Jesus or IUSA or IU before the coming of the alleged historical Jesus.Startling as are the implications of this bit of etymology, a far more amazing denouement of Bible study is the revelation that not only were there over thirty Sun-god figures in the cults of the various nations of old, but there are immediately in the Bible itself, in the Old Testament, some twenty more Sun-god characters under the very name of Jesus! Are we speaking arrant nonsense or sober truth when we make a claim which seems at first sight so unsupportable? Twenty Jesus characters in the Old Testament! Let us see. We have noted the many variant forms of the Jesus name. There are still others in the Old Testament, never suspected as being related to the name of the Christian Redeemer. There are Isaac, Esau, Jesse, Jacob, Jeshu, Joachim, Joshua, Jonah and others. All these are variant forms of the one name, which has still other forms among the Hebrews in secular life, Yusuf, Yehoshua, Yeshu, etc. Joshua, Hosea and Jesse are from this name indisputably. A few might be the subject of controversy.Furthermore, beside these that bear the original divine name, there are other Sun-god figures in the Old Testament under a wide variety of names. They are Samson (whose name means "solar"), David, Solomon, Saul (equals soul, or sol, the sun--Latin.), Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Jephtha and the like. Their actions identify them as solar representatives.Now let us see what the conception of our divinity as a Sun-god in reality meant to the sages of old, and what it should mean to us. It meant that the divinity within us, our divine soul or Self, was itself the Sun-god, or solar deity. And what does this signify in concrete terms for us? Just this; that the god within us is constituted of the imperishable essence of solar light and energy! In short, we ourselves, in our higher nature, are solar gods in potentiality! Our highest nature is an incorruptible body composed of the glorious essence of the sun's energy! The gods in the Bible were always symboled by the light or fire of the sun. We are now enlightened to see it as a description of our nature as veritable truth and fact. We are Sun-gods. Our immortal spirits within us are composed of the radiant substance of solar energy.At the very time we were first assembling the material for this lecture, there came an announcement in the daily press of a discovery by a modern physicist, Dr. George W. Crile, of the Cleveland Laboratories, which practically fixed the seal of truth upon every word we have uttered or shall utter in this lecture. It was most startlingly corroborative of our exegesis. He announced that he had discovered at the heart of every living organism a tiny nucleus of energy, all aglow, with temperatures ranging from 3000 to 6000 degrees of heat, which he called "radiogens" or "hot points." These, he said, were precisely akin to the radiant energy of solar matter. He affirmed, in short, that a tiny particle of the sun's power and radiance was lodged within the heart of every organic unit! The light and energy that has life. What would be Crile's surprise, however, if he were to be shown a sentence taken from Hargrave Jennings' old book on the Rosicrucians, written over sixty years ago: "Every man has a little spark (sun) in his own bosom?" For this was one item in the teaching of the Medieval Fire-Philosophers, and the reason they were styled such. They knew what Crile has discovered, as likewise did the ancient Bible-writers. They based their Sun-god religions upon it. Our souls are composed of the imperishable essence of solar light! We are immortal because we are Sun-gods.But many will impatiently rise to expostulate with us, and ask why, if this was the universal fundamentum of the old religions, the Bible itself does not categorically carry this message and state this central fact. Wait a moment! Who that knows this primary datum has searched the Bible to see if it has nothing to say on the point? We, too, believed the Bible was remiss in expressing this conception, until we searched with a more watchful eye. And now let us hear what the Bible says as to our solar constitution, and determine for ourselves whether it is silent on the groundwork of religion or not. Let us hear first the Psalms. "Our God is a living fire," say they; and "Our God is a consuming fire." "The Lord God is a sun," avers the same book. "I am come to send fire on earth," says Jesus, meaning he came to scatter the separated sparks of solar essence amongst mankind, a spark to each soul. In Revelation the angels scatter the fire and the incense of their seven censers over the earth, among the inhabitants. Then says John the Baptist: "I indeed baptize you with water, but he that cometh after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire!" Jesus says: "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." (Satan was the descending Lucifer, or Light-bringer, before he was lifted up and divinized.) The fire that falls on Jeremiah's altar and many another in the Bible narrative types the deity coming to dwell with mortals. Says Jesus: "When I am in the world I am the light of the world." Again he said: "Ye are the light of the world," and "Let your light so shine that others may . . . glory your father which is in heaven." The Lord, say the Psalms, "made his angels messengers and his ministers a flame of fire." The New Testament Jesus, following the well-known Egyptian diagram of the Ankh, the solar disk with the spread wings, is described as "the sun of righteousness, risen with healing in his wings." John has Jesus saying that the condemnation of the world lay in that it rejected the light when it was sent into the world. Says Job: "Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle and his candle shall be put out with him." Isaiah writes: "Behold all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks; walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled." We are adjured to "Rise, shine, for thy light is come." "The Lord is my light," reiterates the Psalms. And again: "In thy light shall we see light." "Light is sown for the righteous." "We wait for light," cry the souls in the darkness of incarnation, far from their original fount of light. John declares that the Christos "was the true light" which was to come Messianically for the redemption of our lower nature. And again he declares that with the Christos "light is come into the world." No cry echoes with more resounding intensity down to this age than Paul's exhortation to our souls buried in lethal darkness: "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon thee!" And in Revelation there are those mighty pronouncements: in the spiritual resurrection "there shall be no more need of the sun to shine by day nor the moon by night, for the glory of the Lord did lighten it." And there is no more heartening assurance anywhere in the Bible than Jesus's statement: "Ye have light in yourselves."And these are only a gleaning from the great score of similar passages with which the Bible teems. And still folks will say they find no warrant for the Sun-god idea in the Bible!In Rome the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta was guarded by seven Vestal Virgins, chosen for purity and for psychic vision. If they permitted the fire to die out (symbolic of the light of deity dying out in the heart) the penalty upon them was death. If they violated their sexual purity, they were buried alive in the city. And from the great old Egyptian Book of the Dead we take just one passage among scores: "Lo, I come from the Lake of Flame, from the Lake of Fire, and from the field of flame, and I live." And again, from an old Book of Adam and Eve we quote a great passage in which the Lord says: "I made thee of the light, and I wished to bring out children of the light from thee." If only we had been taught by our religious teachers that our spiritual natures are woven and fabricated of solar light, we should have had a clearer apprehension of our potentialities for divine education.Supplementing all this material from the Bible and ancient scriptures, there is at hand for our supreme enlightenment one grand pronouncement from Greek Platonic philosophy which we conceive to be that lost ultimate link between science and religion. It is the truth before whose altar both science and religion can kneel at last and find themselves paying tribute to the same god,--the god of solar radiance. It is a sentence from the learned Proclus, last of the Great Platonists: "The light of the sun is the pure energy of intellect." Are we big enough to catch the mighty significance of that statement? Is it not the essence of what the modern physicist means when he talks of "mind-stuff?" The fiery radiance of the sun is already the motivating genius of intellect! Matter is itself intelligent and intelligence! Here is the basic link between all naturalism and all spirituality. Matter enshrouds and contains the soul of mind and spirit. The light of the sun is the deific flash of intellect! And the very core of our conscious being is a spark of that infinite indestructible energy of solar light. There is the "seminal soul of light" or the seed of fiery divinity (Prometheus's "fire" stolen from the gods) in each of us. It makes us a god.Armed with this unquenchable fire which is intellect, we are sent on earth to inhabit a body which is described as a watery and miry swamp. The body is nearly eighty per cent. water! It is the duty of the fiery spark to enlighten the whole dark realm of mortal life, to transmute by its alchemical power the baser dross of animal propensity into the finer motivation of love and brotherhood. This life is a purgation--Purgatory--because it is a process of burning and tempering crude animal elements into the pure gold of spiritual light. In Egyptian scriptures the twelve sons of Ra (the twelve sons of Jacob, and the twelve tribes of Israel) were called the "twelve saviors of the treasure of light." An Egyptian text reads: "This is the sun within us, the seminal source of light. Do not dim its luster or cause it to suffer eclipse." And another runs: "Give ye glory as to the sun; he is the chief, the only one coming from the body, the head of those who belong to the race of the sun."With this force of fire we must uplift the lower man and transmute his nature into the spiritual glow of love and intelligence. With it we must turn the water of the lower nature into the wine of spiritual force. Around it we must aggregate the refined material which we shall build into that temple of the soul, that body of the resurrection, the great garment of solar light, in which we shall rise out of the tomb of the physical corpus and ascend with the angels. This is the radiant Augoeides of the Greeks, the Sahu of the Egyptians, in which the soul wings its flight aloft like the phoenix, after rending the veil of the temple of the body. It is our garment of immortality, the seamless robe of glory, in prospect of which we groan and travail, says St. Paul, as we earnestly desire to be clothed upon with the garment of incorruption. As flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of heaven, we must fashion for our tenancy there this body of solar glory, in whose self-generated light we may live eternally, having overcome the realms of darkness, or spiritualized the body. Jesus prays the Father to grant unto him that glory that he had with him before the world was, and his prayer is fulfilled in the formation of the spirit body out of the elements of the sun.Who is this King of Glory?--says the Psalmist. And we are exhorted to lift up the aeonial gates, the age-lasting doors, to let the King of Glory enter into our realm. The King of Glory is the Sun-soul within us, raised in his final perfection in the fulness of Christly stature to the state of magnificent effulgence. The King of Glory is the immortal Sun-god, the deity in our hearts; and when at last he blazes forth in the heyday of his glory, and comes in majesty into our lives, then we behold his glory, as of the alone-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And when he appears to those still sitting in the shadow of darkness, they report that "they have seen a great light, and to those that sat in the valley of darkness did the light shine." And this light, seen ever and anon by some illuminated son of man, as he gropes in the murks of incarnation, is truly "that light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world."And when that light shineth clearer and brighter unto the perfect day, then, indeed, we know of a surety that we ourselves are nucleated of that same glorious essence of combined intellect and spirit. Then we know that we ourselves are the Sun-gods, and that the ancient allegory is not a "myth," but the very essence of our own Selfhood.The Great Myth of the Sun GodsBy Alvin Boyd Khunhttp://mountainman.com.au/ab_kuhn.html This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dwtruthwarrior.substack.com/subscribe

Tidigare i podcastens historia har vi kommit in på zoroastrismen, men nu gör vi äntligen en djupdykning i religionen! Charlie berättar om Ahura Mazda, hur ondskan kan förklaras genom skapelseberättelsen och varför zoroastrism bland benämns som eldreligionen! Det och mycket mer i avsnitt 158! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode of Vestiges After Dark, we are joined once again by JJ Johnson to explore the ancient and influential religion of Zoroastrianism. JJ will guide us through the core beliefs taught by the prophet Zarathustra, delving into the dualistic cosmology that defines the battle between Ahura Mazda, the god of light, and Angra Mainyu, the spirit of darkness. This episode promises to be both educational and fascinating, offering listeners a deep dive into one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions and its enduring impact on spiritual thought.To call into the show with your questions, comments, or stories, dial: (802) 321-0073.International callers may call free 'Skype to Skype' by dialing: eyeoftheseer They will also be taking your questions from the YouTube chatroom, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and Spreaker.Music Credits (for full list click here: https://www.spreaker.com/show/vestige... Inukshuk - Too Far Gone [NCS Release] Crowd Hammer Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Bumper Music: NoCopyrightSounds Marin Hoxha & Chris Linton - With You [NCS Release] Tobu & Syndec - Dusk [NCS Release] Codeko - Crest [NCS Release] Syn Cole - Feel Good [NCS Release] Floatinurboat - Limbo (feat. ELIØTT) [NCS Release] Rival x Cadmium - Seasons (feat. Harley Bird) [NIVIRO Remix] | NCS Release] Robin Hustin x Tobimorrow - Light It Up (feat. Jex) [NCS Release] Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] Kozah - Heavens [NCS Release] NIVIRO - Memes [NCS Release] Song: Mendum & Abandoned - Voyage (Feat. DNAKM) [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Voyage Watch: • Mendum & Abandoned - Voyage (Feat. DN... Song: Unknown Brain & Hoober - Phenomenon (ft. Dax & VinDon) [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Phenomenon Watch: • Unknown Brain & Hoober - Phenomenon (... Song: Robin Hustin & Jessica Chertock - Burn it Down [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/BurnItDown Watch: • Robin Hustin & Jessica Chertock - Bur... Song: Kozah - Nobody [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://NCS.io/Nobody Watch: • Kozah - Nobody [NCS Release] Song: NIVIRO - Demons [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/NDemons Watch: • NIVIRO - Demons | Electronic | NCS - ... Song: Unknown Brain - Childhood Dreams [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/ChildHoodDreams Watch: • Unknown Brain - Faceless (Album MIX) ... Song: Syn Cole - Time [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Time Watch: • Syn Cole - Time [NCS Release] Song: Jim Yosef - Fall With Me [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/FallWithMe Watch: • Unknown Brain - Waiting (feat. Lox Ch... Song: Mike Vallas, Jagsy & quaggin. - Left My Heart In Pain [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/LMHIP Watch: • Mike Vallas, Jagsy & quaggin. - Left ... Song: Barren Gates - Devil [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Devil Watch: • Barren Gates - Devil | Trap | NCS - C... Song: Inukshuk - The Long Road Home [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/TLRH Watch: • Inukshuk - The Long Road Home [NCS Re... Song: Inukshuk - Too Far Gone [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/TooFarGone Watch: • Inukshuk - Too Far Gone [NCS Release] Song: Inukshuk - A World Away [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/aworldaway Watch: • Inukshuk - A World Away [NCS Release] Song: Voicians - Seconds [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/seconds Watch: Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/NeedYou Watch: • Lost Sky - Need You | Electronic | NC...

In today's episode of Vestiges After Dark, we are joined once again by JJ Johnson to explore the ancient and influential religion of Zoroastrianism. JJ will guide us through the core beliefs taught by the prophet Zarathustra, delving into the dualistic cosmology that defines the battle between Ahura Mazda, the god of light, and Angra Mainyu, the spirit of darkness. This episode promises to be both educational and fascinating, offering listeners a deep dive into one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions and its enduring impact on spiritual thought.To call into the show with your questions, comments, or stories, dial: (802) 321-0073.International callers may call free 'Skype to Skype' by dialing: eyeoftheseer They will also be taking your questions from the YouTube chatroom, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and Spreaker.Music Credits (for full list click here: https://www.spreaker.com/show/vestige... Inukshuk - Too Far Gone [NCS Release] Crowd Hammer Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Bumper Music: NoCopyrightSounds Marin Hoxha & Chris Linton - With You [NCS Release] Tobu & Syndec - Dusk [NCS Release] Codeko - Crest [NCS Release] Syn Cole - Feel Good [NCS Release] Floatinurboat - Limbo (feat. ELIØTT) [NCS Release] Rival x Cadmium - Seasons (feat. Harley Bird) [NIVIRO Remix] | NCS Release] Robin Hustin x Tobimorrow - Light It Up (feat. Jex) [NCS Release] Jim Yosef & Anna Yvette - Linked [NCS Release] Kozah - Heavens [NCS Release] NIVIRO - Memes [NCS Release] Song: Mendum & Abandoned - Voyage (Feat. DNAKM) [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Voyage Watch: • Mendum & Abandoned - Voyage (Feat. DN... Song: Unknown Brain & Hoober - Phenomenon (ft. Dax & VinDon) [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Phenomenon Watch: • Unknown Brain & Hoober - Phenomenon (... Song: Robin Hustin & Jessica Chertock - Burn it Down [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/BurnItDown Watch: • Robin Hustin & Jessica Chertock - Bur... Song: Kozah - Nobody [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://NCS.io/Nobody Watch: • Kozah - Nobody [NCS Release] Song: NIVIRO - Demons [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/NDemons Watch: • NIVIRO - Demons | Electronic | NCS - ... Song: Unknown Brain - Childhood Dreams [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/ChildHoodDreams Watch: • Unknown Brain - Faceless (Album MIX) ... Song: Syn Cole - Time [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Time Watch: • Syn Cole - Time [NCS Release] Song: Jim Yosef - Fall With Me [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/FallWithMe Watch: • Unknown Brain - Waiting (feat. Lox Ch... Song: Mike Vallas, Jagsy & quaggin. - Left My Heart In Pain [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/LMHIP Watch: • Mike Vallas, Jagsy & quaggin. - Left ... Song: Barren Gates - Devil [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/Devil Watch: • Barren Gates - Devil | Trap | NCS - C... Song: Inukshuk - The Long Road Home [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/TLRH Watch: • Inukshuk - The Long Road Home [NCS Re... Song: Inukshuk - Too Far Gone [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/TooFarGone Watch: • Inukshuk - Too Far Gone [NCS Release] Song: Inukshuk - A World Away [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/aworldaway Watch: • Inukshuk - A World Away [NCS Release] Song: Voicians - Seconds [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/seconds Watch: Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/NeedYou Watch: • Lost Sky - Need You | Electronic | NC...

Bienvenidos a un nuevo Spaces en directo desde Twitter. Hoy vamos a ponernos en plan esotérico, para intentar explicar algunos de los misterios más escondidos y a la vez más a la vista de todos los tiempos. La energia que supuestamente recorre nuestros centros energéticos o chakras con k de kilo. Según la doctrina hinduista, los chakras son centros de energía inconmensurable y no medible mediante la tecnologia actual situados en el cuerpo humano. Y digo lo de k de kilo porque en castellano la RAE define a chacra con ce como Alquería o granja. Me pregunto si este nombre no estará relacionado con la granja humana de la que hablaba Freixedo. Si está por ahi Puntal de dios le aconsejo que cierre los oídos ya que vamos a utilizar algún texto de una persona que sigue a masones y magos negros como Manly Palmer Hall. Seguidor y propagador de las ideas de la también satanista Helena Blavatsky, también conocida como Madame Blavatsky. Le hablaré sobre los misterios mitríacos y nórdicos apoyandome en una traducción de un hilo de @AmurakaHidden del mismo nombre. Hall escribe: "Para el ocultista, el NACIMIENTO es la MUERTE y la MUERTE es el DESPERTAR. Los antiguos místicos enseñaban que nacer en el mundo físico era entrar en una TUMBA, porque ningún otro plano de la naturaleza es tan insensible y limitado como la Tierra”. "El TIEMPO y la DISTANCIA eran barrotes que encadenaban al alma a un entorno estrecho. El calor y el frío atormentaban al alma, la edad la privaba de sus facultades y la VIDA del hombre no era más que una preparación para la MUERTE.” Esto es interesante, ya que Hall continúa: "Los Misterios enseñaban que durante los grados superiores de iniciación los mismos dioses participaban en la instrucción de los candidatos o al menos estaban presentes, lo que era en sí mismo una bendición”. "Como las deidades habitaban en los mundos invisibles y sólo venían en sus cuerpos espirituales, era imposible para el neófito reconocerlas sin la ayuda de drogas que estimulaban el centro clarividente de su conciencia (probablemente la glándula pineal)”. "Muchos iniciados en los antiguos Misterios afirmaron enfáticamente que habían conversado con los inmortales y habían contemplado a los dioses". Hall escribe: "Los misterios nórdicos se daban en nueve cámaras o cavernas, y el candidato avanzaba a través de ellas en orden secuencial”. "Estas cámaras de iniciación representaban las nueve esferas en las que los Drottars dividían el Universo”. El inframundo azteca, Mictlan, constaba de NUEVE niveles distintos. Hoy en día, los rituales de iniciación suelen realizarse en CUEVAS o LUGARES DE OSCURIDAD. Esto proviene de los Misterios Nórdicos y Mitriacos. Mucha gente ha visto los rituales de la Muerte Simulada donde el Candidato es levantado por el Agarre de la Pata del León que, también, proviene del Mitraísmo. La Cueva de la Natividad de Jesús fue, también según Hall, un Ritual de Iniciación Oculta, los Tres Reyes Magos eran Adeptos Espirituales. WL Wilmshurst dice: "Los 'pastores que cuidaban sus rebaños' en el momento de la Natividad no eran rústicos ni granjeros, sino adeptos espirituales a cargo de grupos de iniciados". Los Misterios Mitriacos se realizaban en Cavernas Subterráneas conocidas como Mitreos, Templos Mitraicos Ocultos. Las catacumbas cristianas y los hipogeos o Mitreos de culto a Mitra estuvieron juntas durante por lo menos 300 años y lógicamente se produjo una colusión entre ambas religiones. En estas Cavernas Subterráneas, conocidas como Mitreos, los Iniciados serían conducidos de la Oscuridad a la LUZ. De la oscuridad a la LUZ MASÓNICA. Porfirio, en su Caverna de las Ninfas, afirma que Zaratustra (Zoroastro) fue el primero en consagrar una cueva al culto del Único Dios Verdadero, porque una caverna era un símbolo de la tierra, o del mundo inferior de las tinieblas. "Estas cuevas estaban adornadas con los signos del Zodíaco, Cáncer y Capricornio. Los solsticios de verano e invierno eran visibles, como las puertas de las almas que descendían a esta vida, o salían de ella en su ascenso hacia los Dioses; Cáncer era la puerta del Descenso, Capricornio, la del Ascenso”. Esto tiene que ver con los solsticios de verano e invierno que se venian representando en la llamada rueda de los años o de culto a Baal. Donde la celebración de Yule es en torno al 20-23 de diciembre y la de Midsummer entre el 19 y 23 de junio. Tanto el trópico de Cáncer como el trópico de Capricornio tienen una relación directa con el solsticio de verano, pues ambos son la línea imaginaria en la Tierra en la que los rayos del Sol son completamente verticales en el instante del solsticio, es decir, cuando el Sol se encontrará exactamente en el centro de la esfera de cielo visible cuando se produzca el solsticio y, por tanto, la sombra de cualquier objeto tendrá la componente longitudinal nula en dicha línea. Esto ocurre una sola vez al año por cada hemisferio, y también la igualdad en tiempo entre el día y la noche. Al hemisferio norte le corresponde el trópico de Cáncer y al hemisferio sur, el trópico de Capricornio. Hall concluye: "En el antiguo sistema de iniciación, el iniciado (o buscador) debe pasar por un SEGUNDO NACIMIENTO, y aquellos que alcanzaban este estado exaltado eran conocidos a partir de entonces como "Los Dos Veces Nacidos". Sólo aquel que ha nacido de nuevo puede comprender los misterios del cielo”. "Este nuevo nacimiento, sin embargo, no se logra simplemente uniéndose a una secta. Debe ganarse personalmente mediante una regeneración completa del carácter y la conducta." Así como un Fénix RENACE de las Cenizas, lo mismo ocurre con el Iniciado. Hall dice: "En los Misterios, a los iniciados se les llamaba fénix u hombres nacidos de nuevo, porque así como el nacimiento físico da al hombre conciencia en el mundo físico, así también el neófito, después de nueve grados en el vientre de los Misterios, nacía en una conciencia de lo Espiritual”. “Este es el misterio de la iniciación al que se refirió Cristo cuando dijo: “El que no naciere de nuevo no puede ver el reino de Dios”. El Fénix es un símbolo apropiado de esta verdad espiritual”. La Kundalini despierta sube por las 33 Vértebras, la Escalera de Jacob, la Columna Vertebral, pasa por los Siete Arcángeles hasta llegar y reunirse con el TRONO de Dios. Hay 33 vértebras en total. La palabra Elohim se utiliza 33 veces en Génesis. 33 años en la vida de Jesús. 33 grados en la Masonería. En el cuerpo humano, el Fuego Divino se arrastra como una serpiente por el Árbol de la Vida, la Médula Espinal o la Escalera de Jacob. Hay Siete Vértebras Cervicales en la Columna Superior que se asemejan a las Alas de un Ángel. Estos son los Siete Arcángeles que guardan la CIMA de la Escalera de Jacob, el Cerebro. En el mitraísmo, existían siete niveles de iniciación, que pueden estar relacionados con los siete planetas de la astronomía de la época (Luna, Mercurio, Venus, Sol, Marte, Júpiter y Saturno). La mayoría de los miembros llegaban únicamente, hasta el cuarto grado (leo) y solo unos escogidos accedían a los rangos superiores. Los niveles, conocidos gracias a un texto de San Jerónimo que confirman varias inscripciones, eran los siguientes: Corax (cuervo); Cryphius (oculto) o Nymphus (esposo); Miles (soldado). Leo (león). Perses (persa); Heliodromus (emisario solar). Pater (padre). Sus atributos (el gorro frigio, la vara y el anillo) recuerdan a los del obispo cristiano. En los ritos, los iniciados llevaban máscaras de animales relativas a su nivel de iniciación y se dividían en dos grupos: los servidores, por debajo del grado de leo y los participantes, el resto. Siete Arcángeles, Siete Puertas Planetarias, Siete Metales Alquímicos. Siete colores del arco iris. Teseo, el héroe fundador de Atenas cuya acción más conocida fue la de derrotar al Minotauro del laberinto de Creta y evitar así el sacrificio de 7 doncellas y 7 jóvenes como tributo al rey Minos. Siete notas musicales. Por cierto el dibujo de la Harmonía musical es clavado a la tetraktys pitagórica. Se atribuye a Pitágoras el descubrimiento de la representación de los ritmos básicos de la música griega mediante las razones 1:2 como octava, 3:2 como quinta y 4:3 como cuarta. Así, los pitagóricos estimaban que el orden y la belleza lo daban esos cuatro primeros números cuya suma es diez, que consideraban el número perfecto. En el Cuerpo Humano, la Escalera de Jacob (la Médula Espinal) conduce al Cerebro Humano. El Cerebro Humano tiene Dos Hemisferios, el Boaz y el Jachim del Templo de Salomón. En el cerebro humano, así como existe el hemisferio izquierdo y el derecho, también existe la amígdala izquierda y la derecha. En la "Atanomia bíblica", estas son las dos Marías: María Magdalena y la Virgen María. Estas "Marías" representan el nacimiento físico y el segundo nacimiento, el nacimiento espiritual. Existe, también, el Tálamo izquierdo y derecho (el “Tammuz” babilónico, Hijo de Semíramis, la “María” babilónica), las glándulas PINEAL y PITUITARIA están centradas y no están ubicadas en cada hemisferio si no reflejándose una a la otra: una ARRIBA y la otra ABAJO. La representación de estas dos glándulas la podemos ver en el gorro que porta el dios egipcio Khnum o dios cabeza de cordero, el protector o enriquecedor de la naturaleza. La Anatomía del Cerebro es el origen de la alegoría esotérica del “Padre” que está ARRIBA y el “Hijo” que está ABAJO. Jesús nació en un pesebre, aunque también otras costumbres lo sitúan en una CUEVA utilizada como pesebre; ésta es verdaderamente la ‘Cueva de Brahman’ dentro de nuestro Cerebro. La 'Cueva de Brahman' es donde la Pineal y la Pituitaria son capaces de iluminarse como un Árbol de Navidad cuando la Energía Espiritual se transmuta por la ESCALERA DE JACOB como un FÉNIX RENACIDO, ¡un verdadero Milagro de Navidad! La “CUEVA DE BRAHMA” es la “CUEVA INTERNA” dentro del Cerebro, directamente encima de la Pineal, la Pituitaria, el Tálamo y el Hipotálamo. Este es el PALACIO DE CRISTAL Taoísta. El Palacio de CRISTO-EL, el Reino de los Cielos en el interior, el TERCER VENTRÍCULO, el Asiento de Jehová. "Los Misterios enseñan que el Tercer Ventrículo es la sede de JEHOVÁ en el cuerpo humano. Si bien su función es a través del SISTEMA GENERATIVO, su CENTRO DE CONCIENCIA como parte del espíritu del hombre se supone que está ubicado en un mar de éter azul llamado el VELO de ISIS.” Hall finaliza: “El velo de ISIS en el hombre se encuentra en el centro del seno frontal”. ………………………………………………………………………………………. La abadía de Westminster, famosa mundialmente, fue construida donde estaba el templo pagano de Apolo, el dios Romano. Algo que me conmocionó profundamente fue saber de la Piedra de Scone, o Piedra del Destino, también conocida como Piedra de la Coronación. Una piedra que ha sido utilizada por todos los reyes escoceses y que también fue utilizada en la coronación de la reina de Inglaterra Isabel II, por cierto a pesar de sufrir muchos contratiempos ya que esta piedra fue supuestamente robada por unos estudiantes. ¿Qué tiene que ver todo esto de la piedra del destino con las líneas ley y los niveles de consciencia? Según la leyenda esta piedra es la piedra que hizo que se le apareciese a Jacob uno de los mas famosos dioses, Yahveh. El dios en el que sigue creyendo por cierto el pastor evangélico Rony Chaves que tiene uno de los pocos libros que hablan sobre estas lineas energéticas. Este Jacob soñó con una escalera por la que los ángeles ascendían y descendían del cielo. Vamos, lo que podría ser considerado un medio de comunicación interdimensional. La abadía de San Pedro y San Pablo en Bath, Inglaterra, incluye esculturas de ángeles que suben al cielo en dos escaleras de piedra. Concretamente son siete ángeles o mejor dicho, siete arcángeles. “[…]porque los ángeles no son todos iguales, sino que con arreglo a su condición están jerarquizados entre sí e integrados en tres grupos diferentes. Al primero de esos grupos damos el nombre de Epifanía, palabra que significa categoría máxima o superior; al segundo lo llamamos Hyperfanía, palabra que quiere decir categoría intermedia; al tercero lo designamos Hypofanía, que equivale a categoría inferior. […]Cada una de estas jerarquías consta de tres órdenes: a la primera de ellas, o Epifanía, pertenecen los serafines, querubines y tronos; a la segunda o Hyperfanía, según Dionisio, pertenecen las dominaciones, virtudes y las potestades; a la tercera o Hypofanía, también según Dionisio, pertenecen los principados, los arcángeles y los ángeles. Se da cierta semejanza entre la ordenación o disposición de los espíritus celestiales y la que existes entre los diferentes poderes terrenos.” Jacopo de la Vorágine, Leyenda Dorada, siglo XIII. En el articulo “Los Siete Arcángeles. Una iconografía al servicio del poder” de Cipriano García Hidalgo Villena leemos: “La tradición judía del Antiguo Testamento organizó a estos seres incorpóreos que, generalmente y comúnmente, llamamos ángeles, de la misma forma que estaba organizada la jerarquía babilónica, el gran imperio antiguo que influyó decisivamente en la concepción hebrea durante el periodo del exílio, que se data en el siglo VI a. C., la ordenación jerárquica de la corte celestial se inspiraba así en la tradición zoroástrica. En el libro sagrado del Avesta se recoge que, junto a la divinidad, se sitúan un consejo celestial de bienhechores inmortales formado por siete miembros y capitaneados por Ahura Mazda. El número siete es fundamental en la tradición numerológica oriental que se trasmitió también a occidente, pues es el número que aúna lo divino, formado por el número tres, con lo terrenal, que se corresponde con el cuatro. El problema es que los textos bíblicos, canónicamente aceptados por el cristianismo, sólo mencionan a tres arcángeles con nombre: Miguel, Gabriel y Rafael, que serán los arcángeles canónicos. Pero en los apócrifos aparecen muchísimos más nombres. El texto fundamental para la creación de la advocación de los siete arcángeles será el Libro de Enoch: “Me dijo Metatrón: Siete son los grandes príncipes, hermosos, temibles, maravillosos, honorables, que están a cargo de los siete cielos. Ellos son: Miguel, Gabriel, Satquiel, Sajaquiel, Bakariel, Badariel y Pajriel […] Todos ellos ciñen reales coronas, visten hábitos reales y se cubren con reales vestiduras. Todos ellos cabalgan sobre reales corceles y sus manos empuñan cetros reales. Cuando cada uno de ellos se desplaza por Raquia, van corriendo ante él reales sirvientes con gran pompa y boato, del mismo modo que se desplazan los príncipes en la tierra en carroza, con jinetes y numerosas huestes, con gloria, grandeza, alabanza, loa y ornato” Libro de Enoch (versión hebréa) en Díez Macho, Alejandro: Apócrifos del Antiguo Testamento El emperador Carlos V y los jesuitas fueron los que hicieron posible que se les rindiese culto hasta nuestros días. Si os fijáis hay siete niveles, como había 7 grados en el Mitraísmo. Para mi estas líneas ley sirven entre otras cosas para eso, para comunicarse con esos entrecomillas “ángeles”. Invitados: Semshu Hor @trips0 …. macaco @10macaco10 …. Dra Yane #JusticiaParaUTP @ayec98_2 Médico y Buscadora de la verdad. Con Dios siempre! No permito q me dividan c/izq -derecha, raza, religión ni nada de la Creación. https://youtu.be/TXEEZUYd4c0 …. UTP Ramón Valero @tecn_preocupado Un técnico Preocupado un FP2 IVOOX UTP http://cutt.ly/dzhhGrf BLOG http://cutt.ly/dzhh2LX Ayúdame desde mi Crowfunding aquí https://cutt.ly/W0DsPVq ………………………………………………………………………………………. Enlaces citados en el podcast: Sintonía Alfa 4x08 - Hipogeus (Hipogeos) Culto a Mitra https://www.ivoox.com/sintonia-alfa-4x08-hipogeus-hipogeos-enric-puig-audios-mp3_rf_26520071_1.html PODEMOS, LOS PITUFOS Y EL GORRO FRIGIO https://tecnicopreocupado.com/2014/11/27/podemos-pitufos-gorro-frigio/ Mitraísmo https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitra%C3%ADsmo Los misterios de Mitra https://x.com/AmurakaHidden/status/1835514957707800983 Los Siete Arcángeles. Una iconografía al servicio del poder. https://www.investigart.com/2020/06/02/los-siete-arcangeles-una-iconografia-al-servicio-del-poder/ Universo fractal https://www.ivoox.com/universo-fractal-audios-mp3_rf_9991855_1.html EL VUELO INFINITO DE LAS MARIPOSAS I https://tecnicopreocupado.com/2023/07/27/el-vuelo-infinito-de-las-mariposas-i/ SINCRONICIDADES Y EL EFECTO MARIPOSA II https://tecnicopreocupado.com/2023/11/19/sincronicidades-y-el-efecto-mariposa-ii/ ………………………………………………………………………………………. Música utilizada en este podcast: Tema inicial Heros ………………………………………………………………………………………. Epílogo Red - Bian I El B Los Aldeanos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiAIkZ6BLlg

We're the architects of a future we'll never inhabit. In the face of today's global challenges, we must consider how our actions set the stage for those who will inherit the Earth after us. Are we obligated to act now for people we'll never meet? Do future generations even have rights? In today's episode, we discuss the spiritual implications of "now vs. later" — how short-term desires clash with long-term responsibilities. From environmental conservation to preserving cultural and moral values, we explore what it really means to leave behind a legacy. Does spirituality demand that we leave footprints in the sand, or seeds in the soil for a forest we'll never see? Throughout history, certain societies have embraced long-term thinking, while others have been crumbled by short-term gains. From Indigenous practices of sustainability to modern roles like the Future Generations Commissioner of Wales, long-term stewardship has always been a guiding principle. But it's becoming rarer in today's fast-paced world — just look at the instant gratification of consumerism or political leaders who make decisions solely based on election cycles. What is the price of constantly living for the present, and how does it stunt our collective growth? Can we design systems and cultures that help us rise above short-term thinking, even in the face of an immediate crisis?Even beliefs like reincarnation, which promise a second chance, can lead us to focus on personal ‘good karma' rather than the welfare of future generations. What does it truly mean to be a "good ancestor" when we're preoccupied with our own spiritual returns? We also cover some common spiritual practices, like meditation and manifestation, explaining which ones foster a mindset of sustainability and which may unintentionally encourage short-term thinking. Stewarding the future carries a heavy weight, both spiritually and emotionally. But the truth is that you are both an echo of the past and a whisper for the future. What kind of sound will your life make? *****************************************"Like the earth, let us help and share the burden of all. Like the water, let us flow untethered and quench the deepest thirst. Like fire, let us eliminate the unnecessary and unimportant. Like air, let us silently become a lifeline for all.”— Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee (from the book "Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth")*****************************************Episode Resources:Book: "The Long View: Why We Need To Transform How the World Sees Time" by Richard FisherBook: "The Clock of the Long Now: Time and Responsibility" by Stewart BrandBook: "Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs" by Ari WallachBook: "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fall or Succeed" by Jared DiamondBook: “Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth” by Llewellyn Vaughan-LeeBook: “The Ascent of Man” by Jacob BronowskiBook: “The Ethics of the Climate Crisis” by Robin AttfieldBook: “A Theory of Justice” by John RawlsBook: "The Discoverers: A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself" by Daniel J. BoorstinJournal Article: "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk" by Daniel Kahneman and Amos TverskyJournal Article: "A discounting framework for choice with delayed and probabilistic rewards" by George Ainslie*****************************************Podcast & Host Resources:Clairannoyance InstagramClairannoyance TikTokClairannoyance WebsiteMegan's InstagramMegan's TikTokMegan's WebsiteRyan's InstagramRyan's TikTokRyan's Website

NEWS HEADLINES are shadows of events in the spirit realm. It's why Paul wrote, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood.”As the world faces the possibility of World War 3, which we believe could be a false fulfillment of the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38 and 39, we take time to look at what's happening in the Middle East, and speculate on the identities of the principalities and powers behind the scenes.We know that Satan leads the end times rebellion, based on Revelation 12, and note that Jesus identified Satan as Baal (Matt. 12:22–26), who was known in Greece and Rome as Zeus and Jupiter. We also believe he's the most likely candidate for the prince of Greece mentioned in Daniel 10.That begs the question: Who is the prince of Persia? Is it Ahura Mazda? Marduk? Are those different names for the same entity? Are they working together, or do they struggle with one another for power while they try to knock God off His throne?Then there is Shemihazah, leader of the Genesis 6 rebellion, who we believe was the entity known to the neighbors of ancient Israel as El, Enlil, and Dagon—and who the Hebrew prophets called Molech. He's the angel of the bottomless pit, which means he gets out for five months (Rev. 9:11). Does he think Satan will hand over his kingdom when he emerges from the abyss?What about Inanna, the woman who rides the Beast? She thinks she controls the Antichrist and his kingdom, but Revelation tells us that the Beast and his ten sub-kings will turn on her and destroy her.And then there is Chaos, or Leviathan. We believe this is the spirit that indwells the human we call Antichrist. He first emerges in Genesis 1:2 (the Hebrew word translated “deep”, tehom, is a cognate for Sumerian Tiamat, their version of Leviathan). Will he be satisfied playing the role of commander-in-chief of Satan's army?

Angels in most traditions are heavenly messengers, and modern pop culture has greatly exaggerated almost every feature. While it makes sense to assume that there are female or feminine angels, each one named in Abrahamic scriptural tradition is a man.The word Angel comes from the Greek Aggelos (lit: messenger), and the Hebrew word Malak has the same meaning. In this episode we explore the groups of archangels listed in various sources, most notably Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel, but also including Raguel, Sariel, Remiel, and the Metatron.But more than just a handful of favorite messengers, there are also different kinds of angels, from the baby-faced Cherubim (think of the Renaissance Cupid, though Ezekiel gave them interchangeable animal faces), to the brilliantly dazzling Seraphim (aka fire-folk), to the cosmic horrors known as the Ophanim (the famous "biblically accurate angels" that are simply haunting wheels of eyes and wings and twisted metal)--that last one is dubious in angelic status....Angels show up all over the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, and the entire Quran is said to have been delivered by the same angel that brought Mary and Joseph the news of her pregnancy. In more recent times, works like Paradise Lost and The Divine Comedy have contributed a lot to how we see angels in Western tradition.Angel is also a fair label for demi-god-like beings in other traditions, such as the Devas of Dharmic tradition, the Vördr of Norse tradition, the Yazata (lit: holy) of Mazdeism (aka Zoroastrianism), and the Daemons of Greco-Roman tradition. We consider each of these, and how some are better fits than others for this label.Interpreting Colossians 1:16 to contain a list of angels is ridiculous, and nobody should be that bad at reading.All this and more....   Support us on Patreon or you can get our merch at Spreadshop.Join the Community on Discord.Learn more great religion factoids on Facebook and Instagram. [00:00:11] Katie Dooley: There's a fine. You can go to jail if you... And a fine. There's both. [00:00:19] Preston Meyer: Oh, good. [00:00:19] Katie Dooley: Both a fine and jail. If your phone goes off. [00:00:23] Preston Meyer: That's a bad time. [00:00:24] Katie Dooley: Yeah. It is. You could always ask an angel for help if you go to jail. [00:00:34] Preston Meyer: Ah, there's a lot of stories of people meeting angels in jail. Makes you wonder about those angels, doesn't it? [00:00:39] Katie Dooley: Right. Well, we're gonna explain more on today's episode of.  [00:00:43] Both Speakers: The Holy Watermelon Podcast. [00:00:47] Katie Dooley: Yeah. So. I like that. This is. I feel like we haven't done an episode like this in a minute where we talk about a whole bunch of. We talk about a concept in a whole bunch of religions. [00:01:03] Preston Meyer: Yeah, it has been a minute. [00:01:03] Katie Dooley: I'm excited. So we're talking about angels. [00:01:09] Preston Meyer: Say it ainn't so. [00:01:12] Katie Dooley: Or if you were a really bad speller in junior high an angle. [00:01:16] Preston Meyer: I feel like. Yeah, I must have shared it on our discord this Christmas of somebody who shared a collection of angles that they brought to their family. [00:01:25] Katie Dooley: Yeah, there was a girl in junior high with me. I won't call her a friend because she wasn't. But this was when everyone was on MSN, so you had everyone's email. And her email was sweet angle and then some number. I was like, oh boy. [00:01:41] Preston Meyer: Mhm. Yeah. Spelling is important. [00:01:45] Katie Dooley: Yeah. We all have those cringey emails. [00:01:47] Preston Meyer: Well, it's like most people just cannot spell rogue. [00:01:52] Katie Dooley: Almost every time I see somebody try to say rogue they spell rouge. Now, being a Star Wars fan in a French immersion program growing up, I was not going to make that mistake. Instead, I made all kinds of other mistakes of spelling words the French way in an English context. [00:02:07] Katie Dooley: Well, that's good. Um, but speaking of words, tell us where the word angel comes from. [00:02:13] Preston Meyer: So the word angel as it is known in English. Yes, the the word angel, as you know, it comes from the Greek word Angelos, spelt with no Ns but two G's. Huh? You can complain about that, but English does stupid things too. The word means messenger, which is speculated to have been derived from the older word for mounted courier, which I think is just a cool extra layer of meaning to that. The Hebrew word that typically gets translated into angel in the Greek Bibles is malak, which also means messenger. So there's also the last of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible prophets. In the Christian Bible format because remember they arrange the books differently is Malachi and he's got the perfect name it basically just means my messenger. Was that his name? We'll never know. [00:03:20] Katie Dooley: Interesting. And yeah, messenger, mounted courier. I'm getting a lot of mailman vibes. Even. Malak. Malak. Malak. Yeah. Mailman. [00:03:36] Preston Meyer: Most of the angels that we see in the Judeo-Christian tradition are men rather than women. So yeah, mailman's great. So the frustrating thing is that the ideas that come along with this word over centuries of thought and baggage collection there's there's a lot of variety and meaning. And most traditions have gotten to the point where the word doesn't mean messenger anymore. Uh, usually it it's just thought of as this is a demigod. The word means some sort of class of demigod, usually with multiple classes. We'll get into that later. And in a lot of religions, you'll see them treated basically as demigods that have dominion over various elements because they can't be gods, because usually you're looking at them in a monotheistic lens. [00:04:36] Katie Dooley: Yeah, I can, especially when when you said it, we'll get into the hierarchy of the angels. But like it's like, how does this even work in a monotheistic tradition to have all of these layers of divine beings? [00:04:50] Preston Meyer: Yeah, they're they're residents of heaven, so they're better than you and me, but they've got great powers, is the deal. [00:05:00] Katie Dooley: And I guess we don't worship angels. I guess saints would actually be a worse sort of like knock to the monotheistic than an angel. [00:05:09] Preston Meyer: Oh, but see, I think it's a mistake to separate them In the Catholic tradition specifically, or any of the the Orthodox, the saint traditions. Lutherans whatever. If you if you're into saints, Saint Michael is one of them. Michael the Archangel, he's a demigod, just like Mother Teresa. Yeah and maybe with better reasons. I.  [00:05:43] Katie Dooley: Mean, can't be worse. [00:05:45] Preston Meyer: One has tales of actual divine power, the other is known to be just awful. [00:05:52] Katie Dooley: Yeah. Cleaned and reuse needles. Yeah. [00:05:54] Preston Meyer: I want to believe that there is a way to clean needles safely. But I know that actual health care professionals say, don't do that. And there's good reason for that. [00:06:04] Katie Dooley: I mean, you're probably right. I'm sure there is. But to, like, guarantee its safety is probably near impossible. Just donated blood this week. Right? Like it's such a small little needle. How would you make sure it was maybe the syringe part, but the little needle anyway. Gross. Don't do it, don't. Clean needles for all. [00:06:25] Preston Meyer: Yeah. Adding angels to monotheism. It does look an awful lot like demigods in a system where there is just one greater God. And we've had this conversation about how Hinduism, you've got a lot of lesser gods under Brahma. [00:06:44] Katie Dooley: Yeah. And I mean even Shinto, all the kami, there's greater kami, there's lesser kami. [00:06:51] Preston Meyer: It's complicated. And it just makes the argument for strict monotheism the way most people define it, a lot harder to argue. [00:07:01] Katie Dooley: Yes. And all the Abrahamic religions have angels, and those are the monotheistic ones. And people are vehement about the fact that they're monotheistic. And it's like, but then they're saints and angels, whether you group them together or not. I mean, even in Christianity, there's the Trinity. [00:07:22] Preston Meyer: Yeah, I saw a meme on Reddit the other day, and it was it was definitely a Mormon kid posting a meme slamming the Trinity in a group that has historically not been friendly to Mormons. And they roasted him hard in the comments, but all of the arguments they offered were absolute nonsense. It's frustrating. Like, it's it's okay to believe in the Trinity if you're going to believe in anything, whatever. But if you're going to slam somebody for not getting it, make sure you get it.  [00:07:22] Katie Dooley: This is such an old movie, but in Bill Maher's Religulous. [00:08:07] Preston Meyer: Oh, that's a lot of fun. [00:08:08] Katie Dooley: It is. He asks one guy about the Trinity, and he, the guy explains it that it's like water. It can be ice, or it can be steam, or it can be water. And that's the Trinity. And I was like, well, that or Bill Maher was like, well, that sounds good on paper, but it really doesn't explain it. They're different, but they're the same. Anyway, we're digressing a bit, but let's jump into talking about angels in the Hebrew Bible. [00:08:32] Preston Meyer: Yeah. So there's. A lot of appearances of angels. It's kind of a recurring theme. [00:08:40] Katie Dooley: Yeah, and not just in the Hebrew Bible, but there are also angels in rabbinic literature and in the Apocrypha as well. [00:08:46] Preston Meyer: Oh for sure. Yeah, the angels are, I would say, a pretty prominent part of this faith. [00:08:51] Katie Dooley: Yeah. And from my research, it feels like there's more angels in the Hebrew Bible than in the Christian Bible. [00:08:59] Preston Meyer: There's definitely more angels named in the Hebrew tradition than there are in the New Testament. The New Testament names Gabriel outright and then just mentions, oh yeah, and other angels showed up for this event. [00:09:15] Katie Dooley: And I guess also like the whole last half of the Christian Bible is just letters.  [00:09:24] Preston Meyer: Yeah, not a whole lot of narrative storytelling. Whereas the Hebrew Bible has a lot of really great storytelling in it. [00:09:32] Katie Dooley: Right. Uh, in the Hebrew Bible, the angels visit many people, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and Hagar, and they're typically used as messengers, like the name implies. But sometimes they appear as warriors and they're supposed to look like regular people without wings. [00:09:49] Preston Meyer: Yeah. It's just dudes. They're just here doing stuff. And not a whole lot of religions love that. They gotta have the wings. We talked about this before. We recorded the biblically accurate angels that are so popularly memed right now, specifically one type of type of angel. We'll talk about that later. These angels look like men. [00:10:12] Katie Dooley: Yes, but all the angels with wings don't just have a pair of wings. They have multiple pairs of wings. [00:10:18] Preston Meyer: Well, you got angels with one pair. You got angels with two pairs. You got angels with three pairs. Four pairs. And then you've got the absolute cosmic horrors. Lovecraftian nonsense with gears and wings and eyes without number. Yeah. There are options. [00:10:37] Katie Dooley: There is some frustrating ambiguity on angels in the Hebrew Bible, obscuring the relationship between Yahweh and the angels. [00:10:46] Preston Meyer: In our Patreon exclusive Bible study. We're not yet to the really interesting. Well, I guess we have covered a few scenes where this has happened for you. Um, there's going to be more. So the appearance of the Angel of the Lord in the Hebrew Bible does have a pattern to it that I think is really interesting, that it does make it hard to tell who we're talking about in the story because of everything that's going on when it happens. The narrator introduces the Angel of the Lord, and then this angel feels pretty godlike in the way he shows up. He does huge miracles, sometimes annihilating a whole army like in 2 Kings 19. It's pretty epic. Not a thing you'd expect somebody who isn't imbued with God-like power to accomplish. And then the witnesses worship him, which, whether he's the creator or not, you're going to receive a great deal of gratitude for saving a bunch of people from a devastating army. [00:11:54] Katie Dooley: Yeah, yeah, in that instance for sure. [00:11:56] Preston Meyer: And this is a pattern that goes on several times in the scriptures. And I think it's interesting. Though it's always treated as though he is the Lord himself, not a messenger and there's a couple of different explanations for what's going on there. But I think whaneighbourst's very likely happened is that this text tradition that we have simply originally said that the Lord showed up and did this thing he's called the Lord of armies. That's one of his titles, kind of a big deal. He was a God of war as far as the neighbours were concerned, and fairly so since they often lost to the Israelites. And then later editors, I think, decided that their God wouldn't do this thing himself. He's too far beyond us, so he would send an angel to do it. And so they added this Angel of the Lord. That's my hypothesis. Pretty hard to prove what an ancient editorial process would have been without variance in the text that back me. [00:13:08] Katie Dooley: Right? The Jewish scripture also introduces four angels that will become the Christian archangels that surround God's throne. So Michael shows up in the biblical book of Daniel as the victor in a battle between nations. The name means "Who is like God?" most prefer to read that as a question. Who is like God? [00:13:28] Preston Meyer: As a challenge. God is the greatest, which is a weird name. latter-dayThe Latter-Day Saint tradition says that this name was given to Adam because he was like God, not terribly popular in the broader Christian community. [00:13:47] Katie Dooley: Gabriel also shows up in Daniel more as a messenger than as a conqueror. The name indicates the power of God usually has a bearer. [00:14:00] Preston Meyer: Somebody who conveys.  [00:14:01] Katie Dooley: I do know what the word means, but I'm like that feels like a lot of Rs. The name indicates the power of God usually has a bearer of an empowering message. These are the only two mentioned by name in the Bible.  [00:14:14] Preston Meyer: Gabriel and Michael. But, you know, there's lots more angels. There was an angel that Jacob wrestled with who later came to be known as Israel. And maybe that was the Lord himself? Maybe it was just an angel. Maybe it was Michael. Maybe it was Gabriel. Maybe it was somebody else that we don't know their name because he's not outright named. Except for maybe that Angel of the Lordbusiness. [00:14:46] Katie Dooley: Right. Then there's Raphael, who's features prominently in the apocryphal Book of Tobit, a story with notable similarities to the Bhagavad Gita. The name Raphael highlights the healing power of God. I'm just thinking of the Lucifer TV series. I'm like, I know that character, Uriel. I think he was a bad guy in Lucifer. He rounds out the set of four showing up in the apocryphal additions to the writings of Ezra. His name means God is my light suitable to his role as guide and instructor. [00:15:19] Preston Meyer: But wait. There's more. [00:15:21] Katie Dooley: What? There's so many. [00:15:23] Preston Meyer: So for a long time, it was really nice that we had a set of four, and they matched the four cardinal points of the compass, the four corners of the world. They took care of the world and the dealings of men within it. And then we got our Enoch literature. And we throw away this need for four and say, well, wait, we can do better. There's seven. And one of the ideas that makes this look good is that it matches the lampstand that's in the temple that has seven branches. So that's kind of nice. And then we get Raguel, whose name means "God will pasture" like a shepherding kind of business. He's connected with justice. He's supposed to watch the damned to make sure they stay within their bounds, which is kind of weird. Like, I guess without him, demons would just absolutely ruin this planet. Like humans couldn't do well enough on our own. [00:16:24] Katie Dooley: It also gives me, like, big, like, Hades vibes. [00:16:26] Preston Meyer: Sure. Yeah. He guards the demons that are locked away in Tartarus. Tartarus being a Greek place where the Titans are held. Yeah. You notice how there's going to be problems here of ideas crossing national boundaries. Yeah. Um, then we have Sariel. His name means "God is my Ruler". Uh, basically serves the same purpose as Raguel without being connected to the idea of justice so explicitly. Sidekick, I guess? Then there's Remiel, which means "God has Thundered". We talked about Thunder as a great nickname a couple episodes ago. I think that was. This is an interesting situation. He's connected to hope, and he's supposed to be the one responsible for all true visions, and he is also a bit of a psychopomp. That he would be the guide that takes you to heaven if that is your destination. Yeah, kind of interesting. This name is too similar to Ramiel, who, according to the same book, liked the human ladies too much and became the father of many of the watchers, the great giants in the early part of human history, when the one legendary version of our religious history has angels mating with humans to make giants, and they just ruined everything. [00:17:54] Katie Dooley: So there's Remiel and Ramiel. That is very confusing. [00:17:54] Preston Meyer: Especially when we're talking about a language that was originally written with no real differentiation between vowels. The vowel marks we have today are pretty new. So it's just a tradition. And so the confusion that exists today is certainly an old confusion. And then of course, there's lots of other angels that are named in the apocryphal literature. And some of them get multiple names, including some of the ones we've talked about. They're also known by other names sometimes. And the great thing about having a list of your favourite angels is you can swap them out sometimes and just say, no, this dude wrote this list. I don't like that one. I'm gonna pop in my guy over here. Just cause. Did you ever watch Dogma? [00:18:49] Katie Dooley: No. [00:18:50] Preston Meyer: We need to fix that. [00:18:51] Katie Dooley: Okay. Movie night? [00:18:53] Preston Meyer: Absolutely. Okay. Dogma is an absolute treasure. Part of Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob saga but this features Alanis Morissette as God and Alan Rickman as the Metatron, and oh, why can't I think of the names right now? Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are fallen angels. [00:19:18] Katie Dooley: Oh, wow. It's ridiculous, isn't it? [00:19:20] Preston Meyer: It is so much fun. But the Metatron is just this really weird figure in religious angeology. I guess it never made any sense to me ever. And my first exposure to it was Alan Rickman. [00:19:36] Katie Dooley: But it is in actual religion, the Metatron?  [00:19:36] Preston Meyer: Yeah. Everything you see in dogma is taken from real religious ideas  and then twisted for humor, which is great, except for I don't I haven't found yet any validation for the Golgotha poop demon but, the ideas behind it are validated in many religious ideas so there's that. But so this Metatron, according to Kabbalistic sources, is the name of Enoch after his transformation into an angel when he was promoted to the great office of Heavenly Scribe. So he would be the one who writes down the book of life for God. Which is completely different than the job that he has in dogma, where he speaks for God. Because if you were to hear the voice of God, your head would explode and you would die. A lot of religions actually really buy into this idea, even though it absolutely contradicts what we have in the biblical text. [00:20:44] Katie Dooley: Yeah, because God talks to a lot of people. [00:20:47] Preston Meyer: Yeah. Well, so the idea that a lot of people have bought into as well. Yeah, it says God talked to them, but he talked to them through the Metatron. It's a stretch that I don't love. The name I think is really interesting for the Metatron, and people are going to argue about it forever, probably because we still haven't come to a solid conclusion on it. Some say that it's the Hebrew word for some sort of keeper. Others say that it comes from the Greek construction of Meta Throne, so that we have the guy in the chair beside the chair. Remember, we've talked about the very obvious and well-documented polytheistic origins of the Israeli religion. Yahweh is the son of El. There was never only one throne. So the guy on the chair, beside the chair, beside the chair, beside the chair, who knows how many chairs there are? Whatever. [00:21:50] Katie Dooley: I mean a lot. There's a lot. [00:21:53] Preston Meyer: Right. Well, in the theology that is evident a little bit in the book of Job, there is a council of God. [00:22:03] Katie Dooley: I mean, because even they talk about Michael being the right hand of God, but Jesus is also the right hand of God. So they're going to wrestle over that. [00:22:09] Preston Meyer: Well, so that's something that the Jehovah's Witnesses think they've fixed. They say Jesus is Michael. [00:22:20] Katie Dooley: Perfect. Wrap it up. [00:22:21] Preston Meyer: Rather than admitting that the Bible is very clear that Jesus is Jehovah. Every time you try to come up with a really good, tight little bow to simplify things there's a really good chance you're screwing it up. [00:22:38] Katie Dooley: Yeah, because it's religion. [00:22:41] Preston Meyer: Yeah. Nothing's ever as simple as you want it to be. [00:22:44] Katie Dooley: So I just threw this wrench in our notes because I started explaining the angelology of the Hebrew Bible. And then I realized everyone has angelology and it just be easier to explain what that is right now. So angelology is the ranking system of angels. That's how many angels there are. [00:23:09] Preston Meyer: And it's never as simple as you want it to be. [00:23:11] Katie Dooley: No, it's like I saw a ranking and then I saw different rankings and then I saw different ranking. So I don't think we've included any rankings in here. [00:23:21] Preston Meyer: Just to keep it simple. Stick with the basics. [00:23:24] Katie Dooley: If you're curious on how angels are ranked, pick your favorite scholar and go for it. So in the Abrahamic religions, Islam has no standardized hierarchy, but scholars divide up the angels into different groups depending on the scholar. This can be anywhere from 8 to 14 different groups. So while they're all on par, there's different species of angels? Categories?  [00:23:47] Preston Meyer: I think species is a fair classification, I guess we'll talk about some angels that definitely feel like they would be different species from others. [00:23:58] Katie Dooley: Then there are different types of angels that appear in Judaism and then therefore Christianity. And they have been ranked a variety of different ways depending on which rabbi or kabbalist you're reading. [00:24:14] Preston Meyer: Yay! Complicated. [00:24:16] Katie Dooley: Very complicated. [00:24:18] Preston Meyer: Um, the Hebrew Bible differentiates between different kinds of heavenly beings as well. And they're all called angels, generally speaking. But sometimes you'll get other great titles like Seraphs or Seraphim. [00:24:32] Katie Dooley: I think the best way to compare this is that there's dogs and then there's dog breeds, there's angels, and there's types of angels. [00:24:41] Preston Meyer: Sure. Yeah. [00:24:43] Katie Dooley: They're all dogs. They're all angels. They're just... They got special features. [00:24:48] Preston Meyer: Sure. I don't know if it's a perfect analogy, but it definitely helps with explaining what's going on here, [00:24:53] Katie Dooley: That they're all angels, but there's cherubs and seraphs. [00:25:00] Preston Meyer: So my whole life I've, I've never heard people say cherubs. But that's definitely the way the word is spelled. Yeah. [00:25:13] Katie Dooley: In Hebrew? [00:25:15] Preston Meyer: Yeah and even when we spelled it c h, it was meant to be like the ch in Loch Loch Ness. We just we've gotten used to doing all the CHs as cha- so we went with cherubs. [00:25:31] Katie Dooley: I'm going to start calling them cherubs at Christmas. [00:25:33] Preston Meyer: Absolutely. Even though a cherub is a thing you eat, that's fine. [00:25:39] Katie Dooley: Sorry. Go through your types of angels. [00:25:41] Preston Meyer: So cherubs are best known for being painted in Rome as children. That's just the deal. But it was one of these who protected the tree of life with a flaming sword in Genesis. We see cherubs on the the Ark of the Covenant with their wings and all that. Ezekiel gives them more wings than everybody else but Ezekiel was getting, maybe a little too much of that temple oil that we now know for sure had hallucinogens in it. [00:26:15] Katie Dooley: Nice. How many wings? Was this the three and four pairs? [00:26:20] Preston Meyer: I think Ezekiel's cherubs only had two pairs of wings.  [00:26:24] Katie Dooley: That's still four full wings. [00:26:26] Preston Meyer: Right. He also gave them interchangeable faces of lions, oxes, men and eagles. It's a little bit weird. Um, the same faces that we have described in Ezekiel. They get used again in the Revelation of John. So the name cherub, hard to know for sure, it may have been derived from an Old Assyrian word caribou meaning mighty.  [00:26:52] Katie Dooley: Interesting. So where we get caribou...? [00:26:54] Preston Meyer: No. Entirely different. [00:26:56] Katie Dooley: Okay. Well, because those are pretty mighty creatures. Yeah. Majestic even. [00:27:01] Preston Meyer: Haul Santa's fat ass across the sky at Christmas. [00:27:05] Katie Dooley: Um, tell me more about seraphs. [00:27:07] Preston Meyer: Seraphs, the name means burning, and they're always illustrated verbally or in art, in visual arts, as being surrounded by light. So these guys get described by Isaiah as having six wings. Other than that, they're people-shaped, but lots of wings. And so those are the two reasonable ones, because cherubs are always described as children for a long time as a kid or not as a kid, as a teenager trying to figure out angels from the Latter-Day Saint perspective, where we really don't talk about angels very much at all relative to the things we're talking about today. It's mostly you've got either spirits who haven't got bodies yet or people who have got bodies, died. And thus are still unembodied, or those great spirits who have come back resurrected with their bodies in full glory. And so you got cherubs would be the young ones who haven't got bodies yet. Seraphs are the glorified ones who have got their bodies and all the glory of God, whatever. Ophans have never been part of this discussion. The ophanim, the name means wheels, and this is a class of angels described only by Ezekiel and depending on your version of the Bible, you might not even recognize that he's talking about angels. So there's some argument on whether or not these even belong here. But when people talk about biblically accurate angels, the ones that are absolutely terrifying and monstrous, it's the ophanim. Sometimes they're called thrones because these gear monsters support the throne where God sits. And that's their deal. They don't visit Earth. They're not messengers. [00:29:07] Katie Dooley: Good, good. [00:29:09] Preston Meyer: So the whole be not afraid meme of no, this is the most terrifying moment of my life. The ophans.  [00:29:16] Katie Dooley: Were not those messengers. That's good. They remind me of the Bhagavad Gita. The guy with infinite eyes and infinite mouths, like. I don't want to be visited by that. [00:29:28] Preston Meyer: No, I don't think anybody would. [00:29:30] Katie Dooley: I think... That's is that Krishna or Vishnu in their, like, real form? I think that's what it is. I forget now, but, um, someone will listen to our...  [00:29:39] Preston Meyer: The Messenger was Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.  So these these guys are just wild. It's really hard to know what Ezekiel was experiencing, but I feel like he was definitely getting the best of the temple oils and the way that eyes are described here with all these wing imagery. My instinct is to say that he was also seeing and failing to interpret correctly because of it, wonderful intoxication, a peacock. [00:30:18] Katie Dooley: That's interesting. Yeah. That's a not a terrible theory. [00:30:21] Preston Meyer: Well, so the the tail feathers, they all got eyes. Yeah. And wings might be hard to see where one wing ends and the next thing might be a wing if you're high, especially the peacock just feels right. [00:30:38] Katie Dooley: Okay. All right.  [00:30:43] Preston Meyer: But yeah, so they are not visitors to Earth. They're not messengers. They're their own special thing built out of wheels and gears and eyeballs and feathers that support, apparently, according to Ezekiel's vision and some creative license and interpretation, the throne of God. And taking that into consideration and the description of the cherubs with the weird heads of all these various animals, it makes sense that there's some interesting sorts of ideas, like the they're chimeras of one sort or another, that we see all over the old world. And it makes sense that a lot of scholars would agree that some of these ideas are coming in they're very odd forms from neighboring nations. [00:31:35] Katie Dooley: Fair, you gotta make it popular to the public. [00:31:37] Preston Meyer: Right? Plus, people love stories about that. Weird monsters thing. So yeah, popular to the public helps. [00:31:46] Katie Dooley: Yeah. So in the Christian Bible, angels appear only as messengers and teachers, though there is a scene in the Revelation of John illustrating Heaven, where the four faces of Ezekiel described as cherubs, are represented. [00:32:02] Preston Meyer: We also get Gabriel. He's the one who showed up to Joseph and Mary, both of them separately, to let them know, "Hey, there's a baby in there. Don't freak out. It's Jesus." [00:32:16] Katie Dooley: Though I do love the memes about Joseph. [00:32:19] Preston Meyer: Yes, they are certainly entertaining. [00:32:22] Katie Dooley: Have you seen the one where Joseph is like, "I made you a cherry pie", and Mary's like, "we don't have cherries." And he was like, "God gave them to me. Do you see how stupid that sounds?" Uh, and then the stepdad, ones "I'm the dad that stepped up". [00:32:43] Preston Meyer: Oh, yeah, yeah. I feel weird about Joseph being left out of the story after the nativity. Like there's the sons of the carpenter or whatever, because Jesus had brothers. There's no arguing against that. But we never know about him dying. But also, he wasn't there when Jesus died. People just lost track of where his stepdad was. [00:33:09] Katie Dooley: Yeah. Angels who go undescribed appear at a few crucial points of the end of the Jesus story, presumably in regular human form. No wings. [00:33:20] Preston Meyer: Yeah. We got angels who were there when Jesus came out of the empty tomb. Well, when he made the tomb empty. We got angels standing around in Jerusalem when Jesus ascends up into the clouds. Reminding people. This what I'm doing, that they said he'll come back the same way he left. So if you find somebody claiming to be Jesus reborn, biblical contradiction. And then we have more angels in medieval writings. [00:33:55] Katie Dooley: Which is pretty cool. [00:33:56] Preston Meyer: Yeah. Have you ever read Paradise Lost? [00:34:00] Katie Dooley: I haven't, but I want to. [00:34:02] Preston Meyer: I also have not read Paradise Lost. I've only read about it. It's one of those great popular things that just hasn't hit my table yet. John Milton's Paradise Lost, written so, so long ago, 1667, was when it was published. Great couple of great poems. Angels are super important. We got the story of Satan / Lucifer. Because for so long, everybody just assumed Lucifer means Satan. [00:34:32] Katie Dooley: Yeah. So the two we're going to talk about, I, tell me if I'm wrong and maybe, maybe we don't know because we haven't read it, I think this is where the connection of Lucifer and the Bible is to the devil, because Lucifer in the Bible is not the devil, [00:34:45] Preston Meyer: Right? Lucifer in the Bible is not ever the devil. [00:34:48] Katie Dooley: So this must be where... [00:34:50] Preston Meyer: I feel like that's.  [00:34:51] Katie Dooley: And even in, uh, Dante as well.  [00:34:55] Preston Meyer: Yeah, I've talked with a couple of doctors of theology in my time at university, and there's not any solid consensus on whether Dante Alighieri, who wrote The Divine Comedy, was super influential on Christian theology, or if he was writing about things that he'd been learning at church. Um, there's not a strong consensus there, by the sounds of it, but very fascinating stuff. Not that Dante agrees with all of the thoughts on angels, but his thoughts are very well preserved. [00:35:34] Katie Dooley: Sorry, we are jumping ahead a little bit, but Paradise Lost is an epic poem. And yes, it talks about Satan, Lucifer. It also talks about Adam and Eve in a separate part. It outlines the hierarchy of angels. It talks about Lucifer, Satan's rebellion, the war in heaven, and what fallen angels are, which I read that there's parts of this all pulled from, like the Dead Sea Scrolls. So there is a... [00:36:00] Preston Meyer: Well, the Dead Sea Scrolls weren't available when Paradise Lost. It's been like 70 years. [00:36:08] Katie Dooley: But anyway it had biblical or Apocryphal references. [00:36:13] Preston Meyer: Yeah, yeah, there's definitely a lot of rabbinical literature that would have been some good source material for, [00:36:18] Katie Dooley: Because there is no fallen angels in the Bible. [00:36:22] Preston Meyer: There is a couple of passages that allude to huge swathes of angels being cast out of heaven before the foundation of the world. What that looks like is the matter of many hypotheses. [00:36:38] Katie Dooley: So we started talking about the Divine Comedy. [00:36:40] Preston Meyer: It's even older. [00:36:42] Katie Dooley: Yeah, and most people are familiar with Dante's Inferno, which is a part one of the three parts of... [00:36:47] Preston Meyer: Dante's Inferno, is great drama because it's the first part of a trilogy. And so if you're going to get tired and quit, at least you'll have read some of Inferno. But it's also the great part where Dante gets to slam on all the thinkers and popes that he didn't like and say, "Ha! You guys are in hell. I know, because I'm the dude who wrote the book". [00:37:12] Katie Dooley: So this is also written in a poem format, and he wrote it between 1308 and 1321, and it describes the afterlife. Obviously, the inferno is the hell part and Paradiso is the part that describes heaven. [00:37:29] Preston Meyer: And then there's the part in between. Purgatorial. For purgatory.  [00:37:29] Katie Dooley: So Paradiso describes the nine spheres of heaven. There's what? Seven circles of hell. Nine circles of hell anyway. Inferno describes the circles of hell. I don't remember how many. And Paradiso describes the nine spheres of heaven in the ninth sphere. I'm reading the notes wrong. The ninth sphere of heaven is where the angels reside. It's called Prima Mobile. There's one more sphere where God resides. So according to Dante, angels are beings that are most familiar to God, and they are made of an immaterial. [00:38:07] Preston Meyer: Now, what sort of substance is immaterial, Katie? But light is matter as well. Light is a particle and a wave. It's like when people say that God exists outside of time and space. [00:38:21] Katie Dooley: I'm, uh. I'm rereading His Dark Materials. They're probably made of dust. Have you read?  [00:38:21] Preston Meyer: No [00:38:29] Katie Dooley: Oh. They're great. They were very controversial when they came out of the 90s. [00:38:33] Preston Meyer: Sure. That's the, um, the Amber Spyglass. [00:38:37] Katie Dooley: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, so probably dust is what I'm going to call it. [00:38:40] Preston Meyer: Sure, but dust is matter too.  [00:38:43] Katie Dooley: No, in the book it's a divine matter, but they call it dust. Capital D dust. [00:38:47] Preston Meyer: Okay. When I think of immaterial substance, it sounds like they're just holograms. But I'm always reminded of, I think it was Neil deGrasse Tyson who said, you know, if you if your God exists outside of time and space, that's how you describe a thing that does not exist. [00:39:06] Katie Dooley: So like tug on the collar... [00:39:08] Preston Meyer: It's a really popular description for a lot of Christians and people of other traditions as well. And I don't see the need to describe God as outside of time and space, especially when it causes you the problem of now you've described something that doesn't exist. [00:39:26] Katie Dooley: Maybe out of time, but definitely not out of space. [00:39:30] Preston Meyer: Even outside of time doesn't make any sense to me. [00:39:34] Katie Dooley: I guess time would be irrelevant for God, I guess is my point. [00:39:37] Preston Meyer: Right and yeah, if you live long enough, time might not matter but you still exist in a state where there's an event and things before and after that. [00:39:46] Katie Dooley: Now we're getting into the multiverse and.... It's all great in theory, but very confusing in practice. So we touched briefly on angels in Islam because of their non-hierarchy but groupings. In Islam, they believe they are heavenly beings originating directly from God. Like little God offspring. [00:40:08] Preston Meyer: Yeah, but usually in the creation sense, like molded because in the Islamic tradition, the Quran is very clear that God does not have children. The Quran is also very clear he had three daughters. [00:40:24] Katie Dooley: What a holy book that contradicts itself? Say it ain't so. Colour me shocked. [00:40:30] Preston Meyer: It's tricky. But they would have been angels, not gods, even though they were definitely figures that were recognized as goddesses among the heathens. [00:40:43] Katie Dooley: It's fine. So the Quran is the number one Islamic source referring to angels, but there's also angels in the hadiths and elsewhere in Islamic literature. [00:40:53] Preston Meyer: I mean, the whole thing wouldn't have happened if not for an angel at least allegedly appearing to Muhammad. Um, good old [00:41:02] Jibril. The same figure that we called Gabriel earlier in this [00:41:06] episode. They're messengers, servants for God. And Jibril is the greatest messenger. I don't remember hearing anything about Michael and looking up things in Islam. [00:41:18] Katie Dooley: Um, they have sort of a 1 to 1 comparison I put in the notes. Um. But I don't know where they appear in the Quran. [00:41:27] Preston Meyer: So, like in Judaism, angels are super great for protecting against terrible things. Angels are attracted to sacred places. The whole guardian thing makes sense. And every now and then, you'll find them protecting people. With it an angel will not enter an unclean place. This is pretty typical of most religions. That an angel that is supposed to be so good and pure, not going to go to places that could be called haram or go near a dog even because that's dirty. [00:42:04] Katie Dooley: My dog was an angel, so.  [00:42:04] Preston Meyer: Many are. [00:42:10] Katie Dooley: I disagree with that. Maybe they're more powerful angels. And so other angels are scared to come by. [00:42:19] Preston Meyer: Uh, there are many classes of angels. Or maybe Paige was just a jinn. [00:42:24] Katie Dooley: Oh, wow. But it's probably more accurate anyway. Angels in Islam, are believed to be older than humans and the jinn that Preston mentioned. And they have no human desires. They don't tire, they don't get hungry. They're never angry. [00:42:38] Preston Meyer: So they're often described this way in Jewish literature and the trouble that I have with this idea is that they saw in most versions of early Judeo-Christian Abrahamic origins of the world. They saw the daughters of man and said, that's a really good place to play hide the sausage, and that's not an angel that doesn't have passions. Oh, well. [00:43:18] Katie Dooley: Um, Muslims do not believe in the concept of the fallen angel like in Christianity. Rather, they believe that angels are infallible. [00:43:25] Preston Meyer: Right? And the Iblis isn't a fallen angel, but a terrible jinn. I'm pretty sure, if I remember correctly. [00:43:34] Katie Dooley: So they, as Preston, sort of asked, Islam shares three out of the four archangels with Christianity. So we have Jibril, who's Gabriel; Mikhail, who's Michael; Israfil, who's Raphael. And then the fourth one is Azrail, or Azrael is the English name, but that's not Uriel. Those are their archangels. [00:43:57] Preston Meyer: And, um, Azrael would be a little bit more familiar with the Angel of death called sometimes Malak Hamad. There's another name that I can't remember, Samael, I think. I might be confusing with another angel. I have to look that up later. [00:44:16] Katie Dooley: I mean, that sounds correct to someone who watched the entire series of Lucifer, but that's my only frame of reference right now. That's terrible.  [00:44:27] Preston Meyer: Popular culture is a great tool for education as long as it's well-written. [00:44:32] Katie Dooley: So the Quran describes angels as well-formed human beings. Nice build. Sure. Uh, made of pure light. And they have multiple pairs of wings. So I read two, three, four pairs of wings. [00:44:47] Preston Meyer: Right. So we get very similar descriptions for the jinn. But the jinn are newer and a lot more selfish and a lot more likely to do sexy things so than the angels in this tradition. And then we can change gears a little bit to Zoroastrianism. And I think a lot of the ideas of angels that we get in Judaism probably find a much more comfortable home in Zoroastrianism. Um, the writings of Ezekiel. Are generally thought to have come post-exile. And so this influence would have been definitely a part of this deal. If that is how that worked out. So then in Persian Zoroastrian tradition, there are several forms of yazata. I like that word. Any word that has a bunch of syllables and the same vowel every time. I don't know why it gets me just right.  Like Canada. [00:45:52] Katie Dooley: How patriotic you are. Rococo. Rococo. [00:45:58] Preston Meyer: Rococo. That first I was a little soft, but I can appreciate it. [00:46:04] Katie Dooley: It's a great art movement. [00:46:05] Preston Meyer: So anyway, the Yazata are a class of beings defined nominally as worthy of worship. Gods, in the simplest sense. This is complicated by the fact that we still don't have a good definition of what is a God that everybody can agree on. If it is worshiped, it is a god. That's the deal. That's for today's discussion. I feel like that's pretty fair. So this same word, yazata is applied to all the really good things, including some plants and even prayer formats. So because of that, I feel like a really fair way to translate that into English instead of worthy of worship would be anything that is holy. [00:46:54] Katie Dooley: Holy, sacred, yeah. [00:46:55] Preston Meyer: Yeah, and like the Most Holy One, would be your Most High God, which in this case would be Ahura Mazda, the greatest of the Yazata. So in the earliest writings, Yazata is anything good, and in slightly later early writings the Yazatas are completely and absolutely divine, and so it quickly went from holy things as opposed to profane things, to holy things, as in the gods and God adjacent things in a religion that's mostly monotheistic but isn't quite either. Tricky business. We've talked about this in our Zoroastrian episode. The Persian, the Legend of Persian Zoro. Yeah. Tricky business. So the most popular yazatas received a formal ranking. Relatively late in the Zoroastrian time frame. In about the fourth or fifth century BCE, a calendar was instituted that used the names of the angelic Yazatas to name the months, the days, and even the portions of the days. There's five parts of the day, and each of them are named for various yazata angel figures and so based on that, we got what became of well known because everybody needs to know how you're measuring time, angelology. That was kind of nifty. And so for the Mazdaists, the seven Amesha Spenta, we've talked about them before, they're roughly equivalent to archangels. And so it feels like maybe the shift from 4 to 7 might have been influenced from this time of exile with the Babylonian. [00:48:56] Katie Dooley: Yeah. I mean, this is all happening in the same place at the same time in the world, so. [00:49:00] Preston Meyer: Yeah. And so Ahura Mazda is often described as the father of the Amesha Spenta, but it's generally not taken literally. Just like the Muslims say that Allah is the creator of these angels, not the father, father. [00:49:16] Katie Dooley: Though there was one Amesha Spenta that is described as his daughter. Do you remember that? [00:49:20] Preston Meyer: Well, they're all described as his children. [00:49:22] Preston Meyer: No, there was one specifically that was like, it's his daughter. [00:49:25] Preston Meyer: This one is definitely a daughter. Oh, and he's got other sons, too, right? But they're more godly and less angelic. But they are all yazata. Not that it's not confusing. [00:49:38] Katie Dooley: I haven't said this in a long time. A square is a rectangle, but a rectangle isn't a square. [00:49:44] Preston Meyer: The trouble with that is that for a long time, a square was also called a rectangle. [00:49:52] Katie Dooley: Oh, I thought you were gonna, like, correct me on the yazata. Like, not all yazata are gods, but all gods are yazata. [00:49:59] Preston Meyer: No, that's... Yeah, you got that right. But there's even more. Because why stop with just the Judeo-Christian and immediately Judeo-Christian adjacent? There is other great ideas. [00:50:13] Katie Dooley: There's so many. So the Dharmic religions, this is Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism all have Devas, which means heavenly, shining or divine being. The word is generally applied to the gods of the Hindu peoples, as well as to cosmic principles that might manifest during meditation. It is a worthy goal to ascend from this human level and to be reincarnated as a deva. Devas are said to be mortal, expected to die after thousands of years, and be reborn if they don't escape samsara. [00:50:47] Preston Meyer: Imagine being demoted from Deva back to human. [00:50:50] Katie Dooley: I mean, it happens. [00:50:51] Preston Meyer: I mean, the story is that it must. [00:50:58] Katie Dooley: Each has their own... Each of the devas has their own identity, different than an avatar, right? So there's different avatars of Vishnu and different avatars of Krishna, which is a temporary embodiment of a god.  [00:51:10] Preston Meyer: When they just come down for what for them is a weekend. And I think it's really interesting that for Zoroastrianism, the Devas are, well, not the Devas. Deva was an evil god. He's the bad guy. [00:51:30] Katie Dooley: Oh yeah. [00:51:32] Preston Meyer: So I'm curious if that label comes from conflict between the two nations. [00:51:40] Katie Dooley: I don't know. [00:51:41] Preston Meyer: And I haven't been able to find anything that says, oh yeah, sure, "this idea is good, Preston", but I still like it in my head. Next on our list, we have the border. In ancient Norse tradition, we have the Vördr as basically essentially guardian angels. Some of them will follow people around, some of them are trees that you might have in a yard that have been around for a while. And so they'll house minor guardian angels in their root. [00:52:13] Katie Dooley: That's cool. [00:52:14] Preston Meyer: It is kind of cool. The name Vördr basically evolved into what we have in English as warden means watcher, but the word wraith also comes from this root and wraiths, as far as I've been able to find meaning in it is like the scary. [00:52:35] Katie Dooley: Yeah, never positive. I always just think of the ringwraiths but... [00:52:38] Preston Meyer: Sure. Yeah. Bad times. Yeah, they're they're not good friends, but the Vördr are our guardian angels, basically. It's hard to tell how much the idea changed when Christians showed up into their neighborhood, but it probably did change a little bit. Or maybe they're partly responsible for the way we see guardian angels in our Anglo tradition. [00:53:06] Katie Dooley: Yeah. Well. And then it's interesting. There's also demons in ancient Greek mythology spelled d-a-e-m-o-n-s so pronounced the same but not to be confused with demons. [00:53:19] Preston Meyer: In so many words we just drop that A it's interesting that we allow it to persist in this word, but I think there's a good reason for it. [00:53:30] Katie Dooley: Well, and then topical in His Dark Materials, in one of the worlds, everyone has a daemon, which is an animal spirit attached to you. [00:53:40] Preston Meyer: That's spelled with an A.  [00:53:40] Katie Dooley: And it's spelt with an A. And when I was a kid in reading, I had no idea how to say it. [00:53:46] Preston Meyer: Did you say a damon the whole time? Yeah. That's fair.  [00:53:52] Katie Dooley: So demons with an A are positive. And just like the Vördr, they are minor deities that would act as guides, guardian angels or whatever. And it's the same thing. We kind of have this, cuple of traditions that are very influential on Judeo-Christian and Western, therefore Western culture of this idea of guardian angel. [00:54:14] Preston Meyer: Yeah. Looking up angels across all these religious traditions has been pretty cool. There's something like the idea of an angel in almost every religious tradition, though naturally, they're not all going to be called angels. But the idea that there's somebody watching out for you is pretty universal. In the more primal religious traditions, it makes a lot of sense that usually we're talking about ancestors. [00:54:44] Katie Dooley: Right? Their ancestor worship. And we haven't actually talked about... I guess Shintoism, has some ancestor worship, but we haven't talked about Daoism at all, right. Which is a big ancestor worship religion. Maybe that's one we should add to our list right away. I think you're right. But that's basically Mulan. Where she... [00:55:05] Preston Meyer: The good animated one. [00:55:06] Katie Dooley: Yeah, absolutely. Where's she? lights some incense and prays to her ancestors for guidance. [00:55:13] Preston Meyer: And then has to try to keep a straight face while traveling with Eddie Murphy. Oh, now I want to watch Mulan. Thanks. Yeah, so that is a big. topical guardian angels. [00:55:29] Preston Meyer: Right. [00:55:29] Katie Dooley: Mushu is a guardian angel. [00:55:30] Preston Meyer: Here we are in a year of the Dragon. [00:55:32] Katie Dooley: What? It's all coming together. [00:55:35] Preston Meyer: But it's not the year of the Fire Dragon. In the 60 year cycle, it's the year of the Wood dragon. [00:55:40] Katie Dooley: Wow, interesting I didn't know that. You, dear listener, congregant, could be our guardian angels. [00:55:48] Preston Meyer: We would love it so much if you would support this podcast financially. [00:55:55] Katie Dooley: I was going to say you can do that a few ways. So, um, spreadshirt is great. If you want to buy someone a gift, buy yourself some merch, one time fee. You have our Patreon with bonus episodes, extra content from our interviews, if you like a subscription model, there's more coming down the pipe there as well. We also would love your support your warden watcher wraith on our social media. What social media are we on, Preston? [00:56:22] Preston Meyer: We are on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and of course Discord, where we have some pretty great memes and discussions organized into great little channels. I love discord! You can also share this podcast with a friend and give us five stars on Apple Podcast. It's a great way to help us out. [00:56:39] Preston Meyer: Thank you so much for joining us. [00:56:41] Both Speakers: Peace be with you.

He is the Living God Daniel 6:1-28 by William Klock Last Sunday we read those closing words of the fifth chapter of Daniel that tell us Belshazzar, the very night of his feast, was killed and that Darius the Mede received the kingdom.  Daniel 6 picks right up from there.  Let's look at Daniel 6:1-9. It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”   Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.  (Daniel 6:1-9) Darius the Mede.  You might remember that last week I said he's a bit of a mysterious character.  I think the author of Daniel does something very deliberate here that would, to the original hearers, have signalled a change in the sort of story being told.  Unless you've studied Ancient Near Eastern history, this won't seem important.  If you have studied Ancient Near Eastern history, when you hear “Darius the Mede” it's going to catch your attention.  It's not right.  Darius wasn't a Mede; he was a Persian.  And he didn't rule before Cyrus; he ruled almost twenty years after these events, after the exile was over, and after Daniel had died.  Jews would have noticed the same thing.  Darius figures heavily in the historical books of Ezra and Nehemiah and the prophetic books of Haggai and Zechariah.  So I think that a Jew hearing this—especially as the story continues—would see it as a signal that the genre, that the type of storytelling has changed.  And there's good reason for the storyteller to make this change.  Chapters 6 and 7 are transitions in the book of Daniel from those earlier stories that were a type of wisdom literature, to Daniel's apocalyptic vision.  We're moving from the historical to the prophetic and apocalyptic and the book does that with one last story about Daniel in exile, but this time it's—well—the best thing I can think to call it is a “prophetic parable”.  It's a story that serves a different purpose than the other stories.  As we move from the historical to the apocalyptic, this story of Daniel in the lions' den makes us pause as it reminds us of the big picture, the big story about the God of Israel and his people, it reminds us that he's got a plan and is directing history towards an end goal, and it reminds his people of their place in that big story. So it begins with Darius.  On the one hand, in the previous verse he's called “the Mede”, but here he's the Darius who organised his empire into satrapies.  That's exactly what Darius the Great—who followed twenty years later and was a Persian—that's what he did.  I don't think this isn't a mistake or a historical error.  This character is a sort of a composite of pagan kings who represents, who stands for something in the story.  Again, we're moving from history to parable here.  Think of the parables Jesus told.  This character represents the faithful in Israel.  That character represents the unfaithful.  And that character represents the gentiles.  Here the king and his satraps represent the rulers of the gentiles.  And Daniel represents Israel.  Like Daniel, Israel had the Lord's favour.  She was his favourite amongst the nations and the nations became jealous.  And that's exactly what happens to Daniel in this story.  When they see how he's been elevated and has been given authority over them, the satraps chafe.  He was one of the exiles.  He wasn't one of them.  He didn't deserve his special status or his high rank or his favour with the king.  So they get together and conspire against him. There are echoes of Psalm 2 here.  In fact, I think if you wanted to turn Psalm 2—which is one of those big picture psalms that ends up pointing us to Jesus—if you wanted to turn Psalm 2 into a parable, I think it would end up looking a lot like Daniel 6.  The psalm begins: Why do the nations rage          and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves,          and the rulers take counsel together,          against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart          and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3) Notice where they attack Daniel?  It was “the law of his God”.  He was blameless in everything so they go after his faith.  And in that they're not just attacking Daniel.  Through Daniel, this is an attack on God himself.  It echoes what it meant in the Old Testament to stand against Israel and, looking forward to Jesus and then to the church, to attack Jesus was to attack God himself.  Think of Jesus' confrontation with Paul on the road to Damascus: “Why are you persecuting me?” he asked Paul.  To attack the church was to attack Jesus himself.  To attack the Lord's anointed is to attack the Lord himself. So these men go to the king—all of them.  The satraps, who were viceroys over the provinces; Daniel's two fellow triumvirs; and all the other counsellors and officials.  It's quite the gang.  Everybody hates Daniel.  But they know that Daniel has favour with the king, so in order to take Daniel down, they're going to have to deceive and manipulate the king.  So they hatch this scheme to recommend a law.  This injunction will ban everyone in the empire from petitioning any god for thirty days.  For that time period, everyone will be required to petition the king and only the king.  And the penalty—you know the story—the penalty for anyone who breaks this injunction will be the lions' den. Again, the details signal that this isn't the same kind of story we've had before in Daniel.  It's a parable.  As the nations rage against the Lord and his anointed in Psalm 2, all the king's governors and counsellors rage against Daniel and, through him, his God.  The decree is not something that a Persian king would have signed—or a Babylonian or any other Ancient Near Eastern king, for that matter.  The Jews who read this would have known that.  The Persians were known for their religious and cultural tolerance—and especially their friendliness to the Jews.  Not only were they tolerant, but the Persian kings were Zoroastrians and would never put themselves in the position of the gods.  But even all that aside, to ban prayer to the gods was religious and political suicide.  Nabonidus got into trouble for downgrading Marduk and elevating Sin.  You can imagine the sort of trouble a king would get into if he made it illegal to pray to anyone but himself.  And, of course, why for only thirty days?  If you're going put yourself in the place of the gods, why not do it permanently? The absurdity of the law is meant to highlight the unhinged rage these men had against Daniel and his God and reflects the real-life experience of Israel, beginning with Pharaoh and running all the way through their story down to Antiochus Epiphanes.  Men who so hate the Lord and his anointed that they'll cut their own noses off to spite their faces.  Even the punishment seems to be deliberately over the top.  As far as we know, no one in Babylon or Persia kept lions around in a den.  Kings might catch and release lions for hunting, but they didn't keep them as pets or to execute prisoners.  But this threat hanging over Daniel represents the very real threat hanging over the faithful in Israel. And looking to pagan kings for help was hopeless.  As much as he favoured Daniel, Darius, this great emperor, is a pathetic dupe, conned and fooled by his advisors and hobbled by his own laws.  In contrast to the perfect law of the God of Israel, the great law of the Medes and Persians—like so many other human laws—is arbitrary, short-sighted, and self-defeating.  What was Daniel to do?  Look at verse 10: When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.   What was Daniel going to do?  We've seen in the earlier stories that sometimes the wise thing for God's people to do is to keep their heads down and pursue a quiet faithfulness.  Being faithful doesn't always mean sticking your head off so that it can be cut off.  But Daniel knew these guys were watching him.  He could have closed his shutters.  He could have gone somewhere out of sight to pray.  But to do that in this case would be to betray the Lord.  So he continues to pray as he always had: morning, noon, and evening.  And as he prays he does so in the direction of the temple in Jerusalem.  That was a tradition begun by Solomon at the dedication of the temple and Daniel continued it and in that he declared his hope.  For all his status and privilege in this foreign land and with a foreign king, he made it clear that his ultimate hope lay in the promises of the God of Israel to deliver his people from their exile and to return them to the promised land.  Daniel knew that God is faithful and because of that he trusted him—not only that, but he made that trust public. And, of course, the inevitable happens.  Verse 11: Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” (Daniel 6:11-13) So they go back to their spying on Daniel to confirm what they were already sure he would do.  And then they take their evidence to the king.  Their smarminess if palpable.  “O King!  Did you not sign an injunction that anyone who petitions anyone but you shall be cast into the den of lions?”  Like the king wouldn't remember if he'd signed such a petition.  Again, we get a sense of just how pathetic earthly kings are and how foolish it is to put our hope in them.  “Oh yes,” he says, “Of course I remember.  It's now the unchangeable law of the Medes and the Persians.”  We're left wondering how busy the king has been, because surely, if everyone had taken this law seriously, Darius would have been swamped with petitions—but we don't get the impression at all that anything like that has happened.  If these guys had been bringing their petitions to the king, they hardly needed to ask him if he remembered signing the injunction.  So either these guys have been ignoring it and praying to their gods anyway or—and this is the implication—they're a bunch of impious louts who don't pray at all.  They stand in stark contrast to Daniel, who prayed three times a day and, no doubt, used that time to lift up the king and his empire to the Lord.  These other guys show that they don't care about the king; they only care about themselves and their own power and status.  Verses 14 to 18: Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”   Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.   The king now regrets his decision, but there's nothing he can do.  The greatest king, the most powerful man in the world stands useless and powerless to save Daniel or to intervene on his behalf.  Even as he exhorts Daniel to pray to his God for deliverance, the king is commanding Daniel to be thrown into this pit of lions and sealing the opening with his own signet.  But now, what the satraps and counsellors intended as a punishment and execution, the king unwittingly turns into a contest, a trial.  Will Daniel's God deliver him?  The den is sealed.  No one can intervene.  The Most High God has, in his sovereignty, used the wickedness of evil men and the foolishness of the king to orchestrate a situation that will reveal his glory.  In that, the lion's den points prophetically to the tomb in which Jesus lay.  What will the king find when the stone is rolled away?  Has evil won the day or has the living God? And, not unlike Jesus' friends, the king goes home and, too anxious to eat or sleep, he paced and prayed.  And in the next verse we can almost see the king's robes flying behind him and hear his sandals slapping as he runs—in a very unkingly fashion—to the lions' den at sunrise. Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.  (Daniel 6:19-23) Unable to move the heavy stone himself, the king calls out to Daniel: “O servant of the living God, are you still there?  Has the God whom you so faithfully serve delivered you from the lions?”  That the king speaks of the living God is a powerful witness.  Living God doesn't just mean that God isn't dead.  It means that God is active and powerful, that he is awesome and mighty, that he brings judgement and blessing.  Again, the satraps and counsellors expected an execution, but Darius has turned this into a contest.  Will the God of Daniel act?  Will he vindicate himself by delivering his servant?  And, of course, God has done just that.  The king hears Daniel's voice echoing up through the stone.  “O king, live forever!  Yes, my God has delivered me!”  In an echo of the fiery furnace episode, God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths and Daniel is alive and well.  There's not so much as a scratch on him.  The king's men roll the stone away and Daniel emerges unharmed, because he trusted in God.  The God of Israel has won the contest. The satraps and triumvirs, and counsellors of the king have lost.  So the king turns the tables. Verse 24: And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.   Presumably this means that all 120 satraps with their families are thrown to the lions.  Again, the scene isn't realistic and trying to figure out how this could possibly be done is to miss the point of the parable.  This scene calls back to the Lord's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12: “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.”  And to passages like Isaiah 41:11: “Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.”  And, again, I think this what Psalm 2 looks like as a parable. He who sits in the heavens laughs;          the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath,          and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King          on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;          today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,          and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron          and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise;          be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear,          and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son,          lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,          for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:4-12) The psalm is a declaration of the Lord's intent to be glorified.  He has made a people for himself and even given them a king and through them he will be glorified.  He will be glorified in the nations and kings who see him at work in his people and give him glory and he will be glorified as he vindicates his people and judges their oppressors.  And that's just what we see as the satraps are thrown to the lions and as Darius' glorifies the Lord in the closing verses of the story: Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God,          enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed,          and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues;          he works signs and wonders          in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel          from the power of the lions.”   So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. (Daniel 6:25-28) The historical Darius was what we might call an evangelical Zoroastrian.  History—not to mention lots and lots of his own inscriptions—show that he was single-mindedly devoted to Ahura Mazda.  But this is a parable and the king here is a composite.  He represents the gentile kings of the earth.  While the satraps represent the gentiles who will persist in their unbelief and eventually be judged, the king here represents those kings—like the ones we see in Revelation—who see the God of Israel as he vindicates his son and as he vindicates his church, and who end up believing and coming to the New Jerusalem to glorify this living God.  Darius' decree is echoed by the songs we hear in the heavenly throne room in John's vision as they acknowledge the saving power and everlasting dominion of the God of Israel.  In that I think we see the prophetic side of this parable that transitions us into Daniel's apocalyptic vision. In that, it points us powerfully to Jesus in the same way that Psalm 2 does.  The psalm is about Israel and about King David, but it points forward to Jesus who would embody Israel and Israel's king to accomplish the saving work of God and the establishment of his everlasting dominion.  Daniel's dilemma points to Jesus.  When Daniel went home to pray, he knew he would fall afoul of the king's new law.  He knew he would end up in the lions' den.  He didn't know if he would live or die.  He had the example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, but would the Lord send his angel again to deliver his faithful servant?  Miracles don't happen every day—that's why they're miracles.  What were the chances that it would happen twice?  But Daniel knew that he didn't have a choice.  He could dishonour God by hiding his prayer or he could give glory to God by showing his unwavering faithfulness to him.  Daniel chose to remain faithful and to glorify God and in that he points to Jesus.  Daniel knew with certainty that the living God vindicates his anointed.  And Jesus knew that too.  We don't always know what form that vindication may take or when it may happen.  Daniel escaped without a scratch.  Jesus was scourged, beaten, and killed.  But in the end the Lord vindicated both and revealed his glory to the watching world. And in that there's the reminder—and I think maybe the main purpose of this prophetic parable:  Brothers and Sisters, the Lord does not merely glorify himself.  He has, to use the imagery of Psalm 2, anointed a people for himself and that people—first a small ethnic group in the Old Testament, but now a worldwide family of people united to Jesus and filled with God's own Spirit—the living God has anointed a people for himself, a people full of his own life, that we might reveal and proclaim his glory to the world and that he might reveal his own glory as he vindicates us before the watching world.  There's a reason why God's people are called to a life of humility, sacrifice, and even martyrdom.  There's a reason Jesus calls us to take up our crosses if we are to follow him.  Because the Lord reveals his glory in our deliverance.  He slays the dragon and rescues his bride and becomes the hero as the world watches.  To quote the Roman scholar and priest, David Burrell, who died a few months ago, “We are never enjoined in the Scriptures to accomplish anything. The recurring theme of the psalmist, who summarizes as only poets can the sweep of God's covenanting with his people, is that we are to recount—often and loudly—God's accomplishments, his great deeds on our behalf.”  Brothers and Sisters, if we have really and truly believed the good news about Jesus and all the long history of the Lord's faithfulness to his people, if we really believe that good news, it ought to work out in our lives as we recount—often and loudly—what he has done.  Because we want to proclaim his greatness, his goodness, and his faithfulness for the sake of his glory and because we desire for the whole world know him as we have—so that one day the knowledge of his glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.  Hebrews famously speaks of the great cloud of witness around us, witness who ought to inspire us to faithfulness.  But, Brothers and Sisters, remember that you and I are, ourselves, are part of that cloud.  As those witnesses exhort us, we exhort each other and those who will come after us.  So let us be faithful in running the race that is set before us, knowing the mighty deeds of our God, knowing his faithfulness, and above all looking to Jesus who has perfect our faith by enduring the cross, despising the shame, and because of that, is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Let's pray: Heavenly Father, as we confessed in today's collect, we have no power to help ourselves.  You are the living God who, through the death and resurrection of your son, has gracious restored us to life.  Keep the cross ever before us that we might always remember our helplessness and your great grace and might and often and loudly proclaim your glory.  Through Jesus we pray.  Amen.

Subconscious Realms Episode 257 - Mithras PT1 - MettaMindcast - Sir Robby Marx. Ladies & Gentlemen, on this Episode of Subconscious Realms we welcome back the Phenomenal Sir Robby Marx to discuss, Mithras.... In PT1 Robby brings a Mind-Blowing Perspective as always

In today's episode of the Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and The Cross-Examiner ponder how effective it is to talk with theists as they identify the labels of Irish ghosts all being synchronized with prayer. Jerry in Ireland expresses how it can be pointless to talk with theists and how the Socratic Method did work for him, but only one time. If we can have these conversations, we can show them that we are people just like they are. It works the best when there is an audience and the interlocutor is honest. Everybody has a right to their religion; it is extremism that is problematic. We do have callers that are showing their minds are changing slowly. Showing genuine curiosity and asking questions to sincerely understand helps in the long term. These conversations are a great way to bond people, even if they disagree. Johnny in MD is wanting to abandon the use of identifiers such as atheist. How does the use of identifiers help or hinder your communication? How often does the need to use identifiers when communicating come up? How does the abandonment of labels or identifiers help you? How do people react when the use of these categories are avoided? How does this play out when the labels of “atheist” or “theist” are avoided? Not using these terms may cause conversations to be longer, and definitions for how words are used can be blurred. We are curious how this will work for you; please keep in touch!Dan in Canada thinks he may have seen ghosts and would like to know how to collect credible evidence of this. We don't have any testing that is supernatural at this point so this presents a tough paradox for science. Designing the experiment and replicating the experiment is the problem? What can we observe with our five senses, and how is this experience explained? Stating that you don't know something is a great way to start. How do you think the power of suggestion affected what you saw? What would be the steps to design an experiment for this? If it is not reliably reproducible, we end up diving into a sea of excuses. The only way you can find out is to start gathering data and follow the rules of evidence. Please send Kelley the video when you obtain it! Nicholas in America wants us to know that Christ is God. How do we know this when people claim that Allah or ancient gods such as Ahura Mazda are real? How does prayer cause something to happen? If events are synchronized, does that mean that one caused the other? Think of all the probabilities rather than prayer being the first explanation. Remember how impressionable the mind is when you are young and how what you have been told can affect your perception.Thank you for tuning in this week! We want the truth for what the real purpose of Stonehenge was! Remember, always keep logging the truth!

Zarathustra is the mythical hero at the foundation of Mazdaism, and thus it is better known as Zoroastrianism. Because ancient sources disagree on when this camel herder lived, it's nearly impossible to prove that he ever did, though there must have been an original founder of this ancient Persian religious tradition, the man's true name is certainly lost to time.Some Christians (especially the Jesuits) like to claim that Zoro was a biblical character, though there are different opinions on which one.This episode's story time is "The Cypress of Kashmar."As we explore this ancient tradition, we map out the conflict betwen Asha and Druj (and Nasa), and the Amesha Spenta (archangels) that support the righteous Ahura Mazda. The Yasna is terribly important, so we talk about that, too. Naturally, we have to discuss the ideas that were adopted by exilic Judaism, and that persisted and evolved with the rise of Christianity.All this and more.... Support us on Patreon or you can get our merch at Spreadshop.Join the Community on Discord.Learn more great religion factoids on Facebook and Instagram.

"El desafío de la estrella" enfoca en la historia bíblica de los Magos y su viaje para encontrar a Jesús, interpretada desde una perspectiva científica y espiritual. Su idea central es que Jesús es el Mesías, y su propósito es ilustrar este relato bíblico de una manera narrativa y en primera persona, coincidiendo con la celebración del Día de Reyes o el Día de la Epifanía. El narrador se describe como un hombre de ciencias criado en Persia, influenciado por la doctrina de Zaratustra (Zoroastro), que enseña sobre la lucha entre el bien y el mal, representada por Ahura Mazda y Angra Mainyu (Ahrimán), respectivamente. Esta visión del mundo le lleva a estudiar las estrellas, donde descubre un astro peculiar que lo lleva a investigar más. A través del estudio de la estrella y las escrituras hebreas, el narrador experimenta una crisis de fe, ya que su devoción a Ahura Mazda se ve desafiada por las enseñanzas del Dios de Israel. Esta búsqueda lo lleva a un entendimiento más profundo de Dios, viéndolo como la única divinidad verdadera y la luz del mundo, según las escrituras hebreas. Junto con otros sabios, sigue la estrella hasta Judea, buscando al nuevo rey prometido. Al llegar a Jerusalén, se encuentran con el rey Herodes, quien se muestra perturbado por su búsqueda y les pide que le informen sobre el paradero del niño. Sospechando las intenciones de Herodes, los Magos siguen la estrella hasta Belén, donde encuentran a Jesús con María y José. Los Magos experimentan una revelación espiritual al ver al niño, reconociéndolo como el Mesías, y le presentan regalos simbólicos.  El relato concluye con los Magos evitando a Herodes y regresando a sus hogares por otro camino, convencidos de la divinidad de Jesús y transformados por su encuentro. El narrador afirma su fe en Jesús como el salvador de la humanidad, destacando cómo este encuentro cambió su vida y puede cambiar la de toda persona que le busque con fe. Instrucciones: Dele "Like/Me Gusta" a este podcast y compártalo en sus redes sociales. Suscrí­base a este podcast y a nuestro canal de YouTube, donde podrá ver y escuchar centenares de sermones y conferencias. No olvide oprimir la campanita para recibir las notificaciones inmediatamente. Visite https://www.drpablojimenez.com Siga al Dr. Pablo A Jimenez Rojas en Facebook, Instagram y Twitter (drpablojimenez en todas las plataformas) Compre los libros del Dr. Jiménez por medio de su tienda cibernética: AMAZON.

NEW YEAR'S DAY brought unexpected excitement to Miami: Dozens of police cruisers responded to a call of teens fighting and setting off fireworks at a mall. The incident has gone viral as a video on social media claims to show a 7-to-10 foot tall “alien” skulking near the police cars. As with anything spectacular that draws public attention, like the publication of a certain list this week (which contained nothing we didn't already know), we look at the other hand to see what we're not supposed to notice. It could be the situation at the US-Mexico border, where Customs and Border Protection processed—meaning “released into the country, probably with cash, a phone, and a notice to appear for an asylum hearing in three years”—more than 300,000 illegal migrants during the month of December, a new record. There are now more illegals entering the United States than new babies born to US citizens. The distraction may also be to draw our attention away from the global economy, which is about to take a hit from Yemen effectively cutting off access to the Suez Canal. Operation Prosperity Guardian, the American mission to protect cargo ships in the Red Sea, has failed, and about 10–12% of global trade is now being routed around the southern tip of Africa, adding cost and two to three weeks to shipping time. We also discuss a growing movement in Iran to reject Islam as “an Arab religion.” This is a nationalist movement that wants to bring back Zoroastrianism, the worship of Ahura Mazda, but it is also opening the door to the gospel. NEW DATES FOR OUR 2024 TOUR OF ISRAEL! We are in the process of confirming with Lipkin Tours, but due to the Israel-Hamas War our tour will be rescheduled for early November of 2024. Special guest Timothy Alberino still plans to join us. For more information, log on to www.GilbertsInIsrael.com. Our Build Barn Better project is nearly done! Our 1,200 square foot pole barn has a new HVAC system, epoxy floor, 100-amp electric service, new windows, insulation, lights, and ceiling fans! We're in the process of moving our studios out of our home. If you are so led, you can help out at gilberthouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to this podcast, our weekly Bible studies, and our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker. The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at pidradio.com/app. Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site: gilberthouse.org/video! Check out our new online store! GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study. Take advantage of our monthly specials! Subscribe to our YouTube channels: Unraveling Revelation: YouTube.com/@UnravelingRevelation These weekly studies and Derek's podcast: YouTube.com/@GilbertHouse Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): Sharon: twitter.com/sharonkgilbert Derek: twitter.com/derekgilbert PID Radio: twitter.com/pidradio

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 959, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Fine Food 1: At a raw bar, try the Lynnhaven type of this mollusk--it doesn't shuck. oysters. 2: Sushi lovers know a California roll contains this tree fruit aka the alligator pear. the avocado. 3: Sorbet is served to cleanse this, a term for a part of the mouth. the palate. 4: As you can see, this traditional roast beef accompaniment is not what we'd normally call a pudding. Yorkshire pudding. 5: Columbus was a fan of these, also a generic Italian term for cookies, because they resisted mold on voyages. biscotti. Round 2. Category: Treblemakers 1: Chien Tan of the Oregon Symphony is one of the few masters of the smaller treble type of this string instrument. the violin. 2: Treble recorders are also called this, also a 4-letter female singing voice. alto. 3: The reeds and keys controlling the treble on the piano type of this flexible instrument are on the right side. the accordion. 4: Any birdbrain knows this name for the part of a stereo speaker that produces treble sounds. the tweeter. 5: This word found after "treble" comes from the French for "key". clef. Round 3. Category: Silent Letter But Deadly 1: Proverbially, you go "under" it when you head into surgery. under the knife. 2: Mom might let you run with rock or paper, but never with these. scissors. 3: It's a tool and a deadly weapon in a game of Clue and can also mean to twist violently. a wrench. 4: This "d'etat", a sudden forced change in government, can get dangerous fast. a coup. 5: A silent "C" is the second letter of this agricultural implement, Death's symbolic tool of the trade. a scythe. Round 4. Category: Sporting Goods 1: Ecologically minded golfers can get these golf ball supporters that are biodegradable. tees. 2: Young kids don't need them; for older skiers their grips should be at a level with arms bent and out-stretched. poles. 3: In baseball, this player's mitt cannot have a circumference of more than 38". the catcher. 4: Kevlar, used in bulletproof vests, is used by Wilson to make these balls that you may kick or head. a soccer ball. 5: Montreal's 2002 Jr Powerlam is a 51" long one of these with a synthetic blade. a hockey stick. Round 5. Category: Catching Some ZS. With Z in quotes 1: Both NYC and Philadelphia claim the oldest of these in the U.S.. zoo. 2: It's the hairy-stemmed flower named for Johann Zinn. a Zinnia. 3: Ahura Mazda is not a model of car, but the 1 true god of this religion. Zoroastrianism. 4: Wahoo! This movie mogul was born in Wahoo, Nebraska in 1902. (Darryl) Zanuck. 5: 2-word term for the weightlessness experienced by astronauts in orbit. zero gravity. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia! Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/

In this episode Chris brings us a bit of Opinion Scholarship on a recurring theme in world mythology--that of the War of the Gods. He discusses the strange idea of two distinct races of gods that come into conflict with one another. The ancient Greeks have the Titans and Olympians, the Bible has it's Angels and Demons, Zoroastrianism has Ahura Mazda and Ahriman and the Hindu's have the Devas and Asuras. The one left out of this list, comes from the Scandinavian north, from the Norse--the Aesir and Vanir--and this makes up the meat of the discussion. We examine the 21st century ethnographer--Thor Heyerdahl--and his theory surrounding the origin of the Norse in Azerbaijan, Odin as a historical person and the "war of the gods" as a battle between waring tribes. Enjoy ;)

Viktor erfreut uns mit einer Spezialausgabe über Nemrut und die Hölle.  Hier sind ein paar sorgfältig und sparsam ausgesuchte Links mit weiterführen Informationen:https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemrut_Da%C4%9F%C4%B1_(Bitlis)https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurriterhttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemrut_Da%C4%9F%C4%B1_(Ad%C4%B1yaman)

Il nuovo podcast Pillole di Cinema: https://open.spotify.com/show/4X9hy5vDhm2bdiRyOfLq5aSe volete sostenerci ecco il nostro Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/labibliotecadialessandriaOppure direttamente qui su Youtube abbonandovi: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Idufifk1hamoBzkZngr1w/joinCanale Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Idufifk1hamoBzkZngr1wProduzione, Editing e Sound Design - UncleMatt: https://www.instagram.com/unclemattprod/Volete far parte della community e discutere con tanti appassionati come voi? Venite sul nostro gruppo Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/groups/624562554783646/Se volete chiaccherare o giocare con noi, unitevi al server Discord: https://discord.gg/muGgVsXMBWIl nostro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bibliotecadialessandria/?hl=itGruppo Telegram : https://t.me/joinchat/Flt9O0AWYfCUVsqrTAzVcg

Zoroastrianism is one of most eclectic pre-Christian religious traditions, at one time spanning much of Asia, Africa, and Europe. Today, however, few know about this fascinating faith. Listen to this short episode to learn more about Zoroastrianism's history and beliefs. Visit the Patheos Religion Library to learn more about Zoroastrianism: https://bit.ly/3jSCvck Did you know that Answers is also a YouTube series? Watch episodes like this one and so many others right here. Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.Or you can check out Patheos' other podcast offerings here.Curious about religion? Explore the world's beliefs at Patheos.com or "Like" us on Facebook.

The exiles who have returned to Jerusalem are rebuilding the walls and they're encouraged by Haggai and Zechariah. But is there something we can learn from Malachi's words to them? And who in the world is "Ahura Mazda"? Join us!

Chapters: 1- 00:00 Intro 2- 02:00 Roots of Gnosticism 3- 2:55 Dating Zoroaster & the Gathas 4- 4:00 Langauges & Writing 5- 10:00 Azerbaijan 6- 11:00 Death of Zoroaster 7- 16:00 Medes. Persians, Scythians 8- 17:00 Message of Zarathustra 9- 21:00 Ahura Mazda & Prometheus 10- 32:00 Spenta Mainyu 11- 43:00 Diana/Artemis & Sophia 12- 48:00 Zoroaster Name 13- 50:00 Pythagoras & Pre-Socratics 14- 1:08:00 Heraclitus 15- 1:09:00 Dualist Forces 16- 1:18:00 Persian Empire 17- 1:20:00 Thomas Paine 18- 1:21:00 Platonism & Christianity 19- 1:35:30 Mani 20- 1:44:20 Judaism 21- 1:50:00 Caesar & Rome 22- 1:58:00 Closing Thoughts https://www.patreon.com/GnosticInformant Please Consider joining my Patreon to help fund my research and finding scholars to bring on. Any amount helps me. Thank you existing Patrons. Jason Reza Jorjani, Ph.D https://jasonrezajorjani.com/ Jason Reza Jorjani, PhD is an Iranian-American philosopher and lifelong native New Yorker. He received his BA and MA at New York University, and completed his doctorate in Philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Jorjani has taught courses on Science, Technology, and Society (STS), the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, and the history of Iran as a full-time faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Earlier he taught Comparative Religion, Ethics, Political Theory, and the History of Philosophy at the State University of New York. He is a professional member of the Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE). Zoroaster is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. He is said to have been an Iranian prophet who founded a religious movement that challenged the existing traditions of ancient Iranian religion, and inaugurated a movement that eventually became a staple religion in ancient Iran. He was a native speaker of Old Avestan and lived in the eastern part of the Iranian plateau, but his exact birthplace is uncertain. There is no scholarly consensus on when he lived. Some scholars, using linguistic and socio-cultural evidence, suggest a dating to somewhere in the second millennium BC. Other scholars date him to the 7th and 6th centuries BC as a near-contemporary of Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great. Zoroastrianism eventually became the official state religion of ancient Iran—particularly during the era of the Achaemenid Empire—and its distant subdivisions from around the 6th century BC until the 7th century AD, when the religion itself began to decline following the Arab-Muslim conquest of Iran. Zoroaster is credited with authorship of the Gathas as well as the Yasna Haptanghaiti, a series of hymns composed in his native Avestan dialect that comprise the core of Zoroastrian thinking. Little is known about Zoroaster; most of his life is known only from these scant texts. By any modern standard of historiography, no evidence can place him into a fixed period and the historicization surrounding him may be a part of a trend from before the 10th century AD that historicizes legends and myths. #JasonRezaJorjani #GnosticInformant #Zoroastrian --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gnosticinformant/message

Ahura Mazda is the supreme lord in ancient pre Islamic Iranian or Persian mythology. The word Ahura, which literally means wise lord, refers to Ormizd, the supreme god of Zoroastrianism and the religious system of Iranian prophet Zarathustra. In ancient Iran, Ahura was regarded as the king's protector and greatest of all gods and was worshipped by Darius I who reigned from 522 to 486 BCE.According to Zarathustra, Ahura created the universe and its cosmic order. He created the two spirits known as Spenta Mainyu and Angra Mainyu, which were both good and evil respectively. The struggle between good and evil is reflected in the choices that humanity makes. In Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda is all-wise, bounteous, undeceiving, and the creator of everything good, while Angra Mainyu is the opposite. Both of these spirits are regarded as beings that are mutually limiting with the world between them as their battleground.Read the full article at https://mythlok.com/ahura-mazda/

In this episode we will be looking at the shaping of Satan in the 1st century Chri$tian writings.There is a plethora of early Chri$tian writings on our favourite subject. For now we are sticking to canonical scripture but that is not to say the non-canonical stuff isn't relevant. It paints a picture of the mindset of the early Chri$tians. In the King James Version of the New Testament the word Devil or Devils comes up 102 times. Satan gets mentioned 32 times. There are also other synonyms used to describe Lucifer. Despite all the mentions he doesn't get a lot of screen time and is mostly an off-screen character, spoken of but rarely seen like Voldemort or Sauron. I won't be covering every mention of Lord of Flies but will look at the ones where I feel who and what he is gets established for later generations to build on and create the Satan we know and love today.The New Testament is not JUST 4 similar stories about the same events. There are also a bunch of internal church memos and other documents bundled up and paper clipped to the back of the gospels, known as the epistles.We look at the earliest mention of Old Scratch in the New Testament in the Epistle of James all the way to the Gospel of John.We watch the Satan character develop from a metaphorical representation of human desire to a little gremlin coercing events to megalomaniacal entity of enormous power. We will follow Saul of Tarsus from 1st century tentmaker who got his kicks beating up early Chri$tians on the weekends to self-proclaimed apostle Paul megalomaniacal entity of enormous power.We review the attitude of the juvenile apocalyptic cult to the antichrist and the impending end of the world with the return of their Chri$t.There's fornication with step mums, a ravenous reptilian hell beast, murder, Romans, Ancient Greeks, Hentai, Pagans, Zeus, Odin, Ahura Mazda, an attack force of shock preachers, an army of serpents and scorpions, gardening tips from Jesus, the rapture, a proxy war between YHWH and the Devil, Astro Boy even gets a mention! 

Desde Zao shen hasta Ahura Mazda y los daevas.

Recorded by Rushad Austin. This podcast is on the month of Dae or Ahura Mazda. It is the 10th month in the Zoroastrian calendar.

正是因為與眾不同，所以有趣！無論是語言、文字、歷史、宗教還是建築形式，亞美尼亞都和鄰居們很不一樣。接續著上集的旅程，這集讓我們一起探索首都葉里溫與其近郊，繼續挖掘亞美尼亞境內那些獨步全球的有趣軼事！

Early in Xerxes' reign, an infamous and dramatic story of religious conflict was inscribed at Persepolis. When Xerxes became king he put down a rebellion, but in the process encountered a community dedicated to a god or gods he considered false and immoral. As consequence he destroyed their sanctuary and worshiped Ahura Mazda in their place. Support on Patreon Livius.org Avesta.org UT Austin Old Iranian Languages 300: Rise of An Empire Review Part 1 Part 2 In The Words of Zarathustra Patreon | Support Page Twitter | Facebook | Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-perisa/support

Zahhāk or Zahāk also known as Zahhak the Snake Shoulder is an evil figure in Persian mythology, evident in ancient Persian folklore as Azhi Dahāka, the name by which he also appears in the texts of the Avesta. In Middle Persian, he is called Dahāg or Bēvar Asp the latter meaning "he who has 10,000 horses". In Zoroastrianism, Zahhak is considered the son of Ahriman, the foe of Ahura Mazda. In the Shāhnāmah of Ferdowsi, Zahhāk is the son of a ruler named Merdās.

We begin our focus on the Persians with Cyrus the Great, who began the largest empire of the Ancient Near East. We also feature Zoroaster and his worship of Ahura Mazda and how this deity became the main Persian religion.This Podcast series is also available on  iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.See more resources, maps, and information at:https://www.dwworldhistory.comCheckout the video version at:https://www.youtube.com/DWWorldHistoryOutlines for this episode are available at:https://www.patreon.com/DWWorldHistorySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/DWWorldHistory)

Nesse episódio do Papo Lendário, Leonardo Mitocôndria, Nilda Alcarinquë, Juliano Yamada e Pablo de Assis conversam sobre como o Zoroastrismo. Conheça mais sobre essa antiga religião. Ouça sobre Ahura Mazda e seu profeta Zaratrusta. Entenda se essa religião é o primeiro monoteismo da história. -- EQUIPE -- Pauta, edição: Leonardo Mitôcondria Locução da abertura: Ira Croft Host: Leonardo Mitôcondria Participante: Juliano Yamada, Nilda Alcarinquë, Pablo de Assis -- APOIE o Mitografias -- -- Agradecimentos aos Apoiadores -- Adriano Gomes Carreira Alan Franco Alexandre Iombriller Chagas Aline Aparecida Matias Ana Lúcia Merege Correia Anderson Zaniratti André Victor Dias dos Santos Antunes Thiago Bruno Gouvea Santos Clecius Alexandre Duran Domenica Mendes Eder Cardoso Santana Edmilson Zeferino da Silva Everson Everton Gouveia Gabriele Tschá Hamilton Lemos de Abreu Torres Higgor Vioto Jeankamke Jonathan Souza de Oliveira José Eduardo de Oliveira Silva Leila Pereira Minetto Lindonil Rodrigues dos Reis Maira Oliveira Santos Mariana Lima Mateus Seenem Tavares Mayra Nilda Alcarinquë Paulo Diovani Goncalves Patricia Ussyk Petronio de Tilio Neto Rafael Resca Rafa Mello Talita Kelly Martinez -- Transcrição realizada por Amanda Barreiro (@manda_barreiro) -- [00:00:00] [Vinheta de abertura]: Você está ouvindo Papo Lendário, podcast de mitologias do projeto Mitografias. Quer conhecer sobre mitos, lendas, folclore e muito mais? Acesse: mitografias.com.br. [Trilha sonora] Leonardo: Muito bem, ouvintes. Como vocês viram no título do episódio, hoje vamos falar do zoroastrismo - isso é um pouquinho trava-língua -, que é algo que já citamos algumas vezes em episódios anteriores, mas, diferentemente de outras crenças parecidas, como o judaísmo, islamismo e o cristianismo, pelo tamanho mais limitado do zoroastrismo compensa ter um episódio geral dele, diferentemente dessas outras três religiões abraâmicas, as quais o ideal é ter episódios mais focados em alguns conceitos dentro de cada uma, porque elas são muito mais complexas, por tudo que a gente tem de informação. E aí no episódio de hoje a gente está com o Pablo… Pablo: Olá. Leonardo: ... estamos com a Nilda… Nilda: Oi, oi. Leonardo: ... e o Yamada. Juliano Yamada: Olá, vocês. Leonardo: Os três vão me acompanhar durante o episódio para a gente explicar para vocês, ouvintes, o que é esse tal de zoroastrismo. Que, com certeza, vocês já devem ter ouvido, que é um pouquinho mais desconhecido, mas a gente mesmo já citou algumas vezes. Então a gente vai mostrar os detalhes mais a fundo dessa religião que ainda existe. Como falei, ele não é totalmente desconhecido, ele ainda tem e tudo mais, mas a gente não tem tanta informação dele tão facilmente quanto das outras religiões abraâmicas - essas três que a gente citou: judaísmo, islamismo e cristianismo têm muito mais informação. É comum que as pessoas já tenham ouvido falar, saibam até que é semelhante a essas três religiões monoteístas, mas não saibam muito dos detalhes. Eu mesmo não encontrei não só oficiais em si; no geral também não encontrei tanta coisa em português. Pablo: Alguma coisa me diz que talvez em persa você ache mais. Leonardo: Sim, sim, eu imagino que sim. É que aí o meu conhecimento em persa é bem menor. Em inglês eu ainda consegui entender alguma coisa. Nilda: Talvez você encontre alguma coisa em chinês. Leonardo: É, também não ajuda muito. Bom, mas então o que afinal de contas é o zoroastrismo? É uma religião bem antiga. É dito que a origem dela é anterior a 600 anos antes da Era Comum. Às vezes é colocado como sendo até quatro mil anos atrás, então seria bem antes dessa data; mas 600 a.C. é certeza que já tinha, mas antes mesmo já se imagina de ter essa religião. Teria nascido ali na região do que atualmente seria o Irã, e aí por isso que é considerada uma religião persa. Obviamente,

Nesse episódio do Papo Lendário, Leonardo Mitocôndria, Nilda Alcarinquë, Juliano Yamada e Pablo de Assis conversam sobre como o Zoroastrismo. Conheça mais sobre essa antiga religião. Ouça sobre Ahura Mazda e seu profeta Zaratrusta. Entenda se essa religião é o primeiro monoteismo da história. -- EQUIPE -- Pauta, edição: Leonardo Mitôcondria Locução da abertura: Ira Croft Host: Leonardo Mitôcondria Participante: Juliano Yamada, Nilda Alcarinquë, Pablo de Assis -- APOIE o Mitografias -- -- Agradecimentos aos Apoiadores -- Adriano Gomes Carreira Alan Franco Alexandre Iombriller Chagas Aline Aparecida Matias Ana Lúcia Merege Correia Anderson Zaniratti André Victor Dias dos Santos Antunes Thiago Bruno Gouvea Santos Clecius Alexandre Duran Domenica Mendes Eder Cardoso Santana Edmilson Zeferino da Silva Everson Everton Gouveia Gabriele Tschá Hamilton Lemos de Abreu Torres Higgor Vioto Jeankamke Jonathan Souza de Oliveira José Eduardo de Oliveira Silva Leila Pereira Minetto Lindonil Rodrigues dos Reis Maira Oliveira Santos Mariana Lima Mateus Seenem Tavares Mayra Nilda Alcarinquë Paulo Diovani Goncalves Patricia Ussyk Petronio de Tilio Neto Rafael Resca Rafa Mello Talita Kelly Martinez -- Transcrição realizada por Amanda Barreiro (@manda_barreiro) -- [00:00:00] [Vinheta de abertura]: Você está ouvindo Papo Lendário, podcast de mitologias do projeto Mitografias. Quer conhecer sobre mitos, lendas, folclore e muito mais? Acesse: mitografias.com.br. [Trilha sonora] Leonardo: Muito bem, ouvintes. Como vocês viram no título do episódio, hoje vamos falar do zoroastrismo - isso é um pouquinho trava-língua -, que é algo que já citamos algumas vezes em episódios anteriores, mas, diferentemente de outras crenças parecidas, como o judaísmo, islamismo e o cristianismo, pelo tamanho mais limitado do zoroastrismo compensa ter um episódio geral dele, diferentemente dessas outras três religiões abraâmicas, as quais o ideal é ter episódios mais focados em alguns conceitos dentro de cada uma, porque elas são muito mais complexas, por tudo que a gente tem de informação. E aí no episódio de hoje a gente está com o Pablo… Pablo: Olá. Leonardo: ... estamos com a Nilda… Nilda: Oi, oi. Leonardo: ... e o Yamada. Juliano Yamada: Olá, vocês. Leonardo: Os três vão me acompanhar durante o episódio para a gente explicar para vocês, ouvintes, o que é esse tal de zoroastrismo. Que, com certeza, vocês já devem ter ouvido, que é um pouquinho mais desconhecido, mas a gente mesmo já citou algumas vezes. Então a gente vai mostrar os detalhes mais a fundo dessa religião que ainda existe. Como falei, ele não é totalmente desconhecido, ele ainda tem e tudo mais, mas a gente não tem tanta informação dele tão facilmente quanto das outras religiões abraâmicas - essas três que a gente citou: judaísmo, islamismo e cristianismo têm muito mais informação. É comum que as pessoas já tenham ouvido falar, saibam até que é semelhante a essas três religiões monoteístas, mas não saibam muito dos detalhes. Eu mesmo não encontrei não só oficiais em si; no geral também não encontrei tanta coisa em português. Pablo: Alguma coisa me diz que talvez em persa você ache mais. Leonardo: Sim, sim, eu imagino que sim. É que aí o meu conhecimento em persa é bem menor. Em inglês eu ainda consegui entender alguma coisa. Nilda: Talvez você encontre alguma coisa em chinês. Leonardo: É, também não ajuda muito. Bom, mas então o que afinal de contas é o zoroastrismo? É uma religião bem antiga. É dito que a origem dela é anterior a 600 anos antes da Era Comum. Às vezes é colocado como sendo até quatro mil anos atrás, então seria bem antes dessa data; mas 600 a.C. é certeza que já tinha, mas antes mesmo já se imagina de ter essa religião. Teria nascido ali na região do que atualmente seria o Irã, e aí por isso que é considerada uma religião persa. Obviamente,

By audience demand, we're headed back in time. Before wrapping up the reign of Darius, it's time to look back to the bronze age and talk about Zarathustra Spitama, the prophet more often known in the west as Zoroaster. This is the first of a two part series on the life and teachings of Zoroaster, as presented in the Gathas - 5 hymns to Ahura Mazda believed to be composed by Zoroaster himself. Patreon | Lyceum.FM | Support Page Arcadia Energy - Support Renewable Power Twitter | Facebook | Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-perisa/support

Zarathustra o Zoroastro y la mitología persa. Fuente: El Avesta. Zaratustra recibe la revelación directamente de Ahura Mazda y enseña que hay dos espíritus primitivos, gemelos y opuestos: Spenta Mainyu y Angra Mainyu. El primero es el espíritu bienhechor y el segundo es el espíritu del mal. Sus pensamientos, palabras y obras nada tienen que ver. Es la lucha entre el bien y el mal. Es la lucha entre la luz y las tinieblas. Es la lucha entre la verdad y la mentira.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.Pharaoh’s daughter / Pharaoh (daughter / father, and princess / king)14th BCExodus 1:15-17, 22; 2:1-10The hero is a pagan, a worshipper of the Egyptian gods—the daughter of Pharaoh!We’re not told whether she ever told her father she had adopted a Hebrew baby. Nor are we given any details about her interactions with her father, the Pharaoh. Besides, pharaohs tended to have many wives and children. (Ramesses II lived to age 90, reigning close to 70 years, and had perhaps 100 children!)Even though Pharaoh himself was considered divine, he is mocked—not by verbal scorn, but by God moving in the simple heart of a young woman—one who moved at cross-purposes to her father to safeguard the future welfare of God's people.Perhaps adopting Moses was the result more of natural affection than virtue, and it’s possible she was unaware of Pharaoh’s decree—as was Jonathan in 1 Sam14.Jonathan / Saul (son / father, and prince / king)11th BC1 Samuel 14:24-30; 18:1-4; 19:1-6; 23:16-18Jonathan is not taken in by his father’s authoritarian outburst, or by his foolish (and counterproductive) decrees.He evinces loyalty, but not stupidity.Another great quality of Jonathan—a stark contrast to his father—is his capacity for friendship, esp. with David, who Saul now regards as his mortal enemy!David and Jonathan have a deeply spiritual relationship.Jonathan is also humble, happy to serve as David’s number two guy.Jonathan was at cross-purposes with Saul. Jonathan never did become king, or even live long to enjoy his relationship with David. He, like his father and brothers, dies in battle against the Philistines. Our next character became king, but only after a period of hiding (many years)…Joash / Athaliah (son / grandmother)8th BC2 Chronicles 22:11-12; 23:1-21; 24:1-22Athaliah was the grandmother of Joash. She was a wicked woman but a strong leader, seizing control of the southern kingdom of Judah and ruled it for six years. Jehoiada the elderly guardian of Joash knew that the ungodly Athaliah was ruining the nation and he had the nerve to depose her once the time was right. There follows the account of one of the manycoups d'état of the Bible.Joash, guided by the elderly priest Jehoida, deposes his grandmother Athaliah.The boy-king begins his forty-year reign well. After some time, he restores the lapsed Temple, and even challenges his guardian Jehoiada to expect more of the priests and Levites!Yet when Jehoiada dies and his spiritual influence no longer shapes Joash, the boy-king quickly declines.In short, Joash lacks character. He even has Jehoiada's son Zechariah (not the minor prophet but a different person) executed for challenging his sin. As a result, the Lord does call him to account in accordance with the words of the dying Zechariah.Finally, Joash is defeated in battle, even though his forces far outnumbered the enemy.We see that Joash was at cross-purposes with his grandmother, and also (sadly) with God. Like many of us, his life was a blend of the wonderful and tragic, faith and lack of faith. Yet his story is finished; ours is still being written.Whereas Joash goes from good to bad, our next king goes in the opposite direction. Josiah!Josiah / Amon (son / father)7th BC2 Ki 21:19-24; 22:1-2, 11, 13; 23:1-3Josiah is one Judaean king through whom Yahweh offered his people one final chance to be right with him—to be saved—from Babylon.Yet his father (Amon) was a wicked, ungodly man. Josiah is the opposite of Amon, and certainly did not live up to his father’s expectations, just as Amon was the opposite of the later Manasseh, grandfather of Josiah.And then the long-lost book of the Law is discovered….Josiah fears the Lord and honors the word of God, sending to the prophetess Huldah to learn what the Lord would have him do.Josiah renews the covenant, and things seem to be going well for Israel, yet his reformation did not last long.Josiah was certainly rowing against the tide, for most of the leaders and people of Judah were at cross-purposes with Yahweh.Next, we will examine two monarchs who aren't in the land of Israel at all. Not in Egypt (our first pair), but in Persia. Worshipers of Ahura Mazda—over 1000 years before Islam would make the land become the Islamic Republic of Iran.Vashti / Xerxes (queen / king, wife / husband)5th BCEsther 1:1-5, 9-10, 12; 1:15-2:1; 2:4, 17486-465 bc Xerxes: his dominion is a big territory—and the banquet is a big deal.The king cares about his reputation, glory, power… but the Lord is not impressed—as with Babel in Gen 11.Inebriated, Xerxes summons his wife so that her beauty may be displayed. Yet Vashti refuses to be gawked at.The King of Persia is made to look foolish—here and throughout the book of Esther. (Connection with Pharaoh—his silly laws are flouted right under his nose.Like the other Gentile king, Pharaoh, his projection of hubris and perfection is revealed to be vain. The other 3 monarchs, Saul, Athaliah, and Amon, are also shown to be not only ungodly but sham leaders..ConclusionWe may often find ourselves at cross-purposes with those who are not following the Lord. This may esp. be the case with family members, as with Pharaoh’s daughter, Jonathan, Joash, Josiah, and Vashti.So, how should we interact with those close to us—people involved in our lives, whether family or not—when there are conflicting agendas?Respect them – always.Please them / obey them – usually.Ignore them – if they are pushing you to go against God’s will.Don’t live for the approval of the world, or of worldly people.Take our stand with the people of God, knowing that ultimately his will will be done. And may the Lord strengthen our resolve to live this way!*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *If you have enjoyed the OT Character Podcast series, there is also a NT Character series, with about 70 talks, covering some 90 characters. But please don’t stop with the 175 persons given attention in these two series. After all, there are 100s of biblical characters!

When Life Is Too Hard Too Stand KNEEL With your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 5:9 Have we seen the last days of true freedom in America, as we know it are, we slipping into a state of socialism and or communist? Last weekend was the 244th anniversary of the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. At this point, you must wonder if America's 244th birthday might be its last. We have broken churches some preachers teaching hate instead of teaching the true word of God and we now have a broken nation politician bowing down to mob protesters, Let's look at the pledge of allegiance  I: an individual, a committee of one. PLEDGE: a solemn promise or undertaking. ALLEGIANCE: loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause. TO THE FLAG: Our standard, Old Glory The stripes represent the original 13 Colonies and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well; red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. UNITED: joined politically, for a common purpose, or by common feelings. STATES: Individual communities that have united into 50 great states. Fifty individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries yet united to a common purpose, and that's love for country. AND TO THE REPUBLIC: a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION, UNDER GOD: One nation, meaning “so blessed by God.” INDIVISIBLE: Incapable of being divided. WITH LIBERTY: Which is freedom, the right of power to live one's own life without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation. AND JUSTICE: The principle or quality of dealing fairly with others. FOR ALL: For all, which means, this country is yours and mine. Red, White, & Blue As imperfect as it may be, I love my country. I always have; I always will. And I will always pray for our leaders Yes I love my country because of the many blessings that you can have by the grace of God in this country and  of the men and women who, through the years, have sacrificed so much in its defense. All gave some……. Some gave all (their Lives) Abraham Lincoln, in his Gettysburg Address, said... The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Take a good look at Psalm 33:12 King James Version (KJV) 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord Oh yeah, Every nation has a god but there is only one true God with a capital G The Babylonian Empire had a god. Its name was Marduk. The Medo-Persian Empire had a god. Its name was Ahura Mazda. The Grecian Empire had a god. Its name was Zeus. The Roman Empire had a god. Its name was Jupiter. The United States Of America was founded as a Christian nation whose God was the Lord God Almighty! George Washington, our first president, wrote a “Prayer for the Nation,” in 1783 and sent it to the governors of all the states. In it, he wrote... Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United states in thy holy protection...that thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things,  we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplications, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. You can re-write it, but you cannot deny it…the United States was founded as a Christian nation. And, because of that... The United States of America was a blessed nation - was a happy nation! President George Washington stated, in his 7th Annual Address, on December 8, 1795... Join with me in profound gratitude to the Author of All Good, for the…extraordinary blessings we enjoy…Is it too much to say, that our country exhibits a spectacle of national happiness, never surpassed, if ever before equaled? With sincere acknowledgment to Heaven, and pure love to our country, to unite our efforts to preserve our immense advantages. However, it could now be argued that... The god of the United States of America is no longer the God of the Bible but has instead become the god of humanism. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers. Stated Then Senator Barrack Obama in 2006 C.S. Lewis remarked: God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself because it is not there. There is no such thing. Because of that... The United States is no longer blessed! Just think about what is now happening Covid-19 across the world. Our country is no longer happy; it is now depressed, stressed and afraid! Did you Know that Since 2007, the American Psychological Association has commissioned an annual nationwide survey...to examine the state of stress across the country and understand its impact? Health care, the election, and mass shootings are significant sources of stress for Americans. While we have only 114 DAYS 14 HOURS 55 minutes  remains at the time of my writing this  before Americans Christian and non-Christian alike will go to the polls in November , many report stress related to issues in the news, including the up- coming  presidential election— Gorge Floyd incident , mob protester, BLM issues, which more Americans say is a cause of stress now  more now than ever, even more than the 2016 election. Mass Shootings, Terrorism on American soil, Climate Change, Sexual Harassment, human trafficking Even though fewer people are “stressed” about the economy. Economy However, we should not be surprised that this has happened. Why? Because God already gave an example of all of this in His Word. (PROPHECY) Turn to and read 1 Kings 3:7-14. Then, turn to and read 1 Kings 11:4-10, 14, 23-25, 29-33. While King Solomon followed God; God blessed the nation of Israel. When King Solomon turned from following God; God removed that blessing. We see that the exact same thing has happened to the United States of America! So, what can we do? We can find the answer in Psalm 33:12 KJV Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; And the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Blessed is…the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance. In the context of this passage of Scripture, this is referring to the nation of Israel. However, by application, it refers to those who have trusted Christ as their Savior. Turn to and read 1 Peter 1:18-19, 23; 2:9-10. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior than you are blessed. Continue to walk with and follow God! Micah 6:8 KJV 1900 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; And what doth the Lord require of thee, But to do justly, and to love mercy, And to walk humbly with thy God? What happens when we walk with someone? Imagine that you and a close friend are enjoying a walk down a country lane. You are in proximity. You talk, laugh, listen, and share your hearts. Your attention is focused on this person to the exclusion of almost everything else. You notice the beauty around you or an occasional distraction, but only to point it out to your companion. You share it together. You are in harmony, and you both enjoy the peaceful camaraderie. Walking with God is like that. You and I know that our nation may no longer walking with God as it once was, there's no reason why each of us, cannot. Resources: logo Bible software - Faith Life Sermons-online search

This Bonus "Rescued By Dragons Tale" provides backstory for episodes 26 and 27 of the Tales of The Brunch Club. Read by our Dungeon Master, Brian Messmer. Click here for this episode's transcript and artwork. More info can be found at our website, RescuedByDragons.com.

In this episode of the Rescued by Dragons podcast, Tales of the Brunch Club, the aftermath of Ahura Mazda's accusation. This episode read by our Dungeon Master, Brian Messmer. Click here for this episode's transcript and artwork. More info can be found at our website, RescuedByDragons.com.

“I am Darius the great king, king of kings, king of countries containing all kinds of men, king in this great earth far and wide...By the favor of Ahura Mazda these are the countries which I seized outside of Persia; I ruled over them; they bore tribute to me; they did what was said to them by me; they held my law firmly; Media, Elam, Parthia, Aria, Bactria, Sogdia, Chorasmia, Drangiana, Arachosia, Sattagydia, Gandara, India, the haoma-drinking Scythians, the Scythians with pointed caps, Babylonia, Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, Armenia, Cappadocia, Lydia, the Greeks, the Scythians across the sea, Thrace, the sun hat-wearing Greeks, the Libyans, the Nubians, the men of Maka and the Carians.”

Season 7, Episode 3. Ngaji Filsafat - Dr. Fahruddin Faiz Manusia Langit: ZARATHUSTRA - Ahura Mazda

Please listen to this. This is the truth that will be again and again denied by orthodoxy in the name of keeping the Zoroastrian religion along ethnic lines. The truth is that Zarathustra received the Den from Ahura Mazda, to be given to all of humanity. Orthodoxy would have you believe that what faith you are born into was the faith given to you by Ahura Mazda. Common sense will clearly run counter to this. This episode will be unpopular at best, and possibly anger some. Yet there is nothing untrue within this audio essay. Every Mazdan, every Zoroastrian, in fact every human needs to hear this sober truth. And the sooner the better. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kian-stave/message

Ahura Mazda knew truth from the beginning, was one with truth. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kian-stave/message

This episode is a guided meditation for unlocking the brilliant white light of Spenta Mainyu , or Ahura Mazda. It is designed to ignite all chakras in order, from root to crown, in a guided intentional way. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kian-stave/message

Er gilt als die älteste monotheistische Religion: Der Zoroastrismus. Sein Zentrum ist Yazd im Iran. Noch heute werden dort die vier Elemente verehrt. Nur der Totenkult hat sich verändert - früher wurden Verstorbene den Geiern zum Frass überlassen. Schon unter den Perserkönigen der Antike war der Zoroastrismus Staatsreligion. Im Iran hat er bis heute überdauert. dort gibt es zur Zeit rund 30'000 Gläubige, Tendenz steigend. Sie verehren ihren Schöpfergott Ahura Mazda. Ihre Devise lautet: «Gute Gedanken, gutes Sagen, gutes Handeln». Wie die Zoroasterinnen und Zoroaster im Iran leben, zeigt die Reportage in der Sendung «Perspektiven».

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Isaiah 45. After five chapters of preparation, the cat is out of the bag: Cyrus of Persia is God’s messiah, His chosen king sent to free the exiles. How can this be! Isaiah 45 lets this bomb drop amidst objections and misunderstandings. In the end, it’s not so different from Abraham and Moses. God has done this to reveal Himself to the nations, although He remains hidden apart from His Word. Persia will only partly grasp the reality of Yahweh, confusing Him with the Babylonian god Marduk and their own god Ahura Mazda. Yet some will come to the Temple and hear the Scriptures, and ultimately, as Isaiah says, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Yahweh, the true and only God.

017: Battle Royale vol. 10   By Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi With English translation by Keith Giffen   Schoolkids are forced to fight to the death until only one survives. 35 down, 6 to go!   Skip to the synopsis @14:20 contact us at WeAppreciateManga@gmail.com   Theme Music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury Podcast created by Jim Fitton and Steven Gorton.     Topics:   ·       Stream of conscious narrative done right! ·       Lighthouse aftermath ·       Nanahara’s Reunion ·       Mental illness (PTSD, suicide, survivor guilt, schizophrenia)     Pop culture references:    ·       Demon on TV in the style of Go Nagai / Toshio Maeda ·       Dungeons and Dragons Sourcebook 2 (monster manual) D&D fan     Adaptation differences:   In the manga Inada worships the “Trinity” (Peliphon, Meodius  and Lucien) most likely derived from ‘Dungeons and Dragons’. In the original novel she is Monotheistic, and worships Ahura Mazda (derived from ancient Iranian religion Zoroastrianism or Mazdaism, derived from Avestan word for wisdom)   Synopsis:   The most optimistic of the student contestants, Shuya Nanahara is nursed back to health by Utsumi’s gang of girls. When a bowl of soup meant for Nanahara is poisoned it breeds mistrust in them, resulting in a massacre. Nanahara survives by being locked in the upstairs bedroom of the lighthouse. The girl who is responsible for the poisoning is Yuko Sakaki.   None understand Yuko Sakaki more so than her parents. At home her mother looks at her photo album, the father is watching TV in the hope of seeing his daughter survive. When a horror movie appears on TV he switches it off. A force of habit due to Yuko’s nervous nature and belief in the devil. Her parents have had to deal with Yuko’s trauma of seeing boys fight in her class, knowing that she is now in a genocidal program has forced their denial to turn to grief.   With 9 contestants left, Nanahara makes his way downstairs and confronts the paranoid and frightened Yuko Sakaki. She runs off upstairs to escape Nanahara, stopping to fire at him. Whilst at the top the recoil of her gun causes her to fall. Nanahara rescues Sakaki before she experiences an epithany. Having believed that Nanahara was a demon, she realises that her inner demons, her paranoia, have caused her to hurt the ones she loves. She jumps from the lighthouse, choosing suicide.   After giving the recently passed girls at the lighthouse their dues, Nanahara leaves to search for Noriko and Kawada. He meets Izuno Inada, he can’t save her, she is delirious and is playing the game on her own private terms. Nanahara manages to flee but Inada’s paranoid schizophrenia has her now worshipping a god.   Nanahara travels through the woods and recalls all the people he has seen die. His survivor guilt takes its toll when he comes across the bodies of Keita Ijima, Yutaka and Mimura. ­He learns of the fight with Kiriyama, the microphones in the collars, the bomb that was made and the confidence that Yutaka gained in the end.   When Nanahara finally meets Noriko and Kawada he sees that the 3 of them are all they have to rely on. Noriko who so loves Nanahara has drawn a sketch of him in his absence. Meanwhile Izuno Inada has stripped down to her underwear and has made a sigil for her god, a deluded belief that it will protect her from all harm and bestow divination on her. Waiting for her prayers to be answered, Kazuo Kiriyama comes forth and provides a bullet to her thoughts.   35 down, 6 to go.     Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

It's time to introduce religion into the mix, starting with the origins and background of ancient Iranian traditions in general, and then narrowing in on the most famous and significant: Zoroastrianism. This episode explores the traditions and gods of the Indo-European steppe peoples as they migrated and became the Iranians, Persians and Medes included. I'll also discuss the reforms and doctrines of the ancient prophet Zoroaster who established a religion centered around a single supreme god, Ahura Mazda. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-perisa/support

I read from ahistorical to aide-de-camp. More info on Ahura Mazda: https://www.ancient.eu/Ahura_Mazda/ And yes! The Car company Mazda did take its name from Ahura Mazda (check out the 1931 section): https://mazda-classic-frey.de/en/the-museum/mazda-history/ dictionarypod@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/thedictionarypod/ https://twitter.com/dictionarypod https://www.patreon.com/spejampar 917-727-5757

A look at some of the ends of the world: The Great Flood; the Permian Extinction; the triumph of Ahura Mazda; Ragnarok; and the coming climate crisis.

The 10 of Swords! the Lord of Ruin! (We had to get there sometime.)  Who does not shudder to see this card, even in the cheeriest of readings?  Here at the end of thought and reason, the Sun rules over the final decan of Gemini.  The sky is black, but for a line of sunlight on the horizon. The contrasts of light and shadow are stark and brutal, and the consequences of choices made in the 8 and 9 of Swords are all too clear. Why does this Sun card contrasts so harshly with the others - Virtue, Pleasure, Prudence, and Power? In our discussion we look at the summer solstice, the dark hour before the dawn, Hexagram 43 ("Eliminating,") Phanes the light bringer, Praxidike the goddess of revenge, sthenic disease, Thomas Becket and his hair shirt, the head pierced by the sword, the prana mudra, the smashing of governments, the principles of terrorism, the Fall, exposure and nakedness, the crew of the Argo, the tragedies of Jason and Medea, many twins of dark and light - Dylan and Lleu; Horus and Set; Cain and Abel; Ahura Mazda and Ahriman; Castor and Pollux - the deprivation of sleep and the madness of a light that never turns off. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the crystallizations of the sephira Malkuth, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

No description, but there is a title. It's probably about Zoroastrianism.

We emerge puffy-faced and bleary-eyed from a five-day internet blackout, unbathed, unshaven, clothes worn ragged on our backs, only to realize it's Tuesday and thus time to record a podcast. Having been able to do no research at all because of the blackout, we decide that it doesn't really matter because we've never done research for these shows anyway. But Kyle recalls something from ancient times that may help us, an archaic alchemical practice involving the use of caustic acids to acquire organic fibres extracted from certain deciduous growths, which are then embedded within the matrix of a special resin aggregate. This is followed by the precise and minute application of a special solution comprised of a mixture of obscure dark powders from deep in the Punjab in India, which are completely dissolved into carefully filtered and distilled alcohol. When this is done properly, beneath the light of a waxing gibbous harvest moon, with the precise performance of all ritual movements, burnt sacrifices, and praises raised to the dark gods of hidden knowledge, the result is an actual physical object shaped like a small box, which contains within it all manner of complex and secret knowledge and practices. This thing, which the ancients were aware of and of which they made plenty, was called a "book". Mind => Blown So the first two segments are spent discussing the contents of a book Kyle has been going through(a little number some of you might be familiar with called "The Book of Enoch", by Enoch) as well as a book Russ has been studying(called "The Velikovsky Heresies" by Laird Scranton). Actually, the discussion was supposed to be focused on the Book of Enoch, but Russ keeps bringing up the Velikovsky Heresies almost as if he's trying to say "Hey, look, I can read books too" or something. For the second hour our longstanding resident Show Observer and Fact Checker extraordinaire, Mr. Brett England, B. Sci, EMT, MiB, WtF etc etc joins us in-studio because the conversation wasn't confusing enough in the first two segments. The three of us ponder the origins of the esoteric traditions and make fun of materialists before moving, in the final segment, to a minor expose on the strange subject of Zoroastrianism and their singular god of the winged disk and small asian cars, Ahura Mazda. The Book of Bigoted Old Shaman Kyle's phone reads this to him at work The 50th Parallel is the curved red line crossing the upper part of the map  The ruins in a Siberian lake Ahura Mazda: The Man in the Winged Disc Being depicted on cylinder seals makes Ahura Mazda most happy  

The Persian Empires of antiquity were vast and powerful, and many of their subjects were devout Zoroastrians - a monotheistic religion that worshiped Ahura Mazda and abhorred his opposite, the evil Ahriman. Ahriman was the creator of all the impurity of the world, including the powers of witchcraft. Yet despite this zealous hatred of magic, the priesthood of Zoroaster, the Magi, gave the west an ironic legacy...   Today's episode primarily relied on: The Book of Arda Viraf The Sixteen Perfect Lands of Ahura Mazda, and the Many Plagues of Ahriman For a full show bibliography, please see the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is features a recent lecture by Dr. Stephen Flowers regarding Mazdaism and the Left-Hand Path, recorded live in Austin Texas July 2017. He discusses the life and times of Zarathushtra. Ahura Mazda and the Principle of Isolate Consciousness, the Fravashi and the metaphysical basis of individuality and the moral basis voluntaryism vs coercion. Ends with an actual demonstration of authentic Mazdan magic ceremony and singing of Gathas.

In this episode, we discuss the ascension of Darius to the Persian throne; his consolidation of the empire and eastern campaigns; Zoroastrianism and the role Ahura-Mazda played in his reign; and his reform program, with a special focus on his creation of a new script (Old Persian), his new capital of Persepolis, his bureaucratic satrapies, the Royal Road, his "sort of" Red Sea/Nile River canal, and the creation and influence of the gold "Daric" Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2017/02/033-great-king-darius.html   Intro by Jeff Wright of Trojan War: The Podcast Website: http://trojanwarpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trojanwarpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrojanWarPod

This podcast is a conversation with contemporary Iranian sculptor Aban Salehi regarding her award-winning sculpture “Zarvan” in the Versus Sculpture Festival 2015 in Tehran. By referring to the ancient Persian myth of Zarvan, god of time in ancient Persian deities,  Aban Salehi intends to criticize the long-held foundations of viewing the world through good and evil forces as a dominant narrative of Iranian culture which leaves no room for shades of grey.  In Persian mythological texts,  Zarvan is a divine being who engendered equal-but-opposite twins, Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu which are characterized as the symbols of good and evil in the universe. Based on ancient mythology, these two non-reconciliatory forces of good and evil are the driving forces of the universe eternally engaged in an endless battle. The divinity Zarvan is also recognized  as the god of eternal time and space who is a transcendental being emancipated from temporal passionate desires in Persian Mythic narratives. Aban Salehi’s black and white sculpture “Zarvan,” symbolizes the eternally abysmal fight between the forces of light and darkness, Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. Through an intertwined assimilation of demoniacal black and white shapes illuminated by an external light in her sculpture, Aban Salehi attempts to challenge what she believes is the Iranian society’s prevalent dichotomous understanding of the world which has become even more bifurcated as a result of the current post-revolutionary politics of the country. Through contemporizing a deep-rooted mythical belief in the form of a sculpture, Aban Salehi aims to to cast doubt over her society’s cemented axiomatic principles grounded in dichotomous mythical and historical accounts of what the nature of truth and reality is. Salehi’s personal experience as a child viewing a public execution in Isfahan, Iran has immensely contributed to the young sculptor’s artistic perspective.

With excerpts from Neale Donald Walsch's best selling book "Conversations with GOD" Rev. Harvey along with guest Rev Arlene Kahet will discuss mans attempt to understand God with a look at various religions dating back Before Christian Era on up to modern day. Followed by a look at religious intolerance over the last 100 years. All of this and it is December 24 how can we not talk about the Man born on the 25th of December. listen on line at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/familyhealingcircle/2015/12/25/the-inner-consciousness-presents-if-there-is-only-one-god-who-are-all-of-you or call

Who Is God - Who Does He Claim to Be? Who is God? He's been described as everything from an impersonal life-force to a benevolent, personal, almighty Creator. He has been called by many names, including: "Zeus," "Jupiter," "Brahma," "Allah," "Ra," "Odin," "Ashur," "Izanagi," "Viracocha," "Ahura Mazda," and "the Great Spirit" to name just a few. He's seen by some as "Mother Nature" and by others as "Father God." But who is He really? Who does He claim to be?  ***His prophets acknowledged Him as Father by saying, "You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand,"3 and "do we not all have one Father? Has not one God created us?"4 Never once does God refer to Himself as "Mother" and never once is He called such by the prophets to whom He spoke. Calling God "Mother Nature" is comparable to calling your earthly father "Mom."

Church History: Chapter 20 – Turning Points: Mohammad and Islam Muhammad, was born around 570 A.D. Both of his parents died before he was six years old and he became a nomad joining a tribe of one of his relatives. Most of the information we have about him is second hand. He had numerous visions or dreams where he was “told by Gabriel” to “Recite.” These visions became commandments that were recorded in the Koran. He was rejected by many because he taught a monotheism which upset the idol worshippers of the time. Islam claims that Mohammad fulfilled a prophecy of Jesus in that he was the counselor Jesus promised. Key Words Goths, Vandals, Lombards, Arabs, Islam, Muslims, Sunnis, Shiites, ISIS, Constantinople, “Byzantine”, “Near East”, Sasian Kingdom, Sasanian Empire, Semitic, Shem, Zoroastrianism, Zoroaster, “Angra Mainyu”, “Ahura Mazda”, Nestorius, nomadic peoples, tents, families, clans, tribes, Mecca, Arabian Peninsula, cube, Ka’ba, Koran, Quraysh tribe, Zamzam spring, Hashimite clan, monotheist, hunafa, Mount Hira, Ramadan, Gabriel, “Jibra’eel”, The “Messenger of God”, paraklete, counselor, Yathrib, Medina, Najran, Yemen, Euthyches, Chalcedonian council, Sabaeans, Allah, Abu Bakr, Umar, Utham, Hadith, five “pillars”, “Salah”’ “Zakat”, “Sawm”, “Hajj”, visions descended

The Melchizedek Teachings in the Levant (1042.1) 95:0.1 AS INDIA gave rise to many of the religions and philosophies of eastern Asia, so the Levant was the homeland of the faiths of the Occidental world. The Salem missionaries spread out all over southwestern Asia, through Palestine, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran, and Arabia, everywhere proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Machiventa Melchizedek. In some of these lands their teachings bore fruit; in others they met with varying success. Sometimes their failures were due to lack of wisdom, sometimes to circumstances beyond their control. 1. The Salem Religion in Mesopotamia (1042.2) 95:1.1 By 2000 B.C. the religions of Mesopotamia had just about lost the teachings of the Sethites and were largely under the influence of the primitive beliefs of two groups of invaders, the Bedouin Semites who had filtered in from the western desert and the barbarian horsemen who had come down from the north. (1042.3) 95:1.2 But the custom of the early Adamite peoples in honoring the seventh day of the week never completely disappeared in Mesopotamia. Only, during the Melchizedek era, the seventh day was regarded as the worst of bad luck. It was taboo-ridden; it was unlawful to go on a journey, cook food, or make a fire on the evil seventh day. The Jews carried back to Palestine many of the Mesopotamian taboos which they had found resting on the Babylonian observance of the seventh day, the Shabattum. (1042.4) 95:1.3 Although the Salem teachers did much to refine and uplift the religions of Mesopotamia, they did not succeed in bringing the various peoples to the permanent recognition of one God. Such teaching gained the ascendancy for more than one hundred and fifty years and then gradually gave way to the older belief in a multiplicity of deities.* (1042.5) 95:1.4 The Salem teachers greatly reduced the number of the gods of Mesopotamia, at one time bringing the chief deities down to seven: Bel, Shamash, Nabu, Anu, Ea, Marduk, and Sin. At the height of the new teaching they exalted three of these gods to supremacy over all others, the Babylonian triad: Bel, Ea, and Anu, the gods of earth, sea, and sky. Still other triads grew up in different localities, all reminiscent of the trinity teachings of the Andites and the Sumerians and based on the belief of the Salemites in Melchizedek’s insignia of the three circles. (1042.6) 95:1.5 Never did the Salem teachers fully overcome the popularity of Ishtar, the mother of gods and the spirit of sex fertility. They did much to refine the worship of this goddess, but the Babylonians and their neighbors had never completely outgrown their disguised forms of sex worship. It had become a universal practice throughout Mesopotamia for all women to submit, at least once in early life, to the embrace of strangers; this was thought to be a devotion required by Ishtar, and it was believed that fertility was largely dependent on this sex sacrifice. (1043.1) 95:1.6 The early progress of the Melchizedek teaching was highly gratifying until Nabodad, the leader of the school at Kish, decided to make a concerted attack upon the prevalent practices of temple harlotry. But the Salem missionaries failed in their effort to bring about this social reform, and in the wreck of this failure all their more important spiritual and philosophic teachings went down in defeat. (1043.2) 95:1.7 This defeat of the Salem gospel was immediately followed by a great increase in the cult of Ishtar, a ritual which had already invaded Palestine as Ashtoreth, Egypt as Isis, Greece as Aphrodite, and the northern tribes as Astarte. And it was in connection with this revival of the worship of Ishtar that the Babylonian priests turned anew to stargazing; astrology experienced its last great Mesopotamian revival, fortunetelling became the vogue, and for centuries the priesthood increasingly deteriorated. (1043.3) 95:1.8 Melchizedek had warned his followers to teach about the one God, the Father and Maker of all, and to preach only the gospel of divine favor through faith alone. But it has often been the error of the teachers of new truth to attempt too much, to attempt to supplant slow evolution by sudden revolution. The Melchizedek missionaries in Mesopotamia raised a moral standard too high for the people; they attempted too much, and their noble cause went down in defeat. They had been commissioned to preach a definite gospel, to proclaim the truth of the reality of the Universal Father, but they became entangled in the apparently worthy cause of reforming the mores, and thus was their great mission sidetracked and virtually lost in frustration and oblivion. (1043.4) 95:1.9 In one generation the Salem headquarters at Kish came to an end, and the propaganda of the belief in one God virtually ceased throughout Mesopotamia. But remnants of the Salem schools persisted. Small bands scattered here and there continued their belief in the one Creator and fought against the idolatry and immorality of the Mesopotamian priests. (1043.5) 95:1.10 It was the Salem missionaries of the period following the rejection of their teaching who wrote many of the Old Testament Psalms, inscribing them on stone, where later-day Hebrew priests found them during the captivity and subsequently incorporated them among the collection of hymns ascribed to Jewish authorship. These beautiful psalms from Babylon were not written in the temples of Bel-Marduk; they were the work of the descendants of the earlier Salem missionaries, and they are a striking contrast to the magical conglomerations of the Babylonian priests. The Book of Job is a fairly good reflection of the teachings of the Salem school at Kish and throughout Mesopotamia. (1043.6) 95:1.11 Much of the Mesopotamian religious culture found its way into Hebrew literature and liturgy by way of Egypt through the work of Amenemope and Ikhnaton. The Egyptians remarkably preserved the teachings of social obligation derived from the earlier Andite Mesopotamians and so largely lost by the later Babylonians who occupied the Euphrates valley. 2. Early Egyptian Religion (1043.7) 95:2.1 The original Melchizedek teachings really took their deepest root in Egypt, from where they subsequently spread to Europe. The evolutionary religion of the Nile valley was periodically augmented by the arrival of superior strains of Nodite, Adamite, and later Andite peoples of the Euphrates valley. From time to time, many of the Egyptian civil administrators were Sumerians. As India in these days harbored the highest mixture of the world races, so Egypt fostered the most thoroughly blended type of religious philosophy to be found on Urantia, and from the Nile valley it spread to many parts of the world. The Jews received much of their idea of the creation of the world from the Babylonians, but they derived the concept of divine Providence from the Egyptians. (1044.1) 95:2.2 It was political and moral, rather than philosophic or religious, tendencies that rendered Egypt more favorable to the Salem teaching than Mesopotamia. Each tribal leader in Egypt, after fighting his way to the throne, sought to perpetuate his dynasty by proclaiming his tribal god the original deity and creator of all other gods. In this way the Egyptians gradually got used to the idea of a supergod, a steppingstone to the later doctrine of a universal creator Deity. The idea of monotheism wavered back and forth in Egypt for many centuries, the belief in one God always gaining ground but never quite dominating the evolving concepts of polytheism. (1044.2) 95:2.3 For ages the Egyptian peoples had been given to the worship of nature gods; more particularly did each of the two-score separate tribes have a special group god, one worshiping the bull, another the lion, a third the ram, and so on. Still earlier they had been totem tribes, very much like the Amerinds. (1044.3) 95:2.4 In time the Egyptians observed that dead bodies placed in brickless graves were preserved — embalmed — by the action of the soda-impregnated sand, while those buried in brick vaults decayed. These observations led to those experiments which resulted in the later practice of embalming the dead. The Egyptians believed that preservation of the body facilitated one’s passage through the future life. That the individual might properly be identified in the distant future after the decay of the body, they placed a burial statue in the tomb along with the corpse, carving a likeness on the coffin. The making of these burial statues led to great improvement in Egyptian art. (1044.4) 95:2.5 For centuries the Egyptians placed their faith in tombs as the safeguard of the body and of consequent pleasurable survival after death. The later evolution of magical practices, while burdensome to life from the cradle to the grave, most effectually delivered them from the religion of the tombs. The priests would inscribe the coffins with charm texts which were believed to be protection against a “man’s having his heart taken away from him in the nether world.” Presently a diverse assortment of these magical texts was collected and preserved as The Book of the Dead. But in the Nile valley magical ritual early became involved with the realms of conscience and character to a degree not often attained by the rituals of those days. And subsequently these ethical and moral ideals, rather than elaborate tombs, were depended upon for salvation. (1044.5) 95:2.6 The superstitions of these times are well illustrated by the general belief in the efficacy of spittle as a healing agent, an idea which had its origin in Egypt and spread therefrom to Arabia and Mesopotamia. In the legendary battle of Horus with Set the young god lost his eye, but after Set was vanquished, this eye was restored by the wise god Thoth, who spat upon the wound and healed it. (1044.6) 95:2.7 The Egyptians long believed that the stars twinkling in the night sky represented the survival of the souls of the worthy dead; other survivors they thought were absorbed into the sun. During a certain period, solar veneration became a species of ancestor worship. The sloping entrance passage of the great pyramid pointed directly toward the Pole Star so that the soul of the king, when emerging from the tomb, could go straight to the stationary and established constellations of the fixed stars, the supposed abode of the kings. (1045.1) 95:2.8 When the oblique rays of the sun were observed penetrating earthward through an aperture in the clouds, it was believed that they betokened the letting down of a celestial stairway whereon the king and other righteous souls might ascend. “King Pepi has put down his radiance as a stairway under his feet whereon to ascend to his mother.” (1045.2) 95:2.9 When Melchizedek appeared in the flesh, the Egyptians had a religion far above that of the surrounding peoples. They believed that a disembodied soul, if properly armed with magic formulas, could evade the intervening evil spirits and make its way to the judgment hall of Osiris, where, if innocent of “murder, robbery, falsehood, adultery, theft, and selfishness,” it would be admitted to the realms of bliss. If this soul were weighed in the balances and found wanting, it would be consigned to hell, to the Devouress. And this was, relatively, an advanced concept of a future life in comparison with the beliefs of many surrounding peoples. (1045.3) 95:2.10 The concept of judgment in the hereafter for the sins of one’s life in the flesh on earth was carried over into Hebrew theology from Egypt. The word judgment appears only once in the entire Book of Hebrew Psalms, and that particular psalm was written by an Egyptian. 3. Evolution of Moral Concepts (1045.4) 95:3.1 Although the culture and religion of Egypt were chiefly derived from Andite Mesopotamia and largely transmitted to subsequent civilizations through the Hebrews and Greeks, much, very much, of the social and ethical idealism of the Egyptians arose in the valley of the Nile as a purely evolutionary development. Notwithstanding the importation of much truth and culture of Andite origin, there evolved in Egypt more of moral culture as a purely human development than appeared by similar natural techniques in any other circumscribed area prior to the bestowal of Michael. (1045.5) 95:3.2 Moral evolution is not wholly dependent on revelation. High moral concepts can be derived from man’s own experience. Man can even evolve spiritual values and derive cosmic insight from his personal experiential living because a divine spirit indwells him. Such natural evolutions of conscience and character were also augmented by the periodic arrival of teachers of truth, in ancient times from the second Eden, later on from Melchizedek’s headquarters at Salem. (1045.6) 95:3.3 Thousands of years before the Salem gospel penetrated to Egypt, its moral leaders taught justice, fairness, and the avoidance of avarice. Three thousand years before the Hebrew scriptures were written, the motto of the Egyptians was: “Established is the man whose standard is righteousness; who walks according to its way.” They taught gentleness, moderation, and discretion. The message of one of the great teachers of this epoch was: “Do right and deal justly with all.” The Egyptian triad of this age was Truth-Justice-Righteousness. Of all the purely human religions of Urantia none ever surpassed the social ideals and the moral grandeur of this onetime humanism of the Nile valley. (1045.7) 95:3.4 In the soil of these evolving ethical ideas and moral ideals the surviving doctrines of the Salem religion flourished. The concepts of good and evil found ready response in the hearts of a people who believed that “Life is given to the peaceful and death to the guilty.” “The peaceful is he who does what is loved; the guilty is he who does what is hated.” For centuries the inhabitants of the Nile valley had lived by these emerging ethical and social standards before they ever entertained the later concepts of right and wrong — good and bad. (1046.1) 95:3.5 Egypt was intellectual and moral but not overly spiritual. In six thousand years only four great prophets arose among the Egyptians. Amenemope they followed for a season; Okhban they murdered; Ikhnaton they accepted but halfheartedly for one short generation; Moses they rejected. Again was it political rather than religious circumstances that made it easy for Abraham and, later on, for Joseph to exert great influence throughout Egypt in behalf of the Salem teachings of one God. But when the Salem missionaries first entered Egypt, they encountered this highly ethical culture of evolution blended with the modified moral standards of Mesopotamian immigrants. These early Nile valley teachers were the first to proclaim conscience as the mandate of God, the voice of Deity. 4. The Teachings of Amenemope (1046.2) 95:4.1 In due time there grew up in Egypt a teacher called by many the “son of man” and by others Amenemope. This seer exalted conscience to its highest pinnacle of arbitrament between right and wrong, taught punishment for sin, and proclaimed salvation through calling upon the solar deity. (1046.3) 95:4.2 Amenemope taught that riches and fortune were the gift of God, and this concept thoroughly colored the later appearing Hebrew philosophy. This noble teacher believed that God-consciousness was the determining factor in all conduct; that every moment should be lived in the realization of the presence of, and responsibility to, God. The teachings of this sage were subsequently translated into Hebrew and became the sacred book of that people long before the Old Testament was reduced to writing. The chief preachment of this good man had to do with instructing his son in uprightness and honesty in governmental positions of trust, and these noble sentiments of long ago would do honor to any modern statesman. (1046.4) 95:4.3 This wise man of the Nile taught that “riches take themselves wings and fly away” — that all things earthly are evanescent. His great prayer was to be “saved from fear.” He exhorted all to turn away from “the words of men” to “the acts of God.” In substance he taught: Man proposes but God disposes. His teachings, translated into Hebrew, determined the philosophy of the Old Testament Book of Proverbs. Translated into Greek, they gave color to all subsequent Hellenic religious philosophy. The later Alexandrian philosopher, Philo, possessed a copy of the Book of Wisdom. (1046.5) 95:4.4 Amenemope functioned to conserve the ethics of evolution and the morals of revelation and in his writings passed them on both to the Hebrews and to the Greeks. He was not the greatest of the religious teachers of this age, but he was the most influential in that he colored the subsequent thought of two vital links in the growth of Occidental civilization — the Hebrews, among whom evolved the acme of Occidental religious faith, and the Greeks, who developed pure philosophic thought to its greatest European heights. (1046.6) 95:4.5 In the Book of Hebrew Proverbs, chapters fifteen, seventeen, twenty, and chapter twenty-two, verse seventeen, to chapter twenty-four, verse twenty-two, are taken almost verbatim from Amenemope’s Book of Wisdom. The first psalm of the Hebrew Book of Psalms was written by Amenemope and is the heart of the teachings of Ikhnaton. 5. The Remarkable Ikhnaton (1047.1) 95:5.1 The teachings of Amenemope were slowly losing their hold on the Egyptian mind when, through the influence of an Egyptian Salemite physician, a woman of the royal family espoused the Melchizedek teachings. This woman prevailed upon her son, Ikhnaton, Pharaoh of Egypt, to accept these doctrines of One God. (1047.2) 95:5.2 Since the disappearance of Melchizedek in the flesh, no human being up to that time had possessed such an amazingly clear concept of the revealed religion of Salem as Ikhnaton. In some respects this young Egyptian king is one of the most remarkable persons in human history. During this time of increasing spiritual depression in Mesopotamia, he kept alive the doctrine of El Elyon, the One God, in Egypt, thus maintaining the philosophic monotheistic channel which was vital to the religious background of the then future bestowal of Michael. And it was in recognition of this exploit, among other reasons, that the child Jesus was taken to Egypt, where some of the spiritual successors of Ikhnaton saw him and to some extent understood certain phases of his divine mission to Urantia. (1047.3) 95:5.3 Moses, the greatest character between Melchizedek and Jesus, was the joint gift to the world of the Hebrew race and the Egyptian royal family; and had Ikhnaton possessed the versatility and ability of Moses, had he manifested a political genius to match his surprising religious leadership, then would Egypt have become the great monotheistic nation of that age; and if this had happened, it is barely possible that Jesus might have lived the greater portion of his mortal life in Egypt. (1047.4) 95:5.4 Never in all history did any king so methodically proceed to swing a whole nation from polytheism to monotheism as did this extraordinary Ikhnaton. With the most amazing determination this young ruler broke with the past, changed his name, abandoned his capital, built an entirely new city, and created a new art and literature for a whole people. But he went too fast; he built too much, more than could stand when he had gone. Again, he failed to provide for the material stability and prosperity of his people, all of which reacted unfavorably against his religious teachings when the subsequent floods of adversity and oppression swept over the Egyptians. (1047.5) 95:5.5 Had this man of amazingly clear vision and extraordinary singleness of purpose had the political sagacity of Moses, he would have changed the whole history of the evolution of religion and the revelation of truth in the Occidental world. During his lifetime he was able to curb the activities of the priests, whom he generally discredited, but they maintained their cults in secret and sprang into action as soon as the young king passed from power; and they were not slow to connect all of Egypt’s subsequent troubles with the establishment of monotheism during his reign. (1047.6) 95:5.6 Very wisely Ikhnaton sought to establish monotheism under the guise of the sun-god. This decision to approach the worship of the Universal Father by absorbing all gods into the worship of the sun was due to the counsel of the Salemite physician. Ikhnaton took the generalized doctrines of the then existent Aton faith regarding the fatherhood and motherhood of Deity and created a religion which recognized an intimate worshipful relation between man and God. (1048.1) 95:5.7 Ikhnaton was wise enough to maintain the outward worship of Aton, the sun-god, while he led his associates in the disguised worship of the One God, creator of Aton and supreme Father of all. This young teacher-king was a prolific writer, being author of the exposition entitled “The One God,” a book of thirty-one chapters, which the priests, when returned to power, utterly destroyed. Ikhnaton also wrote one hundred and thirty-seven hymns, twelve of which are now preserved in the Old Testament Book of Psalms, credited to Hebrew authorship. (1048.2) 95:5.8 The supreme word of Ikhnaton’s religion in daily life was “righteousness,” and he rapidly expanded the concept of right doing to embrace international as well as national ethics. This was a generation of amazing personal piety and was characterized by a genuine aspiration among the more intelligent men and women to find God and to know him. In those days social position or wealth gave no Egyptian any advantage in the eyes of the law. The family life of Egypt did much to preserve and augment moral culture and was the inspiration of the later superb family life of the Jews in Palestine. (1048.3) 95:5.9 The fatal weakness of Ikhnaton’s gospel was its greatest truth, the teaching that Aton was not only the creator of Egypt but also of the “whole world, man and beasts, and all the foreign lands, even Syria and Kush, besides this land of Egypt. He sets all in their place and provides all with their needs.” These concepts of Deity were high and exalted, but they were not nationalistic. Such sentiments of internationality in religion failed to augment the morale of the Egyptian army on the battlefield, while they provided effective weapons for the priests to use against the young king and his new religion. He had a Deity concept far above that of the later Hebrews, but it was too advanced to serve the purposes of a nation builder. (1048.4) 95:5.10 Though the monotheistic ideal suffered with the passing of Ikhnaton, the idea of one God persisted in the minds of many groups. The son-in-law of Ikhnaton went along with the priests, back to the worship of the old gods, changing his name to Tutankhamen. The capital returned to Thebes, and the priests waxed fat upon the land, eventually gaining possession of one seventh of all Egypt; and presently one of this same order of priests made bold to seize the crown. (1048.5) 95:5.11 But the priests could not fully overcome the monotheistic wave. Increasingly they were compelled to combine and hyphenate their gods; more and more the family of gods contracted. Ikhnaton had associated the flaming disc of the heavens with the creator God, and this idea continued to flame up in the hearts of men, even of the priests, long after the young reformer had passed on. Never did the concept of monotheism die out of the hearts of men in Egypt and in the world. It persisted even to the arrival of the Creator Son of that same divine Father, the one God whom Ikhnaton had so zealously proclaimed for the worship of all Egypt. (1048.6) 95:5.12 The weakness of Ikhnaton’s doctrine lay in the fact that he proposed such an advanced religion that only the educated Egyptians could fully comprehend his teachings. The rank and file of the agricultural laborers never really grasped his gospel and were, therefore, ready to return with the priests to the old-time worship of Isis and her consort Osiris, who was supposed to have been miraculously resurrected from a cruel death at the hands of Set, the god of darkness and evil. (1049.1) 95:5.13 The teaching of immortality for all men was too advanced for the Egyptians. Only kings and the rich were promised a resurrection; therefore did they so carefully embalm and preserve their bodies in tombs against the day of judgment. But the democracy of salvation and resurrection as taught by Ikhnaton eventually prevailed, even to the extent that the Egyptians later believed in the survival of dumb animals. (1049.2) 95:5.14 Although the effort of this Egyptian ruler to impose the worship of one God upon his people appeared to fail, it should be recorded that the repercussions of his work persisted for centuries both in Palestine and Greece, and that Egypt thus became the agent for transmitting the combined evolutionary culture of the Nile and the revelatory religion of the Euphrates to all of the subsequent peoples of the Occident. (1049.3) 95:5.15 The glory of this great era of moral development and spiritual growth in the Nile valley was rapidly passing at about the time the national life of the Hebrews was beginning, and consequent upon their sojourn in Egypt these Bedouins carried away much of these teachings and perpetuated many of Ikhnaton’s doctrines in their racial religion. 6. The Salem Doctrines in Iran (1049.4) 95:6.1 From Palestine some of the Melchizedek missionaries passed on through Mesopotamia and to the great Iranian plateau. For more than five hundred years the Salem teachers made headway in Iran, and the whole nation was swinging to the Melchizedek religion when a change of rulers precipitated a bitter persecution which practically ended the monotheistic teachings of the Salem cult. The doctrine of the Abrahamic covenant was virtually extinct in Persia when, in that great century of moral renaissance, the sixth before Christ, Zoroaster appeared to revive the smouldering embers of the Salem gospel. (1049.5) 95:6.2 This founder of a new religion was a virile and adventurous youth, who, on his first pilgrimage to Ur in Mesopotamia, had learned of the traditions of the Caligastia and the Lucifer rebellion — along with many other traditions — all of which had made a strong appeal to his religious nature. Accordingly, as the result of a dream while in Ur, he settled upon a program of returning to his northern home to undertake the remodeling of the religion of his people. He had imbibed the Hebraic idea of a God of justice, the Mosaic concept of divinity. The idea of a supreme God was clear in his mind, and he set down all other gods as devils, consigned them to the ranks of the demons of which he had heard in Mesopotamia. He had learned of the story of the Seven Master Spirits as the tradition lingered in Ur, and, accordingly, he created a galaxy of seven supreme gods with Ahura-Mazda at its head. These subordinate gods he associated with the idealization of Right Law, Good Thought, Noble Government, Holy Character, Health, and Immortality. (1049.6) 95:6.3 And this new religion was one of action — work — not prayers and rituals. Its God was a being of supreme wisdom and the patron of civilization; it was a militant religious philosophy which dared to battle with evil, inaction, and backwardness. (1049.7) 95:6.4 Zoroaster did not teach the worship of fire but sought to utilize the flame as a symbol of the pure and wise Spirit of universal and supreme dominance. (All too true, his later followers did both reverence and worship this symbolic fire.) Finally, upon the conversion of an Iranian prince, this new religion was spread by the sword. And Zoroaster heroically died in battle for that which he believed was the “truth of the Lord of light.” (1050.1) 95:6.5 Zoroastrianism is the only Urantian creed that perpetuates the Dalamatian and Edenic teachings about the Seven Master Spirits. While failing to evolve the Trinity concept, it did in a certain way approach that of God the Sevenfold. Original Zoroastrianism was not a pure dualism; though the early teachings did picture evil as a time co-ordinate of goodness, it was definitely eternity-submerged in the ultimate reality of the good. Only in later times did the belief gain credence that good and evil contended on equal terms. (1050.2) 95:6.6 The Jewish traditions of heaven and hell and the doctrine of devils as recorded in the Hebrew scriptures, while founded on the lingering traditions of Lucifer and Caligastia, were principally derived from the Zoroastrians during the times when the Jews were under the political and cultural dominance of the Persians. Zoroaster, like the Egyptians, taught the “day of judgment,” but he connected this event with the end of the world. (1050.3) 95:6.7 Even the religion which succeeded Zoroastrianism in Persia was markedly influenced by it. When the Iranian priests sought to overthrow the teachings of Zoroaster, they resurrected the ancient worship of Mithra. And Mithraism spread throughout the Levant and Mediterranean regions, being for some time a contemporary of both Judaism and Christianity. The teachings of Zoroaster thus came successively to impress three great religions: Judaism and Christianity and, through them, Mohammedanism. (1050.4) 95:6.8 But it is a far cry from the exalted teachings and noble psalms of Zoroaster to the modern perversions of his gospel by the Parsees with their great fear of the dead, coupled with the entertainment of beliefs in sophistries which Zoroaster never stooped to countenance. (1050.5) 95:6.9 This great man was one of that unique group that sprang up in the sixth century before Christ to keep the light of Salem from being fully and finally extinguished as it so dimly burned to show man in his darkened world the path of light leading to everlasting life. 7. The Salem Teachings in Arabia (1050.6) 95:7.1 The Melchizedek teachings of the one God became established in the Arabian desert at a comparatively recent date. As in Greece, so in Arabia the Salem missionaries failed because of their misunderstanding of Machiventa’s instructions regarding overorganization. But they were not thus hindered by their interpretation of his admonition against all efforts to extend the gospel through military force or civil compulsion. (1050.7) 95:7.2 Not even in China or Rome did the Melchizedek teachings fail more completely than in this desert region so very near Salem itself. Long after the majority of the peoples of the Orient and Occident had become respectively Buddhist and Christian, the desert of Arabia continued as it had for thousands of years. Each tribe worshiped its olden fetish, and many individual families had their own household gods. Long the struggle continued between Babylonian Ishtar, Hebrew Yahweh, Iranian Ahura, and Christian Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Never was one concept able fully to displace the others. (1051.1) 95:7.3 Here and there throughout Arabia were families and clans that held on to the hazy idea of the one God. Such groups treasured the traditions of Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, and Zoroaster. There were numerous centers that might have responded to the Jesusonian gospel, but the Christian missionaries of the desert lands were an austere and unyielding group in contrast with the compromisers and innovators who functioned as missionaries in the Mediterranean countries. Had the followers of Jesus taken more seriously his injunction to “go into all the world and preach the gospel,” and had they been more gracious in that preaching, less stringent in collateral social requirements of their own devising, then many lands would gladly have received the simple gospel of the carpenter’s son, Arabia among them. (1051.2) 95:7.4 Despite the fact that the great Levantine monotheisms failed to take root in Arabia, this desert land was capable of producing a faith which, though less demanding in its social requirements, was nonetheless monotheistic. (1051.3) 95:7.5 There was only one factor of a tribal, racial, or national nature about the primitive and unorganized beliefs of the desert, and that was the peculiar and general respect which almost all Arabian tribes were willing to pay to a certain black stone fetish in a certain temple at Mecca. This point of common contact and reverence subsequently led to the establishment of the Islamic religion. What Yahweh, the volcano spirit, was to the Jewish Semites, the Kaaba stone became to their Arabic cousins. (1051.4) 95:7.6 The strength of Islam has been its clear-cut and well-defined presentation of Allah as the one and only Deity; its weakness, the association of military force with its promulgation, together with its degradation of woman. But it has steadfastly held to its presentation of the One Universal Deity of all, “who knows the invisible and the visible. He is the merciful and the compassionate.” “Truly God is plenteous in goodness to all men.” “And when I am sick, it is he who heals me.” “For whenever as many as three speak together, God is present as a fourth,” for is he not “the first and the last, also the seen and the hidden”? (1051.5) 95:7.7 [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]

The Melchizedek Teachings in the Occident (1077.1) 98:0.1 THE Melchizedek teachings entered Europe along many routes, but chiefly they came by way of Egypt and were embodied in Occidental philosophy after being thoroughly Hellenized and later Christianized. The ideals of the Western world were basically Socratic, and its later religious philosophy became that of Jesus as it was modified and compromised through contact with evolving Occidental philosophy and religion, all of which culminated in the Christian church. (1077.2) 98:0.2 For a long time in Europe the Salem missionaries carried on their activities, becoming gradually absorbed into many of the cults and ritual groups which periodically arose. Among those who maintained the Salem teachings in the purest form must be mentioned the Cynics. These preachers of faith and trust in God were still functioning in Roman Europe in the first century after Christ, being later incorporated into the newly forming Christian religion. (1077.3) 98:0.3 Much of the Salem doctrine was spread in Europe by the Jewish mercenary soldiers who fought in so many of the Occidental military struggles. In ancient times the Jews were famed as much for military valor as for theologic peculiarities. (1077.4) 98:0.4 The basic doctrines of Greek philosophy, Jewish theology, and Christian ethics were fundamentally repercussions of the earlier Melchizedek teachings. 1. The Salem Religion Among the Greeks (1077.5) 98:1.1 The Salem missionaries might have built up a great religious structure among the Greeks had it not been for their strict interpretation of their oath of ordination, a pledge imposed by Machiventa which forbade the organization of exclusive congregations for worship, and which exacted the promise of each teacher never to function as a priest, never to receive fees for religious service, only food, clothing, and shelter. When the Melchizedek teachers penetrated to pre-Hellenic Greece, they found a people who still fostered the traditions of Adamson and the days of the Andites, but these teachings had become greatly adulterated with the notions and beliefs of the hordes of inferior slaves that had been brought to the Greek shores in increasing numbers. This adulteration produced a reversion to a crude animism with bloody rites, the lower classes even making ceremonial out of the execution of condemned criminals. (1077.6) 98:1.2 The early influence of the Salem teachers was nearly destroyed by the so-called Aryan invasion from southern Europe and the East. These Hellenic invaders brought along with them anthropomorphic God concepts similar to those which their Aryan fellows had carried to India. This importation inaugurated the evolution of the Greek family of gods and goddesses. This new religion was partly based on the cults of the incoming Hellenic barbarians, but it also shared in the myths of the older inhabitants of Greece. (1078.1) 98:1.3 The Hellenic Greeks found the Mediterranean world largely dominated by the mother cult, and they imposed upon these peoples their man-god, Dyaus-Zeus, who had already become, like Yahweh among the henotheistic Semites, head of the whole Greek pantheon of subordinate gods. And the Greeks would have eventually achieved a true monotheism in the concept of Zeus except for their retention of the overcontrol of Fate. A God of final value must, himself, be the arbiter of fate and the creator of destiny. (1078.2) 98:1.4 As a consequence of these factors in religious evolution, there presently developed the popular belief in the happy-go-lucky gods of Mount Olympus, gods more human than divine, and gods which the intelligent Greeks never did regard very seriously. They neither greatly loved nor greatly feared these divinities of their own creation. They had a patriotic and racial feeling for Zeus and his family of half men and half gods, but they hardly reverenced or worshiped them. (1078.3) 98:1.5 The Hellenes became so impregnated with the antipriestcraft doctrines of the earlier Salem teachers that no priesthood of any importance ever arose in Greece. Even the making of images to the gods became more of a work in art than a matter of worship. (1078.4) 98:1.6 The Olympian gods illustrate man’s typical anthropomorphism. But the Greek mythology was more aesthetic than ethic. The Greek religion was helpful in that it portrayed a universe governed by a deity group. But Greek morals, ethics, and philosophy presently advanced far beyond the god concept, and this imbalance between intellectual and spiritual growth was as hazardous to Greece as it had proved to be in India. 2. Greek Philosophic Thought (1078.5) 98:2.1 A lightly regarded and superficial religion cannot endure, especially when it has no priesthood to foster its forms and to fill the hearts of the devotees with fear and awe. The Olympian religion did not promise salvation, nor did it quench the spiritual thirst of its believers; therefore was it doomed to perish. Within a millennium of its inception it had nearly vanished, and the Greeks were without a national religion, the gods of Olympus having lost their hold upon the better minds. (1078.6) 98:2.2 This was the situation when, during the sixth century before Christ, the Orient and the Levant experienced a revival of spiritual consciousness and a new awakening to the recognition of monotheism. But the West did not share in this new development; neither Europe nor northern Africa extensively participated in this religious renaissance. The Greeks, however, did engage in a magnificent intellectual advancement. They had begun to master fear and no longer sought religion as an antidote therefor, but they did not perceive that true religion is the cure for soul hunger, spiritual disquiet, and moral despair. They sought for the solace of the soul in deep thinking — philosophy and metaphysics. They turned from the contemplation of self-preservation — salvation — to self-realization and self-understanding. (1078.7) 98:2.3 By rigorous thought the Greeks attempted to attain that consciousness of security which would serve as a substitute for the belief in survival, but they utterly failed. Only the more intelligent among the higher classes of the Hellenic peoples could grasp this new teaching; the rank and file of the progeny of the slaves of former generations had no capacity for the reception of this new substitute for religion. (1079.1) 98:2.4 The philosophers disdained all forms of worship, notwithstanding that they practically all held loosely to the background of a belief in the Salem doctrine of “the Intelligence of the universe,” “the idea of God,” and “the Great Source.” In so far as the Greek philosophers gave recognition to the divine and the superfinite, they were frankly monotheistic; they gave scant recognition to the whole galaxy of Olympian gods and goddesses. (1079.2) 98:2.5 The Greek poets of the fifth and sixth centuries, notably Pindar, attempted the reformation of Greek religion. They elevated its ideals, but they were more artists than religionists. They failed to develop a technique for fostering and conserving supreme values. (1079.3) 98:2.6 Xenophanes taught one God, but his deity concept was too pantheistic to be a personal Father to mortal man. Anaxagoras was a mechanist except that he did recognize a First Cause, an Initial Mind. Socrates and his successors, Plato and Aristotle, taught that virtue is knowledge; goodness, health of the soul; that it is better to suffer injustice than to be guilty of it, that it is wrong to return evil for evil, and that the gods are wise and good. Their cardinal virtues were: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. (1079.4) 98:2.7 The evolution of religious philosophy among the Hellenic and Hebrew peoples affords a contrastive illustration of the function of the church as an institution in the shaping of cultural progress. In Palestine, human thought was so priest-controlled and scripture-directed that philosophy and aesthetics were entirely submerged in religion and morality. In Greece, the almost complete absence of priests and “sacred scriptures” left the human mind free and unfettered, resulting in a startling development in depth of thought. But religion as a personal experience failed to keep pace with the intellectual probings into the nature and reality of the cosmos. (1079.5) 98:2.8 In Greece, believing was subordinated to thinking; in Palestine, thinking was held subject to believing. Much of the strength of Christianity is due to its having borrowed heavily from both Hebrew morality and Greek thought. (1079.6) 98:2.9 In Palestine, religious dogma became so crystallized as to jeopardize further growth; in Greece, human thought became so abstract that the concept of God resolved itself into a misty vapor of pantheistic speculation not at all unlike the impersonal Infinity of the Brahman philosophers. (1079.7) 98:2.10 But the average men of these times could not grasp, nor were they much interested in, the Greek philosophy of self-realization and an abstract Deity; they rather craved promises of salvation, coupled with a personal God who could hear their prayers. They exiled the philosophers, persecuted the remnants of the Salem cult, both doctrines having become much blended, and made ready for that terrible orgiastic plunge into the follies of the mystery cults which were then overspreading the Mediterranean lands. The Eleusinian mysteries grew up within the Olympian pantheon, a Greek version of the worship of fertility; Dionysus nature worship flourished; the best of the cults was the Orphic brotherhood, whose moral preachments and promises of salvation made a great appeal to many. (1080.1) 98:2.11 All Greece became involved in these new methods of attaining salvation, these emotional and fiery ceremonials. No nation ever attained such heights of artistic philosophy in so short a time; none ever created such an advanced system of ethics practically without Deity and entirely devoid of the promise of human salvation; no nation ever plunged so quickly, deeply, and violently into such depths of intellectual stagnation, moral depravity, and spiritual poverty as these same Greek peoples when they flung themselves into the mad whirl of the mystery cults. (1080.2) 98:2.12 Religions have long endured without philosophical support, but few philosophies, as such, have long persisted without some identification with religion. Philosophy is to religion as conception is to action. But the ideal human estate is that in which philosophy, religion, and science are welded into a meaningful unity by the conjoined action of wisdom, faith, and experience. 3. The Melchizedek Teachings in Rome (1080.3) 98:3.1 Having grown out of the earlier religious forms of worship of the family gods into the tribal reverence for Mars, the god of war, it was natural that the later religion of the Latins was more of a political observance than were the intellectual systems of the Greeks and Brahmans or the more spiritual religions of several other peoples. (1080.4) 98:3.2 In the great monotheistic renaissance of Melchizedek’s gospel during the sixth century before Christ, too few of the Salem missionaries penetrated Italy, and those who did were unable to overcome the influence of the rapidly spreading Etruscan priesthood with its new galaxy of gods and temples, all of which became organized into the Roman state religion. This religion of the Latin tribes was not trivial and venal like that of the Greeks, neither was it austere and tyrannical like that of the Hebrews; it consisted for the most part in the observance of mere forms, vows, and taboos. (1080.5) 98:3.3 Roman religion was greatly influenced by extensive cultural importations from Greece. Eventually most of the Olympian gods were transplanted and incorporated into the Latin pantheon. The Greeks long worshiped the fire of the family hearth — Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth; Vesta was the Roman goddess of the home. Zeus became Jupiter; Aphrodite, Venus; and so on down through the many Olympian deities. (1080.6) 98:3.4 The religious initiation of Roman youths was the occasion of their solemn consecration to the service of the state. Oaths and admissions to citizenship were in reality religious ceremonies. The Latin peoples maintained temples, altars, and shrines and, in a crisis, would consult the oracles. They preserved the bones of heroes and later on those of the Christian saints. (1080.7) 98:3.5 This formal and unemotional form of pseudoreligious patriotism was doomed to collapse, even as the highly intellectual and artistic worship of the Greeks had gone down before the fervid and deeply emotional worship of the mystery cults. The greatest of these devastating cults was the mystery religion of the Mother of God sect, which had its headquarters, in those days, on the exact site of the present church of St. Peter’s in Rome. (1080.8) 98:3.6 The emerging Roman state conquered politically but was in turn conquered by the cults, rituals, mysteries, and god concepts of Egypt, Greece, and the Levant. These imported cults continued to flourish throughout the Roman state up to the time of Augustus, who, purely for political and civic reasons, made a heroic and somewhat successful effort to destroy the mysteries and revive the older political religion. (1081.1) 98:3.7 One of the priests of the state religion told Augustus of the earlier attempts of the Salem teachers to spread the doctrine of one God, a final Deity presiding over all supernatural beings; and this idea took such a firm hold on the emperor that he built many temples, stocked them well with beautiful images, reorganized the state priesthood, re-established the state religion, appointed himself acting high priest of all, and as emperor did not hesitate to proclaim himself the supreme god. (1081.2) 98:3.8 This new religion of Augustus worship flourished and was observed throughout the empire during his lifetime except in Palestine, the home of the Jews. And this era of the human gods continued until the official Roman cult had a roster of more than twoscore self-elevated human deities, all claiming miraculous births and other superhuman attributes. (1081.3) 98:3.9 The last stand of the dwindling band of Salem believers was made by an earnest group of preachers, the Cynics, who exhorted the Romans to abandon their wild and senseless religious rituals and return to a form of worship embodying Melchizedek’s gospel as it had been modified and contaminated through contact with the philosophy of the Greeks. But the people at large rejected the Cynics; they preferred to plunge into the rituals of the mysteries, which not only offered hopes of personal salvation but also gratified the desire for diversion, excitement, and entertainment. 4. The Mystery Cults (1081.4) 98:4.1 The majority of people in the Greco-Roman world, having lost their primitive family and state religions and being unable or unwilling to grasp the meaning of Greek philosophy, turned their attention to the spectacular and emotional mystery cults from Egypt and the Levant. The common people craved promises of salvation — religious consolation for today and assurances of hope for immortality after death.* (1081.5) 98:4.2 The three mystery cults which became most popular were: (1081.6) 98:4.3 1. The Phrygian cult of Cybele and her son Attis. (1081.7) 98:4.4 2. The Egyptian cult of Osiris and his mother Isis. (1081.8) 98:4.5 3. The Iranian cult of the worship of Mithras as the savior and redeemer of sinful mankind. (1081.9) 98:4.6 The Phrygian and Egyptian mysteries taught that the divine son (respectively Attis and Osiris) had experienced death and had been resurrected by divine power, and further that all who were properly initiated into the mystery, and who reverently celebrated the anniversary of the god’s death and resurrection, would thereby become partakers of his divine nature and his immortality. (1081.10) 98:4.7 The Phrygian ceremonies were imposing but degrading; their bloody festivals indicate how degraded and primitive these Levantine mysteries became. The most holy day was Black Friday, the “day of blood,” commemorating the self-inflicted death of Attis. After three days of the celebration of the sacrifice and death of Attis the festival was turned to joy in honor of his resurrection. (1082.1) 98:4.8 The rituals of the worship of Isis and Osiris were more refined and impressive than were those of the Phrygian cult. This Egyptian ritual was built around the legend of the Nile god of old, a god who died and was resurrected, which concept was derived from the observation of the annually recurring stoppage of vegetation growth followed by the springtime restoration of all living plants. The frenzy of the observance of these mystery cults and the orgies of their ceremonials, which were supposed to lead up to the “enthusiasm” of the realization of divinity, were sometimes most revolting. 5. The Cult of Mithras (1082.2) 98:5.1 The Phrygian and Egyptian mysteries eventually gave way before the greatest of all the mystery cults, the worship of Mithras. The Mithraic cult made its appeal to a wide range of human nature and gradually supplanted both of its predecessors. Mithraism spread over the Roman Empire through the propagandizing of Roman legions recruited in the Levant, where this religion was the vogue, for they carried this belief wherever they went. And this new religious ritual was a great improvement over the earlier mystery cults. (1082.3) 98:5.2 The cult of Mithras arose in Iran and long persisted in its homeland despite the militant opposition of the followers of Zoroaster. But by the time Mithraism reached Rome, it had become greatly improved by the absorption of many of Zoroaster’s teachings. It was chiefly through the Mithraic cult that Zoroaster’s religion exerted an influence upon later appearing Christianity. (1082.4) 98:5.3 The Mithraic cult portrayed a militant god taking origin in a great rock, engaging in valiant exploits, and causing water to gush forth from a rock struck with his arrows. There was a flood from which one man escaped in a specially built boat and a last supper which Mithras celebrated with the sun-god before he ascended into the heavens. This sun-god, or Sol Invictus, was a degeneration of the Ahura-Mazda deity concept of Zoroastrianism. Mithras was conceived as the surviving champion of the sun-god in his struggle with the god of darkness. And in recognition of his slaying the mythical sacred bull, Mithras was made immortal, being exalted to the station of intercessor for the human race among the gods on high. (1082.5) 98:5.4 The adherents of this cult worshiped in caves and other secret places, chanting hymns, mumbling magic, eating the flesh of the sacrificial animals, and drinking the blood. Three times a day they worshiped, with special weekly ceremonials on the day of the sun-god and with the most elaborate observance of all on the annual festival of Mithras, December twenty-fifth. It was believed that the partaking of the sacrament ensured eternal life, the immediate passing, after death, to the bosom of Mithras, there to tarry in bliss until the judgment day. On the judgment day the Mithraic keys of heaven would unlock the gates of Paradise for the reception of the faithful; whereupon all the unbaptized of the living and the dead would be annihilated upon the return of Mithras to earth. It was taught that, when a man died, he went before Mithras for judgment, and that at the end of the world Mithras would summon all the dead from their graves to face the last judgment. The wicked would be destroyed by fire, and the righteous would reign with Mithras forever. (1082.6) 98:5.5 At first it was a religion only for men, and there were seven different orders into which believers could be successively initiated. Later on, the wives and daughters of believers were admitted to the temples of the Great Mother, which adjoined the Mithraic temples. The women’s cult was a mixture of Mithraic ritual and the ceremonies of the Phrygian cult of Cybele, the mother of Attis. 6. Mithraism and Christianity (1083.1) 98:6.1 Prior to the coming of the mystery cults and Christianity, personal religion hardly developed as an independent institution in the civilized lands of North Africa and Europe; it was more of a family, city-state, political, and imperial affair. The Hellenic Greeks never evolved a centralized worship system; the ritual was local; they had no priesthood and no “sacred book.” Much as the Romans, their religious institutions lacked a powerful driving agency for the preservation of higher moral and spiritual values. While it is true that the institutionalization of religion has usually detracted from its spiritual quality, it is also a fact that no religion has thus far succeeded in surviving without the aid of institutional organization of some degree, greater or lesser. (1083.2) 98:6.2 Occidental religion thus languished until the days of the Skeptics, Cynics, Epicureans, and Stoics, but most important of all, until the times of the great contest between Mithraism and Paul’s new religion of Christianity. (1083.3) 98:6.3 During the third century after Christ, Mithraic and Christian churches were very similar both in appearance and in the character of their ritual. A majority of such places of worship were underground, and both contained altars whose backgrounds variously depicted the sufferings of the savior who had brought salvation to a sin-cursed human race. (1083.4) 98:6.4 Always had it been the practice of Mithraic worshipers, on entering the temple, to dip their fingers in holy water. And since in some districts there were those who at one time belonged to both religions, they introduced this custom into the majority of the Christian churches in the vicinity of Rome. Both religions employed baptism and partook of the sacrament of bread and wine. The one great difference between Mithraism and Christianity, aside from the characters of Mithras and Jesus, was that the one encouraged militarism while the other was ultrapacific. Mithraism’s tolerance for other religions (except later Christianity) led to its final undoing. But the deciding factor in the struggle between the two was the admission of women into the full fellowship of the Christian faith. (1083.5) 98:6.5 In the end the nominal Christian faith dominated the Occident. Greek philosophy supplied the concepts of ethical value; Mithraism, the ritual of worship observance; and Christianity, as such, the technique for the conservation of moral and social values. 7. The Christian Religion (1083.6) 98:7.1 A Creator Son did not incarnate in the likeness of mortal flesh and bestow himself upon the humanity of Urantia to reconcile an angry God but rather to win all mankind to the recognition of the Father’s love and to the realization of their sonship with God. After all, even the great advocate of the atonement doctrine realized something of this truth, for he declared that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.” (1084.1) 98:7.2 It is not the province of this paper to deal with the origin and dissemination of the Christian religion. Suffice it to say that it is built around the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the humanly incarnate Michael Son of Nebadon, known to Urantia as the Christ, the anointed one. Christianity was spread throughout the Levant and Occident by the followers of this Galilean, and their missionary zeal equaled that of their illustrious predecessors, the Sethites and Salemites, as well as that of their earnest Asiatic contemporaries, the Buddhist teachers. (1084.2) 98:7.3 The Christian religion, as a Urantian system of belief, arose through the compounding of the following teachings, influences, beliefs, cults, and personal individual attitudes: (1084.3) 98:7.4 1. The Melchizedek teachings, which are a basic factor in all the religions of Occident and Orient that have arisen in the last four thousand years. (1084.4) 98:7.5 2. The Hebraic system of morality, ethics, theology, and belief in both Providence and the supreme Yahweh. (1084.5) 98:7.6 3. The Zoroastrian conception of the struggle between cosmic good and evil, which had already left its imprint on both Judaism and Mithraism. Through prolonged contact attendant upon the struggles between Mithraism and Christianity, the doctrines of the Iranian prophet became a potent factor in determining the theologic and philosophic cast and structure of the dogmas, tenets, and cosmology of the Hellenized and Latinized versions of the teachings of Jesus. (1084.6) 98:7.7 4. The mystery cults, especially Mithraism but also the worship of the Great Mother in the Phrygian cult. Even the legends of the birth of Jesus on Urantia became tainted with the Roman version of the miraculous birth of the Iranian savior-hero, Mithras, whose advent on earth was supposed to have been witnessed by only a handful of gift-bearing shepherds who had been informed of this impending event by angels. (1084.7) 98:7.8 5. The historic fact of the human life of Joshua ben Joseph, the reality of Jesus of Nazareth as the glorified Christ, the Son of God. (1084.8) 98:7.9 6. The personal viewpoint of Paul of Tarsus. And it should be recorded that Mithraism was the dominant religion of Tarsus during his adolescence. Paul little dreamed that his well-intentioned letters to his converts would someday be regarded by still later Christians as the “word of God.” Such well-meaning teachers must not be held accountable for the use made of their writings by later-day successors. (1084.9) 98:7.10 7. The philosophic thought of the Hellenistic peoples, from Alexandria and Antioch through Greece to Syracuse and Rome. The philosophy of the Greeks was more in harmony with Paul’s version of Christianity than with any other current religious system and became an important factor in the success of Christianity in the Occident. Greek philosophy, coupled with Paul’s theology, still forms the basis of European ethics. (1084.10) 98:7.11 As the original teachings of Jesus penetrated the Occident, they became Occidentalized, and as they became Occidentalized, they began to lose their potentially universal appeal to all races and kinds of men. Christianity, today, has become a religion well adapted to the social, economic, and political mores of the white races. It has long since ceased to be the religion of Jesus, although it still valiantly portrays a beautiful religion about Jesus to such individuals as sincerely seek to follow in the way of its teaching. It has glorified Jesus as the Christ, the Messianic anointed one from God, but has largely forgotten the Master’s personal gospel: the Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of all men. (1085.1) 98:7.12 And this is the long story of the teachings of Machiventa Melchizedek on Urantia. It is nearly four thousand years since this emergency Son of Nebadon bestowed himself on Urantia, and in that time the teachings of the “priest of El Elyon, the Most High God,” have penetrated to all races and peoples. And Machiventa was successful in achieving the purpose of his unusual bestowal; when Michael made ready to appear on Urantia, the God concept was existent in the hearts of men and women, the same God concept that still flames anew in the living spiritual experience of the manifold children of the Universal Father as they live their intriguing temporal lives on the whirling planets of space. (1085.2) 98:7.13 [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]

“After I became king, I fought nineteen battles in a single year and, by the grace of Ahura Mazda, I overthrew nine kings and I made them captive…As to these provinces which revolted, lies made them revolt, so that they deceived the people.  Then Ahura […] The post Episode 31 – Land of Imposters first appeared on THE ANCIENT WORLD.

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September 11, 2007 - 100 Years War - Brave New World - Breeding for Specific Tasks - Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars. H. G. Wells' "Open Conspiracy" book - Front-Men Politicians - CIA, MI6, Black-Operations - Internationalists - Aerial Spraying, Chronic Fatigue, Bronchitis, Asthma. Organized Religions, Rome, Persia, Mithraism, Old Gods - Voodoo, Catholicism - Deities of Zoroastrianism - Jehovah, Jesus - Zoroaster, Ahriman, Ahura-Mazda. Declassified Information - Conditioned Matrix - Serfdom, Slavery - Race Card - Psychopath Behaviour - Stock Market, Investments, Old Families. Mass Exodus of American and Canadian Industry - Corporate Trucking Lines - NAFTA, Pollution Standards. Bible, Old Testament, Rules of System, Dialectic, New Testament - Plato's Cave. Arthur C. Clarke's "2001", "2010", "3001" - ISS International Space Station: "Mansion in the Sky". Wells, Fabian Society, Population Reduction, Abolition of Marriage, Sir Thomas Huxley. Patriot Radio, CIA, Christian Front Groups. Blessings of Jacob, Craftiness - Sacrifices, Burnt Offerings - "God of the World". *Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - Feb. 1, 2008 (Exempting Music, Literary Quotes, and Callers' Comments)

Scam Creation - Parroting, Repetition - Slaves under New System - Big Corporation (Government). United Africa, Amalgamation - Integration of Americas, CIA, CSIS, Military - Free Trade Negotiations - New Terrorist: Anti-Globalization - Protocols, Interdependence. Reality TV Shows, Giving Up Privacy - Hippy Movement, Flower Power to Fascism - Holland, Stay-at-home Fathers, Government Art Funding - Marxism. "Kids" (Young Goats), Dehumanization, Terminology - Animal-Human Hybrids - World Arks, Cryogenics - Perfecting of Imperfect - The Architect, Builder. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", Body Part Swapping - Human Machines, Self-Repairing - Charles Galton Darwin - "Civilization" and Slavery. Sir Thomas, Julian and Aldous Huxley. Democracy, Britain, Chartist Movement, Voting - Psychopathy, Politics, Corruption. "Something Wonderful is going to Happen", Arthur C. Clarke - Active Chip, Brain Chip - Hell on Earth - Utopia of Elite. Nature and Nature's God - Godhood, Constantine - Mithraic Cult, Mithraism, Ahura-Mazda, God of Fire. B. F. Skinner, Experimental Rats, Perpetual Orgasm--See Movie: "The Mind Snatchers" with Christopher Walken. (Article: "Green light for hybrid research" BBC News (bbc.co.uk) - Jan. 17, 2008.) *Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - Jan. 24, 2008 (Exempting Music, Literary Quotes, and Callers' Comments)