Podcasts about idumeans

Sunday, 4 August 2024   When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2:3   “And Herod the king, having heard, he was agitated, and all Jerusalem with him” (CG).   The previous verse noted that the magicians had seen the star of the King of the Jews in the direction of the sunrising and they had come to worship Him. With that noted, Matthew now records, “And Herod the king.”   Herod was a power-hungry king who feared any challenge, real or imagined, to his reign. Of him, Charles Ellicott writes –   “The old king (the title had been given by the Roman Senate in B.C. 40) was drawing to the close of his long and blood-stained reign. Two years before he had put to death, on a charge of treason, his two sons by Mariamne, his best-loved wife, through sheer jealousy of the favour with which the people looked on them. At the time when this history opens, his eldest son, Antipater, was under condemnation.”   So fearful was he of any challenge to his throne that he had his own sons executed for simply being popular. Understanding his personality, Matthew next records, “having heard, he was agitated.”   Herod certainly questioned how magicians from the East could come looking for the King of the Jews but not be looking for him. He sat on the throne over the Jewish people! Because of this, Matthew notes that he was agitated.   The word is tarassó. HELPS Word Studies says it means to “put in motion (to agitate back-and-forth, shake to-and-fro); (figuratively) to set in motion what needs to remain still (at ease); to ‘trouble' (‘agitate'), causing inner perplexity (emotional agitation) from getting too stirred up inside (‘upset').”   One can see Herod standing there beside himself, distraught with the thought of a challenge to his throne. Certainly because of this, it next says, “and all Jerusalem with him.”   The word “all” is used in a comparative sense. An important point in Scripture is that not every “every” means “every,” and not all “all's” mean “all.” There were certainly people sitting in local cafes that had no idea what was transpiring in the royal hall. There were servants tending to the homes of their masters who would have no idea about the coming of the magicians. In all, probably very few of the people in the city had an inkling about the report.   Rather, in this case, Jerusalem stands for the seat of power. Therefore, it is referring to those who were in the royal court with Herod. They would have certainly been agitated, knowing his proclivity for harming others, and they would be walking on eggshells at the thought of what he might do in this instance.   Life application: Herod was an Idumean by birth, meaning an Edomite. Idumean is simply the Greek form of the word. Of this people group, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus says that about 129 BC John Hyrcanus –   “...subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would circumcise their genitals, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision, and of the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time therefore this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.” Antiquities, Book 13 Chapter 9 Section 1   What this means is that the Edomites were brought into the nation of Israel, becoming Jews. This is no different than an Arab or a Japanese person today converting to Judaism. They become a part of the Jewish people. Whether their origins are remembered and held against them by other supposedly pure-blooded Jews or not is irrelevant. They are now Jews.   The line of Herod was a part of this conversion, but the racial animosities obviously remained, and despite being a Jew, it is obvious from historical records that he was remembered for his ancestral heritage more than his acceptance into the Jewish culture.   In the Bible, there are references to Edom, Moab, Ammon, etc., that are contained in prophecies that extend even beyond our time. And yet, there is no nation of Edom, Moab, etc. What this means is that the Bible is using the lands, once inhabited by those people groups, as emblematic of the people in those lands today.   Thus, when a future prophecy refers to Philistia, it is speaking of the modern-day Gazans, not Philistines. In referring to Ammon, Edom, or Moab, it is generally speaking of the Arabs who occupy Jordan. In other words, the lands that were originally settled by these people retain those name designations in Scripture.   This is important to understand because the Edomites of the past are now incorporated into the Jews of today. When the Romans exiled the Jews, those Edomites (Idumeans) who had assimilated into the Jewish people were a part of that exile. There are no “Edomites” today in a real sense. The nation does not exist. Instead, only the lands where they were are considered Edom.   Remember this as you read the Bible. There is a baseline for what is presented. That baseline does not change unless the change is recorded in Scripture. But whatever the final designation in Scripture is, that is what is to be considered when analyzing the world today.   Understanding this, the biblical model which refers to Christians is one that is set and unchanging. Jesus came, fulfilled the law, and introduced the New Covenant. Entry into what God is doing now takes place through the baseline that has been set because of Jesus Christ.   Being “Jewish” is no longer what designates a person who is in a right standing with God. Jews may be in a right standing, or they might not be. But the standard that makes it so is by coming to God through Christ Jesus. This is what God is doing in the world. The pattern is set because the Bible is complete.   And for those who have come to Christ, there are no longer any distinctions that should separate us. Herod may have been considered an Edomite even though he was a Jewish convert. However, such designations are no longer to be looked down on as if one group is better than another.   A Japanese, a Kenyan, and a Jew all walked into a church...   When they got there, they were (and remain) on an equal footing before God because of faith in Jesus Christ –   “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatian 3:26-29   Lord God, how grateful we are for what Christ has done for us. We are all one in Him through faith in His completed work. We are granted access to Your heavenly throne where You hear us regardless of who we once were. Thank You for the wonderful blessing of being Your child through simple faith in Him. Hallelujah and Amen.

Episode 255 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 10 – The Forest and the Trees Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: After he said this, Jesus … made some mud … he rubbed the mud on the man's eyes and told him, “Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.” … the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing. The Gospel of John, Chapter 9, verses 6 and 7, Good News Translation ******** VK: Hello and welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is our 10th and final episode in our series on archeology and the Bible. This is not our final episode because we have exhausted the pool of archeological findings that support the trustworthiness of the Bible. You could do a radio show or podcast every day for the rest of your life and never cover all of that evidence. Instead, in our series we have discussed just a few of the thousands of archeological discoveries that support the accuracy of the Bible’s text. But we hope the examples that we have cited will inspire listeners to do some further exploration on their own. RD Fierro is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books and he is in the studio today as we wrap up this series. RD, we could go on for months or years talking about all of the archeological evidence that demonstrates that the history contained in the Bible is reliable. So, why limit this series to 10 episodes? RD: Well, before we get started I’d also like to welcome everyone to this episode of Anchored by Truth. And, if this is your first time being with us, we’d encourage to you to check out – not only the earlier episodes in this series but all of our previous series because Anchored by Truth is the only radio show that we know of that focuses exclusively on demonstrating the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of scripture. And that’s why we do series like this one on archeology and the Bible. But archeology is only one of the disciplines that support the accuracy of the Bible. While most people don’t realize it because of the Biblically hostile culture in which we live physics, chemistry, biology, geology, paleontology, and many other scientific disciplines – as well as basic logic and reason – support the fact that the Bible is the inspired revelation of an almighty God. In fact, you really can’t have a truly coherent worldview without acknowledging that the Bible is God’s inerrant word. And that’s our purpose – to help people develop not only that awareness but also be able to cogently explain why this is true. VK: That’s a big statement. I don’t think many people in the world, especially in the western world, would accept the fact that we must accept the truth of the Bible to form a coherent worldview. RD: It’s a big statement but that doesn’t mean that it’s not true. And in the future we are going to do a series on why forming a coherent worldview necessitates a Biblical worldview. But for today’s wrap up we’re just adding one more piece to the assembly of that much larger puzzle. VK: What you’re saying is that building a coherent worldview – a truly coherent worldview – isn’t something that can be done in a few minutes, hours, or days – or even months. Building a truly coherent worldview and seeing how and where the Bible fits in takes years. You must build a coherent worldview just as you would assemble a jigsaw puzzle - one piece at a time. But each piece that you put into place enables you to see the larger picture or pattern more clearly. And that’s what we try to do with these series. We keep adding pieces to the larger picture – one episode at a time and one series at a time. This series on archeology is just one piece of evidence that demonstrates the historical reliability of the Bible. It’s just one piece but it is an important piece. RD: Yes. At Anchored by Truth and Crystal Sea Books our basic formulation for how we can be sure that the Bible is the inspired word of God is centered around four lines of evidence: reliable history, remarkable unity, fulfilled prophecy, and redeemed destinies. So, in this series we have pointed out a number of specific examples of archeological discoveries that have demonstrated that the Bible’s historical record is true. VK: We’ve talked about the fact that the rediscovery of the city of Nineveh in the mid-19th century confirmed portions of the book of Jonah that were doubted by secular scholars. We’ve talked about the evidence that supports the historicity of the Biblical records contained in both the Old and New Testaments with respect to the city of Jericho. We discussed the fact that the Bible not only gets the big details of history right – such as the names of empires, emperors, cities, and nations – but also smaller details. We talked about how the book of Jeremiah even accurately preserved the name of one of the king of Babylon’s court officers. That’s the kind of historical detail that is easily lost in the sweep of history but the Bible kept it and it’s been validated by archeology. RD: Yes. And we could have offered many, many more examples. At the start of today’s episode we used a quote from the gospel of John where Jesus restored sight to a blind man. As a part of the process Jesus told the blind man to wash his face in the pool of Siloam. Jesus named the pool he wanted the man to wash in. So, obviously this pool was well known in Jesus’ day. Well, in 2004 a crew digging a sewer line in Jerusalem uncovered some well-dressed stone steps that were covered by more than 10 feet of soil that had washed into a valley. Further exploration revealed that the steps led into a stone-lined pool that was not far from a tunnel that in Old Testament times had brought water into Jerusalem. VK: This water tunnel is called Hezekiah’s tunnel because it was built by the Old Testament king of Judah named Hezekiah as part of his preparations to withstand a siege by the Assyrians. The tunnel itself is mentioned 2 Kings, chapter 20, verse 20 and 2 Chronicles, chapter 32, verse 30. We have a friend who actually walked through the tunnel when he visited the Holy Land. The tunnel was finalized around 701 BC although portions of it may have existed earlier. RD: Right. Subsequent excavations at the pool revealed coins that the pool dated from around the first century BC and other coins revealed that the pool was still in use during the time of the Jewish revolt against the Romans which lasted from 66 AD to 70 AD. In other words, the pool would have been in use during Jesus’ earthly ministry around 30 to 33 AD. So, Hezekiah’s tunnel and the pool at Siloam are just two more examples of archeological discoveries that are entirely consistent with the Bible record. VK: And there are countless others that we could cite. Bible critics used to doubt the existence of the greatest king of Israel during the Old Testament period: King David. Due to the Bible’s description of him, he almost seemed to be legendary – a sort of Old Testament King Arthur. But in 1993 a fragment of an ancient stone tablet was found that mentions the “House of David.” This fragment was dated from the late-9th century BC which means it dated about 150 years after the time that David was king of Israel. The fragment also mentions other names of kings that are named in the Bible. Scholars are agreed that 150 years is not enough time for true legends to form so the fragment pointed clearly to the existence of a king named David whose dynastic succession was still in existence at the time the fragment was prepared. Again, this is a clear example of archeology supporting the Bible. So, with all the examples that are available that support the Bible’s records why do you think that so many critics continue to resist the idea that the Bible’s history is accurate? RD: Well, that’s actually the major subject I wanted to tackle today as we finish our series on archeology and the Bible. We began talking about this last time. It’s somewhat amazing to me how many people will dismiss the reliability of the Bible’s text and then proceed to rely on it as if it were true. VK: Can you give us an example of what you’re thinking about? RD: Sure. Last year a friend of mine read James Michener’s book called The Source. He wanted me to read it. So, he got me a copy. The back cover of the version he got me says this: “Michener vividly re-creates life in an ancient city and traces the profound history of the Jewish people – from the persecution of the early Hebrews, the rise of Christianity, and the Crusades to the founding of Israel and the modern conflict in the Middle East.” The hero of Michener’s book is an archeologist named Cullinane. Michener has this to say about his hero: “He was the crop-headed type of new scholar, solidly trained and not given to nonsense.” VK: In other words Michener’s archeologist isn’t one of those silly people who accept the Bible as being reliable and true. RD: Right. In one incident Michener writes this: “On his departure from Chicago, loaded with gear, [Cullinane] had been asked by a newspaperman if he expected to dig up any records which would prove that the Bible was true. Cullinane replied, ‘No, we’re not out to help God steady the ark.’” VK: But then you said that 25 pages after his hero dismissed the Bible’s truth the hero is then finding artifacts and uses the Bible to give them context and meaning as well as citing details about history that come to us from the Bible. RD: Exactly. Michener does exactly what so many people do – and not just with respect to archeology. They openly contend that the Bible’s text is untrustworthy but then proceed to rely on the truth of the Bible’s reports. VK: For instance, the back cover talks about “the profound history of the Jewish people” and “the persecution of the early Hebrews.” But we could ask Michener, what constitutes a Hebrew or a Jew? Someone might reply that a Jew is a descendant of the patriarch Abraham. RD: And that would be partially true. The Jewish people are descendants of Abraham. But there are a lot of other people in the world today who also trace their ancestry to Abraham. For example, many of the modern day Arabic tribes see Abraham’s first born son, Ishmael, as their ancestor. And Abraham had a number of other sons. Genesis, chapter 25, verses 1 through 5 says this: “Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.” VK: So, the point is that a lot of tribes and national groups were descended from Abraham. Well, then as a further qualification we might say that the Jewish people are descended through Abraham’s son Isaac. RD: And that would also be partially true. But Isaac and Rebecca had two sons, Esau and Jacob (who was later renamed Israel by God). And Jacob wasn’t the only one who founded a nation that persisted for hundreds of years. Esau was the ancestor of the Edomites who are mentioned frequently in the Old Testament, often as an enemy of Israel and Judah. After the southern kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar the Edomites moved into some of the vacant territory into the region of the former city of Hebron. The Greeks and the Romans called this region Idumea. And the Idumeans were present in the time of Jesus. Herod the Great was the son of an Edomite father and a Jewish mother. So, just because someone was descended from Isaac wouldn’t make them a Jew. VK: In other words, to be considered Jewish someone would have to be descended not only from Abraham and Isaac but also Jacob. And we learn from the book of Genesis that Jacob – who was later renamed Israel by God – was indeed the father of the 12 men who gave rise to the 12 tribes of Israel. But I think I see where you’re going. The back cover of Michener’s book says that it is going to discuss the “profound history of the Jewish people” but how would you even know where that history begins if you eliminate the Bible or if you discount the accuracy of the Bible’s reports? RD: Exactly. Michener’s hero discounts that he will find anything that will be relevant to the Bible’s truth but then must presume that truth in order to even make sense of a great many of the artifacts he unearths. And that’s what a great many people these days do. They tell us the Bible is a dry well for truth but then return to that well many, many times when they need to fill in the gaps of what they see in the earth. I was watching a public television documentary recently about the history of writing and the alphabet. In general, it was very informative. But part of the narrative said that human beings had been around for 300,000 years but writing had only been around for the last 5,000 years. VK: But even that period of human existence of 300,000 years isn’t agreed upon by secular scientists. Many discussions of the history of humanity have our specific species dating back as much as 800,000 or even a million years ago. And our “near ancestors” are sometimes dated to as much as 2 and a half or 3 million years ago. RD: Correct. Secular science wants to find a long period for human existence but is forced to acknowledge that common attributes that mark human civilizations like building and writing can only be dated to thousands of years ago. Even if we accept secular science’s dating of the oldest ruins on earth they only date to about 10,000 years before Christ. VK: And as we have discussed in other episodes in this series those dates are assigned not measured. There is no way to directly measure an ancient date. And the assigned dates are all dependent on a set of unprovable assumptions. RD: Right, but notice something. The observable evidence is all entirely consistent with a Biblical time period. The Biblical time period says that the earth is roughly 6,200 years old and the flood of Noah occurred about 1,500 years after creation. I’m using round numbers here for the sake of simplicity. This means that the oldest human structures or trees (which are the longest living land plants) would be just shy of 5,000 years old. This time period is entirely consistent with observations that we make about the world as we see it today. VK: And for anyone who wants to go deeper into more of the problems with deep time and uniformitarianism they can go to our website, crystalseabooks.com, and locate our series on “10 facts every Christian needs to know.” In that series we have a lengthier discussion than we can undertake today about the scientific problems with the secular ideas about deep time. RD: Yes. So, one of the big ideas we want people to remember as we close out this series on the Bible and archeology is that the observations we can make today through available evidence are consistent with the Bible’s reported time frames. But when you start using secular conventions of millions and billions of years you run into some real issues. VK: Such as “where are all the dead human bodies?” If human beings have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, or more, where are all the bones of the people who supposedly existed during that period? There are extraordinary fossils of very small creatures that supposedly died millions of years ago and we see their remains but we find very few, if any, human remains. And those that are supposedly human, or pre-human, have numerous problems with the identifying the skeletons as being truly human. RD: Right. And it’s not as though secular scientists aren’t aware of the problems that arise with their time frames and alternative explanations. They are. But in order to resist the obvious conclusion that evidence from human and natural history is entirely consistent with the Bible they have to find reasons to disagree with what the Bible is telling us. VK: And some scientists have become willing to admit that they do so. Harvard evolutionary biologist and geneticist Richard Lewontin wrote: “We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failures to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.” RD: Lewontin said the quiet part out loud. Science does not require a materialistic explanation but secular scientists do. And, sadly, they are aided in their quest to cast doubt on the Bible’s records by liberal so-called theologians who bring an anti-supernatural bias to the Bible. There have been a number of groups who have supposedly wanted to find the “authentic Jesus” or “the real history” behind the Bible’s plain declarations. So, they admit that the city of Jericho existed and that the walls fell but they must doubt the dating of when the walls collapsed. They admit that there was a dynastic succession of kings in the southern kingdom of Judah but then dispute who was the founder of the succession despite the Bible’s record of the life of King David. They admit that the book of Daniel reports accurately the succession of empires that controlled the Middle East in Biblical times but claim that the book of Daniel must have written 400 years after the date that it was. VK: And, as you said, they do all of this because they must resist the conclusions that are inescapable if the Bible is what it says it is – the Word of an almighty God. Because that word of God doesn’t just contain statements about history, culture, and nations it also contains ethical and moral prescriptions. The Bible is a unique book in human history and human experience. As some people have noted, “most of the time people judge books. The Bible is a book that judges people.” RD: Yes. Archeological findings provide a great deal of support for the accuracy of the Bible’s historical records. Thus, any fair evaluation of the Bible must be that it is a generally reliable historical record. But this generally reliable historical record goes on to record not just ordinary history but also an extraordinary, redemptive history. The Bible records God’s superintendence of redemptive history including His direct intervention at times to keep His plan on track. God’s superintendence and intervention is an anathema to modern man that wants to believe that man is the penultimate actor in the universe. And God’s presence in the universe means there is an ultimate Judge who will one day hold all people accountable for their lives and actions. VK: This is why so many people resist the obvious conclusion that the Bible contains a reliable record of the history it chooses to report. If the Bible is trustworthy when it comes to history it is likely also trustworthy when it comes to its enduring ethical pronouncements and its warnings about the consequences for ignoring or disobeying God. The same God that brought down the walls of Jericho, also brought down the Babylonian Empire. He also destroyed the city of Nineveh so completely it was lost to history for almost 2,000 years and He allowed the city of Jerusalem to be destroyed for rejecting His Messiah. RD: Yes. Our God is a God of mercy and salvation but He is also a God of justice and holiness and we see evidence of all of His attributes in human history especially the history of Israel and the Middle East. Michener’s fictional hero wants to study the history of the Jews but he doesn’t want to learn anything from that history. Like so many today Michener’s hero thinks that the horned-altar he finds in the mound he is excavating is just another ancient relic. He fails to recognize that among the God of Israel was not the same as the gods of the surrounding cultures. Michener’s hero has failed to make a critical distinction – between the One True God of the Bible and the false gods invented by men to avoid acknowledging the True God. The Bible is a single story about creation, fall, and redemption. Archeological discoveries affirm the accuracy of many of the events in that redemptive history. But redemption would be irrelevant and unnecessary if the fall had not occurred. And that is what is so dangerous about us not preparing ourselves to effectively advocate for the One who provides redemption – because the effects of the fall will one day sweep away everyone who has not turned to the God of salvation. VK: And that is why we all need to study the Bible and study enough about the Bible’s settings and history to help our friends and family. Archeology helps us do that. And there a lot of good resources that can give us a good, basic understanding of how archeology helps reinforce our confidence in the Bible. We should know enough to be able to help our kids and grandkids understand and avoid the pushback from a world that doesn’t want them to live a life of saving faith. Knowing a little bit about archeology can help with this greater goal. God has given us ample evidence His word is true. He expects us to exercise our minds and wills to become familiar with the evidence and to incorporate into our lives and faith. As we close, today let’s listen to a prayer of adoration for our Creator God. God not only created everything that exists, He also maintains it by His infinite power. As the Apostle Paul said to the Athenians “in [God] we live and move and have our being.” Surely, such a God is always worthy of adoration of Him. ---- PRAYER OF ADORATION OF THE CREATOR VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the Good News Translation) The Gospel of John, Chapter 9, verses 6 and 7, Good News Translation

Show Notes: WAR: Gentile Israeli Ashkenazim vs. Hamas (Mid-East Crisis). Possible WW3 Expansion. In this small excerpt I will address the accurate and actual biblical perpective on the peoples of Palestine/Jerusalem. This was recorded before the Declaration of War by Netanyahu!! An updated Assessment will be released momentarily. Who is Jacob, Esau, Israel, the Idumeans, Arab, Palestinians, Europeans, Gentiles, The Hebrews? What is a Jew? We will briefly walk through these highly misunderstood terms etc.

2 For behold, thine enemies have made a noise; and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. 3 Against thy people they have craftily imagined a device, and have taken counsel against thy saints. 4 They have said, Come, and let us utterly destroy them out of the nation; and let the name of Israel be remembered no more at all. 5 For they have taken counsel together with one consent: they have made a confederacy against thee; 6 even the tents of the Idumeans, and the Ismaelites; Moab, and the Agarenes; 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalec; the Philistines also, with them that dwell at Tyre. 8 Yea, Assur too is come with them: they have become a help to the children of Lot. Pause.9 Do thou to them as to Madiam, and to Sisera; as to Jabin at the brook of Kison. 10 They were utterly destroyed at Aendor: they became as dung for the earth. 11 Make their princes as Oreb and Zeb, and Zebee

You asked listeners to suggest a mythical or legendary character who could potentially be historicized by clever apologetics. Here is my humble suggestion: Ned Ludd. I'm interested in any thoughts you might have on the Branch Davidians, Koresh, or the sectarian politics within the Adventist movement which gave rise to the group. What do you make of the thesis that the Greek word AEON should be translated as "AGE" or "EON" everywhere it appears, and "AEONIAN" as "Pertaining to the age" which has no English equivalent. Not “eternal.” Can you speculate on the possibility of a text or scroll lying in a cave or tomb that could change or alter our understanding of Jesus and the early church? Please comment on the idea that Mark was written first was promoted by Bismarck as part of the anti-Catholic Kulturkampf. His goal was to diminish Matthew which is the Gospel which includes the Peter-the-Rock verse which is the biblical basis for papal authority. I was wondering if you could comment on Galatians 6:17. Was Paul a stigmatic? Or what? A simple solution to the riddle in Rev 2:9 and 3:9 is that it is referring to the Herodians who were not ethnic Judahites but Idumeans who also collaborated with their Roman masters. I've always found the episode with Pilate in John 18:37-38, where Pilate asks "What is truth?" to be very poetic and compelling. It reads as a glib dismissal of Jesus as the one who bears witness to "the truth," but I can't shake the feeling there's more to it than that. It strikes me as subtly evil, the kind of moral relativism that is so easy to slip into, certainly for a jaded politician, but also for any of us. I'd love for you talk about this passage, the sitz im leben, and any thoughts you have on its relevance to the rest of story. How come Stephen got lynched by the Sanhedrin, but the same group had to get Roman permission to execute Jesus? You’ve suggested the idea of a personal relationship with God has its origin in 17th-century German Pietism. Can you say some more about this? Do you think the idea of a personal relationship with God or Jesus is a modern idea? Is it a Western idea? Do non-Christian religions have this concept?

FOUNDATIONAL FRAMEWORK. PART 42Foundational Truths: The Bible is God’s self-revelation.God is the Eternal, Sovereign Creator; all that He creates is good.Man is a responsible agent, held to a moral standard.Sin originates within a person, separating us from God.God declares one righteous by faith alone, apart from works.The glory of God is the centerpiece and goal of all existence.God’s glory is maximally realized in the promised, coming Kingdom.The time period between the Old and New Testaments is known as the “400 Years of Silence.” During this span of time a prophet speaking on behalf of YHWH could not be found. However, this does not mean that history was without Guidance. What brought about this “divine silence?”Ezekiel 8:1-18. This vision took place on September 17, 592 BC (8:1). Ezekiel was a priest in the Temple and a prophet of YHWH. He is noted as part of those who were exiled from the land at the Babylonian invasion in 597 BC. While there, he lived in Telabib next to the Chebar River (Ezek 3:15) and served as a mouthpiece for YHWH, seeing that the elders of Judah sought regular counsel from him in this trying time (8:1; 14:1; 20:1). In 8:1, a vision from the “Lord GOD” (“Adonai YHWH”) comes to him, lifting him up and bringing him to Jerusalem (8:3-4). It is clear from the context of Ezekiel 1:26-27 that the being that appears to the prophet in 8:2 is YHWH Himself. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, the “glory of the God of Israel” is seen. This is none other than the “Skekinah Glory” of YHWH. (“Shekinah” means “to dwell.”)This chapter is broken up into four levels of abominations (meaning “horrible, detestable”). Each pattern is the same with YHWH asking Ezekiel, “do you see?”, followed by “you will see” as each abomination progresses. Each instance makes a solid case against Israel as to why their intimacy with YHWH has been forfeited. This is seen in the remark that YHWH makes in 8:6 where He states, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations which the house of Israel are committing here, so that I would be far from My sanctuary? But yet you will see still greater abominations.” Indulgence in evil, especially after a heightened period of revelation from YHWH, is such that repels Him,moving Him to vacate His intimacy with His chosen people. Or to put it another way, sin separates people from God, regardless if they are believers in Him or not. For the unbeliever, he or she is separated from a relationship with Him because they are still dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1), while the believer is separated from their fellowship with Him if sin is persistent, habitual, and/or unconfessed (1 John 1:9).#1. 8:5-6. While we are not exactly sure what the “idol of jealousy” is, we do know that YHWH is a jealous God, as stated in the Ten Words in Exodus 20:5. This should not be understood that YHWH experiences jealousy like human beings, but that He experiences jealousy perfectly. This may sound strange, but if YHWH desires the best for His creatures and they are settling for far less than an active relationship and a vibrant fellowship with the Creator of all things, the jealousy of YHWH is rational and warranted because the inferior has been deemed more preferable than the Superior. YHWH will not compete with any god or idol and He most certainly will not make His dwelling place tolerable of such lesser fixtures. He is GOD, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Lord, YHWH.The location specified is the entrance of the altar gate to the north. This was the north gate of the inner court that would lead to the sacrificial altar. Constable writes that, “King Jotham (750-732 B.C.) had built this gate, which apparently did not exist when Solomon first constructed the temple (2 Kings 15:35). Other names for it were the upper Benjamin gate (Jer. 20:2), the new gate (Jer. 26:10; 36:10), the altar gate (Ezek. 8:5), and the upper gate (2 Kings 15:35; Ezek. 9:2).” For such an idol to stand in the way of one making their way to the altar of sacrifice is to deter obedience to YHWH and to encourage allegiance to another.#2. 8:7-12. Ezekiel is told to look through a hole in the wall and to dig away the excess around the hole by which he comes upon a secret door. This secret door leads to a room where seventy elders of Israel are found worshiping created things rather than the Creator of things (Deut 4:16-19; Rom 1:22-23). This is a dangerous scene, for throughout theScriptures we see replete evidence that leaders speak for their nation and when the leaders have gone astray, the people are sure to follow.The one leading the elders of Israel in their secret idolatry is “Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan” (8:11b). Shaphan was the scribe that read the Law to King Josiah for the first time, setting off national reforms with Josiah leading Judah back to YHWH, while at the same time tearing down the altar, idols, and high places that had been built (2 Kgs 22:8-14).The mention is made that these acts were done “in the dark” (8:12b), with the statements of the elders regarding YHWH being made known to Ezekiel. Their mindset/attitude is one that believes that they can hide their idolatry from YHWH, while simultaneously accusing Him of forsaking the Land of Promise. This conclusion would make their belief a result of unbelief.Such secrecy is believed by some to be a result of the worship of Egyptian idols while under Babylonian rule (the two were at fierce odds with one another), while others see such secrecy as an attempt to hide themselves from the eyes of the Almighty. According to the context of the passage, the latter explanation is the correct one, seeing the attitude of the elders is made manifest in their collective statement: “The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land” (12b). The depths of idolatry had robbed the leaders of Israel of their awareness of the basic attribute of God’s omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-12; Prov 15:3; Jer 23:23-24) and His promise to care for them while in the land if they would be faithful to Him, obeying His Law (Deut 5:32-33).#3. 8:13-14. The Lord brings Ezekiel to the north gate, which would lead to the inner court of the Temple. This gate is significant because it was the gate that would have been used by the king. The scene before him is of women who are weeping for Tammuz, who was known as the Babylonian god of vegetation, who they believed to be dying and resurrecting each year with the cycle of the seasons. McClain notes that Tammuz was “a heathen god corresponding to the Greek Adonis whoseworship was attended by such licentious orgies that the cult was finally suppressed by Constantine the Great.”With only this one mention of “Tammuz” in the Bible, we may be quick to disregard the seriousness of this moment as seen by Ezekiel. Cooper provides us with some insight as to how deep the seedbed of Tammuz idolatry ran in Israel. He writes, “After the exile the Hebrew calendar included a month called Tammuz, the fourth month (June–July). This was the time for grapes to be harvested. The preservation of the name Tammuz in the calendar suggests the impact this form of pagan worship had on Jewish life and worship, both during and after the exile.”Such devotion to this false deity is an affront to YHWH who is “YWHW Yireh,” the Provider of Israel (Gen 22:14).#4. 8:15-17. Moving into the inner court and standing at the entrance to the Temple, Ezekiel finds himself stationed between “the porch and the altar” just outside the Holy Place (8:16b). The inner court was a place for priests only, which makes their identity clear. “They were the priesthood of the nation, represented here by the presidents of the twenty-four courses with the high priest at their head!” Oh, the violation; seeing that they have prostrated themselves in worship to the sun, meaning that this was the worship of Ra, the god of the sun, as previously seen in Egyptian culture. With their back to the Temple and their faces to the east, toward the sun, their posture symbolizes that they had turned their back on YHWH and the wholly-devoted oath that they had committed to (Exod 19:8), choosing instead to bow before the created, inferior objects of this world (Rom 1:18-21).The First Temple which was built by Solomon was not destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar until 586 BC, so this “transportation” (vision) that Ezekiel is experiencing was likely revealing real-time events to him (remember, this chapter takes place in 592 BC). This further solidifiedthe reason for YHWH allowing for their captivity and for the destruction that was to come.Ezekiel 9:1-11. This is an awful scene, and one that could have been avoided had the Israelites heeded the Word of YHWH and obeyed His commands. While this passage is plain in speaking for itself, it is important to note that the “glory of the God of Israel” (9:3a) moves from His place over the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of holies to the threshold of the Temple, which is the doorstep.Such judgment is merited because of Israel’s gross sin. YHWH declares that the iniquity of Israel and Judah “is very, very great,” with the land full of blood and perversion being found throughout the city (9:9).Ezekiel 9:1-11. This may seem to be a slight detail, but it is significant nonetheless. The “glory of the Lord,” the Shekinah Glory moves from over the cherubim to the point of filling the court, which could be specified as being only the inner court, in contrast to the mention of the sound of angel’s wings in the outer court (10:5). This would be the same “court” that was previously mentioned in 8:16.YHWH being “over the cherubim” should not be seen as the cherubim that were part of the Mercy Seat that sat upon the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of holies in the Temple, but rather as the cherubim that accompanied YHWH wherever He would go from chapter 1.Ezekiel 11:12, 22-24. This passage captures the third movement of the glory of the Lord away from the Holy of holies, eventually leaving Jerusalem altogether. Verse 12 summarizes the atrocities of the Jews. In a sentence, they have repeatedly broken the Mosaic Covenant. Verses 22-24 find the glory of the Lord, hovering above the cherubim that follow Him, leaving Jerusalem, and positioning Himself outside of the city to the east, above the Mount of Olives. YHWH was no longer dwelling with His people. Cooper writes, “The most severe aspect of God’s judgment was his absence from among his people.” This is known as Ichabod meaning “the Departed Glory.” Hosea 5:14-15 had been fulfilled.Thankfully, we are told in Zechariah 14:4 that when the Lord returns to set up the Millennial Kingdom, He will set His foot down on the Mount of Olives, returning again at the Second Coming in the exact same way that He left.Ezekiel 21:24-27. The charges against Israel are clear: Their sins were something of public knowledge. The Hebrew word translated “remembered” in the NASB is hazkar meaning, “to remember, to be mindful, to bear something in mind, to account, to consider, to contemplate things called back to memory.” It is almost like the sins of Israel had become a memorial to their destruction, being complete self-inflicted and deserving of judgment.The “wicked one, the prince of Israel” is understood to be King Zedekiah who was Judah’s last king. Zedekiah was installed as king of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar, and was little more than a puppet with little power (2 Kgs 24:11-16). Though he had sworn an oath of allegiance to Babylon, and though he was warned to allow for the wrath of YHWH to proceed without retaliation by Jeremiah (Jer 27:1-17), Zedekiah eventually sided with Egypt in rebellion against the chosen discipline of the Lord, breaking his oath (2 Chr 36:13). The breaking of his word as sworn unto YHWH classified him as a wicked king. He is commanded to remove his turban and to take off his crown (Ezek 21:26b). The crown would remain vacant in Israel until “He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him” (Ezek 21:27b), that being the Lord Jesus Christ, the rightful king of Israel.These passages touch upon the reasons for the discipline that fell upon Israel, the vacancy of the Shekinah Glory of YHWH in the Temple, and the absence of a king worthy to rule and lead the people in pursuing righteousness. This justifies the Silent Years. However, YHWH was still moving in history.With the division of Israel into the Northern (Israel) Kingdom and the Southern (Judah) Kingdom, the nation fell into a tailspin spiritually withthe Northern Kingdom being overtaken by the Assyrians in 721 BC and the Southern Kingdom first being attacked in 605 BC (of which the prophet Daniel was taken away) and finally falling to Babylon in 586 BC after a series of invasions in between. Showing themselves to be the dominate superpower of the day, Babylon conquered Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, in 612 BC.In 539 BC, the Medo-Persian Empire invaded Babylon, conquering it and bringing new names to the geographical territories of the Middle East, most notable of which is the renaming of the “Province of Megiddo in the north” to Galilee , which contains Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, and Capernaum, just to name a few of the places that would later be prominent New Testament locations in the life of Jesus Christ.With the Jews being taken captive by Babylon, the Idumeans moved into the southern territory that was once Judah. These people were descended from Esau, being “carryovers” from the Edomites. With the conquering forces of Alexander the Great in 330 BC causing a sweeping infection of Hellenistic culture, a change in the common language and the renaming of many provinces reflected the domination of Greece.When Alexander the Great died, his kingdom was divided between his top four generals. It did not take long for two of these generals to fall to the others, creating the powers of the Ptolemies, which ruled over the provinces of Egypt (which included Israel and Jerusalem), and the Seleucids who reigned over Syria. “Until 198 BC Israel remained under the Ptolemies of Egypt, who did not disturb the Jewish way of worship or forcefully Hellenize the people.” However, Hellenism was zealously promoted by the Seleucids, who in 198 BC set out to conquer Egypt, which resulted in the exchange of Israel to the Seleucids’ control.Though there were a succession of leaders at this time, one leader stood out among them all. Antiochus Epiphanes IV was king of the Syrians who took control of Judea, profaning the Second Temple by sacrificing pigs on the altar and smearing its chopped flesh across the wall of the Templewhile forcing the Levitical Priests to drink the blood. His army killed an estimated 40,000 Jews over a period of three days. Such acts foreshadow the desecration of the Temple of YHWH and the ensuing slaughter that the “man of lawlessness” will enforce during the future seven-year tribulation (Matt 24:15-21; Dan 9:24-27; 2 Thess 2:3-4).When the tyranny and violence of Antiochus seemed at its worst, the Lord God rose up a family that took him and his army to task. Led by their father Mattathias, the Maccabees family (whose name means “the hammer of God”) took a stand for the righteousness of YHWH God. Ironside recounts the story:“There came one day to Modin, Apelles, king Antiochus’ commissioner, to force all the inhabitants to conform to the heathen rites. Recognizing in Mattathias a ruler and an honorable man, Apelles came first to him, demanding that he set the example by sacrificing on the heathen altar which had been set up in the midst of the village. Mattathias indignantly refused, and declared without reservation that neither he nor his sons would harken to the king’s words. As he spoke, a renegade Jew pressed through the throng to offer before the idol. This so stirred the venerable old man that he ran forward and slew not only the transgressor himself, but ere the astonished commissioner realized his danger, he also was slain by Mattathias, who then destroyed the altar. Thus had a second Phinehas arisen in Israel.The breach was made; the king was openly defied.”Such an act set off a firestorm, fueling the flames of insurrection, and paving a path for restoration for the Jewish people. Upon Mattathias’ death in 166 BC, his son Judas took up the cause, leading victory after victory against the Syrians. Again, Ironside captures the scene:“Another and greater army, commanded by Seron, was sent by king Antiochus to annihilate the Jewish company. The two forces met at Beth-horon. Seron, haughty and defiant, at the head of a vast host; Judas, intrepid and strong in faith, but leading a small company, who had been obliged to fast all that day, and were weak and discouraged as theybeheld their insolent foes. ‘How,’ they asked, ‘shall we be able, being so few, to fight against so great a multitude, and so strong?’ Like a second Asa, Judas replied: ‘With the God of heaven it is all one to deliver with a great multitude, or a small company.’ Nor was his faith disappointed. Encouraged by the remembrance of the past mercies of Jehovah, the Jews threw themselves, in the apparent recklessness of faith, upon their disdainful foes, and under the daring leadership of Judas, scattered them like chaff before the flails, and completely defeated the Syrians, who fled wildly in all directions, leaving a vast number of dead and wounded on the bloody field. Thus was it demonstrated that one should chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, in reliance upon God their strength.”After 11 years of reigning as king, Antiochus succumbed to a flesh-eating disease. With news of his death, Judas Maccabees led the people in cleansing the Temple of God in 165-164 BC, which is now commemorated as Hanukkah. Eventually winning their independence, the Jews soon experienced in-fighting between the traditional Jews and those Jews who had been heavily influenced by Hellenistic culture. The dispute was such that it eventually attracted the attention of a rising kingdom; a kingdom “as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces” (Dan 2:40). This new world superpower was Rome, who took control of Israel in 63 BC. Though the Jews were in the land, oppression was present once again, setting the perfect stage for the Jewish people to cry out to YHWH for salvation. It was time for His presence to be reintroduced into Israel.John 1:14. While more will be said in the next lesson about the “Word,” what is seen in this verse is that the Word takes on flesh, becoming fully human, even to the point of “dwelling” (or setting up shop if you will) among the human race. Not only does the Word have flesh, and manifests His existence as flesh, but He takes up personal residence among flesh, though they are sinful and depraved.John’s account here is personal. Almost like unleashing a climax of sight and sound, he tells us that he, along with others, beheld His “glory, gloryas of the only begotten from the Father.” This was not just any man, but One who could, and did at one time, radiate the glory of God among people. This “glory” once dwelled upon Mount Sinai after audibly speaking forth the Ten Words to the congregation of Israel (Exod 24:16; 20:1-20). This “glory” is the same glory that dwelt among Israel in the Holy of holies, residing behind a curtain, with demands of cleansing and the appropriation of lamb’s blood for acceptance… the same “glory” that was heartsick over the sins of people that He loved deeply, so much to the point that He judged them by scattering them abroad and removing His personal presence from among them.Sin is tragic, but the God of all glory desires to dwell among His people! In the flesh-person of the “Word,” His residence on earth would be a reintroduction of Himself into the lives of the Israelites, a reintroduction that would be “full of grace and truth.”

2017-2018 Frankel Institute Jews and the Material in Antiquity Fellow, Juan Tebes Project Title: How the Idumeans Became Scapegoats.

www.PintsWithAquinas.com Here's the article I read in the show: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/31/saint-thomas-aquinas-opposed-open-borders/ Here's the link to the closed FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/193832791087931/ The Catechism: Here's what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about welcoming foreigners: "The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him. Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens" 2241. The Summa Here's what I read from Thomas: "Man's relations with foreigners are twofold: peaceful, and hostile: and in directing both kinds of relation the Law contained suitable precepts. For the Jews were offered three opportunities of peaceful relations with foreigners. First, when foreigners passed through their land as travelers. Secondly, when they came to dwell in their land as newcomers. And in both these respects the Law made kind provision in its precepts: for it is written (Exodus 22:21): "Thou shalt not molest a stranger [advenam]"; and again (Exodus 22:9): "Thou shalt not molest a stranger [peregrino]." Thirdly, when any foreigners wished to be admitted entirely to their fellowship and mode of worship. With regard to these a certain order was observed. For they were not at once admitted to citizenship: just as it was law with some nations that no one was deemed a citizen except after two or three generations, as the Philosopher says (Polit. iii, 1). The reason for this was that if foreigners were allowed to meddle with the affairs of a nation as soon as they settled down in its midst, many dangers might occur, since the foreigners not yet having the common good firmly at heart might attempt something hurtful to the people. Hence it was that the Law prescribed in respect of certain nations that had close relations with the Jews (viz., the Egyptians among whom they were born and educated, and the Idumeans, the children of Esau, Jacob's brother), that they should be admitted to the fellowship of the people after the third generation; whereas others (with whom their relations had been hostile, such as the Ammonites and Moabites) were never to be admitted to citizenship; while the Amalekites, who were yet more hostile to them, and had no fellowship of kindred with them, were to be held as foes in perpetuity: for it is written (Exodus 17:16): "The war of the Lord shall be against Amalec from generation to generation."

The Hanukah Dilemma – The Birth of Judaism How the Rabbis stole Hanukah and gave Judaism a new life notes ------------- They celebrated it for eight days with gladness like Sukkot and recalled how a little while before, during Sukkot they had been wandering in the mountains and caverns like wild animals. So carrying lulavs [palm branches waved on Sukkot]…they offered hymns of praise (perhaps, the Hallel prayer) to God who had brought to pass the purification of his own place. (II Maccabees 10:6-7) Babylonian Talmud 21b What is the reason for Hanukkah? For our rabbis taught: On the twentyfifth of Kislev begin the days of Hanukkah [which are eight] on which a lamentation for the dead and fasting are forbidden. For when the Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the oils therein, and when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed against and defeated them, they searched and found only one jug of oil which lay with the seal of the kohen gadol, but which contained enough for one day's lighting only; yet a miracle occurred and they lit the lamp for eight days. The following year these days were appointed a festival with the recitation of hallel and thanksgiving. מאי חנוכה דתנו רבנן בכ"ה בכסליו יומי דחנוכה תמניא אינון דלא למספד בהון ודלא להתענות בהון שכשנכנסו יוונים להיכל טמאו כל השמנים שבהיכל וכשגברה מלכות בית חשמונאי ונצחום בדקו ולא מצאו אלא פך אחד של שמן שהיה מונח בחותמו של כהן גדול ולא היה בו אלא להדליק יום אחד נעשה בו נס והדליקו ממנו שמונה ימים לשנה אחרת קבעום ועשאום ימים טובים בהלל והודאה   Who were the Maccabees and/or the Hasmoneans? The revolt begins, in fact, when the patriarch of the Maccabees (as the family that led the campaign came to be known) kills a fellow Jew who was in the act of obeying the king's decree to perform a sacrifice forbidden in the Torah. The Maccabean hero also kills the king's officer and tears down the illicit altar. These were blows struck for Jewish traditionalism, and arguably for Jewish survival and authenticity, but not for religious freedom. The Meaning of Hanukkah - A celebration of religious freedom, the holiday fits well with the American political tradition. By JON D. LEVENSON December 16, 2011     In a fascinating book written by Harvard scholar Shaye J.D. Cohen; From the Maccabees to the Mishnah, the author follows the emergence of Jewish sects starting from the Maccabees and culminating with the emergence of the Pharisees (Rabbinic Judaism), Essenes, Samaritans, Christians, Sicarii and zealots .  He writes: The Maccabean period lasted a century, from the victory of 164 B.C.E. to the entrance of the Romans into Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. During their tenure, the Maccabees gradually increased their power and prestige, They began as rebels against the Seleucid empire, but less than ten years after Judah’s death his brother was appointed high priest by a relation of Antiochus Epiphanes!  By the 140s and 130s B.C.E. the Seleucids had little choice but to accept the independence of the Maccabean state. The rise of the Maccabees within the Jewish polity was just as phenomenal. They began as insignificant country priests and became high priests and kings, the rulers of an independent state. They pursued an aggressive foreign policy, seeking alliance with Rome against the Seleucids and carving out for themselves a kingdom larger than that of David and Solomon. Their fall from power was caused by both internal and external enemies…. Their fall from power was caused by both internal and external enemies. During the reigns of John Hyrcanus (135-104 B.C.E.) and Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 B.C.E.), many Jews opposed Maccabean rule. These opponents were not “Hellenizers” and “law- less” Jews who supported Antiochus’ attempt to destroy Judaism, but loyal Jews who had had enough of the Maccabees’ autocratic ways.  [p15]   The Hasmonean dynasty was not itself a sect; it was the corrupt ruling power under whose rule it became clear that the Jewish Commonwealth and Temple were doomed. The sects were a natural response… the emergence of a plan for a new age.  The Hasmoneans left little more than a trail of blood.  They took power, land and made treaties with foreigners when it served their purpose.  Their dynasty ended when the wicked Herod was appointed Governor.. they had prepared the way.   Of interest: “The opponents of Herod the Great called him a “half-Jew” because he was a decedent of the Idumeans, who had been forcibly converted to Judaism by the Maccabees.” [p.54]   In the Talmud (Kiddushin 66a) there is an account of a Hasmonean King named Yannai: It happened that King Yannai went to Kochalis in the desert and conquered 60 cities.  Upon his return he was exceedingly happy and so he invited all the sages of Israel to a celebration…they served delicacies on gold tables and they feasted. ….  There was there a certain elder named Yehudah ben Gedidyah.  He said to Yannai: “King Yannai!  Be satisifed with the crown of kingship; leave the crown of Kehunah for the descendants of Aaron.”  Yannai removed the sages from the feast. Eliezer ben Poira said to King Yannai: “King Yannai! If an ordinary Jew were treated in this way it would be his lot, but you are a King AND Kohen Gadol, is this your lot?”   … immediately Yannai executed all the sages of Israel and the world was bereft of Torah knowledge until Shimon ben Shetach came and returned the Torah to its former standing. מעשה בינאי המלך שהלך לכוחלית שבמדבר וכיבש שם ששים כרכים ובחזרתו היה שמח שמחה גדולה וקרא לכל חכמי ישראל אמר להם אבותינו היו אוכלים מלוחים בזמן שהיו עסוקים בבנין בית המקדש אף אנו נאכל מלוחים זכר לאבותינו והעלו מלוחים על שולחנות של זהב ואכלו והיה שם אחד איש לץ לב רע ובליעל ואלעזר בן פועירה שמו ויאמר אלעזר בן פועירה לינאי המלך ינאי המלך לבם של פרושים עליך ומה אעשה הקם להם בציץ שבין עיניך הקים להם בציץ שבין עיניו היה שם זקן אחד ויהודה בן גדידיה שמו ויאמר יהודה בן גדידיה לינאי המלך ינאי המלך רב לך כתר מלכות הנח כתר כהונה לזרעו של אהרן שהיו אומרים אמו נשבית במודיעים ויבוקש הדבר ולא נמצא ויבדלו חכמי ישראל בזעם ויאמר אלעזר בן פועירה לינאי המלך ינאי המלך הדיוט שבישראל כך הוא דינו ואתה מלך וכהן גדול כך הוא דינך ומה אעשה אם אתה שומע לעצתי רומסם ותורה מה תהא עליה הרי כרוכה ומונחת בקרן זוית כל הרוצה ללמוד יבוא וילמוד אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק מיד נזרקה בו אפיקורסות דהוה ליה למימר תינח תורה שבכתב תורה שבעל פה מאי מיד ותוצץ הרעה על ידי אלעזר בן פועירה ויהרגו כל חכמי ישראל והיה העולם משתומם עד שבא שמעון בן שטח והחזיר את התורה ליושנה The Hasmanoim destroyed the historical division of power between the king and the priest, Temple and State. King Yannai Alexander Yannai was a son of Yochanan Hyrkanos, son of Simeon, a son of Mattathias (Matisyohu), the son of Yochanan the High Priest. Thus, Alexander Yannai was a great-grandson of the first Hasmonean, who, together with his heroic sons, fought against the Greek King Antiochus. Their self sacrifice for the Torah and for the Jewish people, resulted in the truly delightful and inspiring holiday of Chanukah. Yannai inherited the royal crown at the age of 23, after the early death of his older brother Yehudah Aristobulus. Yehudah Aristabulus was the first of the Hasmoneans who was not satisfied merely with the title "Nasi" (Prince) and had himself crowned as "king."   The Talmud (Babylonian Talmud Rosh Hashanah 18b) recounts: Once in the city of Lod they decreed a fast on the holiday of Hanukah.  In response, Rabbi Eliezer went to a bathhouse and took a bath and Rabbi Yehoshua went to a barber in Lod and had his haircut.  These two rabbis said to the people of Lod who had fasted: “Go out and make another fast on account of the fact that you fasted on Chanukah.” We learn from this that the Holiday of Hanukah was controversial, even then… clearly some Jews did not believe that the re-packaging of Hanukah as a festival of lights had done the job.  Their hatred for the Hasmanoim was so great that they actually fasted on Hanukah. The Talmud in Rosh HaShana continues: “On the Third of Tishrei, the superfluous mention of God’s name was removed from secular documents.  For the Greek kingdom had decreed that God’s name not be mentioned, and when the Hasmoneans took power they decreed that people should mention God’s name EVEN in secular documents.  And so they would write, ‘In the year so and so to Yochanan who is the Kohen Gadol to the Supreme God (kohen gadol le-el elyon).’  When the sages heard about this matter they were displeased, for they said: ‘Tomorrow this person will repay his debt and the unneeded document will be found lying in a garbage heap.’  And so they nullified the Hasmonean decree.  That day they made into a festival.” What makes this story remarkable is that the Third of Tishrei is also a fast day… it is the Fast of Gedaliah… the first instance of Jew-on-Jew assassination that occurred in the time of Jeremiah where the governor that Jeremiah supported was killed as a Babylonian collaborator by a zeolot. It would seem that even though the 3rd of Tishrei was a fast day (Tzom Gedlaiah) which is observed by Orthodox Jews till today on the day after Rosh HaShanah, the Rabbis saw no contradiction in celebrating the nullification of a Hasmonean decree.  It would appear that the Rabbis made a connection between the Jew-on-Jew violence of the zealots in Jeremiah’s generation with the similar action of the Hasmoneans in their own.  Nullifying a Hasmonean decree was an act in the spirit of the fast of Gedalya.   The blessing: And [we thank You] for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds, for the saving acts, and for the wonders which You have wrought for our ancestors in those days, at this time—  In the days of Matityahu, the son of Yochanan the High Priest, the Hasmonean and his sons, when the wicked Hellenic government rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and violate the decrees of Your will. But You, in Your abounding mercies, stood by them in the time of their distress. You waged their battles, defended their rights, and avenged the wrong done to them. You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the wanton sinners into the hands of those who occupy themselves with Your Torah. You made a great and holy name for Yourself in Your world, and effected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people Israel to this very day. Then Your children entered the shrine of Your House, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courtyards, and instituted these eight days of Hanukah to give thanks and praise to Your great Name. עַל הַנִּסִּים וְעַל הַפֻּרְקָן וְעַל הַגְּבוּרוֹת וְעַל הַתְּשׁוּעוֹת וְעַל הַנִּפְלָאוֹת וְעַל הַנֶּחָמוֹת שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה. בִּימֵי מַתִּתְיָהו בֶן יוֹחָנָן כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל חַשְׁמוֹנָאִי  וּבָנָיו כְּשֶׁעָמְדָה מַלְכוּת יָוָן הָרְשָׁעָה עַל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהשַׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתָךְ  וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחֻקֵּי רְצוֹנָךְ וְאַתָּה, בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים, עָמַדְתָּ לָהֶם בְּעֵת צָרָתָם: רַבְתָּ אֶת רִיבָם דַּנְתָּ אֶת דִּינָם נָקַמְתָּ אֶת נִקְמָתָם מָסַרְתָּ גִבּוֹרִים בְּיַד חַלָּשִׁים וְרַבִּים בְּיַד מְעַטִּים וּטְמֵאִים בְּיַד טְהוֹרִים וּרְשָׁעִים בְּיַד צַדִּיקִים וְזֵדִים בְּיַד עוֹסְקֵי תוֹרָתֶךָ וּלְךָ עָשִׂיתָ שֵׁם גָּדוֹל וְקָדוֹשׁ בְּעוֹלָמָךְ וּלְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשִׂיתָ תְּשׁוּעָה גְדוֹלָה וּפֻרְקָן כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וְאַחַר כֵּן, בָּאוּ בָנֶיךָ לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶךָ וּפִנּוּ אֶת הֵיכָלֶךָ וְטִהֲרוּ אֶת-מִקְדָּשֶׁךָ וְהִדְלִיקוּ נֵרוֹת בְּחַצְרוֹת קָדְשֶׁךָ וְקָבְעוּ שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי חֲנֻכָּה  אֵלּוּ לְהוֹדוֹת וּלְהַלֵּל לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל. The schoolmen propounded a question: Should the 'Hanukah incident be mentioned in the benediction after meals? Shall we assume that because it is rabbinical it is unnecessary? or, for the sake of the proclamation of the miracle, it should? Said Rabba in the name of R. S'haura, quoting R. Huna: "It is not necessary; however, if one wishes to do it, he should incorporate it in the thanksgiving part. R. Huna b. Judah chanced to visit Raba's academy [and] thought to mention it [Hanukkah] in [the benediction] ‘he will rebuild Jerusalem.’ Said R. Shesheth to them [the scholars], It is as the Prayer: (the Amidah – 18 Benedictions]  just as [it is inserted in] the Prayer in the [benediction of] ‘Thanks,[Modi’im anachnu Lach and not Shma Kolaein – hear our prayer] so [is it inserted in] grace after meals in the [benediction of] ‘Thanks' ." Babylonian Talmud Sabbath 24a איבעיא להו מהו להזכיר של חנוכה בברכת המזון כיון דמדרבנן הוא לא מדכרינן או דילמא משום פרסומי ניסא מדכרינן אמר רבא אמר רב סחורה אמר רב הונא אינו מזכיר ואם בא להזכיר מזכיר בהודאה רב הונא בר יהודה איקלע לבי רבא סבר לאדכורי בבונה ירושלים אמר להו רב ששת כתפלה מה תפלה בהודאה אף ברכת המזון בהודאה   The purified temple – a failed model But the newfound importance of the temple could not hide several difficult problems. Built by a Davidic king, authorized by a prophet, and authenticated through the miraculous manifestation of God (a cloud of smoke and, according to Chronicles, fire from heaven), the first temple was the splendid achievement of a splendid reign. The second temple, by contrast, although authorized by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, was built by a gentile king and was never authenticated by an overt sign of divine favor. Second Isaiah, in his prophecy announcing God’s selection of Cyrus the Great to be his “anointed one” to free the Jews from the Babylonian captivity and to build the temple, is aware that some Jews do not approve of God’s plan …. The old men who had seen the first temple in its glory cried at the dedication of the second (Ezra 3:12) - apparently tears of sadness, as they contemplated the puny temple that was before them. In the second century B.C.E., the temple’s problematic status was revealed to all. The high priests were corrupted and the temple was profaned by a gentile monarch. Even after it was regained and purified by pious Jews, there was no prophet to approve their work and no miracle to assure them that the temple was once again the abode of God. The Maccabees installed themselves as high priests although they were not of the high priestly line. When the Romans conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. they entered the sacred precincts, polluting them with their presence. Herod the Great rebuilt the temple magnificently, but his detractors Viewed him as a “half-Jew.” He completely debased the high priesthood, appointing men who had even less claim than the Maccabees to be the legitimate successors of Aaron. [pp131-2] The desecration of the temple and the persecution of Judaism by Epiphanes, the overt corruption of the high priesthood, the Maccabean revolt and the reclamation of the temple through force of arms, and the usurpation of the high priesthood by jonathan the Hasmonean, all these highlighted the problematic status of the temple. Was it legitimate? Was it the real house of God? Even if the temple had been legitimate before, how could one be sure that its purification was efficacious in the eyes of God? The dissonance between the real and the perceived was greater now than before. Through vigorous propaganda the Maccabees sought to legitimate both themselves and the temple they had regained, but many Jews were not convinced. Those who were least convinced formed sects. [161]

What up tribal family. I have internet service for a few more hours so I thought it would be good idea to squeeze in a quick show before next Sunday. I been online and there is a FB post in particular where a very young Spanish speaking girl is  breastfeeding a puppy. She obviously recently had to have given birth hersel to be proucing breast milk and yes she is being recorded as she breast feeds a pup. We indigenous aka Black Hbrew Americans tend to be very nieve and indifferent that 98% of the Europ-ean and Caucasoid North Americans, i call them the ALBINO LEPER tribes of Kanaan endorse beastiality, see absolutely nothing immoral or unclean about it, although the Bible says and teaches differently. Those who came from EurAsia and originally settled AMERICA came here using the BIBLE as their MANIFESTO of moral law and civilized behavior. But those now in control of America, it' citizens, people and governments both Federal and State are not those same ppl. The SONS of BELIAL now rule the entire WORLD. Of these 27 occurrences, the idiom "sons of Belial" (?????????????????? beni beliyaal) appears 15 times to indicate worthless people, including idolaters (Deuteronomy 13:13), the men of Gibeah (Judges 19:22, 20:13), the sons of Eli (1 Samuel 2:12), Nabal, and Shime. A man or son of Belial is a wicked, worthless man; one resolved to endure no subjection; a rebel; a disobedient, uncontrollable fellow, Jud 19:22 1 Samuel 2:12. In later writings, Belial is put for the power or lord  of evil, Satan   

Out of the Maccabean revolt, three rulers rise successively, Judah Maccabee, Jonathan, and then Simon. Simon and two of his his sons were murdered, and only John Hyrcanus was left to rule. Various other rulers rise and fall, but Salome Alexandra is the only woman in antiquity to rule Judea and be praised for it. During this time, Israel was consolidating power and various cities were breaking from Seleucid empire. John Hyrcanus rules as high priest and ethnarch, annexing Samaria and the remnants of Edom (now the Idumeans), forcing the people to become Jewish and be circumcised. The leading families of the Idumeans would become important, including the family of Herod. During the later times leading up to Roman rule, the Jewish rulers start calling themselves kings, and their courts populated by Hellenized Jews. Several factions emerge, including the Pharisees and Essenes who react against these rulers. The Pharisees have a number of beliefs, such as belief in the resurrection and in oral tradition, that mark them as very different from the beliefs of the ruling class, which would include the Sadducees. The Pharisees also had leaders who were not priests, but rather what would become the modern-day rabbi. The tension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees reached a head when the Pharisees demanded that the king choose between being a king or being high priest. The king sided with the Sadducees, which led to a civil war and suppression of the Pharisees.Be sure to look at the image embedded in the MP3, which will make it much easier to follow.The closing theme is Gerard Satamian's Chansons Sans Paroles Op. 2 Pastorale, from the album Dry Fig Trees. www.magnatune.com