2000+ y.o.Hellenistic Style Gold Earring Discovered in Jerusalem.

by fulltimestudent 5 Replies latest jw friends

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  fulltimestudent

  In find of ancient gold earring, echoes of Greek rule over Jerusalem

  

  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A gold earring believed to date back more than 2000 years has been unearthed near the site of the ancient Jewish temples in Jerusalem, in what Israeli archaeologists called rare evidence of Hellenistic influence.

  See the Reuters report: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-archaeology/in-find-of-ancient-gold-earring-echoes-of-greek-rule-over-jerusalem-idUSKBN1KT18G

  Such material trinkets may be rare, but there is a lot of scholarly discussion as to the depth of Greek influence in the minds and hearts of the Jewish population of that time.
  
  
  
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  Perry

  There's that darn thing. I been looking for that earring!
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  fulltimestudent

  Smile! Glad you found it at last, brother Perry.

  May I say, your pik shows that in your excellent conidition for a 2100 years old guy. So good in fact, that I cant believe that you have existed all these years. Therefore I'm looking at the alternative - that actually you are either a re-incarnated human or that you are an early ressurectee of the 'princes of old' that Joe R believed would soon be hitting the sunny uplands of California.

  There is, of course, a technical difference between resurrection and reincarnation. I will attempt to explain that technical difference.

  Resurrection is a person coming back to life. For example, in the bible, Jesus died and he rose again. ... Every Christian believes he will be resurrected just like Jesus one day.

  This definition is dependent on the dictionary definition: "the act of bringing something that had disappeared or ended back into use or existence"

  Reincarnation, on the other hand is a soul (or something) beginning a new life in a new body on earth, not necessarily in the body of a human.

  Again dependent on a dictionary definition: "the rebirth of a soul in another body."

  So I'm not sure what process you have endured brother Perry. In fact, when you start a discussion with someone on this topic, its damned hard not to get confused as most religious people start to get a bit muddled.

  To illustrate: As JWs we imagined that when we died, we disappeared from existence and could only be brought back by the fact that YHWH (or Maybe JESUS) in their ever expanding giant harddisc like mind, would find a little space to remember every detail of our previous existence, so that when he graciously favoured us with remembrance and re-made a similar body to our pre-death body, our first thought would quite possibly immediately connect to our last pre-death thought(s).

  I've heard Jws go to enormous lengths to deny that that would be a 'reincarnation.' But compare it to what many Buddhists seem to believe, which is: All living things undergo a continues process of life, death and reincarnation. How does that happen? Well, they imagine that when we die, a "trace" of us continues and becomes implanted in some near-to-being-born lifeform. If you want to ask a Buddhist what that 'trace' is, I can only wish you good luck. But they are insistent, somehow that that 'trace' not only exists but is preserved until implanted in it's next 'host.' And, Hey! Presto, its the new you!!!!

  Is that so very different from the JW concept? YHWH preserves a 'trace' of us, that enables him to implant that trace/memory of you into the new body/host and HEY! Presto!n its the new /old us.

  So what do you reckon brother Perry, which way did you experience this blessing?
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  fulltimestudent

  And, if a desire for further deep thoughts on the Reincarnation versus Resurrection debate, trouble your mind you may like to read this paper that was given at he Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion & Philosophy, 30 March - 2 April, Osaka, Japan, 2012.

  Abstract

  There are two types of death, the death of the body and the death of the soul. Many world Scriptures portray that although a body is alive, the soul within that body may remain dead. The Bible and the Qur'an makes a portrayal that although people seem to be alive, their souls are dead. The body is sometimes symbolized as the tomb for the dead soul. Therefore, it is possible that as long as the soul is dead, it continues to reincarnate into other bodies (tombs), until the soul is resurrected, breaking the wheel of Samsara.
  
  Although Christianity preaches resurrection, this paper attempts to present a Biblical mystery about reincarnation. Reincarnation in Hebrew is "gilgul." The term shares the same root as Gilgal and Golgotha. Golgotha is the place where Jesus was crucified, according to the Gospel. Gilgul means round or wheel. It is for that reason Golgotha is also translated as the place of the Skull, as it is round. This paper shows how the symbolism of Jesus' crucifixion in Golgotha is a portrayal of breaking the wheel of Samsara and how the dead souls in their tombs (bodies) may be resurrected to life.
  
  In the Qur'an, death is almost always referring to the death of souls, and not the body. Therefore, resurrection may be understood as the resurrection of the dead souls, and not the body. Hell is described as a place that whenever flesh degenerates, it is replaced for another, so that people may taste suffering. This may also be understood as reincarnation of the soul in different bodies, until the dead soul is resurrected.

  This paper shows that the debate between resurrection and reincarnation may not be needed, as resurrection is the point where the wheel of reincarnation is broken.
  

  Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2069596

  I sure hope that I've confused no-one.

  
  
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  Perry

  
  
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  fulltimestudent

  haha! its taught me a great deal about your thought processes.