Posts by Doug Mason

8

The soteriology of Revelation

by Doug Mason in

my draft chapters on the book of revelation is available at:.

http://www.jwstudies.com/the_book_of_revelation_s_nature_and_its_soteriology.pdf.

i am seriously seeking corrections, criticisms, and advice.. thanks,.

Doug Mason

confusedalot,

None of Genesis is literal in the sense that we would understand. Their histories and stories were written for a religious purpose by several groups.

There are two Creation stories, one written about a God named EL and a very different account by a group that used the name YHWH from the very start of their account

Let me illustrate by looking at the YHWH Creation story which starts at Genesis 2:4b.

The authors, who were a literate minority, belonged to the "YHWH-only" movement. The vast bulk of the nation were polytheists, both at the family level and in the royal household. Not only did they worship YHWH as a major God but they had other Gods, including the Goddess Asherah. She had been EL's wife but the masses assigned her to be YHWH's consort (wife). She or her symbols are mentioned (grudgingly, no doubt) about 40 times in the OT.

Asherah's symbol was a tree. So we have people believing they would get their needs met by this goddess who was symbolised by a tree. It takes little thought to see the "Tree of Life" symbolism in Eden. So we have a woman and a tree of life deceiving Man.

The snake also had positive symbolism. Consider how Moses' snakes were more powerful than Pharaoh's or the positive effect when Moses elevated a snake. It is even used to symbolize Jesus.

And Satan had not developed the image it received during Europe's "Dark Ages".

Thus we have this situation where the 'YHWH-only" writers created a story that attacked every element they hated within their community.

If you want to discover more about the way they created history (historiography) study the Deuteronomic History and the context of the time it was written. Someone in the Persian Era (Ezra??) did not agree with the slant taken by the Deuteronomists, so he wrote the writings we call 1 and 2 Chronicles.

Doug

8

The soteriology of Revelation

by Doug Mason in

my draft chapters on the book of revelation is available at:.

http://www.jwstudies.com/the_book_of_revelation_s_nature_and_its_soteriology.pdf.

i am seriously seeking corrections, criticisms, and advice.. thanks,.

Doug Mason

Thanks for your comments. Please give me more.

I am developing a Study that focuses on the history of Judaeo/Christian soteriology, and my material on Revelation is part of that focus.

To date, the Study has grown and the ongoing Draft is available at:

http://www.jwstudies.com/Revolutions_in_Salvation__Draft_.pdf

I update it each time I complete a Draft chapter.

Right now, I am developing material on the various soteriologies of the early Israelites. In other words I am exploring their polytheistic foundation and the late emergence of monotheism by a literate minority.

It is my hope that people will read the books I quote. There is a vast amount of material and I touch on only a sample indicative amount. My hope is that people will be inspired to dig and to dig deeply.

If we are to understand Revelation, as with any other Biblical document, we have to read it as if we were living at the time a document was produced. None of them was writing to us. In every instance, the writer was completely focused on his immediate community, with the intention to influence them. None of them was writing to any later community. They were not writing to us.

In Revelation, John was telling the followers of Jesus that they had to "overcome" and he portrayed their opponents -- Rome on earth and Satan in the heavenly realm -- in various guises, using dramatic symbols that had meaning to his immediate ekklesias (not "churches").

The other canonised purely apocalyptic writing is Daniel, and it too employs mythical beasts. The key there is that the Book of Daniel was written 400 years after the events being portrayed. The 2nd century BCE writers of Daniel were giving coded messages to their own Jewish community while they were being persecuted by Antiochus Epiphanes. The authors used the beasts to symbolize the past and also their contemporary tormentors. That would have gone unnoticed by the Jews' oppressors.

Even though Mathew 24 was written as a prophecy, it was created 15 years after Jerusalem had been destroyed. We must not try to impress our 21st century Western thinking on to them. Their "histories" are not literal. Their histories were written purely for religious purposes.

I understand that the communities at the time that Revelation was written were not using the term "Christians". That term did not come into commonplace use until more than 100 years later. There were "Jews" (including Paul, Jesus, John, etc) and there were "Gentiles". Indeed, the writer of Revelation is obviously a Jew through and through. His imagery, his language, is completely full of Jewish idioms and scriptures. Nothing about the life and times of Jesus.

I have not thought through what John meant by "Lord's Day". My gut feel is that he was talking about the divine intervention, which would be manifested by Jesus "coming soon" and the descent of the New Jerusalem. Those first century followers of Jesus expected these events were imminent. Imagine their heightened speculation.

Long after Paul had died someone had to cool their ardour, writing what we now know as 2 Thessalonians. Almost 100 years later, it became clear that their expectations were not being met, so someone wrote those word in 2 Peter to soften the blow.

Let me make my own position very clear: I am writing a history. I am not saying that I believe any of it or whether I agree with anything that any of them said. I am an objective documenter. I am not trying to prove, attack, or defend.

Doug

8

The soteriology of Revelation

by Doug Mason in

my draft chapters on the book of revelation is available at:.

http://www.jwstudies.com/the_book_of_revelation_s_nature_and_its_soteriology.pdf.

i am seriously seeking corrections, criticisms, and advice.. thanks,.

Doug Mason

Hi,

My Draft chapters on the Book of Revelation is available at:

http://www.jwstudies.com/THE_BOOK_OF_REVELATION_S_NATURE_AND_ITS_SOTERIOLOGY.pdf

I am seriously seeking corrections, criticisms, and advice.

Thanks,

Doug

9

The Creation of Genesis Chapter 2ff

by Doug Mason in

i had long held the piece of the jigsaw puzzle which starts at genesis 2:4b – the yahwist’s creation story.

i knew that its authors had never heard of lamarck’s theory of evolution, nor had they read darwin’s “origin of species”.

the authors were addressing their own immediate culture, so i had to transport my mind to their times.

Doug Mason

If anyone buys "History's Vanquished Goddess ASHERAH" by Darlene Kosnik to see the wide range of applications and imagery throughout the regions (Crete, Egypt, Babylon, etc.) note that the (2017) ebook is a condensation of the (2014) paperback and the page numbers do not correspond.

Doug

9

The Creation of Genesis Chapter 2ff

by Doug Mason in

i had long held the piece of the jigsaw puzzle which starts at genesis 2:4b – the yahwist’s creation story.

i knew that its authors had never heard of lamarck’s theory of evolution, nor had they read darwin’s “origin of species”.

the authors were addressing their own immediate culture, so i had to transport my mind to their times.

Doug Mason

Crazyguy,

It is understood by many that the "Wisdom" you speak of -- and which is feminine -- could be referencing Asherah. Any thought that this personified "Wisdom" is a pre-existing Jesus is farcical nonsense.

The religion of the Israelites was not created in a vacuum. They were influenced by their neighbors and much of it was directly inherited from the wider Canaanite society. They were (hill-dwelling, poorer, agrarian) Canaanites. They created myths to give themselves pride and a sense of identity. They did not write history in the fashion that we understand the meaning of the word "history".

Doug

9

The Creation of Genesis Chapter 2ff

by Doug Mason in

i had long held the piece of the jigsaw puzzle which starts at genesis 2:4b – the yahwist’s creation story.

i knew that its authors had never heard of lamarck’s theory of evolution, nor had they read darwin’s “origin of species”.

the authors were addressing their own immediate culture, so i had to transport my mind to their times.

Doug Mason

fulltimestudent,

Yes, the more you think about it, it's a pile of writhing snakes.

Firstly, I time the earliest writing of Genesis 2 to the 8th century BCE which would have given it its shape. Probably the form that we have would be when J and E were combined with P, likely in the Persian Era (Ezra??). I perceive the Deuteronomists being involved in there also.

The Yahwists who wrote that Creation story also wrote their version of the Ten Commandments (literally titled as such in the Bible) at Exodus 34;14-28, where we can read between the lines and see what they were objecting to in their own period. ("Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles." Exodus 34:13, NIV)

It is so fascinating to see the proliferation of goddesses, including with the family-religion practiced by the vast majority of Israelites/Judahites.

The indications are that Genesis 2:4b ff contains several references to Asherah, whether it be Eve (Lilith), the tree (asherah) or the snake.

We need to be cautious that we do not impose medieval European depictions and concepts of Satan/Devil onto 8th century BCE concepts.

It needs to be kept in mind that the "Yahweh-only" party and the Deuteronomists were the minority and only came into prominence at the time of and due to the Jews' neo-Babylonian experience.

They were the only literate group so all we read is their propaganda, including the removal and denigration of Asherah.

The misogyny of that literate minority has affected all future Judaeo/Christian attitudes, including in our own time.

Doug

9

The Creation of Genesis Chapter 2ff

by Doug Mason in

i had long held the piece of the jigsaw puzzle which starts at genesis 2:4b – the yahwist’s creation story.

i knew that its authors had never heard of lamarck’s theory of evolution, nor had they read darwin’s “origin of species”.

the authors were addressing their own immediate culture, so i had to transport my mind to their times.

Doug Mason

I had long held the piece of the jigsaw puzzle which starts at Genesis 2:4b – the Yahwist’s Creation story. I knew that its authors had never heard of Lamarck’s theory of evolution, nor had they read Darwin’s “Origin of Species”. The authors were addressing their own immediate culture, so I had to transport my mind to their times

Until now I had not appreciated how the adjoining pieces of the puzzle would enable me to lock it in place and make sense of it in its initial context and meaning. Although the picture is much clearer, other pieces are still not in full focus.

These authors of that Creation story were of the minority, a small number of the literate elite class, members of the “Yahweh-alone” party.

The vast bulk of the nation were polytheists, worshiping gods and goddesses. They had given their god Yahweh a wife and they worshiped both. Her name was Asherah and her images were everywhere. One feature of her iconography was to symbolise her with tree. So pieces of the puzzle include a key goddess (Asherah) and a tree (asherah). Further, some Jewish sources say that Eve is Asherah.

While the religion of the minority was controlled by men, the religion of the majority, being family-based, was largely managed by the women. (They baked cakes to the “Queen of Heaven”. One could be forgiven for seeing Roman Catholicism’s mass as well as its adoration of Mary reflecting these.)

Another piece of the jigsaw was the snake. At that time, the snake could have a positive karma or a negative one. Moses showed that his snakes were wiser and more powerful than Pharaoh’s. The elevation of a snake by Moses was employed as a positive portent of Jesus. The medical profession’s symbol is of a snake: the Caduceus. Significantly, icons show Asherah with a snake. Although apparently phallic, the snake could be regarded as feminine.

So it appears that the narrative of Genesis 2 is a polemic against the polytheists who have misled men (or maybe Yahweh?) by providing them with fruit from the tree (Asherah) which promises Life but the Yahwists said it only provided women with pain as they give birth

Further, rather than the woman having the right to manage and dominate in religious affairs, as was taking place throughout the nation, she was inferior to man because she had been brought forth from him. She was thus designed to help man, to stand by his side and to support him.

Doug

==============

The following is from “History’s Vanquished Goddess ASHERAH” by Darlene Kosnik (page 247, paperback; page 168, Kindle):

Goddess worship conflicted with the rise of monotheism and the formation of the Old Testament. Posing a threat to the monotheistic definition of god, the feminine component of religion had to be eradicated.

By the end of the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, the only major goddess surviving in Palestine was Asherah, but Asherah’s days were numbered also and she was soon eliminated. Commenting upon Asherah’s vanquishment, The Forbidden Goddess asks: “How could a goddess so loved by the people be so hated by the Old Testament writers?” (Rhys-Davies 1993).

The answer lies with the Old Testament authors who “represented the orthodox right-wing, nationalist parties who edited the Bible,” explains archaeologist and biblical scholar Professor Dever. “They were all male. They represented the establishment. They didn’t like the idea of a consort – a female consort of Yahweh’s

Asherah was at the very least a nuisance, at the very worst, she was a real threat to their idea of what god was like and therefore she had to disappear”

7

Searching for 1980's articles

by Doug Mason in

i have received the following request and as i am unable to help, i am turning to you.

apparently they relate to the 1925 prediction.. thanks, doug.

could you provide me with a photocopy of the following publications of the watchtower society?.

Doug Mason

Brilliant,

Thank you!

Doug

7

Searching for 1980's articles

by Doug Mason in

i have received the following request and as i am unable to help, i am turning to you.

apparently they relate to the 1925 prediction.. thanks, doug.

could you provide me with a photocopy of the following publications of the watchtower society?.

Doug Mason

I have received the following request and as I am unable to help, I am turning to you. Apparently they relate to the 1925 prediction.

Thanks, Doug

============

Could you provide me with a photocopy of the following publications of the Watchtower Society?

Watchtower February 15, 1984 pp. 23-24, "Always Ready for the End" (p. 21).

Awake! May 22, 1989 p. 32.

33

Have you ever thought what the primary teaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses is?

by Half banana in

it is not “preach the good news” nor is it “believe in jesus and get saved” neither is it “believe in the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses and get saved” although in practice they do teach this.

no, everything they claim depends on a belief in another doctrine which logic decrees cannot be found in the bible.

the leadership of jehovah’s witnesses put absolute faith in a protestant doctrine which is given a latin name, sola scriptura, meaning “by scripture alone”.. good evidence of the governing body believing in the primacy of this doctrine was when being questioned by the australian royal commission, they resorted to the ‘authority’ of scripture to defend their stance on having “two witnesses” when they are investigating child abuse cases.throughout the hearing they paraded their naive trust in the bible as the highest possible authority proudly ignoring the fact that most people regard it as having been superseded by modern scientific evaluations of what is true.. .

Doug Mason

I find it interesting that the Watchtower accepts the Bible Canon as suggested by the Trinitarian Athanasius and later agreed to by the Church in the 4th century.

Not that there is one agreed "The Bible". Consider the range of views by the Church Fathers, the canons of the 4th Century codices, or modern canons such as the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Syrian, Ethiopian, etc., etc.

There was no canon of Hebrew Scriptures in the first century and the NT writers quoted from the range of LXX versions available to them plus writings that were later not canonised (1 Enoch, etc., etc.).

No one knows what was initially written (the autographs) as the text underwent innumerable deliberate and accidental changes. Hence scholars created the term "inscripturation".

The Watchtower changed the text to suit its purposes. In doing so, the Watchtower is continuing the practice that has taken place ever since the texts were initially written thousands of years ago.

Only the Roman Catholic Church has formally voted on the Canon. Protestants accept their Canon on the basis of Tradition.

Doug