Topics Started by peacefulpete

25
Jesus the Maintenance Man
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. bible
i posted on another thread what i thought was an interesting angle, seldom discussed regarding the role of god/logos in holding creation together and its maintenance.

most moderns think of the universe as a self-perpetuating machine, but ancients looked to the god/s to ensure order continued and fertility returned year after year.

we read, throughout the ot, of jews performing prescribed ritual and festivals to ensure god's blessing and providence.
3
Baptism on Fire
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. bible
going through justin martyr's dialogue with trypho yesterday, i found a variation on the baptism scene :.

88. and let this be a proof to you, namely, what i told you was done by the magi from arabia, who as soon as the child was born came to worship him, for even at his birth he was in possession of his power; and as he grew up like all other men, by using the fitting means, he assigned its own [requirements] to each development, and was sustained by all kinds of nourishment, and waited for thirty years, more or less, until john appeared before him as the herald of his approach, and preceded him in the way of baptism, as i have already shown.

and then, when jesus had gone to the river jordan, where john was baptizing, and when he had stepped into the water, a fire was kindled in the jordan; and when he came out of the water, the holy ghost lighted on him like a dove, [as] the apostles of this very christ of ours wrote.
10
Pella
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. bible
this short thread addresses the often-repeated legend that christians fled jerusalem to pella and escaped the destruction of jerusalem.

the legend is based upon two 4th century comments.. .

the whole body, however, of the church at jerusalem, having been commanded by a divine revelation given to men of approved piety there before the war, removed from the city to a certain town beyond the jordan called pella.
8
Angelic Singing
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. bible
jo 38:7. when the morning stars sang togetherand all the sons of god shouted for joy?.

this passage and others apparently reveal a belief among some jewish communities that angels sang.

the natural corollary is that angels had a language, and that language would naturally be supposed to be a superior one.
5
More Menorah
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. bible
another brief example of ancient traditions reinterpreted by worshipers of yahweh.

the book of exodus 25:.

31 ¶ and thou shalt make a lampstand of pure gold; of beaten work shall the lampstand be made; its base and its branches, its bowls, its knops, and its flowers shall be of the same.32 and six branches shall come out of the sides of it, three branches of the lampstand out of the one side and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side,33 three bowls made like unto almonds with a knop and a flower in one branch, and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch with a knop and a flower; thus in the six branches that come out of the lampstand.34 and in the lampstand shall be four bowls made like unto almonds with their knops and their flowers.35 and there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and another knop under two branches of the same, and another knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the lampstand.36 their knops and their branches shall be of the same; all of it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.37 and thou shalt make its seven lamps; and they shall light its lamps, that they may give light over against it.. ok, so there is this strangely detailed description of a sacred golden lampstand, with 7 lamps in a strict formation of 3 branches on each side a single 7th in the center.
26
God or Satan?
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. bible
the theme of my recent comment in another thread demonstrated how in some circles the 'word/logos' had become understood to be implied within ot texts that mention an angel or destroyer (in the case of ex 12).

the comment got no response so i'll repost it now as a springboard for a further observation:.

here's another example of the extreme personification of the logos/word from the wisdom of solomon (approx.
1
Pentecost Again
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
it has been discussed on this forum many times how many gospel elements were sourced from the ot and related traditions and recast as typological 'fulfillments'.

the same is true of certain sections from acts.

i recently ran across an interesting section of the talmud that certainly seems a good candidate for the inspiration for pentecost scene in acts 2.. recall that the shavuot or pentecost festival was linked to the exodus story of the reception of the 10 commandments on mt sinai.
1
Pentecost Again
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
it has been discussed on this forum many times how many gospel elements were sourced from the ot and related traditions and recast as typological 'fulfillments'.

the same is true of certain sections from acts.

i recently ran across an interesting section of the talmud that certainly seems a good candidate for the inspiration for pentecost scene in acts 2.. recall that the shavuot or pentecost festival was linked to the exodus story of the reception of the 10 commandments on mt sinai.
1
Pentecost with a Twist
by peacefulpete in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
this is not going to be an in-depth research thread but a simple commentary.

most of us are aware the ot yahweh is at times referred to as a 'bull' or having horns of the auroch (wild bull).

the mighty heavenly cherubim (bulls) are said to pull his chariot.
11
Fashion in Heaven
by peacefulpete in
1. social
2. humour
why is it that fashions are assumed to have stayed the same in heaven for thousands of years?

you'd think that after wearing the same boring robe for eternity you'd crave something different.

yet no, angels and god are still wearing the same white onesie they had when they vacationed on earth with abraham.