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The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha

The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha

Students, professors and general readers alike have relied upon The Oxford Annotated Bible for essential scholarship and guidance to the world of the Bible for nearly four decades. Now a new editorial board and team of contributors have completely updated this classic work. The result is a volume which maintains and extends the excellence the Annotated's users have come to expect, bringing new insights, information, and approaches to bear upon the understanding of the text of the Bible.

The new edition includes a full index to all of the study material (not just to the annotations), and one that is keyed to page numbers, not to citations. And, to make certain points in the text clearer for the reader, there are approximately 40 in-text, line drawing maps and diagrams.

With the best of the Annotated's traditional strengths, and the augmentation of new information and new approaches represented in current scholarship, the Third Edition will serve as the reader's and student's constant resource for a new century.

About the Author

Michael Coogan is Professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, and director of publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum. Carol Newsom is at Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, Georgia.

Paperback: 2180 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; College edition (January 25, 2001)

The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament Volume One
The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament Volume One The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament: Apocrypha

The most esteemed body of books left out of the Bible, the Old Testament Apocrypha is of interest to historians, religious scholars, and ordinary laypeople alike. For more than 70 years this version, edited by R.H. Charles, has been the definitive critical edition. Out of print for years, Apocryphile Press is proud to make it available once more to scholars and the curious.

Paperback: 700 pages
Publisher: Apocryphile Press (November 1, 2004)

The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two
The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two

Of all the books left out of the Bible, only the Apocrypha rivals the Pseudepigrapha in popularity and importance. This edition of the Pseudepigrapha was edited by R. H. Charles and was the definitive critical edition for over 70 years.

Paperback: 800 pages
Publisher: Apocryphile Press (November 1, 2004)

The Urantia Book
The Urantia Book The Urantia Book

Love

Love is truly contagious and eternally creative. (p. 2018) “Devote your life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world.” (p. 2047) “Love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness, the essence of the true and the beautiful.” (p. 2047) The Father’s love can become real to mortal man only by passing through that man’s personality as he in turn bestows this love upon his fellows. (p. 1289) The secret of a better civilization is bound up in the Master’s teachings of the brotherhood of man, the good will of love and mutual trust. (p. 2065)

Prayer

Prayer is not a technique of escape from conflict but rather a stimulus to growth in the very face of conflict. (p. 1002) The sincerity of any prayer is the assurance of its being heard. … (p. 1639) God answers man’s prayer by giving him an increased revelation of truth, an enhanced appreciation of beauty, and an augmented concept of goodness. (p. 1002) …Never forget that the sincere prayer of faith is a mighty force for the promotion of personal happiness, individual self-control, social harmony, moral progress, and spiritual attainment. (p. 999)

Suffering

There is a great and glorious purpose in the march of the universes through space. All of your mortal struggling is not in vain. (p. 364) Mortals only learn wisdom by experiencing tribulation. (p. 556)

Angels

The angels of all orders are distinct personalities and are highly individualized. (p. 285) Angels....are fully cognizant of your moral struggles and spiritual difficulties. They love human beings, and only good can result from your efforts to understand and love them. (p. 419)

Our Divine Destiny

If you are a willing learner, if you want to attain spirit levels and reach divine heights, if you sincerely desire to reach the eternal goal, then the divine Spirit will gently and lovingly lead you along the pathway of sonship and spiritual progress. (p. 381) …They who know that God is enthroned in the human heart are destined to become like him—immortal. (p. 1449) God is not only the determiner of destiny; he is man’s eternal destination. (p. 67)

Family

Almost everything of lasting value in civilization has its roots in the family. (p. 765) The family is man’s greatest purely human achievement. ... (p. 939)

Faith

…Faith will expand the mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the personality, augment the happiness, deepen the spirit perception, and enhance the power to love and be loved. (p. 1766) “Now, mistake not, my Father will ever respond to the faintest flicker of faith.” (p. 1733)

History/Science

The story of man’s ascent from seaweed to the lordship of earthly creation is indeed a romance of biologic struggle and mind survival. (p. 731) 2,500,000,000 years ago… Urantia was a well developed sphere about one tenth its present mass. … (p. 658) 1,000,000,000 years ago is the date of the actual beginning of Urantia [Earth] history. (p. 660) 450,000,000 years ago the transition from vegetable to animal life occurred. (p. 669) From the year A.D. 1934 back to the birth of the first two human beings is just 993,419 years. (p. 707) About five hundred thousand years ago…there were almost one-half billion primitive human beings on earth. … (p. 741) Adam and Eve arrived on Urantia, from the year A.D. 1934, 37,848 years ago. (p. 828)

From the Inside Flap

What’s Inside?

Parts I and II

God, the inhabited universes, life after death, angels and other beings, the war in heaven.

Part III

The history of the world, science and evolution, Adam and Eve, development of civilization, marriage and family, personal spiritual growth.

Part IV

The life and teachings of Jesus including the missing years. AND MUCH MORE…

Excerpts

God, …God is the source and destiny of all that is good and beautiful and true. (p. 1431) If you truly want to find God, that desire is in itself evidence that you have already found him. (p. 1440) When man goes in partnership with God, great things may, and do, happen. (p. 1467)

The Origin of Human Life, The universe is not an accident... (p. 53) The universe of universes is the work of God and the dwelling place of his diverse creatures. (p. 21) The evolutionary planets are the spheres of human origin…Urantia [Earth] is your starting point. … (p. 1225) In God, man lives, moves, and has his being. (p. 22)

The Purpose of Life, There is in the mind of God a plan which embraces every creature of all his vast domains, and this plan is an eternal purpose of boundless opportunity, unlimited progress, and endless life. (p. 365) This new gospel of the kingdom… presents a new and exalted goal of destiny, a supreme life purpose. (p. 1778)

Jesus, The religion of Jesus is the most dynamic influence ever to activate the human race. (p. 1091) What an awakening the world would experience if it could only see Jesus as he really lived on earth and know, firsthand, his life-giving teachings! (p. 2083)

Science, Science, guided by wisdom, may become man’s great social liberator. (p. 909) Mortal man is not an evolutionary accident. There is a precise system, a universal law, which determines the unfolding of the planetary life plan on the spheres of space. (p. 560)

Life after Death, God’s love is universal… He is “not willing that any should perish.” (p. 39) Your short sojourn on Urantia [Earth]…is only a single link, the very first in the long chain that is to stretch across universes and through the eternal ages. (p. 435) …Death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery. (p. 159)

About the Author

The text of The Urantia Book was provided by one or more anonymous contributors working with a small staff which provided editorial and administrative support during the book's creation. The book bears no particular credentials (from a human viewpoint), relying instead on the power and beauty of the writing itself to persuade the reader of its authenticity.

Leather Bound: 2097 pages
Publisher: Urantia Foundation; Box Lea edition (August 25, 2015)

The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation

The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation

From the Back Cover This collection of apocryphal texts supersedes the best-selling edition by M. R. James, which was originally published in 1924, and regularly reprinted. Several new texts have come to light since 1924 and the textual base for some of the apocrypha previously translated by James is now more secure, as in several cases there are recently published critical editions available. Although a modest appendix to James's edition was added in 1953, no thorough revision has previously been undertaken. In this volume, J. K. Elliott presents new translations of the texts and has provided each of them with a short introduction and bibliography directed to those who wish to pursue further the issues raised in the texts, or to consult the critical editions, other versions, or general studies. The translations are in modern English, in contrast to James's deliberate imitation of the language of the Authorized Version. The collection is designed to give readers the most important and famous of the Christian apocrypha, together with a select sample of gnostic texts. Full translations of the earliest texts are printed.

About the Author

J. K. Elliott (Editor)

Paperback: 774 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; First Paperback Edition edition (December 22, 2005)

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English

From Library Journal

This one-volume translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls joins those of Florentino Garcia Martinez (The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated, Eerdman's, 1996) and Michael Wise and others (The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, LJ 12/96) and is the latest edition of The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, first published in 1962. In a 90-page introduction, Vermes (emeritus, Jewish studies, Wolfson Coll., Oxford) briefly summarizes the 50-year history of scrolls research. He presents an overview of the sectarian community associated with the scrolls (whom he identifies as the Essenes), its history, and its beliefs. Though dubbed "complete" (the preface explains that "meaningless scraps or badly damaged manuscript sections are not inflicted on the reader"), Vermes's translation is generally the most selective of the three. This sometimes saves the reader from the possible frustration of line upon line of brackets and ellipses, but it gives a limited idea of the extent of the textual material available. However, the translation is good and has stood as the standard for many years. As with Bibles, libraries should have more than one version of the Dead Sea Scrolls.?Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hardcover: 648 pages
Publisher: Allen Lane / The Penguin Press; 1st edition (July 1, 1997)

The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library) The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

"Bentley Layton's "The Gnostic Scriptures is the one indispensable book for the understanding of Gnosis and Gnosticism. No other translations are within light-years of Layton's in eloquence, pathos, and accuracy, while no other commentaries match his as an introduction to this perpetually relevant religious stance. Layton is particularly brilliant in his appreciation of Valentinus, the central Gnostic visionary, whose "Gospel of Truth is marvelously served in this translation." --Harold Bloom, author of "The Book of J and "The Western Canon

"Bentley Layton's "The Gnostic Scriptures" is the one indispensable book for the understanding of Gnosis and Gnosticism. No other translations are within light-years of Layton's in eloquence, pathos, and accuracy, while no other commentaries match his as an introduction to this perpetually relevant religious stance. Layton is particularly brilliant in his appreciation of Valentinus, the central Gnostic visionary, whose "Gospel of Truth" is marvelously served in this translation." --Harold Bloom, author of "The Book of J" and "The Western Canon"

About the Author:

Bentley Layton was educated at Harvard University and taught for five years in Jerusalem at the Ecole biblique et archeologique francaise. He worked in Cairo with UNESCO Technical Subcommittee to reconstruct the Coptic Gnostic manuscripts of Nag Hammadi and then taught at Yale University, where he was appointed to the Goff Professorship of Religious Studies. He is the recipient of fellowships from American Council of Learned Societies, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Guggenheim Foundation and past President of the International Association of Coptic Studies.

Paperback: 337 pages
Publisher: Independently published (January 9, 2018)


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The Origin
Of
Our Belief In God

by Erik Langkjer
#

    TABLE OF CONTENTS    


Part II: The Sun Hero

29. A Near Eastern parallel to the atman-brahman motif


The castration of Ouranos who would come and by force unite himself to Ge[1], is the splitting up of cosmic unity, and as the symbol of this division, El Cronos (and Mithras and Resheph) carries the two world pillars in his hands. (Also Mithras' killing of the bull is the killing of primordial unity to allow room for the light, the travels of the sun and the moon in their cars). Therefore the human sacrifice to Ouranos is the boy called unity, Je(h)ud (Praep.Ev. 1,10,44, cf. 33: monogenés). His killing is, like the killing of the sacred bull and the purusha sacrifice, creation of cosmos by the cutting up of primordial unity[2]. In death and in the afterlife man returns to this mystic unity, as is seen from a figurine of clay found among graves, and now in the Museum of Cartage (12 cm, from the 7-6th cent. BC, A.Parrot et al., Les Phéniciens,fig. 166). His body is close to the shape of the standing stone, it has the marks of androgyny, and on his breast there is a giant cross uniting left and right, up and down. Standing stones from the Punic area show the androgyny connected to the life after death. In Selinus, in the eastern part of Sicily, by a temple for Zeus Meilichios, were found many stelai, erected over the ashes of sacrificed animals, and crowned w double busts of male & female[3].

At the palace at Mari is pictured a god, who seems to rise out of the primordial mountain being one with the starry sky. The picture has the contours of a stele. He is the union of light and darkness, black but surrounded by an aura of light. With his body and stretched arms he is uniting earth and heaven, right and left[4].

In early Syrian Christianity Jesus is called Ihidaja, "the only one", "unique", cf Greek:monogenés, John 1,18. Now acc to 1.Henoch 49,3, the "Son of Man" is the place where the just deceased are united after death: "In him (the Son of Man) dwells the spirit of wisdom and the spirit that offers insight...and the spirit of those who have passed away in justice".

J-E.Ménard[5] has shown that Syrian speculations (known from Liber Graduum) about primordial man, Adam, as a perfect being ruling over the whole universe, are the key to the Gospel of Thomas with its ideal of the "single one" (monachos). To become united to this "man of light" is salvation: "Blessed is he who shall stand by the beginning"(logion 18). In my own book,Dåben og Himmelrejsen til den skjulte Adam, I have tried, with the help of the Mandaean notion of the Secret Glorious Adam as macr´anthropos and world pillar, to show that salvation in the early church could be understood as being united to Christ as macr´anthropos. We are here dealing with an exact parallel to the Indian motif of atman, man's soul, being united to Brahman, the big cosmic soul, and mystical experience is the key to this notion.

Philo says: "For when the prophetic mind becomes divinely inspired and filled with God it becomes like the monad, not being at all mixed with any of these things associated with duality"[6].

Monogenés ("the only begotten", the Unique) is a symbol of the consciousness of the mystic, a symbol of the mystical experience of everything united in love and harmony. Therefore Monogenes is also called "the beloved". Jamm and Mot, the sons of El in the Ugarit texts, are jdd  "El's loved one". In the story about Isaac going to be sacrificed, Isaac is called jahid ("the only one"), in LXX translated into Greek agapetos = "the beloved", cf the same words used about Jesus by baptism and glorification, Mark 1,11 & 9,7. It is exactly by baptism and final glorification that the symbolism of the mystical macr´anthropos is used in the early church[7]Ginza[8] is about "the young boy", who is "the just, great, unique one". In the Valentinian Gnostics we read about Arké ("the beginning") who is Monogenés & Nous ("pure mind", i.e. mystical intuition). In the Ptolomaic Gnostic system Monogenés = Nous is born of Bythos ("depth") as the fruit of the union between the Eternal Father and Enthymesis ("female desire"), i.e. by the union of male and female cosmic principles.[9] As the unity of all diversity he is Polymorphos Monogenes, Act. Thom. 48. Acc. to Philo, God is Father, Episteme (knowledge), mother, and cosmos is Monos Agapetos, "the only and beloved son", ebr. 30[10].

Enoch travels to the "living waters" and to the river of fire in which the sun sets (1.En. 17,4f.). From the holy mountain of God he travels to Mt. Zion (24-26), and he travels from east to north, west and south, becomes king of the universe and learns a lot of astronomical secrets, and is finally reborn in a child of light (Noah) with eyes like "sun beams"(106,2). He is the typical sun hero finally apotheosed as the "Son of Man" (70-71).

The Son of Man has to be seen on the background of the OT tradition of theophany: "he comes" in his Father's "glory", i.e. he is theos epiphanés.

Philo and mystical Judaism share the idea of a heavenly being/angel, Israel, "the one who sees God"[11]. This is exactly the background of the Monogenés notion of John 1,18 + 47 + 51, where the Son of Man reveals himself as the new Jacob-Israel.

In fact there are close parallels between the gods of the folk religion in India and the gods of the Near East, ex: the sun warrior, who creates space in the universe for the wind to blow and the sun to run its course and the rain to fall, is personified in the god Vishnu, the shepherd in Krisna, the great hunter in Shiva. And even the cycles of time and the rebirth of the great god of eternity are common belief in both the Near and the Far East.

One of the most important insights in the modern effort to understand the background of Jesus and the New Testament is found in a rather modest work by Hugo Odeberg, "Die mandäische Religionsanschauung"[12]. In Jewish rabbinical tradition there is a tendency to judge harshly about Enoch and Enosh, quite contrary to the Bible for  which Enosh was the first to call on God´s name Gen 4,26, and Enoch  was the man "walking with God". Obviously the rabbinical tradition from the 3rd cent. was fighting a mysticism linked to Enosh (surviving in the Mandaen traditions about Enosh) and Enoch (surviving in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd book of Enoch). Acc. to 1.En 70f., Enoch is taken up to heaven and changed into the "Son of Man" and put on a throne as the ruler of the world. The main motif in this religiosity is the ascension of a man to the heavenly realm.

In commenting on John 3,13 H.Odeberg[13] has collected sufficient examples to prove the importance of this motif: "2.En 1-21 tell of Enoch´s ascension into heaven … 22ff. relate how Enoch is transformed into a Celestial Being. Acc. to Test. Levi 2,5ff. the Patriarch Levi ascends to heaven while in sleep. Similarly Baruch in 2 Bar and Isaiah in Asc. Isa. The ascension of St.Paul, acc. to 2.Cor 12,2.4 ("whether in the body or out of the body", he could not tell), is well known. 3.En 3-16, 48C speak of Enoch´s translation into heaven and transformation into Metatron, the Unique Celestial Being. 3 En 1,2.42-48A narrates Rabbi Ishmael´s ascension into the highest heaven and his visions there in a manner suggesting that that such ascension was the regular aspiration of the mystic of the circle. Tosephta and TB Hag,b preserve the well-known tradition of the four 'who entered Paradise'…The mystical experiences in question, hence also the aspirations to ascend on high, were prominent with R.Yohanan ben Zakkai (about 40-80 A.D.) and his school". Odeberg (ibd. p.74) also mentions Corpus Hermeticum IV: the baptism in the great bowl. The purpose of this baptism is the same ascension to God.

Now in John 3,13ff. it is stressed that Jesus is the sole mediator of ascent and this is given in the baptism "of water and spirit" 3,5. It is very important to see the unity of motifs in this 3rd chapter of John: the ascension to heaven, v13 (a) is closely connected to the "entrance into" and the "seeing the kingdom of God" v.4 & v.5 and the baptism hinted at in v.3 (b) and the mentioning of the spirit v.8 (c ) - i.e. the spirit received at Christian baptism, but not by the baptism administered by John the Baptist v.6 & v.22-31(d). Just as in the Mandaeic version of this religiosity baptism is the means to ascend and become one with the heavenly man (in Mandaeic terminology "the Hidden Adam of Glory") and not so much ecstatic experience.

The "Son of Man" in Dan 7,9-14 is a personification of the "holy of the Highest" and the key to the scene is the "thrones" put up, i.e. the key to the scene is apotheosis: man enthroned in heaven.  Also the name Metatron (Greek: =Meta-Throne) must be understood on this background. "Son of Man" by Ezekiel is the name used for little man entering the circle of the angels. The "Son of Man" is elevated, and the believer is elevated in him to eternal life, John 3,14f. He who commits himself to the Son of Man, to him the Son of Man will commit himself before the angels of God.

Characteristic of Metatron is that he is given all the power of God to rule the world and to judge the living and dead. Exactly the same is said about Jesus and the "Son of Man", Matt 28,19 & 25,31. Metatron is told all the secrets of God (Odeberg p.204), but he does nothing of his own will, but only the will of the Holy One[14], cf. Matt. 11,27.

He is called the "little Jahveh", cf. how Jesus in a unique way acts on behalf of God, and even uses the expression "I am", a translation of God´s own name JHVH. (Metatron as one with the Shekinah).

Now in 1.En, Enoch is transfered to heaven and becomes the "Son of Man", but the "Son of Man" exists as prior to creation, he is much older than Enoch, a primordial being, cf how in the Gnostic "Book of Jeu", Jeu is called "the great man", "the first man", i.e. macr´anthropos.

We have unearthed a religiosity with strong mystical features centred on the heavenly man bearing the name of God, Phil 2,9. To become one with him is mystical theosis.

This is the purpose of baptism where you become one with Christ and is lifted up to heavenly places. You are even given God´s name and incorporated into the mystical unity, John 17,11; and finally become one with primordial man by seeing his mystical glory, 17,22-24.

Now we know that many fragments of 1.En were found among the Dead Sea scrolls and we know the mystical tradition attached to the feast of Tabernacles where the holocaust altar was circled with the word "I and He" hinting at a mystical union with God[15]. It seems reasonable to assume that the old tradition of apotheosis through a journey along the circling road of the sun to ascent on the heavenly mountain was still very much alive among the Essene society of "therapists" with their wheeling dances in imitation of the Exodus towards the "heavenly highland" of God. And from there were passed on to the small Baptist societies along the Jordan valley, where also the Mandaean sect seems to have its origin acc to the research done by G.Widengren and his pupil E.Segelberg[16].

In rabbinical tradition the unification of the celestial man and his earthly appearance in the flesh is the reason for the angels ascending and descending on the ladder of Jacob (and in John 1,51) as proved by Odeberg[17].

In 1.En there exists a perfect parallelism between the "just ones" and the "Son of Man" with the "Just" as his most prominent title (cf. in later kabbala the Zadik). Just as the "Son of Man" in Dan 7 is the symbol of the apotheosis of the people of God, so is Enoch the symbol of an apotheosis of the "just". This apotheosis of Enoch is connected to investio & unctio: a change of clothes from his earthly robe to "Garments of God´s Glory" and he is anointed with the Lord´s "holy oil", 2.En 22,8f and he is to stand before the Lord´s face for ever 21,3; 22,4-6. The "standing one" as he who has conquered death is a common expression in the tradition connected to Simon Magus, who, acc to the Homilies of Clem.  was the most prominent pupil of John the Baptist. "Eternally standing" is also the final goal aimed at by the Mandaean baptismal ritual. Apophasis Megale, the famous document circulating in the name of Simon Magus, hails God as He who "stood, stands and will stand", a variation of the mystical formula of God as the union of present, past and future existence "He who was, is and will come". This formula hails god as the mystical unity even of time, and is especially used in the Johannine writings where Jesus is seen as sometimes a very young man, sometimes a middle aged, and sometimes a very old man (Acts of John). So we must assume, as the original setting of early Christianity, a circle gathering around John the Baptist, and baptism as the sacred act of ascension to a status as one of the "Glorious Ones", the "Sons of God", the angels. But mystic vision and ecstatic journey to heaven was also experienced.

In Dan 7 the "Son of Man" is the symbol of a 5th empire: the 4th empire symbolised by the 4th monster crushing everything with its teeth is dethroned by the "Ancient of Days", and the power over the world is given to the "Son of Man", who is the symbol of the faithful believers, called the "Holy of the Highest".

In the New Testament 1.Enoch is quoted as holy scripture. In this book, Enoch is finally elevated to heaven and changed into the Son of Man and given the authority to rule on behalf of God. In 3. Enoch he is even given the name of God, he is called "little Yhvh" and Metatron, i.e. the one who has his throne next to God. The Son of Man as one who is elevated to heaven and given the kingdom of God is also behind the answer given by Jesus to the high priest: "Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting by God´s right hand and coming with the clouds". But not only Jesus is elevated to heaven and given all power in heaven and earth, also the believers belonging to the Jesus-movement: "As my father has offered me kingdom, I offer you to sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel". Also in the vision of Daniel there are thrones set up in heaven.

We have here a religious movement sharing the aspiration to be one with God, but not only that: expecting to share his rule over the world.

The explanation for that must be the old notion of a heavenly council consisting of the sons of God. Already in Ugarit, man hopes, when he dies, to become one of the ilim, "the gods". "When a famous hero or king died, he was united with the god whose "son" he was"[18]. The phrase used about the death of Krt is: Krt shrk ´il = "Krt will unite with El". de Moor draws the reader's attention to the word shirk, later to become terminus techn. for the gravest possible heresy in Islam: to elevate other beings to the same level as God.


The enthronement of a man symbolizing Mandaean truth and religion as ruler over the eternal heavenly hosts, and therefore named "little Enosh", i.e. the youngest of the eternal beings, has its perfect parallel in the enthronement of Enoch, in 3.En called "youth"[19] and in the New Testament, Hebr 1,4.

A part of this "man into angel" ideology is the important role played in early Christian service of the trishagion ("Holy, holy, holy…") of the heavenly liturgy[20], see even the first prayer of the Lord´s prayer and the fact hinted at by Clement of Alexandria that the early Christians used to jump high in the air at this moment of the liturgy as if they were getting wings and were ready to fly.

It is vital to understand the importance of the ecstatic practice of  "journeys to the heavens" in early Christianity. There is a very clear example of the journey to heaven in the early Christian document called Ascensio Isaiai 7-11. The journey is seen as an out-of-body experience 8,11: "No man who returns to the earthly body has ever ascended to see what you are now looking at…"

Now in the baptismal rite there was a changing of clothes, a DEVESTIO followed by an INVESTIO by ALBA BAPTISMALIS, symbol of the new life in close communion with the angels (seen as men in white clothes). In Asc. Is, 3,25 it is told that many will change the cloaks of the holy ones and their glory with the cloaks of the money-makers. The investio at baptism was seen as a leaving the old life to participate in the life of children of the light, it was a changing into the ranks of the Sons of God, the angels who see God and are constantly singing to his praise, as a matter of fact it was a symbolic leaving the body of flesh to be clothed in the body of Christ of cosmic dimensions. (Like the Vedic atman joined to Brahman.)

The rapture of Enoch is a "prototypical event". The chapter 1.En 71 telling about his ascent adds this interpretation, put into the mouth of the angel Michael: "All those walking on your (Enoch's) paths… their dwellings and inheritance will be with you"[21]. Cf. 1.En 51,4: "All (the just) will become angels in heaven". The key to understanding the belief in the Son of Man, and the key to the Enoch literature, is this hope for heavenly ascent and an early Jewish merkabah mysticism which believed in ascent (sometimes by means of the divine chariot of the sun, the merkabah). This is also the key to St. Paul's use of "flesh" and "spirit" as opposites, the flesh, the body is the curtain, the great obstacle preventing the spirit from transcending to the sphere of God. The eminent German scholar Egon Brandenburger has interpreted this Pauline motif on the background of a similar use of "flesh" & "spirit" by Philo of Alexandria, who sees the human spirit as caught up in slavery to the fleshly, earthly sphere and salvation as "going out" and "going up" ("Befreiung als Auszug und erlösender Aufstieg", ibd. p.154, For a similar interpretation of early Christian baptism see my own book Baptism and Heavenly Journey to the Secret Adam as macroanthropos (in Danish: Dåben og Himmelrejsen til den skjulte Adam, pp.1ff.1983). Baptism in the Pauline churches was seen as creating the union of the small human spirit with the spirit of the cosmic Christ, the heavenly Adam and macroanthropos, by taking off the garment of flesh and putting on the alba baptismalis as the symbol of Christ or his Holy Spirit Rom 13,14; Gal 3,27f.


[1] Philo Praep.Ev. I, 10, 17

[2] That this is the meaning of Mithras killing the bull is rightly stressed by Per Bilde in his beautiful article "The Meaning of Roman Mithraism" in" Rethinking Religion, ed. J. P. Sørensen, 1989, pp.31-47

[3] Cook, Zeus III, 1188-90

[4] Picture restored by A.Parrot, Le PalaisPeintures murales, t.XVII

[5] "Der Syrische Synkretismus und das Thomasev." pp.73ff. in: Synkretismus im Syrisch-pers. Kulturgebiet, 1975, ed. A.Dietrich

[6] Quaest in Exod. II, 29

[7] In Mandaean ritual especially at the masiqta, the mass for the deceased, E.S.Drower, The Secret Adam, 1960, p.22

[8] transl. Lidzbarski, pp.235ff.

[9] Excerpt. ex Theod. 7,10

[10] R.Bultmann, Das Evangelium des Johannes, 1941, p.48, who also mentions the Babylonian Mummu called Monogenes and Cosmos Noetos

[11] P.Borgen, "Philo, Survey of research since World War II", p.153, in: Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt II, 21, 1, 1984

[12] UUÅ 1930, Teologi.2, 27 pages, espec. pp.24ff.

[13] The Fourth Gospel, 1929, pp.72f.

[14] ibd., p.205

[15] Odeberg, p.332

[16] See the article by Widengren, Segelberg & H.Schlier in: Der Mandäismus, 1982, ed. by G.Widengren

[17] ibd., p.36

[18] J.de Moor: The Rise of Yahwism, 1990, p.242

[19] Odeberg, 3 Enoch, 1928, pp.68ff.

[20] Odeberg, pp.183ff.

[21] E.Brandenburger, Fleisch und Geist, 1968, p.69


    TABLE OF CONTENTS    



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Disclaimer

Disclaimer:
Some material presented will contain links, quotes, ideologies, etc., the contents of which should be understood to first, in their whole, reflect the views or opinions of their editors, and second, are used in my personal research as "fair use" sources only, and not espousement one way or the other. Researching for 'truth' leads one all over the place...a piece here, a piece there. As a researcher, I hunt, gather and disassemble resources, trying to put all the pieces into a coherent and logical whole. I encourage you to do the same. And please remember, these pages are only my effort to collect all the pieces I can find and see if they properly fit into the 'reality aggregate'.

Personal Position

Personal Position:
I've come to realize that 'truth' boils down to what we 'believe' the facts we've gathered point to. We only 'know' what we've 'experienced' firsthand. Everything else - what we read, what we watch, what we hear - is what someone else's gathered facts point to and 'they' 'believe' is 'truth', so that 'truth' seems to change in direct proportion to newly gathered facts divided by applied plausibility. Though I believe there is 'truth', until someone representing the celestial realm visibly appears and presents the heavenly records of Facts And Lies In The Order They Happened, I can't know for sure exactly what "the whole truth' on any given subject is, and what applies to me applies to everyone. Until then I'll continue to ask, "what does The Urantia Book say on the subject?"
~Gail Bird Allen

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The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha
The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha

This volume combines a cultural guide to the biblical world and an annotated Bible. Its notes feature the reflections of Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish scholars.

  • Twenty-three insightful articles on aspects of the history, literary background, and culture of the biblical era.
  • A special index of people, places, and themes of the Bible.
  • 36 pages of full-color New Oxford Bible Maps, with index.

Paperback: 1860 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (March 12, 1992)

Nave's Topical Bible: A comprehensive Digest of over 20,000 Topics and Subtopics With More Than 10,000 Associated Scripture References

Nave's Topical Bible: A comprehensive Digest of over 20,000 Topics and Subtopics With More Than 10,000 Associated Scripture References Nave's Topical Bible: A comprehensive Digest of over 20,000 Topics and Subtopics With More Than 10,000 Associated Scripture References

"Nave's Topical Bible, " the best known of all topical bibles, has been a valuable Bible-study reference and a best-seller for more than 75 years. It is a comprehensive digest of over 20,000 topics and subtopics with more than 100,000 associated Scripture references. The most significant references for each topic actually include the full text of the verse cited saving the need to separately look up each verse.

Because "Nave's "groups verses by "idea" (or "topic"), it offers a better overview of relevant Scriptures than a concordance, which only lists or indexes verses according to specific words. This edition also includes the helpful Scripture index (left out of some other editions), which makes it possible for the reader studying a particular biblical text to locate every topic and grouping of Scripture in "Nave's "whenever a particular verse is included. That way, it is possible for the reader to study either all the verses related to a particular topic "or" all the topics related to a particular verse it works both ways.

For the pastor or teacher interested in saving hours of time but not willing to give their second best, and for anyone wanting to be challenged by what God has to say about a given subject, "Nave's Topical Bible" is the passport that will allow immediate and successful entry to the many points of interest."

About the Author

Orville J. Nave, A.M., D.D., LL.D., compiled this magnificient reference work while serving as a Chaplain in the United States Army. He referred to his work as "the result of fourteen years of delightful and untiring study of the Word of God."

Hardcover: 1616 pages
Publisher: Hendrickson Pub (July 1, 2002)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Super Value Series)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Super Value Series) Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Super Value Series)

Read the best of Matthew Henry's classic commentary on the Bible in one convenient book. Henry's profound spiritual insights have touched lives for over 300 years. Indexed maps and charts make this a book any pastor, student, Bible teacher, or devotional reader will treasure!

About the Author

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was a Presbyterian minister in England who began his commentary on the Bible in 1704. He completed his work up to the end of Acts before his death. Afterward, his ministerial friends completed the work from Henry's notes and writings.

Series: Super Value Series
Hardcover: 1200 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 30, 2003)

Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

Like a redwood that towers above all other trees, The Strongest Strong’s takes James Strong’s classic concordance to unprecedented heights. Reflecting thousands of research hours, custom computer technology, and an exclusive database perfected over twenty years, The Strongest Strong’s is packed with features that make it the last word in accuracy and usefulness. No other Strong’s concordance can touch it. This is no mere study tool. Destined to become a foundational resource for Bible study the world over, The Strongest Strong’s is a landmark in biblical reference works.

What Makes This Strong’s the Strongest? Rebuilding Strong’s time-honored concordance from the ground up, biblical research experts John Kohlenberger and James Swanson have achieved unprecedented accuracy and clarity. Longstanding errors have been corrected. Omissions filled in. Word studies simplified. Thoroughness and ease of use have been united and maximized.

Kohlenberger and Swanson have also added the Nave’s Topical Bible Reference System―the world’s most complete topical Bible, updated, expanded, and streamlined to meet the needs of today’s Bible user. No other edition of Strong’s or Nave’s gives you all the information combined in The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

A Stunning Array of World-Class Features

In order to experience all the advantages of The Strongest Strong’s, you’ll have to look inside. But here is a thumbnail sketch of what awaits you:

  • Computer-verified accuracy. For the first time ever, cutting-edge computer analysis provides unparalleled, pinpoint accuracy
  • Strong’s numbering system speeds you through word studies, giving you clear insights into Greek and Hebrew words
  • Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbers in the dictionary indexes give you access to the growing library of reference tools that use these numbers―another unique feature
  • The most up-to-date Hebrew and Greek dictionaries ensure precise meaning in your word studies
  • Nave’s Topical Bible Reference System supplies the complete descriptive content and references (without the Bible text) of Nave’s Topical Bible, expanded to provide a total of more than 100,000 verses indexed by subject, word, phrase, synonym, and example
  • Cross-references to places and names used in Bible translations besides the KJV
  • Word counts furnish a complete accounting of every word in the Bible
  • Fast-Tab locators help you find your place quickly and easily
  • Smythe-sewn binding opens fully, lays flat, and lasts longer
  • Words of Christ highlighted in red
  • Maps
  • Clear, easy-to-read type PLUS: Comprehensive guidance for using The Strongest Strong’s
  • Major Social Concerns of the Mosaic Covenant
  • Old Testament Sacrifices
  • Hebrew Calendar
  • Hebrew Feasts and Holy Days
  • Weights, Lengths, and Measures of the Bible
  • Kings of the Bible
  • Harmony of the Gospels
  • Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Jesus
  • Parables of Jesus
  • Miracles of Jesus
  • Chronology of the Bible

About the Author

Dr. James Strong (1822-1894) was formerly president of Troy University and professor of exegetical theology at Drew Theological Seminary.

Hardcover: 1742 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; Supesaver ed. edition (September 1, 2001)

Zondervan Pictorial Encylopedia of the Bible, Vols. 1-5
Zondervan Pictorial Encylopedia of the Bible, Vols. 1-5 The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (5 Volume Set)

From the Back Cover

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, the result of more than ten years of research and preparation, provides Bible students with a comprehensive and reliable library of information. Varying viewpoints of scholarship permit a well-rounded perspective on significant issues relating to doctrines, themes, and biblical interpretation. Well-organized and generously illustrated, this encyclopedia will become a frequently used resource and reference work because of its many helpful features: - More than 5,000 pages of vital information of Bible lands and people - More than 7,500 articles alphabetically arranged for easy reference - Hundreds of full-color and black-and-white illustrations, charts, and graphs - Thirty-two pages of full-color maps and hundreds of black-and-white outline maps for quick perspective and ready reference - Scholarly articles ranging across the entire spectrum of theological and biblical topics, backed by recent archaeological discoveries - Two hundred and thirty-eight contributors from around the world. The editors have brought to this encyclopedia the fruit of many years of study and research.

About the Author

Merrill C. Tenney was professor of theological studies and dean of the Graduate school of Theology at Wheaton College.

Hardcover: 5 volume set More than 5,000 pages
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing House; Second Printing edition (March 15, 1975)

HarperColins Bible Dictionary
HarperColins Bible Dictionary HarperCollins Bible Dictionary

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary puts the latest and most comprehensive biblical scholarship at your fingertips. Here is everything you need to know to fully understand the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament. An unparalleled resource, The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary explains every aspect of the Bible, including biblical archaeology, culture, related writings such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Bible‘s influence on Western civilization, biblical history, theological concepts, modern biblical interpretations, flora nad fauna, climate and environment, crafts and industry, the content of individual books of the bible, and more.

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary features:

  • Contributions by 193 noted experts on the Bible and the ancient Near East
  • More than 3700 entries covering the Bible from A to Z
  • Outlines for each book of the Bible
  • 590 black–and–white photographs
  • 53 color photographs
  • An updated pronunciation guide
  • 72 black–and–white maps
  • 18 color maps
  • Dozens of drawings, diagrams, and tables

About the Author

Paul J. Achtemeier is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. A widely respected authority on the Bible, he is the author or co-author of 14 books, former editor of the quarterly Interpretation, and New Testament editor of the Interpretation Biblical Commentary Series. Professor Achtemeier has also been chief executive officer and president of the Society of Biblical Literature, and president of the Catholic Biblical Association.

The Editorial Board of the revised edition of The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary includes associate editors; Roger S. Boraas, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religion, Uppsala College; Michael Fishbane, Ph.D., Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Chicago Divinity School; Pheme Perkins, Ph.D., Professor of Theology (New Testament), Boston College; and William O. Walker, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Religion, Trinity University.

The Society of Biblical Literature is a seven-thousand-member international group of experts on the Bible and related fields. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Amazon.com Review

For the maps alone, this book is worth it. Following 1,250 pages that describe and explain the people, places, terms, and events of the Bible from Aaron to Zurishaddai, the 16 spectacular maps detail the political entities and boundaries of biblical times, bringing the historic times to vivid life. A fascinating book, an impressive collection of scholarship, and a possession to cherish, the 188 contributors and five editors show what can be produced if you don't cut corners on excellence. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Hardcover: 1178 pages
Publisher: HarperOne; Rev Upd Su edition

Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary Old and New Testament

Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary Old and New Testament Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary Old and New Testament

A Nelson exclusive. Study the meaning of biblical words in the original languages-without spending years learning Greek or Hebrew. This classic reference tool has helped thousands dig deeper into the meaning of the biblical text. Explains over 6,000 key biblical words. Includes a brand new comprehensive topical index that enables you to study biblical topics more thoroughly than ever before.

Hardcover: 1184 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 2nd Edition edition (August 26, 1996)


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