Choosing a Charity to Support

             Charity in the Bible is presented as “love in action,” not as a means of earning salvation but as a result of having been given the gift of salvation.  There are thousands of charities and, as we are financially able, we may donate to one or to many as we see fit. One caveat: for a Christian, our main purpose should be to advance the kingdom. Any other purposes, even those which are obviously positive, are secondary. 

            ἕκαστος καθὼς προῄρηται τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴ ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης· ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Θεός 2 Corinthians 9:7, in a literal translation into English would read something like this: Every/each as he has decided in heart, not out of grudging or out of forced need/necessity, cheerful indeed giver loves God. Read this verse in your own preferred Bible translation.

            Not all charities are ethical and some border on actual fraud. Some give very limited funds to the causes they espouse, instead using most of their money for “administrative expenses.” Others resort to questionable practices to raise funds. They may send you a set of address labels or some small gift to make you feel a sense of obligation to them.

The website shown below discusses donor’s hesitance to contribute to charities which violate the donor’s privacy by selling their names and contact information to third parties. There are actually companies which sell targeted mailing lists of persons known to have donated to similar charities. For example, a person could be targeted for their history of donating to charities dedicated to a particular political orientation, or to a specific religious group, or to animal rescue activities, or to anti- or pro-abortion groups, or to foster involvement in the arts, or to literacy programs, or to homeless or injured veteran’s activities, or to  advance children’s sports involvement, or to disaster relief organizations, or to charities which are medically oriented. There is an established charity for almost any imaginable purpose and you can safely assume that most of them are willing to sell the contact information of their donors and to buy targeted lists of prospective new donors. They, and hundreds of others, will flood you with sometimes very insistent requests for donations.  On https://smartasset.com you can also read this article, “The 50 Worst Charities in America.”

https://www.workplaceprivacyreport.com/2022/03/articles/online-privacy/not-for-profits-charities-might-attract-more-donors-with-improved-website-content-attention-to-privacy/

This is unethical and is presumptuous, as if you owe your money to their particular charity. It exhibits an extreme disrespect for their donors but is not illegal and at least some of the donated funds go to their stated causes.

Favor Christian charities as your first choices. Give to secular charities if you have even more to give. Research your chosen charity’s mission statement carefully to make sure that they actually provide the majority of their funds to their stated purpose.  Some charities explicitly state that they respect their donors and that they do not sell your personal information to others. God loves a cheerful giver but he also expects us to use our gift of discernment. Use your money wisely to advance the Kingdom.

A few Bible verses about charity: Deuteronomy 15:11; Proverbs 14:21, 19:17; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 5:42, 6:1-2, 19:21; Luke 6:38, 11:41, 12:33; John 3:17; Acts 9:36, 20:35; Hebrews 13:16; Romans 12:13; Colossians 3:14; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 John 3:17; James 2:15-16. 

Book Comment: A Survey of Old Testament Introduction

 

In his book, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Dr. Gleason L. Archer presents a conservative discussion pf Old Testament canonicity, historicity, information about the Semitic languages, known textual problems, the “specific difficulties” presented by each book, archaeological evidences, how the Hebrew/Aramaic manuscripts were prepared and transmitted to new generations, and the challenges which can be presented by higher criticism.

Gleason sees the Old Testament as the preparation and the New Testament as the completion of the Christian message. He points out that “It made a great deal of difference that Greek was precise in expressing time values, and that Hebrew laid chief emphasis upon mode of action rather than upon tense.”

The survey takes each book verse by verse and discusses historical, textual, and modern questions. The text assumes some level of knowledge about archaeology, the Hebrew language, the history of the Middle East, various approaches to biblical criticism, and tends to become a little technical on some points. It is obviously intended for beginning college or seminary level students but is not above the understanding of the interested layman. Pastors and academics will definitely find it useful.

As with most books such as this, what you get from the book depends on what you bring with you. You may not agree with everything the author says. Luke (see below) advises you to think for yourself.

Information you will need to search for this book:

___________________________________________________________________

A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

The First Three Letters of the Bible

 

In Genesis 1:1, the first word of the Bible, in Hebrew, is בְּרֵאשִׁית which is transliterated as bare sit or b'rei-sheeth.  The first letter is ב (bet), the second letter is ר (resh), and the third letter is א (alef). The English-language name of the book is Genesis, from its Greek name, Γένεσις. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, Bereshit, “in beginning.”

Some Christian commentators have noticed and commented on this as a statement of the Trinity in the first word of the Bible. Others see it as merely an interesting coincidence.

            בן         Ben (son)

            רִיחַ       Ruach (spirit, breath, wind)

            אֱלֹהִ֑ים    Elohim (God, a name in plural form)

            Religious Jews reject this understanding as heretical, believing that the very essence of their religion is monotheistic; God is one, not plural. They understand the plural name of God, Elohim, as expressing the majesty of God, as in the phrase "holy, holy, holy," with each "holy" adding to the emphasis or strength of the word.

            An objection to the idea of Jesus or the Trinity being mentioned in the Old Testament is seen here:  https://gsgriffin.com/2017/07/29/the-bereshit-jesus-in-genesis-argument-has-no-merit/#:~:text=Both%20assert%20the%20following%20meanings,covenant%2C%20mark%2C%20cross)

by writer Garrett S. Griffin. Griffin is a Democratic Socialist activist and political writer.

Jesus Primarily Spoke Aramaic

Jesus is believed to have primarily spoken a Galilean accented dialect of Aramaic since Aramaic was the most commonly spoken language of Judea in the first century AD. He also seems to have understood some Greek since he talked with Romans who would have primarily spoken that language.  Also, it was a point of pride and honor for a Jewish man to stand up in the synagogue and read from the Hebrew scriptures,

Biblical Hebrew,and most modern representations of the language, has an abjad writing system rather than an alphabet as in English. Abjabs are writing systems in which there are only consonants with no written vowels. The word is a technical term named for the fist four letters of the Arabic abjad in their original order of sequence: alif, ba, jem, dal. The first four letters in the Hebrew abjad retain the original Semitic sequence: aleph, bet, gimel, dalet.

The first widely used abjad was ancient Phoenician. It was much easier to learn and to write than the Egyptian hieroglyphics (a pictographic writing system). The Phoenician sea merchants quickly adopted the writing system for their business records.

The modern "alphabets" of Greek, English, Spanish, Russian, and other similar languages represent both consonantal and vowel sounds using their glyphs (aka letters). Each glyph represents a different sound.

The English word "alphabet"is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta.

Cat chases it's tail.

Cat chases it’s tail.

Jesus laughs as Zebedee

yells and shakes his hands


Boanerges is an Aramaic word meaning "sons of thunder."  Jesus gave this nickname to his disciples James and John. The term is never explained further and has engendered many attempts at interpretation.

The Bible says that Jesus knew the hearts of men (John 2: 24-25) and some commentators believe that Jesus gave the nickname to the men in reference to the two brother's loud and hot-headed nature as shown in Luke 9:54.  This may well be the correct interpretation, but there are others.

Dr. James Blevins, my Greek professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, believed that the meaning of the phrase laid in "thunder" rather than "sons." The nickname was humorous. He envisioned Zebedee as red-faced and spitting and bubbling as his sons tossed away their fishing nets and followed Jesus.

Two Roman Catholic Bishops Named Lucifer

The Hebrew phrase helel ben saar in Isaiah 14:12 was translated in the King James Version of the Bible as “Lucifer, son of the morning.” The traditional Jewish interpretation is that this is a reference to Nebuchadnezzar II. This is also the understanding of the Christian preterist interpretation of the Bible.

The Latin word for “morning star” is Lucifer. In later Christian tradition the name came to be seen as referring to the beautiful being Satan before his fall. The idea expressed in the name is “the morning star,” the “shining one.”or “the light bringer.” There seems to be no real Biblical indication that the personal name of the Devil is Lucifer. In fact, the three personal names the Devil is given are all actually insults: Abbadon (destruction), Apollyon (destroyer), and Beelzebub (Lord of the Flies). The Bible calls the Devil many names including liar, deceiver, accuser, adversary, lord of this world, lord of the flies, tempter, and evil one.

The Bible is quite clear that the Devil is a real person who is the embodiment of everything which is vile, evil, and opposed to God. He is not merely a force, or an idea, or a myth. We just do not know his name nor do we need to. It is finished. He is defeated.

In the Middle Ages, Lucifer (“shining one”) was used as a personal name as seen in the names of two Roman Catholic bishops: Saint Lucifer of Cagliari and Lucifer of Sienna.

Lucifer of Cagliari, who died in 371, was a Sardinian and held the office of Bishop of Cagliari in Italy. He was a determined opponent of the Arian heresy and a fierce defender of Bishop Atanasius. In 363, he led a schismatic sect called the Luciferians who opposed the return of Arian bishops into Roman Catholic orthodoxy.

Little is known of Lucifer of Siena other than that he was appointed in 306 as the the first bishop of Siena in Italy.

Jesus Spoke Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek

The New Testament is written in Greek, the common language of the Roman Empire at the time.  It was the Greek language which helped spread the gospel across the then known world. Some, myself included, believe that God arranged events so that at the arrival of Jesus there was one essentially global empire with one universally understood language. Communications across the Empire were much faster across great distances than we today would imagine.

The languages of the subjugated peoples were still in use and the Jews spoke Aramaic among themselves. The sacred language in use in their synagogues was Hebrew and they considered it to be a great honor to speak and read before the congregation.  Jesus would have been conversant in both languages and he also read before the congregation. The Samaritan Woman at the Well would have been speaking Hebrew. (Luke 2: 39-52; John 4:4-26: Luke 4:16-21)  Some of Jesus' sayings  in the New Testament are presented in untranslated Aramaic. ("Talitha cumi" and "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!")

Many Jews probably spoke only Aramaic and Hebrew, but to function in the Roman environment it was very helpful to also speak and understand Greek. Jesus was able to talk to Pilate (John 18: 28-38) and the Roman soldiers  (Matthew 8: 5-13 ), answering them in Greek It is unlikely that Pilate or the centurions understood a single word of Aramaic.

Messianic Prophecies from the Old Testament: Today This Scripture Has Been Fulfilled in Your Hearing

Luke 4:16-28New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    because he has anointed me

        to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

    and recovery of sight to the blind,

        to let the oppressed go free,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers[a] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage.

Footnotes:

Luke 4:27 The terms leper and leprosy can refer to several diseases

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

That the quoted text (from Isaiah 61:1-3) is a Messianic prophecy is evident because Jesus Himself used it in this way.

The scholars who insist that Jesus never identified Himself as the Messiah obviously never read this passage. Why else was the synagogue so quickly filled with rage? They understood exactly what He meant and they believed that He was speaking blasphemy.

Verse 28 says they “were fiiled” ἐπλήσθησαν  with rage. This is from the verb πλήθω I am filled (to the top; to full capacity. )  Strong categorizes the word ἐπλήσθησαν (e-plees-the-san) as V-AIP-3P (verb-aorist indicative passive- third person plural).

In English and many other languages, tense has primarily to do with time. In Koine Greek, tense has primarily to with the type of action. The aorist tense expresses action without any further definition. It carries the idea of sudden action. The people were suddenly filled with rage

Theophoric Names

Often, we fail to recognize that many personal and family names also have religious origins. Many are easy to see when we actually look. Others require a little effort.

Surnames originating in Western culture are of several types: occupational (example: Baker), relating to a place (example: Lincoln), relating to a particular family trait (example : Jolly), named for historical people (example: Kennedy), sarcastic or silly names (examples: Naaktgeboren (“born naked”), family relationships (example: Harrison), animal names (example: Bird), emotions: (example: Love), vulgar names (example: Mist, translate this name from German to English), and other types of name origins. This post will present a few names of theophoric origin.   

Surnames and personal names in the Far East appear to be based primarily on nature or philosophical concepts.

Chinese surnames http://www.yutopian.net/names/, Japanese surnames http://surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/japanese, and Korean surnames https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_name appear to be primarily based on philosophy or nature.

θεόφορος (theophoros) is a Greek word meaning “God bearing.” The word “theophoric” in English is used of pronames, surnames, and place names which have religious origins. This blog has a recurrent segment profiling religious place names. 

The religious meanings of most of the ancient biblical personal names are known, including those of the foes of the Israelites and early Christians. An example is Tiglath-pileser III, King of Assyria (745 - 727BC).  He is mentioned in 2 Kings 15:19 and 2 Kings 15:29. His Assyrian name is Tukulti-apil-esharra, which translates as "my trust is in the son of Esharra." Esharra is Ashur, the main god of the Assyrian pantheon.

Following is a listing of several theophoric surnames occurring in English language usage. The religious origins of some of the surnames is readily obvious, some are more indirect:  Benjamin, Aaron, Abraham, Isaacson, Bishop, Abbot, Church, Grace, Eglise, Bartolo, Sofer (Hebrew  = "scribe"), Dayyan (Hebrew = "Jewish civil judge"), Abdullah (Arabic = "slave of Allah"), di Moise, di Angelo, Kohen/Cohen (Hebrew = "priest"), Simon, Stephens, Dennis (Latin = "of Dionysus") Godwin/Godwynn, Goodwin, Goodwyn (Old English = "God's friend"), Gotfried/Gottfried, Holiness, Nunmaker, Faith, Kirk (Scottish = "church"), Angel, Theodore (Greek = "gift of God"), Oden  (Swedish form of Odin, the main Norse god), Johnson ("son of John". John is derived from the Hebrew personal name Yohannan, which means "Yahweh is gracious"), Christian, Soul, Monk, St. James, Zacharias, and many others.  

Update to the Blog Header

I have recently updated the header message on this blog. The new header: κηρυσσων την βασιλειαν του θεου και διδασκων τα περι του κυριου ιησου χριστου μετα πασης παρρησιας ακωλυτως. The underlying meaning of this blog is this: the essential unity of Christians worldwide regardless of race, nationality, or religious denomination. There are real disagreements among us but there is a small remnant in every authentically Christian gathering. The Holy Spirit is leading His remnant into deeper understandings of the "meat" of the Gospel and not just the "milk.

ESCHATOLOGY SERIES, POST #2: ESCHATOLOGIES FROM VARIOUS CULTURES

Eschatology is theology concerned with the final events of history. The word is derived from the Greek words  ἐσχάτος  eschatos ("last") and λόγος logos ("word"). Eschatology is therefore the study of “last things.” The focus of eschatology is usually on reality as a whole rather than on the individual. The word eschatology first appeared in the English language about 1550. 

In most known cultures, including the most primitive, there has been a belief in some sort of existence of the individual after death. Some held that the afterlife would be a dull and dreary thing., others that only the good would survive into an afterlife.  Some felt that the afterlife would be largely an extension of this one, perhaps on a more exalted plane as reward for bravery or great skill.  Many held that the retribution for an evil life was annihilation.

The Babylonians and Assyrians felt that retribution for evil came largely in this life as did the divine rewards of long life, strength, prosperity, and many children. The ghost of the individual existed in the underworld with the other dead. Demons ran around in the underworld inflicting punishment for sins committed during life.

In the ancient Egyptian religion, the good individual could hope for unending life with Osiris, the sun god. The existence was in some ways physical and this is the reason for mummification of the body. In the afterlife the actions of the deceased during life are weighed and judged. The dead face several trials and are subject to a second death if they fail.

Ancient Persian (Persia, modern Iran) religion (Mazdaism, Zoroastrianism, Parseeism, etc) was dualistic with a conflict between equally powerful good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Ahriman) deities. The two deities were co-creators of the universe. The evil deity will, in the end, be vanquished and a judgement of people based on their life's deeds will occur. Those with evil deeds will be purified by fire, Hell will be purged, and the earth will be renewed by a purifying fire.

The ancient Greeks believed that life on Earth was the highest good for man. After death, the soul survived in a dull attenuated existence with little emphasis on retributive justice for life's misdeeds. A few very evil individuals would receive eternal punishment in Tartarus and a few favorites of the gods
would exist in eternal bliss in the Elysian Fields.  

Recently, there was much popular discussion of "2012." This was based on Aztec mythology which predicted the end of our current cycle of time on 21 December 2012. The Aztec mythology describes several cycles ruled by deities who are destroyed at the end of each cycle along with all the humans living during that cycle. The sun is the deity of the current cycle.

The human sacrifices regularly performed by the ancient Aztecs had a specific purpose. The blood and the extracted human hearts were seen as the food or fuel which maintained the ability of the Sun god to function. The stability of the universe depended upon regular human sacrifices.

Norse (Scandinavian) eschatology is presented in the story of Ragnarok, the climactic battle of the  cyclical Old Norse mythology. Nearing the end of the cycle, people, and the Gods themselves, will become increasingly corrupt, not honorable, dissipated, apathetic, and nihilistic. The Frost Giants, led by the renegade god Loki, will come and the battle will begin, accompanied by natural disasters. Most of the Norse gods will be killed and the world will eventually be dead and silent, covered with water and in total silence. After a time, fertile land will emerge from the water and the few gods who survived the battle will gather. A new first couple of humans will repopulate the new clean earth and the gods will celebrate.

In some religious/philosophical systems, such as Baha’ism and Jainism, there is neither a beginning nor an end.  Baha’is believe that reality consists of a series of progressive revelations by prophets. The coming of each new prophet is the judgement of the previous religion., with the prophet Bahaullah having brought the ultimate revelation.

The most severe forms of Buddhism deny even this. Within each moment in time, both birth and death are present. As each moment is born, the previous moment dies. The only reality is the present moment. There is no reward or punishment and no God. Individual existence with its cravings and desires is the ultimate evil.  Salvation is the extinction of every type of desire, even the desire for existence.

Hinduism sees reality and time as a series of repeating cycles as Shiva destroys and regenerates the universe repeatedly. The individual is part of this cyclical nature and ultimately will come to realize that individuality is an illusion. The individual consciousness is in actuality part of the Ultimate Reality and its ultimate destiny is absorption back into the Whole. All reality will contract into a singularity which will then begin again to expand.

Islamic eschatology points toward a Day of Judgement in which each persons good deeds will be balanced against their evil deeds. The sayings of the Prophet Muhammad give many signs which will indicate the approach of the Day of Judgement.

Judaism is most concerned with life now, in the present time, and is more corporate than individual. The concept is that the important thing is observance of the Law in order to prepare ourselves and the world for the coming of God's kingdom on Earth. The religion is absolutely monotheistic and God is absolute in His control of the universe. Man is intended to live in friendship with God during this life. There is very little discussion of retributive justice in the afterlife. 

Jewish eschatology is based on the Nation of Israel as a whole, not on the individual. The promises of the Old Testament are to the nation, the people of the land Am ha'aretz (עם הארץ), not the individual. The hope is for the establishment of a theocratic Messianic kingdom, based in Jerusalem, which will rule the world with justice and peace. 

An introduction to Christian eschatology will be presented in the next post.

275,000 page views

Update: As of 8 May 2026, the number of page views is 946,372.

This blog just went over 275,000 page views.  Thank you for your interest in this ministry. I hope that the blog helps Christians to understand our spiritual unity within our almost infinite diversity. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 NASB

I have previously been using the King James Version (KJV) Bible for quotations since the work is in the public domain. The problem with the KJV is that the archaic English, while beautiful and poetic, may not translate well for readers in languages other than English. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is considered to be the most literal modern translation into English from the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages.

"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation 
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Non-Canonical and Extra-Biblical Books and Letters Mentioned in the Bible

There are at least twenty-one extra-biblical books mentioned in the Bible. Each of these books may have been and probably were consulted by the Holy Spirit-inspired writers of the canonical books.  The Hebrews clearly had many other books than those included in the Bible. Some, such as the Book of Jasher, are mentioned in several verses.

"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." Joshua 10:13

"(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)" 2 Samuel 1:18

Jasher is not the name of a person. This is ספר הישר  Sefer (Book) Ha (the) Yashar (Upright, Correct, Just). The Latin Vulgate translates this as Book of the Just Ones while the Greek Septuagint translates the Hebrew as Book of the Upright.

This lost book was probably a collection of songs and poems about Hebrew battles and heroes. There are several books of Jasher which were composed much later than the biblical period and which are not the book mentioned in the Bible.

1. Sefer HaYashar: A collection of rabbinical theological writings which makes no claim to be the original book.
2. Pseudo-Jasher: ca 1625, a collection of Jewish legends.
3. Book of Jasher: 18th century. Claims to be a translation of the original book but most scholars consider this book to be an eighteenth century forgery.

Magic Squares in Christian Occultism, Part 3

The Sator Square is a Christian use of the Magic Square. The words, Sator Arepo tenet opera rotas, are a palindrome which can be read top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top, left-to-right, or right-to-left. The Latin inscription means something like "Farmer Arepo makes work wheels." "The farmer Arepo uses a plough to do his work." By itself, the sentence is virtually meaningless and harmless. It would not arouse the suspicions of any one holding malicious attitudes towards Christians.


                                     S A T O R
                                     A R E P O
                                     T E N E T
                                     O P E R A
                                     R O T A S


Placed on the cornerstone block during construction, this is obviously intended as a blessing or protection for the building and the persons inside. Like the Fish symbol, this could also be a sign that only Christians would recognize. Since it is an attempt to influence reality by the use of powerful words, this can also be seen as the use of and belief in magic.

Hidden within this square are the Latin words "Pater Noster" ("Our Father") enclosed by the A and O from the Greek words Alpha and Omega , the "beginning" and the "end" of the Greek alphabet. The "Our Father" references Matthew 6:5-13 and Luke 11:1-4. The "beginning" and the "end" reference Revelation 1:8, 21:6, 22:13, and Isaiah 44:6

                                            P

                                            A

                                            T

                                  A        E       O

                                            R

                           P A T E R N O S T E R

                                            O

                                  O       S       A

                                            T

                                            E

                                            R            

Sator Squares have been found in numerous places worldwide:
1. On a building in the ruins of Pompeii.
2. At the Duro-Europas site in Syria.
3. In excavations under the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
4. On the wall of the Duomo of Sienna, Italy.
5. In a 2nd Century excavation site in Manchester, England.
6. A stone at a chapel in Andertton, Lancashire, England.
7. In a wall located in Oppede, France.

Other Discussions of the Sator Squares:
http://finding-palindromes.blogspot.com/2012/06/sator-square.html
http://mysteriouswritings.com/the-sator-square/
......................................
"Πάτερ ἡμῶν", "father of us":
Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς·
ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου,·
ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς·
τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,
ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν·
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν,
ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.

Biblical Greek Word Studies: μετοικεσίας

I started trying to read my Greek New Testament again recently, and very soon realized that the old adage "use it or lose it" really is true.  What I have especially forgotten is the vocabulary.

As I work my way through the new Testament, starting with the book 

ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ,

"according to Matthew"), I plan on posting vocabulary studies.  I hope you find the posts to be useful.

The first word is metoikesias μετοικεσίας which appears in Matthew 1:17.  The word is from metoikizo which means "changing one's abode," "resettle," or "deport."

Πᾶσαι οὖν αἱ γενεαὶ ἀπὸ Ἀβραὰμ ἕως Δαυὶδ γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, καὶ ἀπὸ Δαυὶδ ἕως τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος ἕως τοῦ χριστοῦ γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες. (SBL Greek New Testament)

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and

from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations;

and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. (KJV)

What They Think of Us: Adolf Hitler

“Christianity is an invention of sick brains; one could imagine nothing more senseless.” Adolf Hitler

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;  (1 Corinthians 1:23-27)

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: The Virgin Birth

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14, KJV

"almah" עַלְמָ֗ה  is a Hebrew word for “young woman" or "virgin.”  There is much controversy over the translation of this word as “virgin.” Hebrew scholar Michael L. Brown has pointed out that a young maiden in Isaiah’s time was expected to be a virgin.  Another Hebrew word, “betulah” בְּתוּלָ֕ה  (used in Genesis 24:16) more properly means “virgin” but can also mean “young woman” or “maiden.”

Many Jews point out that the context of the verse seems to show this as being a sign given to Ahaz, King of Judah, who lived centuries before Jesus. (Ahaz was a descendent of the line of David, as was Jesus). They also say the prophecy cannot refer to Jesus because He was not named Immanuel.

Professor Brown answers that Ahaz was addressed in two verses in the plural. (The divine right of kings or were two persons being addressed?).  Brown sees this as “a promise to the house of David as a whole” and says that “the birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz seems to take the place of the Immanuel prophecy in terms of the immediate historical context.”

The “virgin” translation was used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures which was in use during New Testament times.  The Greek word used here is “parthenos” ( “παρθένος” ; “virgin”).  The Septuagint was translated hundreds of years before Jesus was born and was quoted by Matthew. 

That not all Jews object to the translation of “almah” as “virgin” is shown by a quotation from the respected rabbi Rashi: :”And some interpret that this is the sign, that she was a young girl and incapable of giving birth.”  Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitschaki, 1040-1105) did not himself believe that Isaiah predicted a virgin birth.

(A Jewish rabbi discusses this question here.)

http://www.outreachjudaism.org/uploads/pdf%5CDUALVIRgin%20website.pdf

(A Christian response.)

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/isaiah-7-14-ahaz-sign.htm

It is true that Jesus was not literally named Immanuel (Eμμανουηλ), which in Greek means “God with us,” but this is exactly what Christians believe about Jesus.

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23, KJV

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The Virgin Birth narratives occur in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38.   Michael L. Brown is quoted from The Case for the Real Jesus (2007) by Lee Strobel.

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Links to Several Posts

Recently, there has a major burst of interest in the post on this blog about the messianic prophecy of the Star of Bethlehem.  Christians traditionally have believed that the Old Testament is full of references to Jesus and prophecies about Him.  Jewish scholars, of course, deny this and accuse Christians of misinterpreting scripture.  They say that we take words and phrases out of the context of the surrounding text.  Essentially, they are saying that we are practicing eisegesis.

Eisegesis (εἰς, eis, Greek = “into.”) is the process of interpreting a text or portion of text using one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases. This is commonly referred to as reading your prior suppositions into the text.

Christian biblical scholars stress the need to practice exegesis of biblical texts and not eisegesis.  (Exegesis ἐξηγεῖσθαι (exegeisthai) The English meaning of this Greek word is “to explain,” or “to interpret.”  The idea is that the interpretation comes from within the text. This comes from the etymology of the word: ek (out) plus egeisthai (to lead), “to lead out.”

So, when Christians search the Old Testament for messianic prophecies about Jesus, are we guilty of practicing eisegesis?  The short answer is no and this is because Jesus Himself told us to do this.

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39

“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.” John 5:46

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27

Listed below are the messianic prophecies discussed so far on this blog.  There will be others.  Click on the link to go to the post.

The Star of Bethlehem

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/07/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-star-of.html

He Will be Called Out of Egypt

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/02/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

He is the Light of the World

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/02/messianic-prophecies-from-bible_24.html

Herod’s Slaughter of the Children of Bethlehem

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/03/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

He Will Be from Nazareth

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/04/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

They Will Give Him Vinegar for His Thirst

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/06/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

A Prophecy Not Yet Fulfilled

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/07/messianic-prophecies-from-bible_29.html

He Will be Sold for Thirty Pieces of Silver

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2010/10/messianic-prophecies-from-bible.html

He Will Bring Light to the Lands of Zebulon and Naphtali

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2011/09/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-he.html

He Will Die Among the Wicked But be Buried With a Rich Man

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/01/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-he.html

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/05/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-he.html

God Has a Son

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/04/messianic-prophecies-from-bible-what-is.html

  

His Body Will Not Decay

http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2012/12/messsianic-prophecies-acts-1610.html