#Commander Grek

[kazoosandfannypacks]

Sabezra Week, Day 3, "Surprise!" SURPRISE CHAPTER UPDATE!!!!!

summary: sabine and ezra finally share their first kiss. unfortunately, it’s on a broadcast to every rebel cell in the galaxy. chapter word count: 1239 a/n: i decided there was no better way to celebrate "surprise" day in sabezra week than with a surprise chapter update on a sabezra fic i haven't updated since may! shoutout to the friendly and remarkable @kanerallels for betaing! taglist: @laughingphoenixleader@accidental-spice@kanerallels  @piraterefrigerator @jedi-nurse@dootchster  @lucasbridger@redroverrider  @light-umbra   @commander-tech  @jedimandalorian@notanodinarygirl  {if you’d like to be added to or removed from my Sabezra taglist, let me know!}

also on ao3!

Ch. 3 Sabine Thinks She Has Some Of The Worst Friends In The Galaxy

 The Ghost crew had stood by each other in everything, through great triumphs, devastating losses, glorious victories, crushing failures, and ground-breaking successes. The Spectres were more than just a crew, they were a family, a team that always had each other's backs, no matter what.

 So, naturally, when a personal moment between Spectres 5 and 6 was broadcast to every cell in the rebellion, the only natural response from Spectres 3 and 4 was to take advantage of the situation and make things so much worse.

 Over the years, Sabine and Chopper had grown a mutual understanding of each other, a level not only of respect, but, when they had a common enemy, camaraderie. Sabine still hadn't learned binary, but she could usually understand what the astromech was saying anyways, often simply based on inflection and context. That especially rang true now as he rolled up to her and Ezra and beeped along to the tune of a familiar schoolyard taunt, something about her and Ezra, and a Veshok tree, and "Krill-Isk-Senth-Senth-Isk-Nern-Grek."

 Sabine rolled her eyes and sighed, trying to act like Chopper's teasing was childish and pathetic and not like it took great effort on her part to bring to mind that punching the droid in the sensors would do her absolutely no good.

 "I'm a mature adult now," Sabine reminded herself, "childish taunts don't have the same effect they used to. I don't need to be embarrassed that I just kissed my best friend, and that I really enjoyed it, and that, should such an opportunity present itself again...."

 Lest her expression betray her, she cut off that train of thought.

 Her one consolation right now was that at least she was handling the whole ordeal much better than Ezra. His cheeks were flushed with a magnificent sunrise of color as Chopper wheeled back around to him, followed by Zeb giving him a pat on the back that almost knocked him over.

 She quickly turned away from Ezra, afraid that the awkward smile on his face would soon be reflected by one of her own. 

 "Play it cool," she told herself, "play it cool."

 Fortunately, at this point, all of the speeches had been concluded, and the prospect of refreshments being served in the square was apparently more interesting to the crowd gathered below than futile attempts to catch a glimpse at what was surely the hottest rebellion gossip happening on the balcony overhead.

 Which meant that, as the rest of the important rebellion heroes funneled back through the door, Sabine could make her escape and hopefully shut out all interested parties for the next three days or until this whole thing blew over, whichever came last.

 Unfortunately, the most interested party in the entire situation was Ezra, and, as luck would have it, they found themselves next to each other in the crowd.

 "So, Sabine," Ezra said.

 "Don't wanna talk about it now, Bridger," Sabine cut him off. It wasn't that she didn't want to discuss the matter with him, really. Ezra was the first person she wanted to talk to about what was on her mind. It just happened that this time he was also the last person she wanted to talk to about it. She needed time to figure her emotions out for herself, first.

 "Later, then?" Ezra asked.

 "Maybe," Sabine shrugged.

 That "maybe" should've been a "yes," or a "sure," or a "definitely," but "maybe" was easier to say. It was harder. It was stronger. It was safer. Her jaded response was an armor unto itself.

 But since when had she needed armor around Ezra? When was the last time she felt like she needed to keep her guard up around him? His compassion and wit had spent the better half of a decade wearing away at her rough exterior, until somehow she finally felt safe around him.

 Why didn't she feel safe now?

🧡.📱.💜

 Sabine missed when she was a social outcast. It certainly would've made situations like this a lot easier. She wouldn't be obligated to mingle with anyone right now if they all still hated her like they used to.

 Instead, now she had to smile and nod and thank seven dozen people for thanking her for her service to the galaxy, all the while knowing that behind their smiles was the memory of the not-so-private moment she and Ezra had shared. Most of the people in attendance didn't know Sabine well enough to broach the subject with her, of course, but there were a few notable exceptions.

 "You didn't mention there was anything between you and the Loth Rat," Ketsu said, leaning on Sabine's shoulder like an arm rest.

 "It's a recent development," Sabine said, looking away and trying to sound disinterested.

 "Well, don't look now, 'cause here he comes," Ketsu said.

 Sabine looked up and saw Ezra in the distance, shoving something into his pocket. He seemed upset, but when he looked up at her, a smile washed over his face.

 "Oh no," Sabine said, "I'm not talking to him about it yet."

 "Really?" Ketsu asked. "I'd've thought you would've gotten it over with and turned him down already."

 "Why would I do that?" Sabine asked, turning to give her friend the full face of the mandalorian rage coursing her veins, "he's a great guy, and a good friend, and he's funny and cute and kind and…."

 Sabine stopped talking when she noticed the knowing twinkle in her friend's eye. Sure, Ezra was the resident Loth Rat, but Sabine had all too easily fallen for the bait in Ketsu's trap.

 "Looks like he's growing on you," Ketsu said, as she winked and walked away.

 Sabine looked back at Ezra and saw him walking closer, close enough that walking away would be a faux pas, yet still far enough that she had plenty of time to overthink her response as he approached.

 "Hey," Sabine said, as neutrally as she could manage.

 "I know you don't want to talk about, well, you know," Ezra said, "but, uh, we're still chill to hang out, right?"

 "Uh, sure," Sabine said. Since making a slew of mistakes was pretty much keeping in theme with how the day was going, she decided not to waste time trying to stop herself from getting lost in his eyes, letting all the words those rich blue worlds said at once completely envelop her.

  "Good," Ezra said, and Sabine couldn't tell if he was even aware of the effect his tone and expression had on her in that moment, "because no matter what happens to us, I hope we never stop being friends."

 Sabine nodded, trying to find something to say that wasn't "I need you to kiss me again, right now," or anything along the same lines or even worse.

 "Yeah," Sabine smiled, despite her best effort, "me too."

 He opened his mouth as though to say something, but stopped himself, letting out a deep sigh as he did her a horrible favor and turned away from her, breaking the gaze they'd been locked in before either of them did something stupid again.

 "Glad to see we're still cool," Ezra said, scratching the back of his neck and turning away from her as he spoke.

 "Yeah," Sabine said.

 After a silence that was almost long enough to be awkward, Sabine walked away without another foolish word.

[spaceintruderdetector]

Storm 00 Commandant Grek Gevangenen Van De Tijd : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

"Creative" Miniseries

Warnings and Information: Because one of these get suggestive, we're gonna say Minors DNI.

I went down a list of creative hobbies at random, so some of these may not necessarily "fit" Cody and Gregor (in the interest of time since I'm posting away from home, I cut Waxer and Boil from the original list). This is more a creative writing exercise than a serious list of headcanons.

Commander Cody

His cyare is a tattoo artist, and a kriffing good one at that. He's seen you do scar camouflage, cover-ups, in-memoriam pieces, and he's seen perhaps hundreds of your tattoos on the skin of his brothers that have been directed to your parlor. There's a piece of you with him if he knows where to look. As Marshal Commander, he doesn't see you often, but he still sees the evidence of you. You're everywhere. You've inked every thing: flowers, names, animals, insects, star maps and planets and even some nose art for the Republic gunships has been commissioned from you. "No-no, you misunderstand their advertising; soldiers of the GAR and GAR property have discounted rates. Nothing they make looks cheap, it's the prices that are cheap. But their work is beautiful and worth every credit." Cody assures a young soldier who's heard through word of mouth that you offer cheap tattoos to Clones. The brother looks at him with a curious expression, deciding quickly that if he's going to ask his question, he better do it while he's either brave enough, or foolish enough. "Do you have a tattoo from them, Sir?" Cody smiles, head bobbing once. "Can I see?" Cody shakes his head this time at the courageous question, still smiling as he explains. "Afraid I can't do that. It's under my armor." Your permanent addition to his body is explained and described in detail, however. A simplistic rendition of a sun, and in orange Aurebesh, one single word. The thing he strives most for in the name of the Republic. "Grek-leth-osk-resh-yirt."

Gregor

His cyare took up scrapbooking some time before Sarrish. Well, he thinks so, anyways… Memories from that time before he took a job as a dishwasher on the planet Abafar can be incredibly patchy when he doesn't actively try to recall what happened. But whether or not it's the first time or the fifth he's seen some of his loved one's scrapbooking pages, Gregor adores the attention to detail, and the care you put into curating these pages. Stamps, stickers, and decorative tape make up the pages you dedicate to things you want to remember. But there's a much more raunchy project you've been working on on the side. You haven't shown him yet, but you've promised him that as the pages progress, he should find himself plenty hot and bothered. "Can't be working too hard all the time, Captain~" you tell him with a salacious smile when you finally gift it to him.

[Masterlist] [501st] [TBB + Wolfpack]

[overfedvenison]

Ooh, Boarding Action rules are previewed... I’ve been looking forward to this. I love the 500-pt game types, they’re great for niche choices and have weird little metas that develop The rules of this format is that you have a special Boarding Patrol detachment consisting of 0-1 HQs, 0-3 Troops, and 0-3 Elites, totalling 500pts. No vehicles, monsters, bikes, models that Fly (With a few exceptions - You can bring Crisis Suits, for example,) or Cavalry (Krootox being a specific exception because Monkie.) And, there’s no faction strategems - You just get Insane Bravery, Counter-Offensive, and a Command Reroll It is very interesting that you need no HQ; this is probably because you only have one Character per Boarding Patrol so can have your warband led by an Elite if you want. This whole thing is great for people building up armies, actually. So much freedom for tiny games. Each faction has special rules for building lists. Here’s the special Tau rules:

So, here’s our actual list, as best I can tell at the moment. Note that we have no unrestricted Elites slots, surprisingly, as far as I can tell: HQ: Cadre Fireblade Sept restricted HQs: Darkstrider (Tau sept only) Ethereal; may take Hoverdrone but that doesn’t appear to do anything Aun’shi (Vior’la) Aun’va (Tau sept) Troops: Breacher Team Strike Team Kroot Carnivores * Fast Attack - One slot for one of the following: Pathfinders Tactical Drones Choice of one: Commander Farsight (HQ,) Commander in Crisis Battlesuit (HQ,) Crisis Battlesuits (Elite,) Crisis Bodyguards (Elite,) Stealth Suits (Elite.) Flying units cannot use Manta Strike, cannot fly, and have a speed of 6″, and these units cannot take Drones. Prototype Systems are also barred. ---- * Kroot: If you take at least one Kroot Carnivore Squad, the following options unlock - Krootox Rider; max one unit of three Kroot Shaper; Takes Character slot so max 1 Kroot Hounds; one squad per Carnivore unit because they don’t take up a slot Kroot Farstalkers Dahyak Grek (Legends character unit) --- I like that you can take Farsight specifically, haha. Though, he’s actually nerfed in this format: He only gets three attacks, and can’t fly so only has a 6″ move speed. Let it be known here: Commander Farsight is a Tau who got his melee nerfed for being too unbalanced It’s... Odd that Farsight was specified as a unit you can take, since he’s also a Crisis unit. It says “Or,” so it seems like you can only take one of those Battlesuit units, but I feel like that could be read both as “You can choose one of these, to the exclusion of the others” or “You can take this, this, or this as a special option.” Maybe it’s just there to specify that, yes, you DO get to just take Farsight and go on a Char Aznable quest. But maybe you can run a Crisis Squad led by Commander Farsight, thus giving a bonus to the Enclaves who would otherwise not benefit from their ability to field an extra commander and the like. If you CAN run Crisis Suits with him? Well... A crisis squad and him are a bulk of your army, but man... Rerolling all wound rolls on Flamers, AND giving melee ability to Crisis Battlesuits (4+, rerolling 1s) in a format where 5 Str is a pretty huge amount, AND letting that squad fall back and shoot in a close-quarters game? I feel like this could be the coolest thing ever if that is what is actually intended here. But, I don’t think that is the intended outcome, haha. Another Battlesuit-heavy option would be to take a full squad of XV8s. 6 XV8s with shield generators on two, an Early Warning Override on one, and an Iridium Suit each would go for about 380 points, and then you can (Probably, we don’t have details on this yet) use the game-specific option to split an elite unit into smaller squads to field two squads of 3 XV8s. This would be... Difficult, to deal with, especially if you give them some flamers (Which, I feel like you should in this format. Maybe I’m just a pyromaniac.) As in other 500-pt formats, this also means Kroot are unusually powerful because of their detachment shinanigans - One squad of Carnivores mean you can take Kroot Hounds, a Shaper, and Krootox without taking a slot. Kroot Hounds are otherwise impossible to get, and seem like they would be very useful and fun in this format since you get to unleash packs of dogs on your opponents in this space ship. The format restricts you to one character, however, so no running multiple Shapers. Krootox might ACTUALLY BE GOOD, too. Take a close look - Tactical Drones and Crisis Suits are limited to 6″, and there are no fast vehicles like Devilfish. Kroot are now the fastest thing in this -entire army- and the fastest among them are Krootox and Kroot Hounds. Krootox’ high Toughness actually means something here in the absence of other options, making them unlikely to die immediately. Since Krootox can still open doors and such? That is all-together an ENORMOUS niche, especially with the cramped quarters making a charge from them pretty likely. This is good to think about, because Krootox are otherwise kind of... Absolutely pathetic? The format is also notable for lacking faction stratagems - Again, this is a punishment that effect Kroot a lot less than others, and while it does hurt losing your ability to eat others everyone else is hurt way more Anyways... Yeah. An interesting, limited format.

[comicwaren]

From Star Wars Vol. 3 #007, “Predators”

Art by Ramon Rosanas and Rachelle Rosenberg

Written by Charles Soule

[dansonfandoms]

The High Republic Era

Check out Dans on Fandoms on YouTube

[downthetubes]

In the Spotlight: "Storm" by Martin Lodewijk and Don Lawrence

In the Spotlight: “Storm” by Martin Lodewijk and Don Lawrence

Storm promotional art by Don Lawrence – 1998

With Rebellion‘s welcome announcement of mass-market Trigan Empire collections, launching next year, it’s perhaps no surprise that some fans of artist Don Lawrence are also wondering if this might also pave the way for a similar release for the science fantasy Storm, a strip the British artist worked on for 22 years.

Following his departure from…

[hfbeasty-legacy]

SWTOR wish-/checklist

Bolded the stuff that is HELL YE and crossed out what I already got :D

General

Vip pass Hide head control Companion appearance customization control

Armor

Hiet Frodynn:     Jedi survivalist - Force apprentice -  Satele shan - Loyal Adherent - Atris armor -  Jori Daragon - Xoxaan - Jarael

Teegra Bengal:   Speedsuit - Revealing Bodysuit - Havoc Squad armor set (for Jorgan) - Casual Connoisseur - Sensuous Dress - Exquisite Dancer - Outer Rim Gunslinger - Calo Nord

Zach:   Huttsbane - Bold Hellion - Theron Shan - Casual Vandal -

Soranoah:   Zayne carrick -  Revered Master - Exiled master - Gav Daragon - Martial Pilgrim

Baal Estasze:   Heartless Pursuer - Energized Triumvirate - RD-07A Vendetta - Enigmatic Operative - Expert Outlaw - Canderous Ordo - Energized Triumvirate

Di’taqt Malekh:   Shadow Disciple - Callous Conqueror - Exterminator’s armor set - Sith Recluse - Sith Cultist - Primeval Stalker - Marka Ragnos - Nightlife Operative -

Shere Rajj-Roque:     Sly operator - Clandestine Officer - Port Nowhere Mobster - Intelligence Officer - Secret Agent - Kidaesh Griseo:    Trenchcoat - relaxed jumpsuit - Outlander Observer

General cool stuff:   Covert energy armor - Relaxed Uniform - Horizon Guard - Resourceful engineer - Euphoric corellian - Thermal retention - Polar Exploration - Visas Marr - Resilient Warden - Corsair Pumeler (Pirate) - Hoth Ranger

Don’t want these yet but I gotta remember them: Charismatic Mandalorian - Calculated Mercenary - Ruthless scion - Havoc Squad Officer - Desert Scavenger - Sanctified Caretaker -  Adept scout - Freelance Hunter

 Lightsabers

 Di’taqt: Defiant vented lightsaber - Dark Honor Guard’s unstable Lightsaber - Unstable peacemaker lightsaber

 Hiet Frodynn: Descendant’s Heirloom lightsaber

 Kida: Devastator’s Doublebladed lightsaber

 Blasters

 Baal: Mischief - Anarchy - BL-28 Blaster - WL-29 blaster

 Zach: Resolute Guerrilla’s blaster

Shere: TM-59 blaster pistol

 Teegra: Primordial Blaster Rifle Grek - Interstellar Regulator’s Blaster Rifle Dorn

Tunings

all of em....

Volatile tuning - Overcharged weapon tuning - Damaged Weapon - Light-Atunned- Lightning Tuning -

Mounts

 Di’taqt: Hssiss - Droid officer - Plateshadow Devourer - Dominator’s command Throne - Aratech Nethian - Ridge hunter rancor - Swamp Rancor - Kukri Subjugator - Speckled Manka Cat - Zakuul Overseer Dais

 Soranoah: Diplomat meditation - Savanna Kybuck

 Baal: MSM JT-2 jetpack (any jetpack tbh) - E-95 Dread Behemoth - Lhosan Manta

 Shere: Cybernetic Varactyl - Koensayr Monocycle - Vectron Vertica - Holo Rancor

 Hiet Frodynn: Sierra Grigna - Gloomlight vrake - Rimefrost whitefang - Cartel Recreation skiff

 Kida: Arbor Makrin - Armored Woodland Varactyl

 Zach: Any Tauntaun

[shastlelow]

Star Wars (2020) #2

HELLO!  YEEAAAHHHHH!

Welcome to This Week in Comics – Star Wars Style!

Today, I will be catching up on the reboot of the primary Star Wars ongoing title, and cover Star Wars (2020) #1-#4. Tomorrow sees the release of the third issue in the ongoing Darth Vader (2020) title, so I will review that later in the week. I will then work to catch up on Bounty Hunters (2020) and Doctor Aphra (2020).

Star Wars (2020), by Charles Soule, illustrated by Jesús Saiz is the reboot of the primary Marvel Star Wars Canon title. This title takes place between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi. It primarily focuses on the Rebel side of things.

SPOILER WARNING: This review/summary may contain spoilers for this issue, as well as any previously released Star Wars media (Films, TV Shows, Novels, Comics, Video Games) released to date, including #NotCanon. Also, this post may CONTAIN ADULT CONTENT!

© Disney/Lucasfilm/Marvel

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….

The Destiny Path – Part II

The Rebel fleet had been scattered following the Battle of Hoth. After losing Han Solo to Darth Vader's bounty hunter, Princess Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian returned from Clout City aboard the Millennium Falcon to find a rebel fleet under attack.

But Leia's daring plan allowed the fleet to escape. In the battle, a wounded Luke tapped deep into the Forde to destroy an entire squadron of enemy fighters.

And after learning that Darth Vader is his father, Luke now questions his destiny as a Jedi....

Leia and Lando discuss whether Lando can be trusted. Luke, still missing his hand, an Leia discuss with Lando how they can find Han. Lando and Chewie prepare to leave to head to find out if Jabba yet has Han.

Han and Chewie, in the space above Tatooine, encounter a squad of Tie Fighters. The Ties are defeated by another squad of ships looking for Solo, assuming he is on the Falcon.

We learn that these are pirates, looking for Solo to settle a score. Lando strikes up a deal with them.

Back at the Rebel Fleet, discussions on how to move forward occur. The Damerons are once again in this briefing room and they discuss how to go about communicating under the assumption the Empire has their codes.

Lando is now meeting with Jabba to sell Jabba on some Tibana Gas. Jabba isn't biting, because he knows Cloud City is now under Imperial control. This was all a ruse to see if Jabba had Han.

Back at the fleet, we get a little history lesson, courtesy of Commander Grek Dameron. He talks of the time of the HIGH REPUBLIC (I didn't, obviously, pick up on this in my first reading back in January) and how the galaxy wasn't as settled, and the outer rim was more dangerous. They briefly discuss how beacons were used to communicate. That they can use this method for now. That there was a huge space station, and the station had an inspiring name. He then goes on to discuss Operation Starlight.

Back at Jabba's Palace, it is discovered that Lando arrived in the Falcon. He is threatened with being fed to the Rancor, unless he has something to offer. He tells them Han was frozen in carbonite and agrees to pass on any information he thinks would be of interest to Jabba from the Rebels. He is allowed to leave. Back on the Falcon, he tells Chewie that he is no use to the Rebellion and to drop him off.

We then see Luke training with a blaster and his new hand. Lando comes in and tells Luke he wants to return to Cloud City, but that Luke should be the one to say he wants to return. When Luke asks why he would ever want to go back, Lando indicates he may be able to help Luke locate his lost lightsaber.

We then cut to a black gloved hand, the person in what appears to be Jedi Robes, and black gloved hands. The hand reaches out to the falling lightsaber and grabs it and reaches out to Luke to "Follow your destiny."

Master Shast LeLow’s Thoughts

Since I plan to post all four issues at the same time, I will save my thoughts for the Issue 4 review, and make it a cumulative Thoughts.

‘Til the Spires.

[samuraiknight-1600-blog]

BATTLE OF MARATHON. 

In 490 BC, the Future of Greece and probably the future western civilization was fought on the beach of Marathon between the greek citystate of Athens and the persian empire. Prelude: Before the persian invasion of Greece, The greek city states stood as a small spot next to the gigantic persian empire who stood from the borders of greece in the west, to northern india in the east. In the years leading up to the invasion, Athens had supported Greek rebellions in the persian controlled regian of anatolia, the rebellions were brutally beaten down and the persian king Darius saw athens support to the rebels as unforgivable andsought to punish Athens by expanding his empire into Greece. The perisans with their massive armies assumed the greeks would just submit to their demands, as with countless other kingdoms persia had invaded, but when they sent messangers to Athens and other city states, demanding they submit to persian rule by handing gifts of earth and water. AKA, "give us your land or we kill you" The atheans instead threw the messangers down a ravine, The spartans threw the persian messangers down a well, (heh, just like in 300) and prepared for war. The greeks would not hand over their lands without a fight.   Darius assembeled his forces in a massive fleet and sailed for Greece, expecting a pushover. he was acompanied by a Greek, Hippias, who was the former tyrant ruler of Athens, Thrown out after an uprising and into exile, hoping to regain his crown by cooperating with the persians. He adviced the persians of a propper landing area, the beach of marathon, a wide open terrain that suited the persians vast numbers. Meanwhile the Athenians and their allies had gathered their forces overlooking marathon. They were lead by a man named Miltiades, Overall Miltiades had some 10000 men at his disposal, greatly outnumbered by some 30000 persians who also had the battlefield advantage. For several days the armies faced eachothers, neither willing to make a move. the persians were still unloading their troops and supplies and it's aslo suggested they were hoping that Athenians loyal to Hippias would rise up, and the Greeks were waiting for reinforcements from Sparta, who had the best warriors in all of greece, but the spartans, would not aid the Athenians, At the time there was a religious festival in Sparta and the Spartans refused to fight until the festival was over and by that time it would be to late. The deadlock was finally broken when the Persian commander hatched a daring plan, he secretly loading most of the Persian cavalry along with a handful of infantry with the intention of sailing to another beach just at Athens, hoping to make a surprise attack on the undefended city. But the Athenians uncovered the plan, Miltiades now knew it was all or nothing, a Persian fleet was sailing towards the undefended Athens, but their main force in Marathon was now greatly weakened. Despite still being greatly outnumbered, he made the decision to attack. The battle: Miltiades Formed up is troops in phalanx formation, but due to the wide battlefield and the Persians superior numbers, He broke protocol hand had the phalanx formations in the center line thinned out in order to cover up the whole battlefield, But he had his flanks in standard formations, as they were the most important part of the line. Though outnumbered, the Greek hoplites were well trained and well armored with EXTRA THICC bronze, leather and Linen armors, the Persians were trained and equipped for mobile warfare in the steps of Asia and so were mostly not armored and were armed with light weapons. The Persians relied in their archers to crush the Greek attack, With massed volleys from hundreds of archers, the Greeks would have to sprint the last distance towards the Persian line or else they'd be slaughtered and the Persians assumed that by the time the Greeks had reached their line they'd be to exhausted to fight. That would not happen though, As the Greeks got withing the Persian archers line of fire, some 200 meters they started sprinting and as the Persians fired their arrows many simply bounced of the Greeks thick armor, helmets and shields, and they did not slow down and they were certainly not exhausted when they reached the Persian lines, the Persians had underestimated the well trained hoplites physical fitness. heck, there was even an event in the then Olympics in which hoplites in full armor sprinted twice as far as they had to in marathon. Though the Persians did have heavy arrows capable of piercing the hoplite armor, it was not enough to stop them.   When the 2 armies collided the Persians found out their light weapons were almost useless against the well armored hoplites who inflicted terrible losses on the Persians, But through cheer numbers the Persians started to drive the Greeks back, but then both of the Greek flanks broke through the Persian lines and encircled the Persian forces, the Persians tried to push them back but every attack was beaten back by the Greek phalanx formations, and it seemed that no amount of arrows could stop the Greeks. What happened next was little more than a slaughter as the Persians broke and made a break for their ships. In the stampede many Persians were trampled to death by their comrades and as they desperately boarded the ships, they were being slaughter by the chasing Greeks. As the surviving persians fled, the greeks collapsed from exhaustion. but the war was not over. Miltiades ordered the tired greeks to march back to Athens in haste, While the battle had been raising, the persians fleet was getting closer to athens. Luckily the greeks got there first, And when the persians saw the greek army on the beaches in battle formation, they fled back to persia. The Greeks had won. Aftermath: The Athenians had won a great battle against the persians, militarly it was not a a huge loss for the persians with their vast armies, but but their morale and prestiege had been severly wounded in tghis battle, it proved that persian was not as invincible as they though, and the greeks now knew the persians could be beaten. Shortly after the battle the Spartans did arrive only to discover that the Athenians had already defeated the Persian and with it all of the glory, this embarrassed the spartans as they considered the Athenians inferior. This is just a personal theory, bit i think this embarrassment of coming short of the battle could be why in the second Persian invasion king Leonidas ignored their religious festival and marched to Thermopylae with his 300 spartans, not wanting the glory taken from their grasp again. It is said that after the battle. the Greek runner Pheidippides sprinted as fast has he could towards Athens, not stopping for anything, It is then said that when he reached Athens he delivered the message of the victory at Marathon and immediately after died from exhaustion. Weather it is true or not, Pheidippides run has been romanticized in grek culture and would serve as the inspiration for the Marathon race, which is today popular and well used around the world. After his defeat, The Persian king Darius made preparations for another invasion of Greece, But he died before it could be carried out. it would fall to his son Xerxes to invade Greece, which he did 10 years after marathon with an army 10 times bigger than the army his father had commanded. This invasion eventually failed to after the spartan stand on Thermopylae gave the rest of Greece enough time to prepare and eventually beat the Persians in the sea battle of Salamis.

[ao3feed-klance]

Putting Out the Fire

read it on AO3 at http://ift.tt/2sVaCDP

by Speeps

It's been a hard mission, and Keith is finding it hard to cool down.

(not as sexual as it sounds oh my god)

Words: 576, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge (Voltron), A mysterious Commander Grek

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)

Additional Tags: Fluff, Drabble

read it on AO3 at http://ift.tt/2sVaCDP

[ao3feed-safeklance]

Putting Out the Fire

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2sVaCDP

by Speeps

It’s been a hard mission, and Keith is finding it hard to cool down.

(not as sexual as it sounds oh my god)

Words: 576, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge (Voltron), A mysterious Commander Grek

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)

Additional Tags: Fluff, Drabble

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2sVaCDP

[ao3feed-voltronlegendarydefender]

Putting Out the Fire

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2sVaCDP

by Speeps

It's been a hard mission, and Keith is finding it hard to cool down.

(not as sexual as it sounds oh my god)

Words: 576, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge (Voltron), A mysterious Commander Grek

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)

Additional Tags: Fluff, Drabble

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2sVaCDP

[davidsilvercloud]

Terry David “Butch” Silvercloud,

Visual Artist, Photographer, Physicist (Particle, Sub/Atomic Physics/Relativity)

I'm a photographer and take lots of photos.  I'm an artist 24/7.  This is my naked life in photos and words.  I don't have inhibitions... they inhibit you.  You are welcome to download and share nude photos of me... go nuts.  I'm a Visual Artist and attention is welcome. 

....... The DAILY GRIND.....  what's up today.

Made a video, today...

https://youtu.be/oFp_9MIXsJc

Today is Wednesday, 8 November, 2017.  Cool/cold and cloudy.  Did some painting, selfies, exercises, and made a video.

I got to bed about 11pm, last nite.  Bedtime varies a bit, from day to day.  I am retired and don't have to get up and go to a job.  I would have difficulty doing that because of my old age health issues... the pain killers make me drowsy, at times, and hormone replacement therapy maked my body a bit different, each day, of the 12 day cycle between shots in the bum.  I need to see a doctor every 12 days, or less, and that takes up a large slice of the day... getting there and back home.  It's very helpful, to me, the shots are, so I don't mind it at all.

I'm coming to the end of a cycle, today, and will get a shot in the bum tomorrow which will kick in about 4 days after that and last about 5 days before going away, again.  Women will understand, better than men, as they experience a monthly hormone cycle which they really notice.  Men are, basically, always ON but begin to decline around age 25 and things really go downhill after age 50, for most men.  It's related to testosterone levels.  If you are a man, over 50, you should monitor your hormone levels in an annual check up... your available testosterone, cortisone, and growth hormones.   Mine were all whacko until I began the therapy.  I'm totally 'normal' now, as is my blood pressure after 15 years of high blood pressure.

Aside from not having to get up and go to a job, what is different about me is a my social reclusiveness.  This comes about because I don't have peers with whom to associate.  I have no interest in friends who are not up to my speed.  I've tried that... it doesn't work, for me.  Imagine if you had to spend your entire life in the presence of chimpanzees and never got to meet other humans... that's how I feel with the humans who surround me.

In order to socialize, it becomes necessary for me to "come down" to the level of others... talk about what interests them, most of which is very, very boring to me.  Others lack my experiences and knowledge.  I'm on my own.  So... life is lonely.  I keep busy working on my art, trying to stay in shape, and doing some writing or video, from time to time.  I'm trying to entertain and educate you.

 ....... The DAILY GRIND.....  Dats da end of da daily grind part...

What follows is general information and common to most of my photos.  It changes from time to time, but is common to all my photos.

If you want to know more, or more about me, read on.  This update is on 8 Nov., 2017.  I keep a number of domain names, online, while I'm still alive and breathing.  I'm presently 73 years old.  I'm not like anyone you know.  Seriously, get over it... I'm very different.

My home page is http://ButchBoard.com

I don't do social media... this is as close as it gets.

Show me what you've got... prove yourself to me.

WILLING VICTIMS.  YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW.

I'm a scientist and follow the scientific method.  If the hypothesis, or theory, can't be tested with the same results, I'm open to all ideas that work with what we know, for sure.  I follow the laws of physics.  The world of physics has so many unanswered questions that, even knowing what I do, life is tricky.  I do know enough to know how the fundamental elements of the universe are working together, and how infintisimally small our planet is in the grand scheme of things.  Your life is so short, in the scheme of things, you barely exist, at all.  Time is related to physical size.  You are very, very, very, very, very small.  What seems like a short time, to you, is a second.  But, to an atom, a second is a very long time.

An atom is, on average, about 100-150 pico metres in diameter.  That is trillionths of a metre.  

For an atom, a better time value is a nano second.  To an atom, a nano second is a more reasonable unit for the clock to use.  Now, here's the thing.  You think light speed is fast, fast, fast.  And it is.  But, in ONE NANO SECOND, light travels just under one foot.  Yup... around 29 centimetres.

Do the math... it's easy.  Light speed is about 299,000 Kilometres per second.  Do  the math, it's easy.  Light travels about 29cm in a nano second.  You learned some physics today.   And, by the way... 60MPH is 88 feet per second.  Think about the splat when you are speeding.  One day, I'll tell you why nothing can ever move in an absolute circle and why nothing can ever really go backwards.  Its all about relative motion.  Everything, everywhere, is in motion and the Earth never, ever, returns to where it was, in space.  Why time travel is not possible, and why space travel, at light speed, requires some very advanced math.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPjohZCMwmI

The basic ignorance and fears of most humans make them willing victims.  They will follow anyone who tells them what they want to hear.  And, for the rest, they will have been brain washed into a social order of beliefs and, wanting to belong, being ignorant of facts, the child becomes the brainwashed adult.  Now, being all grown up, and all, they find no need to check any facts since they are not aware of them, anyway.  You don't know what you don't know.

People like to 'belong'... to be an accepted part of the 'group'.  If the group has some kind of status, then some kind of superiority complex will overtake the participants who will think, of themselves, as superior to their outsiders and they they are "the ones in the know".  Go agaisnt the group, and you find out, quickly, who your real friends are.  People like order and calm and rules of order.  They like benevolent, but strong leaders.   People like to be lead... most of them.  I don't share that attribute.  I like being the boss... the boss boss, as it were.  Do what I tell you, when I tell you, how I tell you, and we'll all be happy and prosperous.

The main poison on the planet is RELIGION.   There is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING more evil than religions.  Nothing.  The most vile and evil religion on the planet is Islam.  It is based upon the teachings, supposedly, of Mohammad.  He never wrote anything down, so the entire book is fabricated hearsay.  It threatens you with eternal torture if you don't do what you are told to do.  It is the only book of religion which threatens you with punishment.  Many believe the Christian Bibles threaten punishment, but they don't.  There is no Hell in either the Old nor New Testaments except for English translations which improperly translate the words for an ancient city and the words for 'grave' or 'burial place'.  The Jewish religion has no heaven nor hell because it does not exist in the Old Testament... the Jewish Bible.

The Religion of Mormanism is based upon a plagiarized and altered version of the Old andNew Testaments with some made up additions.  You may prove, ABSOLUTELY, BEYOND ANY SHADOW OF ANY KIND OF DOUBT,  that the Book of Mormon is FAKE because the second book of Nephi quotes, word for word, Isahia 14-12 from the Old Testament King James Version of the Bible.  The problem for the Mormons is that the King James wording didn't happen until more than 1,600 years AFTER the Book of Mormon was supposed to have been written.

And, to stick a flaming sword into the heart of Mormons, that plagiarized, improper translation was, itself, a mistranslation of the original Aramaic.  It is those same improper translations that brought us the word "Devil".  There never was, and never will be a 'Devil' in the Old, nor New Testaments.  That word was a mistranslation for the Greek word (the Roman Catholic translator, Jerome, didn't know what DIABOLOS meant, nor what the Aramaic word "Shatan" meant.  They mean the SAME thing... "opponent, or somebody who is in disagreement with you, or in extreme cases "enemy".

The word DIABOLOS, in ancient Grek comes from "DIAS" and "BOLOS" which mean...  "coming out of/as a result of the hit/the hurt.  DIAS means "as a result of/coming out of" and BOLOS means "the hit/the hurt".

We get most of our ideas about Hell from Islam.  The Qu'ran is page after page about Hell and tortures.  Roman Catholism discovered Islam in the 12th century and adopted many of the afterlife ideas and people were soon being burned alive for their "sins".

There were no Jewish artists who painted people or animals until the 18th century... ever noticed that?  It was because of the same issue Muslims have about imagery.  The second commandment says you can not make images of people or animals.  It was intended to prevent idol worship, but Muslims and Jews took it to mean no art depicting humans nor animals.  All that medieval art was from Christian artists.  Pissaro broke the Jewish anti-art thing... he was an impressionist.

What kind of moron, brain dead, bonehead, idiot would believe in a "God" that rules them forever?   What kind of asshole reasoning is that?  How stupid can one be?  By what right would any creator have the right to create thinking, feeling beings for the right to torture them.  Anyone who has such beliefs is extraordinarily STUPID, or just plain BRAIN DEAD.

I SAID IT, I MEAN IT.  IF YOU FOLLOW A RELIGION, YOU CAN NOT ASSOCIATE WITH ME.  THAT'S THAT.  GO AWAY, STAY AWAY FROM ME... AS IN FOREVER.  YOU ARE A DANGER TO YOURSELF AND EVERYONE AROUND YOU... GO AWAY.

====================== ***** I don't do social media... this is as close as it comes.  Yup... I'm the naked artist, Butch Naked.  If you are looking for me naked you MUST sign in…

http://ButchNaked.com

hosted at...

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/david_silvercloud)

"Let's go eat some steaks"  Hank Hill (King of the Hill) ----------------  Still here?  More stuff to read.  I go on and on like a dripping tap.

Ï just swept the circle of death"   Marge Simpson (The Simpsons).

I post regularly.  This part of my rant is common to all recent posts.  If you've read it once... you are now reading it again.  If you desire to get lots of views, there are things you need to do to ensure that... TITLE your image with words that would be used to search for it, and repeat those words in the description.  Use the description... Bots can't tell what is in a photo, but the spider is trained to alphabetize search words.  Make sure those words appear in the TAGS too.

I get thousands and thousands of photo views, every day... about 100,000 views a week, or more.  Thank you.  What drives you here is different for everyone.  * I take nude selfies most days to document my body and for something to do.  I include boner shots.  Many are looking for masturbation material to jerk off to.  That's cool with me.  You are free to download nude photos of me and share them.  Certainly, the nude photos attract a lot of attention.  But, aside from that, it's important to post lots of photos and give them 'titles' with words that will be used in a search, and a 'description' which, also, includes common search words.  Missed that?  I'll repeat things for you.  In advertising, it's known that you need to be exposed to an ad at least 10 times to notice it and remember it.

* Artists might find my naked body photos useful.  I'm old and wise, as it were, and know lots of stuff you don't know.  On top of that, I'm a physicist so the world is not confusing to me.  I understand how pretty much everything works and try to help others understand physics.  Why I'm alive, I don't know, but how the universe works... I'm pretty good at that.  I'm into particle physics and relativity and stuff... the smallest of the small of our realtiy.  I have a really good hypothesis about the cause of the Speed of Light...

http://ElectronSpeed.Tumblr.com

I hope to inspire you to look after yourself better than you do, make some point of life on this hell of a rock of a planet.  I really hope I inspire you in some way, aside form a good ejaculation.  I like those... good ejaculations.  To me, sex is what keeps me getting up, as it were, in the morning.  The humans have become tiresome, to me, but I like the sex.  Read on if you wish to know more about Butch, himself.  

-----Still here?   MORE STUFF ABOUT ME TO READ=====

I live alone... kind of a social recluse kind of person.  Not shy... just reclusive.  It's not like I choose to be reclusive, but I find it difficult to find anyone with whom I relate to much of anything.  Imagine me as some kind of alien being trapped here, trying to make the best of a bad situation, and you've pretty much got my number.  I'm retired and have a nice little studio home, so I'm happy enough.

I went into a kind of semi-retirement in 1997, after I shut down my studio, and moved to Vancouver.  I worked, part time, as a care taker in three different self owned apartment buildings... where the apartments were self owned.  That taught me how really mean and horrible a lot of people can be.  I left on job because of how disgusting the treatment was I received.  Not everyone in the 60 unit building was horrible, but enough were complete assholes to make my life, at that job, quite miserable.

I also tried Facebook for about 5-6 years.  That taught me how many really ignorant and stupid assholes there are out there.  If I'm reclusive, it's for good reason.  These days, I post my life but choose not to interact with social media and I have little interest in most social activities.

I have more than 10.5 million views just now at ButchNaked.com.

That's not an accident.  I work it.  I want your attention... I'm an attention whore with something to say.  I know a few things about how the internet functions.   Having lots of photos helps... it's a numbers game, but TAGS and DESCRIPTIVE words guide you to me.  I'm not a bad photographer, either, and am pretty good at making photos that grab attention.   I was a photographer who did advertising photography.  I don't care if you like me, or not, but I do have important things to say and am trying to get your attention and hope you will listen.  You can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink.  You have to put some effort into being alive and growing in knowledge and spirit.

http://The-Shape-Of-God.Tumblr.com

We are aware that more than 90% of reality that should be there... isn't or, rather, we can't seem to see it.  Physicists (I'm a physicist) have done some calculations and, it seems, what we see 'out there' just isn't enough matter to justify reality.  Much of what should be there is, simply, invisible.  We have termed the missing stuff as DARK MATTER and DARK ENERGY.

As a physicist, I can tell you that that MATTER/ENERGY is likely not visible, nor detectable because it is simply TOO SMALL in size to be detected with electrons.  It is of frequencies too high and wave lengths too short to be detected by electrons, which is what our bodies and mechanical instruments use to detect things although, I predict, dark energy is magnetism or, rather, the energy of dark energy is expressed as magnetism.

http://ElectronSpeed.Tumblr.com

------  MORE STUFF ABOUT DAVID SILVERCLOUD (BUTCH NAKED)

One of the secrets to being a great photographer is to take lots, and lots of photos.  Some of them will be good.  Be adventurous with the camera.  Think different.  Always use a lens hood.  Try to use a tripod as ofte as you can.  If you don't have a cable release, use the self timer.  An hour, or so after sunrise, and the same hour or two before sunset are the best times for outdoor shooting.  Bright light under a tree is great portrait light.  Don't shoot into the light unless you know what you are doing.  I use a Sony Nex-7 with 16mm lens and dedicated fish eye attachment for most of my photos, just now.  It's usually on Intelligent Auto.  I spend very little time taking a photo.  I work very fast.

I have a video channel… http://YouTube.com/ButchNews and other channels you may find at that link.

Somebody, recently, tried to scam me on Craig’s List: See video, below…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR_iuHL6HCo

============ I don’t have time to FOLLOW people I don’t know, so you should not expect me to ‘follow’ you.  I don’t know you and you must prove you are worth the effort to even bother.  I find this whole “following” thing to be some kind of social disease that is prevalent upon the planet, just now, co-dependent interaction and I don’t do co-dependency.  People are so insecure and lacking in self esteem they are glued to their smart phones to maintain their self worth.  I’m a “you get what you give” kind of guy.  Whether, or not, you like me, I don’t care.  I’m just trying to be a nice person who is useful to the planet.  Strangers are, mostly, interested in what’s in my pants… so I show you.

I’m not into social media… I don’t do FaceBook, nor Twitter.  I consider them to be cesspools of ignorance and co-dependency.  I’m a quiet, intellectual kind of guy, I talk a lot… kind of a motormouth because of my ADHD brain.  I can be obsessive compulsive, at times.  I’ve been working on controlling that.

My specialist knowledge is science/particle physics and relativity (time/space stuff).  I’m interested in Quantum Field Theory.  I’m an expert in the field of photography and am becoming a pretty good painter, now.  You will not understand me unless you have a PhD in psychology and, even then, you will be perplexed.  I’m not like you… get over it.  If you tell me we are all the same I will immediately dismiss you as a bone head,  brain dead, idiot.  I don’t much trust humans, at all, and am very uncomfortable around the huggy kinds of people, as I find them to be among the least intelligent of all.   Don’t touch me, please, I’ll figure you out really, really fast.

I don’t enjoy being old.  My energy levels are falling and I don’t care for that one little bit.   I try to stay in shape and exercise most days.  I watch the food I eat and try to avoid too many carbohydrates.  Fat and sugars are good for you, carbohydrates can be dangerous to many… we are, genetically, carnivores with a meat, root, nut, and fruit digestive system.  Grains were not part of our diet until about 8,000 years ago.

We require very little food to survive and are not, physically, adapted to cold climates without a heavy coat of body fat.  Fortunately, we discovered fire and cooking which breaks down carbohydrates into more digestible compounds.  On the downside, heat destroys many food components.  It’s tricky, but workable.  Humans have become gluttons devouring anything that moves or grows on the planet.  Humans are a virus destroying the Earth.

http://TheShapeOfGod.com  (http://The-Shape-Of-God.Tumblr.com)

FAKE FRIENDS and PHONY PEOPLE.  The Co-dependence of Social Media.

Social Media is a trap to spy upon you while making you co-dependent.  We all want to be liked and have friends, but at what cost?  And, what is a friend? I don’t want invisible friends who know nothing about me.  Most of you would find me to be very eccentric and weird.  I've been told I'm a 'Sheldon'.  You might 'get it'.  I don’t give out my phone number lest boneheads text me.  Why people assume it’s OK to text me, I have no idea.  I don’t text.    I have, absolutely, zero interest in chatting online.  Who has the fucking time?

I have more than a dozen e-mail addresses.  I don’t own, nor have any use for, a smart phone.  I don’t give out my phone number, easily.  My main address is ButchBoard@gmail.com which has extreme spam protection… I may not even get your mail if it has the least hint of spam as you must pass through two separate spam filters, first.  My personal blog is at:

http://DavidSilvercloud.com  

(http://David_Silvercloud.Tumblr.com)

I don’t make a lot of video, any more, but do keep a number of YouTube channels.  My main channel is

http://YouTube.com/ButchNews

and you may go direct at

http://ButchNews.com

I have old person health issues… severe arthritis and have been on a pain management program for more than five years now… T3’s and Diclofenac.  The Diclofenac slows my energy, a bit, I sleep longer and more, but the benefits outweigh the side affects.  I’m a queer man who likes much younger guys, than myself, with a brain and skinny.  I have no interest in guys who are not circumcised, it's a personal like/dislike.  I have no interest in guys who are overweight, out of shape, or obese... you have already told me you don't measure up to my standards, know nothing about health and wellness or don't care.  You have no pride in your body and don't take the measures necessary to care for your body.  You're cut from my team.

I have no sexual nor social interest in women, at all.  I am not comfortable in typical “gay’ environments such as gay clubs or bars.  I rarely drink, only socially at dinner, and am a heavy pot smoker.  I don’t smoke cigarettes.  I try hard to be fit by frequent, usually daily, exercise of sit-ups, toe touching, and light weights.  I watch my calorie intake, attempt to avoid processed foods.  I try to eat a variety of foods.

I'm very picky about what kind of guy I like... skinny is always good.  I find people become more and more boring as they age.  They get stuck in some time period with which they are comfortable and try to stay there.  I have a rule... when you arrive, you don't get to stay.  Evolution can't be stopped.  Death guarantees the old ideas will die, sooner or latter, nothing will ever stay the same.  Get used to it.  Rest is an illusion in the universe and is always relative.

I have no shame regarding nudity, or sex.  I am a visual artist and retired studio/commercial photographer.  I don’t see so well, now, and use a Sony Nex-7 on auto everything (intelligent auto mode).  My 'normal’ lens is the 16mm pancake lens and I normally use the dedicated Sony Fish Eye attachment or Wide Angle attachments for that lens.  You will have great difficulty duplicating my photos without the use of that lens combination.   I have lots of time on my hands and spend it on learning to paint, and taking photos.

http://SeriousThunder.com   (http://SeriousThunder.Tumblr.com)

I am NOT, presently, online, to save on cash flow… I live on a couple of very small retirement incomes and don’t have a lot of money.   I don’t post every day, but often.Check me out… while above ground I maintain several domains:

My home page…

http://ButchBoard.com

Main YouTube page…

http://ButchNews.com

Main photo cloud…

http://ButchNaked.com

Paintings:  

http://SeriousThunder.com

Physics… The Speed of Light…

http://ElectronSpeed.Tumblr.com

God… My manuscript…

http://TheShapeOfGod.com

OK, I did run out of things to say.  But I'll be back.

My home page is http://ButchBoard.com

but you knew that, didn't you?

[comicwaren]

From Star Wars Vol. 3 #008, “Prey”

Art by Ramon Rosanas and Rachelle Rosenberg

Written by Charles Soule

[christianpublishinghouse-blog]

It is highly unlikely that Jesus used the Septuagint. Jesus was likely fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. He was a perfect human with a perfect mind after all. Aramaic was the common language where he grew up, with Greek being the lingua franca for the Roman empire as a whole. The synagogues used the Hebrew text.

Jesus could have taught in Grek at times if the need arose. However, he taught in his native language of Hebrew. The quotations of Jesus from the Old Testament in the NT Gospels, even in the book of Matthew, are strongly Septuagintal. However, Jesus in all likelihood quote the Hebrew Old Testament as he taught, and the Gospel writers were moved along by Holy Spirit to use the Septuagint at times. One would be dishonest to be OCD to argue one way or the other alone. Thus, I leave open the possibility that Jesus could have quoted the Septuagint at times.

SOME HISTORY AND IMPORTANT INSIGHTS

It is not true that the Jews began to change over to Aramaic speech during their exile in Babylon. It is common to use Nehemiah 8:8 as a way of saying the Hebrew was not entirely understood because they all spoke Aramaic. However, the text is not dealing with a lack of understanding of the Hebrew language, but rather it is talking about explaining the meaning of the text, the sense of what the author meant.

Nehemiah 8:8 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

8 They continued reading aloud from the book, from the Law of the God, explaining it and putting meaning into it, so that they could understand the reading. See Matt. 13:14, 51-52; Lu 24:27; Ac 8:30-31.

There is not one verse in the Bible that says they abandoned the Hebrew language. Yes, it is true that Nehemiah found that some Jews had Ashdodite, Ammonite, and Moabite wives “and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah” (Neh. 13:23-27) Nevertheless, the reading of God’s Word was still then mainly in Hebrew. From the days of Malachi to Matthew, there are no biblical books and secular records are limited, with a scan few giving any real evidence of a change from Hebrew to Aramaic. The Apocryphal books, such as Judith, Ecclesiasticus (not Ecclesiastes), Baruch, and First Maccabees, were written in Hebrew the non-Biblical writings among the Dead Sea Scrolls were also in Hebrew, and Hebrew was used in assembling the Jewish Mishnah from the first to fourth-century C.E.

The strongest evidence that Hebrew was still the spoken language of the Jews in the first century is found in the New Testament itself. (John 5:2; 19:13, 17, 20; 20:16; Rev. 9:11; 16:16) There is no denying that Aramaic was widely known throughout Palestine in the first century C.E. But just because the Aramaic Bar instead of the Hebrew Ben is used in some names (Bartholomew and Simon Bar-jonah) means nothing, as some Jews had Greek names as well (Andrew and Philip). There were four languages current in first-century C.E. Palestine, Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek, with Latin being the least common. The Greek transliteration of some words that are debated at to being originally Hebrew or Aramaic words, as recorded by Matthew and Mark, does not allow for a positive identification of the original language used. Then, we have the fact that Matthew’s was originally written by him in Hebrew.

The evidence actually points to Hebrew declining among the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. However, it was still used in the synagogues wherever the Jews dispersed. The Jews did view the Greek Septuagint as an inspired translation. However, this soon changed. The Jews actually found a new zeal for the Hebrew language because of the Christians using the Septuagint as an evangelism tool.

The Hebrew Language

Hebrew is the language in which the thirty-nine inspired books of the Old Testament were penned, apart from the Aramaic sections in Ezra 4:8–6:18; 7:12–26; Dan. 2:4b–7:28; Jer. 10:11, as well as a few other words and phrases from Aramaic and other languages. The language is not called “Hebrew” in the Old Testament. At Isaiah 19:18 it is spoken of as “the language [Literally “lip”] of Canaan.” The language that became known as “Hebrew” is first shown in the introduction to Ecclesiasticus, an Apocrypha[1] book. Moses, being raised in the household of Pharaoh, would have been given the wisdom of Egypt, as well as the Hebrew language of his ancestors. This would have made him the perfect person to look through any ancient Hebrew documents that may have been handed down to him, giving him the foundation for the book of Genesis.

Later, in the days of the Jewish kings, Hebrew came to be known as “Judean” (UASV) that is to say, the language of Judah (Neh. 13:24; Isa. 36:11; 2 Ki. 18:26, 28). As we enter the period of Jesus, the Jewish people spoke an expanded form of Hebrew, which would become Rabbinic Hebrew. Nevertheless, in the Greek New Testament, the language is referred to as the “Hebrew” language, not the Aramaic. (John 5:2; 19:13, 17; Acts 22:2; Rev. 9:11) Therefore, for more than 2,000 years, Biblical Hebrew served God’s chosen people, as a means of communication.

However, once God chose to use a new spiritual Israel, made up of Jew and Gentile, there would be a difficulty within the line of communication as not all would be able to understand the Hebrew language. It became evident, 300 years before the rise of Christianity; there was a need for the Hebrew Scriptures to be a translation into the Greek language of the day, because of the Jewish diaspora who lived in Egypt. Down to our day, all or portions of the Bible have been translated into about 2,287 languages.

Even the Bible itself expresses the need of translating it into all languages. Paul, quoting Deuteronomy 32:43, says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles [“people of the nations”], with his people.” And again, ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.’” (Rom 15:10) Moreover, all Christians are given what is known as the Great Commission, to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Matt 28:19-20) In addition, Jesus stated, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations.” (Matt 24:14) All of the above could never take place without translating the original language into the languages of the nations. What is more, ancient translations of the Bible that are extant (still in existence) in manuscript form have likewise aided in confirming the high degree of textual faithfulness of the Hebrew manuscripts.

Earliest Translated Versions

Versions are translations of the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into other languages (or Hebrew into Greek). Translation work has made the Word of God accessible to billions of persons, who are incapable of understanding the original Biblical languages. The early versions of the Scriptures were handwritten and were, therefore, in the form of manuscripts. However, since the beginning of the printing press in 1455 C.E., many additional versions, or translations, have appeared, and these have been published in great quantities. Some versions have been prepared directly from Hebrew and Greek Bible texts, whereas others are based on earlier translations.

The Septuagint

The Septuagint is the common term for the Old Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The word means “seventy” and is frequently shortened by using the Roman numeral LXX, which is a reference to the tradition 72 Jewish translators (rounded off), who are alleged to have produced a version in the time of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.E.). The first five books of Moses being done around 280 B.C.E., with the rest being completed by 150 B.C.E.  As a result, the name Septuagint came to denote the complete Hebrew Scriptures translated into Greek.

Acts 8:26-38 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; who had come to worship in Jerusalem, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

“He was led as a sheep to slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation was taken away. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”[2]

34 And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I beg you, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he declared to him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”[3] 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

The Eunuch court official was an influential man, who was in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia and to whom Philip preached. He was a proselyte [convert] to the Jewish religion who had come to Jerusalem to worship God. He had been reading aloud from the scroll of Isaiah (53:7-8 as our English Bible has it sectioned), and was puzzled as to who it was referring to; however, Philip explained the text, and the Eunuch was moved to the point of being baptized. The Eunuch was not reading from the Hebrew Old Testament; rather he was reading from the Greek translation, known as the Greek Septuagint. This work was very instrumental to both Jews and Christians in the Greek-speaking world in which they lived.

What contributed to the Hebrew Old Testament being translated into Greek and when and how did it occur? What was the need that brought the Septuagint about? How has it affected the Bible throughout these last 2,200 years? What impact does the Septuagint still have for the translator today?

The Greek-Speaking Jews and the Septuagint

In 332 B.C.E., Alexander the Great had just finished destroying the Phoenician city of Tyre, and was now entering Egypt, but was received as a great deliverer, not as a conqueror. It was here that he would found the city of Alexandria, bringing mankind one of the great learning centers of all time in the ancient world. The result of Alexander’s conquering much of the then known world was the spread of Greek culture and the Greek language. Alexander himself spoke Attic Greek, which was the dialect that spread throughout the territories that he conquered. As the Attic dialect spread, it interacted with other Greek dialects, as well as the local languages, resulting in what we call Koine Greek or common Greek spreading throughout this vast realm.

By the time of the third century B.C.E., Alexandria had a large population of Jews. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and exiled its people to Babylon centuries before. Many Jews had fled to Egypt at the time of the destruction. The returning Jews in 537, were scattered throughout southern Palestine, migrating to Alexandria after it was founded. The need of a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures arose out of the necessity for the Jews in their worship services and education within the Jewish community of Alexandria.

Many of the Jews in Alexandria could no longer understand the Hebrew language, with others simply letting it grow out of practice. Most could only speak the common Greek of the Mediterranean world. However, they remained Jews in custom and culture and wanted to be able to understand the Scriptures that affected their everyday lives and worship. Therefore, the time was right for the production of the first translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Aristobulus of Paneas (c. 160 B.C.E.) wrote that the Hebrew law was translated into Greek, being completed during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.E.). We cannot be certain as to what Aristobulus meant by the term “Hebrew law.” Some have suggested that it encompassed only the Mosaic Law, the first five books of the Bible while others suggested that it was the entire Hebrew Scriptures.

Beginning of the Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 11th century.

This Greek writing is allegedly a letter written by Aristeas, who was a high official in the court of Ptolemy II in Alexandria. It was sent to Jerusalem in order to secure a copy of the Jewish Law together with a group of seventy-two scholars who would translate the Law from Hebrew to Greek. The recipient is Philocrates, about whom nothing is said except that he was a brother of Aristeas. The alleged purpose of the book is to tell the story of the translation of the Septuagint.

The book contains a delightful story. Demetrius of Phalerum, head of the great library in Alexandria, suggests to the king that a translation be made of the Hebrew Law. The king writes to the high priest Eleazar in Jerusalem requesting him to send seventy-two scribes to perform the work of translation. He sends rich gifts for the temple in Jerusalem. The story includes a description of the Holy City. Eleazar delivers an apologetic for the Law. When the translators come to Alexandria, they are feted in a series of royal banquets. The king plies the scribes with philosophical questions, and they answer with amazing wisdom. Then they are taken to the island of Pharos in the harbor of Alexandria where they set to work. Demetrius compares their work every day and writes down a consensus. They complete the work in seventy-two days. It is then read to the Jews, who laud it. When it is read to the king, he is greatly impressed and expresses wonder as to why it has not been mentioned in earlier Greek literature. Demetrius says that earlier authors were divinely restrained from mentioning it. Finally the translators are sent home bearing rich gifts.

It is obvious that this beautiful story is fictional, although it has a core of reliable information. Aristeas and Philocrates are not known in other historical literature. Furthermore, the Letter of Aristeas itself reflects a knowledge and usage of the LXX. The work also bears obvious unhistorical traits. For example, an Egyptian king would not attribute his throne to the Jewish God (37). The author, however, seems to be thoroughly familiar with the technical and official language of the court and of Alexandrian life and customs.

The purpose of the book is fairly obvious. It is a piece of Hellenistic Jewish apologetic writing designed to commend the Jewish religion and law to the Gentile world. The book emphasizes the honors showered on the seventy by the Greek king. High praise is accorded to Jewish wisdom by heathen philosophers. It explains the failure of Greek historians and poets to mention the Jewish law. The apology of Eleazar on the inner meaning of the law tries to interpret in meaningful categories the Jewish distinction between clean and unclean things. The Jews are said to worship the same god as the Greeks but under a different name. Zeus is really the same as God (16).

The book is really not a true letter but belongs to the genre that may be called belles lettres. It falls in the Greek literary and artistic traditions rather than in the Semitic pattern. This governs its purpose, which is not to impart sound historical information but to produce a general ethical effect. The book is therefore far more important as a reflection of Jewish life and culture in the 2nd cent B.C. than as an account of the formation of the LXX. Thus very little attention is actually given to the work done on the LXX. We know that in the 2nd cent. B.C., before anti-Semitism had raised its head, a large colony of Jews lived in Alexandria, and the work reflects the fact that they were enthusiastically embracing Hellenistic culture, social usages, literary forms, and philosophical beliefs so far as they did not directly oppose their central religious tenets.

The date of the book is an almost insoluble problem. Scholars date it variously from 200 b.c. to 63 b.c. Perhaps an estimate of about 100 b.c. will suffice. While some scholars think that the LXX involved a protracted development, this letter may reflect the fact that at some time an official translation was made.[4]

Letter of Aristeas

Useful in the First Century

The Septuagint was put to use at great length by Greek-speaking Jews both prior to and throughout first-century Christianity. Just after Jesus ascension, at Pentecost 33 C.E., almost a million Jews customarily gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover and Festival of Weeks, coming from such places as the districts of Asia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, and Crete, places that spoke Greek. There is little doubt that these were using the Septuagint in their services. (Acts 2:9-11) As a result, the Septuagint played a major role in spreading the Gospel message in the Jewish and proselyte communities. For example, we can look to Stephen.[5]

Acts 6:8-10 Updated Anerican Standard Version (UASV)

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

In his defense, Stephen gave a long history of the Isralite people, and at one point he said,

Acts 7:12-14 Updated Anerican Standard Version (UASV)

12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers the first time. 13 On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. 14 And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all.

This account comes from Genesis chapter 46, verse 27, which reads, “All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.” The Hebrew Old Testament reads seventy, but it is the Septuagint that reads seventy-five. Therefore, Stephen was referencing the Septuagint in his defense before the synagogue of the Freedmen.

The Apostle Paul traveled about 10,282 miles on his missionary tours,[6] which brought him into contact with Gentiles, who feared the God of the Bible and the devout Greeks who worshiped God. (Acts 13:16, 26; 17:4) These became worshipers or fearers of God because they had access to the Septuagint. The Apostle Paul used the Septuagint quite often in his ministry, and his letters.–Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:8

The Greek New Testament contains about 320 direct quotations, as well as a combined 890 quotations and paraphrases from the Hebrew Old Testament. Most of these are from the Septuagint. Therefore, those Septuagint quotes and paraphrases became a part of the inspired Greek New Testament. Jesus had said, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) He had also foretold, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world.” (Matt 24:14) For this to take place, it had to be translated into other languages, to reach the people earth wide.

  [1] The Old Testament Apocrypha are unauthentic writings: writings or reports that are not regarded as authentic.

[2] A quotation from Isaiah 53:7–8

[3] P45, 74 א AB C 33 81 614 vg syrp, h copsa, bo eth omit vs 37; E, many minuscules, itgig, h vgmss syrh with * copG67 arm, And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

[4] G. E. Ladd, “Pseudepigrapha,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 1041.

[5] “The first Christian martyr; foremost of those chosen to bring peace to the quarreling church (Acts 6:1–7) and so mighty in the Scriptures that his Jewish opponents in debate could not refute him (Acts 6:10) as he argued that Jesus was the Messiah. Saul of Tarsus heard Stephen’s speech to the Jewish Sanhedrin accusing the Jewish leaders of rejecting God’s way as their forefathers had (Acts 6:12–7:53). Saul held the clothes of those who stoned Stephen to death; he saw him die a victorious death.” (Brand, Draper and Archie 2003, p. 1534)

[6] Stanford University recently unveiled ORBIS, a site that lets you calculate the time and cost required to travel by road or ship around the Roman world in A.D. 200. (University 2012)

Did Jesus Speak Greek or Quote the Septuagint? It is highly unlikely that Jesus used the Septuagint. Jesus was likely fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.