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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 2 years ago

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From today's WSJ. Self-publish indeed.

Funny how God's most important work was delivered to humanity using technology that was available at the time. If he'd sent them laser engraved titanium tablets, we'd still have the finely inscribed originals today.

And proof of divinity.

For an all-powerful god who can create an entire universe exactly how he wishes with just a word, there is no deed which is any more difficult than any other deed. They are exactly as trivial. Anything he does for you is no more difficult or meaningful than not doing it at all. Bestowing personalized, laser-engraved titanium tablets to each and every human on Earth is no more difficult than producing stone tablets... or doing nothing at all.

Instead, we get crap like this.

Exodus 24:12

And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

Exodus 31:18

And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exodus 32:14-19

And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

Exodus 34:1-5

And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.

And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

Exodus 34:27-32

And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.

And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai.

The god of creation didn't think to make the tablets indestructible, and when they were broken, instead of reconstituting them, asked Moses to make some more, traipse back up the mountain, proposed that "I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest" but then couldn't be bothered - or just plain forgot - and "the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words."

And the whole thing took almost six weeks. Twice.

The universe was created in 6 days, but two tablets with 10 dot points on them took two attempts, each 40 days. And Lord still didn't learn from the first time, because he didn't think to make the second set any more indestructible than the first. Even magic unbreakable stone would have been a true miracle to declare himself to the world.

This is a stupid book, containing a stupid story about a stupid god. How anyone thinks this is the greatest story ever told is beyond me, when it's not even in the top 1000 least facepalmy stories.

#ask #bible #bible study #Exodus #The Ten Commandments #stone tablets #Moses #Book of Exodus #Mount Sinai #Mt. Sinai #religion #christianity #judaism #greatest story ever told #Ten Commandments #incompetent god #god of incompetence #religion is a mental illness

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torahtantra · 2 years ago

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Parsha 22. Vayakhel. “The Fortunate.” From Exodus 35:1–38:20.

Vaya= power

Khel= assembly

In Parsha 21 we learn once again God does not want good and corrupt men to mix. When the wretched and rotten surface, He tells His devoted servants to take up their swords and cull the herd. He’s said to do this a few times.

Moses argues with the Most High claiming human nature is here to stay and God insists. In tandem with giving the future Kingdom of Israel a hemorrhoidectomy God insists the youngest men, those the least tainted by the wiles of the former generations are groomed within the Temple in order to lead mankind on the outside.

God says if the fathers sin they have to be removed from their positions and separated from their lives so the sons can prosper. So be it! We will keep trying till we get it right.

Parsha 21 is named the “Fortunate” after the survivors of the latest onslaught of the disobedient. The rest are being sent across the desert for 40 years, the result of God's vote of no confidence in the people... a ruthless plan to make sure most of them don’t make it.

Sabbath Regulations

35 Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do: 2 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death. 3 Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”

-> Most authorities agree the six days in the light and the seventh in the darkness does not mean we sit in the darkness and do nothing but sweat in our clothes. Sabbath Day is an inversion of the formula we normally think of when we hear the Creation Myth which ranges from birth to Sentience but that is not enough, we have to return to God completely unbiased by manifold experience:

From the Book of Genesis:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Everyone who goes to Temple, Church or Mosque is probably scared shitless, hearing repeatedly that sin and salvation exist in an indelicate balance with each other, as with life and death, suffering and happiness, infirmity and eternity.

Only for a brief moment during the service do we hear God has different intentions for us. After all the singing and reading intended to employ God to turn His wrath away, does someone in a strange outfit try to convince you things aren’t so bad.

Except they are bad, aren’t they and the magic words are losing their sparkle...how, when there are signs all around the world just as there were in Egypt? What is going wrong?

Just as before we have a Golden Calf.

In Egypt and afterwards, Moses and God, all by themselves bust their asses trying to convince the people there are alternatives to all this worry. They are generous with their time and efforts, which result in a spectacular display of loyalty for the suffering.

The second Moses instructs them to purge themselves of all bad habits so their slavery does not recur- they refuse. They have an orgy, reinstate their love of money, overindulge in food and booze. Their enemies were closing, and it was all going to start again. Only the Talking Cloud convinced the enemies of Israel not to trifle with them.

The habits of these persons were surely going to compound into the customs of the nation. At the personal and civic level, their refusal to disbelieve in their disastrous habits in the past left them vulnerable to enslavement to them once again.

God says “Never again.”

Persons who idolize evil must be put to death. The rest must continually see how their reflections change as they pursue, as the Most High, what is good in all their days while they continue their retreat from this present darkness.

Thus begins the Parsha.

Materials for the Tabernacle

4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather[a]; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

10 “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded: 11 the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it;

13 the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence;

14 the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light;

15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;

16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand;

17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;

18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; 19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

20 Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, 21 and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.

22 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord.

23 Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them.

24 Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it.

25 Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen.

26 And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair.

27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the Lord freewill offerings for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.

-> Everyone brought Aaron their muckety muck for the making of the Golden Calf, this time the people bring their Attributes and the Ephod, the sum total of the Golden Qualities of the people are aggregated in the temple.

Notice also how we are engaging in Theme and Variations with Parsha Kitessa.

Bezalel and Oholiab

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—

32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.

34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.

35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.

36 1 So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.”

From Kitessa:

31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel (protection) son of Uri “the fire”, the son of Hur “purity”, of the tribe of Judah “the most praised”, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God.

What's different now: We are surely revisiting the Mantra,

“Refuge is conferred by the Most Praiseworthy, those who bind themselves to the fire and are pure of the causes of slavery.”

6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab “the Father’s House”, son of Ahisamak, “Who listens” of the tribe of Dan, ”Superior judgement” to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you:

7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”

"The House of Refuge is populous with those who listen, exercise superior judgement and have the ability to make everything I have commanded of you."

2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work.

3 They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning.

4 So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.”

6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

We have covered everything so far but the actual practice of Judaism. I have said it is a tradition, a duty, an heirloom, a scientific sociological political and spiritual system. God says once it is known and practiced competently, and Sanctuary is secure, guess what will happen? Goats. Yes! Goats will happen. And someone will need to make the curtains...

So why do we have to make curtains out of all those bulls ramboys, donkeys and doves?

Once one's goat is discovered after the final stage after the Sacrifices have concluded and the goat boy knows himself inwardly, the Temple enters a stage of readiness.

The curtains are suspended in layers around a kind of a Hub. They vault the Light of the Inner Sanctum from the outer world which as we know is not sanctimonious and does not confer the same sanctuary Judaism purports to instill within the Self.

The work, having been done to create the light under the skin of the person and persons must then affect history. It must do this without ceasing, without the ability to measure so little should actually be going wrong.

The Tabernacle

8 All those who were skilled among the workers made the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by expert hands. 9 All the curtains were the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide.[b]

10 They joined five of the curtains together and did the same with the other five. 11 Then they made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and the same was done with the end curtain in the other set.

12 They also made fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. 13 Then they made fifty gold clasps and used them to fasten the two sets of curtains together so that the tabernacle was a unit.

14 They made curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. 15 All eleven curtains were the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.[c]16 They joined five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another set.

17 Then they made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. 18 They made fifty bronze clasps to fasten the tent together as a unit.

19 Then they made for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.[d]

20 They made upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 21 Each frame was ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide,[e]22 with two projections set parallel to each other. They made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way.

23 They made twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle 24 and made forty silver bases to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection.

25 For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, they made twenty frames 26 and forty silver bases—two under each frame. 27 They made six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle,

28 and two frames were made for the corners of the tabernacle at the far end. 29 At these two corners the frames were double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both were made alike. 30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.

31 They also made crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 32 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle.

33 They made the center crossbar so that it extended from end to end at the middle of the frames. 34 They overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. They also overlaid the crossbars with gold.

35 They made the curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker.

36 They made four posts of acacia wood for it and overlaid them with gold. They made gold hooks for them and cast their four silver bases.

37 For the entrance to the tent they made a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer;

38 and they made five posts with hooks for them. They overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with gold and made their five bases of bronze.

-> Each of these elements in the Temple and their materials symbolize the making of the Man of God.

The Ten Purple Curtains woven with Cherubim- they protect the senses from idolatry. Each sense has two eyes and two ears and two nostrils, two mouths with two tongues in it. The Curtains produce the darkness that empties them of all that propaganda and bullshit from Egypt, prevents their re-entry.

There are 10 of these, the same number as the nodes on the Kabbalah.

The “blue material and “gold clasps” unites the senses; there must be 50 precepts in the Torah that prevent the dissonances confronting faculties from decoupling the person from the people.

Blue and Gold, are the sky and the sun, and these represent the activities of God as He said let there be light and made a vault, remember God wanted to Vault things together and yet be able to discern them.

Leather and Goat Hair Curtains: over the internal lattice work of the mind and its intuition comes skin and hair, and these are also supposed to be Vaulted together with a sentient self-concept.

I THINK there are eleven of these because the 11th character in the Hebrew alphabet symbolizes life- there are ten faculties and One Supreme Intelligence = all living things, but man especially covered in skin and hair and the Crown.

Bronze Loops signify the Law which binds living things together, similar to how the Gold of the Sun binds life to the sky.

Twenty Frames/Forty Silver Bases etc.

Pure silver, is the most powerful conductor of heat, electricity and most importantly to our discussions of Torah, has the most reflectivity. There are suggestions that the 40 silver bases are the same as 40 days or forty years, “time, not place” frames the House of God,

But really, truly, the number adds up to the # of Parshiot, which is 54:

20 frames N

20 frames S

then 6 W

And two frames were made for the corners of the tabernacle at the far end. 29 At these two corners the frames were double

46+ 8 = 54.

Crossbars of Gold: I am pretty sure these are Rabbis, the learned ones.

The Final Curtain: the work of the Embroiderer is either a Magus, or a King who unites the rest within the Temple aka the Kingdom.

37 For the entrance to the tent they made a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer; 38 and they made five posts with hooks for them. They overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with gold and made their five bases of bronze. “

The Ark

37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.[f]2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it.

3 He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

6 He made the atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 7 Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.

8 He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. 9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover.

Lest ye repent and leave Egypt- thine act of Atonement, the Torah is not available to thee.

The Table

10 They[g] made the table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.[h]11 Then they overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it. 12 They also made around it a rim a handbreadth[i] wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 13 They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were. 14 The rings were put close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 15 The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold. 16 And they made from pure gold the articles for the table—its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings.

--> within the Temple, lay prosperity, only those willing and of pure and good hearts are permitted entrance. And verily that can only thineself and one other, the ahead and forthcoming, who bears the Ark, one willing to uncover it after the Atonement. To him alone is prosperity allowed.

The Lampstand

17 They made the lampstand of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 18 Six branches extended from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other.

19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.

20 And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 21 One bud was under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all.

22 The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

23 They made its seven lamps, as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. 24 They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent[j] of pure gold....

The Tree of Life in Eden is generally considered to be an almond tree, and also another reference to how the Golden Sun God made during Genesis produced life and but most importantly for us- some of it is sentient.

The Golden Sun Lamp illuminating sentience, achieved by the balancing of good and evil using the Attributes etc. is why the Lamp is explained in this manner.

The Seven Lamps are the light of these attributes which are balanced within the self during the Seven Stages of Evolution and are off the surfaces of the Seven Wells, which are also known as the Seven Oaths into the world.

The Altar of Incense

25 They made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high[k]—its horns of one piece with it. 26 They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it.

27 They made two gold rings below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 They also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense—the work of a perfumer.

A perfumer is a Rabbi experienced in expelling the perfume of the Script into the atmosphere of the Temple, filling the minds of pilgrims who have prepared themselves for their weekly re-discovery of the Goodness of God.

The Altar of Burnt Offering

38 They[l] built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits[m] high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.[n]2 They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze.

3 They made all its utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. 5 They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating.

6 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards.

The Basin for Washing

8 They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The Courtyard

9 Next they made the courtyard. The south side was a hundred cubits[o] long and had curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side was also a hundred cubits long and had twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12 The west end was fifty cubits[p] wide and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 13 The east end, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits wide.

14 Curtains fifteen cubits[q] long were on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long were on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, with three posts and three bases.

16 All the curtains around the courtyard were of finely twisted linen. 17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver; so all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.

18 The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. It was twenty cubits[r] long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits[s] high,

19 with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

Finally we return to the Bronze Age - around the temple, anchoring it to the temporal life is the Law. It is the basis for work, play, worship, for all success for self and selves.

Thus ends Parsha Vayakhel, "the Fortunate" numbered 22 of 54 contained in the Holy Torah.

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danielcooperrp · 4 years ago

Text

We Two Boys Together Clinging

Halfway through 19th Century American Poetry and Drew has a sensation with which he is all too familiar: eyes boring into the back of head. It doesn't matter how many times he's been gawked at in a restaurant or in the allergy aisle of CVS (hay fever is a bitch), the feeling of the little hairs on the back of his neck standing up never fails to make him want to slink into a hole and die. He tries to ignore it, tries to focus all of his attention on the professor, who is droning on about the difference between various editions of Leaves of Grass, but that only lasts so long. Eventually, he caves, and he turns to look.

He's not shocked when the dark eyes watching him quickly dart away—people are often abashed when they get caught staring—but it is a surprise when, a few moments later, they return to meet his. The face they belong to is handsome, warm, dark skin, a strong jaw, a slightly crooked nose that suggests some kind of trouble, and—oh. Two rows of perfect white teeth that he sees now because the face is grinning at him, an inviting, dangerous grin, and now Drew's the one looking away, his own cheeks glowing red. His eyes burn holes in his notebook—he hasn't written a word in so long, he'll have to research this edition issue on his own later—and the other guy's eyes burn holes in his skull.

Why is he looking at him like that? Drew hasn't said a thing all class, not that any of them would be able to get a word in edgewise. His eyes dart down to check his outfit; a little schnerdy, sure, but nothing that stands out in a Harvard classroom. He risks it again; a quick look back, and that smile is still waiting for him, this time a little softer, like he's happy he keeps getting caught.

By the time class ends, Drew is a sweaty mess. He has no idea what the professor said for the last half of that lecture, but he's not going to stick around to ask. He tosses his notebook and his copy of Whitman into his satchel and slides into the mass exodus from the room. He lets himself be carried toward the building exit by the river of hungry undergrads, hoping that he avoids whatever situation was brewing behind him in class, but the river comes to a screeching halt when everyone notices that it's pouring buckets outside. Those smart enough to plan ahead whip out their umbrellas and leave, and some who don't have any other choice lower their heads and shoulders as though preparing to take a charging bull head on and foray bravely into the downpour.

Drew doesn't have another class for forty-five minutes, and even though he was planning on getting lunch in the interim, he really doesn't want to get this sweater wet, so he decides to duck into an alcove and wait it out. He pulls out his phone, Googles the information he thinks he missed in class, and is halfway through an Encyclopedia Britannica article when someone clears their throat. He looks up and blinks owlishly. It's the teeth.

"Hi," the teeth say. "I'm Xander."

Drew stares. He doesn't know what to do with this information. During the rare instances someone deigns to talk to him, an introduction like "I'm Xander" is almost always followed by a request like "Can I get an picture?" or "Do you know where the bathroom is?", depending on if he's been recognized or not. But this...this is just warm brown eyes and a big shiny smile that he doesn't know what to with.

"Drew Cooper," he eventually blurts out, remembering that he is in fact a human person with a name. "Um. Hi."

Xander leans casually against the wall adjacent to Drew, the fabric of his shirt pulling tight over the bulk of his arms as he crosses them over his very muscular chest. "You know, I really liked what you had to say last week about the em dashes in Emily Dickinson's poems. How they're meant to give you space to breath but really end up making you feel breathless. Professor didn't know what do with that, but...I liked it."

What is happening what is happening what is hap— Drew swallows thickly. "Oh. Thanks. I, uh, visited the house in Amherst a lot growing up. School field trips, family weekends...I'm...familiar with her work."

Xander nods toward the corner of Leaves of Grass sticking out of Drew's satchel. "What about Whitman? He a favorite too?"

Drew shrugs. "Sure. Mostly 'Song of Myself' and 'Drum-Taps,' but generally...yeah, his language is...unparalleled." Drew pauses, unsure, and then continues. "Reading Whitman always reminds me that I need to look around more. That everything is beautiful if I let it be."

The smile grows bigger. "I really like the way you talk about poetry, Drew Cooper." Xander reaches into the JanSport he's got slung over one shoulder and pulls out an umbrella. "Want to talk about it over lunch?"

—————

It’s not until their third post-poetry class lunch that Drew finds out something interesting about his new friend. “Wait...you’re on the football team?”

Xander laughs, a loud, warm sound that makes Drew feel like he’s part of the joke instead of the butt of it. “Yeah, yeah, I’m on the football team.” Drew makes a face. “What?”

“Well...don’t take this the wrong way, but...” Drew swirls his spoon in his cup of clam chowder. “...is Harvard’s team any good?”

This earns a longer, louder laugh from Xander, who takes a bite of his grilled chicken when he’s done. “In the grand scheme of things? No. We go up against Auburn or Clemson and we’re getting our asses kicked, no questions asked. But against the teams we actually play? We’re not half-bad.”

“So what position do you play?”

“Tight end.”

“Oh, I know that one. That’s...an important one.”

Xander suppresses the laugh this time. “It’s okay, Cooper. You don’t have to pretend to like football.”

Drew scrunches his nose. “I’m sorry. I come from a sports family. My dad and my older sister, in particular, they’ll talk for hours about football or baseball or hockey...it all goes over my head.”

With a shrug, Xander says, “Well, you’ve got enough good stuff going on in that head. No need to waste brain space on stuff that doesn’t matter.”

Drew feels himself starting to flush, so he quickly tries to shift the focus. “Well what about you? If football doesn’t matter, why risk CTE for it?”

“Scholarships, Cooper! You think Harvard pays for itself? I got in on test scores, but test scores don’t get you out of loans. Football does.”

And doesn’t that make Drew feel so silly. He knows how unbelievably lucky he is, that he had every semester of higher education he could ever want at whatever university would take him paid for before he was even born. If he had the mind to, he could keep taking classes at Harvard or Yale or Oxford until he died and he’d never have to think about the cost. Xander actually has to work for his education, and Drew feels like a little kid in comparison.

—————

They’ve been in a little back corner of Lamont Library for a few hours now, bent over their respective texts as they work on assignments for different classes. Drew’s nose-deep in an anthology of Helen Hunt Jackson, while Xander’s scribbling away at equations for one of his insanely complicated math classes. They work in comfortable silence, and every once in a while Drew wonder how strange it is, the easy way they spend their days together.

At one point, Xander throws down his pencil in disgust. “That’s it. Cooper, I’m dropping out.”

Drew makes a face. “You’re not dropping out, Xander.”

“I am. No economics degree is worth this.” He gestures vaguely to his chicken-scratch math homework.

“I mean, you’re not going to hear an argument from me, the guy studying History and Literature.” Drew peeks at the equations. “Would it help if you explained it to me?”

Xander furrows his brows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean...my sisters always head more of a head for the STEM subjects, while I’ve always been better at...” He waves a hand over his poetry book. “...softer stuff. But when I was a kid, my dad, who’s, like, an insane science nerd to the max, would tell me to pretend that I was the science teacher and I had to teach him the homework. It really helped. Explaining out loud, going over each problem piece by piece, helped me understand it better.” He flushes. “It’s just a thought, though. You don’t have to...”

“On one condition.” Xander smirks. “You have to tell me all of your thoughts on Thoreau afterward.”

Drew can’t fight his grin. “Deal.”

—————

Drew’s schedule is light on Tuesdays, so he’s back in the apartment he shares with Aidan, about halfway between Harvard and MIT’s campuses. She’s here, too, ditching a class she claims is “beneath the mathematical sensibilities of a first-grader.” She and some friend Drew is sure he should know the name of are on their little balcony, sipping wine coolers and people-watching while Drew reads for his early Wednesday class. Mostly, really, he’s listening to them gossip.

“See her?”

“Blond ponytail?”

“No, by the crosswalk, with the dog. Don’t tell her you have a fake ID, she’ll narc on you in a heartbeat.”

“Get out!”

“Dead serious. Freshman down the hall got busted because of her.”

“What a bitch. Over there, those two: dating or siblings?”

“They’re practically identical, so I’m hoping siblings....Oh god, please let me be wrong...”

“Who’s that?”

“Where?”

“Coming down the sidewalk here.”

“He’s hot, whoever he is.”

“I’ll say.”

“Wait...why does he look familiar....”

“Wasn’t he at that party two weekends ago? The one on Banks Street?”

“Oh my god, that’s it, he’s on the Harvard football team!”

Drew’s head snaps up.

“Tell you what, he could score a touchdown any day. Look at those arms...Drew?”

Drew scrambles off of the couch and flings himself onto the balcony. Aidan gives him a wild look. “What the hell?”

Peering over the edge, Drew spies Xander just as he gets to the front door of their building. He doesn’t need to use the buzzer, because someone’s coming out. “Oh.”

“Drew?”

Ignoring his sister, Drew rushes back to the couch, where he grabs all of his books and notebooks and tosses them into his backpack. Then he races into his bedroom to grab shoes. “I, uh, have to go! Study thing!”

Aidan looks down to the street and back to her panicked twin. “Drew...are you friends with a football player?”

“No!” Drew squeaks. “Yes! I mean, yes, we are friends. We have a class together. I have to go!”

Aidan squints in suspicion as Drew charges out the door. When it slams shut behind him, her friend says, “Does he know his sweater is on backward?”

Aidan shrugs. “Not my business.”

—————

“Why do you hang out with me?”

It’s a hazy October afternoon, and Drew and Xander are hanging out in Flagstaff Park, studying. People call out to Xander as they walk by, and Xander gives them a friendly wave or a “Hey man!” but makes no move to get up and socialize. Drew knows he’s quiet, not the best conversationalist in the world, so he wonders.

“What do you mean?” Xander looks at him like he always does, like Drew is about to say something absolutely revelatory.

“I mean...shouldn’t you be hanging out with the rest of the football team? Is that what you’re supposed to do?”

Xander seems amused. “Is that what you want me to do?”

“No,” Drew answers too quickly. “I just...I don’t know. I’ve never had someone spend so much time with me who wasn’t a blood relative, that’s all. And it seems like you have a lot of friends so...I don’t know...forget it...” Embarrassed, he turns back to his history textbook.

A wide hand, fingers splayed, plops down over the pages, and Drew looks up to see Xander rolling his eyes. “I hang out with you so much, Cooper, because I like spending time with you, and also, I’m hoping that if I earn enough goodwill you’ll let me take you out to dinner at some point.”

Drew freezes. “I—what?”

“I mean, if you’re not into me, that’s fine. I’m a big boy, I can handle it. But the thing is, I think you are into me, which is great, because I’m into you too, but I don’t mind biding my time until you’re ready.”

Every single neuron in Drew’s brain is misfiring. “You’re—into me?”

“Man got himself into Harvard just to outshine the professors and he still can’t read what’s right in front of him.” Xander sighs. “Yes, Cooper, I am into you, and would like to start seeing you socially in a romantic capacity.”

“But...you’re on the football team!”

“I—what?” Drew just gapes at him. “Cooper...” Xander starts to laugh, slow at first, and then harder.

“Wait, why are you laughing at me?”

“It’s just...really refreshing to talk to someone as woefully out of touch as you are.”

“Hey!”

“Cooper, I dated a guy on the swim team for like two months last year. My being gay is...not news. To anyone.”

“Apparently not my sister,” Drew grumbles.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Drew shakes his head. Nothing is making sense. “Do you know...who I am?”

“...We’ve met, yeah.”

“No, I mean...my family.”

“Oh.” Xander shrugs. “Yeah. Did some light Googling. I mean, c’mon, a white boy as quiet and smart as you? I had to be sure you weren’t secretly a neo-Nazi or some shit.”

“I’m Jewish,” Drew mumbles, “but that’s not the point. You know...who I’m related to.”

“Yeah. Am I supposed to care?” Xander reaches out and takes Drew’s hand, interlaces their fingers together. Drew’s heart is pounding so hard in his ears he can barely hear Xander speak. “Cooper, I am an economics major. I don’t want to date you because your grandpa was a billionaire. I want to date you in spite of the fact that your grandpa was a billionaire.”

Drew chokes out a laugh. “Fair enough.”

“I mean, you’re cute and all, but don’t think I won’t eat you for sustenance when the class war starts.”

His laugh is louder this time. “Stop.”

“So what do you say?” A squeeze of the fingers, and a squeeze to his heart. “Drew Cooper, will you go on a date with me?”

Drew chews on his lip, and then he nods. “Yeah. Yeah I will.”

Then Xander grins his perfect white grin, and Drew knows he’s a goner.

#drabble #v1 #drew #xander #thenamesallison #i................spent hours on this #i did nothing today #where did this even come from wtf

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kabane52 · 4 years ago

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Hello, Kabane. My previous question about Masoretic x Seputaginta was only concerned with the chronological difference between the two texts. The Jews falsified the timeline in order to make Melchizedek the Noah's son, Shem. Are you familiar with the documentary on YouTube called "Were the Pyramids Built Before the Flood? (Masoretic Text vs. Original Hebrew)"? Thank you.

As to the question of the pyramids, while advocates of the LXX take for granted that this is a knockdown, what they miss is that this is predicated on the accuracy of the conventional chronology for the Egyptian dynasties. This conventional chronology is deeply problematic for many reasons. Biblically speaking, if the conventional chronology is correct, the exodus did not happen. According to Exodus, two million slaves- possibly the majority of their workforce- disappeared at once. Fire had fallen from the sky and slaughtered their cattle and crops. Their water, in both rivers and jars, had been turned to blood and many died of thirst. Pharaoh’s counselors lament that “Egypt is destroyed.” No amount of clever maneuvering will ever make this narrative fit into the conventional structure of Egyptian history, whether one takes the Rameside exodus theory or the exodus in the time of Thutmose III. Egyptians may have tried to cover over their defeats, but the cataclysmic destruction of their whole civilization, the drowning of Pharaoh’s army together with Pharaoh, the burning of all their crops, the death of most of their cattle, and widespread death of thirst cannot be covered up.

In fact, there is such an event in Egyptian history- the cataclysm which brought about the collapse of Egyptian civilization at the end of the 12th Dynasty. But this only works if the conventional chronology is rejected and shortened. In one move, one will not only vindicate the biblical history of the exodus, but find that the conquest, the Kingdom of Solomon, and many other biblical narratives are substantiated by this one realignment. The chronology of the Hebrew text requires further compression in relating the so-called “Middle Kingdom” to the Old Kingdom and recognizing the concurrence of many dynasties in accordance with those ancient writers who actually possessed the full text of Manetho, fragments of which have been used to construct the modern system.

Ancient writers such as Herodotus and Josephus independently provide the age of Egyptian civilization, identifying its origin around 2000 BC. It just so happens that this aligns with the Hebrew chronology. The idea that the pyramids are a slam dunk against this chronological scheme is frustrating to me, because in taking the conventional chronology for granted, one has in one swift stroke falsified the entirety of Israel’s biblical history up to the division of Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel. If one takes the short chronology of the Hebrew Bible to be an obvious sign that the true history of Egypt is far shorter than the conventional construction would allow, one finds appropriate evidence for the whole biblical history- Egypt destroyed, Jericho’s walls fallen and burned, immense wealth in the Solomonic period. Advocates of the LXX chronology will vindicate their textual preferences in Genesis 11 and eliminate everything which comes afterwards in the same stroke.

I don’t agree with that perspective concerning the falsification of the MT. It is based only on an inference that the identification of Shem with Melchizedek took would be fatal for the Christian theology of Christ as priest after Melchizedek’s order. But this just isn’t true. We have no concrete evidence for the centrality of the “without father, without mother” text from Hebrews in contra-Jewish apologetics. To motivate a systematic falsification of the text of scripture, this argument should have been far more important- as it stands, this is just a guess on the part of certain theorists, and not a well-grounded one.

Particularly problematic for this hypothesis is the fact that St. Ephrem the Syrian follows the tradition in identifying Shem with Melchizedek. This indicates that the identification was not particular to rabbinic Judaism and had been independently transmitted in the family of Semitic Christian traditions in which Ephrem’s Syriac tradition participated.

Finally, this misses the point of the “without father, without mother” passage in Hebrews. It is not an assertion that Melchizedek is some kind of divine being who is not of Adam’s bone and blood. It is a point made in relation to the priestly character of Melchizedek, which is not based on lineal descent from a priestly tribe but on his authority as king of Jerusalem. This is the context of Hebrews, and the point remains exactly the same if Melchizedek is Shem. In fact, a friend of mine who is an astute scholar of Hebrews believes that this identification is implicit in the logic of the text and was taken for granted by Paul!

In any case, the claim that the chronology was falsified in order to refute Christianity by identifying Melchizedek with Shem is entirely without evidence. I have seen it floating around and it seems to be one of those strange hypotheses that people assume must have something behind it because of how often it is repeated. But this notion stands upon nothing at all. It is a guess without basis in the historical evidence and which makes little sense even when taken on its own terms.

as a postscript, it is notable that all changes between the LXX and MT figures are round numbers. Each of them ends with a zero or two zeros. This means that there was not the precise molding of the figures which would be necessary to explain the kinds of nonrandom chronological correspondences that appear in biblical history. For example, the Temple of Solomon is completed precisely three-thousand years from the Creation of the world- on the Hebrew chronology. If the scribes had altered the original (represented by the LXX figures) in order to produce such a significant number, then the alterations would be expected to be very precise: certainly not the rounded figures we actually find to be the difference between the two textual traditions. If, however, the Hebrew text became corrupted into what we find in the LXX figures, the explanation is perfectly parsimonious.

There are no analogous chronological synchronicities if one takes the LXX to be the accurate text, so there is nothing to explain. Round numbers were added, disrupting the harmony of the biblical chronology and obscuring the elegance of its structure and numerical order. Such order means that there undoubtedly was a mind who arranged things in this fashion. If the LXX is original, this must be the scribe- but the problem is that since the numbers by which he reduced LXX figures are round, the structure of the numerical patterns cannot have been the purpose for which he modified the chronological data.

The presence of these chronological features in the Hebrew text, combined with the roundness of the difference between LXX and MT numbers, shows that the Mind which ordered the numerical structure of Israel’s biblical story was the divine Mind who arranged that story and who inspired his prophets to accurately record its sacred history in the Hebrew Bible, whose chronology has been successfully transmitted through the Masoretic textual tradition of the Hebrew Bible. The alternative massively lacks parsimony and necessitates a host of bizarre coincidences producing, entirely by accident, the date of the Temple in 3000 Anno Mundi- not to mention that the Second Temple was destroyed precisely one-thousand years later in 4000 Anno Mundi, 70 Anno Domini.

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williambranhamblog-blog · 5 years ago

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Who is William Marrion Branham (1909-1965)

William Branham (we call him Brother Branham) began his life from the Spring of 1909. He was born in the poorest of households, deep in the hills of southern Kentucky. In just minutes of his start inside a very small one particular-space cabin, a strange Gentle entered the space and hovered over the mattress in which he was laying. It absolutely was the start of a supernatural lifetime that might change the deal with of the fashionable Christian world.

Between other items, the Angel explained to him:

“If you obtain the folks to believe you, and become sincere if you pray, nothing at all shall stand before your prayers, not even most cancers.”

All the uncertainties had been long gone. Brother Branham now had his Fee and boldly stepped forward. A earth-broad therapeutic revival had started.

Brother Branham passed away on account of a tragic automobile crash in December, 1965. God took His servant home, but He still left us with those treasured recordings that we keep so expensive to our hearts.

How did William Marrion Branham die?

On December 18, 1965, Branham and his family—except his daughter Rebekah—were returning to Jeffersonville, Indiana, from Tucson for the Christmas holiday.[121] About three miles (4.8 km) east of Friona, Texas, and about seventy miles (110 km) southwest of Amarillo on US Highway 60, just after dark, a car driven by a drunken driver traveling westward in the eastbound lane collided head-on with Branham’s car.[172] He was rushed to the hospital in Amarillo where he remained comatose for several days and died of his injuries on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1965.

EARLY LIFE AND CONVERSION

William Branham was born April six, 1909 in a log cabin in the Kentucky hills, the first of 9 young children of Charles and Ella Branham. Reared close to Jeffersonville, Indiana, he realized merely a lifetime of deep poverty and hardship, his father getting alcoholic and illiterate. Compounding these situations, the young boy was regarded “nervous”, simply because from an early age he spoke of “visions” and “a voice” which spoke to him out of a wind, indicating, “Don’t ever consume, or smoke, or defile Your whole body in almost any way. There will be considered a be just right for you to perform once you become old.”

William Branham arrived to learn the Lord and was crammed with the Holy Spirit in 1931. From that time, the Bible became the main target of his daily life and Jesus Christ the center of his pretty existence! He was ordained on the ministry for the age of 23 yrs, within the Missionary Baptist Church in December of 1932.

VISITATIONS Of the ANGEL

On June 11, 1933, William Branham was baptizing in the Ohio River in close proximity to Jeffersonville, Indiana, each time a bright fiery gentle all of a sudden appeared around his head along with a voice spoke out, “As John the Baptist was despatched to forerun the primary coming of Jesus Christ, so are you currently despatched to forerun His second coming!” Another edition of the Jeffersonville Evening Information claimed the incident with the subheading, “Mysterious Star Appears Around Minister Whilst Baptizing”.

In May well of 1946, he established himself aside to hunt God for your indicating of his strange lifetime. As he prayed by itself late a single night time, an angel of light appeared, stating, “Don't dread. I'm sent through the existence of Almighty God to let you know that the peculiar delivery and misunderstood lifetime has been to point that you are to take a reward of Divine healing for the peoples of the whole world. If you'll be sincere after you pray and could get the men and women to believe you, nothing at all shall stand in advance of your prayer, not even cancer. You'll go into a lot of portions of the earth and may pray for kings and rulers and potentates. You'll preach to multitudes the globe around and hundreds will arrive at you for counsel.”

For half an hour, this angel defined to Brother Branham with regards to the earlier and told him of his foreseeable future. He stated why the ministers couldn’t recognize a gift of God in William’s everyday living, yet the Satan could. It was exactly the same in Jesus’ day: the religious leaders mentioned Jesus had a devil, nevertheless the devils at Gadara identified Him (Mark three:22; John seven:twenty).

TWO VINDICATED Symptoms

The angel also advised Brother Branham that, whilst Moses was supplied two symptoms to confirm he was despatched from God (Exodus four:1-8), so he will be presented two symptoms also. 1st, he would be capable to diagnose disorders by their vibrations, which would cause his hand to swell. When the swelling went down after he prayed upon the individual, he could say, “So saith the Lord, that you are healed.” The angel said that point would occur when Brother Branham would manage to discern the pretty insider secrets of Adult males’s hearts (Heb four:12; John 2:24-twenty five).

About the following ten years Brother Branham circled the world 7 moments, holding a few of the biggest meetings in heritage. Some one hundred,000 folks listened to him in Durban, South Africa. Seven truckloads of crutches, wheelchairs, canes, etc.. were being hauled absent following the healing services.

Lots of persons of community influence, including Congressman Upshaw of the U.S.A. and King George VI of England, ended up healed because of his prayers.

WORLDWIDE MINISTRY

As information unfold of miraculous healings, pastors from all around started to phone Bro. William Branham to minister for their congregations and pray for the Unwell. A supernatural indicator had been supplied him for the objective of encouraging the people today to believe that.

To begin with, a physical check in his hand would show a illness or therapeutic. In a while in his ministry the secret feelings and needs of people have been exposed, causing faith for deliverance. It turned abundantly obvious to any severe Bible reader, that William Branham was ordained a prophet to satisfy the numerous scriptural prophecies concerning our time. Churches couldn't accommodate the crowds, as well as the conferences moved to huge auditoriums or stadiums for united strategies in the key cities of North The usa.

In Bombay, India, exactly where some four hundred,000 came to listen to the Gospel, there was a blind beggar brought in advance of Brother Branham for prayer. Within a eyesight, Brother Branham saw who this beggar was, wherever he lived, and that he had grow to be blind by gazing the Sunlight, which he worshipped as God. Then Brother Branham challenged the varied heathen Indian priests subsequently stating, “If the god be God, then come up below in the System and possess him open this person’s eyes and we’ll drop down and worship your god.” None moved. “But when my God, the Lord Jesus Christ, be God and opens this person’s eyes, will you forsake your powerless gods and take Jesus as your Saviour?” To this they agreed. The key reason why for this prophet’s fearless self-assurance was mainly because he had previously seen the man healed in a very vision, along with the these visions hardly ever failed him. If the beggar’s eyes arrived open that he could previously see many of the folks in that Conference, pandemonium broke unfastened as Individuals weak individuals strove just to touch Brother Branham being healed.

THE PILLAR OF Fireplace

The photograph in the still left Along with the PILLAR OF FIRE over Brother Branham’s head was photographed at Houston, Texas, in January of 1950. This Gentle experienced accompanied Brother Branham since his beginning in 1909. And during a 1933 baptismal provider for the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana, this SUPERNATURAL BEING appeared prior to countless persons saying to him, “As John the Baptist foreran the first coming of Christ, you are going to forerun His 2nd Coming.” This photo is shown now at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and was examined and certified as real by Mr. George Lacy, a federal examiner of Questioned Paperwork while in the U.S., being the only real reliable documetation of the supernatural in this generation.

A MYSTERIOUS CLOUD

On February 28, 1963, above in Arizona, U.S.A., a constellation of seven angels appeared to Reverend William Marrion Branham in the form of a hoop formed-Cloud (remaining Image).

These 7 angels arrived within the existence of God revealing to him the concealed mysteries of the Bible which were sealed in the Guide of Daniel and also the Guide of Revelation however had been ordained to become unveiled at the end time. This was to inform the people of God of the right will of the Father in preparation for the oncoming millennial reign of Jesus Christ on this earth.

It absolutely was since they remaining Brother Branham which they shaped this mysterious cloud which Daily life Journal had featured in their May seventeen, 1963 difficulty, and Science Journal inside their April 19, 1963 situation.

The initial glossy prints reveal the full facial area of your Lord Jesus Christ as the picture is considered from the appropriate aspect angle “like unto the Son of Male, His head and His hairs ended up white like wool, as white as snow” (Rev.one:13).

SEVEN SEALED-Reserve OF REVELATIONS UNVEILED

On December 22, 1962, Brother Branham experienced a vision in which he was standing close to Tucson, Arizona, picking a sand burr outside of his trousers leg, when an incredible explosion occured. He told this eyesight to his congregation in Jeffersonville, Indiana to the 31st of December (the sermon was tape recorded). Then he moved to Tucson, Arizona.

Above a month afterwards, on February 28, 1963, when out searching, he observed a sand burr in his trouser. As he reached to tug it off, an incredible blast rocked the mountainside. Searching up, he observed 7 angels in the form of the pyramid sweeping toward him, and for any time he seemed to be caught up of their midst. These seven angels represents the 7 Messengers on the Seven Church Ages as penned in Revelations Chapter two and 3.

Then a voice cried out, “Return east,” and Brother Branham understood it was time for that opening in the mysteries of the Seven Seals from the Ebook of Revelation (Daniel 12:four,8-nine; Rev. 5,six & 8) which the angels have entrusted to him. The angels returned into the sky and shaped a cloud some 50 miles extensive and 30 miles wide, which was seen for numerous miles around.

Quite a few images were being taken of the peculiar Cloud, some appearing in everyday life Magazine (May possibly 17, 1963 challenge); some in Science Magazine (April 19,1963 difficulty), along with a scientific report of how it absolutely was scientifically extremely hard for such a cloud to exist. The very best clouds form at about ten miles, but this phenomenal cloud was 26 miles up, at which altitude water vapor isn't going to exist.

Brother Branham returned to Jeffersonville, Indiana wherein for seven times, as he waited on God, the voice of God spoke out the Pillar of Hearth, revealing the precise Reality of your Mysteries sealed up in Revelations 5 as a result of 8; which revelation was Opposite to what Everybody (which include Brother Branham) had Earlier supposed, nevertheless was perfectly according to the remainder of God’s Phrase.

As Brother Branham preached 7 consecutive nights on these Seals (March seventeen-24, 1963) his sermons were tape-recorded: Consequently, the Scripture is fulfilled in our day indicating, “But in the days on the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to seem, the mystery of God needs to be concluded, as he hath declared to His servants the prophets” (Rev. 10:7).

#William Marrion Branham

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adroppedseed-blog · 5 years ago

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QZGS Chapter 313: Press Conference

When the last match ended, the applause from the audience was rather mechanical, clearly the product of politeness rather than any kind of heartfelt appreciation.

Lunhui star Zhou Zekai didn’t seem to find it a problem. As soon as he realized the match was over, he waved to the audience, said a quick thank you, and swiftly left the stage.

Lunhui was all sighs from top to bottom. From the very beginning they’d striven to make him to look good. They’d planned to make him the brightest star of the evening, but in the end he’d come off no better than the throwaway programs in the graveyard slot after midnight on the Lunar New Year. It was only more depressing that this year’s Rising Star Challenge had been more exciting and successful than ever, and yet their own players hadn’t gotten a chance to shine.

After the Rising Star Challenge, the first day of All-Star Weekend was essentially over. Though none of the one-on-one matches had lasted very long, with the addition of various talking segments, plus the opening show, at this point the event had already gone on for almost two hours.

Up next was yet another holographic show, and a few prize drawings and such. In previous years, much of the audience would have already left early during this garbage time. But today, they hadn’t yet gotten enough of the novelty of the hologram technology, and mostly stayed to enjoy it a little longer.

The closing acts continued for almost another half hour, the arena security guards taking their places in preparation for maintaining order, before the first day of All-Star Weekend festivities came to an official end. The lights in the arena gradually went up; the people in the audience stood up and started to leave.

Nonetheless, a few particularly enthusiastic fans remained, peering in every direction. Having come this far, they certainly couldn’t leave without at least trying to meet their idols.

But of course the hosts had taken precautions: the players’ section had its own private exit. By the time the lights had come all the way up and people looked over, the players had already disappeared.

The crowd’s slow exodus took nearly another half hour, everyone squeezed together and sweating. It was easier to breathe outside, each breath turning into a puff of white steam under the lights.

Local attendees clearly had the advantage of experience—once they’d made it outside they rushed straight to the curb. Though a few taxi drivers with a head for business had already shown up to wait for the event to end, on the whole there wasn’t nearly enough supply to meet demand. The side of the road was pandemonium, the competition to get a taxi ferocious; apparently a shared love for Glory wasn’t enough to make people charitable to each other.

All three of them were quite familiar with this sort of scene. Ye Xiu went without saying; as for Chen Guo and Tang Rou, the netcafe stood directly across from Jiashi’s arena, so it followed that they’d seen the audience pouring out after a match before. But when it came down to it this was the first time that any of them had been personally involved. In the end it took another half hour of struggle before they finally managed to get a taxi.

The three of them arrived back at the hotel both tired and hungry. Dinner had been on the plane; after landing in S— City they’d gone directly to the hotel and then hurried off to the arena without taking any time to rest or freshen up, nor had they brought anything to eat while they watched. While focused first on watching, then on lining up to leave the arena, then on waiting for a taxi they hadn’t really felt it, but now they found themselves so famished it felt like their backs were sticking to the fronts.

At the hotel they made straight for the restaurant. After ordering, the three of them turned their eyes toward the big screen on the wall.

By this point professional e-sports in general and the Glory League in particular were thriving, plus Glory had an enormous player base to work with, all of which added up to mean that Glory All-Star Weekend was a major event for the host city. At the moment, all screens were showing highlights from the first day of All-Star Weekend.

First the opening show, and then one challenge match after another.

They’d all just seen the event live, but it was different to see it as a collection of highlights on TV. Every time it got to a particularly good bit Chen Guo, still excited, would tell the other two to watch. Only when Han Wenqing defeated Sun Xiang did she remain silent—the climax of the night, but clearly not a happy one for her.

Up next was the press conference following the end of the day’s festivities.

As the hosts, Lunhui, whatever their discontents, couldn’t express them directly. All they could do was praise the success of the new hologram technology and the quality of the Rising Star Challenge.

Afterward, those of the star players who’d been invited to appear at the press conference mostly stuck to the official line, complimenting the event. But how could the reporters be so easily dismissed? Of course they fired off a long series of questions about the blatant battle between veterans and newcomers.

But clearly the league had already prepared for this. The players present were all particularly skilled at sparring with the media; faced with pointed questions, they just laughed them off and underscored the professionalism of all the players, suggesting that the fierce competition was a manifestation of the league’s healthy growth.

There wasn’t anything interesting to be gotten out of the mouths of players who had clearly come to provide only perfunctory answers. The mass of reporters waited; they knew at least some of the players from the Rising Star Challenge had to appear.

In the end, only four of them appeared at the press conference. Of the rising stars there were Dai Yanqi from the first match and the Lunhui rookie from the sixth round; the veterans were represented by Wang Jiexi and Zhou Zekai.

Devious! None of them were the players the reporters had hoped to see. What was there to ask Dai Yanqi or the Lunhui player? The only one with any relevance was Wang Jiexi.

So the reporters crowded in around him, throwing out question after question, all centered on the match he’d lost to Gao Yingjie.

But Wang Jiexi had many years of experience under his belt, and just as that match had gone exactly as he had planned, so was this situation exactly as he had predicted. He’d volunteered to appear at this presser. Why would he panic?

Confronted with their questions, Wang Jiexi deliberately, methodically answered them one by one.

Though they didn’t get any of the fiery rhetoric they were hoping for, the reporters still appreciated Wang Jiexi making the effort to answer them. Dealing with stars was no easy task; they’d all gotten their fair share of dirty looks and then some for asking tough questions. Nor was there any dearth of such questions directed at Wang Jiexi now—some of them even unknowingly stumbled onto the truth and asked whether he’d lost the match on purpose. But nonetheless he continued to respond with patience.

In contrast Zhou Zekai and the other two were largely being ignored, with only the few reporters who had failed to win a spot close to Wang Jiexi asking them questions.

But there was nothing unusual about that. Even the rookies didn’t take offense. Not many people enjoyed being interviewed very often; if anything, they were entirely happy to be overlooked.

Zhou Zekai, for one, seemed quite pleased about it.

But relative to the two rookies, Zhou Zekai still received a little more attention. After all, the opinions of a god were inevitably more of a draw than a newbie’s. Of those who couldn’t squeeze into the crush around Wang Jiexi, the majority clustered around Zhou Zekai.

”Right now you’re a mid-career player, maybe at your peak. Do you feel that the young players’ swagger at the Rising Star Challenge was a kind of disrespect toward the veterans?”

Silence…a silence ten full seconds long. Zhou Zekai, after what appeared to be serious thought, looked up and said, very earnestly, “It was okay?”

And then nothing. Having delivered three words, he looked toward the reporters as if to say, next question, please.

The reporters were left quite speechless. Of course, they’d already known that interviewing Zhou Zekai was an arduous task at the best of times. Hailed as the most handsome man in Glory, he was capable of putting on a good show, but when it came to conversation he never had much to say, especially when facing the media. Sometimes his sole response to a whole long string of questions was a mere mmhm or oh or ah! or that’s fine, or, like this time, It was okay? Technically it counted as an answer to the question, but what point was there in printing it?

“Hahahaha!” Chen Guo, on the other hand, was quite amused. She pointed at the screen. “I like his interviews.”

It was Tang Rou’s first time seeing one of Zhou Zekai’s interviews, but she’d already picked up on his unique qualities. She asked, with some surprise, “Is that all he’s going to say?”

“Yup.” Ye Xiu nodded.

But the reporters weren’t ready to give up yet. Given the rare chance to interview Zhou Zekai without having to fight too many others for the opportunity, all of them were determined to persevere.

“Now that Tang Hao has defeated Lin Jingyan, do you think he should be called the best rogue in the league?” A very direct question indeed.

Another ten seconds of careful consideration ensued before Zhou Zekai opened his mouth and said, “Everyone’s really good.”

“Everyone? Who do you mean by everyone?”

“Um…” A moment for thought. “Everybody!”

“Everybody? Do you really think Yu Nian is just about as good as you are?” Yu Nian was the rookie who had put on a show with Zhou Zekai earlier today.

“Um…he works really hard!” Zhou Zekai said.

“But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s good, right?“ someone asked.

"As long as he does his best, that’s good,” Zhou Zekai said after a moment.

The reporters had fallen into mass despair. Meanwhile, Chen Guo had long ago started pounding the table with laughter.

Tang Rou couldn’t keep a straight face either. She asked Ye Xiu, “Is he really like this, or is he just messing with the reporters?”

“Believe me, he really is like this,” Ye Xiu said.

#qzgs #quan zhi gao shou #tka #the king's avatar #translation

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pope-francis-quotes · 5 years ago

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26th March >> (@ZenitEnglish By Deborah Castellano Lubov) #PopeFrancis #Pope Francis’ Homily during the celebration of Holy Mass At Casa Santa Marta, on Thursday, Fourth Week of Lent: ‘Trust in God to Conquer Your Fear’ – #PopeFrancis’ Advice at Frightening Times (Full Text of Morning Homily)

At Casa Santa Marta, Also Warns Against Idolatry Which Leaves Us Empty & Yearning for God

As the news of what is going on in the world, leaves us sad and scared, Pope Francis says we must turn to God to help us conquer our fear.

Pope Francis gave this reminder today, March 26, as he offered his private daily Mass at his residence Casa Santa Marta for the victims of Coronavirus, which so far has claimed over 7500 lives in Italy.

In today’s homily, the Holy Father reflected on today’s first reading from Exodus 32:7-14, in order to demonstrate how idols can disrupt our lives, especially when our trust and priorities should instead be with God, reported Vatican News.

As the Pontiff acknowledged a sad reality, Francis observed: “In these days there’s so much suffering. There’s a lot of fear.”

This fear, he recognized, includes that “of the elderly who are alone in nursing homes, or hospitals, or in their own homes, and don’t know what will happen. The fear of those who don’t have regular jobs and are thinking about how to feed their children. They foresee they may go hungry. The fear of many civil servants. At this moment they’re working to keep society functioning and they might get sick.”

Francis then recognized “there’s also the fear, the fears, of each one of us.”

“Each one,” he said, “knows what their own fears are.”

After also in his homily warning against idols which only further distance us from God and His help and closeness, he prayed: “We pray to the Lord that He might help us to trust, and to tolerate and conquer these fears.”

Before concluding the Mass, the Pope exhorted faithful to partake in Spiritual Communion in this difficult time, and ended the celebration with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction.

Here are the Holy Father’s words, followed by the prayer for Spiritual Communion:

I prostrate myself at your feet, O my Jesus, and I offer you the repentance of my contrite heart, which abases itself in its nothingness in Your Holy Presence. I adore you in the Sacrament of Your Love; I desire to receive You in the poor abode that my heart offers You. While waiting for the happiness of a Sacramental Communion, I want to possess You in spirit. Come to me, O my Jesus, that I may come to You. May Your Love inflame my whole being, in life and in death. I believe in You, I hope in You, I love You. Amen.

The Masses in Francis’ chapel normally welcome a small group of faithful, but due to recent measures’ taken by the Vatican, are now being kept private, without their participation.

It was announced in recent days that the Pope would have these Masses, in this period, be available to all the world’s faithful, via streaming on Vatican Media, on weekdays, at 7 am Rome time.

This comes at a time too when the Italian bishops’ conference has canceled public Masses throughout the nation, until at least April 3rd, following guidelines put out by Italian authorities.

In addition to Santa Marta, the Vatican has taken other steps to keep people safe and to stay close to the Pope, even if from a distance. They are televising the Pope giving privately, from the papal library, his weekly Angelus and General Audience addresses.

The Vatican Museums are now closed, along with the Vatican’s other similar museums. There have also been various guidelines implemented throughout the Vatican, to prevent the spread of the virus.

To date, the Vatican has confirmed that four people have been tested positive for Coronavirus in the Vatican, and those who were in close contact with them are all being quarantined at home. Recent reports, not confirmed yet by the Holy See, note there is an Italian monsignor who works at the Italian section of the Vatican Secretariat for State, and lives the Pope’s residence, Santa Marta, has also tested positive and is being hospitalized for COVID19.

The Vatican has neither confirmed nor denied reports which say the Pope was tested since then for COVID19.

By this evening in Rome, Italy’s civil protection agency will confirm that more than 7,000 Italians have died from the virus.

For anyone interested, the Pope’s Masses at Santa Marta can be watched live and can be watched afterward on Vatican YouTube. Below is a link to today’s Mass. Also, a ZENIT English translation of the Pope’s full homily can be read below:

***

FULL HOMILY

In the first Reading is the scene of the people’s mutiny. Moses had gone up to the mountain to receive the Law, which God gave to him in stone, written by His finger. But the people got bored and gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him: “But this Moses, for sometime we haven’t known where he is, where he has gone and we are without a guide. Make us a god that will help us to go on.” And Aaron, who later would be a priest of God, but there he was the priest of the stupidity of the idols, said: “But yes, give me all the gold and silver you have,” and they gave it all and made that golden calf (Cf. Exodus 32:1ff).

In the Psalm we heard God’s lament: “They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.” And here, at this moment, when the Reading begins: “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’” — a true apostasy! — from the living God to idolatry. They didn’t have the patience to wait for Moses to return: they wanted novelties; they wanted something, a liturgical show, something . . .

I would like to refer to some things <in regard to> this. First of all, that idolatrous nostalgia in the people: in this case, they thought of Egypt’s idols, but <it was> the nostalgia to return to the idols, to return, to go back to the worst, being unable to wait for the living God. This nostalgia is an illness that is also ours. One begins to walk with the enthusiasm of being free, but then the complaints begin. “But yes, this is a hard moment, the desert, I’m thirsty, I want water, I want meat . . . but in Egypt they ate onions, good things, and here there aren’t any . . . “Idolatry is always selective: it makes you think of the good things it gives you but it doesn’t make you see the bad things. In this case, they were thinking of how they were at table, with these very good meals that pleased them so much, but they were forgetting that that was the table of slavery. Idolatry is selective.

Then, something else: idolatry makes you lose everything. To fashion the calf, Aaron asks them: “Give me <your> gold and silver,” but it was the gold and silver that the Lord had given them, when He said to them: “Ask the Egyptians to lend you gold,” and then they went with them; it was a gift of the Lord and, with the Lord’s gift, they made the idol. And this is really awful. However, this mechanism also happens to us, when we have attitudes that lead us to idolatry, we are attached to things that distance us from God, because we make another god and we make it with the gifts that the Lord has given us — with the intelligence, with the will, with the love, with the heart . . . they are gifts proper of the Lord, which we use to engage in idolatry.

Yes, one of you might say to me: “But I don’t have idols at home. I have a Crucifix, Our Lady’s image, which aren’t idols. . .:” No, no, in your heart. And the question we must ask today is: what is the idol you have in your heart, in my heart — the hidden way out where I feel well, which moves me away from the living God. And we also have an attitude, with idolatry, that is very clever: we know how to hide the idols, as Rachel did when she ran away from her father and hid <the household idols> in the camel’s saddle and among clothes. Among our clothes of the heart, we too have hidden many idols.

The question I would like to ask today is: what is my idol? That idol of mine of worldliness . . . and idolatry also touches piety because they wanted the golden calf, not <for> a circus, no, but to do adoration. “They prostrated themselves before it.” Idolatry leads you to a mistaken religiosity, rather: so many times, worldliness, which is idolatry, makes you change the celebration of a Sacrament into a worldly feast. An example, I don’t know, I think, we think, I don’ know, let us imagine a wedding celebration. One doesn’t know if it’s a Sacrament, where the newlyweds truly give all and love one another before God, and promise to be faithful before God and receive God’s grace, or if it’s a fashion show, how this one and that one and the other are dressed . . . <it’s> worldliness; it’s idolatry. This is an example. Because idolatry doesn’t stop; it always goes on.

The question I would like to ask all of us today is: what are my idols? Each one has his own. What are my idols? Where do I hide them? — so that the Lord won’t find them? And at the end of <our> life He says to each one of us: “You are corrupted. You moved away from the way I indicated to you. You prostrated yourself before an idol.”

Let us ask the Lord the grace to know our idols. And if we can’t throw them out, at least have them in the corner . . .

Finally, the Pope ended the celebration with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, inviting <the faithful> to make a Spiritual Communion.

Here Is the Prayer Recited by the Pope

My Jesus, I believe you are really present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire You in my soul. As I cannot receive you sacramentally now, at least come spiritually into my hearty. As You have already come, I embrace You and unite myself wholly to You. Do not let me ever be separated from You.

Before leaving the Chapel dedicated to the Holy Spirit, the ancient Marian antiphon Ave Regina Cael rum (“Hail Queen of Heaven”) was intoned.

[ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ full homily at Santa Marta]

26th MARCH 2020 14:56POPE'S MORNING HOMILY

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quranreadalong · 6 years ago

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SLIGHT PROBLEM: NO ONE KNOWS HOW THE ISLAMIC AFTERLIFE WORKS

So. Last time we read this, in reference to the evil pharaoh of the Exodus story.

Allah warded off from [Moses] the evils which they plotted, while a dreadful doom encompassed Pharaoh's folk, The Fire; they are exposed to it morning and evening; and on the day when the Hour upriseth (it is said): Cause Pharaoh's folk to enter the most awful doom.

The pharaoh and his underlings are currently being tortured, before the Day of Judgement, at which time they will... be tortured even more.

This is our first taste of the poorly-attested, barely-understood, but nonetheless mostly agreed-upon concept of adhab al-qabr, literally the “torment of the grave”. This is not a concept that is mentioned in the Quran, beyond the ayah above, but it is found in several ahadith.

You see, Islam has the same problem as Christianity with regards to the whole afterlife thing--the Day of Judgement is meant to sort people into heaven and hellbound categories, but there are stories within both religions indicating that people are punished or rewarded long before this day. Maybe early Muslims didn’t care much about this topic because they believed that the Day of Judgement was approaching fast. Mohammed enjoyed scaring his followers by indicating that the day was getting close, as we’ve seen in the Quran itself. But, uh, that didn’t happen. And so here we are around 1400 years later, and the question of what happens to people’s souls between their deaths and their resurrection at the end of the world has become increasingly pertinent.

Islamic tradition largely holds that this period takes place in a metaphysical realm, time, or just a condition called barzakh, meaning “barrier” (between life and the “actual” afterlife). The word comes from this line in surah 23:

behind them is a barrier until the day when they are raised

Now, tbh, this just says the barrier is behind them, meaning the dead can’t come back to life (Unless Allah Willeth, etc). As we’ve seen multiple times now, Mohammed said that on the Day of Judgement, the disbelievers will beg Allah for a second chance at life and he’ll tell them to fuck off into hell. It’s usually implied that this is their first conscious experience after death. In fact, throughout the Quran, we’re made to believe that people won’t even notice that any time has passed between their deaths and resurrection. The doomed disbelievers who are raised on the Day of Judgement say they were “sleeping” while in their graves, which is odd if they spent the entirety of their time there being tortured, either physically or spiritually (no one knows if the torture is meant to be inflicted upon their bodies or just their souls).

Regardless, the reason why barzakh is a thing is because both the Quran and the ahadith refer to people enduring torment before the end of the world, and scholars needed to come up with some sort of theological explanation for this. Barzakh was the nearest equivalent, so they went with that (though what “barzakh” actually meant varied within the first two centuries of Islam).

In the barzakh realm/time/whatever after death, people will be subjected to two fates: punishment and reward, similar to the Christian theological idea of “particular judgement” preceding the final judgement (which was also debated among different sects of Christians, with some saying that the dead were just unconscious until they were resurrected). The punishment is for wrongdoers, and is the adhab al-qabr in question. A hadith assures us that this is a real thing, and perhaps tells us where Mohammed got the concept from.

There came to me two old women from the old Jewesses of Medina [who] said: The people of the grave are tormented ... He (the Prophet) said: They told the truth; they would be tormented (so much) that the animals would listen to it. She ('A'isha) said: Never did I see him (the Holy Prophet) afterwards but seeking refuge from the torment of the grave in prayer.

The torment of the grave is clearly distinguished from the torment of hell in other very reputable ahadith--so there is a definite basis for the concept, despite its absence from the Quran itself. A variety of other ahadith flesh out the concept. First of all, that line about animals hearing it was apparently meant to be taken literally:

The Messenger of Allah went out after the sun had set, and heard a sound. He said '(It is) Jews being tormented in their graves.’

As for the disbeliever or the hypocrite, it is said to him (in his grave): 'What did you say about this man (Mohammed)?' He says: 'I do not know; I used to say what the people said (ie, he is an idiot moron).' It is said to him (by the angels): 'You did not understand and you did not follow those who had understanding.' Then he is dealt a blow between his ears and the man utters a scream which everything near him hears, except for the two races (humans and jinn).''

Even dead Jews bothered Mohammed. Christ.

Secondly, the “sins” that cause you to be tormented range in severity from disbelief all the way down to............. uh...

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) happened to pass by two graves and said: They (their occupants) are being tormented, but they are not tormented for a grievous sin. One of them [gossiped] and the other did not keep himself safe from being defiled by urine. He then called for a fresh twig and split it into two parts, and planted them on each grave and then said: Perhaps, their punishment way be mitigated as long as these twigs remain fresh.

...not changing your nasty-ass urine-stained clothes. Nice of Mohammed to have pity on that guy, though. This indicates that some of the torment of the grave can be lessened by the actions of the living, though why putting an object on someone’s grave accomplishes this is A Mystery Of Allah.

Whether Muslims will be subjected to any of this torture is unclear. A hadith suggests they will not.

“Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm.” [14:27] This has been revealed concerning the torment of the grave. It will be said to him: ‘Who is your Lord?’ He will say: ‘My Lord is Allah, and my Prophet is Muhammad.’

(It’s said in less-reputable stories that angels named Munkar and Nakir are responsible for asking these questions, sometimes with a third angel named Ruman thrown in. They are generally depicted as very scary looking in order to frighten people.)

As for those Muslims who get to experience their pre-Day-of-Judgement rewards, it’s... also unclear what happens to them. Islamic scholars sometimes point to this verse from back in the third surah, following the Battle of Uhud, as a reference to barzakh:

And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision, Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

And in a hadith, it’s said that these dead soldiers are turned into green birds who live in jannah... presumably temporarily, so they can enjoy their lady-lovin’ rewards later. But both the hadith and the Quran make it clear that Muslims who die while waging jihad (in addition to prophets etc) are given express tickets to heaven itself... they’re not in some in-between state. So this can’t be barzakh or the good equivalent of the torment of the grave. I mean, it can, if you want to connect the two badly enough, but it doesn’t make much sense.

So some Islamic scholars proposed more modest rewards. After satisfactorily answering the angels’ questions, they say, dead Muslims in their graves will get a sneak peek into jannah, filling them with hope and tiding them over until the Day of Judgement. The grave itself will be made spacious and well-lit for them, then they can sleep peacefully. (“Wow this is rly helpful!!!” - guy who has been dead for 800 years and is now a femur bone and some ashes.)

The sneak peek hadith linked above basically states that people will know whether they’re going to hell or heaven right after answering the questions, though, so why does the Quran show the disbelievers being shocked when they’re sentenced to hell? What’s even the point of the Day of Judgement when they’ve already received judgement? Why bother with the bridge thing and all the dramatics? Lo! It is a mystery. Then again, Allah judges everyone before they’re even born, so I guess it makes just as much sense as everything else in this religion, which is to say none at all.

At the end of the day, what we really have here is a disconnect between the Quran itself and the ahadith, which does happen every now and then. Nothing in the Quran beyond this one line clearly says that dead people will be doing or experiencing anything other than... being dead, with the exception of those granted Instant Jannah. But the ahadith make it abundantly clear that this is not the case. The ahadith referencing this are very strong and can’t be dismissed as later fabrications.

As for why this disconnect may have arisen in the first place, the hadith from Aisha perhaps suggests that Mohammed made adhab al-qabr a more central part of Islam only after he heard Jews in Medina talking about it a lot. Perhaps he himself didn’t fully understand how all of this was meant to work, since neither Jews nor Christians offered a solid, unified explanation for it, and he didn’t want to incorporate it into the Quran beyond this line. Or maybe he just needed to give his followers some extra motivation to keep following him--now they weren’t just risking torment in hell, but also torment before hell. I don’t know.

What I do know is that the concept of the torment of the grave, and a consciousness-after-death concept more broadly (even if only for a moment), has become an accepted part of Islam over the centuries despite its near-total absence from the Quran. Not everyone can agree on the exact nature of it all, since there really isn’t much material to base it upon, but most do agree that it is a thing. Somehow.

Anyway the real answer to this and many other theological mysteries is that Mohammed didn’t think all of this through clearly enough and so Islamic scholars had to try to fix his mistakes for several centuries. O well!

⇚ previous day | next day ⇛

#historylesson #quranreadalong #surah 40 #ghafir

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scoutception · 6 years ago

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Megami Tensei 2: SMT 0.9

Megami Tensei 2 is such a change from the original that it’s almost kind of eerie. Calling it SMT 0.9 is no joke; so many story, design, and gameplay elements that would go on to become mainstays in proper SMT were introduced here, though there’s still enough different that it still feels distinct and, well, weird. As with the MT1 review, I’m covering the SNES remake of the first two games, though ultimately it’s not a huge distinction. At the least, it gives me an excuse to show early Jack Frost.

Story

After how minimal MT1′s story was, MT2 has an almost surprising amount of it. It begins with the world being devastated in a nuclear apocalypse, and a horde of demons from Makai, the demon world, using the chaos to launch an invasion and conquer what remains of the world, with the demon Bael in particular taking over the remains of Tokyo. After that grim introduction... you’re suddenly playing the first game again, complete with the music, the locations, and even the demon negotiation, except with an overhead view for exploration instead of constant first person. Thankfully, it turns out to be just a video game called Devil Busters being played by a normal teenager within an underground shelter built under former Tokyo, 35 years after the nuclear war. It’s actually a fairly comfy and safe location, but the main protagonist has a pushy friend who keeps bugging him to beat the Minotaur, who, also thankfully, is a pushover compared to the first game. Doing so causes a sequence of events so utterly baffling I still don’t feel like I actually properly experienced it even today, which sets the tone for the rest of the game perfectly. This game is just weird, though that’s not to say the first game didn’t have weird stuff, like Beelzebub just being a regular sized fly. Wish I was making that up.

As it turns out, Devil Busters was keeping a demon sealed within itself; Pazuzu, a servant of God. For freeing him, Pazuzu declares the protagonist and his friend messiahs, who will save humanity from the demons. He gifts them both COMPs and the Demon Summoning Program, and teaches the friend magic, before informing them that freeing him has also allowed other demons to invade the shelter through the computer they were playing the game on, and lastly transfers the demons they recruited within the game to their COMPs before promptly running off. After grabbing some guns and killing the leader of the invasions, they set out to the outside world, following the guidance of Pazuzu. After directing them to join with Orthrus, essentially filling Cerberus’ usual role as the power dog demon of the early game, Pazuzu orders the messiahs to kill a witch who has taken residence in Tokyo Tower. Upon confronting her, however, she reveals she was actually a former servant of Pazuzu herself, who deduced he simply intended to overthrow Bael and take his place as ruler of Tokyo, and convinces the protagonist of this. The friend, however, has completely bought in to Pazuzu’s words, and refuses to be swayed, taking Orthrus and leaving the protagonist and his new partner to.... wander around Tokyo aimlessly, collecting pillars and maybe killing Bael along the way.

After a lot of aimless wandering around and events, such as killing Pazuzu and discovering the friend has been transformed into the rather ineffectual Dark Hero, discovering Lucifer frozen in ice (something I’ll get to a bit later), meeting Mr. Suzuki, the president of a company of.... something, and randomly getting eaten by a living island, the party defeats Bael, who promptly turns into a frog that the party for some reason can decide to take. This is the most important frog to ever exist. Afterwards, using all the random pillars they got along the way, the party travels to the Makai, where Lucifer awaits after the Dark Hero freed him from his icy prison. After trudging through several areas of the Makai, the heroes arrive at the domain of Beelzebub, who isn’t exactly doing much better than he was in MT1.

There are many major story spoilers from this point on, just as a warning.

If the Bael frog was taken along, this is the beginning of many choices on whether or not you’ll be able to get the good ending, or be locked into the bad ending (if the frog wasn’t taken, you’re automatically locked into the bad ending). Beelzebub reveals that he and Bael are demonized halves, split by God, and asks that he be allowed to fuse with the frog to regain their true form. Doing so causes Baal to join your party for the confrontation with Lucifer, who himself reveals many things.

Lucifer was originally cast out of heaven for providing wisdom to humanity, who then worshiped him over God in the hopes of obtaining unsurpassed knowledge, and in anger, God, or YHVH, as he’s also referred to, ordered his servant, Satan, to cause the nuclear war to wipe out all of humanity. Lucifer, apparently feeling more heroic after his own round of being the villain, offers to join you in defeating the actual true enemy, Satan, who has been masquerading as Mr. Suzuki. Now, the ending of MT1 has Lucifer claim that Nakajima was being manipulated by God in his attempts to defeat Lucifer, and, assuming the bonus dungeon added in the remake was done, Cerberus would comment on His ambitions as well. Said Cerberus is also obtainable in an alternate version of Devil Busters accessed later in one of the visitable districts, tying the games together rather sensibly, though I’m unsure if Lucifer’s claims were in the original version of MT1. Regardless, Lucifer is required to access the good ending. Denying his request will force a difficult battle with him, with Beelzebub also being fightable earlier assuming his request was also denied.

After traveling through Suzuki’s company, and encountering another corrupted deity, Asura, who will either be healed by Lucifer and join the party, or be fought, Satan reveals himself, and, after being defeated, warns of His power. If the player was locked into the bad ending earlier, the game ends with YHVH revealing himself to the hero and his partner, sing praises of them and transporting them to his Millennium Kingdom, transformed into gods, but left unable to save the rest of humanity. If Lucifer is present, however, the party continues on to confront YHVH, who attempts to bribe them with godhood in exchange for turning on Lucifer. If they accept, the same ending as the one previously described happens, but if they refuse, He battles them Himself, and, surprisingly, His design is very, very close to His design from SMT2 onward, more than any other character in the game.

With the death of YHVH, the demons vanish from the human world, though not before He warns of being part of the Great Will, which shall seek to avenge Him. After revisiting the shelter, and discovering that the Devil Busters game was designed by Nakajima himself, the hero and his partner lead an exodus to the outside world, remaining vigilant against any threat that may arise again.

While the story isn’t as detailed as most of the later games, and there’s many long segments that lack any story of note, it’s fascinating for a game from the Famicom. Elements that endure in SMT even today, like Lucifer being the active enemy of YHVH, and a self styled ally of humanity, Satan being the most trusted servant of Him, YHVH being a complete jerk in general, rival deities of YVHV being demonized, even the presence of the Messians and Gaeans, though minor, all originate from this game. SMT owes a lot to this game.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very similar to the original MT, though are many added features that would also become mainstay elements in SMT. Instead of merely melee weapons, guns have been added, although they’re rather underpowered compared to melee. Elementals and three way fusions have been added for demon summoning, though, in my experience, many of the fusion exclusive demons are underpowered compared to some of the demons acquired during the story, especially Lucifer himself. Also newly added is an overhead view on the world map, which helps just make the game feel less, cramped and restricted, compared to the first.

There are many locations to explore, and the pacing during the Tokyo sections feels oddly fast to me, but most locations at least have events like a demon mind controlling a town of Gaeans, and the hero’s arm being severed attempting to take one of the pillars, forcing him to get a mechanical replacement arm from the resident mad scientist, which also functions as a COMP capacity upgrade.

While the game is pretty fun during the Tokyo parts, the Makai parts quickly take a nosedive. Whether it be irritating gimmicks for each area, such as a section where the COMP does not working at all, preventing you from summoning demons before entering or, you know, using the map, and a section that deprives you of your Partner, to world map areas that are pitch black and very difficult to navigate, to even roadblocks that can only be cleared with specific demons that the game doesn’t exactly jump to tell you about. It severely damages what would otherwise be a pretty fun game.

Sound and graphics

The graphics aren’t much different from the first game overall, though the change in areas allows for new environments like abandoned buildings, which are usually more interesting to look at. The world map graphics are pretty good, and definitely fit a ruined Tokyo and, well, Hell. Plus, the main character has a very snazzy cape, which is worth points by itself.

The most interesting part of the graphics, again, are the demons. This was the first game with Kazuma Kaneko doing the demon designs, though he himself isn’t too proud of them. While some, like YHVH and Jack Frost above, are decently close to their final, iconic designs, others, like Lucifer and Satan, are a bit, questionable. They’re almost there, but not quite.

While the sound is also about the same as the first game, the music is greatly improved. The original Famicom version used a memory chip that, among other improvements, allowed for greatly improved sound, making for one of the richest soundtracks of the 8-bit era, which also translated well to the SNES. The battle themes, especially the final boss theme, are much better, and the exploration themes are great.

Conclusion

In the end, however, I still think this game is not recommended. While a big improvement over the first game, and a very important game in the series, the design is still fairly archaic, and missing quite a few elements that make SMT so notable, such as the law, chaos, and neutral alignment system. While interesting to go through, you’re ultimately better off sticking with SMT proper.

If you managed to get through this gigantic wall of a review, thank you very much. My next review shall be something from a different franchise, though for I’m unsure as to which yet. All the same, I shall return. Until next time.

-Scout

#shin megami tensei #gaming #long post #game review

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rabbiaharon · 6 years ago

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The Exodus According to Jewish Tradition

PART II: Heading To Egypt

PART 1 HERE

So, I am doing a series of posts illustrating Yetzias Mitzrayim (The Exodus from Egypt) according to the Talmud/Midrash. Since the Talmud and Midrash are incredibly vast, I’m going to put some limitations on where I’m going to go, in order to provide a basic story. This one is going to be really long, because I’m glossing over around 3.5 sedras (Vayeishev, Mikeitz, Vayigash, and Vayechi)

In a place where there are multiple interpretations, I intend to bring a basic one in order to keep the flow, as opposed to a convoluted one that implements more complex or deeper methods of biblical exegesis (There are tons of different rules in that, and this is not the time or place to explore them). I may occasionally hint to or explain what the lesson is for us in details of the story, but in general I will try to keep to basic storytelling. In this one, i will not be including the events that happened in The Land of Israel after Yosef was sold down to Egypt, until the second year of famine, when the brothers come down to Egypt the first time.

I will be proceeding in chronological order, but because this post could end up being massive, I will be dividing it up into narrative sections, so I present to you the second one, “Heading to Egypt”.

So Yosef was sold by the Ishmaelites to a group of Midianites who sold him, in turn, to a despot by the name of Potiphar. Potiphar was Pharaoh’s butcher (confusing, as it were, since the Egyptians worshipped animals and did not eat them, so for what purpose did Pharaoh have a butcher?) and one of the wealthy nobles of Egypt. He purchased Yosef for a specific purpose - to be used for sexual enjoyment. As soon as he finalized his purchase, the angel Gavriel came and castrated Potiphar, rendering him incapable of having children. Yosef was relegated as a household servant, and a fast learner. In fact, everything he touched was blessed, and every endeavor he came to manage became incredibly successful. It wasn’t long before Potiphar realized that it was to his benefit that Yosef be appointed over all of the processes in his house, managing his business and making him even more successful. We know, of course - as the torah says - That it was none other than the Master of the World who granted him this success and favor.

In the meantime, Potiphar’s wife, who we refer to as Dova (a female bear) was trying to figure out her new life with a husband who could not give her children, and used magic and other idolatrous procedures to try and discern her future, if she would be able to have descendants and a family to raise. She saw through the veil that someone from her household - she didn’t know who - would have children with Yosef, and from them would come out kings and prophets. Since her husband could not have children, she assumed that the one who would have children with Yosef was her (she would find in the future that the one destined to marry Yosef was actually her adopted daughter, Osnas).

Believing this faulty conclusion, she began to try and seduce Yosef to having relations with her, hoping that she would be able to have children with him. She tried daily, but Yosef was - as it were- impossible to get. She waited, then, until the Solstice, when everyone was to go out and serve their idolatry, she pretended to be sick at home. When Yosef was bringing food to Dova (pretending to be sick), She grabbed onto him, and pulled him down onto the bed. Yosef, in an effort to struggle away, left his shirt in her hands. Angered that she was unsuccessful, Dova claimed that Yosef came to assault her, and ran when she cried out. When Potiphar heard this fabrication, he threw Yosef into prison.

And so Yosef sat in prison. Soon, the prison warden found that Yosef was able to lead the other prisoners, to get them to straighten themselves out and improve their behavior. Once again a fantastic manager - thanks to G-d’s constant blessing - Yosef was placed in charge of all the prisoners, and helped the warden with the procedures which needed to be completed daily in the prison. For 10 years Yosef continued this stage of his life, punished 1 year for each of his brothers whom he had slandered. At the end of the 10 years, 2 servants of Pharaoh angered him - the Butler, who had served Pharaoh a glass of wine with a fly floating in it, and the Baker, who had given to Pharaoh bread which contained a small pebble.

One night they each dreamed a dream, from which they awoke, each one afraid. When Yosef made his rounds, working with each of the prisoners, he found the faces of the Butler and Baker crestfallen. Yosef began by inquiring as to their well-being, to which they responded that they were afraid, because they each had dreams which they did not understand. Yosef offered, with the help of G-d, to try and explain them. The Butler began first:

“In my dream, i saw a vine in front of me. On this vine there were 3 branches, each one blossoming - then its buds came out, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my and, and i took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I placed the Cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

Yosef was delighted to hear this dream and understood that it meant a deeper message for him. Yosef interpreted the dream as follows: I saw a vine before me - Israel is compared to a vine, as it is said גפן ממצרים תסיע (You have brought this vine out of Egypt, Psalms 80:9). Not only am i going to see my father again soon, but afterwards we will all come out from the exile in Egypt! And not only that, but there will be 3 MORE cups - the cup in the hand of the butler, the cup to which the wine was squeezed, and the cup placed in Pharaoh’s hand. The 4 of them total represent the 4 cups which my children will drink on the first night of Pesach! (courtesy of Bereishis Rabbah! )

Having heard this wonderful news, he also had good news to give the butler: "the 3 branches are 3 days, and in 3 days you will be restored to your position, serving Pharaoh as you did before. When you do, please remember me, and don't forget me, for I am innocent of what I was accused."

The baker heard the good news given to the butler, and figured he would probably get some good news too, so he began "I also had a dream. There were 3 wicker baskets on my head, Each one filled with bread. And the birds began eating from the baskets atop my head, until there was nothing left."

Yosef heard this, and was crestfallen at the bad news he had received. This was Yosef's interpretation: the 3 baskets of bread symbolize the Exile of Babylonia, the Exile of Persia, and the Exile of Greece... And the birds which devour everything left symbolize the Exile of Rome, which consumes the jewish people and seems as if there is no end. (also courtesy of Bereishis Rabbah)

Given the bad news, he had bad news to give to the baker. "the 3 baskets represent 3 days, and at the end you will be executed and hung".

3 days passed, and everything happened just as Yosef had said. The baker was hung, and the Butler was restored to his place. For the 2 times which Yosef asked of the Butler to get him out of prison (remember me, and mention me to Pharaoh), G-d caused the butler to forget, and Yosef remained in Prison for another 2 years.

After 2 years had passed, one night Pharaoh had a dream which shook him to his core - and simply not understanding the meaning was enough to disturb his sleep. He was standing by the edge of the river, and 7 fattened, healthy cows came out from the river. After them came 7 emaciated cows, which stood by the side of the 7 fat ones, and then devoured the fat cows, looking just as emaciated afterwards. Pharaoh awoke with a start, and when he finally managed to get back to sleep, he dreamt again, standing by the side of the river. 7 beautiful, healthy ears of grain came up from the river, and 7 dry, dead ears of grain followed them. The dry ears stood by the side of the 7 healthy ears, and then devoured them, looking even worse than before. He awoke again, and called in his best wise men and dream interpreters, and none could explain the dream. They said that he would have 7 daughters, and then bury them, or that he would capture 7 countries, and then lose them. But they could not account for the 7 emaciated cows/dry ears of grain standing next to the healthy ones before devouring them.

Just then, the Butler remembered and spoke to Pharaoh "With your permission - I have sinned, and forgotten a favor done for me while I was in prison, 2 years ago when Pharaoh became angry with his servants. There was a young Hebrew man who interpreted our dreams, that the baker would be hung in 3 days, and that I would be restored. He is helped by his G-d, and perhaps he can help you." Pharaoh, hoping to find the interpretation to his dream, ordered his servants to find Yosef, bathe him, change his clothes, and cut his hair, and bring him before the king.

With Yosef standing before him, Pharaoh told over his dreams. After listening carefully, Yosef spoke up; "I will speak only with the help of the G-d of my fathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yisroel. Your two dreams, they are really one. The 7 healthy cows, and the 7 healthy ears of grain - they represent 7 years of plenty, which begin now. The 7 emaciated cows, and the 7 dry ears of grain represent 7 years of famine, both of which will effect the whole world. What must be done is that we must take a portion of the grain from each of the years of plenty, and set them aside so that we have them during the years of famine." Pharaoh understood then... THAT is the explanation of the dream - how the years of plenty could stand next to the years of famine. Pharaoh exclaimed "And you will be there to help me organize it, to separate the tithe of grain to prepare for the years of famine, and you will be my right hand!" The previous advisors to the king were insulted, that they were passed over for a servant and a prisoner, they said "Your Highness, it is unbefitting of a king to have a servant and a prisoner as an advisor. At least devise a test by which we can ascertain that he is indeed a great wise man, and that this is not simply a lucky guess". Pharaoh said "As you said. Tomorrow Yosef will go through a trial. It is befitting that my second in command should have mastery of the 70 languages spoken by the nations of the world. Let him address Pharaoh in each language and thus climb the 70 stairs to my throne." That night, the angel Gavriel (Good friend of Yosef's by now?) came and taught to Yosef all 70 languages, so when he stood before Pharaoh the following morning, he would be ready.

The next morning they began the test, and in each language Yosef spoke to Pharaoh, and was allowed to ascend one step up. When he reached the 70th step and spoke in the 70th language, standing right in front of Pharaoh, he addressed Pharaoh in Hebrew - the language of creation, and a language which Pharaoh did not know. Pharaoh was embarrassed that he did not understand the language of Yosef's home, and the language of his people, and asked him to swear an oath to him that he would not reveal this to the people. Yosef was thus established as second to the king, and ruler over Egypt. Soon Yosef became married to Osnas, the adopted daughter of Dova and Potiphar - and a descendent of Yaakov through Dina. He has 2 sons from Osnas, Menashe and Ephraim.

OKAY, so fast forwards a bit, we’re holding in the second year of the famine.

Yaakov Avinu was one of the first holders of the name “Ba’al Shem” (Like the Ba’al Shem Tov!). The responsibility given to the person who holds that title is to be the mission control for the 36 hidden righteous people who hold up the world - to keep tabs on them and their location, and to send them wherever they are needed. This means that Yaakov effectively had a GPS map of where in the world all the Tzaddikim are located... and he did not send anyone to Egypt.

Two years into the famine, Yaakov Avinu and his children still had plenty of food; they had merit, and righteousness, the 2 things that were established even then to guarantee that a person had the success they needed to get by. However, Yaakov was curious - there were no Tzaddikim in Egypt, to his knowledge, and yet they had plenty of food. To satisfy this wonder, he decided to send his sons down to Egypt to investigate, under the guise of buying food, so that the other inhabitants of the land, the descendants of Eisav and those of Yishmael, would see them descend to Egypt and not get jealous of their prosperity.

He warned them - you are many as you stand together, and so I beseech you, please enter the city when you get to Egypt through different entrances, and remain split up while you are there. They met together, and decided as one: “If there is a tzaddik in Egypt, it must be Yosef! It was not correct that we sold him, not proper that we went against him, and now our obligation is that of freeing a captive.”

In Egypt, and knowing that his brothers would one day come down, Yosef gave instructions to Ephraim, who in turn instructed the guards of the city to collect the names of everyone who entered the city - their name, the name of their father, and the name of their grandfather. At that point in time, the name Yehuda ben Yaakov ben Yitzchak was probably only held by one person in the world - and by this Yosef would be certain of his brothers’ arrival.

When his brothers entered the city, they spread out to the farthest reaching neighborhoods to look for Yosef - They looked in all the slave markets, they looked in all the other markets, and they searched in houses, high and low. Sound like spies? They certainly seemed like spies to the Egyptians.

This report was brought to Yosef, who demanded that they be brought to his house. While they were waiting to see Yosef, Ephraim spoke to them, asking why they had come down to Egypt. Yehuda spoke for them “We are not spies, but rather the children of one man. We are 10 out of 12, one is by our father’s side, and one is lost. We have come to search for the one who was lost. We thought he was pursuing us, and we sold him into slavery... But we were wrong.”

Ephraim asked “For how much did you sell him?”, to which the brothers replied “For 5 selayim”,

Ephraim continued, “And if his master offered to sell him back to you for 5 selayim, would you buy him back?”

“Of course”, they answered

“And if his master offered to sell him back for 10 selayim, would you buy him back?”

“Certainly”, they replied

“And if his master said that he would not sell your brother back to you, even for 1000 selayim?”

“We would certainly rescue him, or we would die trying” said the brothers.

Just then, Yosef came out from behind the curtain. Since his beard had grown out, and he looked much older (They saw him when he was 17, he was not 39), they did not recognize him. He accused them immediately of being spies, to which they repeated their denial, and their request to find their brother, and to get food, as their father had requested. Instead, Yosef seized Shimon and imprisoned him in front of the brothers. He said “If you are telling the truth, take your grain and go back to your father, and bring back your other brother. If you do not bring him down with you next time, you will not see my face again, and your brother Shimon will remain a servant in my house.” He received their money and filled up their bags with grain, and on top of the grain, he slipped in the money they brought.

As soon as the brothers departed Egypt (and afterwards discovered the money which was placed back in their bags), Yosef went and got Shimon out of prison, brought him to his house and gave him food to eat and water to drink... and there he remained as an honored guest until his brothers returned to Egypt.

As a year passed by, they wanted to get Shimon “out of prison”, and they began to run “low” on grain again... So they spoke to their father, and convinced him to allow them to go back down to Egypt, and with Benyamin in tow. On this, Yehuda gave his word and swore an oath - an oath that would affect him, even after his passing from this world, and even though he did not violate it. With them also they took their money from the first time - just in case it had been a mistake - and the additional money with which they would buy more grain. They brought with them as well fruits of the land, Dates, Figs, Pomegranates.

When they got to Egypt, they were brought before Yosef, who welcomed them, and sat them down at the table and gave them food to eat. He brought out Shimon, who sat with them. They brought out their money from the first time, and offered it up - perhaps it had been a mistake that it had been returned to them. Yosef responded by saying, your G-d and the G-d of your fathers has done this for you (something VERY un-Egyptian, and VERY jewish to say. Big question mark there...). Yosef then decided to spend some time alone with his brother, Benyamin. They sat together, and Yosef confessed to him, and told him of his plan - a plan by which he intended to verify whether their brothers had done Teshuva - that they had repented and would protect Benyamin, or whether they would repeat their mistakes. Benyamin agreed, and they spoke of it no further. When they were preparing to depart, Yosef’s servants slipped his silver cup into Benyamin’s bag, where it would be found later.

The brothers departed from Egypt, but were soon returned, with a horrible accusation, that they had stolen Yosef’s silver cup from which he drinks. They told Yosef that it was a mistake, and that the one in whose bag the cup was found would remain as a servant. They opened the sacks to find it at the top of Benyamin’s sack, and the brothers tore their garments in mourning.

Yehuda stepped up as Benyamin’s advocate, saying "I am his guarantor, rather that I should be as a servant to you, and Benyamin should return to his father. For we were once 12 brothers, and one of them has since passed away (Yehuda was afraid that if he mentioned that Yosef was not dead, that Yosef - as it were - would demand to see their 12th brother) - our father has been in mourning for him all of these years, do not send our father to the grave in mourning for his second son, the last one remaining to his father from his mother." As the brothers began to beg, on behalf of Benyamin, who didn't speak up, Yosef began to cry, and yelled that all of his servants should depart from the room - and the Egyptians cleared out. Left only him and his brothers, he said "I am Yosef, is my father alive?"

The brothers were so awestruck that they could not speak, only to express their disbelief - there is no way that this individual, the second to Pharaoh, was Yosef, their long lost brother. They asked for proof - which Yosef provided. The first bit was that Egyptians could not - and would not - speak Hebrew. It represented something disgusting to them, as they associated it with Yosef’s meat-eating and anti-idolatry (according to the kabbalistic interpretation, they were actually too spiritually unrefined -for the lack of actually working to refine themselves and rather smothering themselves with idolatry- to be able to conceive of the depth in the Hebrew language, and were therefore unable to speak it). The second sign was his Bris Milah - showing them that he was circumcised, something that was limited to the children of Avraham - and definitely not an Egyptian thing. The 3rd sign was that he was able to tell them the day and time they threw him into the pit. A fourth sign was given - the place at which he had left off learning with their father - but that was to be given over to Yaakov Avinu when they came to bring him down to Egypt.

The brothers were wondering - after all this time - how do we tell our father that his son Yosef is alive? And so they concocted a plan. They wrote a song in which was explained their going to Egypt, and they would have Serach - the daughter of Asher - sing it to their father. When she did so, Yaakov Avinu said “If this is so, may you live forever.“ The Midrash follows by bringing a tradition on a verse in Kings in which David and Yo’av ask Serach for advice, something which happened more than 700 years later.

They came down to Egypt, where Yaakov lived out the remainder of his life. He passed away and his brothers buried him in the Land of Israel. One by one they began to pass away as well - the first to pass being Yosef. As Yosef was on his deathbed, he gave over a sign - פקד יפקוד - G-d will surely remember you... “When G-d will send a true redeemer, the redeemer will come with the words פקד פקדתי... I have surely remembered you.“

That leads us to the real beginning of the exile. The next installment “The Faithful Shepherd“ will be released G-d willing soon.

#the exodus according to judaism #midrash #talmud #יהדות

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yhwhrulz · 4 years ago

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dfroza · 4 years ago

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A new earth accompanied by new heavens

is what is promised to be.

we see this in Peter’s 2nd Letter as its closing chapter for Today’s reading from the Scriptures:

This is now, my dear friends, my second letter to you. In both of them, I have tried to inspire you to a sincere and pure way of thinking by reminding you of what you already know. Remember the words spoken earlier by God’s holy prophets and the commandment that our Lord and Savior gave to you through your emissaries. Above all, be sure to remember that in the last days mockers will come, following their own desires and taunting you, saying, “So what happened to the promised second coming of Jesus? For everything keeps going just the way it has since our ancestors fell asleep in death; since the beginning of creation, nothing’s changed.”

When they make fun of you, it’s as if the scoffers are deliberately forgetting that long ago when God spoke the word, the heavens came into existence and the earth formed from water and by water. The waters later flooded and destroyed that world. By that same word, the heavens and earth we see now are being reserved for destruction by fire, preserved until the time comes for the godless on the day of judgment.

Don’t imagine, dear friends, that God’s timetable is the same as ours; as the psalm says, for with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.

Now the Lord is not slow about enacting His promise—slow is how some people want to characterize it—no, He is not slow but patient and merciful to you, not wanting anyone to be destroyed, but wanting everyone to turn away from following his own path and to turn toward God’s.

The day of the Lord will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night; and on that day, the sky will vanish with a roar, the elements will melt with intense heat, and the earth and all the works done on it will be seen as they truly are. Knowing that one day all this will come to pass, think what sort of people you ought to be—how you should be living faithful and godly lives, waiting hopefully for and hastening the coming of God’s day when the heavens will vanish in flames and the elements melt away with intense heat. What will happen next, and what we hope for, is what God promised: a new heaven and a new earth where justice reigns.

So, my friends, while we wait for the day of the Lord, work hard to live in peace, without flaw or blemish; and look at the patience of the Lord as your salvation. Our dearly loved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, has written about this. He says essentially the same in all of his letters, although uneducated and unstable readers misinterpret the difficult passages, just as they always misread Scripture, to their spiritual ruin.

So hear my final words, my friends. Now that I have warned you about what’s ahead, keep up your guard and don’t let unprincipled people pull you away from the sure ground of the truth with their lies and misunderstandings. Instead, grow in grace and in the true knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed, to whom be glory, now and until the coming of the new age. Amen.

The Letter of 2nd Peter, Chapter 3 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is chapter 3 of 2nd Chronicles that documents the building of the Temple in Jerusalem including its sacred Heart (its inner room, like the instrumental womb of the heart where we welcome the entrance of the Spirit of our Creator inside, Anew in the True illumination of the Son, whose Temple we become as daughters & sons of Light)

So Solomon broke ground, launched construction of the house of God in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, the place where God had appeared to his father David. The precise site, the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, had been designated by David. He broke ground on the second day in the second month of the fourth year of his rule. These are the dimensions that Solomon set for the construction of the house of God: ninety feet long and thirty feet wide. The porch in front stretched the width of the building, that is, thirty feet; and it was thirty feet high.

The interior was gold-plated. He paneled the main hall with cypress and veneered it with fine gold engraved with palm tree and chain designs. He decorated the building with precious stones and gold from Parvaim. Everything was coated with gold veneer: rafters, doorframes, walls, and doors. Cherubim were engraved on the walls.

He made the Holy of Holies a cube, thirty feet wide, long, and high. It was veneered with six hundred talents (something over twenty-two tons) of gold. The gold nails weighed fifty shekels (a little over a pound). The upper rooms were also veneered in gold.

He made two sculptures of cherubim, gigantic angel-like figures, for the Holy of Holies, both veneered with gold. The combined wingspread of the side-by-side cherubim (each wing measuring seven and a half feet) stretched from wall to wall, thirty feet. They stood erect facing the main hall.

He fashioned the curtain of violet, purple, and crimson fabric and worked a cherub design into it.

He made two huge free-standing pillars, each fifty-two feet tall, their capitals extending another seven and a half feet. The top of each pillar was set off with an elaborate filigree of chains, like necklaces, from which hung a hundred pomegranates. He placed the pillars in front of The Temple, one on the right, and the other on the left. The right pillar he named Jakin (Security) and the left pillar he named Boaz (Stability).

The Book of 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 3 (The Message)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, january 31 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

A set of posts by John Parsons that reflects upon the journey of life on earth:

In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Beshalach) we learn that the Lord chose to take his redeemed people along the "longer road" to the promised land, just as we find ourselves still awaiting the completion of our redemption in the world to come. And like the Israelites, we must be on guard, since when things get difficult, our tendency is to go back to what is familiar, even if it is painful. Thank God we have a Good Shepherd who teaches us and guides us in the way to go: "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher (מוֹרֶה) will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying: 'This is the way; follow it,' when you turn to the right or to the left" (Isa. 30:20-21).

What a beautiful image of our LORD as our Teacher and Good Shepherd, who guides us in the paths of life and delivers us from "right-hand and left-hand errors." And may God keep us upon the path of his righteousness, free from the seductions of the tempter who wants to distract our souls and lead us into fruitless byways and trouble of heart. May we receive grace to behold His face, even in the midst of adversity or affliction, learning from Him the way to go...

"Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you" (Isa. 26:20). The LORD beckons: "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known" (Jer. 33:3). And I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place" (Rev 4:1). [Hebrew for Christians]

1.28.21 • Facebook

The story of the exodus is as an allegory of faith. We were slaves, but the LORD redeemed us and set us free from our bondage. Immediately afterward, we faced great distress as the powers of darkness sought to enslave us again, but God intervened and delivered us from their wicked devices. Through the Shekhinah Cloud we crossed over into newness of life, leaving the corpses of this world behind. We offered our thanks and praises to God, but soon we experienced severe thirst. We searched for worldly water but found it "marah," or bitter. It was only after the "tree" was added to the bitterness that the water became sweet, a picture of the cross of Messiah who suffered and thirsted for us. Then we came to the oasis of Elim, a place of rest that pictured heaven to come, though the Spirit led us into the desert of emptiness and hunger to discover how we must trust God for "manna," our daily bread from heaven. We experienced thirst again, and God provided an ongoing source of living water from the Rock that was smitten, another picture of the grace and sustenance of Messiah (1 Cor. 10:4). We fought against brazen powers of unbelief (Amalek), but we overcame them by the power of God. We received the Torah, only to discover we could not abide its demands. We committed idolatry but the LORD forgave and revealed the Altar of Mercy (the Tabernacle) that gave us access to His Presence by means of the sacrificial blood, recalling the Lamb of God that was slain.

Shabbat shalom, chaverim! [Hebrew for Christians]

https://hebrew4christians.com/

1.29.21 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

January 31, 2021

Outward Appearances

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Man does, indeed, look on the outward appearance rather than inward convictions. This has always been true, but never more so than in these latter days, even among evangelical Christians.

There is very little emphasis in the Bible on such things, however. As far as dress and adornment are concerned, Paul said: “I will therefore that....women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” (1 Timothy 2:8-10). The same principle surely would apply also to men.

With respect to physical conditioning and development, the following is almost the only reference in the Bible: “Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things” (1 Timothy 4:8). The apostle Paul himself (probably the most effective and fruitful Christian of all) was a man of most unimpressive appearance (2 Corinthians 10:10). “I was with you in weakness,” he reminded them, but nevertheless it was “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:3-4).

There is nothing wrong, of course, with physical beauty or athletic prowess, unless they center attention on self rather than Christ, but it is the “inner man” of the heart where true strength and beauty should be sought. Therefore, as Jesus said: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). The Lord looks on the heart, and so should we. HMM

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aventurasdeunatortuga · 7 years ago

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China Day 6 Today was our second and final day to visit the villages of Tai Shan. Today we visited three villages searching for relatives of those who had lived in Salem. The first village we went to was an hour and a half outside Jiangmen. We were searching for relatives of Leong Toong Yook in a village I don’t remember the name of. For him, we didn’t have a headstone but we did have extensive written records about him in Oregon. He had been the partner of a successful store and various businesses and was well known in Salem’s Chinatown. From what I understood he had been born in Salem and at 20 years old he went to China to visit his ancestral home and then attempted to return to the US, but was denied entry. The US customs and immigration were very suspicious of him and interviewed him and his business partners extensively trying to find something to get him in trouble for. The only good thing that came from this is that 150 years later we now have the transcript of a 15 page interview extensively detailing every aspect of his life. Who was in his family, the layout of his home village and even the floorplan of his house. When we arrived to the village we were able to locate his house almost immediately due to this interview and the layout of the village was almost exactly as he had described in such painstaking detail over 100 years later. When we arrived to the village we first spoke with the chief who said that yes they definitely remembered him and he in fact had a living grandson who lived there now. We went to their house, the very same that Leong Toong Yook had lived in, he and his father had sent money from the US to have it built and it was considered one of the nicest houses in town. The family outlined their genealogy and was able to map out the course of his life. He had not made it back to the US initially, he had been denied entry. He married twice and had several children, some of whom had remained in China and others whose descendants are in the US now. He later in life went back to the US where he lived until his death. They used to have a photo of him, but it had since been lost. The family was very excited to hear about him. We gave them as much information as we could and they asked us if we could contact their long lost cousins in the US, all they had to go off of was a 20 year old envelope that had sent a check back in 1995 and was probably outdated. We said we would do what we could. The family drove us out to the hills and showed us the grave of Leong Toong Yook’s father, whose remains had made it back to China. In China, the dead are buried a certain distance from their homes so that their spirits do not get homesick and haunt the homes. To get to this grave we had to drive to the hills, hike across a rice paddy and up the side of a small mountain with no paths, we just had to shove our way through the underbrush. The grave was partway up the hill and the place was chosen due to the feng shui of the location, facing a crescent shaped body of water with mountains behind it. It was a small mound of dirt that had been swept away (during last years Qing Ming festival) and had a small headstone and incense. It was incredible to see. The family took us out to lunch at a restaurant outside the village afterwards and as with the previous villages we exchanged gifts and contact information with the elders and promised to keep them updated with any new information we uncovered. I think the coolest part was to see Leong Toong Yook’s great grandson looking over photos of his town and storefront in Salem and him saying “wow, my great grandfather was such an elegant man”. It was cool to see him being remembered generations later. After this successful village we went to another nearby village which had Leong Toong Yook’s school. This village from the outside looked almost completely abandoned from the outside but there were definitely people living there. The school building still stood but had since been renovated and converted into a factory. All the buildings in the village made me think of a Western ghost town. The storefronts were all in old western style and were all well over 100 years old. They were crumbling and starting to return to nature, but here and there we would see women squatting and cooking or cleaning or preparing goods for the market. Most of this village had been built with money sent back to China by overseas Chinese workers and had been quite wealthy and fashionable back in the day. Dina said she had been here many times with clients from all over the world helping people trace their genealogy. After this village we drove another hour to visit George Sun Lai’s village. This man was very interesting because he was the mayor of Salem’s Chinatown. He guided the Chinese of Salem through many humiliations and discriminatory practices and was an incredibly wealthy and successful businessman. He had lots of records and photos. At one point the US government wanted to create a registry of all Salem Chinese persons, and George Sun Lai led them in a quiet protest of this practice, every member of Chinatown refused to register for several years, and this protest spread up and down the west coast. When Salem’s government gave the order to burn Chinatown to the ground in the 1920’s, George Sun Lai led all of them in a mass exodus of sorts to Portland. When we got to George’s village, we were unsure which of the two very nearby villages, less than a quarter mile apart, he was from as they had very similar names. We visited the first whose name matched more closely with those on record but found no one to talk to. At the other village a farmer told us that the village chief was out playing mahjong. So we just walked around the village and looked at the old buildings. As we were about to leave the village chief blew by on a motorbike waving to us. He got off and went and got the village’s genealogy records, an extensive book with every known inhabitant of the village and their inhabitants and how they were related. Most villages in Tai Shan have kept one of these books for generations but many had been destroyed during the Revolution, so not so many still exist today. Dina read through it and was able to find George Sun Lai recorded. We gave them the information we had about him and his descendants, as they had been unable to record his descendants as they had lost contact after moving to the US. They didn’t seem very interested though and were in a hurry to leave because they had to go fix a car, they all hopped in a car and drove away while we were talking to each other and simply waved and said “bye bye!” as they drove away, so we couldn’t exchange gifts or further information with them. Dina said she would try to keep in touch with them. After this we went to a nearby village and had a snack of waffles and milk tea. This was a larger village which the governed is currently trying to turn into a tourist destination. This village is well known because it was the site of a port from which the vast majority of the thousands of Tai Shan immigrants left from; first journeying to Hong Kong or Macau and from there to countries across 6 continents all over the world. This port in WWII had been destroyed by the Japanese and it is now in the process of being restored. After our snack we looked out over the water and at the memorial built in the overseas chinese’s honor. It had an enormous map on the sidewalk showing the dozens of countries around the world where people who left China from this port ended up, many never to return leaving behind villages and wives and children. They sent money back which rebuilt and helps maintain Tai Shan to this day, but most never made it back home and their families do not know what became of them. It was very profound to look out over the water and think about this, about what people are willing to do for their families and how this is happening still all over the world. We had dinner back in Jiangmen a few hours later. We were exhausted. Tomorrow we will visit the overseas Chinese museum in Jiangmen and them travel to Guangzhou, on Saturday we will fly back to Beijing and then back to the US. There were over 55 individuals whose remains were sent back to China in 1949 from Salem, Oregon. We worked to figure out what became of 4 of them. We could have been here for months or years researching these people, and this is just the men we have on record who died in Salem. There are thousands more people from Tai Shan who died all over the world that have been ‘lost’. There are no records of Chinese women or children who died overseas. There is not much we can do except remember and honor those we can.

#china #taishan #tedearch #overseas chinese workers

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ana-yanka · 5 years ago

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Leather terms

https://books.google.ca/books?id=CylRAAAAYAAJ&dq=history+of+leather+%22oil+dye%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary: Volume 3

Authored by: Edward Henry Knight

“Roan. (Leather.) Sheep-skin tanned with sumac ; the process is similar in its details to that employed for morocco leather, but lacks the graining given to the morocco by the grooved rollers in the finishing. It is used largely for bookbinding and somewhat for shoes.”

“Rope. [...] Ropes were made of various materials in ancient Egypt, but especially of the papyrus and of leathern strands. [...] In a tomb at Thebes, of the time of Thothmes III., the Pharaoh of the Exodus, is a group representing the process of twisting thongs of leather, which were fastened to one end of a tube, which revolved on a cord slung around the loins of a man who receded backwardly from the person who arranged and payed out the strands. The tube had, in all probability, a collar or sleeve which was grasped by the man, and had a bar and weight which caused it to rotate as it was swung around by the operator. The strands of the rope passed between the legs of the stool and between the feet of the man who arranged the strands and kept them from becoming entangled. The character of the material is indicated in the manner which is so peculiarly Egyptian, by the skin hanging up in the shop, and a man wis shown cutting a continuous thong with a knife like our modern leather-knife, and by the same means which we adopt, by turning the piece of leather round as he cuts. Two of the coils are represented hanging up in the shop.”

“Safe. [...] 3. (Saddlery.) A piece of leather placed under a buckle, to prevent it from chafing.”

“Saf’fi-an. (Leather.) A dyed leather made at Astracan and other parts of Asiatic Russia. The skins of bucks and goats are used for the purpose, and the colours used are red and yellow. The articles used in its preparation are lime, dog’s dung, and bran. Honey is used after the bran. After three days’ fermentation, the skin is salted and dried. The skin is then dyed, and tanned with sumac. The red colour is given by cochineal and cricoides, an alkaline plant growing plentifully on the Tartarian salt deserts. The colour is finished with alum. For the finest qualities, sorrel is added in the cochineal bath, and the tanning is done by galls. The roughness is given by a heavy iron rake with blunt points.”

“Scal’lop-ing-tool. (Saddlery.) A tool for giving an ornamental edge to leather straps.”

“Seal-skin. The skin of the seal is light, but of a close texture, and makes a very dense, heavy leather. It is made into black enamelled leather for ladies shoes, for hunting and riding boots and knapsacks. The pelt is also largely applied for caps and fur clothing. The long hairs are pulled out, leaving the short, fine, soft fur, which is thick on the skin ; after which the fur is dyed.”

“Sha-green’. Shagreen is a parchment and not a leather, though it is usually classed with the latter. Its conception and production are Oriental, Astracan and Asiatic Russia being still the main sources of supply. The hides of horses, asses, and camels are concerned in its production, and it is said that only a strip from the crupper to the neck is thus employed.

The strips are steeped in water till the hair softens and gives readily, when it is removed by scraping ; they are again steeped and worked by the flesher till all matter extraneous to the skin is separated, and the skin itself is reduced to the proper thickness. They are now moistened, mounted on frames, and stretched.

Being spread upon the floor, they are covered on the grain side with the seeds of the alabuta or goose-foot (Chenopodium album). A covering of felt is laid on, and the seeds are pressed into the skin by trampling or mechanical means. The skins, still bound in the frames, are dried will the seeds are readily detached, They are now dry, horny, and deeply indented.

Being placed on a padded horse, the skins are shaved until the indentations are shallow and uniform, after which they are steeped in hot water, then in hot alkaline lye, and piled upon one another while in a hot, moist state. This causes the compressed parts to swell out and become protuberances, which form embossed balls, giving the peculiar appearance to the leather by which it is distinguished.

Shagreen is dyed of various colours by substantially the same means as morocco.

Red by cochineal. Blue by the cold indigo vat. Black by solution of tannin, followed by sulphate of iron. Green by sal-ammonia and copper filings.

Imitation shagreen is made by passing the leather between rollers, in contact with a copper plate suitably indented.”

“Sil’ver-ing. [...] Leather is silvered by applying a coating of parchment-size or spirit-varnish, and afterward coating with silver-leaf under pressure.”

“Stock-stone. A rubbing-tool used by curriers on the grain side of leather to stretch and straighten it before currying.”

“Stretch’ing-ir’on. (Leather-working.) A currier’s tool, resembling a slicker, consisting of a flat piece of metal or stone fixed in a handle and used to scrape the surface of curried leather, to stretch it, reduce inequalities, and raise the bloom, -- a certain powdery appearance which marks the surface of well-tanned leather.”

“Tack-claw. (Saddlery.) A bifurcated tool for drawing tacks. It is especially used by saddlers and other workers in leather.”

“Tank’ard. Other bottles we have of leather, but they are most used amongst the shepherds and harvest people of the Country ; small jacks we have in many alehouses of the citie and suburbs, tipped with silver, besides the great black-jacks and bombards of the court, which when the Frenchmen first saw they reported at their returne into their Countrey that the Englishmen used to drink out of their bootes.”

“Tool’ing. [...] 3. (Bookbinding.) Ornamental gilding or embossing by heated tools upon the leather binding of books. The tools employed are brass stamps, cut into the desired pattern and mounted in handles. Long lines, plain or figured, running along the sides of the book, are formed by a circular disk of brass, rotating in a handle, the design, if any, being cut on its periphery. When pressure only is applied, without gold, the work is termed blind-tooling. The workman rests the handle against his right shoulder, holding the tool near the axis ; he can thus run the tool the whole length of each side of the cover. The tools are heated at a gas stove or charcoal furnace. Gold-tooling is produced by covering the parts with albumen and then with gold-leaf, and pressing the hot tool on the covered parts. On wiping with a hot rag only that part of the gold leaf is left which was in contact with the hot tool. Lettering is done by means of brass letters, of different sizes, set up in a wooden handle. The words in most common use are often made in one piece.”

“Wa’ter-proof’ing Leath’er. A number of special compositions have been employed for rendering leather water-proof by filling up the minute pores. Among them are : 1. Boiled linseed-oil, mutton suet, yellow beeswax, and rosin, melted and applied while hot to the leather slightly warmed. 2. Linseed-oil, rosin, white vitriol, spirits of turpentine, and white oak sawdust. 3. Yellow beeswax, Burgundy pitch, turpentine, and linseed-oil. 4. Two parts tallow and one rosin. 5. Apply a coating of tallow to the leather, and afterward a second coating of one part copaiba balsam and two naphtha. 6. Caoutchoue, boiled for two hours in linseed or neatsfoot oil.”

“Wax’ing. 1. (Leather-manufacture.) The process of finishing leather which has been shaved, daubed, grained, bruised, and whitened. It consists of treating with blacking (oil, lampblack, and tallow), black size (stiff size and tallow), and subsequent treatment with a slicker."

“Whit’en-ing. (Leather-manufacture.) The process of cleaning hides at the beam, by passing a knife with a fine edge lightly over the flesh side, to bring it to the clean and fit condition for waxing.”

#sca #leather

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