Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 05-16-2010, 12:08 PM

Quote:

The sacred books ... were composed by, and for a people almost exclusively given to husbandry and pastoral life, hence in constant communication with nature. To such a people references to the animal world, animal customs, etc., are quite natural, and the more animals abounded in the country, the more frequent and varied these allusions may be expected to be. In point of fact, the names of a large number of animals — over a hundred and twenty species — occur in the Scriptures. A closer examination of the way in which references to animals are introduced, the frequency of allusions to certain species, and the date of the documents in which they are found, may give a fair idea of the conditions of the country at the different stages of its history. ....

ELEPHANT. — We learn from Assyrian inscriptions that before the Hebrews settled in Syria, there existed elephants in that country, and Tiglath-Pileser I tells us about his exploits in elephant hunting. We do not read, however, of elephants in the Bible until the Machabean times. True, 1 Kings speaks of ivory, or "elephants' teeth", as the Hebrew text puts it, yet not as indigenous, but as imported from Ophir. In the post-exilian times, especially in the books of the Machabees, elephants are frequently mentioned; they were an important element in the armies of the Seleucides. These animals were imported either from India or from Africa.

spamandham · 05-16-2010, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voice of reason

Jesus could not come into Jerusalem on an elephant.

The reason is that the gospels are allegories of the Sun as it travels through the constellations.

The Sun (Jesus) rides into Jerusalem on a Donkey and a colt. Amazing huh.

While there may well be some truth to this, the more direct answer lies in Zech 9:9, as stated above.

Toto · 05-16-2010, 10:10 PM

Astrological explanation of the two asses

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The Gospels instruct us that Jesus (personified as the Sun) enters Jerusalem riding upon two asses. This refers, as mentioned above, to two prominent stars which the Sun rides (crosses) within the constellation of Cancer (the sign of the summer solstice) on it way to the Summer Solstice (again symbolized in Ancient mythology as Jerusalem). The mythos required the riding of "two asses" or these "two stars". The stars are Asellus Borealis (Northern Ass) and Asellus Australis (Southern Ass) are the two asses in the "Jesus Story".

arnoldo · 05-17-2010, 08:23 AM

The ambiguity whether Zechariah 9:9 is discussing a singular or plural animal is discussed in the following article.

Quote:

Does awareness of the way ancient Hebrew poetry works contribute to a better understanding of texts whose interpretation remains controversial?

I believe it does. Zechariah 9:9 has been interpreted in terms of a larger Messianic hope by Jews from the Second Temple period to the present. Christians have understood it to have been fulfilled by Jesus when he entered Jerusalem before going to his death.

In the essay below, I show that later interpretation sometimes got the sense of the original about right, and sometimes did not.

http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.c..._interpre.html

Clivedurdle · 05-17-2010, 12:49 PM

There is of course that famous phrase - elephant in the room. Anyone able to photoshop Da Vinci's Last Supper? Well, they built that door for a reason!

seyorni · 05-17-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aa5874

Perhaps the JESUS movement was bankrupt. They had to BORROW a donkey or two.

It would be expected that the Jesus movement would have had at least ONE donkey.

Didn't Jesus send one of his followers into a town to steal a donkey?

mountainman · 05-17-2010, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clivedurdle

There is of course that famous phrase - elephant in the room.

The Greek "Gentiles" are the elephant in the room of the New Testament. Of course, I responded to that earlier. Where are the Hebrew manuscript accounts of the new testment or did the fabulous greek literature Apostles (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul) write in Greek and agree with one another on their "nomina sacra" abbreviations for important names in a book about a Jewish story? The Greek "Gentiles" are of course the HISTORICAL CONTEXTUAL AUDIENCE to whom in Greek the NT was "pitched". We dont appear to have any version of the rising of the worship of "The New Testament Story in Greek" from the accounts of these Greek "Gentiles" and yet we know these Graeco-Roman "gentiles" were the elephant in the demographic room of the 1st 4 centuries. A "Greek" publication implies a Greek audience - in this case the elephant in the room of the historical epoch.

Through which secret door did the Graeco-Roman "gentile" [audience] elephant make its disappearance at the Circus of Nicaea?

Quote:

Anyone able to photoshop Da Vinci's Last Supper? Well, they built that door for a reason!

They also manufactured the Nag Hammadi Codices for a reason.
One story here has Jesus wandering around with a codex in his left hand.
Was he looking for the Roman poet Martial?
Was it a street directory?
Or was it the "Gita"?

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05-17-2010, 12:49 PM	#15
Clivedurdle Contributor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: London UK Posts: 16,024	There is of course that famous phrase - elephant in the room. Anyone able to photoshop Da Vinci's Last Supper? Well, they built that door for a reason!

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