Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Malachi151 · 11-02-2006, 04:17 PM

From the link above:

Quote:

Hellenistic astrology was not unknown in Palestine. Lester Ness has summarized the role of astrology in late Judaism. He argues that although Jews held that the destiny of Judea was controlled directly by their God, Yahweh, the movement of the stars and planets could be the mechanism through which Yahweh's will was worked, and the constellation of Pisces was particularly associated with Judea.

Oi vey, is this perhaps why the fish was the symbol of the Christians?!

Also note, one of the earliest Christian images that we have, from the church at Megiddo :

Also, I noticed that in the Jewish zodiacs that I have been able to find images of, only two admittedly, Pisces is at the top!

Malachi151 · 11-06-2006, 04:19 PM

I was looking into the passage cited by Loomis and it says this:

Quote:

Ezekiel 28:

11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: 12Mortal, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:
You were the signet of perfection,*
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire,* turquoise, and emerald;
and worked in gold were your settings
and your engravings.*
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
14With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you;*
you were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked among the stones of fire.
15You were blameless in your ways
from the day that you were created,
until iniquity was found in you.
16In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and the guardian cherub drove you out
from among the stones of fire.
17Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour.
I cast you to the ground;
I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.
18By the multitude of your iniquities,
in the unrighteousness of your trade,
you profaned your sanctuaries.
So I brought out fire from within you;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
in the sight of all who saw you.
19All who know you among the peoples
are appalled at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more for ever.

Does this not say that man was thrown out of Eden for becoming greedy and amassing wealth?

Toto · 11-06-2006, 07:12 PM

Quote:

12 Mortal, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:
. . .

15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day that you were created,
until iniquity was found in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and the guardian cherub drove you out

I read it as saying that the King of Tyre was rich until he became filled with iniquity and violence. The reference to Eden must be some sort of symbolic reference to wealth, and being cast from the mountain a symbolic reference to his fall from wealth and power.

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