A highly visual survey of the many aspects of snakes and snake symbols in the Jewish bible (Old testament). The key role of a snake cult, the snake in the Garden of Eden, the rod of Moses and other topics like Lilith in the Kabbalah are discussed. Religious beliefs are not assumed here.
1) Snakes played an important religious role in ancient Egypt and were depicted widely in art and iconography. When Moses was in Egypt, snake imagery would have been everywhere.
2) Some scholars propose that the Levite tribe, including Moses and Aaron, may have originated as Egyptian priests who followed Moses out of Egypt and had connections to snake handling and worship. References to snakes in the Bible could relate to this.
3) Copper or brass snake idols were used for religious worship and healing in the ancient Near East. The copper snake Moses created to cure snakebites may have drawn on this existing tradition of religious snake symbolism.
1) Snakes played an important religious role in ancient Egypt and were depicted widely in art and iconography. When Moses was in Egypt, snake imagery would have been everywhere.
2) Some scholars propose that the Levite tribe, including Moses and Aaron, may have originated as Egyptian priests who followed Moses out of Egypt and had connections to snake handling and worship. References to snakes in the Bible may relate to this.
3) In the Bible, Moses was instructed by God to make a copper snake idol to cure snakebites, contradicting idol worship bans. This later developed into a snake cult in Jerusalem until being destroyed centuries later. Ancient Near Eastern snake cults and worship were common.
I have been studying the pagan origins of religions for twenty years and have been waiting for a platform to present the case. And, lo and behold Glenn Beck has accomplished what neither Oprah Winfrey nor Shirley MacLaine could. Miraculously he persuaded leaders of the religious right and evangelical leaders that it is acceptable for millions of "Christians" to embrace humanistic spirituality and paganism for the purpose of social activism and social change. He constantly directs his listeners to the founders of the American Constitution and his slogan Faith, Hope and Charity. Naturally I was disappointed that he did not expand on the subject and say that there is nothing new under the sun in Christianity as all its rituals are pagan. But hey—it’s a beginning.
When the Antichrist (Abomination of Desolation) sits in the temple in Jerusalem and proclaims himself to be god, then the end is very very near. Jesus warns them to “head for the hills” because “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” This sounds pretty bad… Not Yet Fulfilled, but when it is, it’s just before when Jesus returns. As he said “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive (Mat 24:16-22).” This is when Jesus returns and stops all the madness, throws the Antichrist into the lake of fire, and establishes His Kingdom on Earth.
Why all the Similarities ? The Serpent and other Universal Beliefs & Symbolsniwres
The document discusses similarities found across different parts of the world related to religious and cultural concepts like flood stories, legal codes, divine figures bestowing laws, and patriarchal societies. It also extensively covers the prevalence of serpent or snake worship and symbolism globally, noting their associations with fertility, life cycles, immortality, and creation in many belief systems. Images are provided showing serpent depictions from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, India, Norse mythology, Africa, Australia, and North and South America. Bible passages on the serpent in the Garden of Eden and Jesus being lifted up are also presented.
Dorothy Parker was a renowned American author, poet, critic and wit known for her caustic wit and sharp observations. She was part of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City in the 1920s, writing theater reviews that gained her fame. Parker struggled with alcoholism, unhappy relationships and financial difficulties for much of her life. She supported numerous progressive causes and left her estate to the NAACP, which continues to hold the rights to her works to this day.
1) Snakes played an important religious role in ancient Egypt and were depicted widely in art and iconography. When Moses was in Egypt, snake imagery would have been everywhere.
2) Some scholars propose that the Levite tribe, including Moses and Aaron, may have originated as Egyptian priests who followed Moses out of Egypt and had connections to snake handling and worship. References to snakes in the Bible could relate to this.
3) Copper or brass snake idols were used for religious worship and healing in the ancient Near East. The copper snake Moses created to cure snakebites may have drawn on this existing tradition of religious snake symbolism.
1) Snakes played an important religious role in ancient Egypt and were depicted widely in art and iconography. When Moses was in Egypt, snake imagery would have been everywhere.
2) Some scholars propose that the Levite tribe, including Moses and Aaron, may have originated as Egyptian priests who followed Moses out of Egypt and had connections to snake handling and worship. References to snakes in the Bible may relate to this.
3) In the Bible, Moses was instructed by God to make a copper snake idol to cure snakebites, contradicting idol worship bans. This later developed into a snake cult in Jerusalem until being destroyed centuries later. Ancient Near Eastern snake cults and worship were common.
I have been studying the pagan origins of religions for twenty years and have been waiting for a platform to present the case. And, lo and behold Glenn Beck has accomplished what neither Oprah Winfrey nor Shirley MacLaine could. Miraculously he persuaded leaders of the religious right and evangelical leaders that it is acceptable for millions of "Christians" to embrace humanistic spirituality and paganism for the purpose of social activism and social change. He constantly directs his listeners to the founders of the American Constitution and his slogan Faith, Hope and Charity. Naturally I was disappointed that he did not expand on the subject and say that there is nothing new under the sun in Christianity as all its rituals are pagan. But hey—it’s a beginning.
When the Antichrist (Abomination of Desolation) sits in the temple in Jerusalem and proclaims himself to be god, then the end is very very near. Jesus warns them to “head for the hills” because “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” This sounds pretty bad… Not Yet Fulfilled, but when it is, it’s just before when Jesus returns. As he said “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive (Mat 24:16-22).” This is when Jesus returns and stops all the madness, throws the Antichrist into the lake of fire, and establishes His Kingdom on Earth.
Why all the Similarities ? The Serpent and other Universal Beliefs & Symbolsniwres
The document discusses similarities found across different parts of the world related to religious and cultural concepts like flood stories, legal codes, divine figures bestowing laws, and patriarchal societies. It also extensively covers the prevalence of serpent or snake worship and symbolism globally, noting their associations with fertility, life cycles, immortality, and creation in many belief systems. Images are provided showing serpent depictions from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, India, Norse mythology, Africa, Australia, and North and South America. Bible passages on the serpent in the Garden of Eden and Jesus being lifted up are also presented.
Dorothy Parker was a renowned American author, poet, critic and wit known for her caustic wit and sharp observations. She was part of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City in the 1920s, writing theater reviews that gained her fame. Parker struggled with alcoholism, unhappy relationships and financial difficulties for much of her life. She supported numerous progressive causes and left her estate to the NAACP, which continues to hold the rights to her works to this day.
Ancient secret codes and wordplay in the bibleDave Shafer
A survey of word play in the bible, plus discussion of "hidden messages" and the "Bible Codes" and debunking them' Also the prehistory of the Hebrew alphabet and its early uses, prior to writing.
Ancient Israelite Hisory: The Patriarchal PeriodJacob Gluck
The document provides background information on the patriarchal period in ancient Israelite history prior to the Exodus. It discusses the travels and lineages of key patriarchal figures like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also analyzes the challenges with using the biblical chronology and reconciling the patriarchal narratives with archaeological evidence from the ancient Near East. Scholars debate whether the patriarchal stories preserve authentic historical details from the early 2nd millennium BCE or reflect later compositional periods.
Estrella de david o estrella de satanás (renfan)98789
Este documento discute el origen pagano de la estrella de seis picos conocida como la "estrella de David". Argumenta que la estrella se originó como un símbolo del dios babilónico Moloc y que fue adoptada por los judíos sin saber su significado real. También sugiere que la estrella será la marca de la bestia en el futuro y advierte a los creyentes que no la usen.
La pugna entre Esaú y Jacob se va haciendo más grande. Estando Isaac ciego a los 137 años, es engañado por su esposa Rebeca y su hijo Jacob, quien usurpa la identidad de Esaú y obtiene la bendición del hijo primogénito. Isaac termina bendiciendo a Jacob, tal como Dios lo había dicho. A Esaú nunca le importó lo espiritual, sino solo lo material y gratificante. El libro de Hebreos nos dice que no recibió la bendición, pues no se arrepintió (Heb 12:16-17). Esaú planea vengarse de Jacob y Rebeca consigue enviarlo a Harán a la casa de su hermano Labán a buscar esposa. En el camino Dios le da a Jacob la promesa hecha a Abraham e Isaac. Jacob se enamora de Raquel y después de trabajar 7 años por ella, es engañado y se le entrega a Lea por esposa. Trabaja 7 años por Raquel. Raquel y Lea disputan por Jacob y le entregan a sus siervas por concubinas. Jacob engendra a Rubén, Simeón, Leví, Judá, Dan, Neftalí, Gad, Aser, Isacar, Zabulón, Dina y José. Jacob consigue hacerse de un ganado de ovejas manchadas y cree que ha llegado el momento de volver a Canaán.
This document defines magic as the practice of using charms, spells, or rituals to produce supernatural events or control nature. It discusses the role of magicians in ancient Egypt and some of their tools like wands. It provides examples of how magic was used for purposes like predicting the future through dreams, healing through spells, and preserving bodies and souls in the afterlife with amulets and rituals described in pyramid texts.
C peter wagner como enfrentarnos a la reina del cielo x eltropicalEberto Mejia
Este documento describe la ciudad de Éfeso, lugar donde Pablo ministerió, y que durante 200 años después fue un centro del cristianismo. Actualmente en Turquía, donde se ubica Éfeso, existen menos de 500 creyentes entre una población de 60 millones. El autor argumenta que la iglesia debe orar y enfrentar espiritualmente a la "Reina del Cielo" para que Turquía experimente una renovación espiritual.
Comprendiendo el libro de Samuel parte 1 Como ser un buen padre y como educa...R.J. ÁNGEL
Cuantas veces te haz preguntado por que tus hijos son de cierta forma, o por que tu a veces te comportas así, ??
La respuesta es muy sencilla y la encontramos en esta triste historia, un hombre que su amor desmesurado hizo que su descendencia fuera la ultima en servir para el Dios Altísimo dentro de su Santuario....
Quieres tener unos hijos exitosos? quieres ser un padre exitoso? tienes que leer esto.....
This document identifies 13 characteristics of an "antichrist" power from biblical prophecies in Revelation and Daniel. It summarizes how the Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy fulfill these characteristics, such as being seated on seven hills in Rome, asserting authority over all people worldwide, engaging in blasphemous claims like the Pope declaring himself to be God, changing God's law, making war against saints, and subduing three kings. The document uses historical sources and Catholic doctrines to support how these prophecies line up with the Papacy.
This document provides an overview and summary of key teachings within Freemasonry based on writings from prominent Masonic authors. It discusses Masonry's description of itself as a custodian of religious truths and an eminently religious institution. It examines Masonry's reverence for multiple religious figures and its view of the Bible as incomplete and incomprehensible without esoteric interpretation. The document also explores Masonic teachings regarding deities such as Lucifer, Osiris, and the Great Architect of the Universe revealed in Masonic rituals.
Journey through the attributes, rituals, healing gifts, and histories of many of the world's great goddesses. Learn about the necessity to manifest the Heiros Gamos, or Sacred Marriage of the masculine and feminine housed within each of us. Choose to see and unite dualities in order to bring about the higher frequencies of the ONE.
Este documento resume la historia de las tribus de Israel después de la muerte de Josué. Cada tribu luchó contra diferentes pueblos cananeos, pero muchas tribus no lograron expulsar completamente a los cananeos de sus territorios. Como resultado, los israelitas comenzaron a servir a dioses ajenos y abandonaron a Yahvé. Yahvé permitió que las naciones cananeas permanecieran como prueba para Israel.
1) The document provides commentary on Ezekiel 16:1-35 about Jerusalem being portrayed as an unfaithful wife. It describes how Israel originated from Canaanite lands associated with idolatry and corruption and were in a helpless state as an abandoned infant in Egypt.
2) God took pity on Israel and cared for them, nurturing them to become prosperous and beautiful, forming a close bond with them through the Mosaic and Joshua covenants. However, Israel later erected pagan shrines, formed unholy alliances, and committed spiritual adultery, warranting divine punishment.
3) The summaries from scholars like Barnes, Gill, Henry, and Jamison analyze various aspects of the passage, including
El documento describe el descubrimiento de los restos del Arca de Noé en el este de Turquía por Ron Wyatt. En 1977, Wyatt visitó el sitio y realizó pruebas de detección de metales y escaneos de radar que demostraron que se trataba de los restos del Arca. En 1987, el gobierno turco reconoció oficialmente el descubrimiento y dedicó el Parque Nacional del Arca de Noé.
Este documento resume los conceptos bíblicos de ángel y agencia divina. Explica que la palabra hebrea "mal'aj" se refiere a un enviado o mensajero que representa a Dios, ya sea un ser celestial o humano. Los ángeles transmiten los mensajes de Dios en Su nombre y con Su autoridad. Aunque se dice que Dios se apareció a personas como Abraham, esto significa que se manifestó a través de un mensajero angelical, ya que nadie puede ver a Dios directamente y vivir.
The document discusses symbols and imagery related to Saturn and how they connect to secret societies and satanic groups. It notes hexagonal patterns on Saturn's north pole and a whirlwind with a single eye on the south pole. These symbols of the hexagon and single eye are said to be prominent in symbols used by secret societies. Additional Saturn/Satan symbols discussed include black cubes, rings, and crosses. Connections are made between these symbols and those used in Freemasonry, Zionism, Islam, and the Catholic church. Ritual practices of secret groups like the Ordo Saturnus are also mentioned.
The document provides an overview of the book of Numbers in the Bible. It is divided into two main sections, the first covering the organization of the tribes at Sinai and the second covering the pilgrimage through the wilderness. Some key events summarized are the people failing to trust God and enter the promised land due to the faithless report of the spies, and the story of Balaam who is unable to curse Israel when recruited by an enemy king. The theology discussed emphasizes the importance of faith in God over following rules, along with God's holiness and faithfulness to his promises.
The timing of the Two Witnesses' ministry provides evidence that the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation period.
The Two Witnesses prophesy for 1,260 days, which is the same length as the first half of the Tribulation. However, their ministry cannot take place in the second half because key events like the Second Coming and destruction of the Antichrist must happen before, not after, their deaths and resurrection.
Placing the Two Witnesses in the second half would create impossible timelines, such as the world celebrating their deaths for 3.5 days while Jesus is already present on Earth. Therefore, the Two Witnesses must prophesy during the first half of the Tribulation, supporting a
El documento discute si Yahushua abolió la Torá. En 3 oraciones resume que: 1) Yahushua dijo que no vino a abolir la ley sino a cumplirla, 2) Yahushua enseñó a guardar los mandamientos de la Torá, 3) El documento concluye que Yahushua no abolió la Torá sino que enseñó su verdadero significado y cómo seguirla en espíritu.
Este documento presenta una introducción a un libro que explora cómo entender mejor las palabras de Jesús desde una perspectiva hebrea. Explica que los evangelios se derivan de un texto original en hebreo, por lo que contienen muchos modismos y expresiones hebreas que son difíciles de comprender si no se conocen. El autor relata su propia experiencia de no poder entender completamente las enseñanzas de Jesús hasta que aprendió hebreo. El libro busca mostrar que el hebreo es la clave para interpretar correctamente las palabras de Jesús regist
The document discusses theories about the biblical Ark of the Covenant. It summarizes that the Ark was a portable container described in the Torah as being housed in the Holy of Holies and containing the "Pact" or "Testimony" between God and the Israelites, though some scholars argue it may have contained something else. The document examines ancient Near Eastern influences on the Ark's design and possible functions as a portable throne and military standard. It questions common assumptions about the Ark's contents based on textual details.
A highly visual summary of the life and very controversial ideas of iconoclast Immanuel Velikovsky, author of the best seller "Worlds in Collision" and other books.
Ancient secret codes and wordplay in the bibleDave Shafer
A survey of word play in the bible, plus discussion of "hidden messages" and the "Bible Codes" and debunking them' Also the prehistory of the Hebrew alphabet and its early uses, prior to writing.
Ancient Israelite Hisory: The Patriarchal PeriodJacob Gluck
The document provides background information on the patriarchal period in ancient Israelite history prior to the Exodus. It discusses the travels and lineages of key patriarchal figures like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also analyzes the challenges with using the biblical chronology and reconciling the patriarchal narratives with archaeological evidence from the ancient Near East. Scholars debate whether the patriarchal stories preserve authentic historical details from the early 2nd millennium BCE or reflect later compositional periods.
Estrella de david o estrella de satanás (renfan)98789
Este documento discute el origen pagano de la estrella de seis picos conocida como la "estrella de David". Argumenta que la estrella se originó como un símbolo del dios babilónico Moloc y que fue adoptada por los judíos sin saber su significado real. También sugiere que la estrella será la marca de la bestia en el futuro y advierte a los creyentes que no la usen.
La pugna entre Esaú y Jacob se va haciendo más grande. Estando Isaac ciego a los 137 años, es engañado por su esposa Rebeca y su hijo Jacob, quien usurpa la identidad de Esaú y obtiene la bendición del hijo primogénito. Isaac termina bendiciendo a Jacob, tal como Dios lo había dicho. A Esaú nunca le importó lo espiritual, sino solo lo material y gratificante. El libro de Hebreos nos dice que no recibió la bendición, pues no se arrepintió (Heb 12:16-17). Esaú planea vengarse de Jacob y Rebeca consigue enviarlo a Harán a la casa de su hermano Labán a buscar esposa. En el camino Dios le da a Jacob la promesa hecha a Abraham e Isaac. Jacob se enamora de Raquel y después de trabajar 7 años por ella, es engañado y se le entrega a Lea por esposa. Trabaja 7 años por Raquel. Raquel y Lea disputan por Jacob y le entregan a sus siervas por concubinas. Jacob engendra a Rubén, Simeón, Leví, Judá, Dan, Neftalí, Gad, Aser, Isacar, Zabulón, Dina y José. Jacob consigue hacerse de un ganado de ovejas manchadas y cree que ha llegado el momento de volver a Canaán.
This document defines magic as the practice of using charms, spells, or rituals to produce supernatural events or control nature. It discusses the role of magicians in ancient Egypt and some of their tools like wands. It provides examples of how magic was used for purposes like predicting the future through dreams, healing through spells, and preserving bodies and souls in the afterlife with amulets and rituals described in pyramid texts.
C peter wagner como enfrentarnos a la reina del cielo x eltropicalEberto Mejia
Este documento describe la ciudad de Éfeso, lugar donde Pablo ministerió, y que durante 200 años después fue un centro del cristianismo. Actualmente en Turquía, donde se ubica Éfeso, existen menos de 500 creyentes entre una población de 60 millones. El autor argumenta que la iglesia debe orar y enfrentar espiritualmente a la "Reina del Cielo" para que Turquía experimente una renovación espiritual.
Comprendiendo el libro de Samuel parte 1 Como ser un buen padre y como educa...R.J. ÁNGEL
Cuantas veces te haz preguntado por que tus hijos son de cierta forma, o por que tu a veces te comportas así, ??
La respuesta es muy sencilla y la encontramos en esta triste historia, un hombre que su amor desmesurado hizo que su descendencia fuera la ultima en servir para el Dios Altísimo dentro de su Santuario....
Quieres tener unos hijos exitosos? quieres ser un padre exitoso? tienes que leer esto.....
This document identifies 13 characteristics of an "antichrist" power from biblical prophecies in Revelation and Daniel. It summarizes how the Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy fulfill these characteristics, such as being seated on seven hills in Rome, asserting authority over all people worldwide, engaging in blasphemous claims like the Pope declaring himself to be God, changing God's law, making war against saints, and subduing three kings. The document uses historical sources and Catholic doctrines to support how these prophecies line up with the Papacy.
This document provides an overview and summary of key teachings within Freemasonry based on writings from prominent Masonic authors. It discusses Masonry's description of itself as a custodian of religious truths and an eminently religious institution. It examines Masonry's reverence for multiple religious figures and its view of the Bible as incomplete and incomprehensible without esoteric interpretation. The document also explores Masonic teachings regarding deities such as Lucifer, Osiris, and the Great Architect of the Universe revealed in Masonic rituals.
Journey through the attributes, rituals, healing gifts, and histories of many of the world's great goddesses. Learn about the necessity to manifest the Heiros Gamos, or Sacred Marriage of the masculine and feminine housed within each of us. Choose to see and unite dualities in order to bring about the higher frequencies of the ONE.
Este documento resume la historia de las tribus de Israel después de la muerte de Josué. Cada tribu luchó contra diferentes pueblos cananeos, pero muchas tribus no lograron expulsar completamente a los cananeos de sus territorios. Como resultado, los israelitas comenzaron a servir a dioses ajenos y abandonaron a Yahvé. Yahvé permitió que las naciones cananeas permanecieran como prueba para Israel.
1) The document provides commentary on Ezekiel 16:1-35 about Jerusalem being portrayed as an unfaithful wife. It describes how Israel originated from Canaanite lands associated with idolatry and corruption and were in a helpless state as an abandoned infant in Egypt.
2) God took pity on Israel and cared for them, nurturing them to become prosperous and beautiful, forming a close bond with them through the Mosaic and Joshua covenants. However, Israel later erected pagan shrines, formed unholy alliances, and committed spiritual adultery, warranting divine punishment.
3) The summaries from scholars like Barnes, Gill, Henry, and Jamison analyze various aspects of the passage, including
El documento describe el descubrimiento de los restos del Arca de Noé en el este de Turquía por Ron Wyatt. En 1977, Wyatt visitó el sitio y realizó pruebas de detección de metales y escaneos de radar que demostraron que se trataba de los restos del Arca. En 1987, el gobierno turco reconoció oficialmente el descubrimiento y dedicó el Parque Nacional del Arca de Noé.
Este documento resume los conceptos bíblicos de ángel y agencia divina. Explica que la palabra hebrea "mal'aj" se refiere a un enviado o mensajero que representa a Dios, ya sea un ser celestial o humano. Los ángeles transmiten los mensajes de Dios en Su nombre y con Su autoridad. Aunque se dice que Dios se apareció a personas como Abraham, esto significa que se manifestó a través de un mensajero angelical, ya que nadie puede ver a Dios directamente y vivir.
The document discusses symbols and imagery related to Saturn and how they connect to secret societies and satanic groups. It notes hexagonal patterns on Saturn's north pole and a whirlwind with a single eye on the south pole. These symbols of the hexagon and single eye are said to be prominent in symbols used by secret societies. Additional Saturn/Satan symbols discussed include black cubes, rings, and crosses. Connections are made between these symbols and those used in Freemasonry, Zionism, Islam, and the Catholic church. Ritual practices of secret groups like the Ordo Saturnus are also mentioned.
The document provides an overview of the book of Numbers in the Bible. It is divided into two main sections, the first covering the organization of the tribes at Sinai and the second covering the pilgrimage through the wilderness. Some key events summarized are the people failing to trust God and enter the promised land due to the faithless report of the spies, and the story of Balaam who is unable to curse Israel when recruited by an enemy king. The theology discussed emphasizes the importance of faith in God over following rules, along with God's holiness and faithfulness to his promises.
The timing of the Two Witnesses' ministry provides evidence that the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation period.
The Two Witnesses prophesy for 1,260 days, which is the same length as the first half of the Tribulation. However, their ministry cannot take place in the second half because key events like the Second Coming and destruction of the Antichrist must happen before, not after, their deaths and resurrection.
Placing the Two Witnesses in the second half would create impossible timelines, such as the world celebrating their deaths for 3.5 days while Jesus is already present on Earth. Therefore, the Two Witnesses must prophesy during the first half of the Tribulation, supporting a
El documento discute si Yahushua abolió la Torá. En 3 oraciones resume que: 1) Yahushua dijo que no vino a abolir la ley sino a cumplirla, 2) Yahushua enseñó a guardar los mandamientos de la Torá, 3) El documento concluye que Yahushua no abolió la Torá sino que enseñó su verdadero significado y cómo seguirla en espíritu.
Este documento presenta una introducción a un libro que explora cómo entender mejor las palabras de Jesús desde una perspectiva hebrea. Explica que los evangelios se derivan de un texto original en hebreo, por lo que contienen muchos modismos y expresiones hebreas que son difíciles de comprender si no se conocen. El autor relata su propia experiencia de no poder entender completamente las enseñanzas de Jesús hasta que aprendió hebreo. El libro busca mostrar que el hebreo es la clave para interpretar correctamente las palabras de Jesús regist
The document discusses theories about the biblical Ark of the Covenant. It summarizes that the Ark was a portable container described in the Torah as being housed in the Holy of Holies and containing the "Pact" or "Testimony" between God and the Israelites, though some scholars argue it may have contained something else. The document examines ancient Near Eastern influences on the Ark's design and possible functions as a portable throne and military standard. It questions common assumptions about the Ark's contents based on textual details.
A highly visual summary of the life and very controversial ideas of iconoclast Immanuel Velikovsky, author of the best seller "Worlds in Collision" and other books.
Nora Ephron was a screenwriter, director, and author who came from a family of screenwriters, with both of her parents being successful Hollywood screenwriters in the 1940s-1950s. She grew up in an unconventional household for the time, with her mother Phoebe not adhering to traditional gender roles and focusing on her career over housework, which influenced Ephron to also pursue a career in writing and filmmaking. Throughout her life and career, Ephron drew inspiration from her family experiences and relationships, often turning personal material into her films, novels, and essays.
Schmidt's three lens corrector for a spherical mirrorDave Shafer
Schmidt's aspheric plate in a Schmidt telescope design can be replaced by a group of three spherical lenses, as Schmidt himself showed, but he died before he could publish anything on this. Here I show many alternate versions to Schmidt's design.
Advent, christmas, epiphany and yule explainedNines Picado
Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and Yule are religious and cultural traditions observed by Christians and Pagans. Advent begins in late November and marks the start of the Christian church year as a time of preparation for Christmas. Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Epiphany on January 6th celebrates the visit of the Three Wise Men. Yule is a winter solstice festival with origins in pre-Christian Germanic traditions that has been celebrated in late December. The document aims to provide information on these traditions to promote understanding among a diverse workforce.
Tight fit, cramming a lot of information through a small volume 1993Dave Shafer
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms.
Romanticism was an artistic movement from 1775-1850 that featured solitary heroes, strong emotions, and individuals apart from society. It emphasized passion, nature, and feelings over reason. Key characteristics included intense passion in love and anguish, daring acts, and brooding poets apart from normal society. Goethe's 1774 novel The Sorrows of Young Werther popularized these tropes and influenced generations of artists. The movement also drew inspiration from imagined ancient poems like those of Ossian that were actually literary forgeries. Operas like Werther and Romeo and Juliet depicted these romantic ideals through stories of doomed lovers and individuals willing to risk death for love.
The optimum lens design form is found where the number of lenses keeps increasing in different design versions but severe space constraints limit the design configurations.
Freeform aspherics in telescope design, #2Dave Shafer
An example is given of a three mirror wide angle fast speed telescope design using freeform aspherics, showing how it evolved from a design with conventional aspherics
1) The document describes a proposed design for an unobscured astronomical camera with a 22 degree field of view and f/2 speed, to be used for a new large telescope in Hawaii.
2) It explores starting with an existing 5-mirror spherical design that was used on space missions, but determines a 3-mirror freeform aspheric design may be better.
3) The document presents an example 3-mirror freeform aspheric design that meets the requirements, with all mirrors tilted and shaped as aspheres to produce an unobscured 22 degree field of view at f/2.
One example is given of a fast speed wide angle telescope design that uses freeform aspherics to give great performance gains compared to conventional aspherics
Freeform aspheric telescope with an external pupilDave Shafer
A 4 mirror telescope design with freeform aspherics is described which has a distant external front pupil, for those situations that require this. It is unobscured and has a 10 degree diameter field at f/3.0 on an unvignetted flat image.
Multiple solutions in very simple optical designsDave Shafer
Several optical design examples show how multiple solutions can exist even in very simple systems. Time spent in looking for them is often more useful then simply optimizing the first solution that you find, which may not be the best of the alternates..
The Parker Williams Branch Library has various hours on different days of the week, with Monday hours being 1 PM to 9 PM and Tuesday being closed. It offers services including obtaining a library card, adult reference help, children's books and programs, materials in Vietnamese, and computers/laptops for public use. The library also provides computer training classes and meeting rooms that can be booked, along with storytimes, ESL/literacy programs, and activities published in a calendar of events.
The document discusses several mysteries and inconsistencies found in the Torah when viewed through the lens of what is known about the surrounding ancient civilizations. It notes references to money, horns, and other details that seem anachronistic or only make sense when considering influences from Egyptian, Canaanite, and other cultures that the ancient Israelites interacted with. The document explores possible origins and resolutions to these mysteries through archaeological and linguistic evidence from the broader region.
The document discusses the evolution of male deities from early depictions like the Sorcerer of Trois Frere to major gods in later religions. It notes that while goddesses may have been earliest, male gods rose to prominence in some cultures. Major themes are discussed like dying and resurrected gods, including Osiris, Dionysus and Jesus. Other patterns are the sun gods like Ra, Apollo and Mithras. Horned gods like Cernunnos and Pan are examined. Thunder gods, smith gods and other archetypes are also summarized. Polytheism was common for most cultures until monotheism with religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
This document provides an overview of the history and evolution of major world religions from early animistic beliefs to modern monotheistic faiths. It begins with religions emerging from simple worship related to daily life and nature. Over time, religions grew more complex with pantheons of gods and goddesses and accompanying myths. Most religions then trended toward centralization around a single god. The document then briefly outlines some of the core beliefs and figures of religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Greek/Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Native American and others.
This document provides an overview of the history and evolution of major world religions from early animistic beliefs to modern monotheistic faiths. It traces how religions progressed from many nature-based gods to centralized belief systems focused on a supreme deity. The general trend has been towards less complex pantheons, though Hinduism remains an exception with its many deities. The document then examines key figures, beliefs, and myths of major religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Greek/Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Native American, and others.
Yeshu the lamb of baal and the essence of paganismDerej HaShem
This document discusses pagan origins of Christian concepts like the "Lamb of God." It notes that ancient deities in India, Iran and the Middle East were often symbolized by bulls, rams or lambs. Baal, a major Canaanite deity, was sometimes depicted as a bull. Pagan rituals involved sacrificing bulls or lambs to cleanse people of sins. The author argues Christian concepts like Jesus as the "Lamb of God" whose blood washes away sins originate from these pagan traditions, and are forbidden for Jews according to the Torah.
Question 1, 141. In your own words explain how the deity Horus b.docxIRESH3
Question 1, 14
1. In your own words explain how the deity Horus became the king of Egypt and Osiris became king of the underworld.
Set tricked Osiris into getting into a box, which he then locked, and had sealed with lead, then he threw it into the Nile River (sarcophagi were based on the box in this myth). Now Osiris' wife, Isis, looked for his remains until she found them rooted in the trunk of a tree, it so happen that the trunk of the tree was holding up the roof of a palace in Byblos on the Phoenician coast. Isis is said to have remove the coffin and open it, but found Osiris already dead. Isis casted a spell she had learned from her father that brought Osiris back to life so he could impregnate her. Isis became pregnant and Osiris died again, so she hid his body in the desert.
Some months later, she gave birth to Horus. While she was off raising Horus, Set had been out hunting one night, he came across the body of Osiris. Infuriated, he ripped the body of Osiris into fourteen pieces and spread them throughout the land. Isis found out and went and gathered up all the pieces of the body, less the phallus which had been eaten by a fish thereafter considered taboo by the Egyptians, and bandaged them together for a proper burial. The gods were impressed by her loyalty and thus resurrected Osiris as the god of the underworld.
Now Set was thought to have been gay, Set is described as trying to show his authority, by seducing Horus (by using the line how lovely your backside is) and then having femoral intercourse with him, in which Set takes the lead role. However, Horus put his hand down between his thighs and catches Set's semen, then cut his hand off, throwing it in the river, so it would not be said to have been inseminated by Set.
Now, Horus covertly masturbates, and intentionally spreads his semen on some lettuce, which was Set's favorite food (now the Egyptians thought that the lettuce was phallic, because Egyptian lettuce was hard, long, and seeped a milk like substance when rubbed). After Set has eaten the lettuce, both of them go to the gods to settle the argument over the rule of Egypt. The god’s begin by listen to Set's claim of authority over Horus, and they call Horus semen forth, but the answers from the river, nullifying his claim. Lastly the gods listen to Horus' claim of having authority over Set, and so they call his semen forth, and the answers came from inside Set. As the result, Horus is declared the king of Egypt.
2. Egyptian kings were often depicted as relatively the same size as deities. False
3. Many Egyptian representations included hieroglyphics. Typically, shorter texts and longer texts indicated different things what were the differences?
4. Egyptian faience was a rare and costly material and only used to make figures for the kings.
5. Geography and natural resources played a large part in the production of Egyptian art. Write an essay (two paragraphs minimum) exploring how a ...
Aberration theory - A spectrum of design techniques for the perplexed - 1986.pdfDave Shafer
This document summarizes the design process for a Double-Gauss lens using aberration theory. It begins with the historical basis of two Gauss doublets back-to-back, then walks through building up a design from first principles using aberration theory. Key steps include: 1) Adding concentric surfaces to cancel astigmatism; 2) Adding an aplanatic/aplanatic shell to introduce Petzval curvature; 3) Adding a concentric/concentric shell to push the system to a telecentric exit pupil. This allows removing the final lens element far from the image. The result is a corrected Double-Gauss design arrived at through theoretical understanding rather than trial-and-error optimization.
The document discusses how early lens design progress was hindered by slow hand calculations and lack of modern materials. It provides examples of simple lens designs that were possible even pre-computer but had limited applications without modern technologies. The document emphasizes that while computers have advanced design capabilities, fundamental design ideas and theories are more important. It provides several examples of innovative lens designs the author developed through conceptual thinking alone. The document cautions against overuse of new technologies like freeform surfaces and metasurfaces without consideration of conventional design alternatives.
1) Optical design techniques include investigating multiple versions of simple designs to find the best one, as different versions can have tradeoffs in higher-order aberrations.
2) Stop shift theory is a useful technique for creating new designs by finding aperture stop positions that correct specific aberrations, such as lateral color, even if the final stop position is constrained.
3) Combining simple optical systems with useful properties, such as common axial color cancellation, is a way to develop new complex corrected designs like the CMO (catadioptric, mirror, objective) type.
Georgia O'Keeffe was an American artist known for her paintings of flowers, landscapes, and cityscapes. She pioneered abstract painting in the early 20th century, creating non-representational works using only shapes, colors, and forms as early as 1915. Her early abstract paintings were prominently displayed by her husband Arthur Stieglitz at his 291 gallery, exposing the American public to this new style of art. O'Keeffe was influenced by Arthur Wesley Dow's principles of composition and abstraction, and she credited Arthur Dove as having the most significant impact on her development as a young artist moving her style towards abstraction.
Frederic Mistral wrote a long love poem called "Mireille" about his native region of Provence, describing its traditions, culture, and dialects. Charles Gounod later adapted this poem into his 1864 opera of the same name. While Gounod's opera "Faust" has been performed thousands of times, his "Mireille" set in Provence is now rarely performed. The opera showcases aspects of Provençal culture described in Mistral's poem, such as the folk dance called the Farandole, and beliefs in witches and sylphs.
Cooke triplet lens with freeform surfacesDave Shafer
The document discusses optimizing a Cooke Triplet lens design for a strip field using freeform surfaces. It finds that with 10th order conventional aspherics on all surfaces, the design can be diffraction-limited over a 20 degree field at f/2.5. Replacing the aspherics with 10th order freeform surfaces and optimizing for a 20x1.5 degree strip field improves performance tenfold to a wavefront of 0.0040 waves rms. Narrowing the strip field to 20x0.5 degrees further improves performance to 0.0025 waves rms, showing the benefits of freeform surfaces for strip field designs.
Modified freeform offner, august 11, 2021Dave Shafer
An Offner 1.0X relay system can be given a greatly increased field size with good aberration correction by adding to the design two 45 degree flat fold mirrors that are given some freeform aspheric deformation.
A freeform aspheric version of the classic Dyson design gives much improved aberration correction and makes for designs that are fast speed and have a large field size, especially large rectangular strip fields
A wide angle fast speed unobscured freeform aspheric mirror design for the IR is shown to be enormous in size compared to an all refractive 3 element lens of germanium with conventional aspherics and better performance.
Schiefspiegler telescope with corrector lensesDave Shafer
This document contains contact information for David Shafer of David Shafer Optical Design and describes an unobscured 6 inch aperture f/10 telescope design from 1990. The design uses BK7 lenses and spherical mirrors to produce a diffraction limited image over a 1 degree flat field with no tilt at f/10 and has a length approximately equal to the focal length. It also references a simplified version of the design from a slideshare presentation that has a shorter length of half the focal length using tilted lenses and spherical mirrors with an optional fold flat.
A survey of some interesting Gregorian telescope designs includes some with all spherical surfaces as well as some with a 20 meter spherical f/1.0 primary mirror and sub-aperture corrector mirrors.
This slide is special for master students (MIBS & MIFB) in UUM. Also useful for readers who are interested in the topic of contemporary Islamic banking.
How to Fix the Import Error in the Odoo 17Celine George
An import error occurs when a program fails to import a module or library, disrupting its execution. In languages like Python, this issue arises when the specified module cannot be found or accessed, hindering the program's functionality. Resolving import errors is crucial for maintaining smooth software operation and uninterrupted development processes.
This presentation includes basic of PCOS their pathology and treatment and also Ayurveda correlation of PCOS and Ayurvedic line of treatment mentioned in classics.
Reimagining Your Library Space: How to Increase the Vibes in Your Library No ...Diana Rendina
Librarians are leading the way in creating future-ready citizens – now we need to update our spaces to match. In this session, attendees will get inspiration for transforming their library spaces. You’ll learn how to survey students and patrons, create a focus group, and use design thinking to brainstorm ideas for your space. We’ll discuss budget friendly ways to change your space as well as how to find funding. No matter where you’re at, you’ll find ideas for reimagining your space in this session.
it describes the bony anatomy including the femoral head , acetabulum, labrum . also discusses the capsule , ligaments . muscle that act on the hip joint and the range of motion are outlined. factors affecting hip joint stability and weight transmission through the joint are summarized.
ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001, and GDPR: Best Practices for Implementation and...PECB
Denis is a dynamic and results-driven Chief Information Officer (CIO) with a distinguished career spanning information systems analysis and technical project management. With a proven track record of spearheading the design and delivery of cutting-edge Information Management solutions, he has consistently elevated business operations, streamlined reporting functions, and maximized process efficiency.
Certified as an ISO/IEC 27001: Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) Lead Implementer, Data Protection Officer, and Cyber Risks Analyst, Denis brings a heightened focus on data security, privacy, and cyber resilience to every endeavor.
His expertise extends across a diverse spectrum of reporting, database, and web development applications, underpinned by an exceptional grasp of data storage and virtualization technologies. His proficiency in application testing, database administration, and data cleansing ensures seamless execution of complex projects.
What sets Denis apart is his comprehensive understanding of Business and Systems Analysis technologies, honed through involvement in all phases of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). From meticulous requirements gathering to precise analysis, innovative design, rigorous development, thorough testing, and successful implementation, he has consistently delivered exceptional results.
Throughout his career, he has taken on multifaceted roles, from leading technical project management teams to owning solutions that drive operational excellence. His conscientious and proactive approach is unwavering, whether he is working independently or collaboratively within a team. His ability to connect with colleagues on a personal level underscores his commitment to fostering a harmonious and productive workplace environment.
Date: May 29, 2024
Tags: Information Security, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001, Artificial Intelligence, GDPR
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find out more about ISO training and certification services
Training: ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management System - EN | PECB
ISO/IEC 42001 Artificial Intelligence Management System - EN | PECB
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - Training Courses - EN | PECB
Webinars: https://pecb.com/webinars
Article: https://pecb.com/article
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information about PECB:
Website: https://pecb.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pecb/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PECBInternational/
Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/PECBCERTIFICATION
This document provides an overview of wound healing, its functions, stages, mechanisms, factors affecting it, and complications.
A wound is a break in the integrity of the skin or tissues, which may be associated with disruption of the structure and function.
Healing is the body’s response to injury in an attempt to restore normal structure and functions.
Healing can occur in two ways: Regeneration and Repair
There are 4 phases of wound healing: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. This document also describes the mechanism of wound healing. Factors that affect healing include infection, uncontrolled diabetes, poor nutrition, age, anemia, the presence of foreign bodies, etc.
Complications of wound healing like infection, hyperpigmentation of scar, contractures, and keloid formation.
Strategies for Effective Upskilling is a presentation by Chinwendu Peace in a Your Skill Boost Masterclass organisation by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan on 08th and 09th June 2024 from 1 PM to 3 PM on each day.
Leveraging Generative AI to Drive Nonprofit InnovationTechSoup
In this webinar, participants learned how to utilize Generative AI to streamline operations and elevate member engagement. Amazon Web Service experts provided a customer specific use cases and dived into low/no-code tools that are quick and easy to deploy through Amazon Web Service (AWS.)
বাংলাদেশের অর্থনৈতিক সমীক্ষা ২০২৪ [Bangladesh Economic Review 2024 Bangla.pdf] কম্পিউটার , ট্যাব ও স্মার্ট ফোন ভার্সন সহ সম্পূর্ণ বাংলা ই-বুক বা pdf বই " সুচিপত্র ...বুকমার্ক মেনু 🔖 ও হাইপার লিংক মেনু 📝👆 যুক্ত ..
আমাদের সবার জন্য খুব খুব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি বই ..বিসিএস, ব্যাংক, ইউনিভার্সিটি ভর্তি ও যে কোন প্রতিযোগিতা মূলক পরীক্ষার জন্য এর খুব ইম্পরট্যান্ট একটি বিষয় ...তাছাড়া বাংলাদেশের সাম্প্রতিক যে কোন ডাটা বা তথ্য এই বইতে পাবেন ...
তাই একজন নাগরিক হিসাবে এই তথ্য গুলো আপনার জানা প্রয়োজন ...।
বিসিএস ও ব্যাংক এর লিখিত পরীক্ষা ...+এছাড়া মাধ্যমিক ও উচ্চমাধ্যমিকের স্টুডেন্টদের জন্য অনেক কাজে আসবে ...
हिंदी वर्णमाला पीपीटी, hindi alphabet PPT presentation, hindi varnamala PPT, Hindi Varnamala pdf, हिंदी स्वर, हिंदी व्यंजन, sikhiye hindi varnmala, dr. mulla adam ali, hindi language and literature, hindi alphabet with drawing, hindi alphabet pdf, hindi varnamala for childrens, hindi language, hindi varnamala practice for kids, https://www.drmullaadamali.com
2. Exploring these curious and interesting themes about snakes in the Jewish bible (Old Testament)
can be fun whether or not you believe that these people ever existed or the events ever
happened. We would not think to get the most out of Shakespeare or Homer without some
background context about the customs of the world their characters moved within as well as the
world of the authors. And there is a huge body of literature about the works of Shakespeare,
Homer, and the biblical authors that considers it irrelevant whether or not true events are
described. Nothing here is concerned with the Christian New Testament, just Jewish writings.
Themes:
1) Snakes and Religion
2) Snakes and medicine
3) Snakes and Sex
4) A Snake in the Garden of Eden
3. Some recent archeological finds as well as
translations of ancient texts from surrounding
cultures have made the material presented here
much more plausible than skeptics might think.
5. Egyptians had
many gods and
very important
ones were the
snake god Apeps
and the cobra
goddess Wadjet
The symbol of the cobra was central to
images of the Pharaoh and his crown and
surroundings. It appeared everywhere in
ancient Egypt.
According to the bible there were many generations of the Jews living in Egypt
before the Exodus and they would have been in the midst of a country steeped in
religion - and snake statues, snake icons, snake rites and imagery.
6. There was even an ancient Egyptian board game,
far right here, based on a coiled snake pattern.
When Moses was in
Egypt, snake imagery was
absolutely everywhere,
as well as 37 different
kinds of actual snakes.
7. Hollywood and artists love the dramatic scene of Moses parting
the waters during the Exodus. Nothing like the actual very shallow
Sea of Reeds which was the probable site.
Who was Moses and what was his genealogy?
Moses father Amram married his own aunt – kind of creepy.
8. And the 12 tribes of Israel
Descendents of Levi
Moses is a Levite
9. The Levite tribe has a lot of Egyptian names. No other tribe has any, that are mentioned in
the Torah. The name Moses is usually given a Hebrew derivation but there is an equally valid
Egyptian language one. He was, after all, raised in the Pharaoh’s household. Maybe only the
Levites were ever in Egypt, and not the other tribes. But there is a more likely possibility.
10. All the Levites were priests.
Perhaps some were originally
Egyptian priests who followed
Moses out of Egypt in the
Exodus, hence those Egyptian
names among the Levites.
The 10 Plagues must have
impressed them quite a bit.
11. The tribe of Levi has a name that
could be the same Hebrew word
root as the Leviathon – the giant
sea serpent that God created in the
early days of the Creation (Genesis
1:20-23). Later God killed the
giant serpent Rahab in an epic
battle, Isaiah 27:1. Two possible
“Levi” name derivations are from
one root meaning “joined” or
another meaning “coiled”. There
may be some good reasons to link
the Levites and snakes, aside from
this linguistic connection. Moses
and Aaron were Levites and the
Rod of God (Moses’ almond branch
staff) was turned into a snake twice
in the Torah.
12. God turns the Levite Moses’ rod into a snake (Exodus
4:2-4) and Levite Aaron does the same. Pharaoh’s
magicians respond with their own snakes (Exodus 7:9-
12). Snakes were sacred to the Egyptian God Thoth.
Maybe these same magicians left Egypt with Moses, as
co-priests with the Levites, hence the Egyptian names
among the Levites.
13. “Levi” / “Leviathon” = Joined or coiled
1st American political cartoon Serpent joined at
mouth and tail
Minoan
snake
handler
Maybe the Levites were
snake handlers and became
head of the snake cult that
Hezikiah purged in 2nd Kings
18:4, destroying the brass
snake idol that Moses made.
14. This proposed connection
between the Levites, like
Moses, and snakes explains a
lot of otherwise mysterious
biblical details - like the copper
snake that Moses made. That
is discussed next.
This also shows how important it is to put biblical details in
the context of the surrounding cultures, like Egypt and Canaan,
which helps explain some textual puzzles in the bible.
16. In the book of Numbers 21, 5-9 we read about the Jews wandering in
the desert after the Exodus. To punish them for constant kvetching
God sent a plague of “fiery serpents” to kill them off. This would have
been the deadly Palestinian viper, the most poisonous snake in Israel
today, which lives in a rather small area of the Near East. The obvious
meaning of “fiery serpents” would be a dragon, but the text implies
many and biting, not roasting, people. An alternate reading is “burning
serpents” which may refer to the feeling the venom produces on the
body. These vipers are, today, greatly feared by the desert Bedouins.
17. The bible then says that Moses intervened on
behalf of his dying people and that God told
him to make a copper or brass serpent and
mount it on a pole. All those bitten who
looked at it would then recover. This story
directly violates the commandment against
making any graven images, a big no-no. But I
guess if God tells you to do it, it doesn’t count.
It is not clear
why the snake
idol was made of
copper or brass.
One theory is
that that metal
matches the
color of that kind
of viper.
And what then happened
to that snake idol after its
use was finished of curing
people of their fatal bites?
I’m glad you asked. It led to
a snake cult that lasted for
many hundred of years,
with its center in Jerusalem.
The biblical Jews have
always worshiped more
than one god.
18. Archaeologist have found many copper snake idols throughout the Near East, due
to an ancient religious snake cult. Some date to the time of Moses. The copper
snake that Moses made may simply have been something that everyone already
knew about and not something started by Moses. About 800 years after Moses
King Hezikiah of Judah went on an idol smashing spree (2 Kings:8) and cleansed
Jerusalem of the snake idol Moses had made as well as destroying many wooden
idols to Asherah (wife to the Hebrews’ god Yahweh). Archeologists have found
many Asherah idols in Israel. Through most of the history described in the bible
the Jews were polytheistic, although with Yahweh always as the supreme deity.
19. As a mark of reverence for the serpent, it was reported, the snake took part in the sect's communion service. The
following was reported by Epiphanius (fourth century Church Father) who called the service abominable. “The snake
was kept in a chest. At the beginning of the service the snake is summoned out. He then rolls among the loaves of
bread which are on the table after which are broken and eaten. Following this each of those present kiss the snake on
the mouth for it has been tamed by a spell. They have then fallen down and worshipped the snake as a part of the
Eucharist service”. Religious snake cults existed throughout the ancient Near East and there are biblical hints of it too.
The Ophites were a bizarre early Christian heretical sect, devoted to a snake god, and elements of it
already existed within Judaism. They thought the Jewish God was an evil influence and power from
which mankind needed to be liberated. From this point of view the serpent in the Garden of Eden was a
benefactor to mankind when he urged Adam and Eve to revolt against such a God. Therefore, other
enemies of Jehovah in the Old Testament became heroes of the sect.
20. In Exodus 4:24 we read that very soon after God had sent Moses from
Midian to Egypt, to address the Pharaoh, “The Lord met him and sought to
kill him” This is one of most puzzling passages in the whole bible. A late
rabbinic midrash commentary on it says that God or an angel of God took on
the form of a giant serpent and swallowed up Moses up to his waist
(genitals). This alerted his wife Zipporah that the threat was related to
circumcision and she resolved the situation. This is a link between snakes and
sex (genitals) that is explored later in the next section. It also taps into the
religious snake cult imagery.
What counts for us here is not if this biblical event (God trying to kill Moses)
ever happened, or even if the bible passage has been correctly translated or
understood. We are interested in how this event, imagined or real, was seen
by ancient commentators and what imagery they used to talk about it – like
this snake midrash and other accounts in Ginzberg’s folklore book “Legends
of the Jews”.
This is all a detour away from explaining why the copper snake
idol that Moses made cured the people bitten by deadly snakes.
We will now return to that topic and the role of snakes in
healing. Notice the snakes in the nurses logo, twined around a
staff.
21. Many cultures associate snakes with healing and medicine, in addition to
their sometimes deadly characteristics. One reason for this is that it was a
common belief in earlier times that snakes were immortal. Several times
during their lifetime a snake sheds its skin and emerges with a youthful
appearance. It seems to never die. Hibernating animals were also viewed as
having defeated death. Hence snake’s role in ancient medicine and healing.
For several millennia there
was a religious bear cult
throughout northern Europe,
based partly on the way a
bear seemed to survive a
winter in a cave with no food
or water while hibernating
and then miraculously come
to life in the spring.
22. The twin snake staff was sacred to the
Greek god Hermes and is his symbol.
Hermes and this symbol have nothing to
do with medicine and its very widespread
use is based on a mistaken understanding.
The correct symbol for medicine is the
single snake staff that is the Rod of
Asclepius, Greek god of medicine and
healing. It is sometime used correctly, like
by the AMA.
23. In Exodus 15:26 God says to Moses that if they will obey his laws and commandments then he will
not bring on them any of the diseases (plagues) he brought on the Egyptians for “I am the Lord your
healer”. The Egyptians wore amulets and talisman to ward off disease or evil. An Egyptian medical
patient would wear a headband with the name written on it of the god being invoked for protection and
healing. Does this suggest anything to you? The word “tefillin” is not in the Torah. The word used
there is “totafot” and has a puzzling linguistic origin. Some experts think it is an Egyptian loan word.
What is clear is that early Judaism was strongly influenced by their stay in Egypt and then later by
their neighbors the Canaanites. Egyptian medical snake amulet
Medical folklore from
Egypt would have
been carried by the
Jews into their Exodus
journey out of Egypt.
24. Navaho healing ceremony with snake
In magical thinking a snake’s power to cause death
is linked to a similar ability to ward off death.
26. Snakes as sexual symbols
In Western civilization any time
a snake is shown or described as
having contact with a man it is
always a dangerous hostile one,
like in the Greek myth of
Laocoon and sons struggling with
a python. Or Hercules slaying
the Hydra.
By contrast almost all contacts between women and snakes are of a
sexual nature, sometimes of a dangerous type. Here is an example. In
ancient Egypt the pharaoh Cleopatra killed herself in 30 BC by having an
asp or cobra bite her. The classical authors back then, like Plutarch and
Suetonius, clearly state that she was bitten on her arm. Yet almost all
artists have depicted this scene, a very popular subject, with the asp
biting Cleopatra on the breast – linking the snake to sexual imagery.
Some take it a step further and have the snake bite her on the nipple!
27. Cleopatra gets bit on the nipple
The phallic shape of the snake and its head
make it inevitable that it would come to be
associated with sex in myths and religion.
28. Cleopatra did research on poisons, using slaves, and was an expert on what
the bite of an asp or cobra could do. To this day people die in Egypt from
snake bites in considerable numbers. Both in Egypt and back in Israel the
ancient Hebrews were very familiar with poisonous snakes.
29. In medieval Western Europe, especially
France, there was the myth of Melusine.
She changed from an ordinary woman each
Saturday to a woman who was a snake from
the waist down, the sexual part. When she
married she had her husband promise to
never enter enter her chamber on
Saturdays. In some versions she was a fish
on the bottom half instead of a snake. Her
husband spied on her one Saturday and
discovered her secret.
The symbolism of a half woman, half snake person is ambiguous. But it
skirts the edges of a much more direct image – that of a snake and woman
having sex. This was of considerable Jewish interest in the Babylonian Talmud
and in commentaries on it, like the Mishnah. The rabbis thought that in the
Garden of Eden the Snake and Eve had sex before Adam did.
30. The Greek goddess Lamia and
also Echidna are just some of
the many worldwide mythical
figures that combine a woman
and a snake into one body.
Often there is a link between
the danger from a snake and
the perceived danger from a
woman’s sexuality.
Medusa
head with
hair of live
snakes.
Medusa gets
them all
straightened
out at the
hairdresser.
31. There is much art from the
medieval and Renaissance
times that shows the snake
twined about a tree in the
Garden of Eden and urging Eve
to eat the forbidden apple. But
this is not correct. The text of
Genesis clearly states that God
condemned the snake to crawl
on its belly, as punishment, but
only after Eve has tried the
apple. The two paintings on the
right have it wrong, showing
the snake looking like a snake.
The painting on the left is
correct. The snake was some
other kind of creature first,
when it tempted Eve, and then
later was turned by God into
what we now know as a snake’s
body, with neither arms nor
legs and crawling on the
ground.
32. If you like creepy
snake/woman
paintings you will be
hard pressed to find
any better or creepier
than those by the
German painter Franz
Stuck from around
1900. The one on the
left, with Eve and the
Snake is called “Sin”.
The one on the right is
called “Sensuality”.
He seems to have
had a thing about
snakes. And nudes.
33. This creepy painting
by Franz Stuck from
about 100 years ago
conveys both the
menace and the
sexuality inherent in
the snake/apple gift
that Eve is offering
Adam. But it also
has the timing
wrong, with the
snake looking like a
snake prematurely,
before God’s
punishment.
34. The ancient Mediterranean region shared
many common themes in their myths and
religions. Eve and the snake having sex is not
at all an odd idea. In Roman mythology
Jupiter seduced Olympia, shown here in a
1530 painting, in the guise of a snake. In
Greek mythology Zeus rapes his own daughter
Persephone, after first turning into a snake
The painting on
the right, titled
“Persephone” is
by Thomas Hart
BentonNotice Jupiter’s lower body,
with tail
35. Probably the most explicit link between snakes and sex occurs in the Greek
story of the sage Tiresias. He saw two snakes mating and beat them apart
with a stick. This displeased the goddess Hera who then changed Tiresias into
a woman. He lived as a woman for 7 years and had children. With first hand
experience of both sexes he declared that a woman’s sexual pleasure was 10X
greater than a man’s. Later he again beat apart coupling snakes and was
changed back into a man. Virginia Woolf’s novel “Orlando” was inspired by
the story of Tiresias.
36. In some versions of the Greek Tiresias story he, after his
encounter with the coupling snakes and being changed
into a woman, was a prostitute for 7 years.
Returning now to the bible the name “Rahab” occurs
twice. In the book of Joshua it refers to a woman,
Rahab, who was a prostitute. It is also the name of a
giant sea serpent, Rahab – the Leviathan – mentioned in
Job, Isaiah, and Psalms. Another snake/sex link.
37. We already discussed earlier the biblical serpent Rahab the
Leviathan, defeated by God in an epic battle at the dawn of
Creation, similar to the much older Babylonian creation myths.
In the Gemara (about 1600 years ago) part of the Babylonian
Talmud there is an odd section (Shabbat 110a) where the
rabbis debate various aspects of snakes having sex with
women. They seem convinced that this is a high priority with
snakes. They give a method of coaxing a snake out, after it has
entered a woman, by having her crouch over a small fire into
which certain herbs have been thrown. When the snake
emerges it is to be grabbed with tongs and thrown into the fire.
38. In that same Talmud
passage the ever practical
(??) rabbis advised a way to
protect oneself from snakes
at night – put a big barrel
under each bed leg to
elevate it and tie a cat to
each barrel. Why didn’t I
think of that?
40. The Garden of
Eden had many
animals and
plants but all it
is known for, for
most people, is
Adam, Eve, and
the Snake.
Equally
important are
two trees, but
we will first
focus on the trio
of the couple
and the snake.
41.
42. The ancient rabbis must have had a lot of time on their hands
because they speculated endlessly about the Adam and Eve story, which
only takes up a few lines in the bible. There is a tradition among these
commentators that there is more to the simple story than meets the
eye.
In the text the snake first occurs talking to Eve (a talking snake – who
knew?). There is an imagined back story here where Eve and the snake
had sex before Adam. Furthermore her son Cain had the snake as his
biological father. When Cain kills his brother Abel he is showing his evil
genetic background. The rabbis speculated that since Adam lived for a
while in the garden before God created Eve to be his companion, that
he had sex with all the animals during that time before Eve.
43. Satan or Lucifer is supposed to be a
fallen angel, expelled from heaven,
shown here by at left by Gustave Dore.
There is no mention of Satan or Lucifer
in the Old Testament. One Hebrew
word in Isaiah 14:12 which means
“morning star” = Venus came to be
much later interpreted as meaning a
fallen angel and the character of Satan
was then created, but the text itself
never says this. In the book of Job,
Christian translations have Satan
talking with God about Job but the
actual Hebrew only refers to a
nameless accuser. Satan is not an
important concept in Judaism but it is
in Christianity and Islam.
The Snake in the
Garden of Eden is
only linked to
Satan in Christian
or late Jewish
Kabbalah
traditions.
44. The Book of Baruch, around the same time as the Book of
Maccabees (story of Hannukah), 50 BC (neither is in the
canonical Hebrew bible) - claims that the Serpent had sexual
relations with both Adam and Eve.
A Jewish tradition, also found in
some Gnostic texts, holds that
God originally created Adam as a
hermaphrodite (Midrash
Rabbah, Genesis 7:1) so that
Adam was both male and
female. God later decided that
"it is not good for 'it' to be
alone," and brought the
feminine Eve out of Adam,
leaving Adam as masculine only.
Original male/female Adam
(It’s tough going on the gym treadmill)
45. After Eve gave birth to her first child Cain
she said “I have gotten (created) a man
(child) with Yahweh (the Lord)
Genesis 4:1
No matter how you slice it there is no
mention here by Eve of Adam. It was, in Eve’s
view, she and God who produced a child.
Those ancient rabbis and commentators who thought that Eve had sex with
the snake and that Cain was the result of that union could find Eve’s words
here (no mention of Adam) significant. But the situation is much more
complicated than this. There is a long Jewish tradition that Eve was the second
wife of Adam and his first wife was Lilith, who is mentioned just once in the
bible in Isaiah. Furthermore Lilith was closely identified with snake imagery in
surrounding cultures. She is described as a demon in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
46. The classic James Thurber cartoon here
show’s Adam’s situation. In the Jewish legends
God makes a woman at the same time as
Adam, as equals, and not from his body (rib).
That is actually the first of the two creation
stories in Genesis. In the Jewish legends, but
not spelled out in the bible, she is Lilith - not
Eve - and she and Adam quarrel. She refuses
to be treated by Adam as under her. Literally
under her physically, as during sex – when she
wants to be on top. She storms off, leaves
Adam, and becomes a night demon. In the
second creation story in Genesis Eve is created
from Adam’s body (rib).
The rabbis back then, not known for close observation of Nature (Woody
Allen: “Nature and I are two”) declared that all creatures copulate in a
belly to back position with three exceptions – people, snakes, and fish.
Again snakes and people are put in the same sexual category.
47. In art Lilith is usually shown is association with a snake. God called Eve “Woman” but Adam gave her the
name “Eve”. This is usually translated as meaning that she is the mother of all living things. That is nonsense!
At that point she was not even the mother of a child. Her name Eve is “Chavvah” in Hebrew. The translation
of chavvah as ‘life’ becomes more interesting when it is noted that in the cognate Arabic and Aramaic
languages the word havvah (and which sounds as a pun of chavvah) means ‘serpent’ (in Aramaic hiwya).
Snakes alive! They are everywhere! So Lilith and Eve and snakes (and also sex) are always closely associated.
Lilith becomes a night demon (incubus) after leaving Eden and preys sexually on sleeping men.
48. God (Yahweh) had a wife – Asherah, who was a fertility goddess.
Archeologists in Israel have discovered numerous statues to her as
well as household icons but almost all mention of her has been kept
out of the bible. King Hezekiah around 700 BC had Asherah poles
destroyed to purify the religion and make it have a single deity.
Ancient mold for making
Asherah statues
Asherah was a
fertility goddess and
her statues seemed
to have been sacred
trees or wooden
pillars. She was
called the Mother of
Heaven. Sort of like
Eve being called the
mother of all living
things. Eve, Lilith,
Asherah, the snake,
and the Tree of Life
are all connected
49. Asherah was the wife or consort of the Canaanite god Baal and
the Israelis seems to have adopted her as the wife of their own
god Yahweh. She was a fertility goddess and her rituals had three
main elements in the Canaanite religion–
1) Ritual prostitution, 2) snake worship and 3) human sacrifice –
specifically child sacrifice. The bible has many statements that
show that Yahweh expected all first born, whether animals of the
flock or human children, to be sacrificed to him. Eventually this
changed and the story of Abraham and Isaac shows a shift to
having an animal substitute sacrificed. The Canaanites had a god
Moloch that was specifically a god of child sacrifice.
Children were tossed into a large fire as part of the religious rituals. The
bible has many exhortations to the Israelites to stop doing this Canaanite
practice, as the Jewish religion evolved and moved away from Yahweh’s
earlier demand for it. Scholars agree that the practice continued until
relatively late biblical times in Israel. In Israel the child sacrifice was carried
out at special Asherah poles or statues, that were everywhere. Later on the
bible rails against this and forbids the building of Asherah poles anywhere
near altars to Yahweh. The relevance of this to snakes will soon be clear.
50. Child sacrifice was widespread in the ancient world, especially in times of crisis. The Trojan War couldn’t get
started because the Greek ships were all becalmed for many days and couldn’t move. The Greek commander
sacrificed his own daughter to break this impasse. The Canaanite Moloch sacrifices are not described as being
related in any way to a tree but some cultures have a specific tree as a key part. Druid sacrifices were under
the sacred oak tree. The Asherah human sacrifice poles may have been living trees (probably the date palm)
or wooden pillars carved to represent the Goddess or simply sacred poles. Maybe symbols of the Tree of Life.
Date palm
Druid sacrifice
51. Probably every
culture has a Tree of
Life image. The two at
right here are Muslim
ones from Turkey and
Khazakastan. It always
represents the life
principle, growth,
abundance, etc. and
has a spiritual aspect.
In the Garden of Eden God forbids Adam
and Eve to eat fruit from the Tree of
Knowledge (of Good and Evil) but does not
initially forbid them to eat from the Tree of
Life (which would give them immortality).
As we know, the snake tempts Eve to eat
an apple from the forbidden tree.
52. In Judaism there are
several important
Tree of Life symbols.
One is the menorah,
with almond tree
branches. One is the
tree in the Garden of
Eden. One is the
burning bush that
Moses sees when
God first talks to him.
The mystical Kabbalah teachings in the Zohar have the
Tree of Life as a central concept and twisted around that
Tree of Life is a serpent. The menorah’s almond tree and
snakes are both sacred to the Egyptian god Thoth. When
Moses is at the burning bush God tells him to throw down
his rod (of an almond branch) and it turns into a snake. So
snakes and trees, especially the Tree of Life, are closely
related.
53. The mystical body of Jewish texts known as the Kabbalah (from
about 1300 AD), with the main book being the “Zohar”, speculates
endlessly over what happened in the Garden of Eden. Did the
demon Lilith return in the guise of a snake, have sex with both Adam
(again) and Eve, as well as tempt Eve with the apple? Was Eve
herself originally a snake goddess figure? The name “mother of all
living things” for Eve sounds exactly like a fertility goddess – like
Asherah, the wife of Yahweh? Etc., Etc.
The mystical Kabbalah expanded the entities
that they obsess over by deciding that there
was a male counterpart to Lilith in the form of
an evil Satan-like creature called Samael. This
is not in the bible but is in the Talmud (about
600 AD) and the Kabbalah (1300 AD). The
Kabbalah claims that Samael was a fallen angel
and that he was the snake that had sex with
Eve, tempted her with the apple, and then
when expelled from the Garden of Eden he
shacked up with Lilith.
54. The bible does not say
“apple”, just “fruit, and it has
been thought to be a fig, grape,
or citron, (more likely for that
part of the world) but not an
apple. God tells Adam and Eve
not to eat the fruit for “as soon
as you eat of it, you shall die”
Genesis 2:17
55. This creepy painting by Von Stuck
inadvertently hits on a key idea. Eating
what kind of fruit would make you die
“as soon as you eat of it” – (Genesis
2:17)? The obvious answer = poison
fruit! Some modern scholars think it was
a deadly hallucinogenic mushroom. In
any case, it was widely thought in the
ancient world that snakes could and did
transfer their venom to plants and fruits,
especially mushrooms. Von Stuck, 100
years ago, showed this idea here very
clearly. It was also widely believed that
certain mushrooms could bring the dead
back to life = make you immortal – just
as the snake was thought to be immortal
because of shedding its skin periodically.
56. In summary, snakes and snake symbols are intimately connected with various biblical topics like
Asherah, Adam and Eve, the Tree of Life, healing, the rod of Moses and Aaron, Levites, Lilith, and
human sacrifice. Everything seems to be interconnected. For example Lilith, in her demon mode,
was a strangler (like a boa constrictor) of children. The same figure, Lilith, that embodied voracious
sexuality was also an agent of death. Likewise the venomous snake was also key to some healing
rituals, like the copper snake that Moses made. It is rare in religion and mythology for symbols to
have just one meaning.
57. The role of snakes in the religion and culture of the ancient
world, like this Minoan snake goddess here, or the sacred
python at the Oracle at Delphi, the Nagas of India, etc., etc, is a
very big one and even this restricted survey here does not
begin to do justice to a small piece – snakes in the Jewish bible
(Old Testament). Archaeology as well as close textual analysis
of ancient texts continue to throw new light on this fascinating
topic.