Posted on 08/26/2002 12:48:10 AM PDT by restornu
" Who's Ox Is Being Gored!"
As a Christian, I agree that paganism has defiled the church. But the source of "easter" may be older than you think. Remember the word "shibboleth?" The ephraimites pronounced it "sibboleth." They couldn't pronounce "Shin." These same Ephraimites were polluted by ishtar worship. They would have pronounced the initial letter, (i,) as a long "e" and the "sh" as an "s." Try it...
That really takes the fun out of life.
This was a huge stumbling block for many Jews, religious and non-religious, in Christ's time.
What they didn't realize, of course, is that Christ's coming at that time, and His atonement and death, and most especially His resurrection, freed not just Jews but ALL THE WORLD from death, and the grave, and even--if they were willing to take His name upon them--the wages of sin.
In reality, Christ freed the world from the greatest oppression ever known.
While the first generation may have considered themselves Messianic Jews, for the most part from the second generation on we simply refer to theselves as Born Again Christians.
I didn't miss anything, I said it is an interesting lead!
***
WHY ARE ALL YOU SO ANAL RETENTIVE?
***
Many of you enjoy goring someone else's Ox, until its your own, may you remember that the next time you should feel incline!
(maybe you missed my post #1)
Disclaimer: This is not posted to be anti Christian just thought it was interesting read and to some Christians if they are distrube to remember it all depends on ~
" Who's Ox Is Being Gored!"
Until the LDS show up than it open season!
The complete posted text contains contains numerous half thought out points which deserve reply. The excerpt above dealing with one point illustrates a typical but important example. For simplicity an explanatory reply may be found at http://www.yeshuahuadonai.com/echad.htm as shown below.
Deuteronomy 6:4 states, Hear, O Israel: The L-RD our G-d, the L-RD is one. To the Jews, Deuteronomy 6:4 is simply known as the Shema. It is known as such because Shema is the first Hebrew word in the verse. Jews sing it every morning in prayer across the world. The Hebrew for this verse is: Shema Yisrael, HaShem Elohaynoo, HaShem echad. A literal translation would then read: Hear (Shema), O Israel (Yisrael), L-RD (HaShem) our G-d (Elohaynoo), L-RD (HaShem) is one (echad). What I want to talk about is the last part of the verse, " HaShem is one". The definition of echad can be found in Strong's Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, Strong's number 259. It is from a root of Strong's number 258, achad, which means to unify, or to go one way or another, a unity. Echad means united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone , altogether, and , any (-thing), apiece, a certain, each (one), eleven, every, few, first, one, together, a unity of one. Context determines meaning.
When we look at the sentence structure of " HaShem echad" compared to other verses, we will find the true meaning implied by the text. Lets look at two passages in Genesis. The sentence structure in Genesis 11:6a is identical to Deuteronomy 6:4. Genesis 11:6a states, And HaShem said, Behold, the people [is] one. The Hebrew for the people is one" is "ahm echad". "Ahm" is Strong's number 5971 and means people or nation. Also, Genesis 2:24b says, "and they shall be one flesh." The Hebrew in this says "flesh (basar) one (echad)". Lets compare Duet. 6:4, Gen. 11:6a, and Genesis 2:24b now, " HaShem echad", "ahm echad", and "basar echad". Another way of saying "ahm echad" is "the people are united as one" and "basar echad" is "flesh united as one". When we hear "the people is one" and "flesh one", we understand the implied context of multiple people being united, however, in our mind it is silly to hear HaShem (supposedly a singular being) is one (united as one), yet this is what the Hebrew sentence structure denotes.
I just stated that HaShem was supposedly a singular being. The reason I say that is there are numerous examples in the Hebrew texts, which find more than one HaShem in the passage. Here are two examples. Genesis 19:24 states, Then HaShem rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from HaShem out of the heavens. The Targum Jonathan, an authoritative Aramaic paraphrase of the Tenach (OT) used before/ during the time of Yeshua (Jesus) in the synagogues, inserts the Word of HaShem rained brimstone and fire instead of HaShem, denoting that they believed that there were two HaShem’sThe Word of HaShem and HaShem. There is no coincidence that John stated in John 1:1 that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d. John was simply relaying a very Jewish idea that the Messiah was to be G-d the Word. Also, look at Exodus 19:24, which says, Then HaShem said to him, "Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to HaShem, lest He break out against them." Here HaShem is the speaker and He says, But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to HaShem, lest He break out against them. HaShem talks of another HaShem that would break out against the people. So now we understand that Deut 6:4 states that the Word of HaShem, and HaShem is one. Literally, HaShem is united as one (echad). Also, there is another word for one in the Hebrew language, yachid. It denotes a singular one or an absolute one. Rabbi Maimonides changed the Shema to "HaShem is yachid". However, the scripture says "echad". If G-d had wanted to say that He was a singular one, He would have said HaShem yachid, but He didn’t. Instead He told us that He is echad, a unity of one.
This lines up with Jewish thought too. Jewish prayers often speak of G-d and His unity. On page 11 of the Art Scroll Siddur it states, Master of the universe, You Who are a Unity (achad), but not in the sense of disparate parts. Page 15 of the same Siddur states exalted be the Living G-d and praised, He exists unbounded by time in His existence. He is One and there is no Unity (achad) like His Oneness (echad). Inscrutable and infinite is His Oneness (echad).
Exodus 33:20 states, But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." However, we know that HaShem spoke to Abraham (Genesis 18:22) face to face, and that Isaiah saw Him also (Isaiah 6:1). The only way that they saw HaShem, is if they saw the One who is the image of the invisible G-d (Colossians 1:15), HaShem the Son/ The Word of HaShem.
One last point to make, it is no surprise that G-d is ascribed plural attributes, for one of His very titles is plural, Elohim. Elohim is translated as G-d or gods (in reference to false gods) in most bibles, but a literal translation is the mighty beings. In Deuteronomy 10:17 HaShem calls Himself the Elohi of Elohim, the Adonai of Adonim. Elohi means my mighty being and Adonai means my sovereign or my L-rd. The i ending in Elohi and Adonai is my unless context denotes otherwise. Because HaShem is talking of Himself in this passage, it would not read my mighty being of the mighty beings but rather it would be plural and read the Mighty Beings of the mighty beings, and the Sovereigns of the sovereigns. Clearly, our singular G-d has a plural nature!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.