Luke_Wilbur

The Didache Chapter 5 The Doctrine of Addai is a Syriac Christian text, perhaps written about 400 AD, which recites the Legend of the Image of Edessa as well as the legendary works of Addai and his disciple Mari in Mesopotamia. In the origin of the legend, Eusebius had been shown documents purporting to contain the official correspondence that passed between Abgar and Jesus, and he was well enough convinced by their authenticity to quote them extensively in his ecclesiastical history. THE DOCTRINE OF ADDAI THE APOSTLE 1876 English Translation The first version of the letter is found in Eusebius of Cæsarea or Eusebius Pamphili. (260 - 340 A.D) History of the Church (1.13.5-1.13.22). The former designation arose from the fact that he was bishop of the church in Cæsarea for many years; the latter from the fact that he was the intimate friend and devoted admirer of Pamphilus, a presbyter of Cæsarea and a martyr. The bishop was also given the title Eusebius the Palestinian by Marcellus Basil. Eusebius was acquainted with Syriac as well as with Greek, which circumstance taken in connection with his ignorance of Latin points to the region of Syria as his birthplace. Moreover, we learn from his own testimony that he was in Cæsarea while still a youth. Caesarea (Hebrew: קֵיסָרְיָה; Arabic: قيسارية‎, Kaysaria; Greek: Καισάρεια) is a town in Israel located mid-way between Tel Aviv and Haifa (45 km), on the Israeli coastal plain near the city of Hadera. Modern Caesarea as of December 2007 has a population of 4,500 people. The town was built by Herod the Great about 25–13 BCE as the port city Caesarea Maritima. It served as an administrative center of Judaea Province of the Roman Empire, and later the capital of the Byzantine Palaestina Prima province during the classic period. Caesarea is believed to have been built on the ruins of Stratonospyrgos (Straton's Tower), founded by Straton I of Sidon, and was likely an agricultural storehouse in its earliest configuration. In 90 BCE, Alexander Jannaeus captured Straton's Tower as part of his policy of developing the shipbuilding industry and enlarging the Hasmonean kingdom. Straton's Tower remained a Jewish city for two generations, until the area became dominated by the Roman in 63 BCE, when the Romans declared it an autonomous city. The pagan city underwent vast changes under Herod the Great, who renamed it Caesarea in honor of the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Jesus ministry while on earth was for the Jews and did not include the pagan city. But, the formerly pagan town of Caesarea was truly made famous for being the location of the first baptism of an uncircumcised Gentile by the Apostle Peter. Acts 10 It is also worth noting like the Talmud, Peter states that Jesus was hung from a tree. “hang on a tree” is by the time of the 1st century became an idiom for crucifixion. Deuteronomy 21 Some Jewish rabbis have come to reason the conversion Cornelius the centurion to be the in line with the commands Hashem gave to Noah and his offspring. Peter’s explanation was satisfactory to his critical Jewish brethren who too had been saved by Christ, but strictly followed Jewish cannon. They agreed that Hashem was saving Gentiles simply by faith in Jesus Christ just as He was saving Jews and that they should no longer regard Gentiles as “unclean.” They recognized and yielded to God’s initiative in this event. The Talmud gives Christians a glimpse to this line of thinking. It is similar to the New Testament in the aspect that the sages gather and interpret quotes from the Old Testament to create new prophecy. Documents like the Zohar, Enoch, further this line of thinking. The Talmud prophesy is that when the Messiah will come; Rome then Persia will be judged first. 3 Enoch states that both are being controlled by two fallen angels; SAMMAEL, the Prince of Rome, and DUBBIEL, the Prince of Persia. The Talmud further states that all non-Jews will complain to Hashem that they are not being rewarded as the Jews. Being that the Hashem does not deal imperiously with His creatures, the Talmud states He will give them one mitzvah to see if they will fulfil it properly. When they fail the test, G-d will “laugh” for the vindication of the Jewish people and the expression of evidence that the reward for the Jewish people is justified. I have color coded this Talmud passage: purple to represent the voice of Hashem (G-d), red to represent Hashem's punishment, reddish-brown to represent the Jewish rabbinical thought, aqua-blue to represent the voice of the prophets, and green to represent Jewish prophecy. Babylonian Talmud: Tractate ‘Abodah Zarah 2b According to Rabbi Chaim Clorfene "Asmachta means proof or support. When a Torah scholar offers an innovative idea, he looks for a support teaching from one of the prophets or sages. That support teaching is an asmachta. It does not give conclusive proof, but strengthens the validity of the innovative idea." This is what I have been doing with Didache. Listen to Händel´s Messiah - "Why Do The Nations / Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder" while reading the next tractate. Babylonian Talmud: Tractate ‘Abodah Zarah Folio 3a ‘ In this tract we read that during the time of the Messiah, many people will want to become Jews or Noahides, but they will not be accepted. We also learn from the Talmud, Zohar and 3 Enoch that a great angel Metatron (formally Enoch) unknown to Christians has been teaching the Jewish sages the wisdom of the Torah since the time of Moses. Abodah Zarah 3b Prince Michael the Archangel - Protector of Israel Prince Metatron the Archangel - Witness and Wisdom Timothy 4 Is the belief of Metatron idolatry and the Noahide Laws apostasy? Neither is mentioned in the bible by name.

The Didache Chapter 5 Jesus came to illustrate to the entire nation of Israel, Hashem's firstborn, what an obedient son is supposed to look like. Exodus 4 Hebrews 4 Jesus acknowledged that the Biblical authority rests in the hands of the Rabbinic Sages. But, what the Pharisees and Scribes did not understand or acknowledge that Jesus was one true Rabbi Sage (teacher) who was a living example of what he preached. Matthew 23 Jesus prophesied that religious leaders of his time would be considered the worst generation. Jesus Christ's prediction is 2000 years old and they are still believed to be the worst today. Jesus fully understood that a Levitical priest would judge his actions. Deuteronomy 17 One reason why the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus is that they publicly considered Our Lord's miracles to be a sign of a false prophet encouraging rebellion against the Torah. It is written that those who knew him believed different. In fact, Jesus was encouraging his disciples to not deviate from all of Hashem's commands by living a sinless righteous life. Deuteronomy 13 In the Gospel of John the Jewish Sanhedrin revealed their reasons for killing Jesus. He was a threat to their leadership. Caiaphas viewed Jesus as the perfect scapegoat whose sacrifice would guarantee the life of Israel’s leaders. Christians view Jesus as the sacrificial lamb of Hashem who would die to guarantee the life of believers. Ironically Jesus’ death would condemn these unbelieving leaders, not save them. Moreover it did not save them from losing their power to the Romans who dismantled the Sanhedrin when they destroyed the city in the war of A.D. 66-70. John 11 Jesus never spoke in secret. He taught in public places to anyone that would listen the true teachings of the Torah and how the Jewish leadership were not following the commands of Hashem in their personal actions. Jewish leadership responded by branding Jesus like Satan, teaching rebellion against the Creator. John 18 Devout Jews that do not follow the curse of Moses know that they will be severely punished. The Talmud mentions that on the eve of the Passover Yeshu Nasarean was hanged, because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. The Talmud reveals Theocracy in action. Some Christian theologians believe that that Folio 43a refers to Jesus Christ and His disciples: Matthai (Matthew), Nakai (Nicodemus), Nezer (general term for Nazarene), Buni (Naqdimon ben Gurion, a rich individual of Jerusalem, whose nickname was Buni) and Todah (Thaddeus) are tried in court. They cite passages from Hebrew Bible to defend their actions. The Court responds with passages from the Hebrew Bible as well and finds each one guilty and sentenced to death. Some scholars view the depictions of Jesus in the Talmud as a manifestation of Jewish inter-sect rivalries (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essene, Nazarene, etc..) – thus the depictions can be read as polemics by the rabbinic authors of the Talmud which indirectly criticized the rival sect (Christianity), which was growing and becoming more dominant. Some Jewish theologians believe Yeshu in this passage refers to Ben Strada mentioned by Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, the teacher of Akiba, and the founder of the Lud school. Eliezer ben Hurcanus or Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was one of the most prominent Tannaim (Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah) of the 1st and 2nd centuries. Peter Schäfer concluded that the references were not from the early tannaitic period (1st and 2nd centuries) but rather from the 3rd and 4th centuries, during the amoraic period. He asserts that the references in the Babylonian Talmud were "polemical counter-narratives that parody the New Testament stories, most notably the story of Jesus' birth and death" and that the rabbinical authors were familiar with the Gospels (particularly the Gospel of John) in their form as the Diatessaron and the Peshitta, the New Testament of the Syrian Church. Schäfer argues that the message conveyed in the Talmud was a "bold and self-confident" assertion of correctness of Judaism, maintaining that "there is no reason to feel ashamed because we rightfully executed a blasphemer and idolater The debate will go on until the end of time, which both faiths believe. Nevertheless, there can be no argument that this a logical deduction of how the court reasoned to execute Jesus Christ. Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sanhedrin Folio 43a The Talmud confirms Jesus prophesy that religious leaders of his time would be considered by Hashem to be the worst generation. For forty years before the destruction of the Temple the thread of scarlet tied on the temple doors never turned white to confirm atonement for the people of Israel. Talmud - Mas. Rosh HaShana 31b

The Didache Chapter 5 http://www.biblesearchers.com/yahshua/beithillel/SederOlamRabbahVezuta.shtml One could reasonably consider the candidates for the Essene prophecy to be King Alexander as the Wicked Priest, Simeon ben Shetach the Righteous Teacher, and Eleazar b. Po'irah the Man of the Lie.The seduction of position and power corrupted quite a few priest, sages, and kings. Alvar Ellegård follows argues that the Teacher of Righteousness was not only the leader of the Essenes at Qumran, but was also identical to the original Jesus about 150 years before the time of the Gospels. H. Stegemann suggests that the reason that nothing is said in 1 Maccabees about a High Priest between Alcimus and Jonathan was apologetic:to conceal the fact that the Hasmoneans obtained the High Priesthood by usurping it from its rightful holder, the Teacher of Righteousness. My heart tells me it was Caiaphas as the wicked priest, Jesus as the Righteous Teacher, and Judas Iscariot as the Man of the Lie. The Pesher Habakkuk mentions the House of Absalom, which is accused of standing idle while the Man of the Lie worked against the Teacher. King David's rebellious third son Absalom who failed in his attempt to take his father's throne. The name Absalom was considered synonymous of a traitor. From what I have researched not too much is said about Abasalom's descendants. He did have three boys and a daughter. But, what is known is that none of David's descendants did not regain the throne until the birth of Jesus. And many Jews did accept him as the Messiah. The temple establishment did not. As an aside, I find it quite interesting that there is good amount archeological and historical evidence during the Maccabean dynasty to the time of Jesus Christ. But, little biblical reference to the period when Israel's name is changed to Judea by the Romans. That is why the Dead Sea Scrolls are so interesting. Teacher of Righteousness is as mysterious to me as the priesthood of Melchizedek. My heart tells me Jesus fills both roles. Watch this short and powerful video from Jerusalem, for illuminating insights and fascinating perspectives into how the holiday of Hanukkah is relevant today. Hanukkah - In Those Days, at This Time Now you know what the miracle of Hanukkah really about? One days' worth of olive oil lasting for 8 days, was indeed, miraculous.... but there is so much more to this holiday than meets the eye. Hanukkah is the miraculous story of the Jewish People, and as you will see -the story never ended. It lives today in our times, through the miracle of the State of Israel, and the modern day Maccabees who answer to the call"Mi LeHashem Elai" - "Who is with Hashem is with me!" Website: https://TheLandofIsrael.com National Hanukkah Menorah, Washington DC Many Christians do not realize Jesus observed Hanukkah. He was in His Father's Temple during this special religious holiday. It was during Hanukkah that Jesus was confronted by Jewish leaders and proclaimed that he was the Son of Hashem. I pray this post helps all Christians understand the transition between the old an new testament. And I think it is appropriate to celebrate the wonderful holiday as well John 10 Jesus loving obedient relationship with Hashem is unlike any man in history. Jesus rebuked those that did not practice or fully understand the commands of what they preached. Jesus understood the the lyrics of Asaph stressed the differences between the moral and physical judgments of man and Hashem. Psalm 82 reveals the strong bonds between moral and physical order of Hashem's creation. Hashem rebuked Israel's leaders for not protecting the poor with respect. Jesus rebuked Israel's leaders for not following his deeds on protecting the poor with respect. He knew that their self righteous hearts were set on listening to Hashem's word made flesh. It is truth that sheep are able to discern the voice of their Shepard. Are you able to discern the words of Jesus Christ? http://wordmadeflesh.org Psalms 82 Hashem appointed Israel's judges to discern whether or not Israelites were following his commands. Kings, Presidents, and Judges may be considered as gods to some people, but in reality Hashem is Lord over all. Deuteronomy 16 Deuteronomy 17 Just has Hashem vetted his son to be man's judge, Jesus vetted his apostles to judge the 12 tribes of Israel in the day of reckoning. Matthew 19 Protestant leaders decided not to include the seven Greek books of Maccabees in the Old Testament (because they weren’t written in Hebrew like the rest of the Old Testament) while Orthodox and Catholic leaders decided to retain them since they were important to our Jewish ancestors. Augustine wrote in The City of God that Maccabees were preserved for their accounts of the martyrs. It is interesting to note that the Jewish faith accept the first book of Maccabees (above) as historically accurate. The first book is dated to be between 135 B.C. and 63 B.C. A median time would be 99 BC. http://www.biblesearchers.com/hebrewchurch/primitive/losttribesisrael7.shtml The Hasideans (Hasidæans or Assideans, Greek asidaioi; plural plural Ḥasidim, or Chasidim ) were a Jewish religious party which commenced to play an important role in political life only during the time of the Maccabean wars, although it had existed for quite some time previous. When the Hasideans were freed from Babylonian captivity returned to their homeland they differed in customs with their Zadikim cousins in the south who were not forced to leave. The Hasidean Jews followed the traditions of their elders, while the Zadikim Jews strictly followed the laws of Moses. It is believed that the Hasideans later evolved into the Pharisees and the Zadikim Jews evolved into the Sadducees. The Hasideans supported the Asmonean Jewish priestly family in Judea in the 1st and 2nd centuries B.C. that included the Maccabees.They trusted the wicked Alcimus, since he was priest of Aaron's line. Alcimus broke his promise and slayed them. This was the beginning of Jewish distrust of high priests. Let start with Mattathias ben Johanan was from a rural priestly family from Modi'in. Like all fit priests, he served in the Temple in Jerusalem. He was a son of Yohannan, grandson of Simeon, the Hasmonean, and great-grandson of Asmon or Hasmonaeus, a Levite of the lineage of Joarib for being the 5th grandson of Idaiah, son of Joarib and grandson of Jachin, in turn a descendant of Phinehas, 3rd High Priest of Israel, according to Mattathias' own words in 1 Maccabees. After Mattahias death two factions sprang out. The next candidate would Menahem the Essene. Mattathias and the Apostate engraving Doré's English Bible Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré Note: The Faravahar symbols of Zoroastrianism inscribed on the Modin (12 miles northwest of Jerusalem) temple wall. http://www.wikiart.org/en/gustave-dore The rise of the Pharisees was a reaction and protest against Hyrcanus ascension After defeating the Seleucid forces, Matthias grandson, John Hyrcanus established a new monarchy in the form of the priestly Hasmonean dynasty in 152 BCE — thus establishing priests as political as well as religious authorities. Although the Hasmonean decendants of Matthias were heroes for resisting the Seleucids, their reign lacked the legitimacy conferred by descent from the Davidic dynasty of the First Temple era. In addition, Eleazar's accusation that John Hyrcanus may not even be of Matthias blood diminished trust in a legitimate high priest even further. When Rome took over Israel they appointed High Priest that supported the Republic. From a political standpoint the conflict between the Pharisees and the Sadducees reminds me of the Liberal vs. Conservative divide that still exists today in the United States. Liberals are more like the Pharisees when viewing the law. Both Liberals and Pharisees interpretation of the law are according to the age people are living. Conservatives are more like the Sadducees. The Libertarians would be the Essenes. The Progressives would be the Zealots. You can see this same battle constantly played throughout history. Change can be costly to humanity. The Sadducees supported John Hyrcanus, Aristobulus II, Alexander Maccabeus, and Mattathias Antigonus II. The ending of the Hasmonean reduced the Sadducee nobility power and paved the way for the rise of the Pharisees as both political party and later as a key religious force, leading ultimately to the rabbinical tradition in Judaism. The Pharisees began to to teach against only following the Septuagint (Hebrew Bible) written for Ptolemy II Philadelphus The Pharisees believed that the Rabbis were free to interpret it as culture changes from the time of Moses and revealed the concept of resurrection. Therefore, the written Torah should be supplemented with an oral tradition of the Torah. The Sadducees held a similar view of Protestants today that salvation is found from the Bible alone, not through the tradition of men. Antigonus of Sokho (Hebrew: אנטיגנוס איש סוכו‎) was the Jewish first scholar the first half of the third century BCE. According to the Mishnah, he was the disciple and successor of Simon the Just (Hebrew: שמעון הצדיק‎). Traditional Jewish sources from the Chazalic period connect Antigonus with the origin of the Sadducees and Boethusians. Antigonus is the first noted Jew to have a Greek name, a fact commonly discussed by scholars regarding the extent of Hellenic influence on Judaism following the conquest of Judaea by Alexander the Great. His sole surviving quotation ran: "Be not like servants who serve their master for the sake of reward; rather, be like servants who do not serve their master for the sake of reward, and let the awe of Heaven be upon you" (Artscroll translation) It sums up the Pharisaic doctrine that good should be done for its own sake, and evil be avoided, without regard to consequences, whether advantageous or detrimental. The conception dominant in the Hebrew Bible, that God's will must be done to obtain His favor in the shape of physical prosperity, was rejected by Antigonus' disciple (see below), as well as the view, specifically called "Pharisaic," which makes reward in the afterlife the motive for human virtue. Without denying reward in the afterlife, Antigonus points out that men's actions should not be influenced by the lowly sentiment of fear of mortals, but that there is a divine judgment of which men must stand in awe. The expression "Heaven" for "God" is the oldest evidence in postexilic Judaism of the existence of the idea of a transcendental Deity. Antigonus taught Boethus and Tzadok (Zadok). Tzadok was most likely founder of the Sadducees. Tzadok misconstrued Antigonus teachings (the above motto) to mean that there is no afterlife. Tzadok should not be confused with the priest during the time of King David. Boethus formed the Boethusians. Historical in this story is the statement that these two sects denied the immortality of the soul and resurrection. Again, the Midrash is on the whole correct in saying that the sects found their followers chiefly among the wealthy; but the origin of the sects is legendary. The Mishnah, as well as the Baraita, mentions the Boethusians as opposing the Pharisees in saying that the sheaf due at the Passover (compare Omer) must be offered not on the second feast-day, but on the day after the actual Shabbat of the festival week, and, accordingly, that Pentecost, which comes seven weeks and one day later, should always be celebrated on Sunday. In another passage it is narrated that the Boethusians hired false witnesses in order to lead the Pharisees astray in their calculations of the new moon. Another point of dispute between the Boethusians and the Pharisees was whether the high priest should prepare the incense inside or outside the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement It is important to fast forward in time to when Rabbi Jesus enlightened the Sadducees that the answer to whether there is resurrection after death was indeed revealed in the Torah. Jesus then expounded what the Pharisees professed and added that those of us chosen to eternal life are equal to angels and sons of Hashem. Saint Luke the physician, painter, and writer revealed intimate details of Jesus Christ's interaction with the Jewish religious parties and priesthood that he learned from the Apostle Saint Paul, Mary the mother of Jesus, and other Disciples. His skills as a healer and his devotion to our Lord gained him great trust with the leaders of the new church. Some theologians consider Saint Luke once to be a Jewish Pharisee himself. But, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Luke's writing revealed far more than what the Pharisees or any mortal man could have imagined. Luke 20 The Sadducees had misinterpreted what Moses had stated about God’s relationship to the patriarchs. Jesus pointed out when Moses spoke of Hashem being the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all of whom had died in the present tense. He inferred from this that God could only be their God then if they would rise from the dead eventually. God will raise all people eventually. All live to Him in that sense. Therefore “to Him all are alive”. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will experience resurrection at the Second Coming and will live in the kingdom as “sons of the resurrection” Exodus 3 Jesus Christ quoted from the prophets Daniel and Jeremiah, which confirms that Hashem was indeed communicating with the Jews he was punishing at the time for not following his commands. The Hasideans eventually came to realize their transgression and Hashem forgave and brought them back to their homeland. In turn they taught the wisdom they had gained to the Zakikim, who did not know the Hasidean prophets and elders. This caused much friction between the Northern and the Southern Jews. A third faction, the Essenes, emerged out of disgust with the other two. This sect believed the others had corrupted the city and the Temple. They moved out of Jerusalem and lived a monastic life in the desert, adopting strict dietary laws and a commitment to celibacy. Jesus preached the positives and negatives of both liberal and conservative sides of Judiasm. In turn, both sides rebuked him. This leads me to believe that Jesus definitely would be closer to Essene tradition. Now with a better understanding between the two parties once again let us go back in time to the year 67 BC. Queen Salome Alexandra was terminally ill and one of her last royal commands before her death was to name her son Hyrcanus II as High Priest of the kingdom. Hyrcanus and his Pharisee party had scarcely reigned three months when his younger brother Aristobulus II, with the support of the Sadducee party rose against him in rebellion. Aristobulus II followed his father's belief in the Sadducean party. A civil war proceeded between the two brothers for the crown of Zion. Ancient coin minted in Jerusalem dedicated to John Hyrcanus II. Note: No coins appeared to be minted during Aristobulus II brief reign. At the battle near Jericho many of Hyrcanus' soldiers defected and handed Aristobulus II victory. Hyrcanus took refuge in the citadel of Jerusalem; but the capture of the Temple by Aristobulus compelled Hyrcanus to surrender. A peace was then concluded, according to the terms of which Hyrcanus was to renounce the throne and the office of high priest, but was to enjoy the revenues of the latter office. This agreement however did not last, as Antipater convinced Hyrcanus that Aristobulus was planning his death and to take refuge with Aretas III, King of the Nabataeans. Aretas III was king of the Nabataean kingdom from 87 to 62 BCE. Aretas ascended to the throne upon the death of his brother, Obodas I, in 87 BCE. During his reign, he extended his kingdom to cover what now forms the northern area of Jordan, the south of Syria, and part of Saudi Arabia. Probably the greatest of Aretas' conquests was that of Damascus, which secured his country's place as a serious political power of its time. Aretas, who agreed to support Hyrcanus after receiving the promise of having the Arabian towns taken by the Hasmoneans returned to Nabataea by Hyrcanus' chief advisor, Antipater the Idumaean. The Nabataeans advanced toward Jerusalem with an army of 50,000 and besieged the city for several months. Events in Judea prompted Aemilius Scaurus, Pompey's legate in Damascus, to arrive in Jerusalem.Scaurus was approached by both parties, but the issue was settled by a bribe of 400 talents from Aristobulus, and Scaurus ordered Arestas to lift his siege of the city. As the Nabataean army withdrew towards Philadelphia, Aristobulus set off in pursuit and defeated the Nabataeans at Papyron. When Pompey himself arrived in Damascus in 63 BC, both Hyrcanus and Aristobulus visited him there. Pompey put off resolving the issue, informing the opposing parties he would resolve it once he arrived in Judea in person. Aristobulus did not wait for Pompey's decision and left Damascus to assemble his armies. He was defeated numerous times and captured at his fortress of Alexandrium. When Aulus Gabinius led a force to take Jerusalem, however, Aristobulus' supporters refused to let the Roman troops in. Incensed, Pompey had Aristobulus arrested and prepared to besiege the city. Hyrcanus II supporters opened a gate in the northwestern part of the city wall, and let the Romans in. This allowed Pompey to take hold of Jerusalem's upper city, including the Royal Palace, while Aristobulus' party held the eastern portions of the city—the Temple Mount and the City of David. Pompey offered Aristobulus forces the chance to surrender, but when they refused, he began prosecuting the siege with vigour. After three months, Pompey's troops finally managed to overthrow one of the Baris' towers and were able to enter the Temple precinct and soon overcame the defending slaughtered 12,000 Jews. Pompey's conquest of Jerusalem ended Jewish independence and the incorporation of Judea into the Roman Republic as a client kingdom. Pompey reinstated Hyrcanus II as the High Priest but stripped him of his royal title, though Rome recognize him as an ethnarch. Political authority rested with the Romans, and their interests were represented by Antipater, whose second son would be Herod the Great. Judea remained autonomous but obliged to pay tribute and dependent on the Roman administration in Syria. The kingdom was dismembered; it was forced to relinquish the coastal plain, depriving it of access to the Mediterranean, as well as parts of Idumea and Samaria. Several Hellenistic cities were granted autonomy to form the Decapolis, leaving the state greatly diminished. Alexander Maccabeus, son of Aristobulus II, was taken prisoner, with his father and his brother Antigonus, by the Roman general Pompey, on the capture of Jerusalem in 63 BC, but escaped his captors as they were being conveyed to Rome. He took up arms with the object of depriving his uncle Hyrcanus II of the high-priesthood. In 57 BC, Alexander Maccabeus appeared in Judaea, raised an army of 10,000 infantry and 1500 cavalry, and fortified Alexandrium and other strong posts. Alexander's uncle Hyrcanus (with whom Alexander's father Aristobulus had clashed) applied for aid to Gabinius, who brought a large army against Alexander, and sent Mark Antony with a body of troops in advance. In a battle fought near Jerusalem, Alexander was soundly defeated, and took refuge in the fortress of Alexandrium. Through the mediation of his mother he was permitted to depart, on condition of surrendering all the fortresses still in his power. In the following year, during the expedition of Gabinius into Egypt, Alexander again incited the Jews to revolt, and collected an army. He massacred all the Romans who fell in his way, and besieged the rest, who had taken refuge on Mount Gerizim. After rejecting the terms of peace which were offered to him by Gabinius, he was defeated near Mount Tabor with the loss of 10,000 men. The spirit of his adherents, however, was not entirely crushed, for in 53 BC, on the death of Marcus Licinius Crassus, he again collected some forces, but was compelled to come to terms by Cassius in 52 BC. In 49 BC, on the breaking out of the civil war, Julius Caesar set Alexander's father Aristobulus II free, and sent him to Judaea to further his interests there. He was poisoned on the journey, and Alexander, who was preparing to support him, was seized at the command of Pompey, and beheaded at Antioch. After the death of his older brother Alexander, Mattathias Antigonus II claimed that his uncle Hyrcanus was a puppet in the hands of the Idumean Antipater and attempted to overthrow him with the help and consent of the Romans. He visited Julius Cæsar, who was in Syria in 47, and complained of the usurpation of Antipater and Hyrcanus. The excessive taxation wrung from the people to pay for the extravagances of Antony and Cleopatra had awakened a deep hatred against Rome. Mattathias Antigonus II gained the adherence of both the aristocratic class in Jerusalem and the leaders of the Pharisees. The Parthians, who invaded Syria in 40 BCE, preferred to see an anti-Roman ruler on the throne of Judea. When Antigonus promised them large sums of gold and five hundred female slaves besides, they put a troop of five hundred warriors at his disposal. Hyrcanus was sent to Babylon after suffering the mutilation of his ears, which rendered him unfit for the office of high priest. Herod fled from Jerusalem. In 40 BCE Antigonus was officially proclaimed king and high priest by the Parthians. His three year reign was a continuous struggle. Herod succeeded in having himself declared king of Judea by Rome. On Herod's return from Rome in 39 BCE he opened a campaign against Antigonus and laid siege to Jerusalem. In the spring of 38 BCE, Herod wrested control of the province of Galilee and eventually all of Judea as far as Jerusalem. Due to the approach of winter, Herod postponed his siege of Jerusalem, where Antigonus and the remnants of his army took refuge, until spring. Herod was held off for 3–5 months but the Romans did eventually capture the city; however, the supporters of Antigonus fought until the Romans reached the inner courtyard of the Temple. Mattathias Antigonus II was taken to Antioch and executed, ending Hasmonean rule. Aristobulus III (53 BC – 36 BC) was the last scion of the Hasmonean royal house, brother of Herod the Great's wife Mariamne, and paternal grandson of Aristobulus II. He was a favorite of the people on account of his noble descent and handsome presence, and thus became an object of fear to Herod, who at first sought to ignore him entirely by debarring him from the high priesthood. But his mother Alexandra Maccabeus (63 BC – 28 BC), through intercession with Cleopatra and Mark Antony, compelled Herod to remove Hananel from the office of High Priest and appoint Aristobulus instead. To secure himself against danger from Aristobulus, Herod instituted a system of espionage against him and his mother. This surveillance proved so onerous that they sought to gain their freedom by taking refuge with Cleopatra. As told by the Roman Jewish historian Josephus, their plans were betrayed and the disclosure had the effect of greatly increasing Herod's suspicions against his brother-in-law. As Herod dared not resort to open violence, he caused him to be drowned while he was bathing in a pool in Jericho during a banquet organized by Aristobulus' mother. The vacuum left by the demise of the independent Hasmonean kings and distrust of high priests gave rise to increasing hopes of messianic prophecy against Roman oppression and judicial power of the Sanhedrin theocratic politic. 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia GERUSIA (γερονσία) The members of the Great Assembly are designated in the Jewish Mishnah (Ab. i. 1) as those who occupied a place in the chain of tradition between the Prophets and the earliest scholars known by name. The Prophets transmitted the Torah to the men of the Great Synagogue. . . . Simon the Just was one of those who survived the Great Synagogue, and Antigonus of Soko received the Torah from him. (Ab. i. 1 et seq.). The first part of this statement is paraphrased as follows in Ab. R. N. i.; Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi received from the Prophets; and the men of the Great Synagogue received from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. In this paraphrase the three post-exilic prophets are separated from the other prophets, for it was the task of the former to transmit the Law to the members of the Great Synagogue. It must even be assumed that these three prophets were themselves included in those members, for it is evident from the statements referring to the institution of the prayers and benedictions that the Great Synagogue included prophets. According to R. Johanan, who wrote in the third century, The men of the Great Synagogue instituted for Israel the benedictions and the prayers, as well as the benedictions for Kiddush and habdalah (Ber. 33a). This agrees with the sentence of R. Jeremiah (fourth century), who states (Yer. Ber. 4d), in reference to the "Shemoneh 'Esreh," that one hundred and twenty elders, including about eighty prophets, have instituted these prayers. These one hundred and twenty elders are undoubtedly identical with the men of the Great Synagogue. The number given of the prophets must, however, be corrected according to Meg. 17b, where the source of R. Jeremiah's statement is found: R. Johanan said that, according to some, a baraita taught that one hundred and twenty elders, including some prophets, instituted the 'Shemoneh 'Esreh.' Hence the prophets were in a minority in the Great Synagogue. Another statement regarding the activity of this institution alludes to the establishment of the Feast of Purim according to Esth. ix. 27 et seq., while the Babylonian Talmud (Meg. 2a) states, as a matter requiring no discussion, that the celebration of the Feast of Purim on the days mentioned in Meg. i. 1 was instituted by the men of the Great Synagogue. But in the Jerusalem Talmud, R. Johanan (Meg. 70d; Ruth R. ii. 4) speaks of eighty-five elders, among them about thirty prophets. Number These divergent statements may easily be reconciled (see Krochmal, "Moreh Nebuke ha-Zeman," p. 97) by reading, in the one passage, "beside them" instead of "among them" ; and in the other passage, "thirty" instead of "eighty." The number eighty-five is taken from Neh. x. 2-29; but the origin of the entire number (120) is not known. It was undoubtedly assumed that the company of those mentioned in Neh. x. was increased to one hundred and twenty by the prophets who took part in the sealing of the covenant, this view, which is confirmed by Neh. vi. 7, 14, being based on the hypothesis that other prophets besides Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were then preaching in Israel. These passages indicate that this assembly was believed to be the one described in Neh. ix.-x., and other statements regarding it prove that the Amoraim accepted this identification as a matter of course. According to Abba b. Kahana, the well-known haggadist of the latter half of the third century (Shem-Tob on Ps. xxxvi., end): Two generations used the 'Shem ha-Meforesh,' the men of the Great Synagogue and the generation of the 'shemad' (the persecution of Hadrian and the Bar Kokba revolt). This reference is explained in a statement by Giddel, a pupil of Rab (Yer. Meg. iii., end; Yoma 69b): The word in Neh. viii. 6 indicates that Ezra uttered the great Tetragram in his praise of God. We now need to better understand the Jewish politics after the Roman conquest. The people have little to no trust in the Roman puppet king or high priest. There is only the Sanhedrin, to oppose the Romanization of Jewish beliefs. During the Zugot [zuˈɡot] (Hebrew: תְּקוּפַת) הַזּוּגוֹת), (təqûphath) hazZûghôth) period of the Second Temple (515 BCE – 70 CE), in which the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people was zugot (pairs), which began with Jose and Yose then ended with Hillel and Shammai. According to an old tradition, the member of the "zugot" mentioned first occupied the office of Nasi (president) of the Sanhedrin, while the one mentioned second served in the capacity of vice-president. There were five pairs (zugot) of these Sanhedrin leaders and teachers Over the years, one member of each of the Zugot would be Nasi (President, Prince) the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council, senate) and the other Vice-President and lead the court. Jose ben Joezer, and Jose ben Johanan - who flourished at the time of the Maccabean wars of independence Joshua ben Perachyah, and Nittai of Arbela - at the time of John Hyrcanus Sh'maya, and Abtalion - at the time of Hillel, and Shammai - at the time of King Herod the Great Yehuda ben Tabai led the Jewish Nation along with Shimon ben Shetach as the third pair of Zugot. There are various opinions as to which of the two was the Nasi - Head of the Sanhedrin and which served as Av Bais Din - Vice president. Their leadership was during the reign of King Yani (Alexander Jannæus). Queen Salome Alexandra, Hyrcanus II. Yehuda ben Tabai was a student of Yehoshua ben Perachya and Nitai haArbeli. His students were Shemaya and Avtolyon. Shmaya (Hebrew: שמעיה, or Shemaiah, Samaias or Sameas) was a rabbinic sage in the early A leader of the Pharisees in the middle of the 1st century BC and by tradition President of the great Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. Shmaya studied under Shimon ben Shetach and Yehuda ben Tabai, the third pair of Zugos and leaders of their generation. When the wicked king Yani (Alexander Jannaeus) killed all the Torah Sages, Yehuda ben Tabai escaped to Alexandria, Egypt. It can be assumed that Shmaya went into exile along with his teacher to escape the massacre. They returned after the death of Yani under the reign of Queen Shelomtzion (Alexandra Salome). Shmaya is a combination of the words 'Shma', listen and 'Ka', Hashem. When put together it means 'Listen to me Hashem'. It can also be interpreted as a call 'listen all' or 'listen up' which would elude to his destiny of eventually serving as Nasi, and having the entire nation heed his words. Shmaya's main students were Hillel and Shami. Hillel was careful to use the exact wording of his teachers when he quoted them. Leadership of Shemaya and Avtalyon lasted for a short period of six years. After Shimaya and Avtalyon passed away, the Jewish leadership was given to the Beni Besera who eventually passed it on to Hillel and Menachem. Eventually Menachem was replaced by Shami. Hillel openly declared that his superiority in Torah knowledge over the Beni Besera was due to his nullification to Shmaya and Avtalyon. Avtalyon was also a rabbinic sage, Pharisees leader, and presiding judge (vice-president) of the great Sanhedrin. Shmaya and Avtalyon are known as one of the zuggot ("couples"). In addition, both Shmaya and Avtalyon were converts to Judaism and were descendants of King Sancheriv of Assyria who destroyed the northern Kingdom of Israel. Avtalvon shared much wisdom on the responsibility of leadership and teaching. Chapter 1: Mishna 11: Part 1 Hanameel the Egyptian (also known as Ananel, Ananelus) was the first Roman approved Jewish High priest in the 1st century BCE. He was appointed by Herod to fill the office of high priest made vacant by the ignominious death of Antigonus. Hanameel was an Egyptian according to the Mishnah (Parah 3:5), and a Babylonian according to Josephus ("Ant." xv. 2, § 4). Though of priestly descent, he was not of the family of the high priests. He was later removed by Herod. Jesus, son of Fabus (also known as Jesus, son of Phabet, Jesus son of Phiabi or Joshua ben Fabus) was a Jewish High priest (ca. 30 – 23 BCE) in the 1st century BCE. He was appointed and removed by Herod. Simon son of Boethus (also known as Simon son of Boëthus, Simeon ben Boethus or Shimon ben Boethus) was a Jewish High priest in the 1st century BCE and father-in-law of Herod the Great.His family may be connected to the source of the school of the Boethusians. Joshua ben Sie also known as Jesus ben Sie was the first Jewish High Priest of Israel in 1st century. Annas [also Ananus or Ananias , son of Seth (23/22 BC–death date unknown, probably around 40CE), was appointed by the Roman legate Quirinius (Governor of Syria) as the first High Priest of the newly formed Roman province of Iudaea in 6 AD; just after the Romans had deposed Archelaus, Ethnarch of Judea, thereby putting Judea directly under Roman rule. Annas held the office of high priest seven years under Coponius, the first governor (Prefect) of Iudea province, about 6 CE. During his administration occurred the revolt of Judas the Galilean, the cause of which was not so much the personality of Coponius as the introduction of Roman soldiers. Owing to the reconstruction of the province of Judea then in progress, the census was being taken by Quirinius, which was a further cause of offense. Marcus Ambivulus was Roman Prefect of the province of Judea and Samaria. Originally a cavalry officer, Ambivulus succeeded Coponius in 9 AD and ruled the area until 13 AD when he was succeeded by Annius Rufus. Annius Rufus tenure as Prefect of Judea began in 12 CE. and was apparently without incident since the only event that Josephus reports as occurring while he was in office is the death of Augustus in Rome in 14 CE. He was succeeded by Valerius Gratus in 15 CE. Gratus removed Annas from the high priesthood and then appointed Joseph Caiaphas to the office. Yet while having been officially removed from office, Annas He still bore the title of high priest, just as ex-presidents of the United States are still called president. Annas remained as one of the most influential political and social individuals in Judea. References in the Mosaic Law to "the death of the high priest" (Num 35:25, 28) suggest that the high-priesthood was ordinarily held for life. Perhaps for this reason, Annas was still called "high priest" even after his dismissal, along with Caiaphas (Luke 3:2). He also may have been acting as president of the Sanhedrin, or a coadjutor of the high priest. Annas retained power through his five sons and his son-in-law as appointed High Priests. His death is unrecorded, but his son Annas the Younger, also known as Ananus ben Ananus was assassinated in 66 AD for advocating peace with Rome. Annas was called by Josephus the "ancientest of the high-priests" [Josephus, Wars 4.3.7]. He also states that it was Annas’ death that "was the beginning of the destruction of the city" [ibid., 4.5.2]. Annas was slain in the midst of Jerusalem. At the time of Yahshua's trial and execution, he served as ab bet din, the "father of the court". It was his duty to bring forth the formal accusation. As stated above, while Caiaphas was the high priest, Annas held the actual power. History is quite clear about this. His wealthy family, in fact, held the office of the high priesthood for fifty years without interruption. In the words of one scholar they were "haughty, audacious, and cruel" [Dale Foreman, Crucify Him, p. 110]. Josephus gives us this report about his government: ut for the high-priest Ananias [Annas], he increased in glory every day, and this to a great degree, and had obtained the favor and esteem of the citizens in a signal manner; FOR HE WAS A GREAT HOARDER UP OF MONEY; he therefore cultivated the friendship of Albinus, and of the high-priest [Jesus], BY MAKING THEM PRESENTS; HE ALSO HAD SERVANTS WHO WERE VERY WICKED, who joined themselves to the boldest sort of the people, and went to the thrashing-floors, AND TOOK AWAY THE TITHES THAT BELONGED TO THE [conservative] PRIESTS BY VIOLENCE, AND DID NOT REFRAIN FROM BEATING SUCH AS WOULD NOT GIVE THESE TITHES TO THEM. SO THE OTHER HIGH-PRIESTS ACTED IN THE LIKE MANNER, AS DID THOSE HIS SERVANTS WITHOUT ANYONE BEING ABLE TO PROHIBIT THEM; so that [some of the] priests, that of old were wont to be supported with those tithes, died for want of food [Josephus, Antiquities 20.9.2]. High Priesthood of the House of Annas (Sadduc) Ananus ben Seth (6–15) [Annas I] Eleazar ben Ananus (16–17) Joseph-Caiaphas (18–36/37) son-in-law of Annas (John 18:13) Jonathan ben Ananus (36/37–44) Theophilus ben Ananus (37–41) Matthias ben Ananus (43) Ananus ben Ananus (63) [Annas II - Ananias] (Acts 23 & 24) Matthias ben Ananus (grandson, 65–68) Ishmael ben Fabus also known as Ishmael ben Phiabi was a High Priest of Israel High Priest appointed by the Roman governor, Valerius Gratus, from 15AD to 16 AD. to replace the Annas. He appears to have been a very unpopular High Priest. It is said of him that he was "the handsomest man of his time, whose effeminate love of luxury was the scandal of the age" Annas and Caiaphas J.J. Tissot Brooklyn Museum Caiaphas held the office of high priest during the entire term of Pilate’s procuratorship (25-36 C.E.). He was appointed by Valerius Gratus in 25 C.E. [Josephus, Antiquities 18.2.2]. Pontius Pilate succeeded Valerius Gratus as prefect of Judaea in AD 26. Once in his post he offended the religious sensibilities of his subjects, leading to harsh criticism from Philo and Josephus. According to Josephus, he was ordered back to Rome after harshly suppressing a Samaritan uprising, arriving just after the death of Tiberius, which occurred on 16 March in AD 37. Pilate is best known for presiding over the trial of Jesus and ordering his crucifixion. He was replaced by Marcellus. Little is known about him, except that his "father-in-law" (or ab bet din) was Annas. As stated earlier, I believe it was to his title that the author of John referred, rather than to any notion of kinship by marriage. That is not to say Caiaphas was not a member of the House of Hanan. He was, however, a mere puppet who held no real political power. In the case of Yahshua, he presided as nasi over the Sanhedrin and pronounced the final verdict of blasphemy. He was deposed from his office in the same year that Pilate was recalled to Rome. This fact would seem to indicate that the two were, perhaps, intimately connected. That Caiaphas sought such a confession from Yahshua, even to the point of placing him under oath, is ordinarily seen as nullifying the proceedings. It goes even farther, FOR IT MAKES NO USE WHATEVER OF ADMISSIONS OR OF CONFESSIONS OF GUILT, EITHER IN OR OUT OF COURT; [Deuteronomy 19:15] is understood as EXCLUDING THE MOUTH OF THE ACCUSED; and THE PRINCIPLE IS LAID DOWN, "NO ONE CAN MAKE HIMSELF OUT GUILTY" (OR WICKED), and it appears often throughout the Talmud [The Jewish Encyclopedia, Accusatory and Inquisitorial Procedure, p. 163]. Caiaphas, after Yahshua's statement claiming he was "Son of Man" (i.e. a frail human), that he would sit on the right hand of "Power" and come in the clouds, declared no further need for witnesses. Mishnaic law, if on no other single point, is quite clear about the necessity of qualified eyewitnesses, two or three, agreeing as to what they had seen. Capital punishment in rabbinic law, or indeed any other punishment, must not be inflicted, except by the verdict of a regularly constituted court (Lesser Sanh.) of three and twenty qualified members (Sanh. 1:1; Sifre, Num. 160), and except on the most trustworthy and convincing testimony of at least two qualified eye-witnesses to the crime...who must depose that the culprit had been forewarned as to the criminality and the consequences of his project (Sanh. 5:1 140b et seq.) [The Jewish Encyclopedia, Capital Punishment, p. 556]. Archaeologists in 1990 discovered a burial cave on the outskirts of Jerusalem which contained a collection of bone boxes. During the first century, bodies of the dead were laid in caves. After the flesh had decomposed, the bones were gathered and put into boxes, indicating a belief in the resurrection. One of the casket-like boxes found in the cave was elaborately carved and is inscribed with the words: "Yehosef bar Kayafa (Joseph, son of Caiaphas), known more commonly as Caiaphas. The box contains the actual remains of the Biblical figure Caiaphas. In 36 CE Caiaphas was replaced by Lucius Vitellius the Elder, who appointed another member of the Ananias clan Jonathan son of Ananias the Elder. Under Emperor Tiberius, he was Consul in 34 and Governor of Syria in 35. He deposed Pontius Pilate in 36 after complaints from the people in Samaria. He supported Emperor Caligula, and was a favorite of Emperor Claudius' wife Empress Valeria Messalina. During Claudius' reign, he was Consul twice in 43 and 47, and governed Rome while the Roman Emperor was absent on his invasion of Britain. Around the time that Claudius married Agrippina the Younger in 48 or 49, Vitellius served as a Censor. "Ananos son of Ananos" var: Ananias, Latin: Anani Ananus or Ananus filius Anani), d. 68 CE, was a Herodian-era High Priest of Israel in Jerusalem, Iudaea Province. He is most well known as the high priest who allegedly ordered the execution by stoning of James the Just, according to the surviving fragments of The Antiquities of the Jews. However, popular opinion against Hanan due to this act led the recently appointed Roman governor Lucceius Albinus to depose the high priest, after only three months. Ananus was succeeded by Jesus ben Damneus, who was himself deposed before the end of the year. I pray to Hashem to give me more wisdom on the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the High Priests in their relationship Jesus Christ. Further I hope to differentiate the high priest, Caiaphas with the high priest Jesus Christ. Ciaphas was appointed by Valerius Gratus to be high priest of Hashem's temple. Jesus was appointed by Hashem to be the eternal high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The Didache Chapter 5 Below is a digest of quotes from my previous post concerning Essene prophecies of the coming Messiah. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL95031EFB8234EC88 The truth of the prophecy Qumran texts needs to be investigated to see if there is any outside influence. I have written extensively on Judea during the heirs of David, but I know little of Babylonian Judea, Persian Judea, Alexandrian Judea, Egyptian Judea, Hasmonean Judea, Herod Judea, and Roman Judea. Were the Essenes similar to the Sadducee people that were not exiled out of the lands of their ancestors. These Jews knew and followed the torah, but were subjected to different apostasy and cultural influences than their Babylonian counterparts. The Essene pesher states that among the Teacher of Righteousness opponents were the Wicked Priest and the Man of the Lie. The Wicked Priest is portrayed as a false religious leader who was at one point trusted by the Teacher. Towards the end of the pesher, the Wicked Priest is reported to have been captured and tortured by his enemies. His true identity is also unlikely to be named with certainty, though just about every contemporary Hasmonean priest has at some point been suggested by scholars as the Wicked Priest. It is even argued that this was a title attributed to multiple individuals.The Man of the Lie is accused by the author of attempting to discredit the Teacher, as well as the Torah. His true name is likewise indiscernible. It is apparent to understand the context of the above quotes and paragraph, the reader will need to be familiarized with what the Essenes describe as "the era of despicableness" which is most likely after the after the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. To achieve the best understanding we will journey back further in time to see what was happening to Hashem's chosen people during the Maccabees wars with Syria, Egypt, and Arabia, then move forward to Roman conquests of Judah. Hopefully we will take notice of the Hellenization and Roman apostasy occurring to the Jewish nation. Somewhere in this time period we may get an understanding why Essene separated with the Pharisee and Sadducee and their migration to the North. The story of the Maccabees is told in 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees, are considered deuterocanonical books in most Christian biblical canons, and in 3 Maccabees and 4 Maccabees, which are in a few Eastern Christian canons. 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees are part of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons, but not part of the Protestant Old Testament. 1 Maccabees is included in the Jewish Bible. Most modern scholars argue that the king was reacting to a civil war between traditionalist Jews in the countryside and Hellenized Jews in Jerusalem, though the king's response of persecuting the religious traditionalists was unusual in antiquity, and was the immediate provocation for the revolt. Here is a map of Judea during the rule of Judas Maccabaeus. Below are 9 chapters of Maccabees. The story starts out during the last years of Alexander the Great and how his divided empire affected the Jewish nation. 1 Maccabees From the reading above, Alcimus (Jacimus, or Joachim) would be a candidate for the Wicked Priest. His 3 years as High Priest was a catalyst to start distrust of the Jewish Pontificate. But, his time was before the Damascus Scroll was written. So Alcimus is ruled out. Simon Maccabeus (Simon the Hasmonean) also referred to as Simon Thassi ("the Director", "the Guide", "the Man of Counsel", and "the Zealous" are all possible meanings of the term) and Simon Tarsus. Simon Maccabeus was the second son of the priest Matthias and was in turn elected as high priest and president of Jews beginning in 143 BC . Antiochus VII Sidetes could not defeat Simon in battle, so he opted to murder him. In 134 BC King Antiochus ordered Simon's son-in-law to, Ptolemy son of Abubus and Seleucid Governor of the Jericho region of Israel to commit the evil deed. Ptolemy was also able to murder his father-in-law, Simon and his two sons, but failed to find and kill his third son, Yehohanan ben Simon (John Hyracanus I, John Hyreanus). Ptolemy fled to Fort Dagon with John Yehohanan ben Simon's mother as a hostage. When John Hyracanus attempted to seige Fort Dagon Ptolomy would subject Hyracanus's mother to cruel tortures on the walls of the fort whenever her son attempted to attack it. Ptolemy eventually killed Yehohanan ben Simon's mother and managed to flee eastward to the partly Hellenized city of Philadelphia, the former Ammonite capital (Rabbath Ammon), controlled by Governor Zenon (Zeno) Cotylas and Arab mercenaries. Once Antiochus VII Sidetes got word of what transpired between Ptolemy and Hyrcanus he sent his troops to invade Judea and lay siege to Jerusalem. After a protracted conflict John Hyrcanus made peace with the Seleucids. The treaty left Hyrcanus a vassal to the Syrian King Antiocus VII. When it came time to choose the next high priest Pharisee leader, Eleazar, reminded the Sandharin that Hyrcanus might not be be qualified. This was not the first time the President's mother been held hostage. The wife of Simon Maccabeus was previously captured and prisoner by the Seleucids just prior to Hyrcanus birth. There was speculation that she might have been raped, thus raising some doubt about Hyrcanus true father. (Ant. 13:292) If Hyrcanus might not be the son of Simon Maccabeaus, the Pharisees reasoned he should not be given the office of High Priest and just be happy being President of Judah. Hyrcanus became enraged and wanted Eleazar put to death. When this did not happen President Hyrcanus joined the Sadducees and their aristocratic Hellenistic supporters who previously belonged to the pro-Greek party and with their support became the 50th High Priest of the Temple. The Pharisees were expelled from membership in the Sanhedrin and branded with the name Perushim, 'the expelled ones.' This was meant as a taunt, but its alternate Hebrew significance is 'exponents' which made the name acceptable to them." It would not be until the reign of Queen Salome Alexandra that the Pharisees would regain control of the interpretation and administration of Mosaic law. Talmud - Mas. Kiddushin 66a Antiochus VII spent the final years of his life attempting to reclaim the lost eastern territories, overrun by the Parthians under their "Great King", Mithridates I. Marching east, with what would prove to be the last great Seleucid royal army (including a force of Judean mercenaries under John Hyrcanus), he defeated Mithridates in two battles, killing the aged Parthian king in the last of these. He restored Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Media to the Seleucid empire, before dispersing his army into winter quarters. After this Antiochus offered a peace, by which he would regain Mesopotamia and large parts of Iran. The Parthian realm would be restricted to its core territories and would pay a heavy tribute. Phraates II could not accept these high demands, so he refused the offer. In the following winter (129 BC), Antiochus VII quartered himself and his army in Ecbatana, where he completely alienated the local people from himself because he forced the local people to pay for the upkeep of his soldiers and because, it seems, the soldiers assaulted the locals. Thus when Phraates II attacked the Seleucid army in its winter quarters, the local people supported him. Antiochus VII was defeated and killed or committed suicide, ending Seleucid rule east of the Euphrates. Just before Antiochus defeat, Phraates II made what he thought was a powerful move: he released the former King Demetrius, hoping that the two brothers would start a civil war. In 139 BC King Demetrius against Mithradates I, king of Parthia and was initially successful, but was defeated in the Iranian mountains and taken prisoner the following year. Phraates II set people to pursue Demetrius, but he managed to safely return home to Syria and regained his throne and his queen as well. Antiochus's heirs did not have the power to go to war against the state of Judea and this period is characterized by constant struggles between the heirs to the Seleucid throne. The Syrian supremacy of Judah came to an end. President Hyrcanus conquered the Edomite kingdom and gave the Edomites the choice of either death or conversion to the religion, language, and culture of Judah. During the time of Moses, the King of Edom refused to let the Israelites have safe passage through their land. The Israelites later conquered and subjected Edom. But, this was the first time they were forced into conversion. This is similar to the Catholic inquisition of Jews later in the Dark Age period in Europe. The Antiquities of the Jews Joseph Flavius Bronze Coin Of The Maccabean King Yehohanan Hyrcanus I 1 Maccabees Chapter 16 President Hyrcanus and his wife, Marium had five sons: Judah Aristobulus I, first Antigonus , Alexander Yanai , Absalom, another son whose name is not known. Before Hyrcanus death he appointed his wife to the office of Governor, and his son Aristobulus to become the next high priest. In 104 BC, after thirty-one years of presidency, and is about sixty John Hyracanus died. Zion's high priest, Judas Aristobulus I went against his father wishes and seized rule with support of his brother Antigonus, who he appointed minister of the army. Aristobulus immediately threw his mother the Governor into prison, where she starved to death. Judas immediately crowned himself the first king since the return to Zion. Judas Aristobulus married Salome (Shelomit, Shelamziyyon meaning peace of Zion, or wholeness of Zion) Alexandra as the new Queen of Zion. As time progressed, Aristobulus began to worry about his brother Antigonus growing fame from victories in battle. He feared his brother's army would compel him take takeover rule of the kingdom, so he ordered his killed if came to visit him armed. Queen Salome sent out a message of deceit to Antigonus that the King wanted to see his brother wanted to see him in his glorious armor. So Antigonus came armed as expected and the kings guards killed him. Guilt over his brother's death increased the disease first Aristobulus king until his death in 103 BC. Alexander Jannaeus (also known as Jonathan Alexander and Alexander Jannai/Yannai; Hebrew: אלכסנדר ינאי) declared himself the second king of Judea from 103 BC to 76 BC. The son of John Hyrcanus, he inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I, and married his brother's widow, Queen Salome Alexandra to secure the throne. Alexander Jannaeus ordered 800 Pharisees he despised to be crucified during a party he held with his mistresses. During the end of Alexander's life he made amends with Queen Salome's Pharisee brother Simeon ben Shetach and invited him back into the Sanhedrin (Assembly somewhat similar to Rome's ritualistic judicial body that met to decide important cases and rule on disputed points of religious law). King Alexander actions against his own people makes him the best candidate for the title "Wicked Priest" in the Qumran texts. The execution of the Pharisees by Alexander Jannaeus, showing the King and his Court feasting during the executions. Engraving by Willem Swidde, 17th century. Map of Israel during the time of Alexander Jannaeus Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sotah Folio 47a The Wars of the Jews Flavius Joseph Jewish Antiquities Book 13 Joseph Flavius After the death of Alexander, Queen Salome took the crown royal, Her eldest son, Hyrcanus II, became High Priest. Her youngest son, Judah Aristobulus II took command of the royal army. Because she was a woman, Queen Salome could not hold a dual role of ruler and high priest . She appointed to her son Hyrcanus II as High Priest of the kingdom.Hyrcanus II shared his mother's religious views and was sympathetic to the Pharisees. Queen Salome changed the administration policy of her deceased husband Alexander, who was the harshest opponent of the Pharisees. She sought to heal the rift between the royal family. Queen Salome decided to transfer the power into the hands of her Pharisee brother Simeon ben Shetach, who became Nasi (Prince of the Sanhedrin). The Pharisees gained formal authority in all areas of life in the kingdom, Laws were enacted by the Pharisees and the power to ban or imprison citizens, release prisoners and allow allied exiles to return back to Judea. The earliest record of a Sanhedrin is by Josephus who wrote of a political Sanhedrin convened by the Romans in 57 B.C.E. Hellenistic sources generally depict the Sanhedrin as a political and judicial council headed by the country’s ruler.

Chapter 5 I believe that many Christians overlook the pagan corruption that took place in both the First and Second temples dedicated to our Creator. The conquests of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BCE spread Greek culture and colonization—a process of cultural change called Hellenization—over non-Greek lands, including the Levant, also known as the Eastern Mediterranean between Anatolia and Egypt". The period after Alexander's death in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire as signified by the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the subsequent conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt in 30 BC. is known as the Hellenistic Age. At this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its peak in Europe, Africa and Asia, experiencing prosperity and progress in the arts, exploration, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science. It is often considered a period of transition, sometimes even of decadence or degeneration, compared to the brilliance of the Greek Classical era. The period is characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization which established Greek cities and Kingdoms in Asia and Africa, the most famous being Alexandria in Egypt. New cities were established composed of colonists who came from different parts of the Greek world. Ptolemy, a somatophylax, one of the seven bodyguards who served as Alexander the Great's generals and deputies, was appointed satrap of Egypt after Alexander's death on June 10, 323 BC. In 305 BC, Ptolemy declared himself King Ptolemy I, later known as "Soter" (saviour). The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemies as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. Ptolemy's family ruled Egypt until the Roman conquest of 30 BC. All the male rulers of the dynasty took the name Ptolemy. Ptolemaic queens, some of whom were the sisters of their husbands, were usually called Cleopatra, Arsinoe or Berenice. The most famous member of the line was the last queen, Cleopatra VII, known for her role in the Roman political battles between Julius Caesar and Pompey, and later between Octavian and Mark Antony. Her suicide at the conquest by Rome marked the end of Ptolemaic rule in Egypt. Judea was under Ptolemaic rule until 200 BC. Upper class Jews, notably the Tobiad family, wished to dispense with Jewish law and to adopt a Greek lifestyle. According to the historian Victor Tcherikover, the main motive for the Tobiads' Hellenism was economic and political. The Hellenizing Jews built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, competed in international Greek games, "removed their marks of circumcision and repudiated the holy covenant". Jason (Hebrew: Yason, יאסון) of the Oniad family, brother to Onias III, was a High Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. Josephus records that his name, before he Hellenized it, was originally Jesus (Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ Yēshua`). Jason became high priest in 175 BCE after the accession of Antiochus Epiphanes IV to the throne of the Seleucid Empire. In an ongoing dispute between the current High Priest, Onias III, and Simon the Benjamite, Jason offered to pay Antiochus in order to be confirmed as the new High Priest in Jerusalem. Antiochus accepted the offer and further allowed Jason to build a gymnasium in Jerusalem and create a Greek-style Polis named after the king, Antioch. With the creation of Antioch, Jason abandoned the ordinances given under Antiochus III, which defined the polity of the Judeans according to the Torah. Jason's time as High Priest was brought to an abrupt end in 172 BCE when he sent Menelaus, the brother of Simon the Benjamite, to deliver money to Antiochus. Menelaus took this opportunity to "outbid" Jason for the priesthood, resulting in Antiochus confirming Menelaus as the High Priest from 171 BC to about 161 BC. According to II Maccabees, Menelaus belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was the brother of the Simeon who had denounced Onias III to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Jason fled Jerusalem and found refuge in the land of the Ammonites. In 168 BCE Jason made a failed attempt to regain control of Jerusalem. Fleeing again to Ammon, he then continued to Egypt, then finally to Sparta, where he died and was buried. Antiochus IV decided to side with Menalaus and the Hellenized Jews by outlawing Jewish religious rites and traditions kept by observant Jews and by ordering the worship of Zeus as the supreme god. Antiochus IV ruled the Jews from 175 to 164 BC. He is remembered as a major villain and persecutor in the Jewish traditions associated with Hanukkah, including the books of Maccabees and the "Scroll of Antiochus". Rabbinical sources refer to him as הרשע harasha ("the wicked"). He has been identified as the "eleventh horn of the beast" in the Book of Daniel (chapters 7 to 12). The Maccabean Revolt began at 167 to 160 BC, between a Judean rebel group known as the Maccabees and the Seleucid Empire. In the narrative of I Maccabees, after Antiochus issued his decrees forbidding Jewish religious practice, a rural Jewish priest from Modiin, Mattathias the Hasmonean Mattathias ben Johanan (Hebrew: מַתִּתְיָהוּ בֶּן יוֹחָנָן הַכֹּהֵן, Matityahu ben Yoḥanan HaKohen) (died 165 BC) sparked the revolt against the Seleucid Empire by refusing to worship the Greek gods. Mattathias killed a Hellenistic Jew who stepped forward to offer a sacrifice to an idol in Mattathias' place. He and his five sons fled to the wilderness of Judah. After Mattathias' death about one year later in 166 BC, his son Judah Maccabee led an army of Jewish dissidents to victory over the Seleucid dynasty in guerrilla warfare, which at first was directed against Hellenized Jews, of whom there were many. Judah Maccabee is acclaimed as one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history alongside Joshua, Gideon, and David. The Maccabees destroyed pagan altars in the villages, circumcised boys and forced Jews into outlawry. The term Maccabees as used to describe the Jewish army is taken from the Hebrew word for "hammer". In the early days of the rebellion, Judah received a surname Maccabee. Several explanations have been put forward for this surname. One suggestion is that the name derives from the Aramaic maqqaba ("makebet" in modern Hebrew), "hammer" or "sledgehammer" (cf. the cognomen of Charles Martel, the 8th century Frankish leader), in recognition of his ferocity in battle. It is also possible that the name Maccabee is an acronym for the Torah verse Mi kamokha ba'elim Adonai, "Who among the gods is like you, O Adonai?", his battle-cry to motivate troops. (Exodus 15:11). Rabbi Moshe Schreiber writes that it is an acronym for his father's name Mattityahu Kohen Ben Yochanan. Some scholars maintain that the name is a shortened form of the Hebrew maqqab-ya ¯hû (from na ¯qab, ‘‘to mark, to designate’’), meaning ‘‘the one designated by Yahweh.’ Mindful of the superiority of Seleucid forces during the first two years of the revolt, Judah's strategy was to avoid any engagement with their regular army, and to resort to guerrilla warfare, in order to give them a feeling of insecurity. The strategy enabled Judah to win a string of victories. At the battle of Nahal el-Haramiah (wadi haramia), he defeated a small Assyrian force under the command of Apollonius, governor of Samaria, who was killed. Judah took possession of Apollonius's sword and used it until his death as a symbol of vengeance. After Nahal el-Haramiah, recruits flocked to the Jewish cause. Shortly thereafter, Judah routed a larger Seleucid army under the command of Seron near Beth-Horon, largely thanks to a good choice of battlefield. Then in the Battle of Emmaus, Judah proceeded to defeat the Seleucid forces led by generals Nicanor and Gorgias. This force was dispatched by Lysias, whom Antiochus left as viceroy after departing on a campaign against the Parthians. By a forced night march, Judah succeeded in eluding Gorgias, who had intended to attack and destroy the Jewish forces in their camp with his cavalry. While Gorgias was searching for him in the mountains, Judah made a surprise attack upon the Seleucid camp and defeated the Seleucid at the Battle of Emmaus. The Seleucid commander had no alternative but to withdraw to the coast. The defeat at Emmaus convinced Lysias that he must prepare for a serious and prolonged war. He accordingly assembled a new and larger army and marched with it on Judea from the south via Idumea. After several years of conflict Judah drove out his foes from Jerusalem, except for the garrison in the citadel of Acra. He purified the defiled Temple of Jerusalem and on the 25th of Kislev (December 14, 164 BCE) restored the service in the Temple. The reconsecration of the Temple became a permanent Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, which continued even after the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. Hanukkah is still celebrated annually. The liberation of Jerusalem was the first step on the road to ultimate independence. Upon hearing the news that the Jewish communities in Gilead, Transjordan, and Galilee were under attack by neighboring Greek cities, Judah immediately went to their aid. Judah sent his brother, Simeon, to Galilee at the head of 3,000 men; Simeon proceeded to successfully fulfill his task, achieving numerous victories and transplanted a substantial portion of the Jewish settlements, including women and children, to Judea. He personally led the campaign in Transjordan, taking with him his brother Jonathan. After fierce fighting, he defeated the Transjordanian tribes and rescued the Jews concentrated in fortified towns in Gilead. The Jewish population of the areas taken by the Maccabees was evacuated to Judea. At the conclusion of the fighting in Transjordan, Judah turned against the Edomites in the south, captured and destroyed Hebron and Maresha. He then marched on the coast of the Mediterranean, destroyed the altars and statues of the pagan gods in Ashdod, and returned to Judea with much spoils. Judah then laid siege to the Assyrian garrison at the Acra, the Seleucid citadel of Jerusalem. The besieged, who included not only Assyrians but also Hellenistic Jews, appealed for help to Lysias, who effectively became the regent of the young king Antiochus V Eupator after the death of Antiochus Epiphanes at the end of 164 BCE during the Parthian campaign. Lysias together with Eupator set out for a new campaign in Judea. Lysias skirted Judea as he had done in his first campaign, entering it from the south, and besieged Beth-Zur. Judah raised the siege of the Acra and went to meet Lysias. In the Battle of Beth-zechariah, south of Bethlehem, the Seleucids achieved their first major victory over the Maccabees, and Judah was forced to withdraw to Jerusalem. Beth-Zur was compelled to surrender and Lysias reached Jerusalem, laying siege to the city. The defenders found themselves in a precarious situation because their provisions were exhausted, it being a sabbatical year during which the fields were left uncultivated. However, just as capitulation seemed imminent, Lysias and Eupator had to withdraw when Antiochus Epiphanes's commander-in-chief Philip, whom the late ruler appointed regent before his death, rebelled against Lysias and was about to enter Antioch and seize power. Lysias decided to propose a peaceful settlement, which was concluded at the end of 163 BCE. The terms of peace were based on the restoration of religious freedom, the permission for the Jews to live in accordance with their own laws, and the official return of the Temple to the Jews. The Jews accepted; however, in order to ensure they would not rise against them soon again, the Syrian king and regent broke their promise and tore down the walls of Jerusalem before leaving. Lysias defeated Philip, only to be overthrown by Demetrius, the true heir to the Assyrian throne. During the first years of the restoration of the Jewish worship Menelaus still remained (though only nominally) high priest. He is said to have been put to death by Antiochus V Eupator and his regent, general Lysias. The young 9 year old Seleucid King charged Menelaus responsible for the Jewish rebellion. Demetrius appointed Alcimus (from Greek Alkimos (Ἄλκιμος), "valiant" or Hebrew אליקום Elyaqum, "God will rise"), also called Jacimus, or Joachim (Ἰάκειμος), was, a Hellenist Jew, who served as High Priest of Israel for three years, 162 BCE-159 BCE. , a choice the Hasidim (Pietists) might have accepted since he was a descendant of the Biblical Aaron, brother of Moses. But, Alcimus was not in the high-priestly line;and being ambitious for the office of high priest, it he traveled to Antioch to petition the assistance of the Seleucid king Demetrius I Soter, who had just overthrown Antiochus Eupator. Alcimus was of the Hellenizing party, and therefore bitterly opposed by the Maccabees. Demetrius sent an army under Bacchides to establish Alcimus in the high priesthood at Jerusalem. The favor with which Alcimus was received by the Jews at Jerusalem on account of his Aaronic descent was soon turned to hate by his cruelties. When Bacchides and his army returned to Antioch, the Hasmonean Judah Maccabee attacked and overcame Alcimus, and drove him also to Syria. There he secured from Demetrius another army, led by Nicanor, who, failing to overcome Judah by treachery, attacked him directly, but was defeated and killed. A third and greater army, under Bacchides again, was dispatched to reinstall Alcimus. Judah was defeated and killed, Alcimus established as high priest and a strong garrison left in Jerusalem to maintain him. But he did not long enjoy his triumph, since he died soon after, while he was pulling down the wall of the temple that divided the court of the Gentiles from that of the Israelites. To further understand the time of period of Jesus Christ I plan on focusing more on the world around Israel during the period after Alcimus 159 BC through the destruction of the temple 70 AD. The first document I plan on studying is the "Damascus Document". Evidence from the 'Damascus scroll' indicates that this group of Essene, also known as 'The Way,' first organized outside of Israel in Damascus, Syria. The origin of a fraternity is not known with precision. It speculated Essenes were formed during Babylonian captivity (6th century BC), as a reaction to the religious relaxation had occurred. Other researchers put their creation much earlier, during the building of the Temple of Solomon in the 10th BC century and identify themselves as the first Masons. The name Essene comes from 'Es' which means 'fire' and 'sene' meaning 'worshiper.' Initiates had to go through a ritual purification by fire. Hence, in the future Khirbet-Qumran would be known as 'Damascus,' among members of the sect. This was during the early to mid second century BC. Texts from the scroll indicate that at that time the group consisted of rather typical Torah observant Jews with little Zorastrian eschatology and no Pythagorean influence. It is in this document that we find a reference to the Testament of Judah, "A Star shall come forth out of Jacob" which the community interpreted as the coming of an interpreter of the law who would be known as the 'Unique Teacher.' It is this individual, c 170 BCE, who prophesied the coming of the Messiah and the annihilation of the wicked c 130 BCE. This 40 year period was to be known as the 'the whole period of wickedness.' Often in these documents we have references to the wicked or 'wicked priest.' To the Jews and in this case the Essene, wicked simply meant not Torah observant, and it is clear that they considered the non-Davidian, non-Zadokite Hasmonean rulers who usurped the throne of Israel and the office of high priest to be just that. While the Pharisee awaited the arrival of a Davidian Messiah who would enable the Jews to rule over a vast empire, the Essene that correctly envisioned a supernatural Messiah of Moral Judgment that we know as Jesus Christ. It was the Pharisee who developed Temple worship and the ritual of blood sacrifice both of which were rejected by the Essene. Around 100 BCE there is evidence that a leader arose among the Essene, who having travelled the known world absorbed influences from other religions in the region and introduced the doctrines of Pythagoras to the Judaeo/Zorastrian community. Evidence from the 'Damascus scroll' indicates that this group of Essene, also known as 'The Way,' first organized outside of Israel in Damascus, Syria. The name Essene comes from 'Es' which means 'fire' and 'sene' meaning 'worshipper.' Initiates had to go through a ritual purification by fire. Hence, in the future Khirbet-Qumran would be known as 'Damascus,' among members of the sect. This was during the early to mid second century BCE. Texts from the scroll indicate that at that time the group consisted of rather typical Torah observant Jews with little Zorastrian eschatology and no Pythagorean influence. It is in this document that we find a reference to the Testament of Judah, "A Star shall come forth out of Jacob" which the community interpreted as the coming of an interpreter of the law who would be known as the 'Unique Teacher.' It is this individual, c 170 BCE, who prophesied the coming of the Messiah and the annihilation of the wicked c 130 BCE. This period was to be known as the 'the whole period of wickedness.' Often in these documents we have references to the wicked or 'wicked priest.' To the Jews and in this case the Essene, wicked simply meant not Torah observant, and it is clear that they considered the non-Davidian, non-Zadokite Hasmonean rulers who usurped the throne of Israel and the office of high priest to be just that. Qumrân Cave 4 22 T 4Q266 Damascus Documenta 1954 +/- 38 44 BCE-129 CE The Damascus Document was Carbon dated in Tuscon, Arizona, to anywhere from 44 years before the birth of Jesus Christ to 96 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. An average mean would put it 53 years after the death and resurrection Jesus Christ. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library Damascus Document 4Q266 – 4Q Da If John the Baptist was an Essene preacher, as many scholars believe, the Damascus Document may give an insight into the reported differences between John's disciples and Jesus' disciples over such issues as fasting. It also may hint at the reason that the ascetic John never himself joined Jesus and apparently harbored doubts about his Messiahship (Matthew 11:2). Issues such as hand-washing, Sabbath observance, and keeping oneself away from the corrupting company of sinners and Gentiles were essential to the Qumran group. If John the Baptist shared their view, it would be difficult for him to give up his tradition of purity for the broader way that Jesus taught and practiced. It appears Humankind is like a grape vine to Hashem. He snips away the bad shoots and grafts on good ones from time to time. Exhortation from the Damascus Document (Geniza A + B, 4Q266 – 272) Jackson Snyder The Hebrew word malakh comes from a root meaning "to send" and is used both in the ordinary sense of a messenger and in the sense of an angel "sent" by God. (The English word "angel" is derived from the Greek angelos with the same meaning of messenger.) 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia FALL OF ANGELS Belial and Mammon are examples of terms that initially represented aspects of the human condition occurring in the the old and new testaments which later became personified as demons in Jewish and Christian texts. Judges 19 Belial is a word that originated in the early 13th century, from Hebrew bel'yya'al "destruction," literally "worthless," from b'li "without" + ya'al "use." Wickedness as an evil force (Deut. xiii:13). Belial was later treated as a common proper name for Satan (2 Cor. vi:15), or the personification of evil. Founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey choose to portray Belial as meaning "Without Master." 2 Corinthians 6 Belial was a fallen angel in John Milton's (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) epic poem "Paradise Lost" (1667). Paradise Lost Book One John Milton Paradise Lost Book Two John Milton The characterization of Belial is Milton's, but the tradition may have been taken from Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft (1665). Here we see that imagination of man creates the demons that represent the worst of the world around us. They believe that the powers they receive from these abominations comes with a price. They do not realize that the power of the Holy Spirit is free gift to all those that seek it.

Chapter 5 It appears that a parallel belief of Solomon's failure in righteousness is understood in freemasonry. THE LOST KEYS OF FREEMASONRY or The Secret of Hiram Abiff by Manly P. Hall Masonry elevates Hiram of Tyre to symbolize the true master of Hashem's temple and seal. THE LOST KEYS OF FREEMASONRY or The Secret of Hiram Abiff by Manly P. Hall While the story of Hiram Abiff getting murdered by his 3 specters (maybe golems) is an interesting allegory that lacks continuity with the Bible. Hiram "finished all the work on the Lord’s temple." Anything built on a bad foundation eventually collapses into ruins. Photo of Tower of Babel Manly P. Hall wrote that the word Shamir signifies the electrical light of the Sun, which is derived from the Chaldean word Chiram. The name Hiram is derived from Chiram, which Hall associates with Hermes. THE SHAMIR AND THE STONE WORM Superman had laser vision just like the Shamir. 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia Solomon "The Secret of Hiram Abiff," Manly P. Hall states that King Hiram of Tyre was the Master Builder. But in the Hiramic Legend Hall changes his story and states the Master Builder was not King Hiram, but rather the Grand Master of the Dionysiac Architects, CHiram Abiff, a Widow's Son, who had no equal among the craftsmen of the earth. The giant souless spectres that Hiram created in the first story are transform into three fellow craftsmen Jubela, Jubelo, and Jubelum in the second. Both stories have him killed. The Hiramic Legend Manly Palmer Hall The Lion's Paw The picture shows how the grip of the Lion's Paw was given in the Pyramid Mysteries. The allegory of the fictional CHiram is am imaginative Messianic prototype of humanity. But, the of our Lord Jesus Christ is the original source begotten from Hashem. CHiram (Hiram) was not the son of Hashem. CHiram (Hiram) was the master builder of material things. Jesus was the master builder of living saints. It is Jesus who states the new temple lives within our hearts. And it is through Jesus Christ, not CHiram (Hiram) that Wisdom far greater than Solomon can be obtained. If you can close your eyes and take the leap of faith God will grant the Wisdom you need. I can see where Lego got its idea of an ordinary man going through trials to fulfill the prophecies and become the "Special Master Builder." From a Mason's point of view I can see promoting media the helps express complex ideas in simple ways makes sense. If everyone understands the concept, then everyone can move onto a more complex theorem on how we can be illuminated. Watch the video "Mystery of the Widow's Son - The Legend of the Craft" to learn more about Hiram Abiff James 1 1 Kings 7 1 Corinthians 3 According to Masonic historian Arturo de Hoyos, the word JahBalOn was first used in the 18th century in early French versions of the Royal Arch degree. It relates a Masonic allegory in which Jabulon was the name of an explorer living during the time of Solomon who discovered the ruins of an ancient temple. Within the ruins he found a gold plate upon which the name of God (Jehovah) was engraved. This story is similar to Joseph Smith finding golden plates with the word of God. 1. Jah. the Chaldean name of God, and signifies, 'His essence in Majesty - incomprehensible.' It is also a Hebrew word, signifying, 'I am and shall be' thereby expressing the actual future and eternal existence of the Most High. 2. Bal. is a Syriac word which signifies 'Lord or Powerful' also 'Lord in heaven or on high.' 3. On. is an Egyptian word signifying 'Father of all' as is expressed in the Lord's prayer." http://www.light-lodge-alpha.org/raset22%206%206/mason%20ea.htm http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/dart/dart00.htm I pray to Hashem that Masons and Kabbalist see that their esoteric constructs mean little compared to the actual Word of our Creator. Jesus and the Communion of Saints are examples on how to live one's life. Looking for patterns in chaos is truly chasing the wind. I do not believe Hashem has given revelation to any Freemason that I have read, except Joesph Smith. From his readings I currently discern him to be a false prophet moralist that took constructs from these mystery schools and monastic faiths and created a religion. From what I have read I believe Masonry to is a false religion based on gnostic knowledge and secular faith. Masonry believes that both dead and new religions hold pieces of the grand puzzle. I do admit that I have met very nice Kabbalist, Masons, and Mormons. But, I do not believe that Hashem has spoken to any of them. While I believe Hiram Abiff, the Angel Maroni, and the Sepherot are idolatry, I do believe the congregations of these belief systems follow the three tenets I use to discern whether they follow the wisdom of Hashem. Love our Creator, Not our Creator's possessions. Love your Neighbor, not your neighbor's possessions. Love yourself, not your possessions. The true power of 3 I AM JESUS It is wise to respect what is not known, then to provoke the light which governs all life.

Chapter 5 Through the glory of the Holy Spirit and the body of Jesus Christ, each one of us has the opportunity to be Hashem's living temple. 1 Corinthians 3 For Christians the next temple will not dedicated to Hashem. For it has already been built on Faith and Love. 2 Thessalonians 2 Is the next temple the Temple where the "Lawless One" will sit on? Or will it be the Jew's Messiah? The Temple Institute Youtube Channel https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/build-the-third-temple--3 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/12498 According to Revelation the Jewish antagonists who attacked early Followers of The Way since the Resurrection will eventually have to acknowledge that Christians are the true followers of Hashem. In Revelation, Jesus personally addresses 7 churches in the Middle East, commending most and condemning all but the Church of Philadelphia, a city of ancient Lydia in Asia Minor on the Cogamus River, 105 miles from Smyrna. Revelation 3 Here is a map of Turkey. Alasehir is on the bottom right hand corner. Twice, in 1306 and 1324, Alasehir was besieged by the Seljuk Turks, but it retained its independence until after 1390, when it was captured by the combined forces of the Turks and Byzantines. Double Headed Eagle lagash emblem of the House of Seljuq. Seljuqs adopted the Persian culture and used the Persian language as the official language of the government. Nizam-al-Mulk, became one of the greatest statesmen of medieval Islam. For twenty years he administered the Seljuk. In 1403 Tamerlane captured Alasehir, and, it is said, built about it a wall of the corpses of his victims. Tamerlane (Persian: تيمور لنگ‎ Timūr(-e) Lang, "Timur the Lame"), was a Turko-Mongol ruler of Barlas lineage. He conquered West, South and Central Asia and founded the Timurid dynasty. Although the Timurids hailed from the Barlas tribe which was of Turkicized Mongol origin, they had embraced Persian culture, converted to Islam and resided in Turkestan and Khorasan. Emblem of Timur Ala-shehir is still a Christian town; one-fourth of its modern population is Greek, and a Greek bishop still makes his home there. Ruins of the Byzantine cathedral dedicated to St. John the Theologian located in Ala-shehir. I need to do research on the golden eagle correlation with Solomon and Cyrus the Great. Solomon built the first temple. Cyrus built the second temple. Golden Eagles are very powerful birds that can take down 50 pound mammals. It is hard to imagine an eagle big enough to carry Solomon. Imagine an eagle carrying King Solomon The Seal of Solomon on top of an American eagle. Isaiah 46 Achaemenian Persian Golden Eagle Standard of Cyrus the Great. Xenophon of Athens (430 - 354 BC) reports in his work, Cyropaedia (The Education of Cyrus) that Cyrus the Great's standard was a golden eagle with spread wings, mounted on a long lance. CYROPAEDIA The Education of Cyrus Book II 1 Kings 10 Solomon and Hiram Abiff were very good business partners. The locatio of Ophir was likely Southern India or Northern Sri Lanka, where the Dravidians were well known for their sandalwood, gold, ivory and peacocks. Sandalwood grows naturally in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, Indonesia, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands. The most well-known, highest oil content (6 to 7%) and economically important species is Santalum album, or Indian sandalwood. Most likely Solomon's and Hirams fleets stopped in Southwest Arabia in the region of modern Yemen. In the ancient period, it would seem that South Arabia and the Horn of Africa were the major suppliers of incense. The port authorities must have relayed to Queen Sheba the goods the Phoenician and Israeli trade ships were carrying and the wealth of Solomon and Hiram. The key to Solomons success was the port city of Ezion-Geber. This was an extremely valuable port and Solomon built a fortress to protect it. Israel's naval alliance with Phoenicia kept the port well protected by land and sea. Numbers 33:36 says Ezion-Geber was located on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom, very near Elat. Both Elat and Ezion Geber are located at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba. After Solomon's death the kingdom split into two parts and according to Book of II Chronicles, Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, joined with Ahaziah, the King of Israel, to make ships in Ezion-geber; but God disapproved the alliance, and the ships were broken in the port. It appears that Solomon time and money spent on building forts, ships, chariots, and militia's payed big dividends for Hashem's kingdom. Possessions corrupted Solomon's priorities and he lost favor with Hashem. Israel would never be the same. In essence Solomon became the very thing that his father, David defeated. Solomon became Saul. 1 Kings 11 http://youtu.be/2V-fRcKbR2M I pray that atheist and agnostics have less trouble understanding religious conflict. They promote understanding of the "Golden Rule" taken from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Their ethical genesis is based on the beliefs and traditions of the faithful. But, they are blind to righteous truth that we are more than the forces of communal nurture. Many atheist believe that there is no Creator except themselves and random luck. Evolution comes from observing our common molecular and social past. Their harvesting of moral knowledge from faith belief of Creator commands is similar to an inorganic molecule next to an organic spark of life. The soft sciences of Atheist and agnostics cannot see their unintended agitating effects with faithful beliefs. Few truly understand conflict stems from the material possessions of greed. There is a vale to spiritual warfare they are not permitted to see. Only the outputs of good and evil are known to those without grace. The construct of Hashem does not interfere with the liberty of the rebellious and ignorant. We are all given free will to believe the testimony of the Righteous. But, we are not given discernment unless we first accept in a higher power, then and only then, can we begin a path of obtaining wisdom. And as quickly as we receive grace, it can be lost again, never to be found. The first tenet is humbling our minds to know that our Creator is also our Destroyer. It wise for a believer to fear a being that can turn something into nothing. As above, so below. It is wise for an unbeliever to fear those that can do harm to us. The second tenet is realizing that our Creator and Destroyer freely gives mercy and love to those that do the same during our physical existence. As above, so below. It is considered wise to forgive those that trespass against us. Many atheist and agnostic rebel against faithful understanding and categorize it into a psychosomatic mental disorder. Anyone that converses with G-d should medically treated to stop his voice in our head. At the same time many atheist and agnostic embrace the esoteric works of artists that help give purpose to living. Nonsense talking sense. Sense talking nonsense. It is all semantic babble. The only value comes from understanding wisdom. http://www.esotericarchives.com/oracle/oraclez.htm http://iranpoliticsclub.net/culture-language/mythology2/ http://omegafoundation.siriuscomputing.net/Poetry/I.htm http://theheavensdeclare.net/ MerKaBa is the sphere where the trinity is united. In ancient Egypt this trinity was called the Ka-Akh-Ba

Chapter 5 The True Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiastes 1 It can be construed that King Solomon teachings reveal that it is better to focus on life of the living rather than our destiny with death. The righteous are 1 in a 1000. Not a very good ratio to for the common man to obtain. And according to Solomon women have a more difficult journey. He teaches about a Creator that all humankind has rebelled against, but his words show no belief in afterlife. Long life and peaceful death is reward enough. Not much has changed for those that do not accept the words of Jesus Christ. The above passage gives me sense that Professor Marvel of the Wizard of Oz is based on a wise King Solomon that markets legends his magic ring and carpet to get people to follow him. When in reality Solomon was a gifted man that lost his way encouraging pagan idolatry. SOLOMON TURNING TO IDOLATRY, Pierre Reymond, c. 1553-84, enamel on copper, 30 x 24 cm, acc. num. 44-197, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (by permission) Ancient Jewish Seal of Solomon Ring 13th-14th Cent AD. http://www.pinterest.com/djinnknight0065/magic-rings/ Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov Here Jesus clearly states that his Wisdom is greater than Solomon. Jesus is fully Hashem and fully man. Solomon is fully man and nothing more. Jesus was sinless throughout his life. Solomon was corrupted by sin and rebelled against Hashem. Therefore, Jesus is greater and Solomon is lesser. Solomon built the first temple. Jesus built the last temple within himself. John 2 Revelation 21 John 6 Tabernacle in front of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy. A virtual tour of St. Peter's Basilica may be found here. LECTURE BY H.E. CARDINAL RATZINGER AT THE BISHOPS' CONFERENCE OF THE REGION OF CAMPANIA IN BENEVENTO (ITALY) ON THE TOPIC: "EUCHARIST, COMMUNION AND SOLIDARITY" Sunday 2 June 2002

Chapter 5 Colossians 3 Luke 14 Luke 12 There is no luggage rack on a funeral Hurst. Watch "You'll be there", by George Strait. Acts 2 I had an theological discussion with a Jewish lawyer about our faiths. He stated that Christians have it easy. All we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. Jews on the other hand, have 613 laws and commands to follow or be cursed. Then there is the Talmud, Zohar, and Kabbalah to name a few Midrash commentaries that Jewish people have to discern whether or not their sages are stating the truth about understanding the Torah. Galatians 3 Dennis Kreiss is Pastor of Pine Grove Community Church and author of several books including "The Resurrection Files," wrote such a good article on understanding the meaning of the curse and redemption of Christ. Blasphemy! The Tachrichim Shrouds and Dressing Rectification of the soul is something new for me. Tikkun HaKlali (Hebrew: תיקון הכללי‎, lit., "The General (or Comprehensive) Rectification"), also known as The General Remedy, is a set of ten Psalms whose recital serves as teshuvah (repentance) for all sins — in particular the sin of wasted seed through involuntary nocturnal emission or masturbation. God indicated the tremendous power of the sexual organ. When it is used in the context of marriage, the sexual organ is elevated and man becomes a partner with God in creation. But when it is used for personal gratification, it distances a person from God and leaves him unfulfilled, frustrated and depressed. Note. The term "Selah" above has no grammatical connection with the psalm text. It is either a liturigico-musical mark or a sign of another character with a bearing on the intonation of the reading or the verbal form of the psalm. It is quite difficult for an atheist or agnostic to understand how a person of faith views human created laws. Atheist can only see that civil and common law has roots in faith based morality. Where ethics constantly change to the winds of opinion polls, moral law is constant for each faith. But, interpretation of moral commands of our Creator do lead to new branches of religious faith. The same can be said of the soft social and psychological sciences that derived for faith based discussions. They revise their beliefs based on the politics of their governing body and how the public perceives them. 1 Corinthians 10 I pray that atheist, agnostic, naturalist, humanist, materialist to stop worshiping our Lord's creation. The path path to rectifying our existence by humbling our pride knowing that we can become more than just grains of dust in Cosmic time. If one accepts she or here are nothing more than but dust nurturing the Tree of Life, then she or he get their wish and will revert to dust when they die. You are more than just dust in the wind. Read the true Wisdom of Solomon. The Philospher King explains the steps he took looking for grace. At the very least you will understand where the musical group Kansas got their inspiration from.

Chapter 5 Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Baba Mezi'a 60b CHAPTER V Neshek, from 'to bite', denotes usury, 'bitten out', as it were, from the debtor, something received for nothing given. Tarbith, marbith, and ribbith from [H], 'to increase', denotes increase, profits. The question of the Mishnah is posited on Lev. XXV, 36: Take thou no neshek from him, nor tarbith. Babylonian Talmud Tractate Baba Mezi'a 61a Raba may refer to any one of the following Talmudic sages: Rava, (Hebrew: רבא‎) (ca. 270—350) Rabbah, (Hebrew: רבה‎) (ca. 270—ca. 330) Babylonian Talmud Tractate Baba Mezi'a 61b Indirect Interest is when a person having a direct or indirect financial interest in a management contract. Baba Mezi'a 62a Babylonian Talmud Tractate Baba Mezi'a 62b Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Baba Mezi'a 63a Usufruct is a property right, deriving from Roman law, that unites the two rights of usus and fructus: Usus (usage) is the right to use or enjoy a thing possessed, directly and without altering it. Fructus (fruit, in a figurative sense) is the right to derive profit from a thing possessed: for instance, by selling harvest, renting real estate or devices, taxing for entry.. Usufruct is either titled to another person or held in common ownership, as long as the property is not damaged or destroyed. Usufruct comes from civil law, under which it is a subordinate real right (or in rem right) (ius in re aliena) of limited duration, usually for a person's lifetime. The holder of a usufruct, known as a usufructuary, has the right to use (usus) the property and enjoy its fruits (fructus). In modern term, fructus more or less corresponds to profit one may make, as when selling the "fruits" (in both literal and figurative senses) of ground or renting a house. Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Baba Mezi'a 63b We can thank the Babylonians for legal terms, forms, and interest. Babylonian contracts exist in the thousands, including a great variety of deeds, conveyances, bonds, receipts, accounts, and most important of all, actual legal decisions given by the judges in the law courts. Historical inscriptions, royal charters and rescripts, dispatches, private letters and the general literature afford welcome supplementary information. Even grammatical and lexicographical texts contain many extracts or short sentences bearing on law and custom. The so-called "Sumerian Family Laws" are preserved in this way. Much Babylonian legal precedent remained in force, even through the Persian, Greek and Parthian conquests, which had little effect on private life in Babylonia; and it survived to influence Romans. The laws and customs that preceded the Code may be called "early"; that of the Neo-Babylonian empire (as well as the Persian, Greek, etc.), "late". The law of Assyria was derived from the Babylonian, but it conserved early features long after they had disappeared elsewhere. The god of a city was originally considered the owner of its land, which encircled it with an inner ring of irrigable arable land and an outer fringe of pasture; the citizens were his tenants. The god and his vice regent, the king, had long ceased to disturb tenancy and were content with fixed dues in naturalia, stock, money or service. Here is a good his history outline of usury by the Americans for Fairness in Lending, a former nonprofit organization dedicated to reforming the nation’s lending industry to protect Americans’ financial assets. It was launched in 2007 and dissolved in 2010. Watch the video "Godsmack - Greed" and ponder what is the meaning of idolatry in context with interest and possessions. Sully Erna is a practicing Wiccan. "We respect every other religion because we think all gods and goddesses are the same. People just worship them in a different way. Wicca is often mistakenly associated with evil, but we believe in Karma and if we do something bad it comes back to haunt us, as a godsmack!" The video for "Greed" is rather unusual for Godsmack in that it follows an actual story rather than loosely connected elements and aesthetics The world runs and involves on Greed. Milton Freedman believes that Greed rewards our labors. But, that argument fails with a growing population that has a lesser chance of gaining real property or tangible wealth from the few that inherit it. According to a 2007 article in Commentary magazine, Freedman's "parents were moderately observant [Jews], but Milton, after an intense burst of childhood piety, rejected religion altogether." He described himself as an agnostic. A survey of economists ranked Friedman as the second most popular economist of the twentieth century after John Maynard Keynes, and The Economist described him as "the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century ... possibly of all of it." Friedman was an economic adviser to Republican U.S. President Ronald Reagan. His political philosophy extolled the virtues of a free market economic system with minimal intervention. He once stated that his role in eliminating U.S. conscription was his proudest accomplishment, and his support for school choice led him to found the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. The effects of consumerism. The aftermath How much of our world's debt trash? Is it 80%? Only Hashem knows. The made-made idol of Mammon is hidden in plain sight.

Chapter 5 I want to go further into the origins of the evil eye. It appears the left eye is evil and the right eye is good according to the Sefer Yetzirah, was writen around 200 AD. Oldest reference to the "Sefer Yetzirah" is mentioned in the Talmud. Haggigah 12a Mashiach means messiah is a term used in the Hebrew Bible to describe priests and kings, who were traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil as described in Exodus 30:22-25. For example, Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, although not a Hebrew, is referred to as "God's mashiach" in the Bible. Kabbalah's Best Kept Secret? In the religion of Ancient Rome, a haruspex (plural haruspices) was a person trained to practice a form of divination called haruspicy (haruspicina) the inspection of the entrails (exta), hence also extispicy (extispicium) of sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrificed sheep and poultry. The reading of omens specifically from the liver is also known by the Greek term hepatoscopy (also hepatomancy). Etruscan inscriptions on the bronze sheep's liver of Piacenza Old Assyrian clay liver models recovered from the palace at Mari, dated to the 19th or 18th century BC. Divinatory livers, clay models for the training of soothsayers. The one in the middle is interpreted as fortelling the destruction of small cities. Baken clay, 19th18th centuries BC, found in the royal palace at Mari (now in Syria). One Babylonian clay model of a sheep's liver, dated between 1900 and 1600 BC, is conserved in the British Museum. The model was used for divination, which was important to Mesopotamian medicine. This practice was conducted by priests and seers who looked for signs in the stars, or in the organs of sacrificed animals, to tell them things about a patients illness. Wooden pegs were placed in the holes of the clay tablet to record features found in a sacrificed animal's liver. The seer then used these features to predict the course of a patient's illness. The Nineveh library texts name more than a dozen liver-related terms. The liver was considered the source of the blood and hence the basis of life itself. From this belief, the Babylonians thought they could discover the will of the gods by examining the livers of carefully selected sheep. A priest known as a bārû was specially trained to interpret the "signs" of the liver, and Babylonian scholars assembled a monumental compendium of omens called the Bārûtu. The liver was divided into sections, with each section representing a particular deity. The Babylonian and Assyrian exorcist (āipu) performed purification rituals for houses, stables and fields, he participated in temple rituals and was competent in the ceremonies associated with the induction of people into office, the initiation of divine statues and the foundation of temples. A large proportion of the corpus of texts associated with this profession focuses on protective and therapeutic measures against various human illnesses. The exorcist, who usually held his office at the royal court or within the temple hierarchy, is one of the most important healing professionals in ancient Mesopotamia, treating complex and serious illnesses by dispelling the evil force at their root, purifying the patient and protecting him against similar future threats. Neo-Assyrian bronze amulet against the demon Lamatu. The third register shows a sick man being treated by fish-garbed protective spirits associated with the god Ea (apkallus), with apotropaic demons guarding the entrance to his bedroom. The fourth register depicts Lamatu crossing the Ulaya river; she is chased away by the demon Pazuzu, and her ritual paraphernalia and provisions are detailed on the right side of the amulet. http://www.cmawro.altorientalistik.uni-wuerzburg.de/magic_witchcraft/experts/ In Mesopotamian mythology, Lamashtu (Akkadian dLa-ma-tu; Sumerian Dimme dDim3-me) was a female demon, monster, malevolent goddess or demigoddess who menaced women during childbirth and, if possible, kidnapped children while they were breastfeeding. She would gnaw on their bones and suck their blood, as well as being charged with a number of other evil deeds. She was a daughter of the Sky God Anu. Lamashtu bore seven names and was described as seven witches in incantations. Her evil deeds included (but were not limited to), slaying children, unborns, and neonates, causing harm to mothers and expectant mothers, eating men and drinking their blood, disturbing sleep, bringing nightmares, killing foliage, infesting rivers and lakes, and being a bringer of disease, sickness, and death. Pazuzu, a god or demon, was invoked to protect birthing mothers and infants against Lamashtu's malevolence, usually on amulets and statues. Although Pazuzu was said to be bringer of famine and drought, he was also invoked against evil for protection, and against plague, but he was primarily and popularly invoked against his fierce, malicious, rival Lamashtu. Demon fighting demon. Reminds me of Ghost Rider Who came up with the idea of choosing the lesser of two evils. Uumgallu, inscribed: ú-um-gal-lu, from Sumerian: uum.gal, dragon and meaning "Great Dragon" or prime venomous snake according to Wiggermann, somewhat speculatively identified with the four-legged, winged dragon (Uum) of the late 3rd millennium, was a lion-dragon demon whose name Winter translates as predator. It was one of three horned snakes in Akkadian mythology, with Bamu and Mumaḫḫū. Ningishzida (sum: dnin-g̃i-zid-da) is a Mesopotamian deity of the underworld. His name in Sumerian is translated as "lord of the good tree" by Thorkild Jacobsen. In Sumerian mythology, he appears in Adapa's myth as one of the two guardians of Anu's celestial palace, alongside Dumuzi. He was sometimes depicted as a serpent with a human head. Terracotta plaque of a dragon Ushumgal. Babylonian, about 800-550 BC From Mesopotamia Sirrush (or Mushhushshu) on the Ishtar Gate, Babylon, 6th century B.C.. bas-relief in the Pergamon Museum, Germany The mušḫuššu (formerly also read as sirrušu, sirrush) is a creature depicted on the reconstructed Ishtar Gate of the city of Babylon, dating to the 6th century B.C. As depicted, it is a mythological hybrid, a scaly dragon with hind legs like an eagle's talons, feline forelegs, a long neck and tail, a horned head, a snakelike tongue, and a crest. The form mušḫuššu is the Akkadian nominative of the Sumerian MUŠ.ḪUS, lit. "reddish snake" sometimes also translated as "fierce snake". One author, possibly following others, translates it as "splendor serpent" (MUŠ is the Sumerian term for "serpent". The reading sir-ruššu is due to a mistranslation in early Assyriology.) The mušḫuššu is the sacred animal of Marduk and his son Nabi during the Neo-Babylonian Empire. It was taken over by Marduk from Tishpak, the local god of Eshnunna. The Jerusalem Post The covenant code and the Gate of Tishpak There is no doubt that other kingdoms, empires, and city states had laws. I also believe that there could have been lower judges found at the entrance gates. Ruth 4 We have border judges in the United States. But the laws the Israelites received were purely from Hashem. Not man. The main Hebrew words used for "usury" are nashak or neshek, meaning "to STRIKE with a sting like a snake, bite, lend with usury, exact interest on a debt." I never knew Jewish prophets saw that the serpent as a banker and the snakebite as the loan. This is similar to Jesus view that money as an idol and having possessions detestable to Hashem.

Chapter 5 The Hamsa can on two mosaics found in the Catholic Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. The first, Hamsa over Moses (Top left mosaic). The second, Hamsa over Abel and Melchisedec (middle mosaic) http://www.shanemcauliffe.com/category/italy/ Ask the Rabbi 14 January 1995; Issue #51 What is an "Ayin Hara"? According to tradition, a red string is wound around the stone marker over Rachel's grave seven times, while reciting various Hebrew prayers. Including Psalm 33, the mystical prayer Ana B'Koach and Asher Yatzar. The string is then cut into bracelet size lengths and is worn on the left hand as a symbolic request for spiritual and physical protection and blessings. Psalm 33 No amulet or charm can protect the evil doer. Isaiah 47 The Prophet King David stated that it is Hashem's angels who protect the godly from evil. Psalms 34 The evil eye turns the fictional hero Anakin Skywalker to villain Darth Vader. Luke 11 What you choose, is what you will become. This Hashem given liberty constantly crosses our path throughout life. The hero becomes the villain becomes the hero. The fictional Darth Vader reverts back to being Anakin Skywalker. The conversion of Saint Paul by Luca Giordano (1690), Museum of Fine Arts of Nancy, France. http://mban.nancy.fr/ The Conversion of Paul, in spite of his attempts to completely eradicate Christianity, is seen as evidence of the power of Divine Grace, with "no fall so deep that grace cannot descend to it" and "no height so lofty that grace cannot lift the sinner to it." It also demonstrates "God's power to use everything, even the hostile persecutor, to achieve the divine purpose. Galatians 1 1 John 2 Eyes Find Evil and Death Genesis 3 Psalm 50

Chapter 5 1 Peter 3 In Purola a a great bird-shaped altar of Garuda was found dating approximately 100 BC to 200 years after Jesus. This dates the Agnicayana rite as being at least 1800 years old. The name "bonfire" is derived from the fact that bonfires (bone fire) were originally fires in which bones were burned. In India, particularly in Punjab, people gather around a bonfire and eat peanuts and sweets during the festival of Lohri to celebrate the winter solstice which occurred during the Indian month of Magh. People have bonfires on communal land. If there has been a recent wedding or a new born in the family, people will have a bonfire outside their house to celebrate this event. The festival falls in the second week of January every year. In Israel, on the eve of Lag BaOmer, bonfires are lit on to commemorate the Mishnaic sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who according to tradition died on Lag BaOmer. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is accredited with having composed the Kabalistic work The Zohar (literally "The Shining" - hence the custom of lighting fire to commemorate him). The main celebration takes place at Rabbi Shimon's tomb on Mt. Meron in northern Israel, but all over the country bonfires are lit in open spaces. Linked by Modern Jewish tradition to the Bar Kokhba Revolt against the Roman Empire (132-135 CE), Lag BaOmer is very popularly observed and celebrated as a symbol for the fighting Jewish spirit. As Lag Ba'Omer draws near, children begin collecting material for the bonfire: wood boards and planks, old doors, and anything else made of wood. On the night itself, families and friends gather round the fires and youths will burn their bonfires till daybreak. Rabbi Maimonides knew that Jews had come to conceptualize the world as an enchanted universe, governed by occult affinities. Maimonides book, "The Guide for the Perplexed" begins with his thesis against anthropomorphism (the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to Hashem). In the Bible, one can find many expressions that refer to God in human terms, for instance the "hand of G-d." Maimonides was strongly against what he believed to be a heresy present in unlearned Jews who then assume Hashem to be corporeal (or even possessing positive characteristics). Guide for the Perplexed Chapter II Guide for the Perplexed Chapter V Maimonides attempted reformation failed because he did not accept Jesus as his savior and provoked a kabbalistic counter-reformation which has spread throughout the world's great religions, mystery schools, and secret societies. John 5 Deuteronomy 18 This Kabbalist secular model allows one to navigate through tarot, sephiroth, Buddhic realms, Hindu realms, alchemy, astrology, and philosophy. 2007 Hindu-Jewish Leadership Summit Agni (Sanskrit: अग्नि), (Tamil அக்கினி) is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods. He is ever-young, because the fire is re-lit every day, and also immortal. India and Israel have increased co-operation in military and intelligence ventures since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The rise of Islamic extremist terrorism in both nations has generated a strong strategic alliance between the two. India recently launched a military satellite for Israel through its Indian Space Research Organization. http://www.iai.co.il/2013/22031-en/IAI.aspx In 1997, Israel's President Ezer Weizman became the first head of the Jewish state to visit India. He met with Indian President Shankar Dayal Sharma, Vice President K.R. Narayanan and Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Weizman negotiated the first weapons deal between the two nations, involving the purchase of Barak 1 vertically-launched surface-to-air (SAM) missiles from Israel. The Barak-1 has the ability to intercept anti-ship missiles such as the Harpoon. The purchase of the Barak-1 missiles from Israel by India was a tactical necessity since Pakistan had purchased Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft and 27 Harpoon sea-skimming anti-ship missiles from the United States. Israel was one of the selected few nations, a group that also included France and Russia, that did not condemn India's 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd signed a US $2.5 billion deal with India in 2007 to develop an anti-aircraft system and missiles for the country, in the biggest defence contract in the history of Israel at the time. IAI CEO Yitzhak Nissan visited India to finalise the agreement with heads of the defence establishment and the country's president. IAI is developing the Barak 8 missile for the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force which is capable of protecting sea vessels and ground facilities from aircraft and cruise missiles. The missile has a range of over 70 kilometres. The missile will replace the current obsolete Russian system used by India. In 2008, Israel surpassed Russia as the largest arms supplier to India. Jericho is a general designation given to the Israeli ballistic missiles. The name is taken from the first development contract for the Jericho I signed between Israel and Dassault in 1963, with the codename as a reference to the Biblical city of Jericho. As is true for most Israeli unconventional weapons systems, exact details are highly classified though there is observed test data, public statements by government officials, and details in open literature especially about the Shavit satellite launch vehicle. The later Jericho family development is related to the Shavit and Shavit II space launch vehicles believed to be derivatives of the Jericho II IRBM and which preceded the development of the Jericho III ICBM. Additional insight into the Jericho program is given by the South African series of missiles which the RSA-3 are believed to be licensed copies of the Jericho II/Shavit and the RSA-4 used part of these systems in their stack with a heavy first stage, after the declaration and disarming of the South African nuclear program the RSA series missiles were offered commercially as satellite launch vehicles where the advertised specifications became part of the public knowledge. The civilian space launch version of the Jericho, the Shavit has been studied in an air launched version piggybacked on a Boeing 747 similar to a US experimental launch of the Minuteman ICBM from a C-5 Galaxy. Joshua 6 The Man burns during the Burning Man 2013 arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, on August 31, 2013. http://www.burningman.com/ Burning Man Image Gallery G - d evil adultery fornification idolatry magical arts witchcraft pride boastfulness exaltation Burning Man has spread to Israel. The 2014 theme was Genesis. http://midburn.com This ancient symbol, most commonly known as the Hamsa (Chamsa) or Hamesh hand, is used as a protective amulet by both Jews and Muslims. Early use of the hamsa has been traced to ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). A universal sign of protection, the image of the open right hand is seen in Mesopotamian artifacts in the amulets of the Qāt Ištar and the Qāt Inana and in the Buddha's gesture (mudrā) of teaching and protection. The first known use of the hamsa can be traced to the civilization of Phoenicia that spread across the Mediterranean between 1550 – 330 BCE. The Phoenicians used an image of the hand to represent Tanit (Tinnit and Tannou), chief patron goddess of their capital Carthage alongside her consort Ba`al Hammon. Tanit was controller of the lunar cycle. With time, her hand became a protective amulet in its own right and was used to ward off the evil eye, one of the oldest manifestations of human fear. In today's Tunisia it is customary to invoke "Oumek Tannou" (Mother Tannou) the years of drought to bring rain; just as we speak of "Baali" farming, for non-irrigated farming, to say that it only depends on god Ba`al Hammon Tanit was also a Punic goddess and adopted by the Berber people. Tanit e was equivalent to the moon-goddess Astarte, and later worshipped in Roman Carthage in her Romanized form as Dea Caelestis, Juno Caelestis or simply Caelestis.

Chapter 5 Garuda (गरूड eagle in Sanskrit) is a fabulous bird of Indian mythology, son of Kashyapa and vinata and brother of Aruna, the charioteer of Surya. It was Garuda that stole the nectar of Immortality from Indra, the king of the Gods. This story is similar to Anzu and the tablets of destiny. The Garuda refers to a mythological bird, the Khading, or Khyung originally an ancient Manichean Bon khading (Tib. mkha'lding), the golden 'horned eagle', king of birds, and the Bon bird of fire. The Brihad Tantra Sara lists twelve names of Garuda, which include Suparna (beautiful wings), Garutman (the solar bird), Naga-Bhishana (enemy of serpents), and Khageshvara or Pakshiraj (Lord of birds). Khyung is found at a site with much early rock art. It appears to date to Iron Age (700–100 CE). The two horns of the bird are clearly represented. Of special note is the treatment of the wings, which gracefully but powerfully fold inwards. http://www.tibetarchaeology.com/january-2012/ Khading later represented the Bon spirit of fire and is found in the upper left hand corner of Buddhist prayer flags. The Khading bird represents the powers of light and darkness. Garuda can also be seen as a mythical giant eagle, natural air enemy of naga serpents water and earth. Garuda and the nagas began life as cousins. The sage Kasyapa had two wives (amongst his 13 wives, all prajapati Daksha's daughters), Kadru and Vinata, the former of whom desired many offspring, and the latter of whom desired few but powerful offspring. Each got her wish. Kadru laid 1000 eggs which hatched into snakes, and Vinata laid two, which hatched into the charioteer of Surya the sun god and Garuda. Through a foolish bet, Vinata became enslaved to her sister, and as a result Vinata's son Garuda was required to do the bidding of the snakes. Though compliant, he chafed and built up a grudge that he would never relinquish. When he asked the snakes what he would have to do in order to release his mother, Vinata, from her bondage, they told him he would have to bring them amrita, the elixir of immortality. Garuda stole the elixir from the gods and brought it to the serpents in fulfillment of their requirement, but through a ruse prevented them from partaking of it and achieving immortality. From that point onward, he regarded them as enemies and as food. (Book I: Adi Parva, Sections 16ff.) Nāga (IAST: nāgá, Burmese pronunciation: [naːɡá]) is the Sanskrit and Pāli word for a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a very great snake—specifically the king cobra, found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. A female Nāga is a nāgī or nāgiṇī. The Naga people were a serpent-worshiping group who were later described as serpents themselves in ancient Indian literature. Ayus people were Serpent cult people from the beginning. Kuru (Sanskrit: कुरु) was the name of a Vedic Aryan tribal union in northern Iron Age India, which appeared in the Middle Vedic period (c. 1200 – c. 850 BC) and developed into the first recorded state-level society in South Asia around 1000 BC. The first Kuru capital was at Āsandīvat, identified with modern Assandh in Haryana. Later literature refers to Indraprastha (modern Delhi) and Hastinapura as the main Kuru cities. The Atiratra Agnicayana (ati-rātrá agní-cayana "the building up of the fireplace performed overnight") or Athirathram is the piling of the altar of Agni. It is a Śrauta ritual of the Vedic religion and is considered to be the greatest ritual as per the Vedic ritual hierarchy. It is also the world's oldest surviving ritual. Its mantras are first attested in the Yajurveda Samhitas (Taittiriya, Kathaka; Vajasaneyi) of the Kuru Kingdom, c.1000 BCE. The practice of Atiratra Agnicayana was generally discontinued among Brahmins by the late Vedic period, during the rise of Jainism and Buddhism in India. Nevertheless, a continuous, unbroken 3,000 year tradition has been found to exist among a few Nambudiri Brahmin families in Kerala, South India. The entire ritual takes twelve days to perform, in the course of which a great bird-shaped altar of Garuda, the uttaravedi "northern altar" is built out of 10,800 bricks. The liturgical text is in chapters 11 to 18 of the Shukla Yajurveda; the corresponding exposition of the ritual is in Books 6 to 9 of the Shatapatha Brahmana. A total of 29 sastras and stutis from Rigveda and Samaveda are also recited in entire Agnicayana rite. The original essence and purpose of the ritual is not correctly known. But, the immediate practical purpose of the Agnicayana is to build up for the sacrificer an immortal body that is permanently beyond the reach of the transitoriness, suffering, and death that, according to this rite, characterize man's mortal existence. The Hindu 12-day 'Athirathram' comes to an end Fire rituals are found in many ancient religions, including Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, ancient Greco-Roman religions, American Indian religions, and Incan traditions. Athirathram is considered the oldest by Hindu people. Besides fire rituals, Vaisnava dharma priests (Vaikhanasas) create Mandalas out of sand, and other mediums, such as pain, chalk, stones, collage materials, etc. This hexagram mandala looks like the Jewish Star of David. As you will see there are some similarities between Judaism and Hinduism. Bhoo Varaha (Vishnu) is worshiped in a mandala (Sanskrit: मण्डल Maṇḍala, 'circle') is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the Universe. Vishnu (/ˈvɪʃnuː/; Sanskrit: Viṣṇu)is the Supreme God of Vaishnavism, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary Hinduism. https://bhaktianandascollectedworks.wordpress.com/tag/judaism-and-vaishnavism/ http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/connections/Judaism.php Black marble statue of Lord Vishnu (All Pervader, Present Throughout) with vehicle Garuda. This depiction looks similar to Zoroastrian, Assyrian, and Sumerian depictions of deities I have researched. This statue is similar to, Christian, Jewish Kabbalist, and Gnostic depictions of angels as well. The dark color feels demonic in context to light color I have grown up with. This leads me to believe that religious media can promote stereotypes of white is light and good and dark skin is black and evil. The opposite can equally be stated. Both are wrong concepts of Hashem. G-d's image is in all races. The Rabbi and I Chapter Fifteen THE FORM AND BEAUTY OF GOD Chapter Twenty-six THE UNIVERSAL FORM The Rabbi and I Chapter Twenty-nine IDOL WORSHIP VS. DEITY WORSHIP As a Catholic, I have been hypersensitive to seeing icons, paintings, statues, movies, animations of saints, angels, demons, and Hashem. This type media has projected a theater in my mind of what the Bible represents. Depictions of saints, angels, demons and Hashem get twisted into apostasy and are often used against the Living Word. A clear example is "Dominion" television series on the SyFy channel where Hashem has left and angels are at war with humans. The "Chosen One" is a supposed savior that has sexual interludes with different woman and has magical changing words on his body. The Arch Angel Michael sleeps with multiple women at a time. Then there is Micheal's brother, Gabriel, who plans the destruction for mankind. In my opinion, "Dominion" is the highest form of idolatry there is. The righteous are purposely depicted as sinners. And Hashem is depicted as Father who left his children. The Dominion concept is not new. It continues from the 2010 film, Legion The Archangel Michael falls to Earth in Los Angeles and cuts off his wings. Even Legion is not new. The concept stems from the 1995 film Prophecy, where Archangel Gabriel comes down to earth looking for a soul to end the stalemated war in Heaven. The war is caused by God's rejection of his celestial subjects in favor of what they consider "talking monkeys" called the human race. Hosea 4 The territory of Ephraim contained the early centers of Israelite religion - Shechem and Shiloh. These factors contributed to making Ephraim the most dominant of the tribes in the Kingdom of Israel, and led to Ephraim becoming a synonym for the entire kingdom. The Rabbi and I Chapter Nineteen COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF GOD'S NAMES Hindu-Jewish Leadership Summit The world's first Jewish-Hindu interfaith leadership summit, spearheaded by Hindu organizations in India and Jewish organizations in Israel, as well as the American Jewish Committee, was held in New Delhi on February 2007. The chief Rabbi of Israel, Yona Metzger, was actively involved in the dialogue, together with Swami Dayanand Saraswati. They stated that "The Jewish and Hindu communities are committed to the ancient traditions of Judaism and Hindu dharma respectively, and have both, in their own ways, gone through the painful experiences of persecution, oppression and destruction."Mertzger quoted: A second Hindu-Jewish summit took place in Jerusalem in February 2008. There, the Jewish delegation accepted that true Hindus accept One Supreme Being and do not think that the representations used in worship are idols. Despite snowy weather in Jerusalem, the Hindu delegation visited and said their prayers at the Kotel, also known as the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites for Jews. In June 2009, another Hindu-Jewish interfaith meet was held in New York and Washington. The International Hindu-Jewish Leadership Dialogue was hosted by the American Jewish Committee, the Hindu American Foundation, and the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha and was sponsored by the World Council of Religious Leaders. It began with a lunch and presentations amid saffron-robed swamis, dark-suited rabbis, and Hindu lay leaders wearing lapel pins combining the Israeli, Indian, and American flags. In August 2007, a delegation of the All India Organization of Imams and Mosques led by Maulana Jamil Ilyas visited Israel. The Israel visit followed a trip by Jewish rabbis to Delhi for an inter-faith meeting. Maulana Jamil Ilyasi, president of the All India Organization of Imams and Mosques, stated "I was pleasantly surprised to know that the Sharia (Islamic law) is being supported by the Israeli government; whereas, in India, only local Muslims implement it. That is unique." Ilyasi was apparently referring to the existence of government-sanctioned Islamic courts in the Israeli justice system, which handle marriage, divorce and conversion issues for Muslim Israelis. Similar religious courts exist for Jews and Christians. The visit was organized by the American Jewish Council. The visit was touted as a dialogue of democracies.

Ennin, You may know that I am writing about the Didache. It will show you my belief on morality and idolatry. Our Creator has taken me on a path of discovery and strengthened my understanding what it means to be truly righteous. Our Lord's message is becomes clearer and I am beginning to understand where it becomes corrupt. I think it is a travesty that there is not a more open dialogue on learning the wisdom of the past. http://www.dcmessageboards.com/index.php?/topic/24596-the-didache-the-teaching-first-christian-catechism/ I would love to visit Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Iran, Turkey, Palestine and Israel to collaborate with theologians and scholars to learn more, but the money and turmoil in those regions makes that not possible. I pray for peace.

Luke 21 POPE FRANCIS MORNING MEDITATION IN THE CHAPEL OF THE DOMUS SANCTAE MARTHAE Faith is never a private matter Thursday, 28 November 2013 Romans 11

Do you believe peace is possible in the Middle East?

The genealogy of the Spanish Tuya side of my family is obscure. I stumbled upon Queen Tuya researching the Middle East. I wonder if she was my distant ancestor? Joseph and Asenath were recorded in Egyptian history using their innocuous pseudonyms Yuya and Tuya (Thuya, Tuyu, or Tjuyu). According to Genesis 41:45, Pharaoh gives Aseneth, the daughter of Potipherah (Pentephres in the Septuagint) priest of On to Joseph as a wife. Genesis 41 Was Yuya the Hebrew Joesph? Are the Hyksos the Egyptian name for Isrealites? The Hyksos or Hycsos (/ˈhɪksɒs/ or /ˈhɪksoʊz/;[3] Egyptian heqa khaseshet, "ruler(s) of the foreign countries"; Greek Ὑκσώς, Ὑξώς) were an Asiatic people from West Asia who took over the eastern Nile Delta, ending the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt and initiating the Second Intermediate Period. According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (1st century AD), identified the Hyksos with the Hebrews of the Bible. Josephus identifies the Israelite Exodus with the first exodus mentioned by Manetho, when some 480,000 Hyksos, left Egypt for Jerusalem Genesis 41:50-52 narrates that Aseneth bore Joseph two sons Manasseh and Ephraim. Queen Tuya (also called Tuy or Mut-Tuya was the wife of Pharaoh Seti I of Egypt and mother of Princess Tia, Ramesses II and perhaps Henutmire. She was the daughter of Raia who was a military officer based on his title of Lieutenant of the chariotry. Tuya's daughter, Princess Tia, was married to a high ranking civil servant who was also called Tia. As the mother of Ramesses II, she enjoyed a privileged existence of a respected king's mother and was allowed the opportunity to correspond with the Hittite royal court after the Year 21 peace treaty between Egypt and Hatti put in place by Ramesses II. In the Biblical narrative, Simeon was covetous of Dinah (Mutemwia). It seems he also sired the firstborn son of Tuya (who we can now say was not one and the same as Mutemwia, but another desirable princess). Photo of Egyptian Queen. Queen Tiye, daughter of Yuya and Tuya and wife of King Amenhotep III. Tiye (c. 1398 BC – 1338 BC, also spelled Taia, Tiy and Tiyi) was the daughter of Yuya and Tjuyu (also spelled Thuyu). She became the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III. She was the mother of Akhenaten and grandmother of Tutankhamun. Her mummy was identified as The Elder Lady found in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) in 2010. Mutemwiya (also written as Mutemwia or Mutemweya) was a minor wife of Thutmose IV, a pharaoh of Egypt, in the Eighteenth Dynasty and the mother of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Mutemwiya's name means "Mut in the divine bark". Tomb KV21 is located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It contains the mummies of two women, thought to be Eighteenth Dynasty queens. In 2010, a team headed by Dr Zahi Hawass (the head of Egyptian Supreme council of antiquity at that time) and including geneticist Carsten Pusch among others used DNA evidence to identify one mummy as the biological mother of the two fetuses preserved in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. KV21A still has that very rare allele 16 at the first locus, which she shares with Amenhotep III. 16 shows up in Spain and among the Basque, There are "matches" of haplotype patterns with J2 and T between some of the old Phoenician colony locations (i.e. Cadiz, Spain). http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/09/tut-dna/tut-family-tree http://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuya_(XVIII_sülalə) +[63] Pedro II the Catholic de Aragón King of Aragón: 1185 in Aragón, Spain or Montpellier, Herault, France,

Chapter 5 The Book of Enoch - Chapter 60 1 Samuel 16 The Great Isaiah Scroll 2 Corinthians 3 John 1 John 3 Take a break listen to Train, "Calling All Angels" and think about what is written above. Acts 7 Imagine if Stephen or any members the the early church rebelled that day. What if Saul had been killed? No one would know of the power of Jesus forgiveness for such a great transgression. But, Saul lived on to realize his actions and received the power Holy Spirit. He changed his name to Paul and became one of the most famous Christians who later wrote 13 books in the New Testament (Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). I believe he wrote or had great influence in Hebrews as well. Persecution of Christians is happening today in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, China, North Korea, and other parts of the world. It is possible that one or many of those oppressors will through the power of the Holy Spirit receive Jesus and become great Saints like Paul in the future. Sometimes it hard to hold back, especially if you or a loved one is on the receiving end of being persecuted for your faith. Keep the love of G-d and your fellow neighbor close to your heart and your reward will be great in Heaven. Sophia Ariel wrote to me that the Shekinah is not separate from the Father. I could not agree more. The Shekinah Glory is the Lord of Spirits. The Holy Spirit is Love. Praise Hashem! Praise Jesus! Praise the Holy Advocate! 1 John 4 Hillsong Live - Our God Is Love http://www.jesuslovers.net/id257.html

Chapter 5 Was Areimanios mentioned in the Book of Daniel? Daniel 7 According to Plutarch, Zoroaster named Areimanios as one of the two rivals who were the artificers of good and evil. In terms of sense perception, Oromazes was to be compared with light, and Areimanios to darkness and ignorance; between these was Mithras the Mediator. Areimanios received offerings that pertained to apotropaism and mourning. Below is a Babylonian boundary-stone and memorial tablet photo taken by L. W. King. The tablet can be found in the British Museum Kudurru of Adad-eṭir, mentioning a certain Marduk-balāssu-iqbi; a ninth century BC era monument. (Line 4--en:Marduk-balassu-iqbi's name:)...Inscribed ("Male"(Individual, 1.),God),...md, as:...mDINGIR-AMAR.UTU.TI-su-iq-bi meaning “Marduk has promised his life,” 205 ca. 819 – 813 BC, was the 8th king of the Dynasty of E of Babylon; he was the successor of his father Marduk-zākir-šumi I, and was the 4th and final generation of Nabû-šuma-ukin I's family to reign. He was contemporary with his father’s former ally, Šamši-Adad V of Assyria, who may have been his brother-in-law, married to who was possibly his sister Šammur-amat, the legendary Semiramis, and who was to become his nemesis. Notice Faravahar on the top left of the tablet. The Assyrians under, Šamši-Adad V (ca. 823-811 BC), led two successive campaigns against him, the first of which was his fourth since coming to power. The motivation for these assaults is uncertain, however, Šamši-Adad may have harbored some resentment to the inferior position he had been placed into, in a treaty with Marduk-balāssu-iqbi's immediate predecessor, Marduk-zâkir-šumi and a diplomatic marriage of Babylonian king's daughter, Shammuramat, the inspiration for the legend of Semiramis, to him. Šamši-Adad broke the treaty during the reign of Marduk-zâkir-šumi's son and heir, Marduk-balāssu-iqbi. The Political History and Historical Geography of the Aramean, Chaldean, and Arab Tribes in Babylonia in the Neo-Assyrian Period* Grant Frame – University of Pennsylvania After two defeats Marduk-balāssu-iqbi fled to the Diyāla region where he sought refuge initially in Nimitti-šarri (Aḫišānu) but was cornered following the capture of Dēr and led away in chains to Assyria. Šamši-Adad boasted thirty thousand captives were deported from Dēr in his Gottesbrief (God's letter), a diviner's literary text recording an address to the king from the god Aššur, from the city of Aššur. In Neo-Assyrian times some Assyrian kings wrote letters to the god Ashur , where they presented their deeds. The most famous is the God letter Sargon of 714 on his eighth campaign and the looting of Musaṣir. This is the period of Jehu's reign as King of Israel. He drove out Baal worship, which pleased Hashem. But, he did not remove the Golden Calves in Bethel and Dan that King Jeroboam installed. http://www.templeilluminatus.com/group/the-triple-goddess/forum/topics/tiamat King Solomon is believed to have died around 930 BC. The Jewish historian Eupolemus, who wrote about 157 BC, included copies of apocryphal letters exchanged between Solomon and the kings of Egypt and Tyre. According to the most widely used chronology, based on that by Edwin R. Thiele, the death of Solomon and the division of his kingdom occurred in the spring of 931 BC. Ardavan, It appears from scholars that both Abraham and Zarathustra were around 1800 - 2000 BC. Of course no one knows that for sure. But, their stories are quite similar. Both reject the idea of a pantheon of Gods and the Lord speaks to them that he is the one and only. Do you think it is possible they are one in the same? What are your thoughts? Following a straight line it is approximately 1100 miles between Choresmia and Ur. 1200 miles between Bactra and Ur. 1300 miles between Sognia and Ur. We do know that there was trade between Babylon and Bactra using the Northern route of the Silk Road. There is no doubt in my mind that merchants shared legends, religious beliefs, and creation stories. http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/aryans/religion2.htm The Great Isaiah Scroll Translation: Professor Peter Flint (Western Trinity University, Canada) and Professor Eugene Ulrich (University of Notre Dame) From my understanding, Zoroastrian faith believes in opposites of light (good, creation, life) and darkness (evil, destruction, death). Hashem claims not to be those conditions, but to create everything, and thus to overcome the inherent dualism in his sovereign rule over them.” In accordance with his sovereign will, He can cause wars to cease and peace to predominate, or he can bring disaster and judgment on nations. Hashem allows bad things to happen to His creation as well as good things, but He does not cause people to make morally evil decisions. Like Zoroastrianism, the Lord has given us liberty to choose light ( from darkness. Hashem blesses the righteous that live their life following his laws and curses those that do not follow his commands. Like Angra Mainyu, Satan lives to seduce people to rebel against the Creator. Hashem's holy Word became flesh and took up residence among as an example on how to be holy (righteous), because our Creator is holy (righteous). For the law and commands were given through the prophets, but grace and truth of how to be holy came about through the sinless life of Jesus Christ. At the the end of Jesus mortal life he was glorified through his holy words and actions witnessed by those that knew Him. Hashem gave Jesus the gift of everything for choosing to suffer mortal death for the love of his Father and mankind. If we truly love Hashem we will honor the life of Jesus and love our fellow neighbor, then we will become holy and receive his glory (Shekinah). James 1 Job 38 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia Apep (/ˈæˌpɛp/ or /ˈɑːˌpɛp/) or Apophis (/ˈæpəfɨs/; Ancient Greek: Ἄποφις; also spelled Apepi or Aapep) was an evil god in ancient Egyptian religion depicted as a snake/serpent and a dragon, the deification of darkness and chaos (ı͗zft in Egyptian), and thus opponent of light and Ma'at (order/truth), whose existence was believed from the 8th Dynasty (mentioned at Moalla) onwards. His name is reconstructed by Egyptologists as *ʻAʼpāpī, and survived in later Coptic as Aphōph. ''Marduk destroying Tiâmat, who is here represented in the form of a huge serpent. From a seal-cylinder in the British Museum. http://www.pinterest.com/jensenrachel/cylinder-seals/ Job 42 I find it interesting how some theists point to the book of Job as proof that Hashem does not exist. Theists look at the Behemoth or Leviathan as imaginary tales, yet believe it is possible for man to bring Dinosaurs back to life. And embrace the idea the idea of monsters terrorizing the planet. These same theists believe that Hashem could not possibly have the power to create the universe or creatures that are more powerful than the folly of men. Rather they believe that we exist thanks to matter created at the exit of a Black Hole. They want us to believe everything just exists without a god. There is no catalyst to life, but our imagination. Yet it is these same theist believe that our imagination allows us to shape the future and eventually travel to the past. They desire to be Lords of the Alpha and Omega and have the power over the forces of nature. Listen to Godzilla by the Blue Oyster Cult. We know there is something greater than us and we fear it. A creator allowing Himself to be created and destroyed by his creation is a far greater feat than a force of nature. Today, I heard on the radio a need for donor kidneys to save human lives. I thought to myself that I have two kidneys. I could spare one, but I was to afraid to commit to the action. The righteous can. We want to recreate the past when the here and now is going extinct. We think we can play as gods and adjust the gift of creation as a resource commodity. The physics of Hashem's love is constant and encompasses the dynamics of all creation. It is His creation that changes. Hashem knows all the variables to make something from nothing and is not bound by our laws of nature. He is the author of all natural and moral laws. Yet some of His creation refuse to recognize and/or acknowledge Him as their author. Hashem will always be unprovable and improbable proposition for theists to quantify unless He alone wills it. But, history shows that gives us liberty to find him or live in our own desires.

Hi Robert, Thanks for taking the time to share with our community. I believe that Hashem alone is the only one that can peer into our soul and judge our actions. So, through the power of the Holy Spirit I pray to Jesus to ask Hashem to forgive Cameron actions during his life. Can you tell me who are the mediums that channeled your conversation with Jesus? Are they Christian? Jew? Muslim? Hindu? Buddhist? Zoroastrian? Do you believe that trust and obedience are what everyone owes God in view of future judgment? Ecclesiastes 12 Jesus said to his Apostles if you believe in the Gospel and you are baptized, then you are saved from damnation. Did Cameron believe in the Gospel? Was Cameron baptized? Mark 16 Despair is something I can understand. Was Cameron sacrificing his life for the sake of others? Or was Cameron's suicide a selfish act? Or was his capacity for judging his actions significantly diminished? Job 6 You wrote: Are you stating that God does not know the future outcome of each one of us before it happens? Psalms 139 How was Cameron's fruitful with the life he had been given from God? Genesis 1 You wrote: You state something that is goes against the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus. There are many acts of rebellion against God and mankind. These can be forgiven if one asks for forgiveness. But, Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. Matthew 22

Chapter 5 I have discovered that the Jewish people were intimate with the Zoroastrian courts of Xerxes I and Cyrus the Great. What influence did each religion have on the other during 600 BC to 465 BC? Both believed in one God. Does Ashura mean spirit or truth or both? Also is Angra Mainyu considered a god? Ardavan Ashkan was kind enough to reply. Here is a part of our dialogue: It appears that Angra Mainyu is eternal and is able to create like Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrian faith. In addition, Angra Mainyu is able to manipulate. Not sure if Angra Mainyu can possess an individual. Hashem is considered in my faith as the Supreme Being that created Satan, an evil being that has no power to create, but only to advocate, manipulate, and possess individuals. Am I correct in my assumption of this difference? The earliest reference to Ahura Mazdā in western Iran appears to be in an Assyrian text, probably of the 8th century B. C., in which as-sa-ra ma-za-aš is named in a list of gods. This would presumably be the Old Iranian divinity, rather than Zoroaster’s God. There is now evidence to show that Cyrus the Great was a Zoroastrian (Achaemenid religion); and there are many references to “Ahuramazda” (his name and title being thus fused in Old Persian) in the Achaemenid royal inscriptions, and especially in those of Darius the Great, which duly celebrated him as Creator The Behistun Inscription (also Bistun or Bisutun), (Persian: بیستون, Old Persian: Bagastana, meaning "the place of god") is a multi-lingual inscription located on Mount Behistun in the Kermanshah Province of Iran, near the city of Kermanshah in western Iran. Authored by Darius the Great sometime between his coronation as king of the Persian Empire in the summer of 522 BC and his death in autumn of 486 BC, the inscription begins with a brief autobiography of Darius, including his ancestry and lineage. Later in the inscription The inscription includes three versions of the same text, written in three different cuneiform script languages: Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (a later form of Akkadian). In effect, then, the inscription is to cuneiform what the Rosetta Stone is to Egyptian hieroglyphs: the document most crucial in the decipherment of a previously lost script. Column 1 The order of as-sa-ra ma-za-aš corresponds to Ahúrá Mazdá of the Younger Avesta, but in the poetic gathas the order is reversed, that is Mazdá, Ahúrá instead of the later Avestan sequence as it appears in the Assyrian document. This only proves that Younger Avestan Zoroastrianism must have spread to Western Iran before 8th century BCE and its spread among Indo-European Medes was well known to the Semitic Assyrians at the time. "Ahura" was originally an adjective meaning ahuric, characterizing a specific Indo-Iranian entity named Asura. Although traces of this figure are still evident in the oldest texts of both India and Iran, in both cultures the word eventually appears as the epithet of other divinities. As-sa-ra ma-za-aš = Assyrian Assara Zarathushtra (Zara = golden, thush = shining, stra = star = Golden Shining Star) presented his religion as rival to the religion of the daevas, that is Demon (Daeva) Worship (Yasna). Here is a video dedicated to Zarathushtra. Balkh, the Birth place of world's first monastic religion Zoroastrianism, Religion of Persians Balkh (Persian/Pashto: بلخ Balkh; Bactrian: βαχλο ẞaxlə) was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some 74 km (46 mi) south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan (previously known as Parthia) since the latter's earliest history. Marco Polo described Balkh as a "noble and great city". Bactria. Situated between the Hindu Kush mountain range in the south and the river Oxus (Amudar'ya) in the north, it is essentially an east-west zone that consists of extremely fertile alluvial plains, a hot desert, and cold mountains. Susa (/ˈsuːsə/; Persian: شوش‎ Shush [ʃuʃ]; Greek: Σοῦσα [ˈsuːsa]; Syriac: ܫܘܫ Shush; Old Persian Çūšā-; Biblical Hebrew שׁוּשָׁן Shushān) was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km (160 mi) east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers. The modern Iranian town of Shush is located at the site of ancient Susa. Shush is the administrative capital of the Shush County of Iran's Khuzestan province. It had a population of 64,960 in 2005. Susa is also mentioned in the Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible by the name Shushan, mainly in Esther, who became queen became and saved the Jewish people from from genocide. Esther 6 The Tomb of Esther and Mordechai is located in Hamadan, Iran. Widely believed to house the remains of the biblical Queen Esther, wife of Xerxes I, and her cousin Mordechai, it is the most important pilgrimage site for Persian Jews. Susa is also once mentioned once in Nehemiah and Daniel. BBC - In the footsteps of Alexander (Susa) 10 It is in Susa that Daniel had is Apocalyptic dream of the end of times. The large horn on the goat is the first king of Greece, namely, Alexander the Great. http://youtu.be/CIoMWLybew0 The four kingdoms that arose to replace Alexander when he died were Macedonia and Greece, Thrace and Asia Minor, Egypt and Palestine, and Syria and Persia. Antiochus IV Epiphanes was a Greek king of the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great. His original name was Mithradates; he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne. Antiochus Epiphanes was bold and deceptive. He was powerful because God allowed him to be so. He did much damage, especially to Jerusalem and the temple. He became prosperous and carried out his objectives. He destroyed powerful people, including the Jewish high priest, as well as many Jews. He fooled many people with his shrewdness, some of whom were unsuspecting. He exalted himself even to the extent of minting coins that bore his image and the inscription “God manifest” (Gr. theos epiphanes). He also opposed God, the “Prince of princes.” Daniel 8 A tomb presumed to be that of Daniel is located in the area, known as Shush-Daniel. The tomb is marked by an unusual white stone cone, which is neither regular nor symmetric. Many scholars believe it was at one point a Star of David. Susa is further mentioned in the Book of Jubilees (8:21 & 9:2) as one of the places within the inheritance of Shem and his eldest son Elam; and in 8:1, "Susan" is also named as the son (or daughter, in some translations) of Elam. Both Daniel and Nehemiah lived in Susa during the Babylonian captivity of the 6th century BCE. The Parni (/ˈpɑrnaɪ/; Ancient Greek: Πάρνοι, Parnoi) or Aparni (/əˈpɑrnaɪ/; Ἄπαρνοι, Aparnoi) were an east Iranian people of the Ochus (Ancient Greek: Ὧχος Okhos) (Tejen) River valley, southeast of the Caspian Sea. The Parni were one of the three tribes of the Dahae confederacy. In the middle of the 3rd century BCE, the Parni invaded Parthia, "drove away the Greek satraps, who had then only just acquired independence, and founded a new dynasty", i.e. that of the Arsacids. The Peshawar branch of the Silk Road begins in Balkh http://www.routeyou.com/en-us/route/view/198855/other-routes/balkh-peshawar-branch-of-the-silk-road.en Being among the most ancient cities of the region between Central, South and West Asia, Peshawar has for centuries been a center of trade between Afghanistan, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. As an ancient center of learning, the 2nd century BC. Bakhshali Manuscript used in the Bakhshali approximation was found nearby. The Kushans spread from the Kabul River Valley to defeat other Central Asian tribes that had previously conquered parts of the northern central Iranian Plateau, and reached their peak under the Buddhist emperor Kanishka. The Kabul River (Persian/Urdu: دریای کابل‎; Pashto: کابل سیند‎, Sanskrit: कुभा ), the classical Cophes /ˈkoʊfiːz/, is a 700-kilometre (430 mi) long river that starts in the Sanglakh Range of the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and ends in the Indus River near Attock, Pakistan. It is the main river in eastern Afghanistan and is separated from the watershed of the Helmand by the Unai Pass. The Kabul River passes through the cities of Kabul and Jalalabad in Afghanistan before flowing into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan some 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the Durand Line border crossing at Torkham. The major tributaries of the Kabul River are the Logar, Panjshir, Kunar, Alingar, Bara and Swat rivers. Vedic mythology refers to an ancient settlement called Pushkalavati in the area, after Pushkala, the son of King Bharata in the epic Ramayana. In recorded history, the earliest major city established in the general area of Peshawar was called Purushapura (Sanskrit for City of Men), from which the current name "Peshawar" is likely derived; the city was invaded and made capital of the Kushans, a Central Asian tribe of Tocharian origin, during their brief rule of 2 decades in the 2nd century AD. The Tocharians or Tokharians (/təˈkɛəriənz/ or /təˈkɑriənz/) were inhabitants of medieval oasis city-states on the northern edge of the Tarim Basin (modern Xinjiang, China). Their Tocharian languages (a branch of the Indo-European family) are known from manuscripts from the 6th to 8th centuries AD, after which they were supplanted by the Turkic languages of the Uyghur tribes. These people were called "Tocharian" by late-19th century scholars who identified them with the Tókharoi described by ancient Greek sources as inhabiting Bactria. Although this identification is now generally considered mistaken, the name has become customary. Some scholars have linked the Tocharians with the Afanasevo culture of eastern Siberia (c. 3500 – 2500 BC), the Tarim mummies (c. 1800 BC) and the Yuezhi of Chinese records, most of whom migrated from western Gansu to Bactria in the 2nd century BC and then later to northwestern Indian subcontinent where they founded the Kushan Empire. Around the time of Jesus Christ on Earth, Kujula Kadphises (ca. 30 – ca. 80) of Guishuang, stablished himself as king, and his dynasty was called that of the Guishuang [Kushan] King. He invaded Anxi [indo-Parthia], and took the Gaofu [Kabul] region. He also defeated the whole of the kingdoms of Puda [Paktiya] and Jibin [Kapisha and Gandhara]. Qiujiuque [Kujula Kadphises] was more than eighty years old when he died." Vedi is the term for "sacrificial altar" in the Hindu Vedic religion. Such altars were an elevated enclosure, generally strewed with Kusha grass, and having receptacles for the sacrificial fire; it was of various shapes, but usually narrow in the middle. Although the term "fire-worshippers" is primarily associated with Zoroastrians, the idea that Zoroastrians worship fire is originally from anti-Zoroastrian polemic. Instead, fire — even in a Fire temple (the Zoroastrian terms are more prosaic and simply mean "house of fire") — is considered to be an agent of purity and as a symbol of righteousness and truth. In the present day this is explained to be because fire burns ever-upwards and cannot itself be polluted. Nonetheless, Sadeh and Chaharshanbe Suri are both fire-related festivals celebrated throughout Greater Iran and date back to when Zoroastrianism was still the predominant religion of the region. In Vedic disciplines of Hinduism, fire is a central element in the Yajna ceremony, with Agni, "fire", playing the role as mediator between the worshiper and the other gods. Related concepts are the Agnihotra ritual, the invocation of the healing properties of fire; the Agnicayana ritual, which is the building of a fire altar to Agni; and Agnistoma, which is one of the seven Somayajnas. In the Vaishnav branch of Hinduism, Agni or Fire is considered the tongue of the Supreme Lord Narayana, hence all the sacrifices done even to any demigod ultimately is a sacrifice to the Supreme Lord Narayana. There are three forms of Agni - God of fire, lightning and the Sun. Zoroastrian Yasna is an ancient ritual of offering and sublimating the parahaoma (haoma plant) in water. Hindu Yajna is an ancient ritual of offering and sublimating the havana sámagri (a complex mixture of odoriferous and medicinal herbs) in the fire. It is interesting to note that the word Hindu is derived (through Persian) from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the historic local name for the Indus River in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent (modern day Pakistan and Northern India). According to Gavin Flood, "The actual term Hindu first occurs as a Persian geographical term for the people who lived beyond the river Indus (Sanskrit: Sindhu)". The term Hindu then was a geographical term and did not refer to a religion. By about 2nd - 1st century BCE, the term "Hein-tu" was used by Chinese, for referring to North Indian people. The Persian term was loaned into Arabic as al-Hind referring to the land of the people who live across river Indus, and into Greek as Indos, whence ultimately English India. The Indus River Delta (Sindhi: سنڌو ٽِڪور), forms where the Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea in Pakistan. The delta covers an area of about 41,440 km² (16,000 square miles), and is approximately 210 km across where it meets the sea. The active part of the delta is 6,000 km² in area. The climate is arid, the region only receives between 25 and 50 cm of rainfall in a normal year. The delta is home to the largest arid mangrove forests in the world, as well as many birds, fish and the Indus Dolphin. The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization (3300–1300 BCE; mature period 2600–1900 BCE) extending from what today is northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India (see map). Along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia it was one of three early civilizations of the Old World, and of the three the most widespread. It flourished in the basins of the Indus River, one of the major rivers of Asia, and the Ghaggar-Hakra River, which once coursed through northwest India and eastern Pakistan. At its peak, the Indus Civilization may have had a population of over five million. Inhabitants of the ancient Indus river valley developed new techniques in handicraft (carnelian products, seal carving) and metallurgy (copper, bronze, lead, and tin). The Indus cities are noted for their urban planning, baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, and clusters of large non-residential buildings. The Indus Valley Civilization is also known as the Harappan Civilization, after Harappa, the first of its sites to be excavated in the 1920s, in what was then the Punjab province of British India, and is now in Pakistan. The discovery of Harappa, and soon afterwards, Mohenjo-Daro, was the culmination of work beginning in 1861 with the founding of the Archaeological Survey of India in the British Raj. Excavation of Harappan sites has been ongoing since 1920, with important breakthroughs occurring as recently as 1999. There were earlier and later cultures, often called Early Harappan and Late Harappan, in the same area of the Harappan Civilization. The Harappan civilization is sometimes called the Mature Harappan culture to distinguish it from these cultures. By 1999, over 1,056 cities and settlements had been found, of which 96 have been excavated, mainly in the general region of the Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra Rivers and their tributaries. Among the settlements were the major urban centres of Harappa, Mohenjo-daro (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Dholavira, Ganeriwala in Cholistan and Rakhigarhi. The Harappan language is not directly attested and its affiliation is uncertain since the Indus script is still undeciphered. Notice the deity Anzud (bird man) fighting off two tigers. This is similar to Anzud fighting two lions. http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/bce_500back/indusvalley/tablet/tablet.html AThe so-called Pashupati (Lord of Animals, Sanskrit paśupati) seal seated "yogi" (National Museum, New Delhi). The Rigveda has the related pashupa "protector of animals" as a name of Pushan, a Vedic solar deity and one of the Adityas. Ten hymns in the Rigveda are dedicated to Pūṣan (including one jointly to Soma and Pūṣan and another to Indra and Pūṣan).[2] Some of these hymns appeal to him to guard livestock and find lost livestock. http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/bce_500back/indusvalley/indusvalley.html

Chapter 5 I want to restate that Semitic does not just mean those of the Jewish faith. The term is used to represent the West Asian people of the Biblical "Shem". This ancient race includes the Ahlamu, Akkadian (Assyrian-Babylonian), Amharic, Ammonite, Amorite, Arabic, Aramaic/Syriac, Canaanite (Phoenician/Carthaginian/Hebrew), Chaldean, Eblaite, Edomite, Ge'ez, Maltese, Mandaic, Moabite, Sutean, Tigre and Tigrinya, and Ugaritic, among others. As I have demonstrated the Semitic race branched in all directions. The bible tells us that the entire human race are descended from Noah. The descendants of Shem's brothers turned their back on Hashem's covenant and choose to branch out and create their own beliefs by incorporating animal and elemental spirits. Then some of Shem's descendants choose to branch out and become false prophets, and others choose to proclaim themselves to gods and putting fear into the weak to follow vain fantasies. Apostasy branched from Abraham, Israel, and even Christianity. In the spirit of Elijah, John the Baptist preached masterfully to common Jews, Pharisees and Sadducees that once again Israel was in serious apostasy. It was not just blood that made Hashem's people special, Israel was blessed to be an His living example to the entire people of the world. Israel made a pact to follow Hahem's every command. But, Israel did not listen and Hashem punished His chosen people hard for following worthless idols.. Now Hashem was once again fulfilling a prophecy he made of a coming Messiah. The leader of Hashem's new kingdom was in His promised land with a new covenant and a greater reward to the righteous that choose to follow it. Hashem's plan for mankind is in both the old and new testament to understand. Proverbs 17 2 Kings 22 Matthew 3 Matthew 4 I am beginning to believe that Zoroastrian started as a faith of two gods, but evolved to a faith of one god and two opposing spirits. Or could it be the other way around? I posed the following question to practicing Zoroastrians: Did Ahura Mazda create Angra Mainyu? Ardavan Ashkan was kind to answer my question. The Gatha Hymns are believed to be composed by Zarathustra, between 6000 BC to 600 BC. Recent We know that in 330 BC, Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. We also know that inn 549 BCE, the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great of the Archaemenian family, overthrew the Median court of Western Iran. Zoroaster's ideas led to a formal religion bearing his name by about the 6th century BC and have influenced other later religions including Judaism, Gnosticism, Christianity and Islam. Ahura Mazda was the transcendent entity which actually existed above the opposed forces of Asha and Druj; in Zoroaster's formulation these antipodes were personified by two spirits who represented creative good (Spenta Mainyu) and destructive evil (Angra Mainyu). Below the destructive spirit, Angra Mainyu convinces Jeh (Jahi - Lion) the primeval whore to kill the primordial bull (One of Ahura Mazda’s six primordial material creations and the mythological progenitor of all beneficent animal life) This depiction was seen at the ancient throne room of Darius in his palace at Persepolis, the seat of his vast Achaemenid Empire. In Mesopotamian mythology, Gugalanna (lit. "The Great Bull of Heaven" < Sumerian gu "bull", gal "great", an "heaven", -a "of") was a Sumerian deity as well as the constellation known today as Taurus, one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Gugalanna was sent by the gods to take retribution upon Gilgamesh for rejecting the sexual advances of the goddess Inanna. Gugalanna, whose feet made the earth shake, was slain and dismembered by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Inanna, from the heights of the city walls looked down, and Enkidu took the haunches of the bull shaking them at the goddess, threatening he would do the same to her if he could catch her too. For this impiety, Enkidu later dies. Gugalanna was the first husband of the Goddess Ereshkigal, the Goddess of the Realm of the Dead, a gloomy place devoid of light. It was to share the sorrow with her sister that Inanna later descends to the Underworld. lion-headed eagle (Anzud, Anzu) and human-headed bull (Gugalanna). Like Angra Mainyu, Anzud goes against the will the gods. The difference is mother of the gods. Angra Mainyu is a pure destroyer. http://www.kornbluthphoto.com/StandardUr.html Sumerian Early Dynastic III, c. 2600-2400 BCE. From the royal cemetery, Ur (Iraq). Lapis lazuli, shell, and red limestone, with restored bitumen and red material on restored wood box Width 49.5 cm, height 21.6 cm. Possibly soundbox of a musical instrument. British Museum ME 121201 The Metropolitan Museum of Art The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Golden ox figurine found in the Maykop kurgan (mid-3rd millennium BC.), Hermitage Museum Ox, middle of III milenium BC. Gold. Height 6 cm. Founded in Northern Caucasus, Maykop kurgan The Indo-Europeans. This virile race, white in color and fair of complexion, called itself Aryan or noble. It was the parent of the Indo-European peoples of recorded history, These members of the Aryan family lived long as a homogeneous people speaking the same language with dialectic differences and shared many beliefs and practices in common. Pressure of growing population, thirst for adventure, sharp divisions caused by the fermentation going on in the minds of thinking persons over religious beliefs and practices continued to disintegrate them. During the early part of the second millennium B.C., nomad tribes left their home and turned westwards and reached the Aegean lands or turned southwards in successive waves from the steppes of the Caspian Sea. Scattered tribes passed by the chain of Caucasus, entered Armenia and spread southwards. Some of the more virile tribes succeeded in founding small Aryan kingdoms. They have left traces of their Aryan beliefs and practices. The Kassites were an ancient Near Eastern people who controlled Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire ca. 1531 BC and until ca. 1155 BC (short chronology). The horse, which the Kassites worshipped, first came into use in Babylonia at this time. The original homeland of the Kassites is not well known, but appears to have been located in the Zagros Mountains in Lorestan in what is now modern Iran. The transformation of southern Mesopotamia into a territorial state, rather than a network of allied or combative city states, made Babylonia an international power, although it was often overshadowed by its northern neighbor, Assyria and by Elam to the east. Kassite kings established trade and diplomacy with Assyria. (Puzur-Ashur III of Assyria and Burna-Buriash I signed a treaty agreeing the border between the two states in the mid 16th Century BC), Egypt, Elam, and the Hittites, and the Kassite royal house intermarried with their royal families. There were foreign merchants in Babylon and other cities, and Babylonian merchants were active from Egypt (a major source of Nubian gold) to Assyria and Anatolia. Kassite weights and seals, the packet-identifying and measuring tools of commerce, have been found in as far afield as Thebes in Greece, in southern Armenia, and even in the Uluburun shipwreck off the southern coast of today's Turkey. The Kassite kings maintained control of their realm through a network of provinces administered by governors. Almost equal with the royal cities of Babylon and Dur-Kurigalzu, the revived city of Nippur was the most important provincial center. Nippur, the formerly great city, which had been virtually abandoned ca. 1730 BC, was rebuilt in the Kassite period, with temples meticulously re-built on their old foundations. In fact, under the Kassite government, the governor of Nippur, who took the Sumerian-derived title of Guennakku, ruled as a sort of secondary and lesser king. The prestige of Nippur was enough for a series of 13th century BC Kassite kings to reassume the title 'governor of Nippur' for themselves. Jahi (Jaini) is the Avestan language name of Zoroastrianism's demoness of "lasciviousness." As a hypostatic entity, Jahi is variously interpreted as "hussy," "rake," "libertine," "courtesan" and "one who leads a licentious life." Her standard epithet is "the Whore." Buriaš, Ubriaš, or Burariaš was the storm or weather god, the Slavic word buria (“storm”), Lord of Lands. Burias was the equivalent to Adad. Ḫarbe was the Lord of the pantheon, also venerated in Hurrian areas. Harbe is similar to Anu, Enil, and Bel Kamulla (Akmul) is simular to Ea. Miriaš, Mirizir 8 pointed star The planet Venus, evening star, earth goddess Bêlet, Beltis, i.e. dIštar[ Yasna Chapter 10 Zoroastrianism priests go by different names, depending upon the tasks they perform. To the highest category of priests belonged matharans, who like Zoroaster, were endowed with poetic ability and composed the verses of the sacred scriptures There were atharwans, who like the vedic atharvan priests, were associated with fire and haoma rituals. A zaotar, like the hotr of the vedic religion, was an officiating or presiding priest of Yasna, who poured libations into the sacred fire to the accompaniment of ritual chants. Magi or magu were a special class of priests endowed with occult knowledge, magical powers and power of divination. They also interpreted dreams and performed divinatory rituals to portend future. Other classes of priests mentioned in the Zoroasrian texts were mowbeds, herbeds and kirdars The Achaemenid Empire (/əˈkiːmənɪd/; Old Persian: Pārsa; New Persian: شاهنشاهی هخامنشی c. 550–330 BC), or First Persian Empire, was an empire based in Western Asia, founded in the 6th century BC by Cyrus the Great. The dynasty draws its name from king Achaemenes, who ruled Persis between 705 BC and 675 BC. The empire expanded to eventually rule over significant portions of the ancient world, which at around 500 BC stretched from parts of the Balkans (Bulgaria-Pannonia) and Thrace-Macedonia in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east, making it the largest empire the world had yet seen. After the conquest of Egypt, the Achaemenid empire encompassed approximately 8 million square kilometers spanning three continents: Asia, Europe and Africa. At its greatest extent, the empire included the modern territories of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, all significant population centers of ancient Egypt as far west as Libya, Turkey, Thrace and Macedonia, much of the Black Sea coastal regions, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, much of Central Asia, Afghanistan, northern Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and parts of Oman and the UAE. According to Guinness World Records, the empire at its peak ruled over 44% of the world's population, the highest such figure for any empire in history In the Achaemenid period, there are no representations of Ahura Mazda other than the custom for every emperor to have an empty chariot drawn by white horses, to invite Ahura Mazda to accompany the Persian army on battles. It was during the Achaemenid period that Zoroastrianism reached South-Western Iran, where it came to be accepted by the rulers and through them became a defining element of Persian culture. The religion was not only accompanied by a formalization of the concepts and divinities of the traditional Iranian pantheon but also introduced several novel ideas, including that of free will. Under the patronage of the Achaemenid kings, and by the 5th century BC as the de facto religion of the state, Zoroastrianism reached all corners of the empire. The Bible claims that Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to return to their homeland after decades of captivity by the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. During the reign of Artaxerxes I and Darius II, Herodotus wrote "[the Perses] have no images of the gods, no temples nor altars, and consider the use of them a sign of folly. This comes, I think, from their not believing the gods to have the same nature with men, as the Greeks imagine." He claims the Persians offer sacrifice to: "the sun and moon, to the earth, to fire, to water, and to the winds. These are the only gods whose worship has come down to them from ancient times. At a later period they began the worship of Urania, which they borrowed from the Arabians and Assyrians. Mylitta is the name by which the Assyrians know this goddess, to whom the Persians referred as Anahita." (The original name here is Mithra, which has since been explained to be a confusion of Anahita with Mithra, understandable since they were commonly worshipped together in one temple). From the Babylonian scholar-priest Berosus, who—although writing over seventy years after the reign of Artaxerxes II Mnemon—records that the emperor had been the first to make cult statues of divinities and have them placed in temples in many of the major cities of the empire (Berosus, III.65). Berosus also substantiates Herodotus when he says the Persians knew of no images of gods until Artaxerxes II erected those images. On the means of sacrifice, Herodotus adds "they raise no altar, light no fire, pour no libations." This sentence has been interpreted to identify a critical (but later) accretion to Zoroastrianism. An altar with a wood-burning fire and the Yasna service at which libations are poured are all clearly identifiable with modern Zoroastrianism, but apparently, were practices that had not yet developed in the mid-5th century. Boyce also assigns that development to the reign of Artaxerxes II (4th century BC), as an orthodox response to the innovation of the shrine cults. Herodotus also observed that "no prayer or offering can be made without a magus present" but this should not be confused with what is today understood by the term magus, that is a magupat (modern Persian: mobed), a Zoroastrian priest. Nor does Herodotus' description of the term as one of the tribes or castes of the Medes necessarily imply that these magi were Medians. They simply were a hereditary priesthood to be found all over Western Iran and although (originally) not associated with any one specific religion, they were traditionally responsible for all ritual and religious services. Although the unequivocal identification of the magus with Zoroastrianism came later (Sassanid era, 3rd–7th century CE), it is from Herodotus' magus of the mid-5th century that Zoroastrianism was subject to doctrinal modifications that are today considered to be revocations of the original teachings of the prophet. Also, many of the ritual practices described in the Avesta's Vendidad (such as exposure of the dead) were already practiced by the magu of Herodotus ' time. Mithridates or Mithradates I (Parthian: Mihrdat, Persian: مهرداديکم‎, Mehrdād), (ca. 195 BC – 138 BC) was king of the Parthian Empire from 171 BC to 138 BC, succeeding his brother Phraates I. His father was King Phriapatius of Parthia, who died ca. 176 BC). Mithridates I made Parthia into a major political power by expanding the empire to the east, south, and west. During his reign the Parthians took Herat (in 167 BC), Babylonia (in 144 BC), Media (in 141 BC) and Persia (in 139 BC). Because of his many conquests and religious tolerance, he has been compared to other Iranian kings such Cyrus the Great (d. 530 BC), founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Magi (/ˈmeɪdʒaɪ/; Latin plural of magus; Ancient Greek: μάγος magos; Old Persian: maguš, Persian: مُغ‎ mogh; English singular magian, mage, magus, magusian, magusaean; Kurdish: manji) is a term, used since at least the 6th century BC, to denote followers of Zoroastrianism or Zoroaster. The earliest known usage of the word Magi is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the Great, known as the Behistun Inscription, which can be dated to about 520 BC. In this trilingual text, certain rebels have 'magian' as an attribute; in the Old Persian portion as maγu- (generally assumed to be a loan word from Median). The meaning of the term in this context is uncertain. The Avestan word 'magâunô', i.e. the religious caste of the Medes into which Zoroaster was born, (see Yasna 33.7:' ýâ sruyê parê magâunô ' = ' so I can be heard beyond Magi '), seems to be the origin of the term. The Sasanian Empire (/səˈsɑːnɪən/ or /səˈseɪnɪən/; also known as Sassanian, Sasanid, Sassanid or Neo-Persian Empire), known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian,[a] was the last Iranian empire before the rise of Islam, ruled by the Sasanian dynasty from 224 CE to 651 CE. The Sassanid Empire, which succeeded the Parthian Empire, was recognized as one of the main powers in Western and Central Asia, alongside the Roman–Byzantine Empire, for a period of more than 400 years. The relationship between priests and warriors was important, because the concept of Ērānshahr had been revived by the priests. Without this relationship, the Sassanid Empire would not have survived in its beginning stages. Because of this relationship between the warriors and the priests, religion and state were considered inseparable in the Zoroastrian religion. However, it is this same relationship that caused the weakening of the Empire, when each group tried to impose their power onto the other. Disagreements between the priests and the warriors led to fragmentation within the empire, which led to its downfall. Mani (216–276 AD), the founding prophet of Manichaeism, did not proclaim his first religious revelation until 228/229 AD, Bivar asserts that his new faith contained "elements of Mandaean belief, Iranian cosmogony, and even echoes of Christianity ... [it] may be regarded as a typical reflection of the mixed religious doctrines of the late Arsacid period, which the Zoroastrian orthodoxy of the Sasanians was soon to sweep away. Mani (in Middle Persian Māni and Syriac Mānī, Greek Μάνης, Latin Manes; also Μανιχαίος, Latin Manichaeus, from Syriac ܡܐܢܝ ܚܝܐ Mānī ḥayyā "Living Mani", c. 216–274 AD), of Iranian origin, was the prophet and the founder of Manichaeism, a gnostic religion of Late Antiquity which was once widespread but is now extinct. Mani was born in or near Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Parthian Babylonia (Iraq), at the time still part of the Parthian Empire. Six of his major works were written in Syriac Aramaic, and the seventh, dedicated to the king of the empire, Shapur I, was written in Middle Persian, his native language. He died in Gundeshapur, under the Sassanid Empire. Mani was born near Seleucia-Ctesiphon, perhaps in the town Mardinu in the Babylonian district of Nahr Kutha, according to other accounts in the town Abrumya. Mani's father Pātik (Middle Persian Pattūg; Greek Παττικιος, Arabic Futtuq), a native of Ecbatana (modern Hamadan, Iran), was a member of the Jewish-Christian sect of the Elcesaites (a subgroup of the Gnostic Ebionites). His mother was of Parthian descent (from "the Armenian Arsacid family of Kamsarakan"); her name is reported variously, among others Mariam. At ages 12 and 24, Mani had visionary experiences of a heavenly twin of his, calling him to leave his father's sect and teach the true message of Christ. In 240–41, Mani travelled to "India" (i.e. to the Sakhas in modern-day Afghanistan), where he studied Hinduism and was probably influenced by Greco-Buddhism. Al-Biruni says Mani traveled to India after being banished from Persia.[15] Returning in 242, he joined the court of Shapur I, to whom he dedicated his only work written in Persian, known as the Shabuhragan. Shapur was not converted to Manichaeanism and remained Zoroastrian. The Shabuhragan (Persian: شاپورگان‎ Shāpuragān), which means "[the] book of Shapur", was a sacred book of the Manichaean religion, written by the founder Mani (c. 210–276 CE) himself, originally in Middle Persian, and dedicated to Shapur I (c. 215-272 CE), the contemporary king of the Sassanid Persian Empire. The book was designed to present to Shapur an outline of Mani's new religion, which united elements from Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism - the three dominant (and competing) religions in the newly expanded Persian Empire. Original Middle Persian fragments were discovered at Turpan, and quotations were brought in Arabic by Biruni. In 341 AD, the Zoroastrian Shapur II ordered the massacre of all Christians in the Persian Empire, most of whom were Assyrians. During the persecution, about 1,150 Christians were martyred under Shapur II. http://www.mindserpent.com/American_History/religion/zoroaster/dhalla/history4.htm https://aratta.wordpress.com/2014/02/ Many of the world religions started in Babylon. It was once the population center of the world. During this period in history it assimilated cults and religions into its belief system of divinity schools and sent them back to their places of origin and other parts of the various empires that ruled over it altered with idols and new tales. Zurvanism is a now-extinct branch of Zoroastrianism that had the divinity Zurvan[pronunciation?] as its First Principle (primordial creator deity). Zurvanism is also known as Zurvanite Zoroastrianism. The earliest evidence of the cult of Zurvan is found in the History of Theology, attributed to Eudemus of Rhodes (c. 370-300 BCE). In Zurvanism, Zurvan is the god of infinite time (and space) and is aka (“one", "alone”) deity of matter. Zurvan is the parent of the two opposites representing the good god Ahura Mazda and the evil Angra Mainyu. Zurvan is regarded as a neutral god, being without gender (neuter), without passion, and one for whom there is no distinction between good or evil. Zurvan is also the god of destiny, light and darkness. Zurvan is a normalized rendition of the word, which in Middle Persian appears as either Zurvān, Zruvān or Zarvān. The Middle Persian name derives from Avestan zruvan-, "time" or "old age". Zurvanites considered Ahura Mazda and Spenta Mainyu one of two equal-but-separate divinities under the primacy of Zurvan (later known as Cronos, the Keeper of Time). The central Zurvanite belief made Ahura Mazda the middle god and Angra Mainyu the fallen twin brother. Mazdeans consider the divinity of Ahura Mazda the transcendental creator. Ašōqar, Frašōqar and Zarōqar are Syriac deities coexistent and co-eternal with Zurvan. Boyce postulated (1957:308-309) that Mazdaism and Zurvanism were divided regionally, that is, with Mazdaism being the predominant tendency in the regions to the north and east (Bactria, Margiana, and other satrapies closest to Zoroaster's homeland), while Zurvanism was prominent in regions to the south and west (closer to Babylonian and Greek influence). This is supported by Manichaean evidence that indicates that 3rd-century Mazdean Zoroastrianism had its stronghold in Parthia, to the northeast. Following the fall of the Persian Empire, the south and west were relatively quickly assimilated under the banner of Islam, while the north and east remained independent for some time before these regions too were absorbed. (Boyce, 1957:308-309). This could also explain why Armenian/Syriac observations reveal a distinctly Zurvanite Zoroastrianism, and inversely, could explain the strong Greek and Babylonian influence on Zurvanism Christian martyrs of the Sasanian empire. The Assyrians gave their god Assur the combined powers of the Sumerian Triad; Anu, Enlil, Enki/Ea

Chapter 5 I am coming to realize that historians believe that Hashem originated from the gods of other cultures. This does not take account that Our Creator existed long before us and goes by many names in different languages. What is not taken into account is the pure understanding of Hashem was corrupted by undisciplined human pride. It is my belief that the some of descendants of Noah were given at first titles a vice-regents representing god. Later through vanity the idea of one Lord with vice-vice regents got replaced with leaders proclaiming they were demigods or gods of various kingdoms and empires. I believe the same occurred with the evil one. He has many names, but his pride and destruction remains his signature. The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent (acting on behalf of God), was the human protector of the people. Psalms 84 Malachi, Malachias, Malache or Mal'achi (/ˈmæləkaɪ/; Hebrew: מַלְאָכִי, Modern Mal'akhi Tiberian Malʼāḵî ; "Messenger", see malakh) was a Jewish prophet in the Hebrew Bible. Malachi was the writer of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Neviim (prophets) section in the Jewish Tanakh. In the Christian Old Testament, the Prophetic Books are placed last, making Book of Malachi the last protocanonical book before the Deuterocanonical books or The New Testament. No allusion is made to him by Ezra, however, and he does not directly mention the restoration of the temple. Malachi 4 There is no Malachi Chapter 4 in the Hebrew Bible. The above verses can be found in Malachi Chapter 3. Malachi 3 Aramean Flag In the flag design, the sun is replaced by a flame or torch, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The red background was chosen because of all blood that was spilled in the Syriac genocide. The yellow color is symbolizing the hope for a country of their own, since Syriacs are a people living without their own state. The Arameans, or Aramaeans, (Aramaic: ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ‎, ארמיא ; ʼaramáyé) were a Northwest Semitic people who originated in what is now modern Syria (Biblical Aram, son of Shem, grandson of Noah) during the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.Large groups migrated to Mesopotamia, where they intermingled with the native Akkadian (Assyrian and Babylonian) population. Some Syriac Christians in modern Syria still espouse an Aramean identity to this day and speak the Aramaic language. Bit Bahiani was an independent Aramaean city-state kingdom (ca. 1200 - 808 BC) and an Assyrian province (ca. ~810 - 706 BC) with its capital at Guzana (Gozan, modern day Tell Halaf) at the upper reaches of the Khabur. Bit Bahiani was ruled by King Kapara. After becoming a tributary to Assyria an alliance with Izalla to revolt was formed. There were at least five kings and four governors of Bit Bahiani before losing its name in usage. With the city reaching its peak under Kapara, the king builds a palace at Guzana in neo-Hittite style from which 187 reliefs would later be discovered by archaeologists and which at this time decorate the base of the palace's south wall. The reliefs alternate between red ochre-tinted limestone and black basalt slabs. In close proximity to the Guzana lay Sikani (Tell Fekheriye) that some of the old Mitanni capital Waššukanni is identified. Mitanni (Hittite cuneiform KUR URUMi-ta-an-ni, also Mittani Mi-it-ta-ni) or Hanigalbat (Assyrian Hanigalbat, Khanigalbat cuneiform Ḫa-ni-gal-bat) or Naharin in ancient Egyptian texts was an Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria and south-east Anatolia from ca. 1500 BC–1300 BC. Founded by an Indo-Aryan ruling class governing a predominantly Hurrian population, Mitanni came to be a regional power after the Hittite destruction of Amorite Babylon and a series of ineffectual Assyrian kings created a power vacuum in Mesopotamia. At the beginning of its history, Mitanni's major rival was Egypt under the Thutmosids. However, with the ascent of the Hittite empire, Mitanni and Egypt made an alliance to protect their mutual interests from the threat of Hittite domination. At the height of its power, during the 14th century BC, Mitanni had outposts centered around its capital, Washukanni, whose location has been determined by archaeologists to be on the headwaters of the Khabur River. Eventually, Mitanni succumbed to Hittite and later Assyrian attacks, and was reduced to the status of a province of the Middle Assyrian Empire. Palistin was one of the Syro-Hittite states that emerged in Syria after the Late Bronze Age collapse, it dates to at least the 11th century BC and is known primarily through the inscriptions of its king Taita and his wife. the kingdom wasn't established immediately after the collapse of the Hittite Empire, and it encompassed a relatively extensive area, stretching at least from the Amouq Valley in the west to Aleppo in the east down to Mhardeh and Shaizar in the south.Prof. Itamar Singer propose that it was the predecessor state that disintegrated and gave birth to the kingdoms of Hamath, Bit Agusi and Pattin (shortened form of Palistin). The symbol of a Winged disc or cross represents Kassite sun god, Saḫ (Suriash, Šamaš, possibly Sanskrit Sahi). The winged sun is a symbol associated with divinity, royalty and power in the Ancient Near East (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Persia). Suriash sounds very similar to the Sanskrit Surya meaning the sun. Surya is the chief of the Navagraha, the nine Indian Classical planets and important elements of Hindu astrology. He is often depicted riding a chariot harnessed by seven horses which might represent the seven colors of the rainbow or the seven chakras in the body. He is also the presiding deity of Sunday. Surya is regarded as the Supreme Deity by Saura sect and Smartas worship him as one of the five primary forms of God. The temple in India was built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. It has twelve pairs of elaborately carved stone wheels some of which are 3 meters wide and is pulled by seven pairs of horses. The temple follows the traditional style of Kalinga architecture. It is carefully oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance. Impression taken from an Old Babylonian period goethite cylinder seal featuring Aya and Šamaš. Aya functions primarily as a goddess of light and as the wife of the sun god Šamaš. Aya's role as Šamaš's wife is exemplified by her presentation in the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgameš, where Aya is called "the great bride" (Tablet III, obv. iii 6). http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/aya/ Sun God Shamash; Assyrian Relief, North-West Palace of Nimrud (room B, panel 23); 865–860 BC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash#mediaviewer/File:Shamash.jpg Faravahar (Fravashi = guardian angel) is one of the best-known symbols of Zoroastrianism, the state religion of ancient Iran. This religious-cultural symbol was adapted by the Pahlavi dynasty to represent the Iranian nation. The Faravahar is also thought to represent the 'Divine Royal Glory' (khvarenah), or the Fravashi of the king, or represented the divine mandate that was the foundation of a king's authority. The winged disc has a long history in the art and culture of the ancient Near and Middle East. Historically, the symbol is influenced by the "winged sun" hieroglyph appearing on Bronze Age royal seals (Luwian SOL SUUS, symbolizing royal power in particular). In Neo-Assyrian times, a human bust is added to the disk, the "feather-robed archer" interpreted as symbolizing Ashur, continued to be worshiped by Assyrians until 300 - 400 AD. While the symbol is currently thought to represent a Fravashi (approximately a guardian angel) and from which it derives its name (see below), what it represented in the minds of those who adapted it from earlier Mesopotamian and Egyptian reliefs is unclear. Because the symbol first appears on royal inscriptions, it is also thought to represent the 'Divine Royal Glory' (Khvarenah), or the Fravashi of the king, or represented the divine mandate that was the foundation of a king's authority. This relationship between the name of the symbol and the class of divine entities it represents, reflects the current belief that the symbol represents a Fravashi. However, there is no physical description of the Fravashis in the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, and in Avestan the entities are grammatically feminine. In present-day Zoroastrianism, the faravahar is said to be a reminder of one's purpose in life, which is to live in such a way that the soul progresses towards frasho-kereti, or union with Ahura Mazda, the supreme divinity in Zoroastrianism. Although there are a number of interpretations of the individual elements of the symbol, none of them are older than the 20th century. The Tablet of Shamash Relief image on the Tablet of Shamash, British Library room 55. Found in Sippar (Tell Abu Habbah), in Ancient Babylonia ; it dates from the 9th century BC and shows the sun god Shamash on the throne, in front of the Babylonian king Nabu-apla-iddina (888-855 BC) between two interceding deities. The text tells how the king made a new cultic statue for the god and gave privileges to his temple. The Tablet of Shamash was recovered from the ancient Babylonian city of Sippar in southern Iraq in 1881; it is now a major piece in the British Museum's ancient Middle East collection. . Kubaba (in the Weidner or Esagila Chronicle; Sumerian: Kug-Bau) is the only queen on the Sumerian King List, which states she reigned for 100 years – roughly in the Early Dynastic III period (ca. 2500-2330 BC) of Sumerian history. She is one of very few women to have ever ruled in their own right in Iraqi history. Most versions of the king list place her alone in her own dynasty, the 3rd Dynasty of Kish, following the defeat of Sharrumiter of Mari, but other versions combine her with the 4th dynasty, that followed the primacy of the king of Akshak. Before becoming monarch, the king list says she was an alewife. Basalt stela showing the goddess Kubaba Kubaba became the tutelary goddess who protected the ancient city of Carchemish on the upper Euphrates, in the late Hurrian – Early Hittite period. Relief carvings, now at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi), Ankara, show her seated, wearing a cylindrical headdress like the polos and holding probably a tympanum (hand drum) or possibly a mirror in one hand and a poppy capsule (or perhaps pomegranate) in the other. She plays a role in Luwian texts and a minor role in Hittite texts, mainly in Hurrian rituals. Shrines in honour of Kubaba spread throughout Mesopotamia. In the Hurrian area she may be identified with Kebat, or Hepat, one title of the Hurrian Mother goddess Hannahannah (from Hurrian hannah, "mother"). Abdi-Heba was the palace mayor, ruling Jerusalem at the time of the Amarna letters (1350 BC). In Aramaean times she appears to have become identified with the Goddess Hawwah. Eve in the Hebrew language is Ḥawwāh, meaning: "living one" or "source of life", and is related to ḥāyâ, "to live". The name derives from the Semitic root ḥyw. According to Mark Munn (Munn 2004), her cult later spread and her name was adapted for the main goddess of the Hittite successor-kingdoms in Anatolia, which later developed into the Phrygian matar (mother) or matar kubileya whose image with inscriptions appear in rock-cut sculptures. The Goddess Asherah, wife of El, mother of the Elohim from the first millennium BCE was given the title Chawat, from which the name Hawwah in Aramaic was derived, Eve in English. ancient Jews would have been very familiar that Asherah was often depicted unclothed with a snake. In fact, not only was Asherah symbolized by a stylized tree and worshipped in sacred groves, she was also referred to as "Lady of the Serpent. From the site of Kuntillet ‘Ajrud, in the eastern Sinai, come three 900 - 800 BC inscriptions that mention YHWH and “his Asherah” (meaning YHWH’s consort), the goddess Asherah or “his asherah” (meaning YHWH’s sacred pole that represents the goddess Asherah and that sits in his temple or beside his altar. An eighth-century b.c.e. inscription from Khirbet el-Qom, about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem, contains similar language in 1 Kgs 15:13 and 2 Kgs 18:4, 21:7, and 23:6 (with parallels in 2 Chronicles) indicate that at least during certain points in the 900 - 700 DC., Asherah’s sacred pole was perceived as an appropriate icon to erect in Jerusalem, even in YHWH’s temple. Asherah as Tree, pithos from Kuntillet 'Ajrud. The inscriptions and drawings were on the remnants of two large clay storing jars and on some broken plaster. Kuntillet Ajrud ostracon http://andrewstehlik.blogspot.com/2012/03/did-yhwh-have-wife.html http://www.sourcememory.net/veleda/?p=278 Abdi-Heba (Abdi-Kheba, Abdi-Hepat, or Abdi-Hebat) was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period (mid-1330s BC). Abdi-Heba's name can be translated as "servant of Hebat", a Hurrian goddess. Some scholars believe the correct reading is Ebed-Nob. Whether Abdi-Heba was himself of Hurrian descent is unknown, as is the relationship between the general populace of pre-Israelite Jerusalem (called, several centuries later, Jebusites in the Bible) and the Hurrians. Egyptian documents have him deny he was a ḫazānu and assert he is a soldier (we'w), the implication being he was the son of a local chief sent to Egypt to receive military training there. I need to investigate these two queens further. Queen Kug-Bau of Sumeria 2500 BC Queen Sammu-rama of Assyria 800 BC The Amorites (Sumerian MAR.TU, Akkadian Tidnum or Amurrūm, Egyptian Amar, Hebrew אמורי ʼĔmōrī, Ancient Greek Αμορίτες) were an ancient Semitic-speaking people from ancient Syria who also occupied large parts of Mesopotamia from the 21st century BC. The term Amurru in Akkadian and Sumerian texts refers to them, as well as to their principal deity. In the earliest Sumerian sources, beginning about 2400 BC, the land of the Amorites ("the Mar.tu land") is associated not with Mesopotamia but with the lands to the west of the Euphrates, including Canaan and Syria. They appear as a nomadic people in Mesopotamian sources, especially connected with the mountainous region of Jebel Bishri in Syria called the "mountain of the Amorites". The ethnic terms Amurru and Amar were used for them in Akkadian and Ancient Egyptian respectively. From the 21st century BC, possibly triggered by a long major drought starting about 2200 BC, a large-scale migration of Amorite tribes infiltrated southern Mesopotamia. They were one of the instruments of the downfall of the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur, and Amorite dynasts established independent city-states that next vied for power, particularly Isin, Larsa and Kish among others, culminating in the triumph under Hammurabi of one of them, Babylon. Known Amorites wrote in a dialect of Akkadian found on tablets at Mari dating from 1800–1750 BC. Since the language shows northwest Semitic forms and constructions, the Amorite language was presumably a northwest Semitic dialect, as opposed to the east Semitic Akkadian language. The main sources for the extremely limited knowledge about Amorite are the proper names, not Akkadian in style, that are preserved in such texts. According to the Hebrew scriptures, Amalek is distinct from the Amorites. "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan." (1769 Oxford King James Bible "Authorized Version", Numbers 13:29) Amurru and Martu are names given in Akkadian and Sumerian texts to the god of the Amorite/Amurru people, often forming part of personal names. He is sometimes called Ilu Amurru (DMAR.TU). He was the patron god of the Mesopotamian city of Ninab, whose exact location is unknown. Amurru/Martu was probably a western Semitic god originally. He is sometimes described as a 'shepherd' or as a storm god, and as a son of the sky-god Anu. He is sometimes called bêlu šadī or bêl šadê, 'lord of the mountain'; dúr-hur-sag-gá sikil-a-ke, 'He who dwells on the pure mountain'; and kur-za-gan ti-[la], 'who inhabits the shining mountain'. In Cappadocian Zinčirli inscriptions he is called ì-li a-bi-a, 'the god of my father'. It has been suggested by L. R. Bailey (1968) and Jean Ouelette (1969), that this Bêl Šadê might be the same as the Biblical ’Ēl Šaddāi who is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the "Priestly source" of narrative, according to the documentary hypothesis. Bêl Šadê could have been the fertility-god 'Ba'al', possibly adopted by the Canaanites, a rival and enemy of the Hebrew God YHWH, and famously combatted by the Hebrew prophet Elijah. Amurru's wife is sometimes the goddess Ašratum (Ashratu) who in northwest Semitic tradition and Hittite tradition appears as wife of the god Ēl which suggests that Amurru may indeed have been a variation of that god. If Amurru was identical with Ēl, it would explain why so few Amorite names are compounded with the name Amurru, but so many are compounded with Il; that is, with Ēl. In the earliest Sumerian texts, all western lands beyond the Euphrates, including Syria and Canaan, were known as "the land of the MAR.TU (Amorites)". This term appears in Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, which describes it in the time of Enmerkar as one of the regions inhabited by speakers of a different language. Another text known as Lugalbanda and the Anzud bird describes how, fifty years into Enmerkar's reign, the Martu people arose in Sumer and Akkad, necessitating the building of a wall to protect Uruk. There are also sparse mentions in tablets from Ebla, dating from 2500 BC to the destruction of the city ca. 2250 BC: from the perspective of Ebla, the Amorites were a rural group living in the narrow basin of the middle and upper Euphrates. For the Akkadian kings of central Mesopotamia Mar.tu was one of the "Four Quarters" surrounding Akkad, along with Subartu/Assyria, Sumer, and Elam. The Akkadian king Naram-Sin records successful campaigns against them in northern Syria ca. 2240 BC, and his successor Shar-Kali-Sharri followed suit. By the time of the last days of the Sumerian Ur III empire, immigrating Amorites had become such a force that kings such as Shu-Sin were obliged to construct a 170 miles (270 km) long wall from the Tigris to the Euphrates to hold them off. These Amorites appear as nomadic clans ruled by fierce tribal chiefs, who forced themselves into lands they needed to graze their herds. Some of the Akkadian literature of this era speaks disparagingly of the Amorites, and implies that the Akkadians and Sumerians viewed their nomadic way of life with disgust and contempt. There are very little videos done on the Amorites to watch. Here is one that suggest Amorites fled to North America and began shipping Michigan Copper across the Atlantic. The Phoenicians were known to travel great distances, but nothing recorded as North America when kingdoms could get it directly from Cyprus. Cyprus was famous in antiquity for its copper resources. In fact the very word copper is derived from the Greek name for the island, Kupros. Cypriots first worked copper in the Chalcolithic Age from 4000BC to 2500BC, which has has since been known for its copper resources. The discovery of rich copper-bearing ores on the north slope of the Troodos mountains led to the mining of Cyprus' rich mineral resources in the Bronze Age at sites such as Ambelikou-Aletri." In the 1900 B.C., the island is mentioned for the first time in Near Eastern records as a copper-producing country, under the name "Alasia," and it continued to be an important source of copper for the Near East and Egypt throughout most of the second millennium B.C. Scholars, however, are in disagreement as to the exact meaning of "Alasia": whether it refers to a specific site on Cyprus, such Enkomi or Alassa, or to the island itself. https://www.tripmondo.com/cyprus/nicosia/ambelikou/ 750-480 BC Cyprus was under subjugation to the Assyrians. During this period, the Cypriot city- kingdoms of Salamis, Kition, Amathous, Kourion, Idalion, Palaipafos, Marion, Soloi and Tamassos remained independent for as long as they were in a position to pay a subjugation tax to the Assyrian ruler. Persian rule came to an end during the Hellenistic period (310-30 BC) during Alexander the Great’s campaign to the East. After Alexander’s death, Ptolemy, one of his successors, became ruler of the island. After the rule of the Assyrian hegemony, the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis took over Cyprus. The Romans, who conquered Cyprus after the Ptolemies, mainly exploited its copper mines. Cyprus was conquered by Romans for their copper mines and became officially subjected from 30 BC - 330 AD, the name of Cyprus became synonymous with the Latin equivalent name for copper (cuprum). Under Roman rule, as a result of trade Cyprus enjoyed a three hundred year period of economic growth. In 45 AD people of Cyprus were converted to Christianity by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas. Here is are interesting Amorite theories. http://endofwesternciv.blogspot.com/2012/02/ancient-origin-of-conspiracy-amorites.html http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Canaan_1a.htm http://gnosticwarrior.com/amorites.html Amurru was an Amorite kingdom located at the territory that spans modern western and north-western Syria, Canaan and Egypt.between 1400 BC - 1200 BC. The first documented leader of Amurru was Abdi-Ashirta, under whose leadership Amurru was part of the Egyptian empire. His son Aziru made contact with the Hittite king Suppiluliuma I, and eventually defected to the Hittites. Aziru was the Canaanite ruler of Amurru, modern Lebanon, in the 14th century BC. He was the son of Abdi-Ashirta, the previous Egyptian vassal of Amurru and a direct contemporary of Akhenaten. The dealings of Aziru are well-known from the Amarna letters. While being a formal vassal of Egypt, he tried to expand his kingdom towards the Mediterranean coast and captured the city of Sumur (Simyrra). This was seen with alarm by his neighbouring states, particularly Rib-Hadda, the king of Gubla, (Byblos), who pleaded for Egyptian troops to be sent for their protection. Rib-Hadda was ultimately exiled—and probably not long afterwards—killed at the behest of Aziru. Rib-Hadda had left his city of Byblos for 4 months to conclude a treaty with the king of Beirut, Ammunira, but when he returned home, he learned that a palace coup led by his brother Ilirabih had unseated him from power. He temporarily sought refuge with Ammunira and unsuccessfully appealed for support from Egypt to restore him to the throne. (EA 136-138; EA 141 & EA 142) When this failed, Rib-Hadda was forced to ignominiously appeal to his sworn enemy, Aziru, to place him back on the throne of his city. Aziru promptly betrayed him and dispatched Rib-Hadda into the hands of the rulers of Sidon where Rib-Hadda almost certainly met his death. This event is mentioned in Amarna letter EA 162 by Akhenaten to Aziru when the pharaoh demanded that Aziru travel to Egypt to explain his actions.Aziru was detained in Egypt for at least a year before being released when the advancing Hittites conquered the important city of Amki thereby threatening Amurru (EA 170). Aziru was allowed to leave Egypt and return to his kingdom. Aziru had, however, made secret contacts with the Hittite king Suppiluliuma I, and sometime upon his return to Amurru, he permanently switched his allegiance to the Hittites to whom he remained loyal until his death.[5] Henceforth, Amurru remained firmly in Hittite hands until the reign of the 19th dynasty Pharaohs Seti I and Ramesses II. Amorites invaded Byblos around 2150 B.C., setting fire to the city and destroying the Temple of Ba'alat Gebal. Much of the temple's original structure got buried under a deep layer of ash. Job 9 “Rahab” is not to be confused with the harlot of the same name from Jericho. “Rahab” is identified with Tiamat of the Babylonian creation epic, or Leviathan of the Canaanite myths. Iryana-Vaejah, 'the stem-land of the Aryans,' is spoken of as the first of the good lands created by Ahura Mazda. Angra Mainyu, the enemy of God and men, contemplated invasion of Airyana-vaejah. He would cause evil winter to fall that would bring fierce, deadly frost. Such dense desolation would follow the icy deluge that every vestige of human habitation would disappear and it would be a wonder if even a footprint of a sheep could be seen. Angra Mainyu did invade the happy home of the Aryans and plagued it with a deluge of snow and ice. Forewarned by Ahura Mazda, the mighty king took timely measures, and before Angra Mainyu cause destruction and death, through deadly deluge, or, in the language of geology, before the glacial cataclysm rendered the primeval Aryan home unfit for habitation, he led a further successful migration towards the hospitable south.

Chapter 5 Jesus said to his Apostles if you believe in the Gospel and you are baptized, then you are saved from damnation.. Mark 16 Buddhist Holy man, Jigdal Dagchen Sakya draws a line with a vajra into the Hevajra sand mandala closing the glowing deity palace, on a circular table, monks and students attending, Sakya Lamdre, Tharlam Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal. The birthplace of Vajrayana Buddhism was located in the Swāt Valley region of present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, close to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to the State of Swat called it "the Switzerland of the East". Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava (Lotus-Born), also known as the Second Buddha, was a sage guru from Oddiyana, northwestern Classical India (in the modern-day Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). Padmasambhava is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet, Bhutan and neighboring countries in the 8th century AD. The Swāt Valley is also believed to be the homeland of the great Buddhist masters, such as Garab Dorji, Vairotsana and Tilopa. In 750, Amoghavajra joined the military governorship of Geshu Han, for whom he conducted large-scale tantric initiations at field headquarters. In 754, he translated the first portion of the Tattvasaṃgraha (T. 865), the central yoga tantra of Esoteric Buddhism, which became one of his most significant accomplishments. He regarded its teachings as the most effective method for attaining enlightenment yet devised, and incorporated its basic schema in a number of writings. Amoghavajra was captured in general An Lushan's rebellion but in 757 was freed by loyalist forces, whereupon he performed rites to purify the capital and consolidate the security of the Tang state. Two years later, he initiated the emperor Suzong as a cakravartin. In 765, Amoghavajra used his new rendition of the Scripture for Humane Kings in an elaborate ritual to counter the advance of a 200,000-strong army of Tibetans and Uyghurs which was poised to invade Changan. Its leader, Pugu Huaien, dropped dead in camp and his forces dispersed. Amoghavajra died in 774, a greatly honored personage. Among his most prominent successors were Hui Guo and Hui Lin. Hui Guo would later accompany the Japanese monk Kukai (空海), also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi (弘法大師) to Japan. The three monks would establish Shingon, the Japanese form of Vajrayana Buddhism. Kūkai is famous as a calligrapher (see Japanese calligraphy) and engineer. Among the many achievements attributed to him is the invention of the kana, the syllabary with which, in combination with Chinese characters (kanji), the Japanese language is written to this day. Japanese Emperor Saga supported Kūkai and exchanged poems and other gifts. In 810 Kūkai emerged as a public figure when he was appointed administrative head of Tōdai-ji, the central temple in Nara, and head of the Sōgō (僧綱, Office of Priestly Affairs). In 813 Kūkai outlined his aims and practices in the document called The admonishments of Konin. It was also during this period at Takaosan that he completed many of the seminal works of the Shingon School. Kūkai (空海), founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan is often portrayed holding a Vajra, the weapon of Indra, the god of heaven and the chief deity of the Rigvedic pantheon. Indra is described as using the vajra to kill sinners and ignorant persons In Buddhist mythology, Yama (Sanskrit: यम) is a dharmapala (wrathful god) said to judge the dead and preside over the Narakas ("Hells" or "Purgatories") and the cycle of rebirth. Although ultimately based on the god Yama of the Hindu Vedas, the Buddhist Yama has developed different myths and different functions from the Hindu deity. He has also spread far more widely and is known in every country where Buddhism is practiced, including China and Japan. Prince Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) founded Buddhism as an alternative to Hinduism. There was much about Hinduism he didn't like; the "caste" system for example. Huston Smith, author of the acclaimed book "The Religions of Man" describes Buddhism as a form of "Protestant Hinduism". A link can be found between the Persian Yima and the Hindi Yuma.Yima Kshaeta (King Yima) son of Vivanghat, is the ancient king of the Aryans in the ancient homeland Airyanam Vaejahi (the seedland of the Aryans) was the first mortal man to converse with the great god Ahura Mazda. Yama, the first mortal in Rigvedic mythology. who, after his death, became the ruler of the underworld. Derinkuyu Underground City is an ancient multi-level underground city of the Median Empire in the Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey. Extending to a depth of approximately 60 m, it was large enough to shelter approximately 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found across Cappadocia. The city could accommodate up to 20,000 people and had all the usual amenities found in other underground complexes[citation needed] across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. Unique to the Derinkuyu complex and located on the second floor is a spacious room with a barrel vaulted ceiling. It has been reported that this room was used as a religious school and the rooms to the left were studies. Between the third and fourth levels is a vertical staircase. This passage way leads to a cruciform church on the lowest (fifth) level. The large 55 m ventilation shaft appears to have been used as a well. The shaft also provided water to both the villagers above and, if the outside world was not accessible, to those in hiding. There are references to underground refugee settlements built by the Persian king Yima in the second chapter of the Zoroastrian book Vendidad. Therefore many scholars believe that the city may have been built by the Persians. The city was connected with other underground cities through miles of tunnels. A 8 km tunnel was found between Derinkuyu to Kaymakli. Kaymaklı Underground City is contained within the citadel of Kaymaklı in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. First opened to tourists in 1964, the village is about 19 km from Nevşehir, on the Nevşehir-Niğde road. The ancient name was Enegup. The houses in the village are constructed around the nearly one hundred tunnels of the underground city. The tunnels are still used today as storage areas, stables, and cellars. The underground city at Kaymaklı differs from Derinkuyu in terms of its structure and layout. The tunnels are lower, narrower, and more steeply inclined. Of the four floors open to tourists, each space is organized around ventilation shafts. This makes the design of each room or open space dependent on the availability of ventilation. Is it possible that King Yima is King Yama? Is it possible that these Hindu Buddhist kings of the underworld were actually Kings of underground cities built to protect their people from an ice age? Watch the video 'Derinkuyu, Kurdish Underground City.' Yama and his sister Yami, the first human pair, are identical with the Persian Yima and Yimeh of Avestan literature; they are the primeval "twins", the children of Vivasvat, or Vivasvant, in the Rigveda and of Vivahvant in the Avesta. Vivasvant is the Sun God. He is identified with Surya, but in some stories, appears distinct from him. According to the Rig Veda, he married to Saranyu, the daughter of Tvashta. He is the father of Manu, who is also known as Vaivasvatha Manu. Manu is the progenitor of the solar dynasty. Ahunuvaiti Gatha Yasna 32 In the second chapter of the Vendidad of the Avesta, the omniscient Creator Ahura Mazda asks Yima, a good shepherd, to receive his law and bring it to men. However, Yima refuses, and so Ahura Mazda charges him with a different mission: to rule over and nourish the earth, to see that the living things prosper. This Yima accepts, and Ahura Mazda presents him with a golden seal and a dagger inlaid with gold. Yima rules as king for three hundred years, and soon the earth was full of men, flocks of birds and herds of animals. He deprived the daevas, who were demonic servants of the evil Ahriman, of wealth, herds and reputation during his reign. Good men, however, lived lives of plenty, and were neither sick nor aged. Father and son walked together, each appearing no older than fifteen. Ahura Mazda visits him once more, warning him of this overpopulation. Yima, shining with light, faced southwards and pressed the golden seal against the earth and boring into it with the poniard, says "O Spenta Armaiti, kindly open asunder and stretch thyself afar, to bear flocks and herds and men." The earth swells and Yima rules for another six hundred years before the same problem occurred once more. Once again he pressed the seal and dagger to the earth and asked the ground to swell up to bear more men and beasts, and the earth swells again. Nine hundred years later, the earth was full again. The same solution is employed, the earth swelling again. The next part of the story tells of a meeting of Ahura Mazda and the Yazatas in Airyanem Vaejah, the first of the "perfect lands". Yima attends with a group of "the best of mortals", where Ahura Mazda warns him of an upcoming catastrophe: "O fair Yima, son of Vivaŋhat! Upon the material world the evil winters are about to fall, that shall bring the fierce, deadly frost; upon the material world the evil winters are about to fall, that shall make snow-flakes fall thick, even an arədvi deep on the highest tops of mountains." http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html Ahura is an Avestan language designation for a particular class of Zoroastrian spirits derived from Indo-Iranian *asura, also attested in an Indian context as RigVedic asura. In Hinduism, the asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a group of power-seeking deities different from the benign deities known as devas (which are also known as suras). Deva (देव in Devanagari script) is the Sanskrit word for deity. Its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural being. The devas in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers.. Asuras are sometimes considered naturalists, or nature-beings, in constant battle with the devas. Amesha Spentas translates as 'Holy Immortals' in Avestan. It is interesting to note that there was a city of Sura in the southern part of ancient Babylonia, located west of the Euphrates River. It was well known for its agricultural produce, which included grapes, wheat, and barley. It was also a major center of Torah scholarship, and home of an important yeshiva, which, together with the yeshivas in Pumbedita and Nehardea, gave rise to the Babylonian Talmud. A depiction of Rabbi Ashi teaching a the Yeshiva Academy of Sura established in 225 A.D. It was at the Academy of Sura that the Babylonian Talmud (Oral Law), the basis for Jewish law (halacha), philosophy and the Jewish way of life and was created. The Talmud was completed in the year 499 CE. It has been rightly maintained that no book, with the exception of the Bible, has played such an essential part in the history of the Jewish people as the Talmud in both its versions, but the Babylonian Talmud is considered superior to the Palestinian or Jerusalem Talmud. The front page of the Brachot section of the Babylonian Talmud. In late-Vedic and post-Vedic literature the Vedic asuras became lesser beings while in the Avesta, the Persian counterpart of the Vedas, the devas began to be considered lesser beings. Later, in the Puranas, the son of Marichi, Kashyap (Sanskrit कश्यप kaśyapa) is portrayed as the father of the devas, asuras, nāgas and all of humanity. Rishi Marichi or Mareechi or Marishi (ṛṣi Marīci, ऋषि मरीचि) (meaning a ray of light) is the son of Brahma, the cosmic creator, and also one of the Saptarshi (Seven Great Sages Rishi), in the First Manvantara, with others being Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, and Vashishtha. Zoroastrians worship fire is seen a representation of the spirit of God, not as a deity in itself. It is called a symbol of "Asha," which translates as "original light of God" and consecrated flames are kept burning in major temples as a sign of esteem for the Asha. Asha Vahishta is closely associated with fire. Fire is "grandly conceived as a force informing all the other Amesha Spentas, giving them warmth and the spark of life. Amesha Spenta (see below) is a restrictive use of the term to refer to the great six "divine sparks" of Ahura Mazda. In Zoroastrian tradition, these are the first six emanations of the noncreated Creator, through whom all subsequent creation was accomplished. The "divine sparks" that appear in the Gathic Yasna 47.1 are: [Vohu] Manah, approximately meaning "[Good] Purpose" Aša [Vahištā] "[best] Truth/Righteousness" Xšaθra [Vairya], "[Desirable] Dominion" Sp''ə''nta Armaiti, "[Holy] Devotion" Haurvatāt, "Wholeness" Amərətāt, "Immortality" Yasna Chapter 30 The idea of "divine sparks" is found in Gnosticism but also present in most Western Mystical Traditions such as Kabbalah and Sufism that all of mankind contains within itself the Divine Spark of God which is contained or imprisoned in the body. In these cosmologies the purpose of life is to enable the Divine Spark to be released from its captivity in matter and reestablish its connection with or simply return to God who is perceived as being the source of the Divine Light. In the Gnostic Christian tradition (e.g. the Valentinian Church, the Cathars, the modern Lectorium Rosicrucianum etc.) Christ is seen as an Avatar of the Light which has taken human form in order to lead humanity back to the Light. The Cathars in particular saw this idea expressed most powerfully in the opening words of the Gospel of St John. because the prophet Zoroaster was, in a vision, conducted into the presence of Ahura Mazdā by Vohu Manah, any individual who seeks to know the Wise Lord must approach him through this immortal. How did the benevolent Avestian Spenta Armanti turn into the Armenian demon Spandaramet? Spandaramet was an Armenian earth goddess whose name comes from the Iranian spenta aemaita, the seven bounteous immortals of the Zoroastrian tradition. She represented both fertility (the fruit of the vine), and the resting place of the dead. She typified the fertility of the ground. Spandaramet was invisible, but her visible symbol was the earth itself. She thus corresponds to the Greek Demeter or Mother Earth. Because She was also seen as the goddess of the dead, with the coming of Christianity, the word Spandaramet took on the meaning of hell. The Pahlavi name is, most probably, merely a corrupt transliteration of the Avesta form, and may be read Ganrâk-maînôk, as the Avesta Spenta-mainyu, the spirit who causes prosperity, has become Spênâk-maînôk in Pahlavi. This latter spirit is represented by Aûharmazd himself in the Bundahis. The Pahlavi word for 'spirit,' which is read madônad by the Parsis, and has been pronounced mînavad by some scholars and mînôî by others, is probably a corruption of maînôk, as its Sasanian form was minô. If it were not for the extra medial letter in ganrâk, and for the obvious partial transliteration of spênâk, it would be preferable to read ganâk, 'smiting,' and to derive it from a supposed verb gandan, 'to smite' (Av. ghna), as proposed by most Zendists. A Parsi would probably suggest gandan, 'to stink.' Pahlavi or Pahlevi denotes a particular and exclusively written form of various Middle Iranian languages. Pahlavi compositions have been found for the dialects/ethnolects of Parthia, Parsa, Sogdiana, Scythia, and Khotan. The term Pahlavi is said to be derived from the Parthian language word parthav or parthau, meaning Parthia, a region just east of the Caspian Sea, with the -i suffix denoting the language and people of that region. If this etymology is correct, Parthav presumably became pahlaw through a semivowel glide rt (or in other cases rd) change to l, a common occurrence in language evolution (e.g. Arsacid sard became sal, zard>zal, vard>gol, sardar>salar etc.). The term has been traced back further to Avestan pərəthu- "broad [as the earth]", also evident in Sanskrit pŗthvi- "earth" and parthivi "[lord] of the earth". Common to all Indo-Iranian languages is a connotation of "mighty." The earliest attested use of Pahlavi dates to the reign of Arsaces I of Parthia (250 BC) in early Parthian coins with Pahlavi scipts. There are also several Pahlavi texts written during the reign of Mithridates I (r. 171–138 BC). It appears that Old Persian, Parthian Pahlavi, Sogdian and Avestan scripts were based Aramaic language. Zorastrianism in the beginning Avestan period evolves into something different in the Pahlavi. After the downfall of the Achaemenian empire, the Avestan language began to decay. Zoroastrian priests undertook translations and explanations of the Avestan texts into Pahlav. The Parthian Empire (/ˈpɑrθiən/; 247 BC – 224 AD), also known as the Arsacid Empire /ˈɑrsəsɪd/, was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran, also known as ancient Persia. Its latter name comes from Arsaces I of Parthia who, as leader of the Parni tribe, founded it in the mid-3rd century BC when he conquered the region of Parthia in Iran's northeast, then a satrapy (province) in rebellion against the Seleucid Empire. Mithridates I of Parthia (r. c. 171–138 BC) greatly expanded the empire by seizing Media and Mesopotamia from the Seleucids. At its height, the Parthian Empire stretched from the northern reaches of the Euphrates, in what is now central-eastern Turkey, to eastern Iran. The empire, located on the Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean Basin and the Han Empire of China, became a center of trade and commerce. Arsaces I (/ˈɑrsəsiːz/; Persian: ارشک‎ Arshak, Greek: Ἀρσάκης,) was the founder of the Arsacid dynasty, and after whom all 30+ monarchs of the Arsacid empire officially named themselves. A celebrated descent from antiquity (the Bagratid "line") begins with Arsaces. Arsaces or Ashk has also given name to the city of Ashkabad. The Parthian Empire, being culturally and politically heterogeneous, had a variety of religious systems and beliefs, the most widespread being those dedicated to Greek and Iranian cults. Aside from a minority of Jews and early Christians,most Parthians were polytheistic. Greek and Iranian deities were often blended together as one. For example, Zeus was often equated with Ahura Mazda, Hades with Angra Mainyu, Aphrodite and Hera with Anahita, Apollo with Mithra, and Hermes with Shamash. Aside from the main gods and goddesses, each ethnic group and city had their own designated deities. As with Seleucid rulers, Parthian art indicates that the Arsacid kings viewed themselves as gods; this cult of the ruler was perhaps the most widespread. The extent of Arsacid patronism of Zoroastrianism is debated in modern scholarship.[220] The followers of Zoroaster would have found the bloody sacrifices of some Parthian-era Iranian cults to be unacceptable. However, there is evidence that Vologeses I encouraged the presence of Zoroastrian magi priests at court and sponsored the compilation of sacred Zoroastrian texts which later formed the Avesta. The Sassanid court would later adopt Zoroastrianism as the official state religion of the empire. Vologases I of Parthia (Persian: ولاش يکم‎) sometimes called Vologaeses or Vologeses or following Parthian usage, Walagash (Persian: بلاش‎ Balāsh) was king of the Parthian Empire from about until his death in 78. Vologases I was a Prince of Iranian and Greek ancestry. He was one of the sons born to Vonones II from a Greek concubine, he succeeded his father in 51. When he ascended the Parthian throne, he appointed his brother Pacorus II as king of Atropatene. His reign is marked by a decided reaction against Hellenism. He was influential in reverting the Hellenization by going back to Iranian customs and traditions of Achaemenid times. He replaced the Greek alphabet with the Pahlavi script, and on some coins the initials of his name appear in Pahlavi letters. He also reverted the Greek names of Iranian cities to Iranian names. According to Zoroastrian texts, Vologases I ordered the collection of the ancient Avestan texts. On some of his coins a fire temple appears for the first time, starting a tradition which continued for several hundred years to the end of Sasanians. Vonones II of Parthia (Persian: ونن دوم‎, Greek: Ονωνης, flourished second half of 1st century BC – 51 AD) was a Prince of Iranian and Greek ancestry who served as a King of Media Atropatene and briefly as King of Parthia. Tiridates I (Armenian: Տրդատ Ա Trdat A; Parthian: Tīridāt; Greek: Τιριδάτης Tiridátes) was King of Armenia beginning in 53 and the founder of the Arsacid Dynasty, the Armenian line of the Arsacid Dynasty. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. His early reign was marked by a brief interruption towards the end of the year 54 and a much longer one from 58 to 63. In an agreement to resolve the Roman-Parthian conflict in and over Armenia, Tiridates I (one of the brothers of Vologases I of Parthia) was crowned king of Armenia by the Roman emperor Nero in 66. In addition to being a king, Tiridates I was also a Zoroastrian priest and was accompanied by other magi on his journey to Rome in 66. A History of Armenia by Vahan M. Kurkjian published by: The Armenian General Benevolent Union of America 1958 In the early 20th century, Franz Cumont speculated that Tiridates was instrumental in the development of Mithraism, which was considered Romanized Zoroastrianism. It is worth noting Cumont's theory has been disputed. Iranian "Mithra" and Sanskrit "Mitra" are believed to come from an Indo-Iranian word mitra meaning "contract, agreement, covenant." According to Plutarch, Zoroaster named Areimanios as one of the two rivals who were the artificers of good and evil. In terms of sense perception, Oromazes was to be compared with light, and Areimanios to darkness and ignorance; between these was Mithras the Mediator. Areimanios received offerings that pertained to apotropaism and mourning. Areimanios unclothed body is entwined six times by a serpent, the head of which rests on the skull of the god. Angra Mainyu (Aŋra Mainiiu) is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive spirit" from which later conceptions was passed onto Judeo-Christian beliefs through the concept of Satan, the chief agent of evil. Prior to Babylonian captivity (586-538 BC), Judaism held the belief that Satan was an agent of God and that he tested man's loyalty to God. After Cyrus the Great permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem Satan became God's rival and the lord of evil. Cyrus did not allow the restoration of the Judean monarchy, which left the Judean priests as the dominant authority. Without the constraining power of the monarchy, the authority of the Temple in civic life was amplified. It was around this time that the Sadducee party emerged as the party of priests and allied elites. The Second Temple (completed 515 BCE) had been constructed under the auspices of Cyrus, and there were lingering questions about its legitimacy. This provided the condition for the development of various sects or "schools of thought", each of which claimed exclusive authority to represent "Judaism", and which typically shunned social intercourse, especially marriage, with members of other sects. According to one theory, in the same period, the council of sages known as the Sanhedrin codified and canonized the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), and, following the return from Babylon, the Torah was read publicly on market-days. Modern literary analysis suggests that it was at this time that older oral and written sources were revised to account for the exile as God's punishment for the sin of worshiping other gods. In describing a ritual to Areimanios, Plutarch says the god was invoked as Hades ("The Hidden One") and Darkness. (In Greek religion, Hades was the ruler of the dead or shades, and not a god of evil, except in the sense that death might be considered kakon, a bad thing.) The ritual required a plant that Plutarch calls omomi, which was to be pounded in a mortar and mixed with the blood of a sacrificed wolf. The substance was then carried to a place "where the sun never shines," and cast therein. He adds that "water-rats" belong to this god, and therefore proficient rat-killers are fortunate men.