Zachariah and Russell

by Devilsnok 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  Devilsnok

  Below is a picture of what is said to be the burial place of the prophet Zachariah. As you may remember old Zac is mainly remembered for calling upon the people of Jerusalem to rebuild Jehovah’s temple here on earth, he’s also know as a prophet who foresaw the coming of the Messiah. Keep that in mind.

  

  Note the structure of the top of that tomb, it’s a pyamid.

  Now take a look at Charles Taze Russell’s tomb , note the structure.

  

  There’s a lot written about Russell’s love of pyramidology but maybe just maybe that’s not what the pyramids about. Maybe Russell saw himself as a modern day Zachariah, a prophet of god who foresaw the coming Messiah and called for the spiritual rebuilding of Jehovahs temple and that he identified with Zac so much he even had his tomb modelled on Zac’s
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  Tired of the Hypocrisy

  That is an interesting concept. I am pretty sure Russell actually did have ties to the freemasons...even if he later renounced them.
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  Devilsnok

  Yep his freemason links have been well documented but do freemasons normally have pyramids built on top of their graves?
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  Devilsnok

  To go off thread slightly, does anyone know why Zachariahs tomb has a pyramid on top?
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  Homerovah the Almighty

  The idea of a pyramid on top the tomb was most likely copied from the pyramids of Egypt

  everyone back in those times thought to directly connect to the Gods and the spirits you had to get closer to the skies above

  Mayans and Aztecs did the same thing

  A little ignorance from the past and present

  That dirty Pagan Russell
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  Rohag

  The idea of a pyramid on top the tomb was most likely copied from the pyramids of Egypt

  Based on what little I know or can come up with, I agree.

  By the way, Jewish tradition (Kohelet Rabbah) links "Zechariah's Tomb" not to the post-exile prophet of the Book of Zechariah but to Zechariah the son of Yehoyada', who was murdered during the reign of Judean King Yo'ash (2 Chronicles 24). On the other hand, local Palestinian Arab tradition calls the monument "Pharaoh's Wife."

  Technically, "Zechariah's Tomb" is a nefesh, a monument built near, beside, or over a tomb. Several other structures or n'fashot topped with square or conical pyramids were found around/in Second Temple period Jerusalem: the "Tombs of the Kings," "Absalom's Pillar," and perhaps the Tomb of David. I was told that the First Temple era "Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter" farther down the Kidron Valley just north of Silwan Village originally was topped with a square pyramid, too.

  Thank you for allowing me to ramble and remind myself of what I used to know, or would like to think I used to know...

  Sources: this one , that one , Zev Vilnay's Legends of Jerusalem, and old issues of Ariel and Kardom.
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  Mary

  Yep his freemason links have been well documented but do freemasons normally have pyramids built on top of their graves?

  Not to my knowledge, but Russell's fascination with pyramids is well known through the Studies in the Scriptures books. I've got 3 of them that my grandmother bought back in the early 1930s. Holy god it's vastly confusing and utterly boring. I think it's probably somewhat 'symbolic' as there is speculation that the original pyramids weren't just built as the physical tombs of the pharoahs, but were also believed to be a 'stairway to heaven'.
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  z

  w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m

  Last update - 01:32 22/07/2003 Jewish Yad Avshalom revealed as a Christian shrine from Byzantine era By Amiram Barkat The historic Yad Avshalom monument in Jerusalem's Kidron Valley, revered for centuries as a Jewish shrine, was also a Christian holy place in the fourth century, new evidence has revealed. A fourth-century inscription on one of the walls near the monument, recently uncovered by chance, marks the site as the burial place of the Temple priest Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist who baptized Jesus. Scholars believe the monument was built in the first century, making it possible that figures holy to Christians could be buried there. According to Jewish belief, Yad Avshalom was named for Absalom, the son of King David, since Samuel II relates that Absalom built a memorial in "the valley of the king" which lies below the Temple Mount. Absalom died more than 1,000 years earlier. Parts of the inscription were discovered two years ago but the deciphering was only recently completed. Results of the research were published in the Revue Biblique in Paris two weeks ago. A Jerusalem archaeologist, Joe Zias of the Antiquities Authority, uncovered the inscription. He noticed in an ancient picture of the tomb that there was writing on one of the walls surrounding it. The ancient Greek letters had meanwhile been almost completely obliterated and therefore not seen by the dozens of archaeologists and scholars who had studied the monument in more modern times. Zias visited the site and spoke to the photographer - and only then did he understand the mystery. "The inscription can be seen only when the sun hits it from a certain angle at twilight, and only in summer," Zias said. He tried to create a copy of the inscription but faced difficulties since it is located nine meters above ground. Zias collected funds to build scaffolding and made a silicon copy. At this point, Zias approached his colleague Father Emile Puech of the East Jerusalem Ecole Biblique, the Dominican order's archaeological and biblical research institute. Puech is a renowned philologist who helped in deciphering the Dead Sea scrolls. Puech found 47 letters in the inscription, which is 1.2 meters long and 10 cms high. It reads: "This is the tomb of Zachariah, the martyr, the holy priest, the father of John." The Gospel of Luke names Zachariah and Elisabeth as the parents of John the Baptist. Another mausoleum, known as Kever Zachariah - the tomb of Zachariah the prophet - is situated close to Yad Avshalom, which creates confusion. According to Puech, the inscription dates from the Byzantine empire of the 4th century, meaning the inscription was written 300 years after the tomb was built. It at least proves the tomb was a Christian holy site then, even if it does not categorically prove for whom it was built. According to Hebrew University expert Prof. Gideon Foerster, the inscription tallies with a sixth century Christian text that says Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, was buried with Simon the Elder and James, the brother of Jesus. Foerster believes the document and inscription are historically authentic. Zias and Fuech are deciphering additional inscriptions found on the walls and will publish their findings in November. They say that one of the words in the inscriptions is Simon. Zias says he has no illusions: "Even if we prove there is no connection between Absalom and Yad Avshalom this will be forgotten in another 50 or 100 years."

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  Leolaia

  I would check out what the Vitae Prophetarum says about where the prophet Zechariah is buried. I am pretty sure this would present what Jews in the first century claimed about his burial place.