Astrology in the Jewish Temple

by ProdigalSon 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • ProdigalSon
    ProdigalSon

    http://www.netours.com/content/view/31

    Josephus on The Temple: His First AccountJosephus Flavius, The Wars of the Jews, V 5: 1- 6, translated by William Whiston.

    4. As to the holy house itself, which was placed in the midst [of the inmost court], that most sacred part of the temple, it was ascended to by twelve steps; and in front its height and its breadth were equal, and each a hundred cubits, though it was behind forty cubits narrower; for on its front it had what may be styled shoulders on each side, that passed twenty cubits further. Its first gate was seventy cubits high, and twenty-five cubits broad; but this gate had no doors; for it represented the universal visibility of heaven, and that it cannot be excluded from any place. Its front was covered with gold all over, and through it the first part of the house, that was more inward, did all of it appear; which, as it was very large, so did all the parts about the more inward gate appear to shine to those that saw them; but then, as the entire house was divided into two parts within, it was only the first part of it that was open to our view. Its height extended all along to ninety cubits in height, and its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty. But that gate which was at this end of the first part of the house was, as we have already observed, all over covered with gold, as was its whole wall about it; it had also golden vines above it, from which clusters of grapes hung as tall as a man's height. But then this house, as it was divided into two parts, the inner part was lower than the appearance of the outer, and had golden doors of fifty-five cubits altitude, and sixteen in breadth; but before these doors there was a veil of equal largeness with the doors. It was a Babylonian curtain, embroidered with blue, and fine linen, and scarlet, and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of colors without its mystical interpretation, but was a kind of image of the universe; for by the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colors the foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one, and the sea the other. This curtain had also embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the heavens, excepting that of the [twelve] signs, representing living creatures.


    5. When any persons entered into the temple, its floor received them. This part of the temple therefore was in height sixty cubits, and its length the same; whereas its breadth was but twenty cubits: but still that sixty cubits in length was divided again, and the first part of it was cut off at forty cubits, and had in it three things that were very wonderful and famous among all mankind, the candlestick, the table [of shew-bread], and the altar of incense. Now the seven lamps signified the seven planets; for so many there were springing out of the candlestick. Now the twelve loaves that were upon the table signified the circle of the zodiac and the year; but the altar of incense, by its thirteen kinds of sweet-smelling spices with which the sea replenished it, signified that God is the possessor of all things that are both in the uninhabitable and habitable parts of the earth, and that they are all to be dedicated to his use.

  • Dogpatch
    Dogpatch

    I made it a point to visit several Jewish temples in a trip in the mid 80s, starting from Jerusalem, up to Galilee and down the coast. I was amazed to see how much astrological signs and designs were blatantly present.

    One more reason not to trust the WT's view of "history" and how the worship of Jehovah was so strictly monotheistic and free of astrology.

    (Now if only I can get my slides developed...)

    Randy

  • Pahpa
    Pahpa

    This is a interesting quote, Prodigal Son.

    I wonder if this is one of the reasons that some groups like the

    Essenes rejected the whole temple system with its corrupted

    priesthood? Herod was the builder of this temple. I am sure

    he had no compunctions about including astrological signs

    in its design. While the apostles had been overawed by

    this grand temple complex, Jesus, in contrast, foretold its total

    destruction. Mark 13

  • ProdigalSon
    ProdigalSon

    Thanks Randy, it's so good to hear from someone who had first-hand experience of Jewish Temples!

    Pahpa, perhaps astrology is not as demonic as the Watchtower and other fundies would like us to believe. Maybe the Jews had it in the Temple because it was sacred knowledge. What would be the reason for this to be hidden from us?

    "Don't put your faith or trust in anyone but God. Don't try to look to the future. Have faith in what you are told. Don't do anything that might help the human race evolve and wake up. That would be the end of our status quo. Yours truly, The Pharisees."

    Many ancient cultures like the Mayans, Incas, and Hindus, were experts at reading the stars. They all came to the same conclusions. So there must be some universal way of interpreting the stars. This stuff wasn't "channeled", it came from reading the heavens. Genesis 1:14 states: "They must serve as signs." Just so there's no doubt, let's take a look at the Hebrew word that appears there:

    http://www.eliyah.com/cgi-bin/strongs.cgi?file=hebrewlexicon&isindex=226

    226 'owth oth probably from 225 (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.:--mark, miracle, (en-)sign, token.

    852 'ath awth (Aramaic) corresponding to 226

    ; a portent:--sign.

    Einstein discovered that time and space are one and the same, and as they move along, they create a "continuum". Light does not travel in a straight line, but bends. So it eventually goes around in a loop. The loop becomes interdimensional and spirals upward. The past becomes a permanent record, like it was recorded on 3-dimensional tape, while the future contains all possible scenarios, depending upon which way we decide to go according to our free will. Thus, time travel could be very real.

    The Hindus called this permanent mark on the continuum the "Akashic Record". The Bible calls it the "Book of Life".

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashic_records

    This is what psychics say they are reading when they look to the past or future. I have personally had my dead father talk to me through a psychic healer, saying a lot of detailed stuff about my life that the healer could never have known on her own. Since I already believe in reincarnation, "Satan" or the "demons" have nothing to gain by trying to trick me into believing in an immortal soul. He had nothing to gain by having my father apologize to me for not protecting me from my abusive JW mother. As a result I was able to put my mother's abuse behind me and accelerate the healing process.

    So getting back to the point, the stars contain valuable information, that one particular redactor of the Bible did not want us privy to. He didn't want any of us to know how things really work, because that aspect of "God" is just a fabrication of the priesthood, and they have a vested interest in keeping us ignorant of these things. Why else would some of the Bible support astrology while other parts condemn it?

    Astrology in the Bible

    http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen13.html

    The Unspoken Bible- Biblical Astrology

    http://usbible.com/Astrology/bible_astrology.htm

    The Real Garden of Eden is in the stars.....

    http://www.usbible.com/Astrology/garden_tour.htm

  • Pahpa
    Pahpa

    The Babylonians were leaders in the field of astrology. Many scholars feel

    that other nations such as Egypt and Rome borrowed their beliefs in

    astrology from this source. When Israel was warned not to follow the

    practices of other nations, astrology was one of them. "All the counsel

    you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come

    forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let

    them save you from what is coming upon you." Isaiah 47:13 No matter

    how intellectual one tries to make it sound, it still is the same old

    religion that was condemned and rejected from early days.

  • Dogpatch
    Dogpatch

    All of this "purity" concept that the Witnesses have of the Jews around the time of Jesus, and what was false worship, and why we shouldn't use/do/look at this or that, is based on their logical assumptions, like everything else they write about. Do these fools ever travel the world?

    The truth of the matter is, Judaism absorbed tons of architecture, ideas, philosophical concepts, and even (gasp!) DOCTRINE into their ancient tribal belief systems, especially during the few centuries before and after Christ. Their original language was not capable of capturing many concepts; so the more learned loved to study Greek concepts and religion.

    This is what to me shows more than anything that JWs have virtually no idea what they are talking about when it comes to history. It's all conjecture to use as a carrot to the Paradise Earth.

    Doctrines borrowed from the Greeks that did not beforehand exist in Jewish belief (to name a couple):

    The Lake of Fire, Gehenna and the concept of Eternal Punishment or eternal reward (the Jews had no word for eternity or infinite; just "to the ages of the ages," if even that. All they had was the disembodied souls (yes, you heard me right!) residing in Sheol; which was not necessarily a place of punishment, although the rabbis naturally argued everything to the death; giving some the idea that there might be different "levels" of Sheol - though they may have borrowed that from the Greek concept of Hell, too. :-))

    TARTARUS was borrowed from the Greeks as the place of detainment of wicked angels. It was never mentioned or conceived of in the early Jewish texts. The early Jews' demons were more like relatively powerless animals for the most part. You didn't go out at night alone unless one might be hiding under a bush and grab you - and of course the "familiar spirits," mostly animal type ghoulies. They weren't necessarily dangerous, just deceptive and harmful in lesser ways.

    HELLwas not the same as Sheol. Hell meant definite unmeasurable agony for all eternity, and your disembodied soul was given a fireproof body so it would just keep hurting and you would writhe in agony FOREVER (though some Rabbis argued that not ALL would be tortured forever... depended on your tithing, etc.) A Greek idea, among other cultures surrounding Israel.

    So these GREEK teachings, which were embraced by the doctors of the Law (the Pharisees), and represented Jesus' thought on the matter just as Jesus believed most of all the Pharisaical views, including the RESURRECTION (unlike the skeptical Sadducees), were what Jesus BUILT ON to advance onward to his perceived-as-heretical teachings of him being the Messiah and how he was the fulfillment of the Law. Also the concept of HEAVEN; which was derived from the Jewish idea of only an earthly resurrection, where the Jews believed that at the coming of the Messiah, all the bodies buried in the hillsides surrounding the Mount of Olives (it's all ossuraries piled on top of each other, vying for position so that when Messiah returned, the most favored Jews would be the first to have their disembodied, semi-conscious ghosts residing in Sheol (see footnotes in the New American Standard Bible which renders rephaim accurately as "ghosts" or "shades of the dead") would ROLL DOWN THE HILL and be rejoined with a body and hit the streets of the New Jerusalem first! SNAP!

    The most laughable idea that Witnesses ever came up with was supposedly when Jesus warned the Pharisees of Hell and Gehenna, where Jehovah watched with pleaure at the continual-burning-but-never-consumed bodies of the wicked apostates along with the angels before his throne! Gee, can I watch??? The Rich man and Lazarus was a common type of story! Well understand this - Jesus BELIEVED that doctrine, and in anger warned the Pharisees who already taught the same thing (only it was destined for most non-Jews and wicked Jews).

    SYMBOLIC?

    I don't think so. It was sinners on the grill, baby. aoinios ton aionios - the Greek phrase for to the ages of the ages - FOREVER in their newly Grecianized minds.

    People try to twist the beliefs of ancient civilizations to make them more acceptable to the modern man. Logically then, JWs are the REAL apostates from early Christian belief. If you don't believe in a burning hell, you're an APOSTATE.

    If you think I'm pulling your leg, and you know in confidence people in seminaries, GO ASK THEM. THEY HIDE THIS FROM THE CONGREGATIONS BECAUSE IT'S TOO WEIRD AND SPOOKY! It is covered up to the people of the churches. At least read some good Protestant OT commentaries that have no reason to pull your leg. Germans are the most honest, and they are believers.

    Spend some time in the Talmud if you want an education. Not the childish Watchtower Rag.

    [Dogz is NOT a "familiar spirit", doesn't go out at night, and he won't bite your leg.]

  • ProdigalSon
    ProdigalSon

    The Mazzaroth (Zodiac)

    By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)

    http://www.betemunah.org/mazaroth.html

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    For that matter, I've always been intrigued by the "12 tribes" of Israel and their similarities to the Zodiac signs...

    It's not a "one-to-one" correspondence, but it does come pretty close in many ways...

    Zid

  • garyneal
    garyneal

    cool

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