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WORD PAGE NW TRANSLATION PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION(S) alkali 106 al'kuh-lie Amoz 104 A'moz ay'muhs Arimathea 109 Ar·i·ma·the'a ar-uh-muh-thee'uh Candace 109 Can·da'ce kan-day'see Cassius 107 kay'shuhs, kash'uhs, -shee-uhs Chaldeans 106 Chal·de'ans kal-dee'uhns Cyrus 105 Cyrus sie'ruhs Dio 106 die-oh euphrates 106 Eu·phra'tes yoo-fray'teez Gomorrah 106 Go·mor'rah guh-mor'uh ha·wah' 113 ha·wah' hah-wah', -vah' Jehovah 113 Jehovah ji-hoh'vuh, jeh- Lachish 115 La'chish lay'kish onyx 117 onyx ah'niks Parthian 106 Par'thi·an pahr'thee-uhn Sodom 106 Sod'om sah'duhm Tigris 106 tie'gruhs Urwick 109 yur'wik Uzziah 104 Uz·zi'ah uh-zie'uh Yadin 109 yahd'in, -een Yigael 109 yi'gah-ehl zoologist 116 zoh-ah'luh-jist, zuh-wah'- ( Pronunciation KEY )
It is significant that most, if not all, of the Bible writers completed their writings when they were older and wiser. (Leviticus 19:32) This allowed for stability in the writings, based upon not only the ability to tune in to God's will, but also their experience at having seen what Jehovah can do with His spirit first hand. They would have arrived at a point where they would have 'worked out' other internal influences that could have resulted in a writing that Jehovah would have rejected from His canon, despite any good intentions. (Romans 7:8; 1Peter 4:3; also contrast 2Timothy 2:22)
While many today pass the Bible off as just some ancient religious book, this causes them to lose out and miss the harmony within the scriptures. For about 40 different writers across the span of approximately 1,500 years to hold to a single theme, and maintain agreement to a great detail should be convincing enough that this book is from God. Afterall, even in the same year, among contemporaries writers often cannot agree. If you ever want a good example of this, go down to your local legislature of any nation or local government, and just sit and listen. You'll walk away wondering how they accomplish anything at all. And the writers of God's word knew their words could affect millions of people, and was of much more importance than any national law, as it had to represent exactly God's will. So they adhered closely to His inspired and observed will, which is what also by default maintained the written harmony. The major difference between secular writings, and holy writings, is the one seeks an agenda, the latter seeks truth, especially spiritual truths. Which is why the particular holy writings from Moses to John are useful to anyone today, in that it answers questions that not only secular writings cannot answer, but also what other holy writings cannot answer. The truth is not "out there" (to play on the words of many consipiracy theories), rather, it is "in there" waiting to be uncovered and valued more than hidden treasure. (Proverbs 2:1-9)
Convergance is used in many fields, whether it be astronomy, tectonics, architecture, etc... This is a useful method to ensure that one is accurate in one's assessment or activity. A simple example from building or home construction is a popular method use to ensure that a foundation or walls are square. If one measures along one edge 36 units (feet or meters) from the corner, then along the other 90° edge measure out 40 units. The measurement from the ends away from the corner to each other would be 53.815 units. This is based upon the Pythagorean theorum that a2 b2 = c2. This process can be used by extension to arrive at awareness as well. Such as in dealing with people. If a person dealt honestly with you in business once, twice, and each and every time you dealt with them, and later their competition used words which indicated dishonesty their part, you would know it to not be true. Why? Because each time they were fair and honest toward you is a point of convergance that indciates their intent and behavior. The points of convergance in this book thus far have been many, but the 'large points' have been the titles of chapters 1-6, each of which indicated that there are certain answers that we can get only from the creator of this universe.
Most people today attempt to look into the future for economic reasons. But for the most part, we do not need to understand the future. If we have our loved ones around us, are able to interact with our children, older ones, and others whose company we enjoy right now, there is no motive to want to know the future. Except for two main reasons. One is selfish, the other legitamate. The selfish reason, which as I already mentioned is typically economic, would be for personal gain or advantage. The other reason would be out of concern for our safety, ability to sustain life, and care for our loved ones, even for those who have been lost to the enemy death. Jehovah has lovingly sustained us with evidence of His prophecies coming true, never having failed. For this we are thankful, and relieved greatly. Thus, prophecies serve a puropse far grander than convincing others that the scriptures are genuinely from God, but also that they offer a source of relief to us, His people, now. A good article on this can be found in The Watchtower of 1997, July 1, starting on þ 8, "Jehovah Will Not Forsake His People".
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On the 3rd of Marcheswan Cyrus entered Babylon and they waved branches before him. Peace settled on the city (and) Cyrus proclaimed peace to Babylon. Gubaru, his district-governor, appointed local governors in Babylon.
The Nabonidus Chronicle as translated by the book, Documents from Old Testament Times, by D. Winton Thomas.
A Tolerant Monarch
Achaemenid is a word that...is often used in secular literature to describe the Persian dynasty. The following definition is from the Lycos Web site:
Achaemenids, dynasty of ancient Persia.
They were descended presumably from one Achaemenes, a minor ruler in a mountainous district of SW Iran. His successors, when Elam declined, spread their power westward. Cyrus the Great established the Persian rule by his conquest of Astyages of Media. The Achaemenids (c.550–330 B.C.) were important for their development of government administration, the appearance of literature written in cuneiform, and the spread of Zoroastrianism; during this period there was also a great flourishing of Persian art and architecture. The Achaemenid rulers after Cyrus were Cambyses II, the impostor Smerdis, Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, Xerxes II, Sogdianus, Darius II, Artaxerxes II (opposed by Cyrus the Younger), Artaxerxes III, Arses, and Darius III. The dynasty ended when Darius III died in his flight from Alexander the Great.
Pronunciation for Achaemenid is uh-KEE-muh-nuhd, and that for Achaemenidae (sometimes used for the plural) is a'kuh-ME-nuh-dee'.
Encyclopedia Britannica has a nice article on Cyrus the Great, aka Cyrus II. The article concludes with this summation:
In short, the figure of Cyrus has survived throughout history as more than a great man who founded an empire. He became the epitome of the great qualities expected of a ruler in antiquity, and he assumed heroic features as a conqueror who was tolerant and magnanimous as well as brave and daring. His personality as seen by the Greeks influenced them and Alexander the Great, and, as the tradition was transmitted by the Romans, may be considered to influence our thinking even now. In the year 1971, Iran celebrated the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the monarchy by Cyrus.
Or as the box in Daniel's Prophecy þþ 149-152 summarizes Cyrus in its title: "A Tolerant Monarch." Cyrus had been prophesied in advance by Isaiah, his particular qualities exactly suited the situation prophesied, and Jehovah's purpose to restore the Jews to their homeland was carried out.
Cyrus the Great was a recent Learning Kingdom's Person of the Day. (Note: the URL for Persia.net isn't working just now, but the other URLs are interesting to read.)
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The Learning Kingdom's Person of the Day for July 26, 2000
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Cyrus the Great, 600-529 B.C.
Even his enemies called him a "worthy ruler and lawgiver."
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Son of King Cambyses I of Anshan and Princess Mandane of Media, Cyrus
the Great built what was to become history's largest empire up to
that time. Cyrus first unified the Medes and Persians. Then, over
some 30 years, his ever-expanding kingdom spread westward toward the
Holy Land.
Trying to stop his advances, the Greek city-state of Sparta joined
with Egypt, Lydia, and Babylon in an unsuccessful alliance against
Cyrus. Lydia fell in 546 B.C., and Babylon followed seven years
later.
Yet, Cyrus ruled mercifully and justly wherever he conquered. When
he destroyed the Babylonian Empire, he liberated the Jews -- who had
been held in the "Babylonian Captivity" since the Kingdom of Judah
had been conquered by Nebuchadnezzar decades earlier. That generous
act ultimately permitted Solomon's Temple to be rebuilt.
More on Cyrus the Great:
http://www.persia.net/history/cyrus.htm
http://www.artarena.force9.co.uk/cyrus.htm
Text of his decree freeing the Jews:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/539cyrus1.html
Nebuchadnezzar was a Person of the Day:
http://features.learningkingdom.com/person/archive/2000/05/24.html
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Person of the Day list membership: 235,183
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To send a free gift subscription: http://www.tlk-lists.com/giftsub/
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Copyright (c) 2000, The Learning Kingdom, Inc.
http://www.LearningKingdom.com
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There is a discrepency about the approximate year Cyrus was born. The Encyclopedia Britannica article says Cyrus was born between 590 and 580 BCE. The Learning Kingdom says Cyrus was born in 600 BCE. Which date does the Society use?
w65 3/1 152:
In the prophecy's next verse, Cyrus is called God's "anointed one." (Isa. 45:1) Cyrus was born probably about 600 B.C.E.
The lastest I can find about Cyrus' birth year is in w85 7/1 6, which seems to verify the 600 BCE date. (Isaiah completed his writings after 732 BCE, minus about 130 years, so that's close to the year 600 BCE.) The '85 Watchtower article says:
Can anything other than divine direction account for the Bible's unerring accuracy when it comes to prophecies, such as the one at Isaiah 44:28, wherein the Persian conqueror Cyrus the Great was mentioned by name some 130 years before he was born?
Now to put this information on a timeline for Cyrus, using the year 600 BCE as his birth year.
When Cyrus' "march to fame" began about 560/559 BCE, he was about 40 years old.
When he captured the Median capital, Ecbatana, in 550 BCE, he was 50 years old.
When he defeated Croesus of Lydia in 546 BCE, he was 54 years old.
When he captured Babylon in 539 BCE, he was 61 years old.
When he died in battle in 530 BCE, he was 70 years old.
Cyrus' summer capital was Ecbatana, the former Median capital. See a picture of Hamadan, Iran, the modern-day city located there now, in Insight Vol. II, p. 328.
A Web site about Hamadan: http://www.farsinet.com/hamadan/ (You can even check out what the summer weather is like there by clicking on the weather link.)
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At one time it seemed unbelievable that there would be Kingdom Halls in Moscow and Eastern Berlin. So we have a modern 'taste' of the impossible coming true. However, what made this prophecy particularly interesting, is that it was prophecised before Bablyon was even a world power. It would be akin to fortelling that Andorra would become a world power, and then fortelling of it's demise. Not just in general, by by mentioning specific events. If someone figures they can pshaw! their hand toward the fulfillment of this prophecy, then I wonder if they can do the same thing, if it's to be considered so lightly. So, what is the name of the next world power? As Christians, it is a name already on our tongues. (Isaiah 51:16) But the general populace refuses and choose to not acknowledge the incoming government, just as Beltshazzar did with his party. Too bad. Failure to acknowledge didn't work the first time, what makes anyone think it will again?
Those who would credit the book to more than one writer do not feel that it was possible for Isaiah to have foretold nearly two centuries in advance that a ruler named Cyrus would liberate the exiled Jews; consequently they speculate that this was written at a later time, at least after Cyrus began his conquests. (Isa 44:28; 45:1) But they fail to grasp the import of this entire portion of the book, because the material specifically deals with foreknowledge, with the ability of God to tell in advance what would happen to his people. Nearly 200 years in advance this prophecy recorded the name of one not yet born who would conquer Babylon and liberate the Jews. Its fulfillment would definitely prove that it was of divine origin. It was not Isaiah’s estimate of the future, but, as he himself wrote, “this is what Jehovah has said.” (Isa 45:1) Ascribing the writing of this portion of Isaiah to a writer in Cyrus’ time would still not solve the problem for the critics. Why not? Because this portion of the book also foretold in detail events in the earthly life and ministry of the Messiah, Jesus Christ—things even farther in the future. The fulfillment of these prophecies seals the prophecy of Isaiah as divinely inspired and not a collection of the works of impostors.
--Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, Isaiah, Book of þ 1223, under subheading "Unity of Writership".
During the 1980's, Saddam Hussein hired many Italian workers to rebuild Babylon. His goal was to restore it to the former glory. No one moved in, and since then he's had trouble with the international community. All that remains is Nebucadnezzar's rebuilt palace for tourists, which doesn't seem to be on the top of the charts. Occasion hikers from the nearby railroad, bicyclists, and other such will use it as a rest stop, but other than that, it has been reduced to the tourist industry to remind others of it's former glory. If Saddam had only read Isaiah 13:20 he would have known better than to waste his time. Although it's possible that he was trying to snub the nose of the God of the Jews as well. If so, he still should have known better. (Isaiah 55:11; Daniel 4:31,32, 37)
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The History of Plumbing - Babylonia www.theplumber.com/history.html
To the ancient traveler on foot or camel back, the massive walled city of Babylon and its network of canals and verdant crop lands must have loomed like a mirage in the simmering heat of the Near East sun. Adding to a disbelieving eye was a 300-ft. high ziggurat or temple tower in the city's center, surrounded on all sides by lush gardens and date palm trees that swayed upon the terraced city.
Located some 50 miles south of Baghdad in what is now Iraq, the flat land today is broken only by a series of desolate mounds and occasional patches of green cultivation and small villages. But beneath these mounds or "tells" are shattered remnants of past civilizations, crumbled foundations of clay cities literally layered one on top of the other.
What developed in this area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers from about 6000-3000 B.C. were the beginnings of western civilization. Here the warrior peoples of Assyria reigned with a fearsome hand over Sumerian and Babylonian culture. In their wake were produced systems of writing and communication, literature, a codified set of laws, a calendar and system for ascertaining time. Wheeled vehicles became common—and water management evolved into irrigation dams, drains and basins, and personal bathrooms of their era's rich and famous.
In existence since 2900 B.C., the city of Babylon, under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 B.C.), had spread on both sides of the Euphrates River. It covered 500 acres. Many of the houses were three stories high whose flat roofs were buttressed with timbers packed with mud. For the poor who couldn't afford the luxury of wood, there were circular mud-brick huts, supported by a center post, the walls packed with reeds and mud.
Budding plumbers worked their ingenuity with the only available resource in unlimited supply—clay mixed with finely chopped straw. Copper was known to some extent from the beginning, while bronze was introduced about 2500 B.C. from outlying trade routes; sometimes it was alloyed with tin, sometimes with antimony. Some working in lead (anakum) was developing too at this time, as natives began to rivet, solder, hammer and anneal.
Bitumen was especially important to the Mesopotamians. Produced in a liquid and a solid form, it corresponded to tar and pitch, essential for construction and for stopgap plugs in the irrigation systems.
Water was stored in large pottery jars, hand-carried from the river by household slaves. The jars were unglazed, which was an advantage in the intensely hot climate. Being slightly porous, the jars allowed slight evaporation that kept the water cool. Similar jars, often lined with a coating of bitumen, held barley, wheat and oil.
Most streets of Babylon ran parallel or at right angles to the river. They were very narrow, from four and a half feet to 20 feet, and unpaved. They not only provided access to the houses, but served as depositories of rubbish, excrement and filth. Periodically the debris was covered with a layer of clay. In this fashion, as the level of the streets continually rose with the debris, it became necessary to build stairs to go down into the house until the houses were rebuilt at the new level.
These Old Houses: The rich households and the palaces had separate bath rooms; that is, rooms in which to "bathe" or refresh oneself with water or anointing of oil. The ordinary folk used the banks of the canals or the cisterns in the courtyards.
Typically a bathroom of the well-to-do was a good-sized room, about 15 feet square, and built at the south end of the house. The lower parts of the wall were lined with baked brick as was the floor. However, the floor was overlaid with a bitumen composition and powdered limestone. It sloped to the center of the room where the water drained off in small runnels by baked and glazed earthenware tiles.
Although clay tubs were supposedly reported 200 years earlier in the reign of Sargon the Great, an Assyrian king (721705 B. C.), most sources agree that there were no bathtubs during this period of history, during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar's "bath" in all actuality was a shower, as slaves poured water over him as he washed with a soap made of ashes of certain plants and fats. Due to the texture of the concoction, his "shower" was probably like a detergent rinse.
There is some confusion over reports of privies at this period in history. Most likely a privy did develop which consisted of a hole in the floor with a cesspool underneath (a practice carried forward to modern times). But others report a more elaborate arrangement of six "toilets" in the palace of Sargon the Great. Those toilets had high seats which brought the latrine off the floor in the western style. Here, archaeologists say they have found connections to drains which discharged into a main sewer. According to their findings, the sewer was 3.28 feet high, and 16 feet long, vaulted over with baked bricks. It ran alongside the outer wall of the palace, beneath a pavement. The sewer sloped downward to allow the sewage to be washed down. Other bathrooms which could not be connected with the sewer system had individual cesspools.
Nebuchadnezzar's palace was built around five courtyards and included his private quarters and his harems. Two rooms behind the throne room contained circular wells. The space between the walls and the wells down to the water level were firmly packed with mud, asphalt and broken brick. The king's well had three shafts close together, two were oblong, the center one square. Above the well was a wheel and an endless chain with pottery buckets attached, going up one oblong shaft and down the other. The center shaft was used as an inspection pit so a man could clear out the well or repair the machinery. The same type of well is still used today in the area, propelled by animals. In those ancient times, slaves were the primary source of power.
It is thought that men who sought an audience with their ruler performed a kind of ritual washing before entering his sacred presence. Drains have been found beneath the hard-tamped floor of an anteroom. They were made from pots whose bottoms had been knocked out, set against a row of bricks that had been set on edge to form the rim of a basin.
Archaeologists have found traces of still other drains, of a more grisly nature in those days when temple services called for the sacrifice of live animals and the liberal pouring of wine and beer for the gods. At Tell Asmar a room was uncovered with two catch basins buried in the pavement. One was formed by a bottomless pot, standing upright, and perforated with rows of holes. Nearby was a smaller pot in which slanted a drain pipe of baked clay protected by terra cotta slabs. It is supposed the drains were made to absorb the sticky substances spilled in front of the god's statue, which otherwise would have formed puddles on the ground. That the fluids should disappear underground was probably a ritual requirement as well.
Hanging Gardens: Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his magnificent shrine to his city god Marduk, contained in the small temple he built on the summit of the ziggurat. He plated the gypsum walls and cedar roof of the building with gold, embellished with alabaster, lapin lazuli and precious stones. The altar was solid gold as were the throne, footstool and statue of the god. Archaeologists figure the room once contained about 18.5 tons of gold.
The king called the great seven storied temple, Etemananki, "House of the Platform of Heaven & Earth." It had been started centuries before, its bricks crumbled, destroyed, rebuilt and rebuilt again so it soared 300 feet above the flat plain. (Babylonia was the trade center of the Near East whose population contained captured slaves and peoples from all parts of the conquered lands. The tower is thought to be the source of the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel.)
But what had his early plumbers scrambling around was his construction of the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon," destined to become one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It is said the King built the gardens for his queen to remind her of the mountains and trees of her Median homeland. (One archaeologist joked that it was probably the world's first roof garden!)
The city of Babylon had been sacked and leveled 100 years earlier by the Assyrian King Sennacherib. When Nebuchadnezzar became the head of the new Babylonian empire, he restored the beauty of the city, and then some. The Hanging Gardens were built on a foundation of arched vaults, and rose to 75 feet. They were waterproofed with bitumen, baked brick and lead to keep the under vaults dry. He covered the terraced structure with dirt deep enough to support large trees and irrigation machines to keep them watered. Traces of wells have been discovered, which suggest that the wheel of buckets technique or Doria was used here to raise the water to the highest point of the terrace.
The terraced construction, itself elevated by situating the gardens on the summit of a small hill, made the tops of the trees visible above the walls from a considerable distance. Undoubtedly it helped to perpetuate an illusive sense of wonder over such "hanging" gardens. The botanical gardens blossomed with fragrant flowers and decoration set among the irrigation ditches. Fruit trees accentuated the rectangular areas of cultivation, themselves overshadowed by palm trees. Water cascaded down from a reservoir-lake over the vegetation beneath. Troughs and channels were built into the irrigation system, and lined with non-rusting metals such as lead and bronze. No iron was found in the system, leaving unclear whether iron was known to the Babylonians apart from what they may have found in meteorites.
The terraces contained an extremely advanced system of internal drainage, which ensured that all moisture was led off into large sewers of baked brick. The sewers were roofed with slightly ogival or pointed vaulting. They consisted of a series of slanting courses each resting on the one below, compensating for the lack of wood or scaffolding in the design.
Irrigation The Key: The civilization of Mesopotamia existed for 26 centuries. It was in a position to command by trade or plunder all the resources of the ancient world provided it could keep the vast floodings of the Tigris and Euphrates under strict control. From their earliest writings, the Sumerians recounted the story of their most terrible flood, estimated by historians about 8000 B.C. (The tale perpetuates in the Biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood.)
As irrigation was so vital to the empire, a whole network of canals was formed, and special officials appointed to supervise them. They made sure the canals were clear of rushes and water weeds, the course ways dredged of silt, and the banks consolidated against floods.
King Hammurabi who belonged to the first dynasty of Babylonia lived around 1760 B.C. He personally directed provincial governors to dig and dredge the canals on a continuous basis. He also set in motion the world's first compilation of common laws, including special provision to prevent neglect of those canals. {Another clause deals with construction and should strike terror in the heart of unethical contractors. In Hammurabi's code of fair and equitable justice, woe to the builder whose house falls and kills someone. The builder would be sentenced to death too.)
The remains of the earliest aqueduct on record have been pinpointed to the works of the Assyrian king and master builder, Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.), who ruled with "a heart of wrath." He unleashed the power of water as a weapon to flood and destroy the burnt and vanquished city of Babylon. In peacetime, he harnessed it to build his own capital, Ninevah, and his palace at Khorsbad. He developed a 10 mile long canal in three stages, including 18 fresh water courses from the mountains, two dams and water diversion and a chain of canals.
Water ran along a strengthened conduit of hardened earth, waterproofed with bitumen, and lined with flagstones. The aqueduct spanned the valleys on arches, and was fed by a number of small streams to ensure a proper supply to the town.
There is practically no rainfall in Mesopotamia. But if the ground is sufficiently moistened, acres of virtual desert can be covered with vegetation and are amazingly fertile. From the earliest times, the rulers of Mesopotamia regarded it as both a duty and act of piety to improve the canal system. In fact, the digging of a canal was regarded equally in importance to a ruler as a victory in war. Both kinds of enterprises were inscribed on clay tablets as boasts of their accomplishments.
Ancient Mesopotamia declined under a line of weak kings who followed Nebuchadnezzar. The city of Babylon in 539 fell into the hands of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire. (The late Shah of Iran claimed himself to be the last ruling descendent.) The Persian influence was itself overcome by the invasion by Alexander the Great in the 4th Century B.C., and later rampages of Arabian nomadic hordes. As the land became sparsely populated, attention to the canals waned. The canals gradually silted up. And the land returned to desert.
from : Plumbing and Mechanical, July 1989
The reader wishing even more information on this topic is referred to Plumbing and Mechanical Magazine.
Since there are enough scrolls that have been verified as predating Christ's life on earth, how would critics refute Isaiah's prophecy in this regard? Usually by distraction or discredit. "Evidence, not needed if you can talk fast enough" would seem to be the credo in this. However, fast or confusing speech never accomplishes anything but net failure. So a person would behoove themselves, if they would like to arrive at the closest approximation of the truth available to mankind today, but avoiding such words and look closely at the convergence of the facts. And the Isaiah chapther 53 is an amazing concentration of convergance with later history. A good article that covers some of the points in Isaiah 53 is found in the Awake! 1991, June 22, starting on þ 9, "Jews, Christians, and the Messianic Hope".
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Dio Cassius (Cassius Dio Cocceianus) was a Roman historian and administrator, held civil and military office, was a senator, praetor, consul, proconsul in Africa, and legate, known more for his literary works than for his abilities in office.
Unfortunately, many of those who come to realize that indeed Jesus is the promised Messiah as a result of reading Isaiah 53, become ensnared and often are disillsioned by the many errant faiths within Christianity.
8 Outstanding in the book of Isaiah are the Messianic prophecies. Isaiah has been called “the Evangelist prophet,” so numerous are the predictions fulfilled in the events of Jesus’ life. Chapter 53, for long a “mystery chapter,” not only to the Ethiopian eunuch referred to in Acts chapter 8 but to the Jewish people as a whole, foretells so vividly the treatment accorded Jesus that it is like an eyewitness account. The Christian Greek Scriptures record the prophetic fulfillments of this remarkable chapter of Isaiah, as the following comparisons show: chptr53:1—John 12:37, 38; chptr53:2—John 19:5-7; chptr53:3—Mark 9:12; chptr53:4—Matthew 8:16, 17; chptr53:5—1 Peter 2:24; chptr53:6—1 Peter 2:25; chptr53:7—Acts 8:32, 35; chptr53:8—Acts 8:33; chptr53:9—Matthew 27:57-60; chptr53:10—Hebrews 7:27; chptr53:11—Romans 5:18; chptr53:12—Luke 22:37. Who but God could be the source of such accurate forecasting?
--All Scripture is Inspired, Bible book number 23 - Isaiah, þ 119, ¶ 8.
The recent cover article of The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 2001 discusses why the Dead Sea Scrolls are important to us today. Also there are two translations into English, one more recent and more complete and another older but useful translation of these scrolls.
While the scrolls are found to be as old at the second century B.C.E., the question still remains and puzzles many, is who put the scrolls there in the first place? Theories have been propounded that range anything from strange sects to hermit family groups. Whoever it was, there collections have resulted in many valuable sources for verifying the accuracy of the scriptures, as well as peeks into the thoughts of many non-biblical and everyday life of the people of the day and their past. For example Book of War's described in detail the duties of the different tribes when going up against such enemies as Kittim. Non-scriptural poetic texts give insight into the desires and thinking of the times they were written. Even some of the apocrypha were found. It is interesting in that who ever stored those documents in those caves, it was almost as if they had known that it would be necessary to preserve the writings of the Jewish Heritage somewhere outside of Jerusalem. If we note Jesus' words in Luke 21:20-22, then it's possible that the first century Christians were the ones who delivered these to the mountains east of Jerusalem. However, evidence that it could have been others exists as well.
“Who Hid the Dead Sea Scrolls?” Under that title, in Biblical Archaeologist, Norman Golb, professor of Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic Studies at the University of Chicago, sets out to reveal who really hid the Dead Sea Scrolls. At the same time, he seeks to disprove a theory more than three decades old. In the spring of 1947, ancient Hebrew Scripture scrolls and non-Biblical texts were discovered in caves along the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. That discovery was hailed as “the greatest find ever made in the field of biblical archaeology.” The scrolls include the oldest known manuscripts of any books of the Bible and date back to the second century B.C.E. Until now, scholars have attributed the manuscripts’ origin to the Essenes, a Jewish religious sect. But Golb believes that subsequent discoveries of additional ancient Hebrew texts in Masada, Jericho, and elsewhere in the Judean desert point to Jerusalem as the place of the scrolls’ origin. Not the Essenes but the Jews fleeing from the Roman armies between 66 and 70 C.E. “brought the bundles or sackfuls of texts from the capital to the desert caves for hiding,” asserts Golb. Regardless of further archaeological evidence that may be uncovered, the Biblical scrolls found in those caves underscore the purity of the Bible’s text and Jehovah’s ability to preserve his Word. “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like a blossom of grass; the grass becomes withered, and the flower falls off, but the saying of Jehovah endures forever,” says 1 Peter 1:24, 25.
--The Watchtower 1985, December 15, þ 26, Insight on the News.
C7 picture þ 110
Note the yohd-hehNote 1 on this scroll does not match the general writing style of the surrounding characters. This is because the general method for writing the scrolls was that younger scribes were assigned the general copying, but the place where God's name was to be written was left blank. Later a more seasoned scribe would fill in The Name if the scroll's quality held up to being worthy of such an entry. This strongly indicated the respect with which God's name was held, just as a prominant person with wide public influence would not sign their name any document without sufficient scrutiny of it's accuracy and intent.
The yohd-heh in the pictureNote2 on this þ better matches the writing style found on the pottery shards displayed on þ 115. The surrounding characters give evidence of the change toward the 'Syriacal' change toward blocked or squared characters. The writing style of the scribe who entered the Divine Name on the scroll inidicates he was familiar with the older character styles, and in fact either preferred it, or found the change too difficult to adapt to.
Note 1: the first century scribal term for what is called in modern days the tetragrammaton (which in turn is derived from Greek meaning, "four letters") An excellent source on the Divine Name is The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever, and on the subject of how long old Hebrew remained can be found in The Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, Hebrew II, particularly þ 1072, "Hebrew Alphabet and Script"
Note 2: The photo on some print runs of this publication do not contain the newer text with the older tetragrammaton from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, but instead have a more modern script displayed on a scroll, including the yohd-heh. (Photo credits are the same for both)
I don't think I could summarize the correlary points as well as the book does. But if even just a small portion of the alignment of facts were to occur in a laboratory somewhere, there would be a shout of eureka! at having enough evidence to prove a discovery. But as I mentioned in chapter 1, some require more convincing than others. Therefor we can appreciate that there yet remain 79 pages of further correlation to help honest hearted ones to gain this benefit.
Love and friendship need to be nurtured and cultivated, and among the essential ingredients for this are sincerity and honesty. Some try to hide their shortcomings in order to leave a favorable impression with the people they want to befriend. However, such a course often backfires, as others eventually find out the facts and are repelled by such dishonesty. Therefore, we should not be afraid to allow others to know us as we truly are—even though we have shortcomings that we are striving to overcome. This may help to open up friendships with them.
--The Watchtower 1999, October 15, þ 11, "Learning the Excelling Way of Love".
By comparing Exodus 1:8 & 5:2 with Psalm 146:15 (also Psalm 74:14 & 89:10 footnotes NWT Reference Bible) it doesn't take a deep spiritual understanding to understand the contrast between getting to know God, as opposed to Genesis 26:25 & Isaiah 41:8. For many, even today, the one who sticks closer than a brother has been Jehovah God (Proverbs 18:24), and what better companion could one ever ask for?
As one traveler to Africa once stated, " Friendships are vital to all of us whether the friends are across the street or on the other side of the world. Having friends and being a friend are very important to me. In order to be a good friend, it takes time and effort. Maintaining contact with those we love and care about is so important. Friendship is all about giving of yourself and expecting nothing in return. When two friends have this same goal, the friendship will be rich and long-lasting. What a blessing to be a friend." In this modern day of email, there is an ever increasing rate of friends being made that have never seen each other face to face, nor even photographs of the other. Thus today, more than ever, the Bible as a source from God for getting to know Him and his personality can be understood better than ever. (BTW, to my friend in Florida, I'm glad you have help with your spring cleaning, but I'll be glad with you for the day when such help won't be out of necessity!)
Photo Credit: Matteo Pierro
The first scripture the tetragrammaton is found in is Genesis 2:4. And even if the reinstatement of God's name to the scriptures is rejected, the final yohd-heh is in Revelation 19:1 (or according to J7, 8, 19:2. See NWT Reference footnote for this scripture), or according the the restored placement of The Name (Note appendix 1D in NWT Reference Bible) it's in Revelation 22:6. Thus, from beginning to end His personality and thoughts permeate the content of the scriptures, penned with such skillful insight and affection that each one of us can read it as it is our own.
Photo Credit: Matteo Pierro
"...Raymundus Martini, a Spanish Monk of the Dominican order, first rendered the divine name as "Jehova." This form appeared in his book Pugeo Fidei, published in 1270 C.E.--over 700 years ago." (The Watchtower 1980, Feb. 1, þ 11, "The Name 'Jehovah' Becomes Widely Known".
A common trap that some translators fall into is thinking that an attempt is being made to closely approximate the more commonly accepted Hebrew "Yahweh" with the English form "Jehovah". Many fail to realize (or choose to ignore) the fact that "Jehovah" is the English translation, not the Hebrew approximation.
--Firpo W. Carr, The Divine Name Controversy, þ 104.
The certain pronunciation of every ancient Hebrew word has been lost, since as a written language none of the vowels were recorded. For example, were I to repeat the title of this chapter without vowels, it would look like:
"Wht Cn Y Lrn bt th Crtr Frm Bk".
If centuries later someone decided to add the vowels, as did scribes eventually, then it might look like:
"What Can Y Leran bout th Creetor From Buk".
While I made up the 'guesses' that had to be made in order to replace the vowels, it should get across the idea that such guesswork, as learned as such guesses might be, had to be made and assumed. The uncertainties of all Hebrew names and words, remain, until we can actually speak with a person who did use it during the time period before the vowel pronunciations were lost. (John 11:24,25) As already stated before, spoken languages change over time, so it's no surprise to note that the orthography (written appearance) of all languages change over time as well. Thus an assumption of any 'current' speech with that of the past remains uncertain, and does little to verify original pronunciations. But the original pronunciations are the field of language scholars, as most people do not need to worry about this, since the scriptures never required this of us. Only that we focus on the content and message being delivered, otherwise best use is sufficient, being that of our current working language.
The divine name is a verb, the causative form, the imperfect state, of the Hebrew verb (hawah, "to become"). Therefore, the divine name means "He Causes to Become." This reveals Jehovah as the One who, with progressive action, causes himself to become the Fulfiller of promises, the One who always brings his purposes to realization.
--New World Translation Reference Edition, þ 1561.
Everything made by man has a purpose. Even things that don't seem readily apparent as such, have a purpose. Some apparently random splotches of paint on a canvas by a painter are intended to incite emotions or reactions in people. (I wonder if my puzzlement over such 'art' is a sufficient emotion to fulfill the artists intent) As well, realistic paintings or photographs can instill the sense of brutality found in the this world, or the compassion of humanity toward senstivity. Governments have a purpose, in some lands it being to maintain power over the people, in other economics is the business of the politicians. Even products that are purposely made to have short life spans are purposed to require replacement, whereas certain medical implants are designed with a lifetime of use without replacement in mind. Every where we turn, organizations, objects, designs, even conceptions have purposes. So why not expect that a person, an intelligent, thinking, feeling human being, can have a purpose as well? Even God has His purpose, and it will not fail. The best way to make sure our purpose in life doesn't fail as well, is to modify ours to align with His, as most purposes intended by man fail sooner, or later, but they all fail. (Psalm 11:8,9) Only Jehovah's purposes never fail. (Isaiah 55:11)
It's interesting that in many lands the speed of vehicles on the road are measured by the use of Radar or Lidar. While avoiding the issue of appropriateness or inappropriateness of this (as this can become a heated issue with many in human society today, while as Christians we allow the relegation of the use of this venue to the authorities as authorized by God, Romans 13:1,2), one thing is clear in most, if not all lands: that access to the measuring standards (in the form of the type of equipment) by which the citizens are being measured in order to calibrate or set the speedometers on the dash of their vehicles before being "tested by citation", is publicly unavailable. Even in lands where it is legal to purchase such equipment, usually limited to police use, the cost is prohibitive, costing anywhere between 25% to 100% of a brand new vehicle. Some attempt to use dynometers to calibrate their vehicles in order to avoid dash board error, however such effort sometimes does not factor in problems that affect the electronic speed measuring devices during actual use on the highway. Thus the end result is the citizens are held accountable to a measuring standard which is inaccesible to them. This is but one benign example, as fortunately, as far as I am aware, most patrol officers tend to allow some leniency for this very reason. Other more serious elements have been coming to light in the media, such as DNA tests discovering innocent men having been convicted of murder, which in turn uncovers a history of officials abusing their power and having slanted evidence in successful attempt to force convictions, and in some cases, outright prejudicial treatment. Often those persons, when released, gain little, if any, compensation for the years lost. And even if compensation were gained, it would never equate the loss of past freedoms, as in family comfort at home. The governments are incapable of paying back lost years of life.
Compare that to Jehovah's clear, fair, and uncomplicated guidance in Genesis 2:6,7. (Note also Exodus 19:12,13) While the law of man harshly holds that ignorance is no excuse (even if the necessary knowledge is being with-held), Jehovah God holds that diseminating knowledge is a responsibility of the holder of important knowledge. (Ezekiel 3:18; Isaiah 1:18; Matthew 28:19,20) And no matter the losses incurred in this time period now, Jehovah the Almighty is capable and desires to compensate not only losses incurred, but even more. (Proverbs 10:22; 2Corinthians 4:18; 1Timothy 6:6; Hebrews 11:35)
For me, deciding which authority I would prefer to live under is not a difficult decision.
Here is a short article that describes the information storage capcity of the human brain. And this one describes the conceptual abilities of the mind.
Micro-Managing in the business world can be the cause of project failure. Anyone who has had to deal with such management style can appreciate the method Jehovah used with Adam, clearly defined boundaries and goals (Genesis 1:28,29; 2:17, 19), but allowing individual determination on how to accomplish them. (Compare Genesis 3:3 with: Genesis 2:7 which does not mention 'touch') Thus Adam was left to playfully, curiously, investigatively, rigidly, or whatever other style of accomplishment toward his goals he chose to utilized or implement.
Jehovah is far from blame for Adam's actions, as Adam was more aware of the consequences of his actions than many of us are capable of today. The closest experience we can witness to creation, is procreation, in order to contrast it with death. But today even the miracle of birth has been perceptively relegated to meaningless routineness by the medical community and society in general. Even if one can fathom the full implication and value of procreation, it would not measure up to watching Jehovah create even one creature in a perfect environment, as Adam was able to do. Recently some audio tapes of the electrocution of criminals in Georgia, USA captured the imppasive 'play by play' descriptions of the elimination of a human life, as if it were a sterile routine event. Between this, and the sheer numbers of human deaths that occur daily, death too has become routine. What a privledge Adam threw away, being able to relate first hand to all of his offspring what he saw and heard in those days. What a loss...
C7 þ 117 picture
Although reknowned as the genious who deciphered the laws of the universe, from optics to gravity, Newton held a deep conviction of for God's word. In fact he expressed a strong sense of God's role in nature. He also held that creation account in the scriptures as accurate. He also held that Christianity went astray in the 4th century, the most crucible point being the councel of Nicea.
Compared to the rules and regulations of even the smallest nation or locality requiring a government today, The four or five commands given to Adam were easy to follow, and all but one were to result in positive outcomes. The one non-positive is not a 'negative' because it would have resulted in a mute outcome, had he remained with the boundaries of it. The only reason it became a negative was a direct result of Adam's own actions. Adam had sufficient warning, because he new what death was (some creatures have short life spans), he likely saw some of the creative process (Genesis 2:19), so he had a better handle on the distinction between life and death than most people today, including students of God's Word. He was of a sufficient age to know he desired a companion, and that she would be the mother of all humans on the earth, and that he would be responsible for her welfare and care. Despite all these things in his favor, including his perfect inclinations, he chose to test the limits of Jehovah's established boundary, knowing he had been forwarned. (Genesis 2:17) Similarly today, if someone chooses to test the limits of gravity, whether by directly stepping off the side of a tall building or cliff, or by trying to zip across a chasm in order to break some foolish record, they take the risk of being forced to accept the natural consequence of their actions. Knowing full well the expected results.
Many think of justice as the application of equal treatment toward all, no matter what their circumstance. This holds that authorities, such as goverments, maintain an unemotinoal "arm's length" distance from it's citizens. (Often in such cases, justice is an after thought following the desire to maintain order) While others consider justice to be the passionate concern for welfare over duty. Typically the first scenario is what gets played out inside of the court rooms, while the latter is what becomes most pronounced in the 'court' of the media and public opinion. Somewhere in there is the balance, because few times does impassioned logic arrive at weighing all realities in the measurement, yet just as few times does the emotional decision arrive at a workable and reasonable solution. Jehovah, being the perfect judge, arrived at the perfect balance by holding fast to the dictates already stated would be a natural consequence. (Genesis 2:16; 3:17) Yet, he passionately performed a loving kindness for them (Genesis 3:21) and for us. (Genesis 3:15)
After their violation of God's law, Adam is reported to have named his wife Eve, "because she had to become the mother of everyone living." (Ge 3:20) Before driving Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden to face the hardships of a cursed ground, Jehovah extended undeserved kindness to them by providing both of them with long garments of skin.-Ge 3:21.
Was Eve correct in saying that she produced her son Cain "with the aid of Jehovah"?
At the birth of her first son Cain, outside Paradise, Eve exclaimed: "I have produced a man with the aid of Jehovah." (Ge 4:1) Eve is the first one reported to have used God's name, indicating that the name Jehovah was known to the very first humans. Later she gave birth to Abel as well as to other sons and daughters. When Adam was 130 years old, Eve gave birth to a son whom she called Seth, saying: "God has appointed another seed in place of Abel, because Cain killed him." She could properly express herself as she did at the births of both Cain and Seth, since God had given her and Adam their reproductive powers, and because of God's unmerited kindness in not putting her to death immediately when she transgressed His command, she had been able to give birth. With the birth of Seth the Genesis record concerning Eve comes to a close.-Ge 4:25; 5:3, 4.
--Insight on the Scriptures, Vol1, þ 772. (Italics added)
As the paragraph point out, Jehovah is concerned, but not so whimpy so as to not be able to hold fast to His own righteous decrees. He is a force not to flagrantly contend with (Deuteronomy 29:23), but One that can provide the greatest blessings possible. (Zechariah 10:6)
The Hebrew word for Satan is [satan (1Chronicles 21:1)]. In Greek it is [satanas (Matthew 4:10)]. It's interesting to note that at one time even Jehovah's Angel, while acting in a righteous way, had been called a resistor (NWT) or adversary (KJV). (Numbers 22:22) Even humans, though well meaning, can become resistors against righteous conduct. (Luke 4:8) However, there is a difference between being a resistor in error, or even against immoral conduct, than being a purposeful resistor against the Almighty and His righteousness. Whatever the angels' name was at one time no longer matters, as he is left with only two titles to be known by in infamy, one of which is Satan (resistor/adversary). {Here adversary contrasts with that of the Greek [antidikos], which carries the concept of a legal complaintant, or courtroom adversary. (Matthew 5:25; Luke 18:3) Thus the Devil is not only an adversary against Jehovah, but also acts as one against each of us (1Peter 5:8)}
Strictly speaking, the title of Devil [Greek diabolos (Matthew 4:8)] is found only in the Christian Greek scriptures. The KJV translated 'goat-shaped demons' of Leviticus 17:7 as devil, which in some ways paints a correct picture (note 2Chronicles 11:15), but is semantically inaccurate, as well as steps into an arena of scriptural interpretation best left to the Bible student. In John 6:70 Jesus called a human a devil (slanderer), using a play on words showing metaphorically that anyone in opposition to God and taking the side of the Devil can be included. (Note also John 8:44) Therefore we are encouraged in Ephesians 4:27 to be resistors against the Devil (false accuser/slanderer), his other infamous title.
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