Some of the most bizarre stories from the bible 2
May 12, 2022 19:46:57 GMT
rachelcarson1953 and Sarge like this
Post by FilmFlaneur on May 12, 2022 19:46:57 GMT
Moses has horns?
It's also in the Book of Exodus that Moses' horns come out, literally.
Moses, on behalf of the Israelites, made a covenant with God on Mount Sinai. In the covenant, God promises that the Israelites will take control of a vast amount of land in the Levant but, in return, must worship God and follow his rules, the Ten Commandments in particular. Moses chisels the covenant onto two stone tablets. After he returns from Mount Sinai, his face has been transformed, and he is wearing a veil.
Most modern translations say it 'shone' or some such synonym, but that's a guess, because the [Hebrew] word, qaran, doesn't appear anywhere else in the Bible. One possibility is that the word "qaran" actually means "horns," because it is similar to a common Hebrew noun, "qeren," which means "horn." In other words, Moses grew horns after making the covenant with God.
Some people in the Middle Ages believed that Moses had grown horns and that "much medieval artwork — as well as earlier and later work — depicts a Moses with horns," Swenson wrote, noting that the iconography of the ancient Near East "shows the prevalence of horns on gods and goddesses, the association of horns with exceptional beings and special power." But er, doesn't the Devil traditionally have horns?
The talking donkey
For fans of Shrek, this: in the Book of Numbers, a prophet named Balaam is on the road when his donkey stops three times. Each time, Balaam beats the donkey in an effort to get it moving. Apparently, God has given the donkey the ability to speak and it says: "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" she says to Balaam, Numbers 22:28.
Balaam, who does not appear to be surprised that his donkey is talking to him, replies, "You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." The donkey replies, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" Numbers 22:30.
Then, the "angel of the Lord" appears and tells Balaam that the donkey had saved Balaam's life. "The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it," the angel of the Lord says. Balaam then apologizes for his behavior.
Balaam must be baffled over why God is threatening his life, especially since Balaam had not carried through with harming the Israelites. Prior to the donkey incident, a Moabite leader named Balak had been asking Balaam to curse the Israelites. Despite the vast amount of gold the Moabites offered Balaam for the job, Balaam obeys God and spares the Israelites.
Seven demons
Jesus drove seven demons out of Mary Magdalene, according to the books of Mark and Luke. "In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, we read that Jesus cast seven demons out of her, Just what were those demons or the nature of this possession, the Bible doesn't say. And the Bible doesn't say what effect the demons had on her, physical or emotional, though modern readers have speculated that they may have manifested as what we today would diagnose as varieties of illness, mental and otherwise. It's not known whether Mary Magdalene suffered from any illnesses nor what those illnesses may have been. The Bible provides few clues as to her health, and there are no historical records revealing that information.
A Pharaoh's hardened heart
God is not a stranger to evil, and nowhere is that perhaps more true than in Exodus when God offers to, er. harden the heart of a brutal dictator.
In the Book of Exodus, God tells Moses that He will help the Israelites leave Egypt and that he will harden the heart of Egypt's pharaoh so that he will be more resistant to releasing the Israelites. God tells Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go," Exodus 4:21. This sounds contradictory since the hardening of pharaoh's heart will make it harder to convince him to let the Israelites leave.
The result is that the pharaoh is incredibly reluctant to let the Israelites go, and God inflicts the Egyptian people with more of the 10 plagues — locusts, darkness and hail, among other afflictions, before the Israelites can leave. God even kills every firstborn son in Egypt, the story goes. The more one considers this episode the more it seems to contradict notions of a all-good God let alone free will.
Demoting the gods
Although Judaism and Christianity are both monotheistic religions, the Bible sometimes implies that other gods exist. One example, coming from the Old Testament, is Psalm 82, which says, "God presides in the great assembly; He renders judgment among the gods" ... "The gods know nothing; they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken." (Some might remember the Commandment not to worship those other Gods too)
The passage suggests that the Almighty has power over other godly figures and can demote them. In the following passage, God then announces that he has decided to demote the other gods, turning them into mere mortals. "I said, 'You are 'gods'; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler."
Stories like this may provide clues as to how religion evolved in Israel. One theory among scholars is that multiple gods may have been worshiped early in Israel's history and that over time the Israelis adopted a single god.
It's also in the Book of Exodus that Moses' horns come out, literally.
Moses, on behalf of the Israelites, made a covenant with God on Mount Sinai. In the covenant, God promises that the Israelites will take control of a vast amount of land in the Levant but, in return, must worship God and follow his rules, the Ten Commandments in particular. Moses chisels the covenant onto two stone tablets. After he returns from Mount Sinai, his face has been transformed, and he is wearing a veil.
Most modern translations say it 'shone' or some such synonym, but that's a guess, because the [Hebrew] word, qaran, doesn't appear anywhere else in the Bible. One possibility is that the word "qaran" actually means "horns," because it is similar to a common Hebrew noun, "qeren," which means "horn." In other words, Moses grew horns after making the covenant with God.
Some people in the Middle Ages believed that Moses had grown horns and that "much medieval artwork — as well as earlier and later work — depicts a Moses with horns," Swenson wrote, noting that the iconography of the ancient Near East "shows the prevalence of horns on gods and goddesses, the association of horns with exceptional beings and special power." But er, doesn't the Devil traditionally have horns?
The talking donkey
For fans of Shrek, this: in the Book of Numbers, a prophet named Balaam is on the road when his donkey stops three times. Each time, Balaam beats the donkey in an effort to get it moving. Apparently, God has given the donkey the ability to speak and it says: "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" she says to Balaam, Numbers 22:28.
Balaam, who does not appear to be surprised that his donkey is talking to him, replies, "You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." The donkey replies, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" Numbers 22:30.
Then, the "angel of the Lord" appears and tells Balaam that the donkey had saved Balaam's life. "The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it," the angel of the Lord says. Balaam then apologizes for his behavior.
Balaam must be baffled over why God is threatening his life, especially since Balaam had not carried through with harming the Israelites. Prior to the donkey incident, a Moabite leader named Balak had been asking Balaam to curse the Israelites. Despite the vast amount of gold the Moabites offered Balaam for the job, Balaam obeys God and spares the Israelites.
Seven demons
Jesus drove seven demons out of Mary Magdalene, according to the books of Mark and Luke. "In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, we read that Jesus cast seven demons out of her, Just what were those demons or the nature of this possession, the Bible doesn't say. And the Bible doesn't say what effect the demons had on her, physical or emotional, though modern readers have speculated that they may have manifested as what we today would diagnose as varieties of illness, mental and otherwise. It's not known whether Mary Magdalene suffered from any illnesses nor what those illnesses may have been. The Bible provides few clues as to her health, and there are no historical records revealing that information.
A Pharaoh's hardened heart
God is not a stranger to evil, and nowhere is that perhaps more true than in Exodus when God offers to, er. harden the heart of a brutal dictator.
In the Book of Exodus, God tells Moses that He will help the Israelites leave Egypt and that he will harden the heart of Egypt's pharaoh so that he will be more resistant to releasing the Israelites. God tells Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go," Exodus 4:21. This sounds contradictory since the hardening of pharaoh's heart will make it harder to convince him to let the Israelites leave.
The result is that the pharaoh is incredibly reluctant to let the Israelites go, and God inflicts the Egyptian people with more of the 10 plagues — locusts, darkness and hail, among other afflictions, before the Israelites can leave. God even kills every firstborn son in Egypt, the story goes. The more one considers this episode the more it seems to contradict notions of a all-good God let alone free will.
Demoting the gods
Although Judaism and Christianity are both monotheistic religions, the Bible sometimes implies that other gods exist. One example, coming from the Old Testament, is Psalm 82, which says, "God presides in the great assembly; He renders judgment among the gods" ... "The gods know nothing; they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken." (Some might remember the Commandment not to worship those other Gods too)
The passage suggests that the Almighty has power over other godly figures and can demote them. In the following passage, God then announces that he has decided to demote the other gods, turning them into mere mortals. "I said, 'You are 'gods'; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler."
Stories like this may provide clues as to how religion evolved in Israel. One theory among scholars is that multiple gods may have been worshiped early in Israel's history and that over time the Israelis adopted a single god.