Orthodox Quotes of the Day as the basis for spiritual combativeness and
warfare can be found at http://kcw7.home.insightbb.com/
My guess is that, subsequent to Australia and the United States of America
signing a 'Free Trade Agreement' that we will invariably have to endure this
unseen religious warfare as SPAM being the product of another's philological
infatuations. Having over the past several days, raised concerns over
erroneous assumptions being so promulgated, they appear to be incapable and
unwilling to discuss the imputations made by the dogmas and historical
relativism as traditions of the fathers--despite the claim: "They come from
my daily readings and reflect those things which have touched my heart as I
have read. I hope they might bless you, also." [Keith Wilkerson]
- dolf
"thrakman" <kcw7@insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9693635F5F597thrakman@204.127.199.17...
"...we are stirred up to wage war within us by the law of grace, the
teaching of the Gospel, which forbids us to have in our hearts anger,
adulterous thoughts or desire provoked by the devil, arms us against such
suggestions and rouses us to resist. As the Apostle wrote to the Ephesians,
'Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places' (Eph. 6:11-12). They
find it hard to bear that they have fallen from those high places, and are
fanatically provoked against us, who, through raising our minds to God, have
'our commonwealth in heaven' (cf. Phil. 3:20)." [St. Gregory Palamas
(1296-1359 CE) (The Homilies Vol. 2, Homily Twenty-Three para. 13; St.
Tikhon's Seminary Press pgs. 19-20)]
QOLON NOTE:
As participants within God's Sabbath-based Everlasting Covenant, we know all
too well, that there is within the 7th day Sabbath, a rectitude and
restorative mechanism existing within time as the weekly microcosm of the
Everlasting Covenant by which is manifested the essence and vitality of
God's heavenly kingdom--an autonomous sovereignty known as the Commonwealth
of Israel [Ephesians 2:11-13].
Judaism is a practical religion which cares about others regardless of race,
creed or -- remarkably -- religion. It tells us -- in fact it almost
exclusively focuses on -- being decent, reasonable human beings -- in our
behavior towards G-d, our fellow man, and our environment. There are
principles of faith and philosophy we must adhere to and internalize. But
they only truly become reality -- and life -- through simple, sincere acts
of goodness.
And saying hello is certainly a great way to start. As we all know, it's
almost uncanny how much a cheerful greeting can accomplish through so little
investment of time and effort. The Talmud writes that R. Yochanan ben
Zakkai, the leader of religious Jewry in the generation immediately
following the destruction of the Second Temple, was always first to greet
whomever he came across, even a Gentile on the street (Berachos 17a). We can
easily imagine that a world leader would have far too much on his mind to
pay much attention to the little man on the street. (It wasn't like he was
going to be voted out of office either. And needless to say, it was the days
before photo-ops.) But from the Jewish perspective, one only becomes a world
leader by recognizing that the world consists of countless such little
men -- every one of which deserving such respect and attention. [Copyright
2005 and Courtesy: Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld and Project Genesis
http://www.torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter4-20.html ]
The Apostle, Saul/Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews and Pharisee who had
penetrated into the purpose and "determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God" [1 Corinthians 2:6-8; Acts 2:5-12; 1 Peter 1:1:2-4]. Having there
obtained an assurance of 'abundant grace' [1 Timothy 1:15-20], throughout
his ministry prior to the conflagration as the destruction of the Jewish
Temple in 70 CE, [Acts 21:20-26], he as a 'wise-sophos
masterbuilder-architekton' [1 Corinthians 3:9-19] sought to set his many
Gentile proselytes within the "Commonwealth of Israel" on a sure path and to
protect them from any spiritual injury and its ensuing death of soul.
[Matthew 10:28-34]
It is no doubt troubling and a despairing prospect to the ascetic's mind
that although the Jewish-Christian Apostle Paul didn't advocate [Colossians
2:16-23] a religious philosophy-PHILOSOPHIA {ie. hymeneal mysticism as
sophistry} as vain-KENOS deceit-APATE, established on tradition-PARADOSIS
{ie. 'servitude-DOULOU to that which by nature-PHUSIS {germination or
expansion, natural reproduction} is not-ME god-THEOS'} of men-ANTHROPOS,
after the rudiments-STOICHEION of the world-KOSMOS [Colossians 2:8-10], that
there have been special souls practicing abstinence throughout the ages, but
by varying degrees. [Acts 15:14--21; Romans 2:25-29] At various times, the
Jewish people, "devout men, from every nation" [Acts 2:5] had to practice a
more stringent form of it, simply because of the exigencies of the age
(though still with moderation), even though while our ancestors didn't need
to [Hebrews 11:1-40]. What got us to this point? Let's review the history of
the yetzer harah, if you will, to see.
The ancient holy ones, like Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job and his
companions, only needed to do a few things to serve G-d wholly and deeply,
and they had to abstain from very few things, since they had such heart-
felt faith in Him -- and also, most significantly, because they were "lucid
in their reasoning, their yetzer harahs were weak, and because they were
governed by reason" as Ibn Pakudah puts it.
Now, that's a vital point. It means to say that those ancient ones were so
clear-minded, they could so easily distinguish between what truly mattered
and what didn't, and that they were so motivated by truth rather than by
temptation, that they didn't need much external prodding to do the right
things, and didn't have to avoid doing many things that might thwart their
devotions. But people didn't stay on so exalted a level for very long.
As time passed, reason weakened even more so while temptation grew stronger
yet. It has come to the point where we're so utterly distracted and
enthralled by worldly things and delights that we're willing to settle for
spiritual mediocrity. And while the ancients could occupy themselves with
both worldly and otherworldly concerns at the same time to full advantage,
we're compelled to detach ourselves from the world nearly completely when
engaged in our spiritual practices, to the detriment of both on some
level -- but we haven't any choice, lest we abandon our dreams of spiritual
progress altogether. [Copyright 2005 and Courtesy: Rabbi Jaakov Feldman and
Project Genesis
http://www.torah.org/learning/spiritual-excellence/classes/doh%209-7.html ]
As the Religious Mysteries at the time of the Roman Empire were concerned
with the protection of the autonomous and sovereign rights of State, the
Apostle identifies by usage of Jesus of Nazareth's [Luke 7:24-28; Matthew
11:23-30] similar analogy of 'Malakos' (and by ipso facto 'Arsenokoite'),
that there existed self-serving individuals as his antagonists, being the
'rulers-KOSMOKRATER of the obscurity-SKOTOS of this age-AION' who engage in
'spiritual-PNEUMATIKOS wickedness-PORNEIA' [Ephesians 6:12].
Whilst Jesus conveys it as the antithesis of the Shekinah {ie. Metatron as
soul of the Messiah} being the demiurge within the world [cf: Exodus
23:20-24], he equates it within the context of those Jews 'cavorting in
luxury' within the King's Court--Silk as a commodity was no doubt an
exquisite prize amongst the elite within the Roman Imperial court. The Dead
Sea Scroll fragment concurs, in that it records the historical reality that
"the princes of Judah were those like Boundary Shifters ... because they did
not turn away from traitorous practices; they relished the customs of
fornication and filthy lucre. Each of them vengefully bore a grudge against
his bother, each hating his fellow; each of them kept away from nearest kin
but grew close to indecency; they vaunted themselves in riches and in
ill-gotten gains; each of them did what he pleased; each chose to follow his
own willful heart." [Damascus Document 8:3-12]
Given that the Religious Mysteries also served as a function of the State,
the Apostle Paul correctly asserts, "For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places"
[Ephesians 6:11-12].
The historical evidence is that an equivalent calendar to the Chinese Han
Dynasty Philosopher Yang Hsung (53 BCE - 18 CE)'s 'Canon of Supreme Mystery'
(T'ai hsuan ching) which first appeared in draft form around 4 BCE can be
found in the celebration of the Roman Empire's Saturnalia festival. It
began as a feast day for Saturn on 17 December, being progressively extended
to a 2 day festival in about 50 BCE and later as a product of Empire, the
festivals were combined to cover a full week: 17-23 December. Being a seven
day celebration [Acts 21:26-30] as evidence of an equivalent solstice based
calendar to the Chinese astrological based DAO Mysteries, which was
antagonistic to the Dead Sea Scrolls and temple service, 7th day Sabbath
based Equinox to Equinox calendar:
The Jubilee and Torah @ Sinai in 50J + 12 x 6J (is an implied Wednesday 20
March Equinox as 'oth/signs cycle) + 3W1D = 6,000 as solar eclipse 25
December 2000 + 6 days of topical year.
By the third century CE, there were many religions and spiritual mysteries
being followed within the Roman Empire. Many, if not most of these National
Religions, celebrated the birth of their god-man near the time of the
solstice. Emperor Aurelian (270 to 275 CE) blended a number of Pagan
solstice celebrations as of the nativity of such god-men/saviors as Appolo,
Attis, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Hercules, Horus, Mithra, Osiris, Perseus, and
Theseus into a single festival called the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun"
on 25 December. At the time, Mithraism and Christianity were fierce
competitors. Aurelian had even declared Mithraism the official religion of
the Roman Empire in 274 CE. Christianity won out by becoming the new
official religion in the 4th century CE.
I need not enter into discussion here as to the type of behaviours that were
associated with the courts of the Roman Caesars from Tiberius 14 CE to Aulus
Vitellius (69 CE) and the Satunalia feasts, except to say, that as the
purveyor of Institutions of which many Christians today are associated, you
are no doubt aware "...that such wickedness will not inherit the kingdom of
God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor
adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the
greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom
of God." [1 Corinthians 6:9-10]
It seems the Mysteries continued to be associated to a sevenfold series of
Magic Squares from 3x3 = #15 (9) as the symbollic architecture underpinning
the Roman Catholic CHI-RHO monogram and extending to the 9x9 = #369 (81) and
to which planetary associations were made:
#3 (sum = 15CE) - Saturn;
#4 (sum = 34CE) - Jupiter;
#5 (sum = 65CE) - Mars;
#6 (sum = 111CE) - Sun;
#7 (sum = 175CE) - Venus;
#8 (sum = 260CE) - Mercury;
#9 (sum = 369CE) - Luna.
Theodore de Bry in 1582 CE, as his depiction of the astronomer and scientist
Tycho Brahe's (1546-1601 CE) Perpetual Calendar of Natural Magic ,
represents each in a tabular form given as the 'Calendarium Naturale Magicum
Perpetuum Profunissimam Rerum Secretissimarum Contemplationem Complectens of
Tycho'.
It was the adoption of this alternate Mysteries based ecclesiastical
calendar as metathesis upon the name of God {
ie. The Tetragrammation 'YHVH' as the ordering of the letters by YHV {ie.
A-U-M} conveys the Thesis {ie. Yod (#10) = A} and Synthesis {ie. Vav (#6) =
M} being as opposites, representing tension and equilibrium. Where the
equivalent of the Chinese Yin/Yang Symbol as the circular notion of time and
its eternity is represented by Antithesis {ie. He (#5) = U} is then the
midpoint connecting the two. The fourth letter of the Tetragrammation, the
He (#5), is also [as Progression, ] a point of [outer] tension." [Sefer
Yetzirah 3:5, (c) 1997 Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, p 149]
}, which was the impetus for the Apostle Paul to write: "Indeed you are
called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His
will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the
law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light
to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of
babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach
that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, 'Do not commit
adultery,' do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the
law? For 'the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,'
as it is written." [Romans 2:17-24]
- dolf
- <http://home.iprimus.com.au/telos/kabbalah/grapple.html>
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