Mondays @ 7: March 2009

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Second Baruch: Salvation, or at least Hope

Throughout 2 Baruch, like Enoch, the prophet who has been shown heavenly things remains a present hope through both words and deeds. Remember that even the Watchers had hope that Enoch could convince God to let them free. Jeremiah, Baruch, and the other holy ones, were "walls" around Jerusalem, and even God could not destroy it while they were inside. Moreover, the prophet calls to God and God works through the prophet's actions and prayers.

And I, Baruch, came, and Jeremiah, whose heart was found pure from sins, who had not been captured in the seizure of the City. And we rent our garments, we wept, and mourned, and fasted seven days. And it came to pass after seven days, that the word of God carne to me, and said unto me... -- 2 Baruch 9.1-10.1

Now therefore hold fast in your heart everything that I command you,
And seal it in the recesses of your mind.
And then I will show you the judgment of My might,
And My ways which are unsearchable.
Go therefore and sanctify thyself seven days, and eat no bread, nor drink water, nor speak to anyone. And afterwards come to that place and I will reveal Myself to you, and speak true things with you, and I will give you commandment regarding the method of the times; for they are coming and tarry not.' -- 2 Baruch 20.1-6

Second Baruch: HOW was the Temple Destroyed?

For I have said these things to you that you may bid Jeremiah, and all those that are like you, to retire from this city. For your works are to this city as a firm pillar, and your prayers as a strong wall.'

And it came to pass on the morrow that, lo! the army of the Chaldees surrounded the city, and at the time of the evening, I, Baruch, left the people, and I went forth and stood by the oak. And I was grieving over Zion, and lamenting over the captivity which had come upon the people. And lo! suddenly a strong spirit raised me, and bore me aloft over the wall of Jerusalem. And I beheld, and lo! four angels standing at the four corners of the city, each of them holding a torch of fire in his hands. -- 2 Baruch 2, 6

But we can't have the holy 'leftovers' from the Temple defiled by the invaders; so...

And another angel began to descend from heaven. and said unto them: 'Hold your lamps, and do not light them till I tell you. For I am first sent to speak a word to the earth, and to place in it what the Lord the Most High has commanded me.' And I saw him descend into the Holy of Holies, and take from there the veil, and holy ark, and the mercy-seat, and the two tables, and the holy raiment of the priests, and the altar of incense, and the forty-eight precious stones, wherewith the priest was adorned and all the holy vessels of the tabernacle. And he spoke to the earth with a loud voice:
'Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty God,
And receive what I commit to you,
And guard them until the last times,
So that, when you are ordered, you may restore them,
So that strangers may not get possession of them.
For the time comes when Jerusalem also will be delivered for a time,
Until it is said, that it is again restored for ever.'
And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up.

And after these things I heard that angel saying unto those angels who held the lamps: 'Destroy, therefore, and overthrow its wall to its foundations, lest the enemy should boast and say:
"We have overthrown the wall of Zion,
And we have burnt the place of the mighty God." -- 2 Baruch 6, 7

Second Baruch: WHY was the Temple Destroyed?

And it came to pass in the twenty-fifth year of Jeconiah, king of Judah, that the word of the Lord came to Baruch, the son of Neriah, and said to him: 'Have you seen all that this people are doing to Me, that the evils which these two tribes which remained have done are greater than (those of) the ten tribes which were carried away captive? For the former tribes were forced by their kings to commit sin, but these two of themselves have been forcing and compelling their kings to commit sin. For this reason, behold I bring evil upon this city, and upon its inhabitants, and it shall be removed from before Me for a time, and I will scatter this people among the Gentiles that they may do good to the Gentiles. And My people shall be chastened, and the time shall come when they will seek for the prosperity of their times. -- 2 Baruch

First Baruch

Remember our general questions:
From where does evil come?
What must a good person do?

Thus says the Lord: Bow down your shoulder, and your neck, and serve the king of Babylon: and you shall remain in the land which I have given to your fathers. But if you will not hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, to serve the king of Babylon: I will cause you to depart out of the cities of Judah, and from without Jerusalem. 2.21-23

For I know that the people will not hear me, for they are a people of a stiff neck: but they shall turn to their heart in the land of their captivity: And they shall know that I am the Lord their God: and I will give them a heart, and they shall understand: and ears, and they shall hear. And they shall praise me in the land of their captivity, and shall be mindful of my name. 2.30-32

Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life: give ear, that you may learn wisdom. How does it happen, O Israel, that thou art in thy enemies' land? Thou art grown old in a strange country; thou art defiled with the dead: thou art counted with them that go down into hell. Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom: For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou hadst surely dwelt in peace for ever. 3.9-13

So, do we know anything about these questions from these parts? What if we read these passages in the light of the Mosaic Torah/Law? What if we read them in light of the bits of Enoch we've read?

What do we make of this next passage, then?

There were the giants, those renowned men that were from the beginning, of great stature, expert in war. The Lord chose not them, neither did they find the way of knowledge: therefore did they perish. And because they had not wisdom, they perished through their folly. Who hath gone up into heaven, and taken her, and brought her down from the clouds? 3.26-29

A Couple of 'too big' Words

Before we get too much farther into reading these texts, we need to learn another couple of big, scary words.

First: Apocrypha. These are books that were accepted broadly by early Christians and are now in the Catholic Bible, but were written after the period that early textual Judaism held was 'Biblical.'

Second: Pseudepigrapha. These are books that claim to be written by famous Biblical persons, but were pretty clearly written at a later time.

Third: Apocalyptic. Apocalypsis is Greek for uncovering. These are books that uncover - or reveal - heavenly secrets.

Last: Eschatology. Study of the 'end of times' or the end of the world.

The Book of Revelation is both Apocalyptic and Eschatalogical.

First Baruch, traditionally a scribe who worked with Jeremiah, is Apocrypha and Pseudepigraphic. It may be Eschatalogical, but is not really Apocalyptic.

Second, Third, and Fourth Baruch are Pseudepigrahic, Apocalyptic, AND Eschatalogical, but are not Apocryphal.

The terms are not that important, but are very useful...especially when I get moving too fast.

Hopefully this will help you not be so put off by these big words! Read more on 'A Couple of 'too big' Words'

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Did God Create Weeds?

I mentioned at our last meeting that the question of the source of evil is central to apocalyptic (as it will remain when we begin to look at gnostic literature later in the semester).

I paraphrased the question: Did God create weeds?

And to the man he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. --Genesis 3:17-18

In big, philosophical terms, this is known as "theodicy". Here's a link to the wikipedia article.

Here's the short-form of the problem: If God created everything, and God is perfectly good, where does evil come from?

You all correctly connected the problem to the question of free will last week, and that will continue to play a major role in our readings.

So, for tomorrow, think about what you've read with these three questions in mind:

How does the text explain the presence of evil in the world?
Where does free will come into play?
How should faithful people respond to evil in the world, or what do we do now that the cat is out of the bag?

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Enoch & the Heavenly Bodies

At ther risk of having just too much for next week, here's a little snippet of the Astrological portion of Enoch. Remember what I said about not getting bogged down!

The reason I include this here is because it is too easy to see all of the Watcher stuff and write this book off. Part of what was going on in the ancient world was comptition over the calendar. We'll talk more about that next Monday, but this will give you a taste of what we might call experimental metaphysical astronomy.

Each as it is; according to their classes, according to their period of rule and their times, according to their names and places of origin, and according to their months. That Uriel, the Holy Angel who was with me, and is their leader, showed to me. And he showed me all their regulations, exactly as they are, for each year of the world and for ever, until the new creation shall be made which will last forever.

And this is the First Law of the Lights. The light called the Sun; its rising is in the Gates of Heaven that are towards the east, and its setting is in the western Gates of Heaven. And I saw six Gates from which the Sun rises, and six Gates in which the Sun sets, and the Moon also rises and sets in those Gates, and the leaders of the stars together with those whom they lead. There are six in the east and six in the west, all exactly in place, one next to the other; and there are many windows to the south and the north of those Gates.

And first there rises the greater light, named the Sun, and its disc is like the disc of Heaven, and the whole of it is full of a fire which gives light and warmth. The wind blows the chariots on which it ascends, and the Sun goes down in the sky and returns through the north in order to reach the east, and is led so that it comes to the appropriate Gate and shines in the sky. In this way it rises in the first month, in the large Gate, namely; it rises through the fourth of those six Gates that are towards the east. And in that fourth Gate, through which the Sun rises in the first month, there are twelve window-openings from which, whenever they are opened, flames come out. When the Sun rises in Heaven it goes out through that fourth Gate for thirty days, and exactly in the fourth Gate, in the west of Heaven, it goes down.

And in those days the day grows daily longer, and the night grows nightly shorter, until the thirtieth morning. And on that day the day becomes longer than the night by a double part, and the day amounts to exactly ten parts, and the night amounts to eight parts.

And the Sun rises from that fourth Gate, and sets in the fourth Gate, and returns to the fifth Gate in the east for thirty mornings; and it rises from it and sets in the fifth Gate. And then the day becomes longer by two parts, and the day amounts to eleven parts, and the night becomes shorter and amounts to seven parts.

And the Sun returns to the east and comes to the sixth Gate, and rises and sets in the sixth Gate for thirty-one mornings, because of its sign. --Enoch, Book 72

Appeal of the Watchers

This is later in the action, and the Watchers have asked Enoch to intercede for their forgiveness to God. God responds:

"Hear! Do not be afraid, Enoch, you righteous man, and scribe of righteousness. Come here and hear my voice. And go say to the Watchers of Heaven, who sent you to petition on their behalf: You ought to petition on behalf of men, not men on behalf of you. Why have you left the High, Holy and Eternal Heaven, and lain with women, and become unclean with the daughters of men, and taken wives for yourselves, and done as the sons of the earth, and begotten giant sons? And you were spiritual, Holy, living an eternal life, but you became unclean upon the women, and begot children through the blood of flesh, and lusted after the blood of men, and produced flesh and blood, as they do, who die and are destroyed.

"You were in Heaven but its secrets had not yet been revealed to you; and a worthless mystery you knew. This you made known to women, in the hardness of your hearts. And through this mystery the women and the men cause evil to increase on the Earth." --Enoch, Book 15

Judgment of the Watchers

And then Michael, Gabriel, Suriel and Uriel, looked down from Heaven and saw the mass of blood that was being shed on the earth and all the iniquity that was being done on the earth. And they said to their Lord, the King: "Lord of Lords, God of Gods, King of Kings! Your glorious throne endures for all the generations of the world, and blessed and praised! You have made everything, and power over everything is yours. And everything is uncovered, and open, in front of you, and you see everything, and there is nothing that can be hidden from you. See then what Azazel has done; how he has taught all iniquity on the earth and revealed the eternal secrets that are made in Heaven. And Semyaza has made known spells, he to whom you gave authority to rule over those who are with him.

The Lord said to Raphael: "Bind Azazel by his hands and his feet and throw him into the darkness. And split open the desert, which is in Dudael, and throw him there. And throw on him jagged and sharp stones and cover him with darkness. And let him stay there forever. And cover his face so that he may not see the light. And so that, on the Great Day of Judgment, he may be hurled into the fire. And restore the Earth which the Angels have ruined. And announce the restoration of the Earth. For I shall restore the Earth so that not all the sons of men shall be destroyed because of the knowledge which the Watchers made known and taught to their sons.

And the whole Earth has been ruined by the teaching of the works of Azazel; and against him write: ALL SIN." And the Lord said to Gabriel: "Proceed against the bastards, and the reprobates, and against the sons of the fornicators. And destroy the sons of the fornicators, and the sons of the Watchers, from amongst men.

Destroy all wrong from the face of the Earth and every evil work will cease. --Enoch, Books 9-10

The Sins of the Watchers

These readings are longer than last week, but the narratives hold together better; so they should be more manageable. I'll save comments for our meeting.

I have excerpted these down; so some parts are missing. Here's the site whence I copied these passages, if you'd like to read more...but please stick to the Watchers and the Astrological sections.

And it came to pass, when the sons of men had increased, that in those days there were born to them fair and beautiful daughters. And the Angels, the sons of Heaven, saw them and desired them. And they said to one another: "Come, let us choose for ourselves wives, from the children of men, and let us beget, for ourselves, children."

And they took wives for themselves and everyone chose for himself one each. And they began to go into them and were promiscuous with them. And they taught them charms and spells, and they showed them the cutting of roots and trees. And they became pregnant and bore large giants. And their height was three thousand cubits. These devoured all the toil of men; until men were unable to sustain them.

And Azazel taught men to make swords, and daggers, and shields, and breastplates. And he showed them the things after these, and the art of making them; bracelets, and ornaments, and the art of making up the eyes, and of beautifying the eyelids, and the most precious stones, and all kinds of coloured dyes. And the world was changed. And there was great impiety, and much fornication, and they went astray, and all their ways became corrupt.

Amezarak taught all those who cast spells and cut roots, Armaros the release of spells, and Baraqiel astrologers, and Kokabiel portents, and Tamiel taught astrology, and Asradel taught the path of the Moon. And at the destruction of men they cried out; and their voices reached Heaven. -- Enoch, Books 6-8

Watchers & Nephilim - Prelude

Before we dig into Enoch, it is worth scanning the part of Genesis that the author found so fruitful.

When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.

Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.”

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.

And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” --Genesis 6:1-7

Gods, Powers and Paul

I included one of Paul's notes on Powers in this post, but here is a reference that makes the connection between powers and 'little-g' gods:

Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth - as in fact there are many gods and many lords. --1 Cor 8:5

The Most High God

Here is the Psalm I mentioned, with Yahweh in the council of the gods (elohim).

God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”

Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
Here is the beginning of my post. --Psalm 82