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Temple symbolism — The menorah, part 3
In part 1 and part 2, we have already discussed several meanings of the candlestick (Hebr. menorah) in the tabernacle/temple. They may seem a bit disjointed but I think they all fit into a greater whole. I will get to that, but let us first consider one more symbol. I think it is fair to…
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Temple symbolism — The menorah, part 2
There was too much to write about the symbolism of the candlestick (menorah in Hebrew) in the ancient temple to fit into one post, so I will continue on that topic in this post. (Part 1 here). Looking more deeply into symbolism like this, it is common to find layers and a multiplicity of meaning.…
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Jubilees and Enoch, part 1
I’ve been studying the apocryphal Book of Jubilees and having a great time seeing the book of Genesis as told through the angelic, revelatory worldview of certain “long exile” Israelites (see this post for an overview of what that means). When the narrative gets to Enoch, we are given far more than we find in…
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Temple symbolism — The menorah, part 1
I am making a general part of the heading (“temple symbolism”) in case I will write more posts about this topic, of which I am not sure yet. But I just started reading “175 temple symbols and their meanings” by Donald W. Perry and it has the potential to result in posts like this. Each…
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Creation and re-creation in the image of God, according to Paul
It has been very useful so far to study the New Testament after having read through the entire Old Testament first and learn a bit about that ancient culture and worldview. It shows where the New Testament is coming from and gives much better context to both the Gospels and the various letters, not to…
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Jubilees and the curse of Cain
This is a short post continuing my study of Jubilees. See here and here for background. Jubilees contains only a short reference to the murder of Abel: 1 In the third week in the second jubilee, she gave birth to Cain; in the fourth she gave birth to Abel; and in the fifth she gave…
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Connections in Jubilees between Babel, Abraham, and Pentecost
My last post explained that I am currently studying Jubilees in an effort to better understand the mindset of the “long exile” Israelites and the early Christians. I’m only scratching the surface and have already uncovered quite a few interesting details. My premise is that this book was written in accordance with a worldview which…
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Additional thoughts on justice and mercy
Since I wrote this post on the sword of justice and arms of mercy metaphors, I have had related thoughts that I will try to add in this post as some kind of sequel. The ancient gesture of the outstretched arm The last post discusses the outstretched arm symbolism. We read about it a lot…
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Initial reactions to the Book of Jubilees, Part 1
I’m re-reading Temple Theology by Margaret Barker. It’s a short book that opened my eyes a few years ago to the concept of what I now call the “Creation-Covenant connection.” It’s been a few years since I last read it and I’ve learned a lot more about the topics she covers in the book, so…
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“Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?”
Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecies and creation themes In my last post, I connected the curse of ‘slippery treasure’ with Cain. I also compared the taking away of the word and the Spirit in Helaman 13:8 with a loss of seed and water for a farmer. It’s a grim prospect, similar to the curse given to…