Digital Dead Sea Scrolls - Jerusalem Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Israel (Enlarge) Jerusalem, by virtue of the number and diversity of people who have held it sacred, may be considered the most holy city in the world. To the Jewish people it is Ir Ha-Kodesh (the Holy City), the Biblical Zion, the City of David, the site of Solomon's Temple, and the eternal capital of the Israelite nation. To Christians it is where the young Jesus impressed the sages at the Jewish Temple, where he spent the last days of his ministry, and where the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection took place. The earliest traces of human settlement in the Jerusalem area are from the late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age (3000 BC). Mt. The First Temple of the Jews was built during the reign of David's son, Solomon. The date of the Arc's disappearance and its subsequent whereabouts - long a mystery to archaeologists, historians and biblical scholars - have recently been discussed by the British researcher Graham Hancock.
The Riddle of the Dome of the Rock One of the most fascinating questions about the Temple Mount after the Islamic occupation in 638 CE is connected with the Dome of the Rock. Important scientific research conducted by Ya'akov Ofir holds that the Dome of the Rock was built in 691CE for the Jews as their “last house” of prayer by their ally Abd el-Malik, the Umayyad ruler of Damascus, who also controlled the land of Israel in those days. The Jews who built the house believed that their redemption had already come. Ofir's conclusion is that the Dome of the Rock is a Jewish building. Abd el-Malik was at war with the Abbasid Arab kingdom which controlled Arabia and Iraq. What is so unique is that the Dome of the Rock was never built as a mosque and was never used for this purpose. In mentioning the El Aqsa mosque we must point out that the pro-Jewish ruler, Abd el-Malik, never built a mosque on the Temple Mount. After the Abbasid kingdom defeated the Umayyad kingdom the memory of the “last house” was completely erased.
Hinduism - Puranas Sacred-texts home Journal Articles: Hinduism OCRT: Hinduism Buy CD-ROM Buy books about Hinduism Vedas Upanishads Puranas Other Primary Texts Epics Mahabharata Ramayana Bhagavad Gita Vedanta Later texts Modern books The Vedas There are four Vedas, the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism. They also had a vast influence on Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The Vedas contain hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient India. Rig Veda The Rig-Veda translated by Ralph Griffith [1896]A complete English translation of the Rig Veda. Rig-Veda (Sanskrit)The complete Rig Veda in Sanskrit, in Unicode Devanagari script and standard romanization. Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE 32)Hymns to the Maruts, Rudra, Vâyu and Vâta, tr. by F. Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE 46)Hymns to Agni, tr. by Hermann Oldenberg [1897]The Vedic Hymns to Agni. A Vedic Reader for Students (excerpts) by A.A. Sama Veda Yajur Veda The Texts of the White Yajurveda translated by Ralph T.H.
The Temple Mount - Jerusalem 101 The Time Between 70 AD and 638 AD When the Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 638 there were no buildings on the Temple Mount to destroy. The Christians had left the Temple Mount in ruins, and even used it as a garbage dump. The temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. In 132-135 AD after the Jew’s second revolt against Rome the Jews may have attempted to rebuild the Temple. In 135 Hadrian built a temple to Jupiter on the Temple Mount along with two statues of Roman emperors. In 363 the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate gave the Jews permission to rebuild their temple. “Julian thought to rebuild at an extravagant expense the proud Temple once at Jerusalem, and committed this task to Alypius of Antioch. The earthquake in Galilee 363, sabotage, an accidental fire or the lack of Jewish commitment to the project may have been the cause along with the possibility of Divine intervention. They were reused in:
Internet Sacred Text Archive Home The Problem With Moderates In a world of ever-widening extremes – from weather patterns to wealth disparities to polarized politics – what does it mean to be a moderate? More specifically, how does this term apply to religion? Viewed in the context of most everyday activities and situations and in line with Aristotle’s idea of the “Golden Mean” (which states that virtue lies at the midpoint between two vices; i.e. courage lies between cowardice and recklessness, etc.), it could be said that a moderate stance is generally better than an extremist one. For example, being a moderate drinker seems to strike a pretty good balance between being healthy and having fun, as opposed to the opposite extremes of being an ascetic teetotaler or a raging alcoholic. Likewise, being politically moderate, if nothing else, tends to generate far less strife during dinner conversations amid mixed company or at large family gatherings. When it comes to religion, being moderate is similarly troublesome.
Hey Atheists, Just Shut Up Please "Whoopsie!"—Christopher Hitchens, December 16, 2011 A week ago, Salon published a story I wrote about returning to a Creationist museum my parents took me to when I was very young. Of course, plenty of other people were willing to be giant dicks. Here are a few choice quotes: “I hear Betty and Barney are especially lifelike in their display.” “It is certainly interesting that while George Bush claimed (incorrectly, I believe) they hate us for our freedoms, large swathes of the US population are actually just as primitive in their thinking as the simplest tribesmen in the mountains of Afghanistan and are held there by a wealthy priesthood class who exploit their gullability. “It's a dangerous thing to show respect to beliefs and ideas that don't deserve it. If you want to find out why I call these guys Reddit Atheists, take a brief dip into the atheism subreddit. But listen, I totally get it. At a certain point you have to ask: Has hate ever led to anything progressive? @luke_winkie
religion in fantasy novels | helluo librorum Since no one burned my house down after the Tolkien post, I’m going out on a limb here and talk to you about using religion in your fantasy novels. Generally speaking, when building worlds in fantasy novels, the religions of your world will be a reflection of the religions here on good old planet earth. So I’m going to offer a few suggestions – take them or leave them: Know thy religion. Understand the core beliefs. Avoid stereotypes. Religions don’t kill. Treat all religions with respect. Don’t be malicious. World building is a difficult process; as a fantasy writer you are creating a whole social order, and you want it to be believable. A few articles to see: If you’re looking for a checklist of questions to ask when world building, go to the SFWA blog where Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions by Patricia C. Joe Wetzel at Inkwell Ideas has a great article with Worldbuilding: Fantasy Religion Design Guide, and a subsequent post, Worldbuilding: Fantasy Religion Design Example. Like this:
Hebrew Goddess; Asherah, the Shekinah, consort of Yahweh The Hebrew Goddess Painting by Jonathon Earl Bowser Asherah, known as the "Lady of the Sea" Asherah, the Shekinah, consort and beloved of Yahweh. God-the-Mother. n hill-tops, such as Zion, Mount of Olives, Har Megiddo and countless others. Here is an excerpt from one of our Mystery School lessons: Exercise 5: (Extra Credit) If you're really brave, not worried about being called a "heretic Jezebel," try making some Asherah cakes. *A word about snakes: The Serpent, though a frightening symbol because of its ability to bring death, stood also for ancient wisdom and immortality. ideas. Asherah from the Religion of the Canaanites She was the wife of El in Ugaritic mythology, and is the goddess who is also called Athirau-Yammi: "She Who Walks on (or in) the Sea." Asherah, like Anat, is a well-documented goddess of the northwest Semitic pantheon. If you are researching Her, searching for Her in the Bible, in the Torah, in Kabbala, there is one book you gotta read...