The Art of Perception

Oedipus at Colonus

2009-02-26T00:36:00.000-08:00

In classical Greek history/philosophy, Colonus was a small village near Athens, and near to the site of Plato's famous Academy. It was also where the Greek playright Sophocles was born, and according to Sophocles, it was the location where the mythological character of Oedipus was born.

The above painting was painted by Fulchran-Jean Harriet in 1798.

The painting below was painted by Jean-Antoine-Theodore Giroust in 1788:

Mormom Beehives

2008-05-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

This beehive is at the top of the (Masonic?) Temple in Salt Lake City:

Note also the flag of the State of Utah:

Beehives indeed..

Church "Bells"

2008-05-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

Bell, the ancient Canaanite god "Ba'al", a symbol of the Sun and which is still used in Christian (sun worship) churches:

Catholic Encyclicals

2008-03-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

The economic system, known as corporatism, was based on two papal encyclicals which were supposed to prevent class struggle and supremacy of economism:

Rerum Novarum (Pope Leo XIII, May 15, 1891) - On Capital and Labor
Quadragesimo Anno (Pope Pius XI, May 15, 1931)

Supposedly these encyclicals inspired Salazar when he was ruling Portugal.

The popes who issued them:

Pope Leo XIII
(The Social Pope, the Pope of the Working Man)

Pope Pius XI

Diogenes Hath Found an Honest Man!

2008-03-04T01:17:00.000-08:00

Interesting portrait of Benjamin Franklin:

It's actually an engraving, and it depicts a bearded elder, in hooded robe, presenting to the viewer a portrait of Franklin in a formal oval frame. In the man's left hand is a lantern, and behind him a large wooden tub, by which accessories he is identified with the Greek sage Diogenes, who lived in a tub and wandered with a lantern aloft, searching for an honest man.

The frame stands on a stone sill or lbock, carved with the words "STUPETE GENES! REPERIT VIVUM DIOGENES" Diogenes supports the painting's frame against his body; his sandaled right foot rests on the sill, as though he were climbing up from behind the stone. His gesturing right hand rests on his right knee.

Filleul Portrait of Franklin

The portrait of Franklin is derived loosely from that of Anne Rosalie Filleul. It is a waist-length image showing Franklin with shoulder-length natural hair, dressed in an open-collared shirt, robe wrapped loosely around his body, and fur-collared gown or banyan over all. The symbolic details that fill the print include a cornucopia at Diogenes' foot, a broken yoke beneath the stone sill, a Liberty cap, a rolled map of North America beneath the claws of a bird (identified variously as an eagle or a phoenix).

Beneath the image is the caption “BENJAMIN FRANKLIN / Ministaire plénipotentiaire à la Cour de France pour la République / des Provinces unies de l’Amérique Septentrionale. / Né à Boston le 17 Janvier 1706. / A Paris chez Bligny Lancier du Roi, Md. D’Estampes, Peintre, Doreur et Vitrier, Cour du Manège aux Tuilleries.” Added at the right of this inscription is another: “Présenté à son Excellence / quelle à accepté le 14. / Juillet 1780. / Par son très Humble et très Obéissant / Serviteur BLIGNY.” Immediately below the image on the left is the inscription "N.L.G.D.L.C.A.D.L. del et sculp."

The pencil drawing from which the Franklin portrait engraving was made is in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is 4 1/8-inch high by 3 3/16-inch wide, cut to oval, and fixed to a counterproof of the engraving of the Diogenes in its earlier state, in which an image of Cardinal Fleury is within the oval frame. The artist of the pencil portrait is not known.

Multiple original examples of this print exist, including in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (NPG.91.150), and the Musée de la Cooperation Franco-américaine, Blérancourt, France. One is also in the collections of a descendant of Franklin, with a family history of having belonged to Franklin. The engraved inscription below the image of the print to the effect that a copy had been presented to Franklin (placed there to encourage buyers), may have some foundation in the survival of that copy.

Other works copied after the Filleul painting include an engraving by J. Pelicier, 1782 (one owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1997-159-3) and another engraving by D.A.S. (owned by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, NPG.96.105)

Another copy is owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art (1946-51-203), the gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

The Paintings of Van Eyck

2008-02-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

Known amongst his contemporaries as the "King of Painting", van Eyck was one of the first people to perfect the use of oils in painting. Perhaps his most famous work is Arnolfini Marriage, depicted below:

A "shotgun" marriage of sorts, perhaps..

Of special interest is the mirror, which refects both the marriage partners, as well as van Eyck (in miniature self-portrait), alongwith the minister who performed the marriage. The convex mirror is also flancked by ten smaller paintings, each of which depicts a scene from the life of Christ:

The mirror is the most amazing part of it.

War Profiteers

2007-06-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, General Dynamics and United Technologies, Haliburton and Bechtel

Interesting Indian Astronomer

2007-06-22T03:32:00.000-07:00

Bhaskaracharya, or Bhaskara II, is regarded almost without question as the greatest Hindu mathematician of all time and his contribution to not just Indian, but world mathematics is undeniable. As L Gurjar states:

...Because of his work India gave a definite 'quota' to the forward world march of the science. [LG, P 104]

Born in 1114 AD (in Vijayapura, he belonged to Bijjada Bida) he became head of the Ujjain school of mathematical astronomy (Varahamihira and Brahmagupta had helped to found this school or at least 'build it up'). There is some confusion amongst the texts I have referred to as to the works that he wrote. C Srinivasiengar claims he wrote Siddhanta Siromani in 1150 AD, which contained four sections:

1) Lilavati (arithmetic)
2) Bijaganita (algebra)
3) Goladhyaya (sphere/celestial globe)
4) Grahaganita (mathematics of the planets)

Click here for more

More Palladian Architecture

2006-12-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

Another nice example of Palladian architecture is All Soul's College at Oxford:

All Soul's College, Oxford

Illuminati and the Book of Hebrews

2006-10-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
-- Hebrews 5:13

2006-07-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Very interesting review of the alchemical symoblism in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream:

Alchemy in Midsummer Night's Dream

One of the key takeawasy: there are FOUR worlds in Midsummers Night, just like there are Four Worlds in alchemy (earth, air, wind and fire). In Midsummer Night, these four worlds are represented by:

Fairy World
Athenian Royalty
Rustic commoners
Courting lovers

Eventually these four worlds are brought together in harmony, by the end of the play, which is the end-all and be-all of alchemy (one might suppose).

Could these not correspond to the four faculties of man? To the body, the mind, the desire and the Will?

Rustic commoners --> body
Fairy world --> mind
Courting lovers --> desire
Athenian royalty --> Will

Perhaps..

The Athanasian Creed

2006-06-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

Interesting creed, used by Pernety when he founded the Societe des Illumines d'Avignon in 1786:

Athanasian Creed

Lost Works of Berosus

2006-06-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Berosus was a Chaldean priest of Bel at Babylon who was aquainted with both astronomy and the history of the ancient world. He left Babylon when it was conquered by Alexander the Great and established himself in Asia Minor, on the island of Cos near Rhodes, where he set up an observatory and a school of astronomy. He also spent some time in Athens where he was held in such high esteem that they erected a copper statue in his honour.

As the Greek language spread through Asia, during the Macedonian conquests, there was public interest in the histories that had been preserved by the Babylonians. Berosus, as a Babylonian priest who could speak Greek, was surrounded by an enquiring public who no doubt encouraged him to write his histories.

He wrote his three books, about 290BC, and although they are lost, their contents are known, from the authentic fragments, to have been as follows:

* Book 1: The description of Babylonia, the story of creation and the appearance of a "fish-man" called Oannes, who taught arts and sciences.
* Books 2 and 3: The ten kings before the flood, the story of the flood itself, the list of Chaldean and Arabian kings, and finally the later history of Assyria, Babylon and the Persians.

Great Architects

2006-05-30T10:39:00.001-07:00

The works of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio were once described by Thomas Jefferson as "the Bible"..

Andrea Palladio

Some of his works are as follows:

Although unappreciated in this day and age, in Palladio's time Venice was not just a city. It was the center of a vast empire with military and commercial enclaves all around the Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean. At its height of power, Venice was one of the greatest military and commercial powers on Earth. In population, four times the size of Rome and London combined.

Christ of St. John of the Cross

2006-05-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

More paintings from Salvador Dali:

Jacques Coeur

2006-05-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Jacques Coeur (1395-1456) was the treasurer of Charles VII, and was known as the richest man in the realm. His wealth allowed him to earn favor with high nobility, and especially with the House of Anjou. Coeur reorganized the royal finances, established a gold standard and stabilized the French currency. He had hundreds of factories in his employ, and owned houses of business in all the chief cities of France. He had many lavish homes, the most famous being in the city of Bourges. His most significant accomplishment was providing the financial basis that allowed the creation of Charles VII's military reforms that took place in the 1440s. He supplied the "sinews of war" which had ousted the English from Normandy and began the recovery of Guyienne.

Coeur was ennobled in 1440. His motto was
"to a valiant heart, nothing is impossible"

Cathedral at Bourges

Shell of St. James

Astrological Cycle

2006-05-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Just for reference:

Pyramids of Fire

2006-05-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Interesting this: the word pyramid comes from Greek, meaning "pyro" (or "fire") and "mid" (or "center"). In other words, the pyramid is the "center of fire" (or "fire in the center").

Fire in the Center

Khufu (Cheops)

2006-05-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Khufu (2551-2528 BC, "Cheops" in Greek) was the second king of the 4th Dynasty, and is believed by some to be the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza. A miniature statue of Khufu is on display at the Cairo Musuem, and is the only likeness of him known to be in existence. Sneferu was his father. Unlike his father, who was remembered as a benevolent ruler, Khufu is reported by Herodotus to have been a despot.

Khufu, 2551-2528 BC, 4th Dynasty

Herodotus writes of him: "Cheops brought the country into all kinds of misery. He closed the temples, forbade his subjects to offer sacrifices, and compelled them without exception to labor upon his works .. the Egyptians can hardly bring themselves to mention Cheops so great is their hatred."

Mountain the Center of the World

There are those who believe that a certain prophecy in the Book of Isaiah concerns the Great Pyramid at Giza. To whit: "In that day, there will be an altar to the Lord in Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord Almighty in the Land of Egypt." (Isaiah 19:19)

Thyrsus

2006-03-13T00:41:00.000-08:00

The Thyrsus was a staff carried by Dionysus and his attendants. It was topped with a pine cone and decorated with ivy and vines.

Table of Cebes

2006-03-01T23:17:00.000-08:00

Cebes, the philosopher of Thebes (founded, in mythological traditions, by Cadmus), was a disciple of Socrates and Philolaus (circa 390 BC) and makes a cameo appearence in Plato's dialogue, Phaedo, where he debates with Socrates on the nature of the Soul. He is represented in this debate as an earnest seeker after virtue and truth, keen in argument and cautious in decision. Of the three dialogues attributed to him by Suidas and Diogenes Lauertius, only Tabula survives. Many scholars moreover believe Tabula to be a later fraud, on the grounds of material and verbal anachronisms. They attribute it either to Cebes of Cyzicus or to an anonymous author of the 1st century who assumed the identity of Cebes of Thebes.

Cebes was from Thebes, near Athens and Marathon

Cebe's Tabula proposes to be an interpretation of an allegorical picture in the temple of Kronos at Athens (or Thebes). The author develops the Platonic theory of pre-existence, and shows that true education consists not in mere erudition, but rather in the formation of character. An excellent English translation of Tabula has been available since 1983 by John T. Fitzgerald and L. Michael White.

From Vaenius' Theatro Moral de la Vida Humana

According to Manly P. Hall (last chapter in Secret Teachings):

There is a legend to the effect that the Tablet of Cebes, a dialogue between Cebes and Gerundio, was based upon an ancient table set up in the Temple at Kronos at Athens or Thebes, which depicted the entire progress of human life. The author of the Tablet of Cebes was a disciple of Socrates and lived about 390 BC. The world is represented as a great mountain. Out of the earth at the base of it come the myriads of human creatures who climb upward in search of truth and immortality.

Above the clouds which conceal the summit of the mountain is the goal of human attainment -- true happiness. The figures and groups are arranged as follows: (1) the door of the wall of life; (2) the Genius or Intelligence; (3) deceit; (4) opinions, desires and pleasures; (5) fortune; (6) the strong; (7) incontinence, venery, insatiability, flattery; (8) sorrow; (9) sadness; (10) misery; (11) grief; (12) rage or despair; (13) the house of misfortune; (14) penitence; (15) true opinion; (16) false opinion; (17) false doctrine; (18) poets, orators, geometers, et al; (19) incontinence, sexual indulgence, and opinion; (20) the road of true doctrine; (21) continence and patience; (22) the true doctrine; (23) truth and persuasion; (24) science and the virtues; (25) happiness; (26) the highest (first) pleasure of the wise man; (27) laziness and the strays.

According to Levi (from the History of Magic: Formation and Development of Dogmas: Initiations and Ordeals):

Learn how to suffer and learn how to die -- such are the gymnastics of eternity and such is the immortal novitiate. This is the moral lesson of Dante's Divine Comedy and it was outlined in the allegorical Table of Cebes, which belongs to the time of Plato. An account of it has been preserved and many painters of the Middle Ages reconstructed the picture therefrom. It is at once a philosophical and magical monument, a perfect moral synthesis, and moreover the most adacious demonstration ever attempted of that Great Arcanum or Secret, the revelation of which must subvert heaven and earth.

In fact the Table of Cebes did have an influence on Dante, who mentions it in this pamphlet entitled Of Education, first published in 1644.

Eugenius Philalethes

2006-02-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Thomas Vaughan (a.k.a. Eugenius Philalethes) was a Welsh alchemist, Cabbalist and (it is alleged) Rosicrucian. He was born in 1622 and was killed in 1665 by an explosion during an alchemical experiment.

Some of his more well-known works include:

Anthrosophia Theomagica, a Discourse on the Nature of Man and his State after Death (1650)
Anima Magia Abscondita, a Discourse of the Universal Spirit of Nature (1650)
Magia Adamica, the Antiquity of Magic (1650)
Coelum Terrae, the Magician's Heavenly Chaos, Unfolding a Doctrine Concerning the Terrestrial Heaven (1650)
Lumen de Lumine, a New Magical Light (1651)
Aula Lucis, the House of Light (1651)
Euphrates, the Waters of the East (1655)

Philalethes also is responsible for producing the first English translation of The Fame and Confession of the Fraternity of the Rose Cross in 1652.

The Perfect Red King, the Sulfur of the Philosophers

The above image is taken from the 23rd image in a series of drawings from the 17th century attributed to Eugenius Philalethes, in the Speculum Veritatis (Mirror of Truth).

Eugenius Philalethes' Invisible Magical Mountain

The above hieroglyph accompanied Philalethes' Lumen de Lumine (1651). In it, Philalethes makes mention of Hali the Arabian, who is also mentioned by Paracelsus von Hohenheim in his The Book Concerning the Tincture of the Philosophers in the first chapter:

I, Phillippus Theophrastus Paracelsus Bombast, say that, by Divine Grace, many ways have been sought to the Tincture of the Philosophers, which finally all came to the same scope and end. Hermes Trismegistus, the Egyptian, approached this task in his own method. Orus, the Greek, observed the same process. Hali, the Arabian, remained firm in his order. But Albertus Magnus, the German, followed also a lengthy process. Each one of these advanced in proportion to his own method; nevertheless, they all arrive at one and the same end, at a long life, so much desired by the philosophers, and also at an honourable sustenance and means of preserving that life in this Valley of Misery.

Concerning the quote that Eugenius Philalethes makes (from Hali) in the monograph accompanying the above hieroglyph, we have: "Go, my son, to the mountains of India, and to their quarries or caverns, and take thence our precious stones, which dissolve or melt in water, when they are mingled therewith. Much indeed might be spoken concerning these mountains, if it were lawful to publish their mysteries, but one thing I shall not forbear to tell you. They are very dangerous places after night, for they are haunted with fires and other strange appairitions, occasioned (as I am told by the Magi) by certain spirits, which dabble lasciviously with the sperm of the world and imprint their imaginations in, producing many times fantastic and monstrous generations. The access and pilgrimage to this place, with the difficulties which attend them, are faithfully and magisterially described by the Brothers of R.C."

Recursive Pentacles

2006-01-03T22:01:00.000-08:00

Nice (phi) image..

Salvador Dali

2006-01-03T21:47:00.000-08:00

I've always liked Salvador Dali's "Temptation of St. Anthony", but I recently stumbled across his "The Sacrement of the Last Supper", which makes very clever use of the Golden Ration and Perfect Rectangles..

Temptation of St. Anthony

Sacrament of the Last Supper

Thales

2006-01-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

Thales is generally regarded as the first of the Greek philosophers (as way of note, Proclus, who lived around 450 AD, is generally regarded as the last major Greek philosopher). Thales was born around 624 BC in Miletus, Asia Minor (now Turkey) an died around 547 BC again in Miletus.

Bust of Thales in the Capitoline
Museum in Rome (although it is not
contemporary w/ Thales and probably
bears no real resemblence).

Some people report that his parents were Phoenicians.

His occupation was that of engineer, although Thales is celebrated in Greek history as its first philosopher, mathematician and scientist. He is believed to have been the teacher of Anaximander and he was the first natural philosopher of the Milesian School. His writings seems to have been lost even by the time of Aristotle, although there are reports that he wrote a book concerning navigation. Thales is also created with having designated the constellation of Ursa Minor.

Miletus, the home of Thales

Thales is the only philosopher before Socreates to be included in the Seven Sages.

Other noteworthy events in the life of Thales:

He is reported to have predicted the eclipse of the Sun in 585 BC.
He estimated the height of the Pyramids by measuring the length of thier shadow at the time of day when a man's shadow is equal to his height.
Brought back some amount of geometrical knowledge into Greece from the Egyptians (although he is not really the father of deductive geometrical proofs).
Formed a method for calculating the distance of a ship at sea.
He was able to predict a bumper crop of olive oil before it happened, and so bought all the olive presses he could and was able to make a small fortune when the crop arrived.

In terms of his not-so-successful theories, he believed that the Earth floats on water, although it should be noted that he believed that earthquakes were caused by the shaking back and forth of the Earth as it floats upon the water (something not *too* distant from the truth).

Thales is also widely credited with having developed the first five theorems of elementary geometry:

A circle is bisected by any diameter
The base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal
The angles between two intersecting staight lines are equal
Two triangles are congruent if they have two angles and one side equal
An angle is a semicircle is a right angle

The first four are credited to Proclus. The fifth is credited to a book called History of Geometry, by Eudemus of Rhodes (a student of Aristotle), although that work is no longer in existence.

The Medici and the Popes

2005-12-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

There were three people from the Venetian family of the Medicis who became Popes:

Guilio de' Medici (1478-1534) became
Pope Clement VII (1523-34)

Alessandro de' Medici (1535-1605) became
Pope Leo XI (1605)

Giovanni de Medici became
Pope Leo X (1513-1521)

Pre-Darwinian Evolution

2005-12-27T00:02:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading Marie Corelli's Ardath, and one thing that caught my eye was the mention of how Evolution (Natural Selection) has been around since before Charles Darwin... specifically that Democritus and Voltaire had threshed out the subject before him.

For what it's worth, she also makes mention of a Remeni Adranos, chief astronomer to the then-king of Babylonia, concerning his theory of the Atom and of Evolution (for what it's worth).

Also make note of Heine's Reisebilder..

Paulism

2005-12-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

Some important thinkers on the subject of the division between Jesus and St. Paul:

"My long-time view about Christianity is that it represents an amalgam of two seemingly immiscible parts--the religion of Jesus and the religion of Paul. Thomas Jefferson attempted to excise the Pauline parts of the New Testament. There wasn't much left when he was done, but it was an inspiring document." (Letter to Ken Schei [author of Christianity Betrayed])

--Carl Sagan
"Paul was the first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus." (All references not listed here, can be found in Christianity Betrayed)

-- Thomas Jefferson

Planisphere of Denderah

2005-12-14T00:48:00.000-08:00

Chaldean Connection

2005-12-14T00:11:00.000-08:00

Interesting king list, from the Chaldeans. This king list would have been composed circa 2400 BC. There is a king on the list named "Irarum" (similar to Abraham). His son is named "Dar"; Dar also went by the name of "Asahk" (literally, "son of god"). Asahk's son was "Khab" (or "Khabulum"), and his son in turn took the royal title "Akhab" ("son of khab"). He in turn fathered Gudia. So, if we take into account the sound of these names in their respective order, we arrive at something interesting:

"Irarum" is the same as "Abraham"
"Asahk" is the same as "Issac"
"Akhab" is the same as "Jacob"
"Gudia" is the same as "Judah"

Source:Here

Hebrew Gematria

2005-12-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

Stumbled across an interesting find, in the sense that the hebrew words for "messiah" (moshiach) and "serpent" (nachash) add up to the same gematrical value (358):

Moshiah: משיח
Nachash: נחש

Gematria for Moshiach:

Mem: 40
Shin: 300
Yud: 10
Cheth: 8

Adds up to 358

Gematria for Nachash:

Nun: 50
Cheth: 8
Shin: 300

Adds up to 358

Alphabet Family Tree

2005-11-19T23:29:00.000-08:00

The alphabet family tree.. Note the relationship between Old Hebrew and modern Hebrew (the modern variant descending from Aramaic):

More resources here:

http://phoenicia.org/alphabet.html

Interesting resource on the Tetragrammaton:

Tetragrammaton

Especially interesting is the Old Hebrew spelling:

Amenhotep III, Building Projects

2005-11-19T21:22:00.000-08:00

Today we look at some of the building projects that Amenhotep III (ruler of Egypt from 1382 BCE to 1344BCE) undertook during his reign:

A number of his building projects no longer exist, although that Karnak he undertook an almost complete makeover of the main temple, including an attempt to embellish the already monumental Temple to Amun, as well as his the East Temple for the sun god as well as his own festival building. His impact on the Karnak temple was thematic, leaving the impression of a warrior king whose victories honored both himself as the God Amun, and he changed the face of this temple almost completely.

Temple at Karnak in Thebes

At Luxor had built a new temple, including the still standing colonnaded court. He also built a monumental mortuary temple on the West Bank at Thebes (modern Luxor) that is the single largest royal temple known to us from the ancient Egyptians. Unfortunately, it was built too close to the flood plain and was in ruins by the 19th Dynasty, when material was quarried from it for new building projects. The only material remains are the Colossi of Memnon, which were misnamed by the Greeks and actually represent Amenhotep III himself. The statues also depict the two most important women in his life, his mother Mutemwiya and his wife Queen Tiy.

Colossi of Memnon

He built a huge palace for himself on the West Bank of the Thebes, called Malkata. He built a great harbor next to this residence. Further south, he built a temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek.

Religion during Amenhotep III's Reign

It is likely that Amenhotep III was deified during his own lifetime, and that the worship of the sun god, Aten, by his son may have directly or indirectly also involved the worship of his father. Amenhotep III was somewhat insistent that he be identified with this sun god during his lifetime. We find scenes (from his first jubilee year of 30th year of his reign) where he is depicted taking the role of Ra riding in his solar boat. During his reign many well known gods were "solarized", including Nekhbet, Amun, Thoth and Horus.

Amenhotep III

There seem to be no major statues to Amenhotep III's deification in his own lifetime, though. Ramses II, who was deified only 100 years later, had many such statues built in his honor in his own lifetime. His son, best known as Akhenaten(!), may have worshipped his father as Aten. There are many arguments against this, but .. to some extent it's believed to be true.

What was his "great crime"? Perhaps marrying a girl of non-royal blood?

Aleppo Codex

2005-11-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

The Aleppo Codex was - until about 1948 - regarded as the oldest known copy of the complete Hebrew Bible, and was generally acknowleged to be the most important Hebrew manuscript in existence. It is associated with Rabbi Aaron Ben Asher, a famous grammarian and scribe of the 10th century AD. It was written in about A.D. 920 in Palestine, probably in the vicinity of Tiberias, where Jewish scholars had developed a system of vowel pointing which was to become the standard Masoretic system of vocalization. It is believed that Aaron Ben Asher himself penned the vowel points and the marginal Masorah in the manuscript.

Tiberias, on the coast of the Sea of Galilee

It is called the "Aleppo Codex" because for about five centuries it was kept in the synagouge in Aleppo, in northern Syria. Prior to this it had been kept in Cairo (Egypt) for a time, where it was apparently used as a model for the famous mideval Jewish scholar Maimonides. The codex was used as a model for the correct pointing, paragraphing and formatting of the text, as Maimonides states:

"In these matters we relied upon the codex, now in Egypt, which contains the twenty-four books of Scripture and which had been in Jerusalem for several years. It was used as the standard text in the correction of books. Everyone relied on it, because it had been corrected by Ben Asher himself who worked on its details closely for many years and correct it many times whenever it was being copied."

Aleppo Codex

In 1948, the synagouge in Aleppo where the Codex was kept was attacked and set on fire by rioters. It was believed that the codex had disappeared, and the Rabbis allowed the world to think that it had been destroyed in the fire. For ten years they tried to conceal the fact that it was (in fact) in their possession. About 2/3 of the manuscript have been released to Israeli officials, although what happened to the final third is still unknown.

Rhea's Eye

2005-11-19T02:28:00.000-08:00

I'll be continuing on w/ the survey of Amenhopet III, and Ramses I, II and III shortly.

First, though, a brief stop into Greek mythology, and some of its connections to Assyrian/Babylonian myths. In Greek mythology, Rhea was a Titan and the mother of the gods. She is the daughter of Uranus and Gaia (i.e., Heaven and Earth, as per Jewish mythology), and she was married to her brother Cronus. She was mother to Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus, and is strongly associated w/ Cybele in parts of Asia Minor. In Roman mythology she was Magna Mater deorum Idaea, and was identified w/ Ops. In art, Rhea is often depicted in a chariot drawn by two lions, not always distinguishable from Cybele.

Cronus, her husband, had catrated their father Uranus, and re-imprisoned the Hecotonchrines, the Gigantes and the Cyclopes and had set the monster Campe to guard them. He and Rhea took the throne as King and Queen of the gods. This was called the Golden Age as the people of the time had no need for laws or rules, and everyone did what was right.

Rhea hands Cronus a Stone

Cronus sired several children by Rhea, but swallowed them as soon as they were born, since he had learned from Uranus and Gaia ("Heaven and Earth", as per Jewish mythology) that he was destined to be overthrown by his own son (just like he had overthrown his own father). But when Zeus was born, Rhea consulted w/ Gaia and Uranus to devise a plan to save him, so that Cronus would get his retribution for acts against Uranus and Gaia. Rhea gave birth to Zeus in Crete, handing Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes which he promptly swallowed.

What's interesting is to compare Rhea with her counterparts throughout the Near East. The Great Mother of the gods was known in Egypt as "the gazer," and this idea had apparently been influenced by the Chaldeans, where Rheia was one of the most noted names of the Babylonian mother of the gods (just the Chaldean form of the Hebrew Rhaah, which signifies at once a "gazing woman" and a "vulture"). The Hebrew Rhaah can also be pronounced as Rheah, and hence the name of the mother goddess of Assyria was often called Rhea (here is the connection to Greece).

From the Two Babylons:

http://philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect22.htm

Milton brings this up in Paradise Lost, Book IV:

"That Nyseian isle,
Girt with the river Triton, where old Cham,
Whom Gentiles Ammon call, and Libyan Jove,
Hid Amalthea and her florid son,
Young Bacchus, from his stepdame Rhea's eye."

Amenophis III, Part II

2005-11-17T02:38:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with Egyptian history, and the reign of Amenophis III.

In his early years he was given to sportsmanship and a few minor military activities. An ordinary expedition into Nubia in year 5 of his reign is given grandiose attention on some reliefs, although it was probably no more than a low-key police action. However, it may have pushed as far south as the fifth cataract (waterfall). Clasically, the Nile had six cataracts (waterfalls).

Six cataracts (waterfalls) on the Nile

These are at:

First is near Aswan
Second is in Nubia, now submerged in Lake Nassar
Third is around Tombos/Hannek
Fourth is in the Manasir Desert and will be flooded by the Merowe Dam from 2006 onwards
Fifth is near the confluence with the Atbara
Sixth is where the Nile is cutting through the Sabaluka pluton near Bagrawiyah

The kings military adventure here (in Nubia) is recorded on inscriptions near Aswan and at Konosso in Nubia. There is also a stele in the British Museum recording a Nubian campaign, but it is unclear whether it references this first action, or a later one. Perhaps to underscore the Nubian subjuction to Egypt, Amenophis III had built at Soleb, almost directly across the Nile from the Nubian capital at Kerma, a fortress known as Khaemmaat, along with a temple.

He did not marry a woman of royal blood, but from a powerful, landed family in the Delta. He seems to have kept a harem of sorts.

Times of Prosperity and International Relations

Most military problems were settled by the 25th year of Amenhotep's reign. It's now that a period of great build works and high art begins. It is also a period of lavish luxury at the royal court. The wealth to accomplish this did not come from military conquests, but rather from foreign trade and an abundant supply of gold (most of which came from the mines in the Wadi Hammamat and further south in Nubia).

Egypt had an influence throughout the Mediterrean
during the reign of Amenhotep III, including at Knossos

Amenhotep III was involved in international diplomatic affairs, which led to increased foreign trade. There was an increase in Egyptian materials found in Greece during his reign. Also find many Egyptian place names, including Mycenae, Phaitos and Knossos (in Greece?) first appearing in Egyptian inscriptions. Letters were written between Amenhotep III and his peers Babylon, Mitanni and Arzawa, preserved in cunefirm writing on clay tablets. From a stele in his mortuary temple, we further learn that he sent at least one expedition to the "Land of Punt" (look up later).

It is rather clear that the nobility prospered during the reign of Amenhotep III. Amenhotep III and his granary official Khaemhet boasted of the great crops of grain harvested in the King's 30th (jubilee) year. While such evidence is hardly unbiased, the king was remembered even 1,000 years later as a fertility god, associated with agriculatural success.

Amenophis III

2005-11-14T22:51:00.000-08:00

Egyptian history is one of the bedrocks of the Western philosophical tradition, yet in general it's a widely overlooked subject. This could have to do in part with the obscurity and mystery surrounding ancient Egypt. Prior to the rise of Greece and Hellenism (circa 500 BC, and more especially around 300 BC), Egypt was the seat of the Western Philosophical Tradition (Persia, Assyria and to a lesser extent, Babylon and related tribes like the Chaldeans and Sabeans deserve mention as well).

This will be the first in a 4-part series that looks at influential Egyptian pharoahs. First we start with Amenophis III, under whom the Eygptian the Egyptian Mysteries first began to declines. Then the three rulers Ramses I, II and III. With Ramses III, it can be said that Egypt, in most of its glory, ceased to exist, although in practice this did not occur until the invasion of the Persian Emperor Cambyses. Extreme prosperity, as well as a renaissance in art and building projects marked the start of the New Kingdom, although towards the end of the 19th Dynasty, the increasing power of the priesthood began to corrupt the central government. Tomb robbing by officials was common during the 20th Dynasty.

Amarna Steele, 1350 BC, New Kingdom, Amarna, Egypt

Amenophis III (also known as Amenhotep III, or Nebmaatre) was a pharoah during the New Kingdom Period, which lasted from about 1539BC until about 1069BC, and spanned three dynasties (the 18th, 19th and 20th Egyptian Dynasties). He was the 9th King of Egypt's 19th Dynasty. He ruled for almost 40 years during one of Egypt's most prosperous and stable periods. It was his grandfather, Tuthmosis III (who is sometimes referred to as the Napoleon of ancient Egypt) that formed the foundation of this success by dominating through military action Egypt's Syrian, Nubian and Libyan neighbors. For this reason, Nebmaatre had little or no reason to wage military wars. Small police actions did occur in Nubia, and were directed by his son and the viceroy of Kush, Merymose.

Amen-Ra, the namesake of Amenophis III

His birthname (Amenhotep) was "Amun-is-Pleased, Ruler of Thebes", and his throne name was Num-maat-re, which means "Lord-of-Truth-is-Re". His birth is depicted on a series of reliefs inside a room on the east side of the temple of Luxor. The room was dedicated to Amun. The name Amun (Amen, Imn, etc,) means "hidden" or "secret". Eventually became associated with the "unknown", while it was also associated w/ Ra or "Re" (the Sun), thus creating a duality. Amen was the "unknown" part, while "Ra" (the Sun) was the visible, known part. Amen-Ra thus became the god in this duality.

Tuya, the mother of Tiy, Amenhotep's wife.

Christian theology probably gets a few ideas from the Egyptians, especially in the sense that Egyptian theology made Amen-Ra the "physical" father of the king (i.e., the king derived his power to govern from Amen-Ra). According to official state theology during the New Kingdom, Egypt was actually ruled by Amen-Ra through the pharaohs, with the god revealing his will through oracles. In reality, the god really did threaten the monarchy, since the priesthood grew very powerful under Amen, at one point, the priest actually came to rule Egypt. Akhenaten tried to reform some of Egypt's ways, but immediately after his reign, Egypt reverted almost instantly back to the worship of Amen-Ra.

Inachus

2005-11-09T02:08:00.000-08:00

Inachus was a River God whose daughter Io was seduced by Zeus. Inachus complained to Hera, and supported her in a territory dispute, so Poseidon, the brother (alter-ego?) of Zeus, promptly dried up his waters.

Inachus is also associated with the Eleusian Mysteries via St. Epiphanius, who claims they were established "in the time of Inachus" circa 1800 BC. Eumolpus is credited with the creation of the Eleusian Mysteries.

City of Eleusis

Cadmus, Founder of Thebes

2005-10-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

Briefly, the story of Cadmus goes something as follows.. Cadmus was the son of Agenor and the brother of Europa. Agenor himself was was the King of Tyros (Tyre) and a son of Poseidon (others say the son of King Belus I of Egypt and Anchinoe, the daughter of the river god Nilus). When Zeus abducted Europa, Agenor sent his sons Cadmus, Phoenix and Cilix in search of her. He ordered them not to return until they had found her.

Delphi, in relation to Thebes and Athens

It was, of course, a hopeless quest. Phoenix founded the country of Phoenicia (roughly present-day Lebanon), while his brother Cilix founded the country of Cilicia (roughly the south coast of present-day Turkey). Cadmus went to consult the oracle at Delphi, where he was informed that he should follow a cow that he would find near the Oracle. The Oracle instructed Cadmus that he should follow found a city whereever the cow would come to rest. He followed the cow to the future site of Thebes (Greece).

"Cadmus, in vain you travel round and round .. You seek a bull which no cow ever calved; you seek a bull which no mortal knows how to find .. Europa's bridegroom no drover knows how to drive .. he is ordered by no whip .. he strains his neck for Love alone."
-- the Pythian princess to Cadmus, Nonnos, Dionysiaca 4.293

Once he arrived at the site, he instructed his men to bring some water, so he could offer a sacrifice to Athena; however, his men encountered a giant serpent (which was sacred to Ares) and they were all killed. Cadmus came upon the carnage and gave battle, eventually slaying the serpent. A voice then spoke to him, prophesizing that he himself (Cadmus) would one day too be turned into a serpent.

Cadmus Killing the Serpent Sacred to Ares

Cadmus Killing the Serpent of Ares

"Why, Cadmus, do you gaze on the serpent you have slain? You too shall be a serpent for men to gaze on"
-- Athena to Cadmus, Ovid, Metamorphoses 3.97

Cadmus now had a site for a city, but no people to live in it. Athena soon came to the rescue, telling Cadmus how to sow the serpent's teeth into the earth. He did so, and armed men sprang up from the earth, fighting one another until only five remained. These five became the ancestors of the noble Thebans. Cadmus then had to spend eight years in servitude to Ares, as a penalty for killing his serpent.

Afterwards, Cadmus married Harmonia, the daughter or Ares and Aphrodite. The couple had four daughters (Ino, Semele, Autonoe and Agave) and one son (Polydorus). Near the end of their lives, Cadmus and Harmonia left Thebes and went to live in Illyria (present-day Yugoslavia). There they were transformed into serpents, as the prophecy had predicted.

Cadmus and Harmonia transformed into serpents

Some noteworthy events from the life of Cadmus:

Cadmus, in search of his abducted sister Europa, settles in Boeotia (some say he invaded with a Phoenician army), founding the new city of Cadmea, later called Thebes.
Cadmus is credited with having combined vowels with consonants, thus teaching the secrets of correct speech.
These events took places roughly 200 years before the Trojan War.
Europe was never found; legend has it that Zeus set her down by Mount Dicte in Crete.
Cadmus' brother Thasus gave us the search as well, settling on a large island off Thrace, in the northern part of the Aegean Sea, founding the city of Thasos.

Location of Thrace

Location of Thassos

Cadmus made stops in Crete and Thrace, but eventually wound up in Delphi, consulting the Oracle on what he should do next.
The Oracle told Cadmus not to worry about his sister, and instead to follow a cow, and to found a city in the place where the animal should stop to rest.
Cadmus found a cow, and followed it to a spot in Boeotia where he founded the city of Cadmea (later called Thebes).
When the location of the new city was determined through such an amazing method, Cadmus decided to sacrifice the cow to Athena. With that purpose in mind, he sent some of his servants to draw water from the spring called Dirce, belonging to Ares, which happened to be guarded by a dragon said to be sacred to the god. This dragon, which had a golden crest, flashed fire from his eyes, had a triple tongue, teeth arranged in triple row and the body swollen with poison. It devoured Cadmus' companions.
When Cadmus confronted the beast, he slew it and - following the advice of Athena - sowed its teeth into the earth.
Soon after sowing the teeth, there arose from the ground armed men who were called SPARTI, brawling for nothing and killing each other. Five survived, and helped to build the new city of Thebes.
Cadmus had to atone for the death of the serpent, and was forced to serve Ares for an "eternal" year - which is to say, eight normal years.
After serving his penalty, Cadmus became king (with the help of Athena) and received Harmonia (daughter of Ares and Aphrodite), as a wife from Zeus. Harmonia received as a wedding present a rather mischevious necklace.
Many gods and goddesses attended Cadmus' wedding, and it is said that he - like Achilles' father Peleus - was able to hear the Muses sing.
Some wedding gifts included: jewelset throne from Hera; a lyre or perhaps a sceptre from Hermes; a crown from Hephaestus; a spear from Ares; the robe and necklace from Athena; and sacred rites from Rhea (the mother of the gods).
The Hyanteans and Aonians occupied Boeotia when Cadmus arrived; it is said that he expelled them with the help of a Phoenician army.
Cadmus is credited with introducing vowels to the whole of Hellas; they say he learnt this from the Egyptians, for his father Agenor had lived nine years in Memphis and had founded the Egyptian city of Thebes.
Cadmus was alleged also acquainted with astronomy from the Egyptians, as well as the measure of the earth and the phases of the moon.
It is said that Cadmus planned the seven gates of Thebes, but that they were not built until the time of King Amphion.
The gates of Thebes were dedicated in order: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Cadmus believed the Sun should be in the middle.

New Site

2005-07-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for my old political blog that was here, it's now at a new address:

Above the President