Kapitel 96		Paper 96
Jahve—Hebræernes Gud		Yahweh—God of the Hebrews
96:0.1 (1052.1) I FORSTÅELSEN af Guddommen inkluderer mennesket først alle guder, dernæst underordner det alle fremmede guder under sin stammeguddom, og til sidst udelukker det alle andre end den ene Gud af endelig og højeste værdi. Jøderne syntetiserede alle guder i deres mere sublime begreb om Herren, Israels Gud. Hinduerne kombinerede ligeledes deres mangfoldige guder til “gudernes ene spiritualitet” som er beskrevet i Rig-Veda, mens mesopotamierne reducerede deres guder til det mere centraliserede koncept Bel-Marduk. Disse ideer om monoteisme modnedes over hele verden ikke længe efter Makiventa Melkisedeks tilsynekomst i Salem i Palæstina. Men Melkisedeks guddomsbegreb var ikke som den evolutionære filosofis inklusion, underordning og eksklusion; den var udelukkende baseret på skabende kraft og påvirkede meget snart de højeste guddomsbegreber i Mesopotamien, Indien og Egypten.		96:0.1 (1052.1) IN CONCEIVING of Deity, man first includes all gods, then subordinates all foreign gods to his tribal deity, and finally excludes all but the one God of final and supreme value. The Jews synthesized all gods into their more sublime concept of the Lord God of Israel. The Hindus likewise combined their multifarious deities into the “one spirituality of the gods” portrayed in the Rig-Veda, while the Mesopotamians reduced their gods to the more centralized concept of Bel-Marduk. These ideas of monotheism matured all over the world not long after the appearance of Machiventa Melchizedek at Salem in Palestine. But the Melchizedek concept of Deity was unlike that of the evolutionary philosophy of inclusion, subordination, and exclusion; it was based exclusively on creative power and very soon influenced the highest deity concepts of Mesopotamia, India, and Egypt.
96:0.2 (1052.2) Salem-religionen blev æret som en tradition af Keniterne og flere andre kanaanæiske stammer. Og det var et af formålene med Melkisedeks inkarnation: At en religion af én Gud skulle fremmes på en sådan måde, at den forberedte vejen for den jordiske overdragelse af en søn af denne ene Gud. Mikael kunne næppe komme til Urantia, før der fandtes et folk, der troede på den Universelle Fader, som han kunne vise sig blandt.		96:0.2 (1052.2) The Salem religion was revered as a tradition by the Kenites and several other Canaanite tribes. And this was one of the purposes of Melchizedek’s incarnation: That a religion of one God should be so fostered as to prepare the way for the earth bestowal of a Son of that one God. Michael could hardly come to Urantia until there existed a people believing in the Universal Father among whom he could appear.
96:0.3 (1052.3) Salem-religionen fortsatte blandt kéniterne i Palæstina som deres trosbekendelse, og denne religion, som senere blev overtaget af hebræerne, blev først påvirket af egyptisk morallære, senere af babylonisk teologisk tankegang og til sidst af iranske opfattelser af godt og ondt. Faktisk er den hebraiske religion baseret på pagten mellem Abraham og Makiventa Melkisedek, evolutionært er den vokset ud af mange unikke situationsbestemte omstændigheder, men kulturelt har den lånt frit fra hele Levantens religion, moral og filosofi. Det er gennem den hebraiske religion, at meget af moralen og den religiøse tankegang fra Egypten, Mesopotamien og Iran blev overført til de vestlige folkeslag.		96:0.3 (1052.3) The Salem religion persisted among the Kenites in Palestine as their creed, and this religion as it was later adopted by the Hebrews was influenced, first, by Egyptian moral teachings; later, by Babylonian theologic thought; and lastly, by Iranian conceptions of good and evil. Factually the Hebrew religion is predicated upon the covenant between Abraham and Machiventa Melchizedek, evolutionally it is the outgrowth of many unique situational circumstances, but culturally it has borrowed freely from the religion, morality, and philosophy of the entire Levant. It is through the Hebrew religion that much of the morality and religious thought of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Iran was transmitted to the Occidental peoples.
1. Gudomsbegreber blandt semiterne ^top		1. Deity Concepts Among the Semites ^top
96:1.1 (1052.4) De ældste tiders semitter betragtede alt som værende beboet af en ånd. Der var ånder af dyre- og plante verdener; ånder for årstiderne, afkommets herre; ildens, vandets og luftens ånder; en veritabel gudeverden af ånder, der skulle frygtes og tilbedes. Melkisedeks lære om en universel skaber ødelagde aldrig helt troen på disse underordnede ånder eller naturguder.		96:1.1 (1052.4) The early Semites regarded everything as being indwelt by a spirit. There were spirits of the animal and vegetable worlds; annual spirits, the lord of progeny; spirits of fire, water, and air; a veritable pantheon of spirits to be feared and worshiped. And the teaching of Melchizedek regarding a Universal Creator never fully destroyed the belief in these subordinate spirits or nature gods.
96:1.2 (1052.5) Hebræernes udvikling fra polyteisme over henoteisme til monoteisme var ikke en ubrudt og kontinuerlig konceptuel udvikling. De oplevede mange tilbageskridt i udviklingen af deres gudsbegreber, og i løbet af en epoke eksisterede der forskellige idéer om Gud blandt forskellige grupper af semitiske troende. Fra tid til anden blev der anvendt adskillige termer på deres gudsbegreber, og for at undgå forvirring vil disse forskellige gudsbetegnelser blive defineret i forhold til udviklingen af jødisk teologi:		96:1.2 (1052.5) The progress of the Hebrews from polytheism through henotheism to monotheism was not an unbroken and continuous conceptual development. They experienced many retrogressions in the evolution of their Deity concepts, while during any one epoch there existed varying ideas of God among different groups of Semite believers. From time to time numerous terms were applied to their concepts of God, and in order to prevent confusion these various Deity titles will be defined as they pertain to the evolution of Jewish theology:
96:1.3 (1053.1) 1. Jahve var de sydpalæstinensiske stammers gud, som forbandt dette gudsbegreb med Horeb-bjerget, vulkanen på Sinai. Jahve var blot en af de hundredvis og tusindvis af naturguder, som tiltrak sig de semitiske stammers og folks opmærksomhed og tilbedelse		96:1.3 (1053.1) 1. Yahweh was the god of the southern Palestinian tribes, who associated this concept of deity with Mount Horeb, the Sinai volcano. Yahweh was merely one of the hundreds and thousands of nature gods which held the attention and claimed the worship of the Semitic tribes and peoples.
96:1.4 (1053.2) 2. El Elyon. I århundreder efter Melkisedeks ophold i Salem fortsatte hans guddomslære i forskellige versioner, men blev generelt betegnet med udtrykket El Elyon, himlens højeste Gud. Mange semitter, inklusive Abrahams direkte efterkommere, tilbad på forskellige tidspunkter både Yahweh og El Elyon.		96:1.4 (1053.2) 2. El Elyon. For centuries after Melchizedek’s sojourn at Salem his doctrine of Deity persisted in various versions but was generally connoted by the term El Elyon, the Most High God of heaven. Many Semites, including the immediate descendants of Abraham, at various times worshiped both Yahweh and El Elyon.
96:1.5 (1053.3) 3. El Shaddai. Det er svært at forklare, hvad El Shaddai stod for. Denne idé om Gud var en sammensætning af læren fra Amenemopes Visdommens Bog, modificeret af Ikhnatons Aton-lære og yderligere påvirket af Melkisedeks lære, der er nedfældet i begrebet El Elyon. Men efterhånden som begrebet El Shaddai gennemtrængte det hebraiske sind, blev det grundigt farvet af ørkenens Jahve-tro.		96:1.5 (1053.3) 3. El Shaddai. It is difficult to explain what El Shaddai stood for. This idea of God was a composite derived from the teachings of Amenemope’s Book of Wisdom modified by Ikhnaton’s doctrine of Aton and further influenced by Melchizedek’s teachings embodied in the concept of El Elyon. But as the concept of El Shaddai permeated the Hebrew mind, it became thoroughly colored with the Yahweh beliefs of the desert.
96:1.6 (1053.4) En af de dominerende ideer i denne tids religion var den egyptiske forestilling om det guddommelige forsyn, læren om, at materiel velstand var en belønning for at tjene El Shaddai.		96:1.6 (1053.4) One of the dominant ideas of the religion of this era was the Egyptian concept of divine Providence, the teaching that material prosperity was a reward for serving El Shaddai.
96:1.7 (1053.5) 4. El. Midt i al denne forvirring af terminologi og uklare begreber forsøgte mange troende oprigtigt at tilbede alle disse skiftende ideer om guddommelighed, og der opstod en praksis med at omtale denne sammensatte guddom som El. Og denne betegnelse inkluderede endnu flere af beduinernes naturguder.		96:1.7 (1053.5) 4. El. Amid all this confusion of terminology and haziness of concept, many devout believers sincerely endeavored to worship all of these evolving ideas of divinity, and there grew up the practice of referring to this composite Deity as El. And this term included still other of the Bedouin nature gods.
96:1.8 (1053.6) 5. Elohim. I Kish og Ur fandtes der længe sumerisk-kaldæiske grupper, som underviste i et tre-i-en gudsbegreb baseret på traditionerne fra Adams og Melkisedeks dage. Denne doktrin blev bragt til Egypten, hvor denne treenighed blev tilbedt under navnet Elohim, eller i ental som Eloah. De filosofiske kredse i Egypten og senere alexandrinske lærere af hebraisk afstamning underviste i denne enhed af pluralistiske guder, og mange af Moses’ rådgivere på tidspunktet for exodus troede på denne treenighed. Men begrebet om den trinitariske Elohim blev aldrig en reel del af hebræernes teologi, før efter at de var kommet under babyloniernes politiske indflydelse.		96:1.8 (1053.6) 5. Elohim. In Kish and Ur there long persisted Sumerian-Chaldean groups who taught a three-in-one God concept founded on the traditions of the days of Adam and Melchizedek. This doctrine was carried to Egypt, where this Trinity was worshiped under the name of Elohim, or in the singular as Eloah. The philosophic circles of Egypt and later Alexandrian teachers of Hebraic extraction taught this unity of pluralistic Gods, and many of Moses’ advisers at the time of the exodus believed in this Trinity. But the concept of the trinitarian Elohim never became a real part of Hebrew theology until after they had come under the political influence of the Babylonians.
96:1.9 (1053.7) 6. Forskellige navne. Semitterne kunne ikke lide at udtale navnet på deres guddom, og de tyede derfor til mange betegnelser fra tid til anden, som f.eks: Guds Ånd, Herren, Herrens Engel, Den Almægtige, Den Hellige, Den Højeste, Adonai, Den Gamle af Dage, Herren, Israels Gud, Skaberen af Himmel og Jord, Kyrios, Jah, Hærskarernes Herre og Faderen i Himlen.		96:1.9 (1053.7) 6. Sundry names. The Semites disliked to speak the name of their Deity, and they therefore resorted to numerous appellations from time to time, such as: The Spirit of God, The Lord, The Angel of the Lord, The Almighty, The Holy One, The Most High, Adonai, The Ancient of Days, The Lord God of Israel, The Creator of Heaven and Earth, Kyrios, Jah, The Lord of Hosts, and The Father in Heaven.
96:1.10 (1053.8) Jehova er et udtryk, som i nyere tid er blevet brugt til at betegne det færdige koncept om Jahve, som endelig udviklede sig i den lange hebraiske erfaring. Men navnet Jehova kom ikke i brug før femten hundrede år efter Jesu tid.		96:1.10 (1053.8) Jehovah is a term which in recent times has been employed to designate the completed concept of Yahweh which finally evolved in the long Hebrew experience. But the name Jehovah did not come into use until fifteen hundred years after the times of Jesus.
96:1.11 (1054.1) Op til omkring 2000 f.Kr. var Sinaibjerget med mellemrum aktiv som vulkan, og lejlighedsvise udbrud fandt sted så sent som på den tid, hvor israelitterne opholdt sig i denne region. Ilden og røgen, sammen med de tordnende detonationer i forbindelse med udbruddene fra dette vulkanske bjerg, imponerede og skræmte beduinerne i de omkringliggende regioner og fik dem til at frygte Yahweh meget. Denne ånd fra Horeb-bjerget blev senere de hebraiske semiters gud, og de troede til sidst, at han stod over alle andre guder.		96:1.11 (1054.1) Up to about 2000 b.c., Mount Sinai was intermittently active as a volcano, occasional eruptions occurring as late as the time of the sojourn of the Israelites in this region. The fire and smoke, together with the thunderous detonations associated with the eruptions of this volcanic mountain, all impressed and awed the Bedouins of the surrounding regions and caused them greatly to fear Yahweh. This spirit of Mount Horeb later became the god of the Hebrew Semites, and they eventually believed him to be supreme over all other gods.
96:1.12 (1054.2) Kanaanæerne havde længe æret Jahve, og selvom mange af kenitterne mere eller mindre troede på El Elyon, Salem-religionens supergud, holdt flertallet af kanaanæerne løst fast i tilbedelsen af de gamle stammeguder. De var næppe villige til at opgive deres nationale guder til fordel for en international, for ikke at sige en interplanetarisk, Gud. De var ikke universelle, og derfor fortsatte disse stammer med at tilbede deres stammeguder, herunder Jahve og sølv- og guldkalvene, som symboliserede beduinhyrdernes opfattelse af Sinai-vulkanens ånd.		96:1.12 (1054.2) The Canaanites had long revered Yahweh, and although many of the Kenites believed more or less in El Elyon, the supergod of the Salem religion, a majority of the Canaanites held loosely to the worship of the old tribal deities. They were hardly willing to abandon their national deities in favor of an international, not to say an interplanetary, God. They were not universal-deity minded, and therefore these tribes continued to worship their tribal deities, including Yahweh and the silver and golden calves which symbolized the Bedouin herders’ concept of the spirit of the Sinai volcano.
96:1.13 (1054.3) Syrerne tilbad deres guder, men troede også på hebræernes Jahve, for deres profeter sagde til den syriske konge: “Deres guder er bjergenes guder; derfor var de stærkere end os; men lad os kæmpe mod dem på sletten, så vil vi helt sikkert være stærkere end dem.”		96:1.13 (1054.3) The Syrians, while worshiping their gods, also believed in Yahweh of the Hebrews, for their prophets said to the Syrian king: “Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them on the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.”
96:1.14 (1054.4) Efterhånden som mennesket gør fremskridt i kulturen, bliver de mindre guder underordnet en øverst guddom; den store Jupiter fortsætter kun som et udråbstegn. Monoteisterne holder deres underordnede guder som ånder, dæmoner, skæbnegudinder, havnymfer, feer, alfer, dværge, trolde og som det onde øje. Hebræerne gennemgik henoteismen og troede længe på eksistensen af andre guder end Jahve, men de mente i stigende grad, at disse fremmede guder var underordnet Jahve. De indrømmede eksistensen af Kemosh, amoritternes gud, men fastholdt, at han var underordnet Jahve.		96:1.14 (1054.4) As man advances in culture, the lesser gods are subordinated to a supreme deity; the great Jove persists only as an exclamation. The monotheists keep their subordinate gods as spirits, demons, fates, Nereids, fairies, brownies, dwarfs, banshees, and the evil eye. The Hebrews passed through henotheism and long believed in the existence of gods other than Yahweh, but they increasingly held that these foreign deities were subordinate to Yahweh. They conceded the actuality of Chemosh, god of the Amorites, but maintained that he was subordinate to Yahweh.
96:1.15 (1054.5) Ideen om Jahve har gennemgået den mest omfattende udvikling af alle de jordiske teorier om Gud. Dens gradvise udvikling kan kun sammenlignes med Buddha-konceptets metamorfose i Asien, som i sidste ende førte til konceptet om det universelle absolutte, ligesom Jahve-konceptet i sidste ende førte til ideen om den universelle Fader. Men som en historisk kendsgerning skal det forstås, at mens jøderne således ændrede deres syn på Guddommen fra stammeguden på Horeb-bjerget til den kærlige og barmhjertige Skaberfader i senere tider, ændrede de ikke hans navn; de fortsatte hele vejen med at kalde dette udviklende guddomsbegreb for Jahve.		96:1.15 (1054.5) The idea of Yahweh has undergone the most extensive development of all the mortal theories of God. Its progressive evolution can only be compared with the metamorphosis of the Buddha concept in Asia, which in the end led to the concept of the Universal Absolute even as the Yahweh concept finally led to the idea of the Universal Father. But as a matter of historic fact, it should be understood that, while the Jews thus changed their views of Deity from the tribal god of Mount Horeb to the loving and merciful Creator Father of later times, they did not change his name; they continued all the way along to call this evolving concept of Deity, Yahweh.
2. De semitiske folk ^top		2. The Semitic Peoples ^top
96:2.1 (1054.6) Østens semitter var velorganiserede og veltrænede ryttere, som invaderede de østlige regioner af den frugtbare halvmåne og der forenede sig med babylonierne. Kaldæerne nær Ur var blandt de mest avancerede af de østlige semitter. Fønikerne var en overlegen og velorganiseret gruppe af blandede semitter, som holdt den vestlige del af Palæstina, langs Middelhavskysten. Racemæssigt var semitterne blandt de mest blandede folk på Urantia, idet de indeholdt arvelige faktorer fra næsten alle de ni verdensracer.		96:2.1 (1054.6) The Semites of the East were well-organized and well-led horsemen who invaded the eastern regions of the fertile crescent and there united with the Babylonians. The Chaldeans near Ur were among the most advanced of the eastern Semites. The Phoenicians were a superior and well-organized group of mixed Semites who held the western section of Palestine, along the Mediterranean coast. Racially the Semites were among the most blended of Urantia peoples, containing hereditary factors from almost all of the nine world races.
96:2.2 (1054.7) Igen og igen kæmpede de arabiske semitter sig vej ind i det nordlige forjættede land, det land, der “flød med mælk og honning,” men lige så ofte blev de fordrevet af de bedre organiserede og mere civiliserede nordlige semitter og hittitter. Senere, under en usædvanlig alvorlig hungersnød, kom disse omstrejfende beduiner til Egypten i stort antal som kontraktarbejdere på de egyptiske offentlige byggearbejder, blot for at blive udsat for den bitre erfaring, at blive slavebundet til det hårde daglige arbejde som de almindelige, undertrykte arbejdere måtte udføre i Nildalen.		96:2.2 (1054.7) Again and again the Arabian Semites fought their way into the northern Promised Land, the land that “flowed with milk and honey,” but just as often were they ejected by the better-organized and more highly civilized northern Semites and Hittites. Later, during an unusually severe famine, these roving Bedouins entered Egypt in large numbers as contract laborers on the Egyptian public works, only to find themselves undergoing the bitter experience of enslavement at the hard daily toil of the common and downtrodden laborers of the Nile valley.
96:2.3 (1055.1) Det var først efter Makiventa Melkisedeks og Abrahams dage, at visse stammer af semitter på grund af deres særlige religiøse tro blev kaldt Israels børn og senere hebræere, jøder og det “udvalgte folk.” Abraham var ikke racefader til alle hebræerne; han var ikke engang stamfader til alle de beduinsemitter, der blev holdt fanget i Egypten. Det er sandt, at hans afkom, der kom op fra Egypten, udgjorde kernen i det senere jødiske folk, men langt de fleste af de mænd og kvinder, der blev indlemmet i Israels klaner, havde aldrig opholdt sig i Egypten. De var blot andre nomader, som valgte at følge Moses’ lederskab, da Abrahams børn og deres semitiske slægtninge fra Egypten rejste gennem det nordlige Arabien.		96:2.3 (1055.1) It was only after the days of Machiventa Melchizedek and Abraham that certain tribes of Semites, because of their peculiar religious beliefs, were called the children of Israel and later on Hebrews, Jews, and the “chosen people.” Abraham was not the racial father of all the Hebrews; he was not even the progenitor of all the Bedouin Semites who were held captive in Egypt. True, his offspring, coming up out of Egypt, did form the nucleus of the later Jewish people, but the vast majority of the men and women who became incorporated into the clans of Israel had never sojourned in Egypt. They were merely fellow nomads who chose to follow the leadership of Moses as the children of Abraham and their Semite associates from Egypt journeyed through northern Arabia.
96:2.4 (1055.2) Melkisedeks lære om El Elyon, den Højeste, og pagten om guddommelig gunst gennem tro, var stort set glemt på det tidspunkt, hvor egypterne gjorde de semitiske folk til slaver, som snart skulle danne den hebraiske nation. Men i hele denne periode med fangenskab bevarede disse arabiske nomader en traditionel tro på Jahve som deres raceguddom.		96:2.4 (1055.2) The Melchizedek teaching concerning El Elyon, the Most High, and the covenant of divine favor through faith, had been largely forgotten by the time of the Egyptian enslavement of the Semite peoples who were shortly to form the Hebrew nation. But throughout this period of captivity these Arabian nomads maintained a lingering traditional belief in Yahweh as their racial deity.
96:2.5 (1055.3) Jahve blev tilbedt af mere end hundrede forskellige arabiske stammer, og bortset fra et strejf af Melchizedeks El Elyon-koncept, som bestod blandt de mere veluddannede klasser i Egypten, herunder de blandede hebraiske og egyptiske slægter, var religionen blandt de hebraiske slaver i fangenskab en modificeret udgave af det gamle Jahve-ritual med magi og ofringer.		96:2.5 (1055.3) Yahweh was worshiped by more than one hundred separate Arabian tribes, and except for the tinge of the El Elyon concept of Melchizedek which persisted among the more educated classes of Egypt, including the mixed Hebrew and Egyptian stocks, the religion of the rank and file of the Hebrew captive slaves was a modified version of the old Yahweh ritual of magic and sacrifice.
3. Den uforlignelige moses ^top		3. The Matchless Moses ^top
96:3.1 (1055.4) Begyndelsen på udviklingen af de hebraiske begreber og idealer om en Højeste Skaber dateres til semitternes afrejse fra Egypten under den store leder, lærer og organisator, Moses. Hans mor var af den egyptiske kongefamilie, og hans far var en semitisk forbindelsesofficer mellem regeringen og de beduinske fanger. Moses besad således kvaliteter, der stammede fra overlegne racemæssige kilder; hans forfædre var så stærkt blandede, at det er umuligt at klassificere ham i nogen racemæssig gruppe. Hvis han ikke havde været af denne blandede type, ville han aldrig have udvist den usædvanlige alsidighed og tilpasningsevne, som gjorde ham i stand til at styre den mangfoldige horde, som til sidst blev forbundet med de beduinske semitter, der flygtede fra Egypten til den arabiske ørken under hans ledelse.		96:3.1 (1055.4) The beginning of the evolution of the Hebraic concepts and ideals of a Supreme Creator dates from the departure of the Semites from Egypt under that great leader, teacher, and organizer, Moses. His mother was of the royal family of Egypt; his father was a Semitic liaison officer between the government and the Bedouin captives. Moses thus possessed qualities derived from superior racial sources; his ancestry was so highly blended that it is impossible to classify him in any one racial group. Had he not been of this mixed type, he would never have displayed that unusual versatility and adaptability which enabled him to manage the diversified horde which eventually became associated with those Bedouin Semites who fled from Egypt to the Arabian Desert under his leadership.
96:3.2 (1055.5) På trods af de lokkende tilbud fra kulturen i Nilens rige valgte Moses at kaste sin lod med sin fars folk. På det tidspunkt, hvor denne store organisator formulerede sine planer for den endelige befrielse af sin fars folk, havde de beduinske fanger næppe en religion, der var navnet værdigt; de var stort set uden et sandt begreb om Gud og uden håb i verden.		96:3.2 (1055.5) Despite the enticements of the culture of the Nile kingdom, Moses elected to cast his lot with the people of his father. At the time this great organizer was formulating his plans for the eventual freeing of his father’s people, the Bedouin captives hardly had a religion worthy of the name; they were virtually without a true concept of God and without hope in the world.
96:3.3 (1055.6) Ingen leder har nogensinde forsøgt at reformere og opløfte en mere forladt, nedtrykt, modløs og uvidende gruppe af mennesker. Men disse slaver bar på latente udviklingsmuligheder i deres arveanlæg, og der var et tilstrækkeligt antal uddannede ledere, som var blevet trænet af Moses i at forberede sig på oprørets dag og strejken for frihed til at udgøre et korps af effektive organisatorer. Disse overlegne mænd var blevet ansat som indfødte opsynsmænd for deres folk; de havde fået en vis uddannelse på grund af Moses’ indflydelse på de egyptiske herskere.		96:3.3 (1055.6) No leader ever undertook to reform and uplift a more forlorn, downcast, dejected, and ignorant group of human beings. But these slaves carried latent possibilities of development in their hereditary strains, and there were a sufficient number of educated leaders who had been coached by Moses in preparation for the day of revolt and the strike for liberty to constitute a corps of efficient organizers. These superior men had been employed as native overseers of their people; they had received some education because of Moses’ influence with the Egyptian rulers.
96:3.4 (1056.1) Moses forsøgte at forhandle diplomatisk om sine semitiske medmenneskers frihed. Han og hans bror indgik en aftale med kongen af Egypten, hvorved de fik tilladelse til at forlade Nildalen til fordel for den arabiske ørken. De skulle modtage en beskeden betaling i form af penge og varer som tegn på deres lange tjeneste i Egypten. Hebræerne indgik på deres side en aftale om at opretholde venskabelige forbindelser med faraoerne og ikke at deltage i nogen alliance mod Egypten. Men kongen så sig senere nødsaget til at afvise denne traktat og gav som undskyldning, at hans spioner havde opdaget illoyalitet blandt beduinslaverne. Han hævdede, at de søgte frihed med det formål at tage ud i ørkenen for at organisere nomaderne mod Egypten.		96:3.4 (1056.1) Moses endeavored to negotiate diplomatically for the freedom of his fellow Semites. He and his brother entered into a compact with the king of Egypt whereby they were granted permission peaceably to leave the valley of the Nile for the Arabian Desert. They were to receive a modest payment of money and goods in token of their long service in Egypt. The Hebrews for their part entered into an agreement to maintain friendly relations with the Pharaohs and not to join in any alliance against Egypt. But the king later saw fit to repudiate this treaty, giving as his reason the excuse that his spies had discovered disloyalty among the Bedouin slaves. He claimed they sought freedom for the purpose of going into the desert to organize the nomads against Egypt.
96:3.5 (1056.2) Men Moses var ikke modløs; han ventede på sin tur, og på mindre end et år, da de egyptiske militærstyrker var fuldt optaget af at modstå de samtidige angreb fra et stærkt libysk fremstød fra syd og en græsk flådeinvasion fra nord, ledte denne frygtløse organisator sine landsmænd ud af Egypten i en spektakulær natlig flugt. Denne flugt mod friheden var nøje planlagt og dygtigt udført. Og det lykkedes, selv om de blev skarpt forfulgt af Farao og en lille gruppe egyptere, som alle faldt for flygtningenes forsvar og gav et stort bytte, som blev forøget med byttet fra den fremadstormende hær af flygtende slaver, da de marcherede videre mod deres forfædres hjem i ørkenen.		96:3.5 (1056.2) But Moses was not discouraged; he bided his time, and in less than a year, when the Egyptian military forces were fully occupied in resisting the simultaneous onslaughts of a strong Libyan thrust from the south and a Greek naval invasion from the north, this intrepid organizer led his compatriots out of Egypt in a spectacular night flight. This dash for liberty was carefully planned and skillfully executed. And they were successful, notwithstanding that they were hotly pursued by Pharaoh and a small body of Egyptians, who all fell before the fugitives’ defense, yielding much booty, all of which was augmented by the loot of the advancing host of escaping slaves as they marched on toward their ancestral desert home.
4. Proklamationen af jahve ^top		4. The Proclamation of Yahweh ^top
96:4.1 (1056.3) Udviklingen og ophøjelsen af den mosaiske lære har påvirket næsten halvdelen af hele verden og gør det stadig selv i det tyvende århundrede. Mens Moses forstod den mere avancerede egyptiske religiøse filosofi, vidste beduinslaverne ikke meget om den slags lære, men de havde aldrig helt glemt guden fra Horeb-bjerget, som deres forfædre havde kaldt Jahve.		96:4.1 (1056.3) The evolution and elevation of the Mosaic teaching has influenced almost one half of all the world, and still does even in the twentieth century. While Moses comprehended the more advanced Egyptian religious philosophy, the Bedouin slaves knew little about such teachings, but they had never entirely forgotten the god of Mount Horeb, whom their ancestors had called Yahweh.
96:4.2 (1056.4) Moses havde hørt om Makiventa Melkisedeks lære fra både sin far og sin mor, og deres fælles religiøse overbevisning var forklaringen på den usædvanlige forening mellem en kvinde af kongeligt blod og en mand fra en fanget race. Moses’ svigerfar var kenit og tilbad El Elyon, men befrierens forældre var tilhængere af El Shaddai. Moses blev således opdraget som El Shaddaist; gennem sin svigerfars indflydelse blev han tilhænger af El Elyon; og da hebræerne slog lejr omkring Sinai-bjerget efter flugten fra Egypten, havde han formuleret et nyt og udvidet gudsbegreb (afledt af alle hans tidligere overbevisninger), som han klogt nok besluttede at forkynde for sit folk som et udvidet begreb om deres gamle stammegud, Jahve.		96:4.2 (1056.4) Moses had heard of the teachings of Machiventa Melchizedek from both his father and his mother, their commonness of religious belief being the explanation for the unusual union between a woman of royal blood and a man from a captive race. Moses’ father-in-law was a Kenite worshiper of El Elyon, but the emancipator’s parents were believers in El Shaddai. Moses thus was educated an El Shaddaist; through the influence of his father-in-law he became an El Elyonist; and by the time of the Hebrew encampment about Mount Sinai after the flight from Egypt, he had formulated a new and enlarged concept of Deity (derived from all his former beliefs), which he wisely decided to proclaim to his people as an expanded concept of their olden tribal god, Yahweh.
96:4.3 (1056.5) Moses havde forsøgt at lære disse beduiner om El Elyon, men inden han forlod Egypten, var han blevet overbevist om, at de aldrig helt ville forstå denne doktrin. Derfor besluttede han sig bevidst for at gå på kompromis med deres stammegud i ørkenen som den eneste gud for sine tilhængere. Moses lærte ikke specifikt, at andre folkeslag og nationer ikke måtte have andre guder, men han fastholdt resolut, at Jahve var over og over alt, især for hebræerne. Men han var altid plaget af den besværlige situation, at han forsøgte at præsentere sin nye og højere idé om Guddommen for disse uvidende slaver under dække af det gamle udtryk Jahve, som altid havde været symboliseret af beduinstammernes guldkalv.		96:4.3 (1056.5) Moses had endeavored to teach these Bedouins the idea of El Elyon, but before leaving Egypt, he had become convinced they would never fully comprehend this doctrine. Therefore he deliberately determined upon the compromise adoption of their tribal god of the desert as the one and only god of his followers. Moses did not specifically teach that other peoples and nations might not have other gods, but he did resolutely maintain that Yahweh was over and above all, especially to the Hebrews. But always was he plagued by the awkward predicament of trying to present his new and higher idea of Deity to these ignorant slaves under the guise of the ancient term Yahweh, which had always been symbolized by the golden calf of the Bedouin tribes.
96:4.4 (1056.6) Det faktum, at Jahve var de flygtende hebræeres gud, forklarer, hvorfor de opholdt sig så længe foran det hellige bjerg Sinai, og hvorfor de der modtog de ti bud, som Moses forkyndte i Jahves navn, guden fra Horeb. Under dette lange ophold før Sinai blev de religiøse ceremonier i den nyudviklede hebraiske gudstjeneste yderligere perfektioneret.		96:4.4 (1056.6) The fact that Yahweh was the god of the fleeing Hebrews explains why they tarried so long before the holy mountain of Sinai, and why they there received the ten commandments which Moses promulgated in the name of Yahweh, the god of Horeb. During this lengthy sojourn before Sinai the religious ceremonials of the newly evolving Hebrew worship were further perfected.
96:4.5 (1057.1) Det ser ikke ud til, at det nogensinde ville være lykkedes Moses at etablere sin noget avancerede ceremonielle tilbedelse og holde sine tilhængere intakte i et kvart århundrede, hvis det ikke havde været for Horebs voldsomme udbrud i den tredje uge af deres tilbedende ophold ved dets fod. “Jahves bjerg blev fortæret af ild, og røgen steg op som røgen fra en ovn, og hele bjerget skælvede voldsomt.” I lyset af denne katastrofe er det ikke overraskende, at Moses kunne indprente sine brødre, at deres Gud var “mægtig, frygtelig, en fortærende ild, frygtindgydende og almægtig.”		96:4.5 (1057.1) It does not appear that Moses would ever have succeeded in the establishment of his somewhat advanced ceremonial worship and in keeping his followers intact for a quarter of a century had it not been for the violent eruption of Horeb during the third week of their worshipful sojourn at its base. “The mountain of Yahweh was consumed in fire, and the smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” In view of this cataclysm it is not surprising that Moses could impress upon his brethren the teaching that their God was “mighty, terrible, a devouring fire, fearful, and all-powerful.”
96:4.6 (1057.2) Moses proklamerede, at Jahve var Herren, Israels Gud, som havde udpeget hebræerne som sine udvalgte folk; han ville bygge en ny nation, og han nationaliserede klogt sin religiøse lære, og sagte til sine tilhængere, at Jahve var en krævende lærer, en “jaloux Gud.” Ikke desto mindre søgte han at udvide deres begreb om guddommelighed, da han lærte dem at Jahve var “Gud over ånderne i alt kød,” og da han sagde, “Den evige Gud er din tilflugt, og under dig er hans evige arme.” Moses lærte, at Jahve var en pagtstro Gud; at han “ikke vil forlade jer, ikke vil ødelægge jer og ikke vil glemme jeres fædres pagt, fordi Herren elsker jer og ikke vil glemme den ed, han svor jeres fædre.”		96:4.6 (1057.2) Moses proclaimed that Yahweh was the Lord God of Israel, who had singled out the Hebrews as his chosen people; he was building a new nation, and he wisely nationalized his religious teachings, telling his followers that Yahweh was a hard taskmaster, a “jealous God.” But nonetheless he sought to enlarge their concept of divinity when he taught them that Yahweh was the “God of the spirits of all flesh,” and when he said, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Moses taught that Yahweh was a covenant-keeping God; that he “will not forsake you, neither destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers because the Lord loves you and will not forget the oath by which he swore to your fathers.”
96:4.7 (1057.3) Moses gjorde en heroisk indsats for at ophøje Jahve til en suveræn guddom, da han præsenterede ham som “sandhedens Gud og uden uretfærdighed, retfærdig og retskaffen i al sin handlemåde.” Og på trods af denne ophøjede lære gjorde hans tilhængeres begrænsede forståelse det nødvendigt at tale om Gud som værende i menneskets billede, som værende genstand for anfald af vrede, raseri og strenghed, endda at han var hævngerrig og let påvirkelig af menneskets opførsel.		96:4.7 (1057.3) Moses made a heroic effort to uplift Yahweh to the dignity of a supreme Deity when he presented him as the “God of truth and without iniquity, just and right in all his ways.” And yet, despite this exalted teaching, the limited understanding of his followers made it necessary to speak of God as being in man’s image, as being subject to fits of anger, wrath, and severity, even that he was vengeful and easily influenced by man’s conduct.
96:4.8 (1057.4) Under Moses’ lære blev denne stammes naturgud, Jahve, Israels Gud, som fulgte dem gennem ørkenen og endda i eksil, hvor han nu blev opfattet som alle folks Gud. Det senere fangenskab, der gjorde jøderne til slaver i Babylon, frigjorde endelig det udviklende koncept om Jahve til at påtage sig den monoteistiske rolle som alle nationers Gud.		96:4.8 (1057.4) Under the teachings of Moses this tribal nature god, Yahweh, became the Lord God of Israel, who followed them through the wilderness and even into exile, where he presently was conceived of as the God of all peoples. The later captivity that enslaved the Jews in Babylon finally liberated the evolving concept of Yahweh to assume the monotheistic role of the God of all nations.
96:4.9 (1057.5) Det mest unikke og forbløffende træk ved hebræernes religiøse historie er denne kontinuerlige udvikling af gudsbegrebet fra den primitive gud på Horeb-bjerget op gennem læren fra deres efterfølgende åndelige ledere til det høje udviklingsniveau, der er beskrevet i Esajas’ guddomsdoktriner, som forkyndte det storslåede begreb om den kærlige og barmhjertige Skaberfader.		96:4.9 (1057.5) The most unique and amazing feature of the religious history of the Hebrews concerns this continuous evolution of the concept of Deity from the primitive god of Mount Horeb up through the teachings of their successive spiritual leaders to the high level of development depicted in the Deity doctrines of the Isaiahs, who proclaimed that magnificent concept of the loving and merciful Creator Father.
5. Moses lære ^top		5. The Teachings of Moses ^top
96:5.1 (1057.6) Moses var en ekstraordinær kombination af militær leder, social organisator og religiøs lærer. Han var den vigtigste individuelle lærer og leder i verden mellem Makiventas tid og Jesu tid. Moses forsøgte at indføre mange reformer i Israel, som der ikke findes optegnelser om. I løbet af én mands liv førte han den polyglotte horde af såkaldte hebræere ud af slaveri og uciviliseret strejfen omkring, mens han lagde grunden til den efterfølgende fødsel af en nation og videreførelsen af et folk.		96:5.1 (1057.6) Moses was an extraordinary combination of military leader, social organizer, and religious teacher. He was the most important individual world teacher and leader between the times of Machiventa and Jesus. Moses attempted to introduce many reforms in Israel of which there is no record. In the space of one man’s life he led the polyglot horde of so-called Hebrews out of slavery and uncivilized roaming while he laid the foundation for the subsequent birth of a nation and the perpetuation of a race.
96:5.2 (1057.7) Der er så lidt nedskrevet om Moses’ store arbejde, fordi hebræerne ikke havde noget skriftsprog på tidspunktet for udvandringen. Optegnelserne om Moses’ tid og gerninger stammer fra de traditioner, der eksisterer mere end tusind år efter den store leders død.		96:5.2 (1057.7) There is so little on record of the great work of Moses because the Hebrews had no written language at the time of the exodus. The record of the times and doings of Moses was derived from the traditions extant more than one thousand years after the death of the great leader.
96:5.3 (1058.1) Mange af de fremskridt, som Moses gjorde i forhold til egypternes og de omkringliggende levantinske stammers religion, skyldtes de kenitiske traditioner fra Melkisedeks tid. Uden Makiventas lære til Abraham og hans samtidige, ville hebræerne være kommet ud af Egypten i håbløst mørke. Moses og hans svigerfar, Jethro, samlede resterne af traditionerne fra Melkisedeks dage, og disse lærdomme, sammen med egypternes lærdom, vejledte Moses i skabelsen af israelitternes forbedrede religion og ritualer. Moses var en organisator; han udvalgte det bedste fra Egyptens og Palæstinas religion og skikke, og ved at forbinde denne praksis med traditionerne fra Melkisedeks lære organiserede han det hebraiske ceremonielle tilbedelsessystem.		96:5.3 (1058.1) Many of the advances which Moses made over and above the religion of the Egyptians and the surrounding Levantine tribes were due to the Kenite traditions of the time of Melchizedek. Without the teaching of Machiventa to Abraham and his contemporaries, the Hebrews would have come out of Egypt in hopeless darkness. Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro, gathered up the residue of the traditions of the days of Melchizedek, and these teachings, joined to the learning of the Egyptians, guided Moses in the creation of the improved religion and ritual of the Israelites. Moses was an organizer; he selected the best in the religion and mores of Egypt and Palestine and, associating these practices with the traditions of the Melchizedek teachings, organized the Hebrew ceremonial system of worship.
96:5.4 (1058.2) Moses troede på forsynet, men han var blevet grundigt smittet af Egyptens doktriner om den overnaturlige kontrol med Nilen og de andre naturelementer. Han havde en stor vision af Gud, men han var helt oprigtig, da han lærte hebræerne, at hvis de ville adlyde Gud, “vil han elske jer, velsigne jer og mangfoldiggøre jer. Han vil mangedoble frugten af jeres livmoder og frugten af jeres land—korn, vin, olie og jeres hjorde. I skal have det bedre end alle andre folk, og Herren jeres Gud vil fjerne al sygdom fra jer og ikke lade nogen af Egyptens onde sygdomme komme over jer.” Han sagde endda: “Husk Herren din Gud, for det er ham, der giver dig magt til at få rigdom.” “I skal låne ud til mange nationer, men I skal ikke låne. Du skal regere over mange nationer, men de skal ikke regere over dig.”		96:5.4 (1058.2) Moses was a believer in Providence; he had become thoroughly tainted with the doctrines of Egypt concerning the supernatural control of the Nile and the other elements of nature. He had a great vision of God, but he was thoroughly sincere when he taught the Hebrews that, if they would obey God, “He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will multiply the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land—the corn, wine, oil, and your flocks. You shall be prospered above all people, and the Lord your God will take away from you all sickness and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt upon you.” He even said: “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth.” “You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. You shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.”
96:5.5 (1058.3) Men det var virkelig ynkeligt at se Moses’ store sind forsøge at tilpasse sit sublime koncept om El Elyon, Den Højeste, til de uvidende og analfabetiske hebræeres forståelse. Til sine forsamlede ledere tordnede han: “Herren din Gud er én Gud; der er ingen ved siden af ham”; mens han til den blandede folkemængde erklærede: “Hvem er som din Gud blandt alle guderne?” Moses tog et modigt og delvist succesfuldt opgør med feticher og afgudsdyrkelse og erklærede: “Du så ingen lighed den dag, din Gud talte til dig på Horeb ud af ilden.” Han forbød også fremstilling af billeder af enhver slags.		96:5.5 (1058.3) But it was truly pitiful to watch this great mind of Moses trying to adapt his sublime concept of El Elyon, the Most High, to the comprehension of the ignorant and illiterate Hebrews. To his assembled leaders he thundered, “The Lord your God is one God; there is none beside him”; while to the mixed multitude he declared, “Who is like your God among all the gods?” Moses made a brave and partly successful stand against fetishes and idolatry, declaring, “You saw no similitude on the day that your God spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire.” He also forbade the making of images of any sort.
96:5.6 (1058.4) Moses frygtede at proklamere Jahves barmhjertighed og foretrak at skræmme sit folk med frygten for Guds retfærdighed ved at sige: “Herren din Gud er Gudernes Gud og Herrernes Herre, en stor Gud, en mægtig og frygtelig Gud, som ikke tager hensyn til mennesker.” Igen forsøgte han at kontrollere de turbulente klaner, da han erklærede, at “jeres Gud dræber, når I ikke adlyder ham; han helbreder og giver liv, når I adlyder ham.” Men Moses lærte disse stammer, at de kun ville blive Guds udvalgte folk på betingelse af, at de “holdt alle hans bud og adlød alle hans vedtægter.”		96:5.6 (1058.4) Moses feared to proclaim the mercy of Yahweh, preferring to awe his people with the fear of the justice of God, saying: “The Lord your God is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, a great God, a mighty and terrible God, who regards not man.” Again he sought to control the turbulent clans when he declared that “your God kills when you disobey him; he heals and gives life when you obey him.” But Moses taught these tribes that they would become the chosen people of God only on condition that they “kept all his commandments and obeyed all his statutes.”
96:5.7 (1058.5) Hebræerne lærte ikke meget om Guds barmhjertighed i disse tidlige tider. De lærte om Gud som “den Almægtige; Herren er en krigsmand, en slagets Gud, herlig i sin magt, som knuser sine fjender.” “Herren din Gud vandrer midt i lejren for at udfri dig.” Israelitterne tænkte på deres Gud som en, der elskede dem, men som også “forhærdede Faraos hjerte” og “forbandede deres fjender.”		96:5.7 (1058.5) Little of the mercy of God was taught the Hebrews during these early times. They learned of God as “the Almighty; the Lord is a man of war, God of battles, glorious in power, who dashes in pieces his enemies.” “The Lord your God walks in the midst of the camp to deliver you.” The Israelites thought of their God as one who loved them, but who also “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” and “cursed their enemies.”
96:5.8 (1058.6) Mens Moses præsenterede Israels børn for flygtige glimt af en universel og velgørende guddom, var deres daglige opfattelse af Jahve i det store og hele en Gud, der kun var lidt bedre end de omkringliggende folks stammeguder. Deres opfattelse af Gud var primitiv, rå og menneskelignende; da Moses rejste videre, vendte disse beduinstammer hurtigt tilbage til de halvbarbariske ideer om deres gamle guder fra Horeb og ørkenen. Den udvidede og mere sublime vision af Gud, som Moses nu og da præsenterede for sine ledere, blev snart tabt af syne, mens de fleste af folkene vendte sig mod tilbedelsen af deres fetich-guldkalve, de palæstinensiske hyrders symbol på Jahve.		96:5.8 (1058.6) While Moses presented fleeting glimpses of a universal and beneficent Deity to the children of Israel, on the whole, their day-by-day concept of Yahweh was that of a God but little better than the tribal gods of the surrounding peoples. Their concept of God was primitive, crude, and anthropomorphic; when Moses passed on, these Bedouin tribes quickly reverted to the semibarbaric ideas of their olden gods of Horeb and the desert. The enlarged and more sublime vision of God which Moses every now and then presented to his leaders was soon lost to view, while most of the people turned to the worship of their fetish golden calves, the Palestinian herdsman’s symbol of Yahweh.
96:5.9 (1059.1) Da Moses overdrog kommandoen over hebræerne til Joshua, havde han allerede indsamlet tusindvis af efterkommere på sidelinjen til Abraham, Nakor, Lot, og andre af de relaterede stammer og pisket dem sammen til en selvbærende og delvist selvregulerende nation af hyrdekrigere.		96:5.9 (1059.1) When Moses turned over the command of the Hebrews to Joshua, he had already gathered up thousands of the collateral descendants of Abraham, Nahor, Lot, and other of the related tribes and had whipped them into a self-sustaining and partially self-regulating nation of pastoral warriors.
6. Gudsbegrebet efter moses død ^top		6. The God Concept After Moses’ Death ^top
96:6.1 (1059.2) Efter Moses’ død forværredes hans ophøjede opfattelse af Jahve hurtigt. Joshua og Israels ledere fortsatte med at holde fast i de mosaiske traditioner om den alvise, velgørende og almægtige Gud, men det almindelige folk vendte hurtigt tilbage til den ældre ørkenopfattelse af Jahve. Og dette tilbageskridt i gudsopfattelsen fortsatte i stigende grad under de forskellige stammesheikers, de såkaldte dommeres, efterfølgende styre.		96:6.1 (1059.2) Upon the death of Moses his lofty concept of Yahweh rapidly deteriorated. Joshua and the leaders of Israel continued to harbor the Mosaic traditions of the all-wise, beneficent, and almighty God, but the common people rapidly reverted to the older desert idea of Yahweh. And this backward drift of the concept of Deity continued increasingly under the successive rule of the various tribal sheiks, the so-called Judges.
96:6.2 (1059.3) Fortryllelsen fra Moses’ ekstraordinære personlighed havde holdt inspirationen fra et stadig mere udvidet gudsbegreb i live i hans tilhængeres hjerter; men da de først nåede Palæstinas frugtbare land, udviklede de sig hurtigt fra nomadiske hyrder til bofaste og noget rolige landmænd. Og denne udvikling af livspraksis og ændring af religiøst synspunkt krævede en mere eller mindre fuldstændig ændring i deres opfattelse af deres Guds, Jahves, natur. I den periode, hvor den strenge, rå, krævende og tordnende ørkengud fra Sinai begyndte at forvandle sig til det senere koncept om en Gud af kærlighed, retfærdighed og barmhjertighed, mistede hebræerne næsten Moses’ ophøjede lære af syne. De var tæt på at miste ethvert begreb om monoteisme; de mistede næsten deres mulighed for at blive det folk, der skulle tjene som et vitalt led i Urantias åndelige evolution, den gruppe, der skulle bevare Melkisedeks lære om én Gud, indtil inkarnationen af overdragelsens søn af denne alles Fader.		96:6.2 (1059.3) The spell of the extraordinary personality of Moses had kept alive in the hearts of his followers the inspiration of an increasingly enlarged concept of God; but when they once reached the fertile lands of Palestine, they quickly evolved from nomadic herders into settled and somewhat sedate farmers. And this evolution of life practices and change of religious viewpoint demanded a more or less complete change in the character of their conception of the nature of their God, Yahweh. During the times of the beginning of the transmutation of the austere, crude, exacting, and thunderous desert god of Sinai into the later appearing concept of a God of love, justice, and mercy, the Hebrews almost lost sight of Moses’ lofty teachings. They came near losing all concept of monotheism; they nearly lost their opportunity of becoming the people who would serve as a vital link in the spiritual evolution of Urantia, the group who would conserve the Melchizedek teaching of one God until the times of the incarnation of a bestowal Son of that Father of all.
96:6.3 (1059.4) Desperat forsøgte Joshua at fastholde forestillingen om en højeste Jahve i stammemedlemmernes sind og fik det proklameret: “Som jeg var med Moses, vil jeg også være med jer; jeg vil ikke svigte jer eller forlade jer.” Joshua fandt det nødvendigt at forkynde et strengt evangelium for sit vantro folk, et folk, der var alt for villige til at tro på deres gamle og oprindelige religion, men uvillige til at gå videre i troens og retfærdighedens religion. Byrden i Joshuas undervisning blev: “Jahve er en hellig Gud; han er en jaloux Gud; han vil ikke tilgive jeres overtrædelser eller jeres synder.” Den højeste opfattelse i denne tidsalder forestillede sig Jahve som en “Gud med magt, dom og retfærdighed.”		96:6.3 (1059.4) Desperately Joshua sought to hold the concept of a supreme Yahweh in the minds of the tribesmen, causing it to be proclaimed: “As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you nor forsake you.” Joshua found it necessary to preach a stern gospel to his disbelieving people, people all too willing to believe their old and native religion but unwilling to go forward in the religion of faith and righteousness. The burden of Joshua’s teaching became: “Yahweh is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.” The highest concept of this age pictured Yahweh as a “God of power, judgment, and justice.”
96:6.4 (1059.5) Men selv i denne mørke tid opstod der nu og da en ensom lærer, som forkyndte den mosaiske opfattelse af guddommelighed: “I ondskabens børn kan ikke tjene Herren, for han er en hellig Gud.” “Skal et dødeligt menneske være mere retfærdigt end Gud? Skal et menneske være mere rent end sin skaber?” “Kan du ved at søge finde Gud? Kan du finde den Almægtige til fuldkommenhed? Se, Gud er stor, og vi kender ham ikke. Om vi så rørte ved den Almægtige, kan vi ikke forstå ham.”		96:6.4 (1059.5) But even in this dark age, every now and then a solitary teacher would arise proclaiming the Mosaic concept of divinity: “You children of wickedness cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God.” “Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his Maker?” “Can you by searching find out God? Can you find out the Almighty to perfection? Behold, God is great and we know him not. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out.”
7. Salmerne og jobs bog ^top		7. Psalms and the Book of Job ^top
96:7.1 (1060.1) Under ledelse af deres sheiker og præster blev hebræerne løst etableret i Palæstina. Men de drev snart tilbage til ørkenens tro og blev smittet af de mindre avancerede kanaanæiske religiøse skikke. De blev afgudsdyrkere og udsvævende, og deres forestilling om Gud faldt langt under de egyptiske og mesopotamiske forestillinger om Gud, som blev fastholdt af visse overlevende Salem-grupper, og som er nedfældet i nogle af Salmerne og i den såkaldte Jobs Bog.		96:7.1 (1060.1) Under the leadership of their sheiks and priests the Hebrews became loosely established in Palestine. But they soon drifted back into the benighted beliefs of the desert and became contaminated with the less advanced Canaanite religious practices. They became idolatrous and licentious, and their idea of Deity fell far below the Egyptian and Mesopotamian concepts of God that were maintained by certain surviving Salem groups, and which are recorded in some of the Psalms and in the so-called Book of Job.
96:7.2 (1060.2) Salmerne er skrevet af over tyve forfattere; mange blev skrevet af egyptiske og mesopotamiske lærere. I disse tider, hvor Levanten tilbad naturguder, var der stadig et stort antal, der troede på El Elyons, den Højestes overherredømme.		96:7.2 (1060.2) The Psalms are the work of a score or more of authors; many were written by Egyptian and Mesopotamian teachers. During these times when the Levant worshiped nature gods, there were still a goodly number who believed in the supremacy of El Elyon, the Most High.
96:7.3 (1060.3) Ingen samling af religiøse skrifter giver udtryk for en sådan rigdom af hengivenhed og inspirerende ideer om Gud som Salmernes Bog. Og det ville være en stor hjælp, hvis man ved gennemlæsningen af denne vidunderlige samling af tilbedende litteratur kunne overveje kilden og kronologien for hver enkelt lovprisnings- og tilbedelsessalme, når man tænker på, at ingen anden samling dækker så lang tid. Salmernes Bog er optegnelsen over de forskellige opfattelser af Gud, som de troende i Salem-religionen havde i hele Levanten, og den omfatter hele perioden fra Amenemope til Esajas. I Salmerne skildres Gud i alle faser af forestillingen, fra den rå idé om en stammeguddom til de senere hebræeres stærkt udvidede ideal, hvor Jahve skildres som en kærlig hersker og barmhjertig Fader.		96:7.3 (1060.3) No collection of religious writings gives expression to such a wealth of devotion and inspirational ideas of God as the Book of Psalms. And it would be very helpful if, in the perusal of this wonderful collection of worshipful literature, consideration could be given to the source and chronology of each separate hymn of praise and adoration, bearing in mind that no other single collection covers such a great range of time. This Book of Psalms is the record of the varying concepts of God entertained by the believers of the Salem religion throughout the Levant and embraces the entire period from Amenemope to Isaiah. In the Psalms God is depicted in all phases of conception, from the crude idea of a tribal deity to the vastly expanded ideal of the later Hebrews, wherein Yahweh is pictured as a loving ruler and merciful Father.
96:7.4 (1060.4) Således betragtet udgør denne gruppe af Salmerne det mest værdifulde og nyttige udvalg af hengivne følelser, der nogensinde er samlet af mennesket frem til det tyvende århundrede. Den tilbedende ånd i denne samling af salmer overgår den i alle andre hellige bøger i verden.		96:7.4 (1060.4) And when thus regarded, this group of Psalms constitutes the most valuable and helpful assortment of devotional sentiments ever assembled by man up to the times of the twentieth century. The worshipful spirit of this collection of hymns transcends that of all other sacred books of the world.
96:7.5 (1060.5) Det brogede billede af guddommen som præsenteres i Jobs Bog var et produkt af mere end en snes mesopotamiske religiøse lærere, der strakte sig over en periode på næsten tre hundrede år. Og når man læser den ophøjede opfattelse af guddommelighed, der findes i denne samling af mesopotamiske overbevisninger, vil man erkende, at det var i nærheden af Ur i Kaldæa, at ideen om en virkelig Gud blev bedst bevaret i de mørke dage i Palæstina.		96:7.5 (1060.5) The variegated picture of Deity presented in the Book of Job was the product of more than a score of Mesopotamian religious teachers extending over a period of almost three hundred years. And when you read the lofty concept of divinity found in this compilation of Mesopotamian beliefs, you will recognize that it was in the neighborhood of Ur of Chaldea that the idea of a real God was best preserved during the dark days in Palestine.
96:7.6 (1060.6) I Palæstina forstod man ofte Guds visdom og altgennemtrængende kraft, men sjældent hans kærlighed og barmhjertighed. Jahve i disse tider “sender onde ånder til at dominere sine fjenders sjæle”; han giver sine egne og lydige børn fremgang, mens han forbander og dømmer alle andre hårdt. “Han skuffer de listiges planer, han tager de vise i deres eget bedrag.”		96:7.6 (1060.6) In Palestine the wisdom and all-pervasiveness of God was often grasped but seldom his love and mercy. The Yahweh of these times “sends evil spirits to dominate the souls of his enemies”; he prospers his own and obedient children, while he curses and visits dire judgments upon all others. “He disappoints the devices of the crafty; he takes the wise in their own deceit.”
96:7.7 (1060.7) Først i Ur rejste der sig en stemme, som råbte Guds barmhjertighed ud og sagde: “Han skal bede til Gud og skal finde nåde hos ham og skal se hans ansigt med glæde, for Gud vil give mennesket guddommelig retfærdighed.” Fra Ur forkyndes der således frelse, guddommelig gunst, ved tro: “Han er nådig mod den angrende og siger: ‘Frels ham fra at gå ned i afgrunden, for jeg har fundet en løsesum. Hvis nogen siger: ‘Jeg har syndet og fordrejet det, som var ret, og det har ikke gavnet mig,’ vil Gud frelse hans sjæl fra at gå ned i afgrunden, og han skal se lyset.” Ikke siden Melkisedeks tid havde den levantinske verden hørt et så klingende og opmuntrende budskab om menneskelig frelse som denne ekstraordinære lære fra Elihu, profeten fra Ur og præst for de troende i Salem, dvs. resterne af den daværende Melkisedek-koloni i Mesopotamien.		96:7.7 (1060.7) Only at Ur did a voice arise to cry out the mercy of God, saying: “He shall pray to God and shall find favor with him and shall see his face with joy, for God will give to man divine righteousness.” Thus from Ur there is preached salvation, divine favor, by faith: “He is gracious to the repentant and says, ‘Deliver him from going down in the pit, for I have found a ransom.’ If any say, ‘I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not,’ God will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and he shall see the light.” Not since the times of Melchizedek had the Levantine world heard such a ringing and cheering message of human salvation as this extraordinary teaching of Elihu, the prophet of Ur and priest of the Salem believers, that is, the remnant of the onetime Melchizedek colony in Mesopotamia.
96:7.8 (1061.1) Og således bevarede resterne af Salem-missionærerne i Mesopotamien sandhedens lys i den periode, hvor det hebraiske folk var desorganiseret, indtil den første af den lange række af Israels lærere dukkede op, som aldrig stoppede, mens de byggede begreb på begreb, indtil de havde opnået realiseringen af idealet om den universelle og skabende Fader for alle, højdepunktet i udviklingen af Jahve konceptet.		96:7.8 (1061.1) And thus did the remnants of the Salem missionaries in Mesopotamia maintain the light of truth during the period of the disorganization of the Hebrew peoples until the appearance of the first of that long line of the teachers of Israel who never stopped as they built, concept upon concept, until they had achieved the realization of the ideal of the Universal and Creator Father of all, the acme of the evolution of the Yahweh concept.
96:7.9 (1061.2) [Præsenteret af en Melkisedek fra Nebadon.]		96:7.9 (1061.2) [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]