Kapitel 97		Paper 97
Gudsbegrebets Udvikling Blandt Hebrærne		Evolution of the God Concept Among the Hebrews
97:0.1 (1062.1) HEBRÆERNES åndelige ledere gjorde, hvad ingen andre før dem nogensinde havde lykkedes - de befriede deres gudsbegreb fra de menneskelignende funktioner uden at omdanne det til en guddommelig abstraktion, der kun kunne forstås af filosoffer. Selv almindelige mennesker var i stand til at betragte det modnede begreb om Jahve som en Fader, hvis ikke for den enkelte, i det mindste for hele folket.		97:0.1 (1062.1) THE spiritual leaders of the Hebrews did what no others before them had ever succeeded in doing—they deanthropomorphized their God concept without converting it into an abstraction of Deity comprehensible only to philosophers. Even common people were able to regard the matured concept of Yahweh as a Father, if not of the individual, at least of the race.
97:0.2 (1062.2) Selv om man på Melkisedeks tid i Salem klart havde undervist om Guds personlighed, var denne opfattelse vag og diset på tidspunktet for flugten fra Egypten og den udviklede sig kun gradvist i hebræernes sind fra generation til generation som reaktion på undervisningen af de åndelige ledere. Opfattelsen af Jahves personlighed blev udviklet gradvis på en langt mere kontinuerlig måde end mange andre guddomsegenskaber. Fra Moses til Malakias, var der i det hebraiske sind en næsten ubrudt idemæssige vækst af Guds personlighed, og denne opfattelse blev til sidst forhøjet og forherliget af Jesu lære om Faderen i Himlen.		97:0.2 (1062.2) The concept of the personality of God, while clearly taught at Salem in the days of Melchizedek, was vague and hazy at the time of the flight from Egypt and only gradually evolved in the Hebraic mind from generation to generation in response to the teaching of the spiritual leaders. The perception of Yahweh’s personality was much more continuous in its progressive evolution than was that of many other of the Deity attributes. From Moses to Malachi there occurred an almost unbroken ideational growth of the personality of God in the Hebrew mind, and this concept was eventually heightened and glorified by the teachings of Jesus about the Father in heaven.
1. Samuel - den første af hebrærnes profeter ^top		1. Samuel—First of the Hebrew Prophets ^top
97:1.1 (1062.3) Fjendtlige pres fra de omkringliggende folk i Palæstina lærte snart de hebraiske sheiker, at de ikke kunne håbe på at overleve, medmindre de forenede deres stammeorganisationer i en centraliseret regering. Denne centralisering af den administrative myndighed gav Samuel en bedre mulighed for at arbejde som lærer og reformator.		97:1.1 (1062.3) Hostile pressure of the surrounding peoples in Palestine soon taught the Hebrew sheiks they could not hope to survive unless they confederated their tribal organizations into a centralized government. And this centralization of administrative authority afforded a better opportunity for Samuel to function as a teacher and reformer.
97:1.2 (1062.4) Samuel nedstammede fra en lang slægtsgren af Salem lærere, der vedholdende havde fastholdt Melkisedeks sandheder som en del af deres form for tilbedelse. Denne lærer var en viril og beslutsom mand. Kun hans store hengivenhed, kombineret med hans ekstraordinære beslutsomhed, gjorde ham i stand til at modstå den næsten generelle opposition, som han mødte, da han begyndte at vende hele Israel tilbage til tilbedelsen af den øverste Jahve fra Moses tid. Selv da, lykkedes det han kun delvis; han vandt kun den mere intelligente halvdel af hebræerne tilbage til at tjene Jahve i henhold til den højerestående opfattelse. Den anden halvdel fortsatte med at tilbede landets stammeguder og holdt sig til den laverestående opfattelse af Jahve.		97:1.2 (1062.4) Samuel sprang from a long line of the Salem teachers who had persisted in maintaining the truths of Melchizedek as a part of their worship forms. This teacher was a virile and resolute man. Only his great devotion, coupled with his extraordinary determination, enabled him to withstand the almost universal opposition which he encountered when he started out to turn all Israel back to the worship of the supreme Yahweh of Mosaic times. And even then he was only partially successful; he won back to the service of the higher concept of Yahweh only the more intelligent half of the Hebrews; the other half continued in the worship of the tribal gods of the country and in the baser conception of Yahweh.
97:1.3 (1062.5) Samuel var en rå og bestemt mand, en praktisk reformator, der kunne gå ud på en dag med sine medarbejdere og vælte tyve af Baals altre. De fremskridt han opnåede, skete med ren og skær tvang; han prædikede og underviste kun lidt, men han handlede. En dag gjorde han nar af en af Baals præsten; den følgende dag, hakkede han en tilfangetaget konge i stykker. Han troede hengivent på den ene Gud, og han havde en klar strategi for denne en Gud, som skaberen af himmel og jord: ”Jordens søjler er Herrens, og han har sat verden på dem."		97:1.3 (1062.5) Samuel was a rough-and-ready type of man, a practical reformer who could go out in one day with his associates and overthrow a score of Baal sites. The progress he made was by sheer force of compulsion; he did little preaching, less teaching, but he did act. One day he was mocking the priest of Baal; the next, chopping in pieces a captive king. He devotedly believed in the one God, and he had a clear concept of that one God as creator of heaven and earth: “The pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he has set the world upon them.”
97:1.4 (1063.1) Samuel store bidrag til udviklingen af begrebet om Guddommen var hans rungende erklæring, at Jahve er uforanderlig, for evigt den samme personificering af usvigelig fuldkommenhed og guddommelighed. Under disse tider var Jahve udtænkt til at være en lunefuld Gud med mistænkelige indfald som altid beklagede sig, at han havde gjort dette eller hint; men nu, for første gang siden hebræerne drog ud fra Egypten, hørte de disse opsigtsvækkende ord, "Den, der er Israels styrken, vil ikke lyve og omvender sig ikke, for han er ikke et menneske, at han skulle omvende sig." Stabilitet i forbindelse med guddommelighed blev proklameret. Samuel mindede konstant om den Melkisedekske pagt med Abraham og erklærede, at Herren, Israels Gud var kilden til al sandhed, stabilitet og uforanderlighed. Hebræerne havde altid betragtet deres Gud som et menneske, et overmenneske, en ophøjet ånd af ukendt oprindelse; men hørte nu den tidligere ånd fra Horeb ophøjet som en uforanderlig Gud med skaberfuldkommenhed. Samuel hjalp det udviklende Gud koncept til at stige op til højder over de skiftende folks sindstilstand og de vekslende skæbner i de dødeliges tilværelse. Med hans undervisning begyndte hebræernes Gud opstigningen fra en idé om stammeguder til idealet om en almægtig og uforanderlig Skaber og Tilsynsførende for hele skabelsen.		97:1.4 (1063.1) But the great contribution which Samuel made to the development of the concept of Deity was his ringing pronouncement that Yahweh was changeless, forever the same embodiment of unerring perfection and divinity. In these times Yahweh was conceived to be a fitful God of jealous whims, always regretting that he had done thus and so; but now, for the first time since the Hebrews sallied forth from Egypt, they heard these startling words, “The Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent, for he is not a man, that he should repent.” Stability in dealing with Divinity was proclaimed. Samuel reiterated the Melchizedek covenant with Abraham and declared that the Lord God of Israel was the source of all truth, stability, and constancy. Always had the Hebrews looked upon their God as a man, a superman, an exalted spirit of unknown origin; but now they heard the onetime spirit of Horeb exalted as an unchanging God of creator perfection. Samuel was aiding the evolving God concept to ascend to heights above the changing state of men’s minds and the vicissitudes of mortal existence. Under his teaching, the God of the Hebrews was beginning the ascent from an idea on the order of the tribal gods to the ideal of an all-powerful and changeless Creator and Supervisor of all creation.
97:1.5 (1063.2) Han prædikede på ny historien om Guds oprigtighed, hans pålidelighed i at holde aftalen. Samuel sagde: "Herren vil ikke svigte sit folk." "Han har etableret med os en evig pagt, reguleret i alle henseender og sikker" Så lød budskabet ud over hele Palæstina, at man skulle vende tilbage til tilbedelsen af den øverste Jahve. Konstant proklamerede denne energiske lærer: "Du er stor, Herre Gud, for der er ingen som dig, og der er ingen Gud uden dig."		97:1.5 (1063.2) And he preached anew the story of God’s sincerity, his covenant-keeping reliability. Said Samuel: “The Lord will not forsake his people.” “He has made with us an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure.” And so, throughout all Palestine there sounded the call back to the worship of the supreme Yahweh. Ever this energetic teacher proclaimed, “You are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you, neither is there any God beside you.”
97:1.6 (1063.3) Hidtil havde hebræerne betragtet at Jahves gunst hovedsageligt kom til udtryk i form af materiel velstand. Det var et stort chok for Israel, og kostede nær Samuel hans liv, da han vovede at forkynde: "Herren beriger og forarmer; han nedværdiger og ophøjer. Han rejser den ringe af støvet og løfter tiggerne op for at sætte dem blandt prinser for at lade dem arve herlighedens trone." Ikke siden Moses var så trøstende løfter for den ydmyge og de mindre heldige blevet udråbt, og for tusindvis af fortvivlede blandt de fattige tændte håbet om, at de kunne forbedre deres åndelige status.		97:1.6 (1063.3) Theretofore the Hebrews had regarded the favor of Yahweh mainly in terms of material prosperity. It was a great shock to Israel, and almost cost Samuel his life, when he dared to proclaim: “The Lord enriches and impoverishes; he debases and exalts. He raises the poor out of the dust and lifts up the beggars to set them among princes to make them inherit the throne of glory.” Not since Moses had such comforting promises for the humble and the less fortunate been proclaimed, and thousands of despairing among the poor began to take hope that they could improve their spiritual status.
97:1.7 (1063.4) Samuel gik ikke særligt langt ud over begrebet om en stammegud. Han proklamerede en Jahve, der havde skabt alle mennesker, men først og fremmest interesserede sig for hebræerne, hans udvalgte folk. I alle tilfælde, forblev Gud konceptet atter igen som under Moses tid, portrætteret som en guddom, der er hellig og oprejst. "Der er ingen så hellig som Herren. Hvem kan sammenlignes med denne hellige Gud Herren?”		97:1.7 (1063.4) But Samuel did not progress very far beyond the concept of a tribal god. He proclaimed a Yahweh who made all men but was occupied chiefly with the Hebrews, his chosen people. Even so, as in the days of Moses, once more the God concept portrayed a Deity who is holy and upright. “There is none as holy as the Lord. Who can be compared to this holy Lord God?”
97:1.8 (1063.5) Som årene gik, voksede den gråsprængte gamle leders forståelsen af Gud, for han erklærede: "Herren er en Gud af viden og handlinger vejes af ham. Herren vil dømme jordens ender, og vise barmhjertighed til den barmhjertige og mod den oprigtige, vil han også være oprigtig." Selv her er indgangen til nåden, omend den er begrænset til dem, der er barmhjertige. Senere gik han et skridt videre, da han opfordrede sine folk i deres modgang: "Lad os nu falde i Herrens hænder, for hans barmhjertighed er stor." "Ingen hindrer Herren i at redde mange eller få."		97:1.8 (1063.5) As the years passed, the grizzled old leader progressed in the understanding of God, for he declared: “The Lord is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by him. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth, showing mercy to the merciful, and with the upright man he will also be upright.” Even here is the dawn of mercy, albeit it is limited to those who are merciful. Later he went one step further when, in their adversity, he exhorted his people: “Let us fall now into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are great.” “There is no restraint upon the Lord to save many or few.”
97:1.9 (1063.6) Denne gradvise udvikling af opfattelsen af Jahves karakter fortsatte i tiden for Samuels efterfølgere. De forsøgte at præsentere Jahve som en Gud, der holder sin aftale, men de kunne knap holde trit med Samuel. De undlod at udvikle idéen om Guds barmhjertighed, således som Samuel i de senere år havde udtænkt det. Der var en jævn tilbagevenden mod anerkendelse af andre guder, selvom de fastholdt, at Jahve var over alle. "Dit er riget, Herre, og du er ophøjet som hoved over alle."		97:1.9 (1063.6) And this gradual development of the concept of the character of Yahweh continued under the ministry of Samuel’s successors. They attempted to present Yahweh as a covenant-keeping God but hardly maintained the pace set by Samuel; they failed to develop the idea of the mercy of God as Samuel had later conceived it. There was a steady drift back toward the recognition of other gods, despite the maintenance that Yahweh was above all. “Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.”
97:1.10 (1064.1) Grundtonen i denne æra var guddommelig magt; profeterne i denne tidsalder prædikede en religion, der forsøgte at fremme kongen på den hebraiske trone. "Du, Herre, er storheden og magten og æren og sejren og majestæt. I din hånd er kraft og magt, og det står i din hånd at gøre hvad der er stort og give styrke til alle.” Dette var status vedrørende gudskonceptet under Samuel og hans umiddelbare efterfølgeres tid.		97:1.10 (1064.1) The keynote of this era was divine power; the prophets of this age preached a religion designed to foster the king upon the Hebrew throne. “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. In your hand is power and might, and you are able to make great and to give strength to all.” And this was the status of the God concept during the time of Samuel and his immediate successors.
2. Elias og elisa ^top		2. Elijah and Elisha ^top
97:2.1 (1064.2) I det tiende århundrede før Kristus blev den hebraiske nation delt i to riger. I begge disse politiske enheder forsøgte mange sandheds lærere at dæmme op for den reaktionære bølge af åndelig dekadence, der var opstået, og som fortsatte katastrofalt efter adskillelse af krigen. Disse forsøg på at bringe den hebraiske religion fremad havde ingen succes indtil den beslutsomme og frygtløse kriger for retfærdighed, Elias, begyndte sin undervisning. Elias genoprettede i det nordlige rige en gudsopfattelse sammenlignelige med den som fandtes under Samuels tid. Elias havde ringe mulighed for at præsentere en avanceret opfattelse af Gud. Ligesom Samuel før han havde han travlt med at omstyrte Baals altre og ødelægge idoler af falske guder. Han fremførte sine reformer på trods af modstand fra en afgudsdyrkende monark; hans opgave var endnu mere gigantisk og vanskelig end den, som Samuel havde stået for.		97:2.1 (1064.2) In the tenth century before Christ the Hebrew nation became divided into two kingdoms. In both of these political divisions many truth teachers endeavored to stem the reactionary tide of spiritual decadence that had set in, and which continued disastrously after the war of separation. But these efforts to advance the Hebraic religion did not prosper until that determined and fearless warrior for righteousness, Elijah, began his teaching. Elijah restored to the northern kingdom a concept of God comparable with that held in the days of Samuel. Elijah had little opportunity to present an advanced concept of God; he was kept busy, as Samuel had been before him, overthrowing the altars of Baal and demolishing the idols of false gods. And he carried forward his reforms in the face of the opposition of an idolatrous monarch; his task was even more gigantic and difficult than that which Samuel had faced.
97:2.2 (1064.3) Da Elias blev kaldt bort, fortsatte hans trofaste medarbejder Elisa hans arbejde og holdt med uvurderlig hjælp af den lidt kendte Mika, sandhedens lys brændende i Palæstina.		97:2.2 (1064.3) When Elijah was called away, Elisha, his faithful associate, took up his work and, with the invaluable assistance of the little-known Micaiah, kept the light of truth alive in Palestine.
97:2.3 (1064.4) Disse tider medførte imidlertid ingen fremgang i opfattelsen af Guddommen. Hebræerne var endnu ikke steget op til Moses ideal. Elias og Elisa æra sluttede med, at de bedre samfundsklasser vendte tilbage til tilbedelsen af det øverste Jahve og bevidnede en tilbagevenden til idéen om den universelle Skaber til omkring det niveau, hvor Samuel havde forladt det.		97:2.3 (1064.4) But these were not times of progress in the concept of Deity. Not yet had the Hebrews ascended even to the Mosaic ideal. The era of Elijah and Elisha closed with the better classes returning to the worship of the supreme Yahweh and witnessed the restoration of the idea of the Universal Creator to about that place where Samuel had left it.
3. Jahve og baal ^top		3. Yahweh and Baal ^top
97:3.1 (1064.5) De langtrukne modsætninger mellem de troende på Jahve, og tilhængerne af Baal var en socioøkonomisk sammenstød mellem ideologier snarere end en forskel i religiøse overbevisninger.		97:3.1 (1064.5) The long-drawn-out controversy between the believers in Yahweh and the followers of Baal was a socioeconomic clash of ideologies rather than a difference in religious beliefs.
97:3.2 (1064.6) Indbyggerne i Palæstina havde forskellige holdning til privat ejendomsret til jord. De sydlige eller omkringvandrende arabiske stammer (Jahveiterne) betragtede jorden som umistelig - som en Guddomsgave til klanen. De fastslog, at jorden ikke kunne sælges eller pantsættes. "Jahve talte og sagde: Landet må ikke sælges, for jorden er min.’”		97:3.2 (1064.6) The inhabitants of Palestine differed in their attitude toward private ownership of land. The southern or wandering Arabian tribes (the Yahwehites) looked upon land as an inalienable—as a gift of Deity to the clan. They held that land could not be sold or mortgaged. “Yahweh spoke, saying, ‘The land shall not be sold, for the land is mine.’”
97:3.3 (1064.7) De nordlige og mere bosatte Kanaanæerne (Baaliterne) købte, solgte, og belånte deres jord frit. Ordet Baal betyder ejer. Baalkulten blev grundlagt på to store doktriner: For det første, indebar den en validering af ejendomshandler, kontrakter og aftaler - ret til at købe og sælge jord. For det andet at Baal ville sende regn - han var en gud til jordens frugtbarhed. Gode afgrøder afhang af Baals gunst. Kulten var stort set optaget af jorden, dets ejerskab og frugtbarhed.		97:3.3 (1064.7) The northern and more settled Canaanites (the Baalites) freely bought, sold, and mortgaged their lands. The word Baal means owner. The Baal cult was founded on two major doctrines: First, the validation of property exchange, contracts, and covenants—the right to buy and sell land. Second, Baal was supposed to send rain—he was a god of fertility of the soil. Good crops depended on the favor of Baal. The cult was largely concerned with land, its ownership and fertility.
97:3.4 (1065.1) Generelt ejede Baaliterne huse, jord og slaver. De var aristokratiske udlejere og boede i byerne. Hver Baal havde et helligt sted, et præsteskab, og "hellige kvinder," de prostituerede, der hørte til ritualet.		97:3.4 (1065.1) In general, the Baalites owned houses, lands, and slaves. They were the aristocratic landlords and lived in the cities. Each Baal had a sacred place, a priesthood, and the “holy women,” the ritual prostitutes.
97:3.5 (1065.2) Ud af denne grundlæggende forskel hvad angår forholdet til jord, udvikledes de bitre modsætninger mellem de sociale, økonomiske, moralske og religiøse holdninger blandt Kanaanæerne og hebræerne. Denne socioøkonomiske kontrovers blev ikke et konkret religiøst problem førend under Elias tid. Med begyndelse fra denne aggressive profets dage blev kampen udkæmpet på mere rent religiøse grunde - Jahve kontra Baal - og det endte i sejr for Jahve og senere i en strømning i retning mod monoteisme.		97:3.5 (1065.2) Out of this basic difference in the regard for land, there evolved the bitter antagonisms of social, economic, moral, and religious attitudes exhibited by the Canaanites and the Hebrews. This socioeconomic controversy did not become a definite religious issue until the times of Elijah. From the days of this aggressive prophet the issue was fought out on more strictly religious lines—Yahweh vs. Baal—and it ended in the triumph of Yahweh and the subsequent drive toward monotheism.
97:3.6 (1065.3) Elias flyttede kontroverserne mellem Jahve og Baal fra jordspørgsmålet til det religiøse aspekt af hebraiske og kanaanæiske ideologier. Da Akab myrdede Nabotarna og hans familie, i forbindelse med plottet for at få besiddelse af deres jord, gjorde Elias et moralsk spørgsmål ud af de gamle uskrevne jord skikke og lancerede sin energisk kampagne mod Baaliterne. Det var også en kamp af folk fra landet mod byernes dominans. Det var hovedsageligt under indflydelse af Elias, at Jahve blev Gud. Profeten begyndte som en landbrugs reformator og endte med at ophøje Guddommen. Baalguderne var mange, Jahve var en - monoteisme vandt over polyteisme.		97:3.6 (1065.3) Elijah shifted the Yahweh-Baal controversy from the land issue to the religious aspect of Hebrew and Canaanite ideologies. When Ahab murdered the Naboths in the intrigue to get possession of their land, Elijah made a moral issue out of the olden land mores and launched his vigorous campaign against the Baalites. This was also a fight of the country folk against domination by the cities. It was chiefly under Elijah that Yahweh became Elohim. The prophet began as an agrarian reformer and ended up by exalting Deity. Baals were many, Yahweh was one—monotheism won over polytheism.
4. Amos og hosea ^top		4. Amos and Hosea ^top
97:4.1 (1065.4) Et stort skridt i overgangen af stammeguden - den gud, der så længe havde været tjent med ofringer og ceremonier, den tidligere hebraiske Jahve - til en Gud, som straffede forbrydelser og umoral blandt sit eget folk, blev taget af Amos, der trådte frem blandt de sydlige bakker for at fordømme forbrydelse, fuldskab, undertrykkelse, og umoral blandt de nordlige stammer. Ikke siden Moses tid var sådanne rungende sandheder blevet proklameret i Palæstina.		97:4.1 (1065.4) A great step in the transition of the tribal god—the god who had so long been served with sacrifices and ceremonies, the Yahweh of the earlier Hebrews—to a God who would punish crime and immorality among even his own people, was taken by Amos, who appeared from among the southern hills to denounce the criminality, drunkenness, oppression, and immorality of the northern tribes. Not since the times of Moses had such ringing truths been proclaimed in Palestine.
97:4.2 (1065.5) Amos var ikke blot en konservator eller reformator; han var en som opdagede nye opfattelser om Guddommen. Han proklamerede meget om Gud, som var blevet annonceret af hans forgængere og angreb modigt troen på et guddommeligt væsen, som ville tolerere synd blandt hans såkaldte udvalgte folk. For første gang siden Melkisedeks dage hørte det menneskelige øre fordømmelsen af den dobbelte standard for national retfærdighed og moral. For første gang i deres historie hørte hebræerne med egne ører, at deres egen Gud, Jahve, ikke mere ville tolerere forbrydelser og synd i deres liv, end blandt andre mennesker. Amos så for sig den samme strenge og retfærdige Gud som Samuel og Elias, men han så også en Gud, som ikke tænkte anderledes om hebræerne end om nogen anden nation, når det kom til straf for ugerninger. Det var et direkte angreb på den egoistiske doktrin af "udvalgte folk", og mange hebræere i disse dage følte en bitter fornærmelse derved.		97:4.2 (1065.5) Amos was not merely a restorer or reformer; he was a discoverer of new concepts of Deity. He proclaimed much about God that had been announced by his predecessors and courageously attacked the belief in a Divine Being who would countenance sin among his so-called chosen people. For the first time since the days of Melchizedek the ears of man heard the denunciation of the double standard of national justice and morality. For the first time in their history Hebrew ears heard that their own God, Yahweh, would no more tolerate crime and sin in their lives than he would among any other people. Amos envisioned the stern and just God of Samuel and Elijah, but he also saw a God who thought no differently of the Hebrews than of any other nation when it came to the punishment of wrongdoing. This was a direct attack on the egoistic doctrine of the “chosen people,” and many Hebrews of those days bitterly resented it.
97:4.3 (1065.6) Amos sagde: "Ham, som dannede bjergene og skabte vinden, søg ham, der dannede de Syvstjernerne og Orion, som forvandler dødens skygge til morgenen og formørker dagen til nat." I fordømmelse af hans halv-religiøse, opportunistiske, og nogle gange umoralske medmennesker, forsøgte han at beskrive den ubønhørlige retfærdighed hos en uforanderlig Jahve, når han sagde til de onde: "Selvom de gravede sig ind i helvede, skal jeg tage dem derfra; selvom de klatre op til himlen, vil jeg bringe dem ned derfra." "Selvom de går ind i fangenskab, af deres fjender, vil jeg sende retfærdighedens sværd, og det skal slå dem ihjel." Amos forskrækkede yderligere sine tilhørere, når han pegede en irettesættende og anklagende fingre ad dem, og i Jahves navn erklærede: "Sandelig, jeg vil aldrig glemme nogen af dette, som du har gjort." "og jeg vil finkæmme Israels Hus blandt alle nationer som hvede er sigtet i en sigte".		97:4.3 (1065.6) Said Amos: “He who formed the mountains and created the wind, seek him who formed the seven stars and Orion, who turns the shadow of death into the morning and makes the day dark as night.” And in denouncing his half-religious, timeserving, and sometimes immoral fellows, he sought to portray the inexorable justice of an unchanging Yahweh when he said of the evildoers: “Though they dig into hell, thence shall I take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down.” “And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I direct the sword of justice, and it shall slay them.” Amos further startled his hearers when, pointing a reproving and accusing finger at them, he declared in the name of Yahweh: “Surely I will never forget any of your works.” “And I will sift the house of Israel among all nations as wheat is sifted in a sieve.”
97:4.4 (1066.1) Amos proklamerede Jahve som "Gud af alle nationer", og advarede israelitterne, at ritualet ikke må træde i stedet for retfærdighed. Før denne modige lærer blev stenet til døde, havde han spredt nok surdej af sandhed for at redde læren om den øverste Jahve; han havde sikret den videre udvikling af den Melkisedekske åbenbaring.		97:4.4 (1066.1) Amos proclaimed Yahweh the “God of all nations” and warned the Israelites that ritual must not take the place of righteousness. And before this courageous teacher was stoned to death, he had spread enough leaven of truth to save the doctrine of the supreme Yahweh; he had insured the further evolution of the Melchizedek revelation.
97:4.5 (1066.2) Hoseas fulgte Amos og hans lære om en retfærdig universel Gud ved at vække Moses opfattelse om en kærlig Gud til live. Hoseas prædikede tilgivelse gennem omvendelse, ikke gennem offer. Han proklamerede en evangelium om kærlig venlighed og guddommelig nåde, og sagde: "Jeg vil trolove dig til mig for evigt; ja, jeg vil trolove dig med mig i retfærdighed og dom, og i nåde og barmhjertighed. Jeg vil endda trolove dig til mig i trofasthed." "Jeg vil elske dem frit, for min vrede er vendt væk."		97:4.5 (1066.2) Hosea followed Amos and his doctrine of a universal God of justice by the resurrection of the Mosaic concept of a God of love. Hosea preached forgiveness through repentance, not by sacrifice. He proclaimed a gospel of loving-kindness and divine mercy, saying: “I will betroth you to me forever; yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness and judgment and in loving-kindness and in mercies. I will even betroth you to me in faithfulness.” “I will love them freely, for my anger is turned away.”
97:4.6 (1066.3) Hoseas fortsatte trofast de moralske advarsler fra Amos, og sagde om Gud, "Det er mit ønske, at jeg skal tugte dem." Men israelitterne betragtede det som grusomhed grænsende op til forræderi, da han sagde: "Jeg vil sige til dem, der ikke var mit folk, "du er mit folk”; og de vil sige, "Du er vores Gud." "Han fortsatte med at prædike omvendelse og tilgivelse, og sagde: "Jeg vil helbrede deres frafald; Jeg vil elske dem frit, for min vrede er vendt væk." Hoseas proklamerede altid håb og tilgivelse. Hovedtemaet i hans budskab var altid: "Jeg vil have barmhjertighed over mit folk. De skal ikke kende nogen anden Gud, end mig, for der er ingen frelser udover mig."		97:4.6 (1066.3) Hosea faithfully continued the moral warnings of Amos, saying of God, “It is my desire that I chastise them.” But the Israelites regarded it as cruelty bordering on treason when he said: “I will say to those who were not my people, ‘you are my people’; and they will say, ‘you are our God.’” He continued to preach repentance and forgiveness, saying, “I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely, for my anger is turned away.” Always Hosea proclaimed hope and forgiveness. The burden of his message ever was: “I will have mercy upon my people. They shall know no God but me, for there is no savior beside me.”
97:4.7 (1066.4) Amos vækkede hebræernes nationale samvittighed til erkendelsen af, at Jahve ikke ville tolerere forbrydelse og synd iblandt dem, fordi de angiveligt var det udvalgte folk, mens Hoseas slog de første toner i de barmhjertige akkorder om guddommelige medfølelse og kærlig venlighed, der senere var så udsøgt sunget af Esajas og hans medarbejdere.		97:4.7 (1066.4) Amos quickened the national conscience of the Hebrews to the recognition that Yahweh would not condone crime and sin among them because they were supposedly the chosen people, while Hosea struck the opening notes in the later merciful chords of divine compassion and loving-kindness which were so exquisitely sung by Isaiah and his associates.
5. Den første esaja ^top		5. The First Isaiah ^top
97:5.1 (1066.5) Det var de tider, hvor nogle proklamerede trusler om straf mod personlige synder og nationale forbrydelser blandt de nordlige klaner, mens andre forudsagde ulykke som gengældelse for overtrædelser i det sydlige rige. Det var i kølvandet på denne ophidselse af samvittighed og bevidsthed i de hebraiske nationer, at den første Esajas trådte frem.		97:5.1 (1066.5) These were the times when some were proclaiming threatenings of punishment against personal sins and national crime among the northern clans while others predicted calamity in retribution for the transgressions of the southern kingdom. It was in the wake of this arousal of conscience and consciousness in the Hebrew nations that the first Isaiah made his appearance.
97:5.2 (1066.6) Esajas påtog sig at forkynde den evige Guds natur, hans uendelige visdom, hans uforanderlige perfektion i hans pålidelighed. Han repræsenterede Israels Gud som sagde: "Jeg vil gøre dommen til mållinje og retfærdighed til vægte." "Herren vil give jer hvile fra din sorg og fra din frygt og fra den hårde trældom, som mennesket er blevet pålagt." "Dine ører skal høre et ord bag dig og sige: "Det er vejen, gå på den." "Se, Gud er min frelse, jeg vil stole på og ikke være bange, for Herren er min styrke og min sang." "Kom nu og lad os gå til rette med hinanden, siger Herren,” Er jeres synder som skarlagen, kan de blive hvide som sne; og er de røde som purpur, kan de blive som uld.”		97:5.2 (1066.6) Isaiah went on to preach the eternal nature of God, his infinite wisdom, his unchanging perfection of reliability. He represented the God of Israel as saying: “Judgment also will I lay to the line and righteousness to the plummet.” “The Lord will give you rest from your sorrow and from your fear and from the hard bondage wherein man has been made to serve.” “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘this is the way, walk in it.’” “Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and my song.” “‘Come now and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like the crimson, they shall be as wool.’”
97:5.3 (1066.7) Når han talte til de skrækslagne og i sjælen sultende hebræere, sagde denne profet: "Rejs jer og skin, for dit lys er kommet, og Herrens herlighed er steget op over dig." "Herrens ånd er over mig, fordi han har salvet mig til at forkynde glædens budskab til de sagtmodige; han har sendt mig til at læge dem som har et knust hjerte, for at udråbe frihed for de fangne og åbningen af fængslet til dem, der er lænket." "Jeg glæder mig i høj grad i Herren, min sjæl skal juble i min Gud, for han har klædt mig med klæder af frelse og har dækket mig med sin kappe af retfærdighed." "og i alle deres trængsler har han lidt med dem, og hans tilstedeværende engel reddede dem. I sin kærlighed og i sin medlidenhed indløser han dem."		97:5.3 (1066.7) Speaking to the fear-ridden and soul-hungry Hebrews, this prophet said: “Arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and has covered me with his robe of righteousness.” “In all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them.”
97:5.4 (1067.1) Efter Esajas kom Mika og Obadja, der bekræftede og forskønnede hans sjælstilfredsstillende evangelium. Disse to modige budbringere fordømte dristigt hebræernes præstestyret ritual og angreb frygtløst hele offersystem.		97:5.4 (1067.1) This Isaiah was followed by Micah and Obadiah, who confirmed and embellished his soul-satisfying gospel. And these two brave messengers boldly denounced the priest-ridden ritual of the Hebrews and fearlessly attacked the whole sacrificial system.
97:5.5 (1067.2) Mika fordømte "regenterne, der dømte for bestikkelse og præsterne, der underviste for betaling, og de profeter, der spåede for pengene.” Han underviste om en tid af frihed fra overtro og præstedømme og sagde: "Enhver skal sidde under sin egen vinstok, og ingen skal forskrække ham, for alle mennesker vil leve, hver efter hans forståelse af Gud.		97:5.5 (1067.2) Micah denounced “the rulers who judge for reward and the priests who teach for hire and the prophets who divine for money.” He taught of a day of freedom from superstition and priestcraft, saying: “But every man shall sit under his own vine, and no one shall make him afraid, for all people will live, each one according to his understanding of God.”
97:5.6 (1067.3) Konstant var kernen i Mikas budskab: "Skal jeg komme til Gud med brændofre? Vil Herren være tilfreds med tusind væddere eller med ti tusinde floder af olie? Skal jeg give min førstefødte for min overtrædelse, frugten af min krop for synden af min sjæl? Han har vist mig, o menneske, hvad der er godt; og hvad kræver Herren af jer, andet end at gøre retfærdigt og at elske barmhjertighed og at vandre ydmygt med din Gud." Det var en stor tidsalder; det var virkelig spændende tider, hvor dødelige mennesker for mere end to og en halv årtusinder siden hørte, og nogle endda troede, på sådanne frigørende budskaber. Hvis det ikke havde været for præsternes stædige modstand, ville disse lærere have væltet hele det blodige ceremonielle af den hebraiske rituelle tilbedelse.		97:5.6 (1067.3) Ever the burden of Micah’s message was: “Shall I come before God with burnt offerings? Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand rams or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown me, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?” And it was a great age; these were indeed stirring times when mortal man heard, and some even believed, such emancipating messages more than two and a half millenniums ago. And but for the stubborn resistance of the priests, these teachers would have overthrown the whole bloody ceremonial of the Hebrew ritual of worship.
6. Den frygtløse jeremia ^top		6. Jeremiah the Fearless ^top
97:6.1 (1067.4) Selv om flere lærere fortsatte med at udlægge Esajas evangelium, blev det Jeremias opgave at tage det næste dristige skridt i internationaliseringen af Jahve, hebræernes Gud.		97:6.1 (1067.4) While several teachers continued to expound the gospel of Isaiah, it remained for Jeremiah to take the next bold step in the internationalization of Yahweh, God of the Hebrews.
97:6.2 (1067.5) Jeremias erklærede frygtløst, at Jahve ikke var på hebræernes side i deres militære sammenstød med andre nationer. Han hævdede, at Jahve var hele jordens, alle nationer, og alle folks Gud. Jeremias undervisning var crescendo af den stigende bølge af internationaliseringen af Israels Guds; endeligt og for altid proklamerede denne frygtløse prædikant, at Jahve var Gud af alle nationer, og at der ikke var nogen Osiris for egypterne, Bel for babylonierne, Ashu for assyrerne, eller Dagon for Filisterne. Således havde hebræernes religion del i den renæssance af monoteisme som foregik over hele verden på omkring og efter denne tid; for endelig havde opfattelsen om Jahve hævet sig op til et guddomsniveau af planetarisk og endda kosmisk værdighed. Mange af Jeremias medarbejdere fandt det vanskeligt at forestille sig Jahve uafhængig fra den hebraiske nation.		97:6.2 (1067.5) Jeremiah fearlessly declared that Yahweh was not on the side of the Hebrews in their military struggles with other nations. He asserted that Yahweh was God of all the earth, of all nations and of all peoples. Jeremiah’s teaching was the crescendo of the rising wave of the internationalization of the God of Israel; finally and forever did this intrepid preacher proclaim that Yahweh was God of all nations, and that there was no Osiris for the Egyptians, Bel for the Babylonians, Ashur for the Assyrians, or Dagon for the Philistines. And thus did the religion of the Hebrews share in that renaissance of monotheism throughout the world at about and following this time; at last the concept of Yahweh had ascended to a Deity level of planetary and even cosmic dignity. But many of Jeremiah’s associates found it difficult to conceive of Yahweh apart from the Hebrew nation.
97:6.3 (1067.6) Jeremias prædikede også den retfærdige og kærlige Gud beskrevet af Esajas, når han erklærede: "Ja, jeg har elsket dig med en evig kærlighed; derfor med kærlig ømhed draget dig til mig.” ”For han plager ikke villigt menneskenes børn."		97:6.3 (1067.6) Jeremiah also preached of the just and loving God described by Isaiah, declaring: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you.” “For he does not afflict willingly the children of men.”
97:6.4 (1067.7) Denne frygtløse profet sagde: "Retfærdig er vor Herre, stor i råd og mægtig i arbejde. Hans øjne er åbne for alle menneskenes sønner, for at give hver efter hans livsstil og i henhold til frugten af hans gerninger." Det blev anset for at være blasfemisk forræderi, når han under belejringen af Jerusalem, sagde: ”Og nu har jeg givet disse lande i hænderne på min tjener Nebukadnezar, Babylons konge.” Da Jeremias rådede byen til overgivelse, kastede præsterne og de civile herskere ham ned i en mudrede hul af en dyster fangekælder.		97:6.4 (1067.7) Said this fearless prophet: “Righteous is our Lord, great in counsel and mighty in work. His eyes are open upon all the ways of all the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” But it was considered blasphemous treason when, during the siege of Jerusalem, he said: “And now have I given these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant.” And when Jeremiah counseled the surrender of the city, the priests and civil rulers cast him into the miry pit of a dismal dungeon.
7. Den anden esaja ^top		7. The Second Isaiah ^top
97:7.1 (1068.1) Den hebraiske nations undergang og deres fangenskab i Mesopotamien ville have været til stor gavn for deres voksende teologi havde det ikke været for den afgørende beslutning af deres præsteskab. Deres nation var faldet for Babylons hære, og deres nationalistiske Jahve havde lidt af de åndelige leders internationalistiske prædikener. Det var vrede over tabet af deres nationale gud, der fik de jødiske præster til at gå til sådanne yderligheder i opfindelsen af fabler og mangfoldige mirakuløse begivenheder i hebræernes historie i et forsøg på at genoprette jøderne som det udvalgte folk, selv inden for rammerne af den nye og udvidet opfattelse om en internationaliseret Gud for alle nationer.		97:7.1 (1068.1) The destruction of the Hebrew nation and their captivity in Mesopotamia would have proved of great benefit to their expanding theology had it not been for the determined action of their priesthood. Their nation had fallen before the armies of Babylon, and their nationalistic Yahweh had suffered from the international preachments of the spiritual leaders. It was resentment of the loss of their national god that led the Jewish priests to go to such lengths in the invention of fables and the multiplication of miraculous appearing events in Hebrew history in an effort to restore the Jews as the chosen people of even the new and expanded idea of an internationalized God of all nations.
97:7.2 (1068.2) Under fangenskab blev jøderne meget påvirket af babyloniske traditioner og legender, selv om det skal bemærkes, at de ufejlbarligt forbedrede den moralske tone og åndelige betydning af de kaldæiske historier, som de adopterede, uanset at de altid fordrejede disse legender så de afspejlede ære og herlighed på forfædrene til Israels folk og historie.		97:7.2 (1068.2) During the captivity the Jews were much influenced by Babylonian traditions and legends, although it should be noted that they unfailingly improved the moral tone and spiritual significance of the Chaldean stories which they adopted, notwithstanding that they invariably distorted these legends to reflect honor and glory upon the ancestry and history of Israel.
97:7.3 (1068.3) Disse hebraiske præster og skriftkloge havde en enkelt idé i deres sind, og det var rehabiliteringen af den jødiske nation, forherligelse af hebraiske traditioner, og ophøjelse af deres racemæssige historie. Hvis der er vrede over, at disse præster har givet deres fejlagtige idéer til en så stor del af den vestlige verden, bør det erindres, at de ikke gjorde dette med vilje; de gjorde ikke krav på, at det de skrev, var inspireret; de hævede ikke, at de skrev en hellig bog. De var kun i færd med at forberede en lærebog med det formål at styrke deres medmenneskers svindende mod, i fangenskabet. De agtede absolut at forbedre deres landsmænds nationale ånd og kampvilje. Det tilkom senere tiders mennesker at samle disse og andre skrifter i en håndbog med angivelig ufejlbarlig lære.		97:7.3 (1068.3) These Hebrew priests and scribes had a single idea in their minds, and that was the rehabilitation of the Jewish nation, the glorification of Hebrew traditions, and the exaltation of their racial history. If there is resentment of the fact that these priests have fastened their erroneous ideas upon such a large part of the Occidental world, it should be remembered that they did not intentionally do this; they did not claim to be writing by inspiration; they made no profession to be writing a sacred book. They were merely preparing a textbook designed to bolster up the dwindling courage of their fellows in captivity. They were definitely aiming at improving the national spirit and morale of their compatriots. It remained for later-day men to assemble these and other writings into a guide book of supposedly infallible teachings.
97:7.4 (1068.4) Efter fangenskabet anvendte det jødiske præsteskab i udstrakt grad disse skrifter, men de var stærkt hæmmet i deres indflydelse på deres medfanger ved tilstedeværelsen af en ung og ukuelige profet, Esajas den anden, der var fuld omvendt til den ældre Esajas lære om Guds retfærdighed, kærlighed, retskaffenhed og barmhjertighed. Han mente også, ligesom Jeremias, at Jahve var blevet alle nationers Gud. Han prædikede disse teorier om Guds karakter så kraftfuldt, at han vandt konvertitter ligeligt blandt jøderne og deres fangevogtere. Denne unge prædikant efterlod optegnelser på sin lære, som de fjendtlige og nådesløse præster søgte at adskille fra alt forbundet med ham, selv om den rene respekt for indholdets skønhed og storhed førte til deres inkorporering blandt skrifter af den tidligere Esajas. Derfor kan man finde denne anden Esajas skrifter i bogen af samme navn, omfattende kapitlerne fyrre til femoghalvtreds.		97:7.4 (1068.4) The Jewish priesthood made liberal use of these writings subsequent to the captivity, but they were greatly hindered in their influence over their fellow captives by the presence of a young and indomitable prophet, Isaiah the second, who was a full convert to the elder Isaiah’s God of justice, love, righteousness, and mercy. He also believed with Jeremiah that Yahweh had become the God of all nations. He preached these theories of the nature of God with such telling effect that he made converts equally among the Jews and their captors. And this young preacher left on record his teachings, which the hostile and unforgiving priests sought to divorce from all association with him, although sheer respect for their beauty and grandeur led to their incorporation among the writings of the earlier Isaiah. And thus may be found the writings of this second Isaiah in the book of that name, embracing chapters forty to fifty-five inclusive.
97:7.5 (1068.5) Ingen profet eller religiøs lærer fra Makiventa til Jesu tid nået op til det høje begreb om Gud, som Esajas den anden proklamerede under disse dage i fangenskabet. Det var ikke nogen lille, menneskelignende, menneskeskabt Gud, som denne åndelige leder proklamerede. "Se, han løfter øerne som et sandkorn." ”Og da himlen er højere end jorden, så meget højere er mine veje over jeres veje og mine tanker højere end jeres tanker."		97:7.5 (1068.5) No prophet or religious teacher from Machiventa to the time of Jesus attained the high concept of God that Isaiah the second proclaimed during these days of the captivity. It was no small, anthropomorphic, man-made God that this spiritual leader proclaimed. “Behold he takes up the isles as a very little thing.” “And as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
97:7.6 (1069.1) Omsider så Makiventa Melkisedek de menneskelige lærere proklamerer en virkelig Gud for de dødelige mennesker. Ligesom Esajas det første, prædikede denne leder en Gud som var en universel skaber og opretholdelser. "Jeg har skabt jorden og sat mennesket på den. Jeg har ikke skabt den til at være øde; men dannede den til at blive beboet. " "Jeg er den første og den sidste og udover mig findes der ingen Gud." Når han talte om Herren, Israels Gud, sagde denne nye profet:" Himlene kan forsvinde og jorden blive gammel, men min retfærdighed forbliver evigt, og min frelse fra generation til generation. " "Frygt ikke, for jeg er med dig; vær ikke forfærdet, for jeg er din Gud." "Udover mig er der ingen Gud - ingen Gud, der er retfærdig og som frelser. "		97:7.6 (1069.1) At last Machiventa Melchizedek beheld human teachers proclaiming a real God to mortal man. Like Isaiah the first, this leader preached a God of universal creation and upholding. “I have made the earth and put man upon it. I have created it not in vain; I formed it to be inhabited.” “I am the first and the last; there is no God beside me.” Speaking for the Lord God of Israel, this new prophet said: “The heavens may vanish and the earth wax old, but my righteousness shall endure forever and my salvation from generation to generation.” “Fear you not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.” “There is no God beside me—a just God and a Savior.”
97:7.7 (1069.2) Det trøstede de jødiske fanger, som det har trøstet tusinder og atter tusinder lige siden, at høre sådanne ord som: "Dette siger HERREN: "Jeg har skabt dig, jeg har indløst dig, jeg har kaldt dig ved dit navn; du er min." " "Når du passerer gennem vandet, vil jeg være med dig, da du er værdifuld i mine øjne." "Kan en kvinde glemme sit diende barn, at hun ikke skulle have medlidenhed med sin søn? Ja, hun kan glemme, men jeg vil ikke glemme mine børn, for se jeg har skrevet dem på mine håndflader; jeg har endda dækket dem med skyggen af mine hænder." "Lad den ugudelige forlade sin vej og det uretfærdige menneske sine tanker, og lad dem vende tilbage til Herren, og han vil forbarme sig over dem, og til vor Gud, for han vil rigeligt tilgive."		97:7.7 (1069.2) And it comforted the Jewish captives, as it has thousands upon thousands ever since, to hear such words as: “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have created you, I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine.’” “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you since you are precious in my sight.” “Can a woman forget her suckling child that she should not have compassion on her son? Yes, she may forget, yet will I not forget my children, for behold I have graven them upon the palms of my hands; I have even covered them with the shadow of my hands.” “Let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
97:7.8 (1069.3) Lyt igen til evangeliet om denne nye åbenbaring af Salems Gud: "Han skal vogte sin hjord som en hyrde; han skal samle lammene i sine arme og bærer dem i sin favn. Han giver kraft til den svage, og han forøger de magtesløses styrke. Dem, der venter på Herren, får nye kræfter; de vil rejse sig som på ørnevinger; de skal løbe og ikke blive trætte; de skal gå og ikke blive svage."		97:7.8 (1069.3) Listen again to the gospel of this new revelation of the God of Salem: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in his bosom. He gives power to the faint, and to those who have no might he increases strength. Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
97:7.9 (1069.4) Dette Esajas gennemførte en omfattende spredning af evangeliet om en stadig voksende opfattelse af øverste Jahve. Han kappedes med Moses i veltalenhed, hvormed han portrætterede Herren, Israels Gud, som den universelle Skaber. Han var poetisk i sin skildring af den Universelle Faders uendelige egenskaber. Ikke flere smukke udtalelser om den himmelske Fader er nogensinde blevet lavet. Ligesom Salmerne, høre Esajas tekster blandt de ædleste og sandeste præsentationer af den åndelige opfattelse om Gud som nogensinde har kærtegnet de dødelige ører forud for Mikael ankomst på Urantia. Lyt til hans skildring af guddommen: "Jeg er den høje og ophøjede, der bor i evigheden." "Jeg er den første og den sidste, og ved siden af mig, er der ingen Gud." "Og Herrens hånd er ikke for kort, så den ikke kan frelse, og hans øre er ikke lukket, så han ikke kan høre.” Det var en ny doktrin i jødedommen, når denne ærværdige, men kommanderende profet vedvarende prædikede den guddommelig bestandighed, Guds trofasthed. Han erklærede, at "Gud ville ikke glemme, ville ikke svigte."		97:7.9 (1069.4) This Isaiah conducted a far-flung propaganda of the gospel of the enlarging concept of a supreme Yahweh. He vied with Moses in the eloquence with which he portrayed the Lord God of Israel as the Universal Creator. He was poetic in his portrayal of the infinite attributes of the Universal Father. No more beautiful pronouncements about the heavenly Father have ever been made. Like the Psalms, the writings of Isaiah are among the most sublime and true presentations of the spiritual concept of God ever to greet the ears of mortal man prior to the arrival of Michael on Urantia. Listen to his portrayal of Deity: “I am the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity.” “I am the first and the last, and beside me there is no other God.” “And the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear.” And it was a new doctrine in Jewry when this benign but commanding prophet persisted in the preachment of divine constancy, God’s faithfulness. He declared that “God would not forget, would not forsake.”
97:7.10 (1069.5) Denne dristige lærer proklamerede, at mennesket var i et meget tæt forhold til Gud og sagde: "Enhver, der kaldes ved mit navn har jeg skabt til min ære, og de vil forkynde min ros. Jeg er selv den, som udsletter deres overtrædelser af respekt for mig selv, og jeg kan ikke huske deres synder."		97:7.10 (1069.5) This daring teacher proclaimed that man was very closely related to God, saying: “Every one who is called by my name I have created for my glory, and they shall show forth my praise. I, even I, am he who blots out their transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember their sins.”
97:7.11 (1069.6) Hør denne store hebræer nedrive begrebet om en national Gud, når han i salighed forkynder guddommeligheden hos den Universelle Fader, om hvem han siger, "Himlen er min trone, og jorden er min fodskammel.” Esajas Gud var ikke desto mindre hvad angår hellighed, majestætisk, retfærdig og uigennemskuelighed. Ørkenbeduinernes opfattelse om den vrede, hævngerrige og jaloux Jahve er næsten forsvundet. En ny opfattelse om den øverste og universelle Jahve er opstået i de dødelige menneskers sind, for aldrig mere at blive tabt igen ud af syne. Realiseringen af guddommelig retfærdighed har påbegyndt tilintetgørelsen af den primitive magi og biologiske frygt. Til sidst, er mennesket introduceret til et univers af lov og orden og på en universel Gud, som er pålidelig og har endelige egenskaber.		97:7.11 (1069.6) Hear this great Hebrew demolish the concept of a national God while in glory he proclaims the divinity of the Universal Father, of whom he says, “The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” And Isaiah’s God was none the less holy, majestic, just, and unsearchable. The concept of the angry, vengeful, and jealous Yahweh of the desert Bedouins has almost vanished. A new concept of the supreme and universal Yahweh has appeared in the mind of mortal man, never to be lost to human view. The realization of divine justice has begun the destruction of primitive magic and biologic fear. At last, man is introduced to a universe of law and order and to a universal God of dependable and final attributes.
97:7.12 (1070.1) Aldrig ophørte denne prædikant af en himmelsk Gud med at forkynde denne Gud som kærlighedens Gud. "Jeg bor i det høje og hellige sted, men også med den, som er angerfuld og har en ydmyg ånd.” Yderligere andre trøstende ord talte denne store lærer til sine samtidige: "Og Herren vil lede dig hele tiden og tilfredsstille din sjæl. Du skal være som en vandrig have, og som en kilde, hvis vand ikke svigter. Og hvis fjenden kommer ind som en oversvømmelse, vil Herrens ånd løfte et forsvar mod ham.” Endnu en gang skinnede Melkisedeks frygtødelæggende evangelium og Salems tillidsskabende religion frem til velsignelse for menneskeheden.		97:7.12 (1070.1) And this preacher of a supernal God never ceased to proclaim this God of love. “I dwell in the high and holy place, also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit.” And still further words of comfort did this great teacher speak to his contemporaries: “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul. You shall be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters fail not. And if the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a defense against him.” And once again did the fear-destroying gospel of Melchizedek and the trust-breeding religion of Salem shine forth for the blessing of mankind.
97:7.13 (1070.2) Den fremsynede og modige Esajas effektivt overskyggede den nationalistiske Jahve ved hans ædle beskrivelse af majestætiske og universelle almagt der kendetegner den øverste Jahve, kærlighedens Gud, universets hersker, og kærlig Fader for hele menneskeheden. Lige siden de begivenhedsrige dage har den højeste gudsopfattelse i Vesten indbefattet universel retfærdighed, guddommelig nåde, og evig retfærdighed. I et fremragende sprog og med mageløs nåde beskrev denne store lærer den almægtige Skaber, som alles kærlige Fader.		97:7.13 (1070.2) The farseeing and courageous Isaiah effectively eclipsed the nationalistic Yahweh by his sublime portraiture of the majesty and universal omnipotence of the supreme Yahweh, God of love, ruler of the universe, and affectionate Father of all mankind. Ever since those eventful days the highest God concept in the Occident has embraced universal justice, divine mercy, and eternal righteousness. In superb language and with matchless grace this great teacher portrayed the all-powerful Creator as the all-loving Father.
97:7.14 (1070.3) Denne profet prædikede under fangenskabets tid for sit folk og til mennesker fra mange nationer, hvor de lyttede til ham ved floden i Babylon. Denne anden Esajas gjorde meget for at modvirke de mange forkerte og racemæssigt egoistiske begreber vedrørende den lovede Messias mission. Men i denne indsats var han ikke helt vellykket. Havde præsterne ikke dedikeret sig til arbejdet med at opbygge en misforstået nationalisme, så ville de to Esaja profeters lære har forberedt vejen for anerkendelse og modtagelse af den lovede Messias.		97:7.14 (1070.3) This prophet of the captivity preached to his people and to those of many nations as they listened by the river in Babylon. And this second Isaiah did much to counteract the many wrong and racially egoistic concepts of the mission of the promised Messiah. But in this effort he was not wholly successful. Had the priests not dedicated themselves to the work of building up a misconceived nationalism, the teachings of the two Isaiahs would have prepared the way for the recognition and reception of the promised Messiah.
8. Hellig og verdslig historie ^top		8. Sacred and Profane History ^top
97:8.1 (1070.4) Skikken med at betragte optegnelserne om hebræerne erfaringer, som hellig historie og hændelserne i resten af verden som verdslig historie er årsag til meget af den forvirring, der hersker i det menneskelige sind med hensyn til fortolkningen af historien. Denne vanskelighed opstår, fordi jøderne ikke har nogen verdslig historieoptegnelser. Efter at præsterne under det babylonske fangenskab havde forberedt deres nye fremstilling af Guds angiveligt mirakuløse omgang med hebræerne, dvs. Israels hellige historie som præsenteres i Det Gamle Testamente, ødelagde de omhyggeligt og fuldstændig de eksisterende registreringer af hebraiske anliggender - sådanne bøger som " Israels Kongernes gerninger "og" Judas Kongernes gerning, "sammen med flere andre mere eller mindre nøjagtige optegnelser om hebræernes historie.		97:8.1 (1070.4) The custom of looking upon the record of the experiences of the Hebrews as sacred history and upon the transactions of the rest of the world as profane history is responsible for much of the confusion existing in the human mind as to the interpretation of history. And this difficulty arises because there is no secular history of the Jews. After the priests of the Babylonian exile had prepared their new record of God’s supposedly miraculous dealings with the Hebrews, the sacred history of Israel as portrayed in the Old Testament, they carefully and completely destroyed the existing records of Hebrew affairs—such books as “The Doings of the Kings of Israel” and “The Doings of the Kings of Judah,” together with several other more or less accurate records of Hebrew history.
97:8.2 (1070.5) For at forstå, hvordan det ødelæggende tryk og den uundgåelige tvang af verdslig historie, kunne terroriserede de fangne jøder og regeret af udlændinge, til det punkt hvor de forsøgte at omskrive og genopfinde deres historie, skal vi kort gennemgå deres forvirrende nationale erfaringer. Man skal huske, at jøderne ikke udviklede nogen tilfredsstillende ikke-teologisk livsfilosofi. De kæmpede med deres originale og egyptiske begreber om guddommelige belønninger for retfærdighed kombineret med dystre straffe for synd. Den dramatiske historie om Jobs var noget af en protest mod denne fejlagtige filosofi. Den åbenhjertige pessimisme i Prædikerens bog var en verdslig klog reaktion på disse overoptimistiske overbevisninger om Forsynet.		97:8.2 (1070.5) In order to understand how the devastating pressure and the inescapable coercion of secular history so terrorized the captive and alien-ruled Jews that they attempted the complete rewriting and recasting of their history, we should briefly survey the record of their perplexing national experience. It must be remembered that the Jews failed to evolve an adequate nontheologic philosophy of life. They struggled with their original and Egyptian concept of divine rewards for righteousness coupled with dire punishments for sin. The drama of Job was something of a protest against this erroneous philosophy. The frank pessimism of Ecclesiastes was a worldly wise reaction to these overoptimistic beliefs in Providence.
97:8.3 (1071.1) Fem hundrede år af fremmede herskers overherredømme var for meget for selv de tålmodige og hårdt prøvede jøder. Profeterne og præster begyndte at græde: "Hvor længe, o Herre, hvor længe" Når den ærlige jøde søgte i skrifterne, blev hans forvirring endnu værre. En gammel seer lovede, at Gud ville beskytte og levere hans "udvalgte folk". Amos havde truet med, at Gud ville opgive Israel, medmindre de genetableret deres standarder for national retfærdighed. Den skriftlærde, der skrev den Femte Mosebog havde beskrevet det store valg - valget mellem godt og ondt, mellem velsignelsen og forbandelsen. Esajas det første havde prædiket en velgørende frelserkonge. Jeremias havde proklameret en æra af indre retfærdighed - den pagt der skulle skrives ind i deres hjerter. Den anden Esajas talte om frelse ved opofrelse og forløsning. Ezekiel proklamerede udfrielse gennem hengiven tjeneste, og Ezra lovede velstand ved lovlydighed. På trods af alt dette, levede de i trældom, og udfrielsen blev udskudt. Så præsenterede Daniel dramaet om den forestående "krise" - ødelæggelsen af det store idol og den umiddelbare oprettelse af retfærdighedens evige regeringstid, det messianske rige.		97:8.3 (1071.1) But five hundred years of the overlordship of alien rulers was too much for even the patient and long-suffering Jews. The prophets and priests began to cry: “How long, O Lord, how long?” As the honest Jew searched the Scriptures, his confusion became worse confounded. An olden seer promised that God would protect and deliver his “chosen people.” Amos had threatened that God would abandon Israel unless they re-established their standards of national righteousness. The scribe of Deuteronomy had portrayed the Great Choice—as between the good and the evil, the blessing and the curse. Isaiah the first had preached a beneficent king-deliverer. Jeremiah had proclaimed an era of inner righteousness—the covenant written on the tablets of the heart. The second Isaiah talked about salvation by sacrifice and redemption. Ezekiel proclaimed deliverance through the service of devotion, and Ezra promised prosperity by adherence to the law. But in spite of all this they lingered on in bondage, and deliverance was deferred. Then Daniel presented the drama of the impending “crisis”—the smiting of the great image and the immediate establishment of the everlasting reign of righteousness, the Messianic kingdom.
97:8.4 (1071.2) Alle disse falske håb førte til en sådan grad af skuffelse og frustration hos hele folket, så jødernes ledere blev så forvirret at de afviste at anerkende og acceptere en guddommelig Paradissøns mission og tjeneste, da han lidt efter kom til dem i lighed af dødeligt kød - inkarnerede som Menneskesønnen.		97:8.4 (1071.2) And all of this false hope led to such a degree of racial disappointment and frustration that the leaders of the Jews were so confused they failed to recognize and accept the mission and ministry of a divine Son of Paradise when he presently came to them in the likeness of mortal flesh—incarnated as the Son of Man.
97:8.5 (1071.3) Alle nutidige religioner har gjort alvorligt fejl når de har forsøgt at forklare en mirakuløs fortolkning af visse epoker af menneskehedens historie. Selv om det er rigtigt, at Gud mange gange som et forsynets indgriben har stukket en fars hånd ind i strømmen af menneskelige anliggender, så er det en fejl at betragte teologiske dogmer og religiøse overtro som værende overnaturlig aflejring som på mirakuløse måde opstår i menneskehedens historiestrøm. Den kendsgerning, at "De Højeste regere i menneskernes rige" forandre ikke den verdslige historie til en såkaldt hellig historie.		97:8.5 (1071.3) All modern religions have seriously blundered in the attempt to put a miraculous interpretation on certain epochs of human history. While it is true that God has many times thrust a Father’s hand of providential intervention into the stream of human affairs, it is a mistake to regard theologic dogmas and religious superstition as a supernatural sedimentation appearing by miraculous action in this stream of human history. The fact that the “Most Highs rule in the kingdoms of men” does not convert secular history into so-called sacred history.
97:8.6 (1071.4) Nye Testamente forfattere og senere kristne skriftlærte kompliceret yderligere forvrængningen af hebræernes historie ved deres velmente forsøg på at gøre de jødiske profeter overmenneskelige. Således har hebræernes historie på en ødelæggende måde været udnyttet af både jødiske og kristne forfattere. Hebræernes verdslige historie er grundigt blevet dogmatiseret. Den er blevet omdannet til en fiktion af hellig historie og er blevet uløseligt forbundet med de moralske begreber og religiøse lære i de såkaldte kristne nationer.		97:8.6 (1071.4) New Testament authors and later Christian writers further complicated the distortion of Hebrew history by their well-meant attempts to transcendentalize the Jewish prophets. Thus has Hebrew history been disastrously exploited by both Jewish and Christian writers. Secular Hebrew history has been thoroughly dogmatized. It has been converted into a fiction of sacred history and has become inextricably bound up with the moral concepts and religious teachings of the so-called Christian nations.
97:8.7 (1071.5) En kort beskrivelse af højdepunkterne i hebræernes historie vil illustrere, hvordan de faktiske forhold i optegnelserne blev ændret i Babylon af de jødiske præster, så deres folks daglige verdslige historie blev til en fiktiv og hellig historie.		97:8.7 (1071.5) A brief recital of the high points in Hebrew history will illustrate how the facts of the record were so altered in Babylon by the Jewish priests as to turn the everyday secular history of their people into a fictitious and sacred history.
9. Hebræernes historie ^top		9. Hebrew History ^top
97:9.1 (1071.6) Der var aldrig tolv israelitiske stammer - kun tre eller fire stammer som bosatte sig i Palæstina. Den hebraiske nation opstod som et resultat af foreningen mellem de såkaldte israelitter og kanaanæerne. "Israels børn boede blandt Kanaanæerne. Og de tog deres døtre til at være deres hustruer og gav deres døtre til kanaanæernes sønner." Hebræerne drev aldrig kanaanæerne ud af Palæstina, selv om præsternes registrering af disse ting uden tøven erklærede, at de gjorde.		97:9.1 (1071.6) There never were twelve tribes of the Israelites—only three or four tribes settled in Palestine. The Hebrew nation came into being as the result of the union of the so-called Israelites and the Canaanites. “And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites. And they took their daughters to be their wives and gave their daughters to the sons of the Canaanites.” The Hebrews never drove the Canaanites out of Palestine, notwithstanding that the priests’ record of these things unhesitatingly declared that they did.
97:9.2 (1071.7) Den israelitiske bevidsthed tog oprindelse i Efraims bjergland; den senere jødiske bevidsthed fik sin begyndelse i Juda klanen i syd. Jøderne (judæere) har altid forsøgt at bagvaske og sværte de nordlige israelitters (Efraimiterne) rygte.		97:9.2 (1071.7) The Israelitish consciousness took origin in the hill country of Ephraim; the later Jewish consciousness originated in the southern clan of Judah. The Jews (Judahites) always sought to defame and blacken the record of the northern Israelites (Ephraimites).
97:9.3 (1072.1) Den indbildske hebraiske historieskrivning begynder med at Sauls samler de nordlige klaner til at modstå et angreb fra ammonitterne på deres stammebrødre - Gileaditerne - øst for Jordan. Med en hær på lidt mere end tre tusind besejrede han fjenden, og det var denne bedrift, der fik bjergstammerne til at gøre ham til konge. Når præsterne i eksil omskrev denne historie, hævede de styrken af Sauls hær til 330.000, og tilføjede "Juda" til listen over stammerne, der deltog i kampen.		97:9.3 (1072.1) Pretentious Hebrew history begins with Saul’s rallying the northern clans to withstand an attack by the Ammonites upon their fellow tribesmen—the Gileadites—east of the Jordan. With an army of a little more than three thousand he defeated the enemy, and it was this exploit that led the hill tribes to make him king. When the exiled priests rewrote this story, they raised Saul’s army to 330,000 and added “Judah” to the list of tribes participating in the battle.
97:9.4 (1072.2) Umiddelbart efter ammoniternes nederlag valgte Sauls tropper ham til konge ved en offentlig afstemning. Ingen præst eller profet deltog i denne affære. Senere, sætter præsterne det ind i beretningen, at Saul blev kronet til konge af profeten Samuel i overensstemmelse med guddommelige anvisninger. Dette gjorde de for at etablere en "guddommelig linje for nedstigning" for Davids judaistiske kongedømme.		97:9.4 (1072.2) Immediately following the defeat of the Ammonites, Saul was made king by popular election by his troops. No priest or prophet participated in this affair. But the priests later on put it in the record that Saul was crowned king by the prophet Samuel in accordance with divine directions. This they did in order to establish a “divine line of descent” for David’s Judahite kingship.
97:9.5 (1072.3) Den største af alle fordrejninger af jødisk historie havde at gøre med David. Efter Sauls sejr over ammonitterne (som han tilskrev Jahve) blev filisterne alarmeret og begyndte at angribe de nordlige klaner. David og Saul kunne aldrig blive enige. David gik med seks hundrede mand med i en alliance ledet af filisterne og marcherede op langs kysten til Esdraelon. Ved Gat befalede filisterne David væk fra slagmarken; de frygtede han kunne gå over til Saul. David trak sig; filisterne angreb og besejrede Saul. De ville ikke have været i stand til dette, hvis David havde været loyal over for Israel. Davids hær var en polyglot samling af utilfredse, og den bestod hovedsaglig af sociale afvigere og flygtninge fra retfærdighed.		97:9.5 (1072.3) The greatest of all distortions of Jewish history had to do with David. After Saul’s victory over the Ammonites (which he ascribed to Yahweh) the Philistines became alarmed and began attacks on the northern clans. David and Saul never could agree. David with six hundred men entered into a Philistine alliance and marched up the coast to Esdraelon. At Gath the Philistines ordered David off the field; they feared he might go over to Saul. David retired; the Philistines attacked and defeated Saul. They could not have done this had David been loyal to Israel. David’s army was a polyglot assortment of malcontents, being for the most part made up of social misfits and fugitives from justice.
97:9.6 (1072.4) Sauls tragiske nederlag mod filisterne ved Gilboa bragte Jahve til et lavpunkt blandt guderne i de omkringliggende kanaanæernes øjne. Normalt ville Sauls nederlag være blevet tilskrevet frafald fra Jahve, men denne gang anså de judaistiske redaktører, at det var på grund af ritual fejl. De behøvede traditionen med Saul og Samuel som baggrund for Davids kongedømme.		97:9.6 (1072.4) Saul’s tragic defeat at Gilboa by the Philistines brought Yahweh to a low point among the gods in the eyes of the surrounding Canaanites. Ordinarily, Saul’s defeat would have been ascribed to apostasy from Yahweh, but this time the Judahite editors attributed it to ritual errors. They required the tradition of Saul and Samuel as a background for the kingship of David.
97:9.7 (1072.5) David med sin lille hær slog sit hovedkvarter op i den ikke-hebraiske by Hebron. Snart udråbte hans landsmænd ham til konge af det nye Judas rige. Juda bestod hovedsageligt af ikke-hebraiske elementer - Keniterne, Calebiter, Jebusiterne, og andre Kanaanæer. De var nomader - hyrdefolk - og derfor tilhængere af den hebraiske idé om ejendomsretten til jorden. De holdt sig til ørkenklanernes ideologier.		97:9.7 (1072.5) David with his small army made his headquarters at the non-Hebrew city of Hebron. Presently his compatriots proclaimed him king of the new kingdom of Judah. Judah was made up mostly of non-Hebrew elements—Kenites, Calebites, Jebusites, and other Canaanites. They were nomads—herders—and so were devoted to the Hebrew idea of land ownership. They held the ideologies of the desert clans.
97:9.8 (1072.6) Forskellen mellem hellig og verdslig historie er godt illustreret ved de to forskellige historier om at gøre David til konge, som findes i Det Gamle Testamente. En del af den verdslige historie om, hvordan hans nærmeste tilhængere (hans hær) udråbte ham til konge blev uforvarende efterladt i skriften af præsterne, som efterfølgende udarbejdet den langvarige og kedelige beskrivelse af den hellige historie, hvori er afbildet, hvordan profeten Samuel, ved guddommelig inspiration, udvalgte David blandt sine brødre og derefter fortsatte formelt og ved kunstfærdige og højtidelige ceremonier at salve ham til konge over hebræerne og derefter at forkynde ham Sauls efterfølger.		97:9.8 (1072.6) The difference between sacred and profane history is well illustrated by the two differing stories concerning making David king as they are found in the Old Testament. A part of the secular story of how his immediate followers (his army) made him king was inadvertently left in the record by the priests who subsequently prepared the lengthy and prosaic account of the sacred history wherein is depicted how the prophet Samuel, by divine direction, selected David from among his brethren and proceeded formally and by elaborate and solemn ceremonies to anoint him king over the Hebrews and then to proclaim him Saul’s successor.
97:9.9 (1072.7) Så mange gange undslap det og mislykkedes det for præsterne, efter forberedelse af deres fiktive fortællinger om Guds mirakuløse forhandlinger med Israel, til helt at udslette de åbenlyse og faktuelle udsagn, som allerede var blevet indført i krønikerne.		97:9.9 (1072.7) So many times did the priests, after preparing their fictitious narratives of God’s miraculous dealings with Israel, fail fully to delete the plain and matter-of-fact statements which already rested in the records.
97:9.10 (1072.8) David forsøgte at forbedre sin politisk position ved først at gifte sig med Sauls datter, siden med enken efter den rige edomit Nabal, og derefter med datteren af Talmaj, kongen af Gesjur. Han tog seks koner fra kvinderne i Jebus, for ikke at nævne hetittens hustru Batseba.		97:9.10 (1072.8) David sought to build himself up politically by first marrying Saul’s daughter, then the widow of Nabal the rich Edomite, and then the daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur. He took six wives from the women of Jebus, not to mention Bathsheba, the wife of the Hittite.
97:9.11 (1073.1) Det var med sådanne metoder og ud af disse mennesker, at David opbyggede fiktionen om en guddommelig Judas rige som afløser for arvtager til traditionerne og kulturarv fra efraimiternes nordlige rige Israel, som var ved at falde fra hinanden. Davids kosmopolitiske Judas stamme var mere ikke jødisk end jødisk; ikke desto mindre kom Efraims undertrykte ældste ned og "salvede ham til konge af Israel." Efter en militær trussel, foretog David derefter en aftale med Jebusiterne og etablerede sin hovedstad i Det Forenede Kongerige ved Jebus (Jerusalem), som var en by med stærke vægge midtvejs mellem Juda og Israel. Filisterne blev bange, og angreb snart David. Efter en hård kamp blev de besejret, og endnu engang blev Jahve etableret som "Herren, Hærskarernes Gud."		97:9.11 (1073.1) And it was by such methods and out of such people that David built up the fiction of a divine kingdom of Judah as the successor of the heritage and traditions of the vanishing northern kingdom of Ephraimite Israel. David’s cosmopolitan tribe of Judah was more gentile than Jewish; nevertheless the oppressed elders of Ephraim came down and “anointed him king of Israel.” After a military threat, David then made a compact with the Jebusites and established his capital of the united kingdom at Jebus (Jerusalem), which was a strong-walled city midway between Judah and Israel. The Philistines were aroused and soon attacked David. After a fierce battle they were defeated, and once more Yahweh was established as “The Lord God of Hosts.”
97:9.12 (1073.2) Men Jahve må nødvendigvis dele noget af denne ære med kanaanæernes guder, for hovedparten af Davids hær var ikke hebræer. Så kommer det sig at der i jeres skrifter findes (overset af de judæiske redaktører) denne afslørende erklæring: "Jahve har nedbrudt mine fjender foran mig. Derfor fik stedet navnet Baal-Perazim.” De gjorde dette, fordi firs procent af Davids soldater var tilbedere af Baal.		97:9.12 (1073.2) But Yahweh must, perforce, share some of this glory with the Canaanite gods, for the bulk of David’s army was non-Hebrew. And so there appears in your record (overlooked by the Judahite editors) this telltale statement: “Yahweh has broken my enemies before me. Therefore he called the name of the place Baal-Perazim.” And they did this because eighty per cent of David’s soldiers were Baalites.
97:9.13 (1073.3) David forklarede Sauls nederlag ved Gilboa ved at påpege, at Saul havde angrebet en af kanaanæernes byer, Gibeon, hvis folk havde en fredsaftale med Efraimiterne. På grund af dette, forlod Jahve ham. Selv i Sauls tid havde David forsvaret den kanaanæiske by Kilah mod filisterne og derefter placeret han sin hovedstad i en kanaanæisk by. I overensstemmelse med sin politik for kompromis i forhold til kanaanæerne, afleverede David syv af Sauls efterkommere over til gibeonitterne for at blive hængt.		97:9.13 (1073.3) David explained Saul’s defeat at Gilboa by pointing out that Saul had attacked a Canaanite city, Gibeon, whose people had a peace treaty with the Ephraimites. Because of this, Yahweh forsook him. Even in Saul’s time David had defended the Canaanite city of Keilah against the Philistines, and then he located his capital in a Canaanite city. In keeping with the policy of compromise with the Canaanites, David turned seven of Saul’s descendants over to the Gibeonites to be hanged.
97:9.14 (1073.4) Efter filisternes nederlag, fik David "Jahves ark", i sin besiddelse, bragte den til Jerusalem og gjorde tilbedelsen af Jahve officielt i hans rige. Derefter lagde han tunge tvangsskatter på de omkringliggende stammer - edomitterne, moabitterne, ammonitterne, og syrere.		97:9.14 (1073.4) After the defeat of the Philistines, David gained possession of the “ark of Yahweh,” brought it to Jerusalem, and made the worship of Yahweh official for his kingdom. He next laid heavy tribute on the neighboring tribes—the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Syrians.
97:9.15 (1073.5) Davids korrupte politiske maskine begyndte at få personlig besiddelse af jord i den nordlige del i strid med de hebraiske skikke og skaffede sig snart kontrol over karavanetaksterne som tidligere var opkrævet af filistrene. Siden kom en række grusomheder, som nåede sit klimaks med mordet på Urias. Alle retslige klager blev afviklet i Jerusalem; "de ældste" kunne ikke længere udmåle retfærdighed. Intet under at oprøret brød ud. I dag kunne Absalon måske kaldes en demagog; hans mor var kanaanæisk. Der var en halv snes kandidater til tronen udover Batseba søn - Salomon.		97:9.15 (1073.5) David’s corrupt political machine began to get personal possession of land in the north in violation of the Hebrew mores and presently gained control of the caravan tariffs formerly collected by the Philistines. And then came a series of atrocities climaxed by the murder of Uriah. All judicial appeals were adjudicated at Jerusalem; no longer could “the elders” mete out justice. No wonder rebellion broke out. Today, Absalom might be called a demagogue; his mother was a Canaanite. There were a half dozen contenders for the throne besides the son of Bathsheba—Solomon.
97:9.16 (1073.6) Efter Davids død rensede Salomon den politiske maskine for alle nordlige indflydelser men fortsatte med den samme undertrykkelse og beskatning som sin fars regime. Salomon bragte nationen til konkurs ved hans overdådige domstol og ved hans omfattende byggeprogram: Der var Libanons hus, Faraos datters palads, Jahves tempel, kongens palads, og genoprettelse af bymurene i mange byer. Solomon byggede en stort hebraisk flåde, der blev styret af syriske søfolk og havde handel med hele verden. Hans harem udgjorde næsten tusind.		97:9.16 (1073.6) After David’s death Solomon purged the political machine of all northern influences but continued all of the tyranny and taxation of his father’s regime. Solomon bankrupted the nation by his lavish court and by his elaborate building program: There was the house of Lebanon, the palace of Pharaoh’s daughter, the temple of Yahweh, the king’s palace, and the restoration of the walls of many cities. Solomon created a vast Hebrew navy, operated by Syrian sailors and trading with all the world. His harem numbered almost one thousand.
97:9.17 (1073.7) På dette tidspunkt faldt Jahves tempel i Silo i unåde, og hele nationens religiøse liv blev centreret på det smukke kongelige kapel i Jebus. Det nordlige kongedømme vendte snart tilbage til tilbedelse af Elohim. De nød faraoernes fordel. Faraoerne slavebandt senere Juda, og satte det sydlige kongerige under beskatning.		97:9.17 (1073.7) By this time Yahweh’s temple at Shiloh was discredited, and all the worship of the nation was centered at Jebus in the gorgeous royal chapel. The northern kingdom returned more to the worship of Elohim. They enjoyed the favor of the Pharaohs, who later enslaved Judah, putting the southern kingdom under tribute.
97:9.18 (1073.8) Det gik op, og det gik ned - krigen mellem Israel og Juda. Efter fire års borgerkrig og tre dynastier, faldt Israel i hænderne på byens despoter, der begyndte at handle med jord. Selv kong Omri forsøgte at købe Semers landejendom. Afslutningen nærmede sig hastigt, da Salmanassar III besluttede at tage kontrol over Middelhavskysten. Kong Akab af Efraim samledes ti andre grupper, og satte sig til modværge ved Karkar; slaget blev uafgjort. Assyrerne blev stoppet, men de allierede led store tab. Denne store kamp er ikke engang nævnt i Det Gamle Testamente.		97:9.18 (1073.8) There were ups and downs—wars between Israel and Judah. After four years of civil war and three dynasties, Israel fell under the rule of city despots who began to trade in land. Even King Omri attempted to buy Shemer’s estate. But the end drew on apace when Shalmaneser III decided to control the Mediterranean coast. King Ahab of Ephraim gathered ten other groups and resisted at Karkar; the battle was a draw. The Assyrian was stopped but the allies were decimated. This great fight is not even mentioned in the Old Testament.
97:9.19 (1074.1) Nye problemer begyndte, da kong Akab forsøgte at købe jord fra Nabot. Akabs fønikiske kone forfalskede Akabs navn på dokumenterne, der besluttede, at Nabots jord skulle konfiskeres på anklagen om, at han havde bespottet "Elohim og kongens" navn. Han og hans sønner blev straks henrettet. Den kraftfulde Elias stod frem og fordømte Akab for mordet på Naboterne. På denne måde begyndte Elias, som var en af de største af profeterne, sin undervisning som en forsvarer af den gamle jords traditioner mod Baaltilbedernes indstilling om at sælge jord, mod byernes forsøg på at dominere landet. Reformen lykkedes imidlertid ikke, indtil udlejeren Jehu, som var fra landdistriktet gik sammen med sigøjnerhøvdingen Jonadab for at ødelægge Baal profeterne (ejendomsmæglere) i Samaria.		97:9.19 (1074.1) New trouble started when King Ahab tried to buy land from Naboth. His Phoenician wife forged Ahab’s name to papers directing that Naboth’s land be confiscated on the charge that he had blasphemed the names of “Elohim and the king.” He and his sons were promptly executed. The vigorous Elijah appeared on the scene denouncing Ahab for the murder of the Naboths. Thus Elijah, one of the greatest of the prophets, began his teaching as a defender of the old land mores as against the land-selling attitude of the Baalim, against the attempt of the cities to dominate the country. But the reform did not succeed until the country landlord Jehu joined forces with the gypsy chieftain Jehonadab to destroy the prophets (real estate agents) of Baal at Samaria.
97:9.20 (1074.2) Et nyt liv begyndte, da Jehoas og hans søn Jeroboam befriede Israel fra sine fjender. På dette tidspunkt herskede der i Samaria en gangsteradel, hvis hærgen konkurrerede med dem af Davids dynasti fra gamle dage. Stat og kirke gik hånd i hånd. Forsøget på at undertrykke ytringsfriheden førte Elias, Amos og Hoseas til at begynde deres hemmelige skrift, og dette var den egentlige begyndelse af de jødiske og kristne bibler.		97:9.20 (1074.2) New life appeared as Jehoash and his son Jeroboam delivered Israel from its enemies. But by this time there ruled in Samaria a gangster-nobility whose depredations rivaled those of the Davidic dynasty of olden days. State and church went along hand in hand. The attempt to suppress freedom of speech led Elijah, Amos, and Hosea to begin their secret writing, and this was the real beginning of the Jewish and Christian Bibles.
97:9.21 (1074.3) Det nordlige kongedømme forsvandt ikke fra historien indtil Israels konge konspirerede med kongen af Egypten og nægtede at betale yderligere skat til Assyrien. Så begyndte den tre årig belejring efterfulgt af det nordlige riges samlede opløsning. På denne måde forsvandt Efraim (Israel). Juda - jøderne, de "tilbageblevne af Israel" - var begyndt at koncentrere ejendomsretten til jorden i hænderne på de få, med Esajas ord, "Tilføje hus til hus og mark til mark." Snart var der i Jerusalem et tempel for Baal ved siden af Jahves tempel. Dette rædselsregime sluttede med et monoteistisk oprør ledet af drengekongen Joas, som i femogtredive år kørte en kampagne for Jahve.		97:9.21 (1074.3) But the northern kingdom did not vanish from history until the king of Israel conspired with the king of Egypt and refused to pay further tribute to Assyria. Then began the three years’ siege followed by the total dispersion of the northern kingdom. Ephraim (Israel) thus vanished. Judah—the Jews, the “remnant of Israel”—had begun the concentration of land in the hands of the few, as Isaiah said, “Adding house to house and field to field.” Presently there was in Jerusalem a temple of Baal alongside the temple of Yahweh. This reign of terror was ended by a monotheistic revolt led by the boy king Joash, who crusaded for Yahweh for thirty-five years.
97:9.22 (1074.4) Den næste konge, Amazja, havde problemer med de oprørende skattebetalende edomiterne og deres naboer. Efter en klar sejr over dem vendte han sig mod deres naboer mod nord og var lige så klart besejret. Så gjorde folk i landdistrikterne oprør; de myrdede kongen og satte hans seksten år gamle søn på tronen. Det var Azarja, kaldet Uzzija af Esajas. Efter Uzzija, gik alt fra slemt til værre, men Juda eksisteret i endnu hundrede år ved at betale skat til Assyriens konger. Esajas den første fortalte dem, at Jerusalem er Jahves by aldrig ville falde. Men Jeremias tøvede ikke med at proklamere dens undergang.		97:9.22 (1074.4) The next king, Amaziah, had trouble with the revolting tax-paying Edomites and their neighbors. After a signal victory he turned to attack his northern neighbors and was just as signally defeated. Then the rural folk revolted; they assassinated the king and put his sixteen-year-old son on the throne. This was Azariah, called Uzziah by Isaiah. After Uzziah, things went from bad to worse, and Judah existed for a hundred years by paying tribute to the kings of Assyria. Isaiah the first told them that Jerusalem, being the city of Yahweh, would never fall. But Jeremiah did not hesitate to proclaim its downfall.
97:9.23 (1074.5) Den virkelige undergang af Judas blev foretaget af en korrupt og rig ring af politikere, der opererede under drengekongen Manasses regeringstid. Den skiftende økonomi begunstiget en tilbagevenden til tilbedelsen af Baal, hvis private jordhandler var imod Jahveideologi. Assyriens fald og Egyptens fremgang bragte udfrielse til Juda for en tid, og landbefolkningen tog over. Under Josias ødelagde de ringen af korrupte politikere i Jerusalem.		97:9.23 (1074.5) The real undoing of Judah was effected by a corrupt and rich ring of politicians operating under the rule of a boy king, Manasseh. The changing economy favored the return of the worship of Baal, whose private land dealings were against the ideology of Yahweh. The fall of Assyria and the ascendancy of Egypt brought deliverance to Judah for a time, and the country folk took over. Under Josiah they destroyed the Jerusalem ring of corrupt politicians.
97:9.24 (1074.6) Men denne æra kom til en tragisk ende, da Josias overmodigt drog ud for at standse Nekos mægtige hær på vej op langs kysten fra Egypten for at hjælpe Assyrien mod Babylon. Han blev udslettet, og Juda kom under tribut til Egypten. Baals politiske parti vendte tilbage til magten i Jerusalem, og dermed begyndte den virkelige egyptiske trældom. Derefter fulgte en periode, hvor baalpolitikerne kontrollerede både domstolene og præsteskabet. Baaltilbedelse var et økonomisk og socialt system der beskæftigede sig med ejendomsrettigheder samt havde at gøre med jordens frugtbarhed.		97:9.24 (1074.6) But this era came to a tragic end when Josiah presumed to go out to intercept Necho’s mighty army as it moved up the coast from Egypt for the aid of Assyria against Babylon. He was wiped out, and Judah went under tribute to Egypt. The Baal political party returned to power in Jerusalem, and thus began the real Egyptian bondage. Then ensued a period in which the Baalim politicians controlled both the courts and the priesthood. Baal worship was an economic and social system dealing with property rights as well as having to do with soil fertility.
97:9.25 (1075.1) Med omstyrtelsen af Neko af Nebukadnesar, faldt Juda under det Babylonske styre og fik ti års nåde, men gjorde snart oprør. Da Nebukadnezar marcherede imod dem, startede judæerne sociale reformer, såsom at frigive slaver, for at påvirke Jahve. Når den babylonske hær midlertidigt trak sig tilbage, frydede hebræerne sig over at deres reformmagi havde reddet dem. Det var i denne periode, at Jeremias fortalte dem om den forestående undergang, og snart vendte Nebukadnesar tilbage.		97:9.25 (1075.1) With the overthrow of Necho by Nebuchadnezzar, Judah fell under the rule of Babylon and was given ten years of grace, but soon rebelled. When Nebuchadnezzar came against them, the Judahites started social reforms, such as releasing slaves, to influence Yahweh. When the Babylonian army temporarily withdrew, the Hebrews rejoiced that their magic of reform had delivered them. It was during this period that Jeremiah told them of the impending doom, and presently Nebuchadnezzar returned.
97:9.26 (1075.2) Så kom slutningen af Judas pludseligt. Byen blev ødelagt, og folket blev ført bort til Babylon. Kampen mellem Jahve og Baal sluttede med fangenskab. Fangenskab var et chok som gjorde resten af Israels folk til monoteister.		97:9.26 (1075.2) And so the end of Judah came suddenly. The city was destroyed, and the people were carried away into Babylon. The Yahweh-Baal struggle ended with the captivity. And the captivity shocked the remnant of Israel into monotheism.
97:9.27 (1075.3) I Babylon kom jøderne til den konklusion, at de ikke kunne eksistere som en lille gruppe i Palæstina, med deres egne ejendommelige sociale og økonomiske skikke, og at hvis deres ideologier skulle sejre, skulle de omvende hedningerne. Således opstod deres nye skæbne begreb - tanken om, at jøderne skulle blive Jahves udvalgte tjenere. Det Gamle Testamentes jødiske religion udviklede sig virkelig under fangenskabet i Babylon.		97:9.27 (1075.3) In Babylon the Jews arrived at the conclusion that they could not exist as a small group in Palestine, having their own peculiar social and economic customs, and that, if their ideologies were to prevail, they must convert the gentiles. Thus originated their new concept of destiny—the idea that the Jews must become the chosen servants of Yahweh. The Jewish religion of the Old Testament really evolved in Babylon during the captivity.
97:9.28 (1075.4) Læren om udødelighed tog også form i Babylon. Jøderne havde tænkt, at idéen om det fremtidige liv forringede vægten af deres evangelium om social retfærdighed. Nu erstattede teologien for første gang sociologi og økonomi. Religionen var ved at tage form som et system af menneskelig tænkning og adfærd stadig mere og mere adskilt fra politik, sociologi og økonomi.		97:9.28 (1075.4) The doctrine of immortality also took form at Babylon. The Jews had thought that the idea of the future life detracted from the emphasis of their gospel of social justice. Now for the first time theology displaced sociology and economics. Religion was taking shape as a system of human thought and conduct more and more to be separated from politics, sociology, and economics.
97:9.29 (1075.5) Således afslører sandheden om det jødiske folk, at meget af det, der er blevet anset for værende hellige historie viser sig at være lidt mere end en almindelig verdslig historiekrønike. Jødedommen var grobunden, hvorfra kristendommen voksede, men jøderne var ikke et mirakuløst folk.		97:9.29 (1075.5) And so does the truth about the Jewish people disclose that much which has been regarded as sacred history turns out to be little more than the chronicle of ordinary profane history. Judaism was the soil out of which Christianity grew, but the Jews were not a miraculous people.
10. Den hebraiske religion ^top		10. The Hebrew Religion ^top
97:10.1 (1075.6) Israelernes ledere havde lært dem, at de var et udvalgt folk, ikke på grund af nogen særlig fordel og ikke fordi de havde noget monopol på guddommelig gunst, men for den særlige opgave at bære sandheden om den ene Gud ud til enhver nation. De havde lovet jøderne, at hvis de ville opfylde dette kald, vil de blive de åndelige ledere af alle folkeslag, og at den kommende Messias ville som Fredsprins regere over dem og hele verden.		97:10.1 (1075.6) Their leaders had taught the Israelites that they were a chosen people, not for special indulgence and monopoly of divine favor, but for the special service of carrying the truth of the one God over all to every nation. And they had promised the Jews that, if they would fulfill this destiny, they would become the spiritual leaders of all peoples, and that the coming Messiah would reign over them and all the world as the Prince of Peace.
97:10.2 (1075.7) Da jøderne var blevet frigivet af perserne, vendte de tilbage til Palæstina blot for at falde i trældom til deres egne præstestyret lovsamlinger, ofringer og ritualer. Ligesom de hebræiske klaner afviste den vidunderlige historie om Gud som Moses havde præsenteret i sin afskedstale for ritualoffer og bod, så afviste også disse rester af den hebraiske nation den anden Esajas storslåede opfattelse om de love, forskrifter og ritualer for deres voksende præstedømme.		97:10.2 (1075.7) When the Jews had been freed by the Persians, they returned to Palestine only to fall into bondage to their own priest-ridden code of laws, sacrifices, and rituals. And as the Hebrew clans rejected the wonderful story of God presented in the farewell oration of Moses for the rituals of sacrifice and penance, so did these remnants of the Hebrew nation reject the magnificent concept of the second Isaiah for the rules, regulations, and rituals of their growing priesthood.
97:10.3 (1075.8) National egoisme, falsk tro på en misforstået lovede Messias, og det tiltagende slaveri og undertrykkelse af præstedømmet bragte stemmerne fra de åndelige ledere (med undtagelse af Daniel, Ezekiel, Haggai og Malakias) til evig tavshed. Fra den tid og frem til tidspunktet for Johannes Døberen oplevede hele Israel en dybere åndelig tilbagegang. Jøderne mistede dog aldrig begrebet om den Universelle Fader; helt op til det tyvende århundrede efter Kristus, har de fortsat med at følge denne guddomsopfattelse.		97:10.3 (1075.8) National egotism, false faith in a misconceived promised Messiah, and the increasing bondage and tyranny of the priesthood forever silenced the voices of the spiritual leaders (excepting Daniel, Ezekiel, Haggai, and Malachi); and from that day to the time of John the Baptist all Israel experienced an increasing spiritual retrogression. But the Jews never lost the concept of the Universal Father; even to the twentieth century after Christ they have continued to follow this Deity conception.
97:10.4 (1076.1) Fra Moses til Johannes Døberen strakte der sig en ubrudt linje af trofaste lærere, der bragte den monoteistiske fakkel af lys fra den ene generation til den anden, mens de uophørligt irettesatte skrupelløse herskere, fordømte de kommercialiserede præster, og altid formanede folket til at holde sig til tilbedelsen af det øverste Jahve, Herren, Israels Gud.		97:10.4 (1076.1) From Moses to John the Baptist there extended an unbroken line of faithful teachers who passed the monotheistic torch of light from one generation to another while they unceasingly rebuked unscrupulous rulers, denounced commercializing priests, and ever exhorted the people to adhere to the worship of the supreme Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel.
97:10.5 (1076.2) Som nation mistede jøderne efterhånden deres politiske identitet, men den hebraiske religion om en oprigtig tro på én eneste og universel Gud fortsætter med at leve i hjertet på de spredte landflygtige. Denne religion overlever, fordi den effektivt har virket for at bevare sine tilhængers højeste værdier. Den jødiske religion bevarede faktisk et folks idealer, men den lykkedes ikke at fremme fremskridt og tilskynde filosofiske kreative opdagelse i en verden af sandheden. Den jødiske religion havde mange fejl - den var mangelfuld i filosofi og næsten blottet for æstetiske kvaliteter - men den bevarede moralske værdier; og derfor overlevede den. Sammenlignet med mange andre begreber om guddom var den øverste Jahve, klar, levende, personlig og moralsk.		97:10.5 (1076.2) As a nation the Jews eventually lost their political identity, but the Hebrew religion of sincere belief in the one and universal God continues to live in the hearts of the scattered exiles. And this religion survives because it has effectively functioned to conserve the highest values of its followers. The Jewish religion did preserve the ideals of a people, but it failed to foster progress and encourage philosophic creative discovery in the realms of truth. The Jewish religion had many faults—it was deficient in philosophy and almost devoid of aesthetic qualities—but it did conserve moral values; therefore it persisted. The supreme Yahweh, as compared with other concepts of Deity, was clear-cut, vivid, personal, and moral.
97:10.6 (1076.3) Jøderne elskede retfærdighed, visdom, sandhed og retskaffenhed, som kun nogle få folk, men de bidrog mindst af alle folkeslag til den intellektuelle forståelse og til den åndelige indsigt af disse guddommelige kvaliteter. Selvom hebraisk teologi nægtede at ekspandere, spillede den en vigtig rolle i udviklingen af to andre verdensreligioner, kristendommen og muhamedanisme.		97:10.6 (1076.3) The Jews loved justice, wisdom, truth, and righteousness as have few peoples, but they contributed least of all peoples to the intellectual comprehension and to the spiritual understanding of these divine qualities. Though Hebrew theology refused to expand, it played an important part in the development of two other world religions, Christianity and Mohammedanism.
97:10.7 (1076.4) Den jødiske religion blev også bevaret på grund af dens institutioner. Det er svært for religionen at overleve som den private udøvelse af isolerede individer. Religiøse ledere har altid gjort sig skyldige i denne fejltagelse: At når de ser det onde i institutionaliseret religion, forsøger de at ødelægge de procedurer, der involverer gruppeaktiviteter. I stedet for at ødelægge alt rituelt, burde de hellere reformere dem. I denne henseende var Ezekiel klogere end sine samtidige; selvom han sluttede sig til dem i at insistere på personlig moralsk ansvar, begyndte han også at opbygge en trofast overholdelse af et højerestående og renset ritual.		97:10.7 (1076.4) The Jewish religion persisted also because of its institutions. It is difficult for religion to survive as the private practice of isolated individuals. This has ever been the error of the religious leaders: Seeing the evils of institutionalized religion, they seek to destroy the technique of group functioning. In place of destroying all ritual, they would do better to reform it. In this respect Ezekiel was wiser than his contemporaries; though he joined with them in insisting on personal moral responsibility, he also set about to establish the faithful observance of a superior and purified ritual.
97:10.8 (1076.5) Således udførte de efter hinanden følgende israelske lærere den største præstation i udviklingen af religion, der nogensinde er opnået på Urantia: den gradvise, men løbende transformation af den barbariske opfattelse af den vilde Jahvedæmon, den jaloux og grusomme åndegud fra den tordnende Sinai vulkan, til den senere ophøjede og himmelske opfattelse af den øverste Jahve, skaberen af alle ting, og hele menneskehedens kærlige og barmhjertige Fader. Dette hebraiske gudsbegreb var den højeste menneskelige visualisering af den Universelle Fader indtil dette tidspunkt, hvor det blev yderligere udvidet og så udsøgt udviklet af de personlige lærdomme og levende eksempel i hans Søn, Mikael af Nebadon.		97:10.8 (1076.5) And thus the successive teachers of Israel accomplished the greatest feat in the evolution of religion ever to be effected on Urantia: the gradual but continuous transformation of the barbaric concept of the savage demon Yahweh, the jealous and cruel spirit god of the fulminating Sinai volcano, to the later exalted and supernal concept of the supreme Yahweh, creator of all things and the loving and merciful Father of all mankind. And this Hebraic concept of God was the highest human visualization of the Universal Father up to that time when it was further enlarged and so exquisitely amplified by the personal teachings and life example of his Son, Michael of Nebadon.
97:10.9 (1076.6) [Præsenteret af en Melkisedek i Nebadon.]		97:10.9 (1076.6) [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]