| 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) Begrebet Guds personlighed, som klart blev undervist i Salem i Melkisedeks dage, var vagt og uklart på tidspunktet for flugten fra Egypten og udviklede sig kun gradvist i det hebraiske sind fra generation til generation som reaktion på de åndelige lederes undervisning. Opfattelsen af Jahves personlighed var meget mere kontinuerlig i sin gradvise udvikling, end det var tilfældet med mange andre af Guddommens egenskaber. Fra Moses til Malakias skete der en næsten uafbrudt idemæssig vækst af Guds personlighed i det hebraiske sind, og dette koncept blev til sidst forstærket 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) Det fjendtlige pres fra de omkringliggende folkeslag i Palæstina lærte snart de hebraiske sheiker, at de ikke kunne gøre sig håb om at overleve, medmindre de forenede deres stammeorganisationer i en centraliseret regering. Og denne centralisering af den administrative myndighed gav Samuel en bedre mulighed for at fungere 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 udsprang af en lang række af Salems lærere, som havde holdt fast i at bevare sandhederne om Melkisedek som en del af deres tilbedelsesformer. 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 universelle modstand, han mødte, da han begyndte at vende hele Israel tilbage til tilbedelsen af den øverste Jahve fra mosaisk tid. Og selv da havde han kun delvis succes; han vandt kun den mere intelligente halvdel af hebræerne tilbage til den højere opfattelse af Jahve; den anden halvdel fortsatte med at tilbede landets stammeguder og den lavere 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 handlekraftig mand, en praktisk reformator, som på én dag kunne gå ud med sine medarbejdere og omstyrte et utal af Baal-steder. De fremskridt, han gjorde, skete ved ren og skær tvang; han prædikede ikke meget, underviste ikke så meget, men han handlede. Den ene dag hånede han Ba’al-præsten, den næste huggede han en fanget konge i småstykker. Han troede hengivent på den ene Gud, og han havde en klar opfattelse af denne ene Gud som himlens og jordens skaber: “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) Men det store bidrag, som Samuel ydede til udviklingen af guddomsbegrebet, var hans rungende udtalelse om, at Jahve var uforanderlig, for evigt den samme legemliggørelse af ufejlbarlig perfektion og guddommelighed. I disse tider blev Jahve opfattet som en omskiftelig Gud med jaloux luner, der altid fortrød, at han havde gjort sådan og sådan; men nu, for første gang siden hebræerne drog ud af Egypten, hørte de disse opsigtsvækkende ord: “Israels styrke vil ikke lyve eller angre, for han er ikke et menneske, der skulle angre.” Stabilitet i omgangen med guddommelighed blev proklameret. Samuel gentog Melkisedeks pagt med Abraham og erklærede, at Herren, Israels Gud, var kilden til al sandhed, stabilitet og bestandighed. Hebræerne havde altid betragtet deres Gud som et menneske, et overmenneske, en ophøjet ånd af ukendt oprindelse; men nu hørte de Horebs engangsånd ophøjet som en uforanderlig Gud af skabende perfektion. Samuel hjalp det udviklende gudsbegreb med at stige til højder over menneskesindets skiftende tilstand og den dødelige eksistens’ omskiftelighed. Under hans ledelse begyndte hebræernes Gud at stige op fra en idé på niveau med stammeguderne til idealet om en almægtig og uforanderlig Skaber og Overvåger 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) Og han prædikede på ny historien om Guds oprigtighed, hans pagtsoverholdelse og pålidelighed. Samuel sagde “Herren vil ikke svigte sit folk.” “Han har indgået en evig pagt med os, en pagt, der er fast og sikker i alle ting.” Og således lød der i hele Palæstina et kald tilbage til tilbedelsen af den højeste Jahve. Denne energiske lærer proklamerede altid: “Du er stor, Herre Gud, for der er ingen som dig, og der er ingen Gud ved siden af 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 primært betragtet Jahves gunst i form af materiel velstand. Det var et stort chok for Israel og kostede næsten Samuel livet, da han vovede at proklamere: “Herren beriger og forarmer, han nedværdiger og ophøjer. Han rejser de fattige af støvet og løfter tiggerne op for at sætte dem blandt prinser, så de kan arve herlighedens trone.” Ikke siden Moses var der blevet proklameret så trøstende løfter til de ydmyge og mindre heldige, og tusinder af fortvivlede fattige begyndte at få håb 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) Men Samuel kom ikke særlig langt ud over forestillingen om en stammegud. Han proklamerede en Jahve, som havde skabt alle mennesker, men som hovedsageligt var optaget af hebræerne, hans udvalgte folk. Alligevel, som i Moses’ dage, portrætterede gudsbegrebet endnu en gang en guddom, der er hellig og retfærdig. “Der er ingen så hellig som Herren. Hvem kan sammenlignes med denne hellige Herre Gud?” | 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, udviklede den gamle leder sig i sin forståelse af Gud, for han erklærede: “Herren er en kundskabens Gud, og handlinger vejes af ham. Herren vil dømme jordens ender og vise barmhjertighed mod de barmhjertige, og mod den oprigtige, vil han også være oprigtig.” Allerede her begynder barmhjertigheden, selv om den er begrænset til dem, der er barmhjertige. Senere gik han et skridt videre, da han i deres modgang formanede sit folk: “Lad os nu falde i Herrens hænder, for hans barmhjertighed er stor.” “Der er ingen begrænsning for Herren til at frelse 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 stadig bevægelse tilbage mod anerkendelse af andre guder, på trods af at man fastholdt, at Jahve var over alt. “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 kongeriger. I begge disse politiske splittelser forsøgte mange sandhedslærere at dæmme op for den reaktionære bølge af åndeligt forfald, der havde sat ind, og som fortsatte katastrofalt efter adskillelseskrigen. Men disse bestræbelser på at fremme den hebraiske religion blomstrede ikke, før den beslutsomme og frygtløse kriger for retfærdighed, Elias, begyndte sin undervisning. Elias genskabte i det nordlige kongerige en opfattelse af Gud, som kunne sammenlignes med den, man havde på Samuels tid. Elias havde ikke mange muligheder for at præsentere et avanceret gudsbegreb; han havde travlt, som Samuel havde haft før ham, med at omstyrte Baals altre og ødelægge de falske guders afguder. Og han gennemførte sine reformer på trods af modstanden fra en afgudsdyrkende monark; hans opgave var endnu mere gigantisk og vanskelig end den, Samuel havde stået over 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 Mikaja, sandhedens lys i live 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) Men det var ikke en tid med fremskridt i opfattelsen af Guddommen. Endnu havde hebræerne ikke engang nået det mosaiske ideal. Elias’ og Elisas æra sluttede med, at de bedre klasser vendte tilbage til tilbedelsen af den højeste Jahve og var vidne til, at ideen om den universelle Skaber blev genoprettet omtrent der, hvor Samuel havde efterladt den. | 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) Den langvarige kontrovers mellem de troende på Jahve og tilhængerne af Baal var et 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 var forskellige i deres holdning til privat ejendomsret til jord. De sydlige eller omvandrende arabiske stammer (jahwehitterne) betragtede jord som umistelig—som en gave fra Guddommen til klanen. De mente ikke, at jord kunne sælges eller pantsættes. “Jahve talte og sagde: ‘Landet må ikke sælges, for landet er mit.’” | 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 fastboende kanaanæere (baalitterne) købte, solgte og pantsatte frit deres jord. Ordet Baal betyder ejer. Ba’al-kulten var baseret på to vigtige doktriner: For det første, valideringen af ejendomsudveksling, kontrakter og pagter—retten til at købe og sælge jord. For det andet skulle Baal sende regn—han var en gud for jordens frugtbarhed. Gode afgrøder var afhængige af Baals gunst. Kulten handlede i høj grad om jord, 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 baalitterne huse, jord og slaver. De var de aristokratiske godsejere og boede i byerne. Hver baal havde et helligt sted, et præsteskab og de “hellige kvinder,” de rituelle prostituerede. | 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 med Jahves triumf og den efterfølgende bevægelse 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 Yahweh-Baal-kontroversen fra landspørgsmålet til det religiøse aspekt af hebraiske og kanaanæiske ideologier. Da Akab myrdede naboterne i en intrige om at få deres land i sin besiddelse, gjorde Elias et moralsk spørgsmål ud af de gamle skikke i landet og lancerede sin energiske kampagne mod baalitterne. Dette var også en kamp for landbefolkningen mod byernes dominans. Det var hovedsageligt under Elias, at Jahve blev Elohim. Profeten begyndte som en landbrugsreformator og endte med at ophøje Guddommen. Baalguderne var mange, Jahve var en—monoteismen vandt over polyteismen. | 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 fra stammeguden—den gud, der så længe var blevet tjent med ofre og ceremonier, de tidligere hebræeres Jahve—til en Gud, der ville straffe kriminalitet og umoral blandt selv sit eget folk, blev taget af Amos, der dukkede op fra de sydlige bjerge for at fordømme de nordlige stammers kriminalitet, drukkenskab, undertrykkelse og umoral. Ikke siden Moses’ tid var der blevet proklameret så klare sandheder 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 genopretter eller reformator; han var en opdager af nye gudsopfattelser. Han forkyndte meget om Gud, som var blevet forkyndt af hans forgængere, og angreb modigt troen på et guddommeligt væsen, som ville tolerere synd blandt sit såkaldt udvalgte folk. For første gang siden Melkisedeks dage hørte menneskene fordømmelsen af den dobbelte standard for national retfærdighed og moral. For første gang i deres historie hørte hebræerne, at deres egen Gud, Jahve, ikke ville tolerere mere kriminalitet og synd i deres liv, end han ville blandt noget andet folk. Amos så for sig Samuels og Elias’ strenge og retfærdige Gud, men han så også en Gud, der ikke tænkte anderledes om hebræerne end om andre nationer, når det gjaldt straf for forseelser. Dette var et direkte angreb på den egoistiske doktrin om det “udvalgte folk”, og mange hebræere på den tid tog det meget ilde op. | 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: “Han, som dannede bjergene og skabte vinden, søg ham, som dannede de syv stjerner og Orion, som forvandler dødens skygge til morgen og gør dagen mørk som natten.” Og da han fordømte sine halvreligiøse, tidskrævende og til tider umoralske medmennesker, forsøgte han at skildre en uforanderlig Jahves ubønhørlige retfærdighed, da han sagde om de onde: “Om de så graver sig ned i helvede, skal jeg tage dem derfra; om de så klatrer op til himlen, skal jeg føre dem ned derfra.” “Og selv om de går i fangenskab for deres fjender, der vil jeg rette retfærdighedens sværd hen, og det skal slå dem ihjel.” Amos forskrækkede yderligere sine tilhørere, da han med en bebrejdende og anklagende finger pegede på dem og erklærede i Jahves navn: “Jeg vil aldrig glemme nogen af jeres gerninger.” “Og jeg vil sigte Israels hus blandt alle nationer, som hvede bliver 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 “alle nationers Gud” og advarede israelitterne om, at ritualer ikke måtte træde i stedet for retfærdighed. Og før denne modige lærer blev stenet til døde, havde han spredt nok surdej af sandhed til at redde doktrinen om den højeste Jahve; han havde sikret den videre udvikling af Melkisedek-åbenbaringen. | 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 doktrin om en universel retfærdighedsgud ved at genoplive det mosaiske koncept om en kærlighedsgud. Hoseas prædikede tilgivelse gennem omvendelse, ikke ved ofring. Han proklamerede et evangelium om kærlig godhed og guddommelig barmhjertighed og sagde: “Jeg vil trolove dig med mig for evigt; ja, jeg vil trolove dig med mig i retfærdighed og dom og i næstekærlighed og barmhjertighed. Jeg vil endda trolove dig med mig i trofasthed.” “Jeg vil elske dem frit, for min vrede er vendt bort.” | 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 Amos’ moralske advarsler og sagde om Gud: “Det er mit ønske, at jeg tugter dem.” Men israelitterne betragtede det som grusomhed grænsende til forræderi, da han sagde: “Jeg vil sige til dem, der ikke var mit folk: ‘I 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 bort.” Hoseas forkyndte altid håb og tilgivelse. Byrden i hans budskab var altid: “Jeg vil forbarme mig over mit folk. De skal ikke kende nogen anden Gud end mig, for der er ingen frelser ved siden af 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 fik hebræernes nationale samvittighed til at erkende, at Jahve ikke ville tolerere forbrydelse og synd blandt dem, fordi de angiveligt var det udvalgte folk, mens Hoseas slog de første toner an i de senere barmhjertige akkorder af guddommelig medfølelse og kærlig godhed, som blev 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 dengang, nogle proklamerede trusler om straf for personlige synder og nationale forbrydelser blandt de nordlige klaner, mens andre forudsagde ulykke som gengældelse for det sydlige riges overtrædelser. Det var i kølvandet på denne opvågning af samvittighed og bevidsthed hos de hebraiske nationer, at den første Esajas dukkede op. | 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 fortsatte med at forkynde Guds evige natur, hans uendelige visdom, hans uforanderlige perfektion af pålidelighed. Han repræsenterede Israels Gud ved at sige: “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) Denne profet talte til de frygtindgydende og sjælshungrende hebræere og sagde: “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 forløste 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 præstestyrede ritualer og angreb frygtløst hele offersystemet. | 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 “de herskere, der dømmer for belønning og præsterne, der underviste for betaling, og profeterne, der spåede for penge.” Han underviste om en da med frihed fra overtro og præsteskab og sagde: “Enhver skal sidde under sin egen vinstok, og ingen skal forskrække ham, for alle mennesker vil leve, hver især efter sin 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) Hele tiden var byrden i Mika’s 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?” Og det var en stor tid; det var i sandhed bevægende tider, da dødelige mennesker hørte, og nogle endda troede på, sådanne frigørende budskaber for mere end to et halvt årtusinde siden. Og havde det ikke været for præsternes stædige modstand, ville disse lærere have omstyrtet hele det blodige ceremoniel i det hebraiske tilbedelsesritual. | 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) Mens flere lærere fortsatte med at udlægge Esajas’ evangelium, var det op til Jeremias 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’ lære var crescendoet i den stigende bølge af internationalisering af Israels Gud; endelig og for evigt proklamerede denne frygtløse prædikant, at Jahve var alle nationers Gud, og at der ikke var nogen Osiris for egypterne, Bel for babylonierne, Ashur for assyrerne eller Dagon for filistrene. Og således fik hebræernes religion del i monoteismens renæssance i hele verden omkring og efter denne tid; endelig var begrebet Jahve steget til et guddomsniveau af planetarisk og endda kosmisk værdighed. Men mange af Jeremias’ medarbejdere fandt det svært at forestille sig Jahve adskilt 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 om den retfærdige og kærlige Gud, som Esajas beskrev, og erklærede: “Ja, jeg har elsket dig med en evig kærlighed; derfor har jeg draget dig med miskundhed.” “For han plager ikke menneskenes børn frivilligt.” | 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) Ødelæggelsen af den hebraiske nation og deres fangenskab i Mesopotamien ville have været til stor gavn for deres ekspanderende teologi, hvis det ikke havde været for deres præsteskabs beslutsomme handling. Deres nation var faldet for Babylons hære, og deres nationalistiske jahve havde lidt under de åndelige lederes internationale forkyndelser. Det var harmen over tabet af deres nationale gud, der fik de jødiske præster til at gå så langt i opfindelsen af fabler og mangfoldiggørelsen af mirakuløse begivenheder i den hebraiske historie i et forsøg på at genoprette jøderne som det udvalgte folk for selv den nye og udvidede idé 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 fangenskabet blev jøderne meget påvirket af babyloniske traditioner og legender, selvom det skal bemærkes, at de altid forbedrede den moralske tone og åndelige betydning af de kaldæiske historier, som de overtog, på trods af at de altid fordrejede disse legender for at reflektere ære og hæder over Israels forfædre 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 hovedet, og det var rehabiliteringen af den jødiske nation, forherligelsen af hebraiske traditioner og ophøjelsen af deres racehistorie. Hvis der er harme over, at disse præster har fastholdt deres fejlagtige ideer i så stor en del af den vestlige verden, bør man huske på, at de ikke gjorde det med vilje; de påstod ikke, at de skrev ved inspiration; de gjorde ikke en profession af at skrive en hellig bog. De forberedte blot en lærebog, der skulle styrke det svindende mod hos deres medmennesker i fangenskab. Deres mål var helt klart at forbedre deres landsmænds nationale ånd og moral. Det var op til senere tiders mennesker at samle disse og andre skrifter til en guidebog med angiveligt ufejlbarlige læresætninger. | 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) Det jødiske præsteskab gjorde flittigt brug af disse skrifter efter fangenskabet, men de blev i høj grad hindret i deres indflydelse på deres medfanger af tilstedeværelsen af en ung og ukuelig profet, Esajas den Anden, som var en fuldkommen konvertit til den ældre Esajas’ Gud af retfærdighed, kærlighed, retskaffenhed og barmhjertighed. Sammen med Jeremias troede han også på, at Jahve var blevet alle nationers Gud. Han prædikede disse teorier om Guds natur med så overbevisende effekt, at han fik både jøderne og deres fangevogtere til at omvende sig. Og denne unge prædikant efterlod sine lærdomme, som de fjendtlige og uforsonlige præster forsøgte at skille fra enhver forbindelse med ham, selvom ren respekt for deres skønhed og storhed førte til, at de blev indarbejdet i den tidligere Esajas’ skrifter. Og således kan man finde denne anden Esajas’ skrifter i bogen af samme navn, der omfatter kapitlerne fyrre til femoghalvtreds inklusive. | 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 forløst dig, jeg har kaldt dig ved dit navn; du er min’” “Når du passerer gennem vandet, vil jeg være med dig, da du er dyrebar 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 bære dem i sit bryst. Han giver kraft til de svage, og til dem, der ingen kraft har, øger han styrken. De, der venter på Herren, skal få nye kræfter; de skal stige op med vinger som ørne; de skal løbe og ikke blive trætte; de skal gå og ikke svækkes.” | 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 Mikaels ankomst til 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 meget nært beslægtet med Gud, og sagde: “Enhver, der kaldes ved mit navn, har jeg skabt til min ære, og de skal vise min lovprisning. Det er mig, der udsletter deres overtrædelser for min egen skyld, og jeg vil 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 nedbryde forestillingen om en national Gud, mens han i herlighed proklamerer den universelle Faders guddommelighed, om hvem han siger: “Himlen er min trone, og jorden er min fodskammel.” Og Esajas’ Gud var ikke desto mindre hellig, majestætisk, retfærdig og uudgrundelig. Forestillingen om ørkenbeduinernes vrede, hævngerrige og jaloux Jahve er næsten forsvundet. Et nyt begreb om den højeste og universelle Jahve er dukket op i det dødelige menneskes sind for aldrig at blive tabt af syne. Erkendelsen af guddommelig retfærdighed har påbegyndt ødelæggelsen af primitiv magi og biologisk frygt. Endelig er mennesket blevet introduceret til et univers med lov og orden og til en universel Gud med pålidelige og 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 på det høje og hellige sted, men også med den, som er angerfuld og har en ydmyg ånd.” Og endnu flere trøstende ord talte denne store lærer til sine samtidige: “Og Herren vil lede dig til stadighed og mætte din sjæl. Du skal være som en vandet have og som en kilde, hvis vand ikke svigter. Og hvis fjenden kommer ind som en flodbølge, vil Herrens ånd rejse et forsvar mod ham.” Og endnu engang skinnede Melkisedeks frygtnedbrydende 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 overskyggede effektivt den nationalistiske Jahve med sin sublime skildring af majestæten og den universelle almagt hos den højeste Jahve, kærlighedens Gud, universets hersker og hele menneskehedens kærlige Fader. Lige siden disse begivenhedsrige dage har det højeste gudsbegreb i Vesten omfavnet universel retfærdighed, guddommelig barmhjertighed og evig retskaffenhed. I et suverænt sprog og med uforlignelig ynde portrætterede 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 fra fangenskabet prædikede for sit folk og for dem fra mange nationer, mens de lyttede ved floden i Babylon. Og denne anden Esajas gjorde meget for at modvirke de mange forkerte og racemæssigt egoistiske opfattelser af den lovede Messias’ mission. Men i denne bestræbelse havde han ikke fuld succes. Hvis præsterne ikke havde helliget sig arbejdet med at opbygge en misforstået nationalisme, ville de to Esajas’ lære have banet vejen for anerkendelsen og modtagelsen 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 over hebræernes erfaringer som hellig historie og transaktionerne i resten af verden som profan historie er ansvarlig for meget af den forvirring, der findes i det menneskelige sind, når det gælder fortolkningen af historien. Og denne vanskelighed opstår, fordi der ikke findes nogen verdslig historie om jøderne. Efter at præsterne i det babyloniske eksil havde forberedt deres nye optegnelse over Guds angiveligt mirakuløse omgang med hebræerne, Israels hellige historie, som den er beskrevet i Det Gamle Testamente, ødelagde de omhyggeligt og fuldstændigt de eksisterende optegnelser over hebraiske anliggender—sådanne bøger som “Israels kongers gerninger” og “Judas kongers gerninger” sammen med adskillige andre mere eller mindre nøjagtige optegnelser over hebraisk 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 den sekulære histories ødelæggende pres og uundgåelige tvang terroriserede de tilfangetagne og fremmedstyrede jøder i en sådan grad, at de forsøgte en fuldstændig omskrivning og omformning af deres historie, bør vi kort gennemgå deres forvirrende nationale erfaringer. Man må huske på, at jøderne ikke formåede at udvikle en passende ikke-teologisk livsfilosofi. De kæmpede med deres oprindelige og egyptiske opfattelse af guddommelige belønninger for retfærdighed kombineret med frygtelige straffe for synd. Dramaet om Job var en slags 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) Men fem hundrede år under fremmede herskeres overherredømme var for meget for selv de tålmodige og langmodige jøder. Profeterne og præsterne begyndte at råbe: “Hvor længe, o Herre, hvor længe?” Da den ærlige jøde søgte i skrifterne, blev hans forvirring endnu større. En gammel seer lovede, at Gud ville beskytte og udfri sit “udvalgte folk.” Amos havde truet med, at Gud ville forlade Israel, medmindre de genindførte deres standarder for national retfærdighed. Den skriftlærde i Femte Mosebog havde skildret det Store Valg—som mellem det gode og det onde, velsignelsen og forbandelsen. Esajas den første havde forkyndt en velgørende konge og frelser. Jeremias havde proklameret en æra med indre retfærdighed—pagten skrevet på hjertets tavler. Den anden Esajas talte om frelse ved ofring og forløsning. Ezekiel proklamerede udfrielse gennem hengivenhed, og Ezra lovede velstand ved at overholde loven. Men på trods af alt dette blev de hængende i trældom, og udfrielsen blev udskudt. Så præsenterede Daniel dramaet om den forestående “krise”—nedslagtningen af det store billede og den øjeblikkelige etablering af retfærdighedens evige herredømme, 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 racebetonet 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—inkarneret 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 moderne religioner har begået en alvorlig fejl i forsøget på at give visse epoker i menneskets historie en mirakuløs fortolkning. 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. Det faktum, at “de Højeste hersker i menneskenes riger,” forvandler ikke verdslig historie til 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) Forfattere til Det Nye Testamente og senere kristne forfattere komplicerede yderligere forvrængningen af den hebraiske historie ved deres velmenende forsøg på at transcendentalisere de jødiske profeter. Således er hebraisk historie blevet katastrofalt udnyttet af både jødiske og kristne forfattere. Den verdslige hebraiske historie er blevet grundigt dogmatiseret. Den er blevet omdannet til en fiktion af hellig historie og er blevet uløseligt forbundet med de såkaldte kristne nationers moralske begreber og religiøse lære. | 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 opremsning af højdepunkterne i hebræernes historie vil illustrere, hvordan de jødiske præster i Babylon ændrede optegnelsernes fakta, så deres folks verdslige hverdagshistorie blev forvandlet 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 stammer blandt israelitterne—kun tre eller fire stammer bosatte sig i Palæstina. Den hebraiske nation blev til som et resultat af foreningen af de såkaldte israelitter og kanaanæerne. “Og Israels børn boede blandt kanaanæerne. Og de tog deres døtre til hustruer og gav deres døtre til kana’anæernes sønner.” Hebræerne drev aldrig kanaanæerne ud af Palæstina, selv om præsternes optegnelser om disse ting uden tøven erklærede, at de gjorde det. | 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 opstod i bjerglandet Efraim; den senere jødiske bevidsthed opstod i den sydlige klan Juda. Jøderne (“judæerne”) forsøgte altid at tilsmudse og sværte de nordlige israelitter (“efraimitterne”) til. | 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 prætentiøse hebraiske historie begynder med, at Saul samler de nordlige klaner for at modstå et angreb fra ammonitterne på deres stammefæller—gileaditterne—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. Da de eksilerede præster omskrev denne historie, hævede de Sauls hær til 330.000 og tilføjede “Juda” til listen over stammer, der deltog i slaget. | 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 ammonitternes nederlag blev Saul gjort til konge ved et folkevalg blandt sine tropper. Ingen præst eller profet deltog i denne affære. Men præsterne skrev senere i protokollen, at Saul blev kronet til konge af profeten Samuel i overensstemmelse med guddommelige anvisninger. Det gjorde de for at etablere en “guddommelig afstamningslinje” for Davids judæiske 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 Yahweh) blev filistrene bange og begyndte at angribe de nordlige klaner. David og Saul kunne aldrig blive enige. David og seks hundrede mand indgik en alliance med filistrene og marcherede op langs kysten til Esdraelon. Ved Gat beordrede filistrene David væk fra slagmarken; de frygtede, at han ville gå over til Saul. David trak sig tilbage, filistrene angreb og besejrede Saul. Det kunne de ikke have gjort, hvis David havde været loyal over for Israel. Davids hær var en broget blanding af utilfredse, der for det meste bestod af socialt utilpassede og flygtninge fra retsvæsenet. | 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 til filistrene ved Gilboa bragte Jahve til et lavpunkt blandt guderne i de omkringliggende kanaanæeres øjne. Normalt ville Sauls nederlag være blevet tilskrevet frafald fra Jahve, men denne gang tilskrev de judaistiske redaktører, at det skyldtes rituelle fejl. De behøvede Sauls og Samuels tradition 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 og hans lille hær havde hovedkvarter i den ikke-hebræiske by Hebron. Her udråbte hans landsmænd ham til konge over det nye kongerige Juda. Juda bestod for det meste af ikke-hebræiske elementer—kenitter, kalebitter, jebusitter og andre kanaanæere. De var nomader—hyrder—og var derfor hengivne over for den hebraiske idé om jordejerskab. De havde samme ideologi som ørkenklanerne. | 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 profan historie illustreres godt af de to forskellige historier om at gøre David til konge, som de findes i Det Gamle Testamente. En del af den verdslige historie om, hvordan hans nærmeste tilhængere (hans hær) gjorde ham til konge, blev utilsigtet efterladt i optegnelserne af præsterne, som efterfølgende udarbejdede den lange og prosaiske beretning om den hellige historie, hvori det beskrives, hvordan profeten Samuel efter guddommelig anvisning udvalgte David blandt sine brødre og formelt og ved udførlige og højtidelige ceremonier salvede ham til konge over hebræerne og derefter udråbte ham til 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 opbygge sig selv politisk ved først at gifte sig med Sauls datter, derefter enken efter Nabal, den rige edomit, og så datteren af Talmai, kongen af Geshur. Han tog seks koner fra Jebus’ kvinder, for ikke at nævne Batseba, hetittens kone. | 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) Og det var med sådanne metoder og ud fra sådanne mennesker, at David opbyggede fiktionen om et guddommeligt kongerige i Juda som efterfølgeren til arven og traditionerne fra det forsvindende nordlige kongerige i det efraimitiske Israel. Davids kosmopolitiske Juda-stamme var mere ikke-jødisk end jødisk; ikke desto mindre kom de undertrykte ældste fra Efraim ned og “salvede ham til konge over Israel.” Efter en militær trussel indgik David en pagt med jebusitterne og etablerede sit forenede riges hovedstad i Jebus (Jerusalem), som var en by med stærke mure midtvejs mellem Juda og Israel. Filistrene blev oprørte og angreb snart David. Efter et voldsomt slag blev de besejret, og endnu en gang 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 de kanaanæiske guder, for størstedelen af Davids hær var ikke-hebraisk. Og så dukker der denne afslørende udtalelse op i jeres optegnelse (overset af de judaistiske redaktører): “Jahve har knust mine fjender foran mig. Derfor kaldte han stedet Baal-Perazim.” Og det gjorde de, fordi firs procent af Davids soldater var baalitter. | 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 kanaanæisk by, Gibeon, hvis folk havde en fredsaftale med efraimitterne. På grund af dette havde Jahve forladt ham. Selv på Sauls tid havde David forsvaret den kanaanæiske by Keilah mod filistrene, og derefter lagde han sin hovedstad i en kanaanæisk by. I overensstemmelse med kompromispolitikken med kanaanæerne overgav David syv af Sauls efterkommere til gibeonitterne, så de kunne 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 filistrenes nederlag kom David i besiddelse af “Jahves ark,” bragte den til Jerusalem og gjorde tilbedelsen af Jahve officiel i sit rige. Dernæst lagde han store afgifter på nabostammerne—edomitterne, moabitterne, ammonitterne og syrerne. | 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 appelsager blev afgjort i Jerusalem; “de ældste” kunne ikke længere udmåle retfærdighed. Intet under at oprøret brød ud. I dag ville 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 Salomo den politiske maskine for al indflydelse fra nord, men fortsatte al tyranniet og beskatningen fra sin fars regime. Salomo ruinerede nationen med sit overdådige hof og sit omfattende byggeprogram: Der var Libanons hus, Faraos datters palads, Jahves tempel, kongens palads og restaureringen af murene i mange byer. Salomo skabte en stor hebraisk flåde, der blev drevet af syriske sømænd og handlede med hele verden. Hans harem talte næsten tusind kvinder. | 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 var Jahves tempel i Shiloh kommet i miskredit, og hele nationens tilbedelse var centreret på Jebus i det smukke kongelige kapel. Det nordlige rige vendte mere tilbage til tilbedelsen af Elohim. De nød godt af faraonernes gunst, som senere gjorde Juda til slaver, og satte det sydlige kongerige under told. | 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) Der var op- og nedture—krige mellem Israel og Juda. Efter fire års borgerkrig og tre dynastier blev Israel styret af bydespoter, som begyndte at handle med jord. Selv kong Omri forsøgte at købe Shemers ejendom. Men enden nærmede sig med hastige skridt, da Shalmaneser III besluttede sig for at kontrollere Middelhavskysten. Kong Ahab af Efraim samlede ti andre grupper og gjorde modstand ved Karkar; slaget endte uafgjort. Assyreren blev stoppet, men de allierede blev decimeret. 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 opstod, da kong Akab forsøgte at købe jord af Nabot. Hans fønikiske kone forfalskede Ahabs navn på papirer, der beordrede Nabots jord konfiskeret med den begrundelse, at han havde spottet “Elohims og kongens navne.” Han og hans sønner blev straks henrettet. Den handlekraftige Elias dukkede op på scenen og fordømte Akab for mordet på Nabot. Således begyndte Elias, en af de største profeter, sin undervisning som en forsvarer af de gamle jordskikke over for Ba’alernes salg af jord, over for byernes forsøg på at dominere landet. Men reformen lykkedes ikke, før godsejeren Jehu slog sig sammen med sigøjnerhøvdingen Jehonadab for at tilintetgøre Baals profeter (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) Nyt liv dukkede op, da Joash og hans søn Jeroboam befriede Israel fra dets fjender. Men på dette tidspunkt herskede der i Samaria en gangsteradel, hvis plyndringer kunne måle sig med det davidiske dynastis i gamle dage. Stat og kirke gik hånd i hånd. Forsøget på at undertrykke ytringsfriheden fik Elias, Amos og Hosea til at begynde deres hemmelige skriverier, og det var den egentlige begyndelse på 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) Men det nordlige kongerige forsvandt ikke ud af historien, før Israels konge konspirerede med Egyptens konge og nægtede at betale yderligere tribut til Assyrien. Så begyndte den tre år lange belejring efterfulgt af den totale spredning af det nordlige kongerige. Efraim (Israel) forsvandt således. Juda—jøderne, “resten af Israel”—havde påbegyndt koncentrationen af land i hænderne på nogle få, som Esajas sagde: “De lagde hus til hus og mark til mark.” I Jerusalem var der nu et Ba’al-tempel ved siden af Jahves tempel. Dette rædselsregime blev afsluttet af et monoteistisk oprør ledet af drengekongen Joash, som førte korstog for Jahve i femogtredive år. | 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, Amaziah, havde problemer med de oprørske skattebetalende edomitter og deres naboer. Efter en stor sejr vendte han sig mod sine nordlige naboer og led et lige så stort nederlag. Så gjorde landbefolkningen oprør; de myrdede kongen og satte hans sekstenårige søn på tronen. Det var Azarja, som Esajas kaldte Uzzija. Efter Uzzija gik det fra slemt til værre, og Juda overlevede i hundrede år ved at betale tribut til kongerne af Assyrien. Esajas den første fortalte dem, at Jerusalem, som var 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) Judas virkelige undergang blev forårsaget af en korrupt og rig kreds af politikere, der opererede under en drengekonge, Manasse. Den ændrede økonomi gjorde det lettere at vende tilbage til dyrkelsen af Baal, hvis private jordhandler var i strid med Jahves ideologi. Assyriens fald og Egyptens opstigning bragte en befrielse til Juda for en tid, og landbefolkningen tog over. Under Josias ødelagde de Jerusalems ring af korrupte politikere. | 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) Da Nebukadnezar væltede Necho, kom Juda under Babylons herredømme og fik ti års nåde, men gjorde snart oprør. Da Nebukadnezar kom imod dem, begyndte judæerne at lave sociale reformer, såsom at frigive slaver, for at påvirke Jahve. Da den babylonske hær midlertidigt trak sig tilbage, glædede hebræerne sig over, at deres magiske reformer havde udfriet dem. Det var i denne periode, at Jeremias fortalte dem om den forestående undergang, og i det samme vendte Nebukadnezar 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) Og så kom enden for Juda pludseligt. Byen blev ødelagt, og folket blev ført bort til Babylon. Kampen mellem Jahve og Ba’al sluttede med fangenskabet. Og fangenskabet chokerede resterne af Israel til monoteisme. | 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 nåede jøderne frem til den konklusion, at de ikke kunne eksistere som en lille gruppe i Palæstina med deres egne særegne sociale og økonomiske skikke, og at de, hvis deres ideologier skulle sejre, måtte omvende ikke-jøderne. Således opstod deres nye skæbnebegreb—ideen om, at jøderne skulle blive Jahves udvalgte tjenere. Den jødiske religion i Det Gamle Testamente udviklede sig virkelig i Babylon under fangenskabet. | 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 ment, at ideen om et fremtidigt liv var en forringelse af deres evangelium om social retfærdighed. Nu fortrængte teologien for første gang sociologi og økonomi. Religion var ved at tage form som et system for menneskelig tankegang og adfærd, der mere og mere skulle adskilles 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) Og sådan afslører sandheden om det jødiske folk, at meget af det, der er blevet betragtet som hellig historie, viser sig at være lidt mere end en krønike om almindelig profan historie. Jødedommen var den jord, som kristendommen voksede ud af, 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) Deres ledere havde lært israelitterne, at de var et udvalgt folk, ikke til særlig eftergivenhed og monopol på guddommelig gunst, men til den særlige tjeneste at bære sandheden om den ene Gud over alle til alle nationer. Og de havde lovet jøderne, at hvis de ville opfylde denne skæbne, ville de blive de åndelige ledere for alle folkeslag, og at den kommende Messias ville herske over dem og hele verden som Prinsen af Fred. | 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 befriet af perserne, vendte de tilbage til Palæstina, men kun for at blive slaver af deres egne præstestyrede love, ofre og ritualer. Og ligesom de hebræiske klaner forkastede den vidunderlige historie om Gud, der blev præsenteret i Moses’ afskedstale, til fordel for offer- og bodsritualer, så forkastede disse rester af den hebræiske nation den anden Esajas’ storslåede koncept til fordel for deres voksende præsteskabs regler, forskrifter og ritualer. | 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 lovet Messias og præsteskabets stigende trældom og tyranni bragte for evigt de åndelige lederes stemmer til tavshed (med undtagelse af Daniel, Ezekiel, Haggai og Malakias), og fra den dag og frem til Johannes Døberens tid oplevede hele Israel et stigende åndeligt tilbageskridt. Men jøderne mistede aldrig forestillingen om den universelle Fader; selv i det tyvende århundrede efter Kristus er 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 gik der en ubrudt linje af trofaste lærere, som videregav den monoteistiske fakkel fra generation til generation, mens de uophørligt irettesatte skruppelløse herskere, fordømte kommercialiserende præster og altid formanede folket til at holde fast i tilbedelsen af den højeste 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 til sidst deres politiske identitet, men den hebraiske religion med oprigtig tro på den ene og universelle Gud lever fortsat i hjerterne på de spredte landflygtige. Og denne religion overlever, fordi den effektivt har fungeret til at bevare de højeste værdier hos sine tilhængere. Den jødiske religion bevarede et folks idealer, men den formåede ikke at skabe fremskridt og opmuntre til filosofisk kreativ opdagelse 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 bestod den. Den højeste Jahve var, sammenlignet med andre guddomsbegreber, 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 få folkeslag, men de bidrog mindst af alle folkeslag til den intellektuelle forståelse og til den åndelige forståelse af disse guddommelige kvaliteter. Selvom den hebraiske teologi nægtede at ekspandere, spillede den en vigtig rolle i udviklingen af to andre verdensreligioner, kristendommen og muhamedanismen. | 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 overlevede også på grund af dens institutioner. Det er svært for religion at overleve som en privat praksis for isolerede individer. Det har altid været de religiøse lederes fejl: Når de ser det onde i institutionaliseret religion, forsøger de at ødelægge teknikken til at fungere i grupper. I stedet for at ødelægge alle ritualer, ville de gøre bedre i at reformere dem. I denne henseende var Ezekiel klogere end sine samtidige; selvom han sammen med dem insisterede på personligt moralsk ansvar, gik han også i gang med at etablere en trofast overholdelse af et overlegent 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) Og således udførte Israels successive lærere den største bedrift i religionens evolution, der nogensinde er blevet udført på Urantia: den gradvise, men kontinuerlige forvandling af det barbariske begreb om den vilde dæmon Jahve, den jaloux og grusomme åndegud fra den eksploderende Sinai-vulkan, til det senere ophøjede og himmelske begreb om den højeste Jahve, skaberen af alle ting og hele menneskehedens kærlige og barmhjertige Fader. Og dette hebraiske gudsbegreb var den højeste menneskelige visualisering af den universelle Fader indtil det tidspunkt, hvor det blev yderligere udvidet og så udsøgt forstærket af hans Søns, Mikael af Nebadons, personlige lære og livseksempel. | 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 fra Nebadon.] | 97:10.9 (1076.6) [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.] |