Sep 26, 2011
Posted on Sep 26, 2011 in Archaeology, Dead Sea Scrolls | 1 comment
Today, Google and the Israeli Antiquities Authority / Israel Museum officially launched the Digital Dead Sea Scrolls site. This is a watershed in DSS studies. By making these hi-res (If you’re thinking like 20-50 megapixels, think again. Try a whopping 1200 megapixels. Whoa…!) multi-spectrum images freely available to the public online for the first time ever.
With the launch of this site I believe that DSS studies will take off like a parabola curve. This site is making available to both scholars and laymen alike what has previously never been accessible to more then a select few specialists. It’s been over 60 years since their discovery and they are finally making their way to the public arena. I’m sure Hershel Shanks is dancing a jig right about now.
Right now they are offering 5 of the most important (and complete) scrolls, but I’m sure more will follow. Currently available is: The Great Isaiah Scroll, the War Scroll, The Temple Scroll, The Commentary on Habakkuk Scroll and the Community Rule Scroll. They even have English translations of the text as you scroll over the different sections. You can zoom in incredibly close and see the fine details of the text and the scroll. It is quite impressive. Be sure to check it out!
Sep 9, 2011
Posted on Sep 9, 2011 in Personal, Site Changes | 4 comments
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had various problems with my site. It started with Google blacklisted my site because of malware coming from another site on the same server. It eventually ended up infecting my site, and causing my site traffic to drop to the level of non-existent while I was trying to figure out how to track down and fix the infected files (see the screenshot above).
This morning, I sent out a tweet that I was having trouble, and within a minute or two, my friend Cotton Rohrscheib replied and sent me a link to a site that would scan my site and tell me exactly which files were infected so that I could deal with them. (Up to this point I had used several other sites to scan mine, all of them giving me a clean bill of health.) I was able to get things fixed within a matter of minutes.
Thank you, Cotton for your help! And for all of my visitors, please accept my apologies for the scare you’ve been getting while trying to access my site. I’ll try to keep this from happening in the future.
Many blessings to you all, and may you have a wonderful, peace-filled Sabbath!
Aug 12, 2011
Posted on Aug 12, 2011 in Downloads, Miscellaneous, Yeshua | 2 comments
Yes, I have another wallpaper image for the iPhone for download. This one is great for your Login page. My description is as follows:
This wallpaper for your iPhone contains three spikes, a crown of thorns, and the name “Yeshua” (Jesus) written in a beautiful script as well as in Hebrew, contrasting the earth-tone, harsh elements in the background.
Be sure to tweet this page or post it to Facebook for others to enjoy. Blessings! And if you like this, you might want to check out my previously posted Torah themed wallpaper for the iPhone.
Download: Yeshua iPhone Wallpaper (1.2MB)
Aug 8, 2011
Posted on Aug 8, 2011 in Downloads, Technology | 0 comments
So… I finally broke down & got an iPhone (3GS) the other day and entered the world of smart phones. But when I did, the wallpaper I had created for my previous phone no longer fit correctly on my new phone. So, I whipped out another version… an iPhone version.
This image is 640×960 px and will look good for both the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4. The resolution for the iPhone 3GS is actually half the resolution of the iPhone 4, but at the same proportions. That’s why I went ahead & bumped it up to the iPhone 4 resolution (forward thinking).
If you’re an iPhone user, feel free to download this free Torah-themed wallpaper. I hope you enjoy it!
Download: Torah themed iPhone Wallpaper (756KB)
Jul 25, 2011
Posted on Jul 25, 2011 in Apostolic Writings, Miscellaneous, Torah, Yeshua | 0 comments
וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־רָאשֵׁי הַמַּטּוֹת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יהוה׃ אִישׁ כִּי־יִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַיהוה אוֹ־הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה לֶאְסֹר אִסָּר עַל־נַפְשׁוֹ לֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ כְּכָל־הַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיו יַעֲשֶׂה׃
(Numbers 30:2-3)
Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, “This is what the LORD has commanded. If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
(Numbers 30:1–2, ESV)
Vows & Oaths
The above passage comes from last week’s Toah portion, Matot, and contains a key by which we can better understand a teach of the Master found in the Apostolic Scriptures. In this passage we find the Scriptural rule for vows, oaths and self-induced prohibitions.
The first thing we note in this passage is that whatever proceeds from our lips is binding. In fact, it becomes as binding as Scripture. In a sense, when we make a vow or pledge an oath, we have created a new restriction upon ourselves that is above and beyond the obligations of the Scriptures. We have, in a sense, “added to Scripture.” This is one reason why both the sages, and our Master are so critical of vows and pledges.
A person should take care not to make any vows. It is even preferable not to vow to give charity. Rather, if one possesses something to [give to] charity, he should give it immediately; if one does not possess the means at present, he should wait until he does, and then give without taking a vow. [1. http://www.torah.org/learning/halacha/classes/class250.html]
The above quote is a typical quote from a Jewish source. The general consensus in regard to taking upon oneself vows or pledges is not a favorable one. The master agrees:
Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matthew 5:33-37, ESV)
Hebrew Word Play
There is, however, something deeper which I would like us to notice. In the Hebrew, there is a play on words that we do not completely catch in the English. Three times it uses a combination of words which play upon one another.
- yidor neder (to “vow a vow”) – the root being נדר
- hishava shavua (to “oath an oath”) – the root being שבע
- le’sor issar (to “bind a binding”) – the root being אסר
Two of these are somewhat obvious in our English. The last one, however, is not so obvious. The KJV actually brings this out a little more by translating this as “to bind his soul with a bond.”
Binding & Loosing
In this passage, we clearly see how “binding” is associated with a restriction. This is the precedent by which the rabbis use the term to “bind” or loose” in regard to things which are questionable in their use. For instance, a rabbi would “bind” (restrict/forbid) the use of a certain type of crock pot for use on Shabbat. Or they might “loose” (permit) an activity which might be questionable.
It is in this very context that we should understand the words of Jesus in Matthew 18 in regard to “binding” and “loosing”.
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18, ESV)
In this passage, the context is dealing with church discipline. Jesus is telling them that the decisions they make in this regard will be upheld by his authority in heaven. They have the power to both restrict and permit anything that is not clearly spelled out in the Scriptures. This is even more apparent in the DHE, as the Hebrew uses the same terminology as the passage in Numbers.
אָמֵן אֹמֵר אֲנִי לָכֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־תַּאַסְרוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ אָסוּר יִהְיֶה בַּשָׁמָיִם וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־תַּתִּירוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ מֻתָּר יִהְיֶה בַּשָׁמָיִם
(Matthew 18:18)
In this passage, he says, “kol asher ta’asru al ha’aretz asur yihyeh bashamayim” – “everything that you bind on earth will be bound in the heavens.”
Rather than giving his disciples authority to “bind” demons, or “loose” finances (as I was taught growing up, and contrary to much contemporary teaching), this teaching of the Master is associated with apostolic authority. Yes, Jesus gave his disciples authority over demons. However, this teaching is in no way associated with demons or spiritual warfare. It is, however, a clear case in which both Jesus and the rabbis are using their clear understanding of the Torah to allow the creation of legislation within their communities.
