What Abraham Discovered on Mt. Moriah

Alice C. Linsley

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.  (James 2:21-24)

For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:2-3)

Both James and Paul point to the story of Abraham on Mount Moriah to speak about the nature of justification. Therefore, it is important to understand what that event meant to Abraham the Hebrew.

Abraham was a Horite Hebrew, a devotee of God father and God Son. The "son" was called HR in ancient Egyptian, meaning "Most High One" or "Hidden One". 

The Horite and Sethite Hebrew were a ruler-priest caste that originated in the Nile Valley. The oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship is Nekhen, an ancient city that stretched for two miles along the Nile. Votive offerings at the Nekhen temple were ten times larger than the normal mace heads and bowls found elsewhere, suggesting that this was a very prestigious shrine. Horite Hebrew priests placed invocations and prayers to Re (Father) and HR (Hur/Hor/Horus) at the summit of the fortress as the sun rose. For the early Hebrew, the sun was the symbol of God Father and the co-equal Son. They viewed the solar arc as God's path through the heavens. 

"For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that He would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith." (Rom. 4:13)

As Abraham and Isaac ascended Mount Moriah, Isaac asked his father "where is the lamb for the sacrifice? Abraham replied that God would provide the lamb. However, that is not what God did. As the story goes, God provided a ram. To understand what this would have meant to Abraham, we must investigate the early Hebrew beliefs concerning the expected Righteous Ruler who would die and overcome death on the third day.

God provided a ram instead. For Abraham the Horite Hebrew, the lamb was associated with the east and the rising of the sun. The ram was associated with the west, the setting sun, and the future. This belief emerged from the solar imagery of the Proto-Gospel. Horus, the son of the High God was depicted as being one with the Father. He rode with the Father on the solar boat. The boat of the morning hours was called Mandjet (Ancient Egyptian: mꜥnḏt) and the boat of the evening hours was called Mesektet. While Horus was on the Mesektet, he was in his ram-headed form.

The ram symbolized God's acceptance of Abraham's offering at that moment (justification now) and God's acceptance of Abraham at the eschaton (future justification). The ram caught on Mount Moriah symbolized to Abraham that his offering had been accepted, because the lamb had become the ram, in mature strength. Horus was the Lamb in his weaker (kenotic) existence, and he was the Ram in his glorified strength. 

It appears that Abraham believed Isaac was the appointed son whose death would be overcome. but Isaac was spared when God provided his own sacrifice. Abraham likely believed Isaac to be the son of promise since some circumstances surrounding Isaac's birth align with the early Hebrew expectation of the Son of God.

Consider why Abraham might have believed he was to offer up Isaac:

1. Isaac was born miraculously (Gen. 21:5) as was Horus, who was said to have been conceived of a virgin when she was divinely overshadowed. Consider the Angel's words in Luke 1:35, explaining to Mary that she would conceive by overshadowing.

2. As Abraham's heir, Isaac was honored as being one with his father. From pre-dynastic times, the Creator was said to have a son, Horus. The Father and the Son are inseparable and of one essence in the theology of Abraham's Horim. Horus knows the Father and the Father knows the Son.

3. God named Isaac as the son by whom Abraham's seed would be called (Gen. 21:12). His brother Ishmael was banished. Horus was exalted after being abused by his brother Seth who was banished.

4. Isaac was sacrificed by the father (by faith) and restored to life (Gen. 22:2-9), since to Abraham he was already given up (holocaust). Horus was restored to life. This is why many ancient Egyptian funerary amulets were made in the shape of the Eye of Horus.

5. Isaac received the kingdom from his father (Gen. 25:25).  Horus receives a kingdom from Ra. In Horite Hebrew belief, Horus and Ra are frequently interchangeable - "I and my Father are one", as Jesus explained (John 10:30). The Father and the Son are inseparable and of one essence in the theology of Abraham's Horim. Horus knows the Father and the Father knows the Son. This is expressed in the Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts. In the priest's prayer to the King, he says, "Horus is a soul and he recognizes his father in you..." (Utterance 423)

6. Isaac had two wives who lived in separate settlements with separate flocks. Together these constituted his kingdom. There were practical reasons for this practice.  In the event of attack, Isaac's line was more likely to survive if divided into two camps. This fear motivated Jacob to separate his two wives and their people into two groups when returning to Canaan (Gen. 32). Likewise, Horus is said to have two land holdings, as evidenced by one of his titles Har-pa-Neb-Taui, which means "Horus of the two lands." The Horus narrative speaks of how he unites the peoples of the Upper and Lower Nile into one people. Jesus Messiah is the one who unites all peoples.

7. The association of sheep with the Son of God is found in the Old and New Testaments. Horite Hebrew priests kept herds from which they took the best to offer as sacrifices. Jesus comes from a long line of shepherds of the priestly lines, on Joseph's side and Mary's side. Keeping sheep was not their only occupation, however. Some were metal workers, others were carpenters, but all were skilled in various enterprises. The rulers of Egypt kept flocks and acknowledged that Jacob's people were especially skilled shepherds. This is why Pharaoh asked Joseph to put the best of shepherd of Jacob's clan in charge of the royal flocks (Gen. 47:6).

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, speaks of having other sheep in another fold (John 10:16). Often the two folds are cast as dispensations: one consisting of those who lived in faithful expectation of the Son of God and the other being the witnesses of His resurrection (the Church). Together these comprise the Kingdom of God. They might also be seen as the two wives of Christ. The second wife was taken shortly before the ruler ascended to the throne. This puts the marriage feast of the Lamb in a new light.

8. The ruler-priests among Abraham's people were shepherds. The signs of their authority were the shepherd's crook and the flail. These emblems of royal authority have been found in pre-Dynastic wall paintings. Nekhen is the site of the most ancient Horite Hebrew temple (c. 4000 B.C.). Of particular interest is the tomb painting of two men who carry crooked staffs with objects that look like flails, suggesting that they might be ruler-priests.

In God's economy, which always gets the order of things right, it was the shepherds of Bethlehem, a Horite Hebrew settlement, who were the first to receive the news of the birth of the Son of God!

9. Jesus is often portrayed as the Lamb, a tender image. In His resurrection victory He is better portrayed as a ram, mighty in strength, mature, and ready to defend his flock. In the story of the binding of Isaac, the ram speaks of God's self-sacrifice and would have been confirmation for Abraham that his offering was accepted. The acceptance was justification of Abraham by faith in what he expected God to do in the future.

10. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts provide a great deal of information about Horus and the Father-Son relationship. The righteous rulers who were buried in the half dozen pyramids in question hoped for bodily resurrection and their hope rested in Horus who was pierced in the side, died, and risen from the dead on the third day. The expectation that the Righteous Son would not remain in the grave is expressed in Psalm 16:10: For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. The final enemy is death. Psalm 110: The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."

In the Coffin Texts, funerary prayers dating to about 1000 years before Psalm 110, we read in passage 148:

"I am Horus, the great Falcon upon the ramparts of the house of him of the hidden name. My flight has reached the horizon. I have passed by the gods of Nut. I have gone further than the gods of old. Even the most ancient bird could not equal my very first flight. I have removed my place beyond the powers of Set, the foe of my father Osiris. No other god could do what I have done. I have brought the ways of eternity to the twilight of the morning. I am unique in my flight. My wrath will be turned against the enemy of my father Osiris and I will put him beneath my feet in my name of 'Red Cloak'."

Abraham knew to expect a son who would overcome death. He likely believed that Isaac would be raised to life after the sacrifice. In other words, he acted by faith. By provision of the ram on Mount Moriah, a site that was sacred to the Horite Hebrew, Abraham received confirmation that his offering was accepted, and he also discovered that Isaac was not the anticipated Ruler foretold in Eden (Gen. 3:15). That one would be revealed in the future.

The narrative sheds light on the relationship between the justified of the Old Covenant and the justified of the New Covenant. There is only one ground for justification, as the story of Abraham on Mount Moriah reveals. That is trust in the promised Son of God.

Paul and James are perceived to be in conflict on the question of justification, yet they both argue based on this story of Abraham and Isaac. There is no conflict in their understandings of this event. Abraham obeyed God by going to Mount Moriah. There he was given the sign of the Ram by which he apprehended by faith the promised Son of God. Abraham trusted God to confirm the truth. This is the man who posed the great question: "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25) This same Abraham believed God on a very deep level.

By all appearances, Jesus fulfills of the Horite Hebrew expectation of the Divine Seed who would crush the serpent's head. This expectation was expressed about 1000 years before Psalm 91 in the Pyramid Texts.

"Horus has shattered (tbb, crushed) the mouth of the serpent with the sole of his foot (tbw)" Utterance 388

The early Hebrew believed that one of their virgin daughters would be divinely appointed by overshadowing to bring forth the Messiah. They lived in expectation of the fulfillment of a promise made to their Edenic ancestors that a Son (Seed) would be born who would be their Savior (Gen. 3:15).

Related reading:  Jesus: From Lamb to Ram; The Ra-Horus-Hathor Narrative; Why Nekhen is Anthropologically Significant; Righteous Rulers and the Resurrection; Genesis on Sons and The Son; Ram Symbolism in the Ancient World

The Nazareth-Egypt Connection

Photo credit: K.R. Dark

Alice C. Linsley


When Jesus was growing up in Nazareth the settlement had between 300-400 Jewish residents. The modest houses were cut out of the limestone hills and below were terraces with fruit trees. The people of Nazareth grew grain on the valley floor closest to the settlement. From the settlement of Nazareth, the people could see Sepphoris (Tzippori), the Roman capital of Galilee before the building of Tiberias. Sepphoris was only 5 miles from Nazareth, northwest across the rolling hills.

Archaeologist Ken R. Dark (University of Reading) believes that a 1st-century, rock-hewn courtyard house, excavated beneath the Sisters of Nazareth Convent, may have been Jesus' childhood home. The doorway to the house (shown in the photo above) was carved out of the rock in a natural cave. (Has the Childhood Home of Jesus Been Found? - Biblical Archaeology Society)

Life in Nazareth was one of daily work, except on the Sabbath (Friday evening through Saturday evening). Approximately 40% of their agricultural production was paid to Rome in taxes. Some went to pay the Temple tax. 

The residents of Nazareth wanted little interaction with the Greco-Roman culture. These were strict observers of Jewish law. Nazareth was the home of the eighteenth division of ruler-priests. The ancestors of those ruler-priests lived in the Nile Valley where they served at shrines and temples. The Nilotic Hebrew were organized into two moieties, the Horite Hebrew and the Sethite Hebrew. 

During the pre-dynastic period and the Old Kingdom (ca. 2575-2130 B.C.) the Hebrew priests were organized in groups called "phyles." Each phyle served a two-week duration before returning home. The later organization of priests in Israel appears to have developed from the phyle system.

In Israel there were twenty-four divisions or “courses” of priests. These are listed in 1 Chronicles 24:7-18. Each course served in rotation twice a year for a duration of one week. When it came time for the division to go up to Jerusalem, the priests left their homes and returned after their term of service. When not functioning as a priest, these individuals went about their normal routines, tending to their various occupations: stone masons, miners, tomb builders, carpenters, smiths, potters, tent makers, shepherds, goatherds, and farmers.

Egypt is mentioned more than 300 places in the biblical narratives. Some of Jesus' ancestors (Horim/Horite Hebrew) were ruler-priests in Egypt. The Horite Hebrew expected the Son of God to be born to a woman of their ruler-priest lines. This expectation can be traced to the first promise and prophecy of Scripture - Genesis 3:15 - given to Abraham's Nilotic ancestors.

Jesus loved the region of Galilee

It is not surprising that many of Jesus' closest followers were from Galilee. It was to Galilee that the Master returned and met with His disciples after His resurrection. He informed his disciples: "After I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” (Matt. 26:32)

An angel at the empty tomb told Mary Magdalene and the other women that they were to notify the Disciples: “He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.” (Matt. 28:7) As the women were on their way to inform the disciples, Jesus appeared to them and said: “Rejoice!… Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” (Matt. 28:9-10)

Later, “the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” and “worshiped Him” (Matt. 28:16).

To the southeast of Nazareth there was a road that went all the way to Egypt. This would have been the route that Joseph traveled with Mary and Jesus on their return from Egypt. The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt." (Mat. 2:13).


Galilee under Egyptian Rule

Galilee was under the control of the Egyptians in the 15th century B.C. Pharaoh Tuthmose III captured several cities in Galilee in 1468 BC, including Kadesh, Hazor and Beth She'an. At one time Egypt ruled from Nubia to Syria. Galilee would have been at the center of this vast kingdom.

Egyptian control continued through the 14th century BCE, as noted in the Amarna Letters.

The flora and fauna of Canaan appear on reliefs in two of the smaller rooms in Tuthmose III's temple at Karnak near Luxor. Karnak was dedicated to Amun-Ra, the Hidden Creator, whose son was called HR (Horus in Greek). The Horite Hebrew were devotees of God the Father and HR, God the Son. In ancient Egyptian HR means "Most High One". He was believed to be conceived by divine overshadowing of one of the Hebrew maidens (cf. Luke 1:34), and one of his signs was the ram, such as was delivered to Abraham on Mount Moriah.

The Apostles believed that the return of Jesus from Egypt fulfills the prophesy of Hosea 11:1: "I called my son out of Egypt."  Jews insist that this refers to Israel as a people, and certainly that is the context of the Hosea passage.  Matthew's Gospel says:  So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead.  This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:  "I called my son out of Egypt."  (Matthew 2:15)


Related reading: Egypt in the Book of Genesis; Egypt in the Christmas Narrative; Exploring Hosea 11:1 - "Out of Egypt"; Why Jesus Visited Tyre; Competition Between the Horites and the Sethites; Some Hebrew Were Troglodytes

The MSNBC Spin on Jesus

An estimated 2 billion Christians around the world celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. While those believers take the stories of Jesus as told in the New Testament on faith, archaeologists have scoured the Holy Land and beyond in search of clues about the real life of Jesus and his followers. — John Roach, msnbc.com contributor (From here.)


I find it fascinating that educated journalists know so little about Christianity and assume that our Faith has no basis in historical realities.

Note that Mr. Roach neglects the central doctrine of Christianity; that Jesus is the Son of God whose coming into the world fulfilled a divine promise made to Abraham's Nilotic ancestors that the Woman (Mary) would bring forth the "Seed" (Jesus Christ) who would crush the serpent's head and restore paradise (Gen. 3:15).  Jesus claimed to fulfill the Edenic Promise when He told his disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to die. When they protested, He explained, "unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24)

The ancient Horites observed the death and resurrection of HR (Horus) in a five day festival in which they planted grain on the third day, signifying the resurrection of HR, who they called "Son of God."

People think of Christianity as an off-shoot of Judaism. However, the core of Christianity can be traced back to Abraham and his Nilotic ancestors long before Judaism. In this sense, Christianity isn't original. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in antiquity and herein rests its authority.

The origins of Christianity came to Abraham, not as special revelation, but as a tradition received from his forefathers (horim). The distinctive traits of this tradition align remarkable well with the key features of catholic faith and practice and have been confirmed by archaeological finds, anthropology and linguistics:

1. All-male ruler-priests
2. Blood sacrifice at altars
3. Expectation of the appearing of a Divine Son
4. Belief in an eternal and undivided Kingdom
5. As in heaven, so on earth - reflected in the Lord's Prayer
6. Circumcision

Because of God's promise in Eden (Gen. 3:15) Abraham and his ancestors lived in expectation of the Son of God and taught their children to do so. Their priestly lines intermarried exclusively (endogamy) in expectation that the Seed of the Woman would come of their priestly lines. In other words, the Edenic tradition is a family-tribal tradition. This is evident when one studies the genealogies and discovers that the ruler-priest lines of Abraham's people intermarried and shared common beliefs and practices. Using the genealogical data of the Bible, specifically the king lists, it is possible to trace Mary and her cousin Joseph back to the earliest rulers of the Bible in Genesis 4 and 5. It is possible because the Horite ruler-priest lines (some of whom were later called "Levites") practiced endogamy.

Since the Bible contains 66 books written by many different authors over about 1300 years, it is not possible that this scheme was imposed at a late date.  In other words, analysis of the marriage and ascendency pattern of the Horim shows that Jesus is the direct descendant of Abraham's ancestors to whom God made the promise concerning the coming of the Son of God. There is a reason why Jews call their ancestors horim.

John wrote, "This is the revelation of God's love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him." (1 John 4:9) This sounds like foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who know that God's promises are sure, it is the hope and assurance of life eternal.



Related reading:  The Marriage and Ascendency Pattern of Abraham's People; Eden: A Well-Watered Region; Extant Biblical Clans and Tribes; Nilotic Celestial Archetypes; Challenge to Shaye Cohen's Portrayal of Abraham; The Ethnicity of Abraham and David

The Bosom of Abraham

Icon of the Last Judgement

Alice C. Linsley


The idea of a place reserved for the righteous dead is very ancient. The concept stands behind the phrase "Bosom of Abraham," a place or state of existence where the righteous dead await the Day of Judgment. The expression is found only in two verses of the Bible, both from St. Luke's parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). However, the concept appears in Jewish writings, though not all rabbis believe that there will be a bodily resurrection. Adda bar Ahaba, a third-century rabbi, is said to be "sitting in the bosom of Abraham" and this is interpreted as already being in Paradise.

According to IV Macc. 13:17, the righteous who die for their faith are received by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in paradise. Matthew 8:11 alludes to the association of heaven with the tree patriarchs: "Many shall come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."

In the place of the dead, the souls of the righteous repose in Sheol and are separated by a chasm from those in Gehenna, the place of torments (cf. Matthew 5:29, 30; 18:9; Mark 9:42). The bosom of Abraham is a resting place of bliss and security. Lazarus was carried by the angels to the Bosom, vale or Fold of Abraham, but the rich man found himself in Gehenna. 

The place of repose for the righteous is "Sheol". The word is derived from the ancient Egyptian word Sheut (šwt), meaning shadow. The Egyptians believed that something of the dead person continues as a shadow beyond death.

The Egyptians also believed in bodily resurrection. St. Augustine noted that the Egyptians took great care in the burial of their dead and never practiced cremation, as in the religions that seek to escape material existence. Their greatest fear was the "second death" which apparently occurs when the body and the spirit as a unit are not restored to life in the resurrection. The second death in mentioned in Revelation 2:11 - "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death."

Gehenna and the Bosom of Abraham strike a contrast between the peaceful repose of the righteous and the tormented repose of the unrighteous. In the Talmud, however, Gehenna is a place of purification, after which one is released from further torture (similar to the idea of Purgatory).

In the Bible, the time of repose is not infinite. It lasts only until the day of Judgment when the righteous and the unrighteous, both the living and the dead, will stand before the Throne of God. Some will enter into the Paradise of the eternal Kingdom. Some will go to the second death from which there is no rising.

The Egyptians believed in the second death and prayed for, offered sacrifice for and prepared the bodies of their dead in the hope that they might rise to life.

Saint Augustine, a North African bishop, wrote "that the Egyptians alone believe in the resurrection, as they carefully preserved their dead bodies." ("Death, burial, and rebirth in the religions of antiquity", Jon Davies, Routledge, 1999, p. 27)

Kushite and Egyptian rulers built thousands of tombs and funerary pyramids. Some of these are buried under the shifting sands, but 17 were recently identified using satellite technology. Egyptian archaeologists also recently discovered a 4400-year-old tomb, south of the cemetery of the pyramid builders at Giza, Egypt. The Egyptian Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosny, said the ancient tomb belonged to a priest named Rudj-Ka (or Rwd-Ka), and is dated to the 5th Dynasty - between 2465 and 2323 BC. Dr. Zahi Hawass said that Rudj-Ka had several titles and would have been an important member of the ancient Egyptian court.

Ancient Kushite-Egyptian Beliefs

The ancient Egyptians were concerned about the afterlife because they believed the soul or "Ba" to be eternal. Ba is sometimes depicted as a human-headed bird flying out of the tomb to join with the 'Ka' in the afterlife.

 

The unification of Ba and Ka after death was the reason for mummification. Dying the second death meant not becoming an "akh."  Only as an akh could one enjoy the resurrection life. The ankh for the ancient Egyptians was the hieroglyphic sign of life. It is symbolic of the Sun's daily course from east to west, with the loop representing the Sun.

The horizontal crossbar symbolizes the path of the sun from east to west. To put this in terms more familiar to Christians, life is possible where the Sun, the Creator's emblem, sheds light and warmth.  The ancient Egyptians believed that these elements - Ka, Ba and Ankh - became separated at death.  By mummification, with prayers and sacrifices, they attempted to keep the KaBa together and prepared to receive the resurrection of Ankh at some future time.

The phrase  "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" is a formulaic expression for the righteous ancestors who in death enjoy the peace of God and await the Day of the Lord. The "bosom of Abraham" is shorthand for the repose of those who put their trust in Yeshua, the Son of God, the Christ anticipated by Abraham's Horite people.

The Horites actually believed the protevangelion (Gen 3:15) that the Son of God would be born of their bloodline. This is the meaning of Hebrews 11, and this is why John the Forerunner identifies his cousin as the "Son of God" at the ancient Egyptian river shrine of Nim-rah (the waters of God). The expectation of the Son's coming is associated with Abraham and it is in this faith, hidden in Abraham's bosom, that all the faithful departed rest.

Jesus alluded to the Nilotic myth of Horus when he spoke to this disciples about his passion.  He said, “Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. In all truth I tell you, unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain, but if it dies it yields a rich harvest.” (John 12:23, 24)

This is an explicit reference to the Nilotic myth concerning Osirus, who is said to “be one” with his son Horus. Abraham’s Horite people were devotees of Horus. They were ethnically Kushite and the oldest known centers of Horus worship have been found in ancient Kush (Sudan and the Upper Nile Valley).

The Kushites and Egyptians observed the death of Horus (Osirus) in a 5-day festival. The first 3 days were marked by solemnity (as Plutarch noted in Isis and Osiris, 69). The last 2 days were a time of feasting and rejoicing. Horus is said to have died on the 17th of Athyr. His death was commemorated by the planting of grain. On the third day, the 19th of Athyr, there was a celebration of Horus’ rising to life. It is no coincidence that Jesus alludes to the ancient Horite myth when describing his passion and resurrection. He is a direct descendant of the Horite ruler-priests lines which exclusively intermarried and he was born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the ruler-priest line of Matthew (Mattai/Mattan). This was the line of Joseph of Hari-mathea, a voting member of the Sanhedrin. He and Nicodemus, a fellow member of the Sanhedrin, buried Jesus’ body. They knew from first-hand experience that Jesus was dead and they clearly believed that He rose from the grave. Probably they, along with other disciples, had seen the Risen Lord. Christian Tradition holds that they became witnesses to the Resurrection.


Related reading:  Who Were the Horites?; The Christ in Nilotic Mythology; Nimrod and the Baptism of Jesus

Life is in the Blood

Alice C. Linsley

One of the fascinating discoveries of cultural anthropologists involves the extremely ancient and universal practice of burying people (especially rulers) in red ochre dust, a symbol of blood. Red ochre or hematite (from the Greek word for blood, haema ) is found naturally around the globe. When hematite powder is mixed with water is looks just like blood.

The oldest site of red ochre mining is in the Lebombo Mountains of southern Africa. Here H.B.S. Cooke’s team discovered the oldest known human burial, between 70,000 and 80,000 years old. The grave is that of a small boy, buried with a seashell pendant and covered in red ochre. This is also the location of the oldest known mining operations in which thousands of mining tools have been found in excavated tunnels. Here hematite was mined 80,000 years ago.

These same archaeologists report the finding of the 35,000 year old Lebombo bone at Border Cave in Natal. The Lebombo bone, carved from a baboon femur, is the oldest mathematical tool found to date and appears to be a moon phase counter. It counts up to 6 phases, which suggests that it represents a binary calendar of 2 sets of 6 moon phases. One set is likely associated with the Feminine Principle and the seasons in which plants and animals reproduce. The other set is likely associated with the Masculine Principle and the seasons in which plants and animals are harvested and hunted. The Lebombo bone was the invention of the people who mined red ochre and used it to bury their people in the hope of life after death.

The use of red ochre in burial was widespread in prehistoric times. A man buried 45,000 years ago at La Chapelle-aux-Saints in southern France, was packed in red ochre. “The Red Lady" of Paviland in Wales was buried in red ochre about 29,000 years ago. The “lady” was actually a man whose skeletal remains and burial artifacts are encrusted with the red ore.

The ‘Fox Lady’ of Doini Vestonice, Czechoslovakia, who was buried 23,000 years ago, was also covered in red ochre. There is also the 20,000 year old burial site in Bavaria of a thirty-year-old man entirely surrounded by a pile of mammoth tusks and nearly submerged in red ochre. Natives peoples of the Americas also used red ochre to bury their dead.

Red ochre has been found adhering to bones or as scattered layers covering skeletons at Körtik Tepe, ’Ain Ghazal, and Jericho. There is evidence of widespread use of ochre in burials throughout the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period in Anatolia and the Levant. At Göbekli Tepe, ochre traces were detected on fragments of skull 1. The placement of this most complete skull, found in a concentration of ochre, indicates the special significance of this object, likely associated with the veneration of an important ancestor.
P.L. Kirk reports that prehistoric Australian aboriginal burials reveal pink staining of the soil around the skeleton, indicating that red ochre had been sprinkled over the body. The remains of an adult male found at Lake Mungo in southeastern Australia were copiously sprinkled with red ochre.


Blood Speaks

In the ancient world, blood was suspected of having supernatural powers.  The blood of sacrificed animals could pay for certain human crimes, but for other crimes only the blood of the offending party would suffice.  The blood of humans was more powerful than the blood of animals because it was perceived to come from the Creator directly through the mother. For example, the Ashanti of Ghana believe that an individual's blood is derived from the earth and passed through that individual's mother.  In this scheme, human blood has the power to speak to its Source or Origin, blood speaking to blood. This notion is reflected in the story of Cain and Abel.

When Cain kills his brother and God asks him about it, Cain replies with a question that poses a theme of the entire Bible. Cain asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is not obvious, though it is natural that brothers should care for one another. However, there is much more to this story. The blood of the murdered brother cries to God from the ground where it spilled (Gen. 4:10). The blood of the murdered has a voice! There is life in the blood of the innocent one. Abel is the archetype of the Son of God who was killed by his own brethren.

There is still more to the story. Cain was the first-born son. He killed his younger brother, the very person he should have tried to protect. In this, Cain’s jealousy of his younger brother overturns his natural affection. Likewise, the jealousy of Joseph’s older brothers overturned their affection and they sold him into slavery. Neither was David, the youngest of the 12 sons of Jesse, treated well by his brothers. They left him to tend the flock while they returned home to feast with the Prophet Samuel. We have an allusion to this in the Song of Songs (1:5,6), which says that beloved’s skin is as dark "as the tents of Kedar" because he was made to work in the sun by his older brothers.

Moses had two older brothers: Aaron and Korah. Aaron created the Golden Calf, a representation of Horus, the divine "son" of the Creator. The golden image he formed incorporated the sun and would have been a representation of the divine overshadowing or appointment of the Calf of God, Horus. Below is picture of what it would have looked like.

The calf is suggestive of Horus as a child. Horus' anthropomorphic form is either as a adult male or more usually as a boy wearing the sidelock typical of royal Egyptian youth. Horus as a boy is often shown on cippi dominating crocodiles and serpents. Consider this in light of the Woman, the Child, and the Dragon in Revelation 12. Consider also the red heifer of Numbers 19 that stands as a perpetual symbol of Israel's need for cleansing. The cow is sacrificed and burned outside the camp and the ashes used for "water of lustration." (Num. 19:9)

The creation of the Golden Calf was criticized by the Deuteronomist, but the image was not a new one to the Horites whose ancestors were cattle-herding Nilo-Saharans.  Korah, Moses’ other brother, challenged Moses’ authority in the wilderness. According to the Horite pattern of ascendancy, Korah, as a first born son of Amram by his cousin wife, had higher authority than Moses. However, Moses was the sent-away son to whom God would deliver authority to rule. Korah died when the earth opened and devoured him (Numbers 26:10).

The theme of the beloved younger brother being abused by his older brothers runs through the entire Bible and speaks of the only begotten Son of God. His Blood gives life to the world and His blood makes it possible for our hearts to speak to Him. This sheds light on these words of Jesus:

"Truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him." (John 6:53-56)

Related reading: Blood and Binary Distinctions; Mining Blood; Blood and Crosses; Graven Images and Idols; Water and Blood

The Talmud vs the Doctrine of the Lord

The Closed Book | Princeton University Press by Rebecca Wollenberg

How the Rabbis taught the Jews not to read the Hebrew Bible.

Alice C. Linsley


In these last days many Jews are embracing Jesus Messiah in faith, recognizing Him as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the embodiment of the Edenic Promise (Gen. 3:15). Rabbi  Kaduri upon his death at age 108, left a signed note indicating Messiah's identity: Yeshua - Jesus. His manuscripts, written in his own hand, have cross-symbols painted all over the pages. Many Jews have attempted to explain away the crosses, arguing that the great Rabbi Kaduri was not a Christian. Whether or not he believed in the Incarnate Son who died on the Cross to save sinners, only God knows. We can say that as one of the world's authorities on Jewish mysticism, Rabbi Kaduri knew the tradition of Abraham's people expressed in concealed symbols and those apparently lead him to Jesus, the Son of God.

Still many Jews either willfully reject Him or remain ignorant of their Abrahamic heritage. Rejection of Jesus Messiah is a tragedy of eternal consequence, for the Apostles agree that to be saved one must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Even the devil and his minions recognized Him. Today there is much evidence that Jesus is Messiah so that ignorance of Him is without excuse.

It has been said that Jews turned from Jesus because they feared for their lives once the Sanhedrin ruled that Jesus was a blasphemer deserving of death. (Later it was circulated that He was a sorcerer because of the signs He worked among the people.)  Some believe that Jesus never claimed to be the Christ. Yet we have the Sanhedrin's records to refute this claim. When Caiaphas said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God, tell us if You are Christ, the Son of God," Jesus answered: "I am, but I tell you hereafter you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Gershom Gale, of the Jerusalem Post, has written: "When the Sanhedrin was first established and empowered by God (as described in the 'Old Testament'), the Creator made it clear that all God-fearing Jews must honor every majority Sanhedrin ruling, on pain of death. I suggest that the real reason the Jews (who only days before had welcomed Jesus as Messiah) shouted for his death was that they had in the meantime learned of the Sanhedrin ruling in his case, and chose to honor God's eternal Law. Of course, God realized humans are fallible. That's why He provided at least four legal (ie. God-approved) means of redress in the event of Sanhedrin error. But until and unless one of those means is invoked and the earlier ruling is overturned, that ruling must stand, and must be honored by all God-fearing Jews."

This only supports the claim that Jesus is the Messiah, otherwise why would so many prominent Jews of Jerusalem defy the Sanhedrin? Joseph of Aramathea (that is Hari-Mathea, of the Horite line of Matthew) being one. Nicodemus another. Even Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin, urged caution, not condemnation.

In considering where Judaism has misled concerning the identity of the Messiah, I found at least 4 factors. They are: Elevating the Law over the Prophets; Elevating the Talmud over the Torah; Elevating rabbinic doctrine over the “doctrine of the Lord” and spiritual blindness.

Elevating the Law over Torah

Judaism maintains that the Major and Minor Prophets are subordinate to the Law of Moses on the basis of Malachi 3:22, which reads: “Remember the Torah of Moses, my servant, which I commanded him at Horeb for all of Israel – its decrees and statutes.” Maimonides quoted this verse in the Mishneh Torah as a proof that prophets are not to be interpreted as bringing new teaching, but should be understood as warning people not to trespass Torah. Historically this is a mistaken view since critical scholarship has demonstrated that the Torah and the Prophets "are separate corpora originating in the same time period" (The Jewish Study Bible, p. 1144).

Further, many biblical texts do not support the view that torah is synonymous with the Law of Moses. In Genesis we find that torah is the instruction of the prophet. This is the original meaning of the word. Torah means that which is thrown by the hand of the moreh (oracle or prophet). Abraham received such guidance when he pitched his tent at the oak of the moreh near Mamre. The word "torah" is usually rendered guidance or instruction, but it has this ancient association with a prophet sitting under a tree. Some of the prophets in ancient Israel were women such as Huldah and Deborah.

Jesus always spoke of the Law and the Prophets together. He understood that both, when truly interpreted, speak of the same Truth and are in agreement concerning Messiah, the Son of God. So it is evident that Judaism leads astray when it claims that the Prophets are subordinate to the Law.


Elevating Talmud over Torah

Many Jews believe that the Talmud contains truth of greater authority than the Bible. The Talmud itself encourages readers to place it above the authority of the Old Testament. We read this explicit instruction: “My son, be more careful in the observance of the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah." (Talmud Erubin 21b)

SUNY history professor, Robert Goldberg, writes; “The traditional Jew studies Talmud because it communicates ultimate truth—truth about God, truth about the world, and most important, truth about how God wants the holy community of Israel to live.”

Note that the Talmud is not studied for information about Messiah. In fact, it is generally anti-Christ in tone. It says that Messiah is Yeshu, the son of Joseph, but it contradicts itself in Sanhedrin 43a were it says that Jesus (Yeshu) the Nazarene was executed because he practiced sorcery. Sanhedrin 106a says Jesus' mother was a whore: “She who was the descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters.”

The Talmud teaches that Jesus Christ was illegitimate and was conceived during menstruation; that he had the soul of Esau; that he was a fool, a conjurer, a seducer; that he was crucified, buried in hell and set up as an idol ever since by his followers.

This elevation of the rabbis and scribes over Torah began even before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The hard line against Christians became more evident after the Sanhedrin relocated to Jamnia.  The present form of the Talmud dates to about AD 500. By this time the rabbis had hardened their hearts against the followers of Jesus Messiah.

The Talmud is a collection of rabbinic writings that do not reveal knowledge of what the Bible teaches concerning the Son of God. On this matter, the Talmud is ambiguous and lacking in authority. Consider this statement by Rabbi Johanan: “The son of David will come only in a generation that is either altogether righteous or altogether wicked. (Talmud Sanhedrin 98a) Compare it to the authority of this statement: “But in those days…the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will come falling out of the sky and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory…” (Mark 13:24, 25 NJB).

Most Jews are instructed by Rabbis who teach from the Talmud more than they teach from the Old Testament, so they don’t know what their own Bible says. They are clueless as to who Jesus is because they do not search the Bible to learn of Him. Sadly, many Christian clergy reference the Talmud in preparing their sermons and treat rabbinical teaching as authoritative for the Church.

 
Elevating Rabbinic Teaching over the Doctrine of the Lord

In the tract Babha Metsia, fol. 33a, we read: "Those who devote themselves to reading the Bible exercise a certain virtue, but not very much; those who study the Mischnah exercise virtue for which they will receive a reward; those, however, who take upon themselves to study the Gemarah exercise the highest virtue."

Likewise in the tract Sopherim XV, 7, fol. 13b: "The Sacred Scriptures is like water, the Mischnah wine, and the Gemarah aromatic wine."

The following is a well-known opinion in the writings of the Rabbis: "My son, give heed to the words of the scribes rather than to the words of the law."

In the tract Sanhedrin X, 3, f.88b is says: "He who transgresses the words of the scribes sins more gravely than the transgressors of the words of the law."

So the scribes, the opinions of rabbis (though they agree on little) and the mysticism of late Judaism are more influential for Jews today than the Hebrew Scriptures. And no wonder! These lead away from the  doctrine of the Lord Jesus as the Messiah.

The rabbis teach that Jesus is neither God, nor the Son of God and that He is not the Christ (Messiah). Speaking of the doctrine of the Lord, the Apostle John teaches: “Whosoever transgresses, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” (II John 1:9)

The rabbis teach that Jesus was not raised from the dead. Hebrews 6:1-6 says: “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

The rabbis teach that Paul and the other Apostles were apostates who did not glorify God. The Bible tells us that they worked miracles by the Holy Spirit and their witness was so effective that their small band was described by the Jews who opposed them as having turned "the whole world upside down" (Acts 17:6). Gamaliel, one of the most respected rabbis, spoke truth when he advised the Sanhedrin not to persecute the Apostles because "if this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will be unable to destroy them. Take care not to find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:34 NJB)

Sergius Paulus was an intelligent man who summoned Barnabas and Saul so that he might hear the word of God. Apparently the proconsul had been listening to a sorcerer named Elymas and Elymas opposed the doctrine of the Lord, seeking to turn Sergius Paulus from the faith. Acts 13:12 tells us: “Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord (tou kuriou).” When Paul appropriately struck Elymas with blindness, the proconsul believed the doctrine of Christ that Paul and Barnabas preached. Is there historical evidence for this? In a Christian cemetery in Rome there is the name Sergia Paullina indicating that at least one other of the proconsul’s family was a follower of Jesus Christ.


Spiritual Blindness

Spiritual blindness is a common condition and not unique to Jews.  It is an effect of the fallen world in which humans delude ourselves into believing that we do not need a savior and certainly not The Savior of God's eternal provision. The longer we live in delusion, the more it becomes like a thick coat of armor so that the Truth is not able to penetrate. Those with personal experiences of the Living Lord Jesus know that He has made Himself known in all of creation and we see His sign everywhere. Those who reject Him are blind to what God has made clear in creation, be they rabbis, imams, pastors or priests.  From such as these we hear only what darkens and obfuscates. They teach the doctrine of devils.


Related reading:  Rabbinic Interpretations of the Destruction of the Temple; Astonishment at the Doctrine of the Lord; Astonishment (Part II); Astonishment (Part III); The Orthodox Study Bible

Jesus Christ of Two Crowns

"Then take silver and gold, and make crowns [ataroth], and set them on the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest..." Zechariah 6:11

Alice C. Linsley

This is the Double Crown worn by the rulers of a united Nile Valley. The red crown represents Lower Nile (Egypt) and the white crown represents Upper Nile (ancient Nubia). After the unification of the Upper and Lower Nile regions the two parts of the crown were joined to represent a unified Egypt. It is believed that Narmer (Menes) was the first recorded to wear the Double Crown. He was the founder of the First Dynasty around 3100 B.C.

The Red (desher) crown symbolized life and victory. During celebrations, ancient Egyptians painted their bodies with red ochre and would wear amulets made of cornelian, a deep red stone.

The white (hedj/shesep) crown suggests omnipotence and purity. The name of the holy city of Memphis meant "White Walls." White sandals were worn at holy ceremonies. The material most commonly used for ritual objects such as small ceremonial bowls and even the embalming table for the Apis Bulls in Memphis was white alabaster. White was also the heraldic color of Upper Egypt. The "Nefer" crown of Upper Egypt was white.

The pure white color used in Egyptian art was created from chalk and gypsum. The white crown appears like a linen turban and suggests purity. The red crown suggests the blood that purifies. The double crown association with Horus speaks of both purity and blood sacrifice. Among the ancient Afro-Asiatics these were linked as is evident from linguistic studies.

The Double Crown was associated with Horus, the "son" of the Creator, because he united the peoples of the Upper and Lower Nile Valley.  I've written here about how Horus was a pattern for Christ who unites two peoples into one Kingdom. The two peoples are those who lived in expectation of the appearing of the Seed promised in Genesis 3:15 and those who believe the testimony of the Apostles who saw His appearing. Just as the Patriarchs came to rule after taking their second wifes, so Christ will ascend the throne of the Father after He takes the Church as his bride.

Exacators at Hierakonpolis report found "a series of New Kingdom inscriptions incised into the rock high up on the rise. These record the names of several priests with prayers and dedications to Horus of Nekhen depicted as a crouching falcon with the White or Double Crown on his head. The location of the inscriptions suggests that this spot had been chosen not only for the commanding view it provided, but because it marked the southeasternmost border of Hierakonpolis and would be the first place illuminated by the rays of the rising sun each morning."

Susan Burns, an avid follower of Biblical Anthropology, has written: "The double axe symbol has been found at the Egyptian City of the Hawk signifying two lands. In this ancient city it is the Desheret symbol of sedge and bee. Desheret has been shown to have a root connection to Deborah, the Hebrew word for bee. Bee symbols are at the very heart of the afro-semitic language. Mn was the Egyptian god of the hive. The miraculous appearance of honey was attributed to him. Mn (with added Hebrew Heh) could be the Mannah (honeycomb) of Moses' Exodus sustaining the Israelites in the wilderness. I think it is interesting that the earliest Aramaic churches were hexagram shaped - a replica of a honeycomb cell."

Abraham's people were Horites, a caste of priests ('Apiru/Habiru/Hebrew) who were devotes of Re-Horus and Hathor. Horus was regarded as the "Son: of Re who was conceived when Hathor was overshadowed by the Sun. The Sun was the emblem of the Creator. Hathor's animal totem was the long-horn cow and she is often shown wearing the horned crown, a solar cradle, which represents her divine appointment. This is why Hathor is shown in some Nile temples with her newborn in a stable or manger.

Hathor conceived Horus by divine overshadowing of the Sun, the emblem of Re.

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." Luke 1:35

There are two ways to consider the parallel between Jesus and Horus: either Christianity absorbed ancient Egyptian mythology to explain Jesus or Jesus was recognized as Messiah by those who expected Him to fit the belief pattern of Abraham and his people. The second makes sense and fits the evidence of continuity from Abraham's faith to the Christian faith.  It would be difficult to explain why Christians would adopt an ancient Egyptian myth centuries after the fact.

Looking at the Re-Horus-Hathor narrative through the lens of anthropology one finds a tradition concerning the "Son" of God already developed among Abraham's cattle-herding Nilotic ancestors. This indicates that this Tradition is received, not invented, and that it has specific features that the followers of Jesus Christ would immediately recognize. These features include expectation of the appearing of the Son of God by a miraculous birth under humble circumstances, His death and third-day resurrection, and His oneness with the Father.


Related reading: The Double Crown of Horus; Horus, King of the Universe; Who Were the Horites?; The Christ in Nilotic Mythology; The Re-Horus-Hathor Narrative

Two Powers in Heaven

Alice C. Linsley


Rabbinical scholar Alan Segal is the author of Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports About Christianity and Gnosticism. In this work, he argues that the idea of two powers in heaven idea was not rejected by Jews by until the second century A.D. This is the time that Jewish thought hardened against what the apostles claimed concerning Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Segal finds antecedents for the two powers idea in the Hebrew Bible, but seems unaware of the difference between Persian dualism (which he correctly rejects as an antecedent) and the Afro-Asiatic binary worldview. Within this older binary view there is always the consideration of the Third also.  So we have the angelic Three appear to Abraham at the time of his visitation in Mamre.

Christians are interested in this idea of two powers because it points to the Father and the Son being one, as the New Testament writers indicate. The underlying anthropological principle is this:  ancient peoples believed that as in the heavens so on earth. Where do we find two powers referenced in Genesis?  The Sun and the Moon are spoken of in Genesis 1 as two powers:  the Sun is the greater power which rules the day and the Moon is the lesser power which rules the night. When the two appeared in the sky just before dawn or dusk it meant to the ancients that God was watching. The "two lights" in ancient Egyptian theology were interpreted as the eyes of Re.  These were also the eyes of Horus, whose left eye, the Moon, was weaker because it had been damaged in mortal combat with his brother Set. So Jesus Christ, who is one with the Father, was mortally wounded by his brethren, but rose before dawn.

Genesis reveals that Afro-Asiatic rulers maintained their 2 wives in separate households and flocks on a north-south axis.  Yet both households together constituted one kingdom. This practice emerged out of the Sudanese-Upper Nile veneration of the Sun as the emblem of the Creator. The Sun was associated with Osiris, the Father, and Horus, the Son.  The Father and the Son were conceived to be one and of the same kingdom.  Afro-Asiatic chiefs set their wives on a north-south axis so as not to affront God whose chariot the Sun journeyed daily from east to west. Only Lamech set himself up as an equal to God if we are to consider the names of his wives, Adah (dawn) and T-zillah (dusk).

At Karnak, the shrine from which Terah took is cousin wife (Abraham's mother), Osiris' victory over his enemies was celebrated the day of the full moon. On this day Horus, who was called "the Son of God", was awarded his heritage.

It is likely that Abraham, the Father of our Faith, held this cosmology as he and his people were devotees of Horus. This appears to be the origin of the two powers in Heaven idea.

Thank God, Mary Didn't Get an Abortion!

JERUSALEM — A subject ordinarily not on the top of Israel’s national agenda has become a hot topic in recent weeks, following media reports that the country’s two chief rabbis sent a letter to all state-funded rabbis urging them to discourage abortions.

In the letter, which was disseminated in late December, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger noted that approximately 50,000 abortions are performed in Israel every year — 20,000 approved by Health Ministry abortion committees and 30,000 unapproved procedures performed illegally in private clinics.

The chief rabbis wrote that abortions, which Judaism permits under certain circumstances, “delay the coming of the Messiah.”

Read it all here and here.
 
These fine rabbis have missed the central reality of their Tradition, that Messiah would be born of the priestly lines descending from Abraham. The priestly lines no longer intermarry according to the ancient custom, a unique marriage pattern practiced by the ruler-priests of Abraham's people because they believed that the Son of God would be born of their bloodline.  The vehicle for Messiah's appearing is gone.  This can mean only one thing: Messiah has already appeared!

Egypt in the Christmas Narrative

The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt." (Matthew 2:13)

The Apostles, who knew Jesus' mother well, bore witness to the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ, so when people reject the virgin birth, they are calling the Apostles liars. They are rejecting the most fundamental belief of Christianity: that the Son of God came into the world to save sinners, to crush the head of the serpent, and to restore Paradise, according to the Edenic Promise (Gen. 3:15)

The Virgin Birth is one of many signs that the One born to Mary is the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah. This is not about the birth of the Sun at the winter solstice. This is not a reworking of the Egyptian tale of Isis, a fertility goddess. Rather, the Horite Hebrew priests of Egypt told a story about a divinely appointed woman, Hathor, who was the mother of Horus. The Ra-Horus-Hathor narrative provides the pattern that points to Jesus Messiah. It points us to the Virgin who gave birth to the true Son of God under humble circumstances.

In the Horus story, Hathor gives birth in a cave. The hill country of Bethlehem ihas many caves where the residents kept their livestock. Messiah was born in one of these caves. This is why Orthodoxy icons of the Nativity show the Theotokos with the infant Christ in a cave.

Miraculous or extraordinary births abound in ancient societies, such as Athena's birth from Zeus's forehead. But the birth of Jesus is unlike these in significant ways. As Scripture attests: He was not begotten by the will of man. He is the eternal Christ, begotten before all worlds, and his coming was foretold long before there were Mesopotamians, Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.

The Egyptians, who venerated the Sun as the emblem of the Creator, believed that Horus was born at the Winter Solstice because from that day forward the Sun grows in strength. An ancient Horite ritual involved placing a male baby before the image of Hathor. Gifts were placed before them by the priests. Such correspondences have led some to claim that Christianity is a copycat religion. However, the beliefs of the Horite Hebrew are the source of our Messianic hope. Christianity has deep roots in antiquity. It is not an invention. Christ is the true Form of which the Hathor-Horus myth is a dim, but prophetic reflection. "And he became flesh and dwelt among us - Emmanuel - God with us!"

Through many generations, Abraham's Horite people expected the Edenic Promise to be fulfilled. The Horites were devotees of Horus, who they called the "Son of God."  If we believe Genesis is the record of Abraham's ancestors, then we must also accept that it was to Abraham's ancestors that the original promise (Protevangelion/Proto-Gospel) of the Son's birth was made.  This also explains why the priestly lines of Abraham's people exclusively intermarried.  They actually believed that the "Seed of a Woman" (Gen. 3:15) would come from their bloodlines.

Descent without a male parent is prefigured in Genesis 3:15 where the promise is given of One who will destroy the cosmic serpent and restore perfect communion between God and Man. The promise involves the woman's seed, not the man’s, and the promise involves “the woman,” not Eve. Gen 3:15 looks forward to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. And the fulfillment is facilitated by Joseph’s obedience to God and his faithfulness to Mary. Not only did he refuse to put her to shame, “but he knew her not.” The words are a euphemism, expressing the conjugal act, and reflect on the union of First Man and First Woman in Gen. 4:1.

Further, Joseph listened and believed the angel's warning. He took Mary and the Child to safety in Egypt. Egypt isn't always posed as a safe place in Israel's history, but for Abraham's divine Seed, Egypt was a place of refuge, as it was for Abraham and Jacob in a time of famine.  The "angel of the Lord" appeared to Joseph and told him to seek refuge in Egypt. This phrase - "angel of the Lord" - is found in Genesis 16:7 in reference to the Lord (Yahweh) who often makes His intention known in dreams.  This Joseph, like his famous namesake, is a dreamer of dreams.  And he remained in Egypt until the Son of God was called out of Egypt.

The Apostles believed that the return of Jesus from Egypt fulfills the prophesy of  Hosea 11:1: "I called my son out of Egypt."  Jews  insist that this refers to Israel as a people, and certainly that is the context of the Hosea passage.  Matthew's Gospel says:  So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:  "I called my son out of Egypt."  (Matthew 2:15)

All of Holy Scripture points us to the Promised Son who restores the divine image and opens the way to Paradise. May you embrace this great miracle during these twelve days of Christmas. I wish you a blessed Nativity with family and friends. And for those who are alone this Christmas, may God send angels to abide with you.

Related reading: The Nazareth-Egypt Connection; Egypt in the Book of Genesis; The Virgin Birth and Manger Too!; Christians Are Christmas People

God's Word Never Fails

Alice C. Linsley

John Collier's Annunciation

Collier's wonderful painting shows Mary as a typical school girl. It is a good reminder of both her humanity and her humility. Her purity is represented by the lillies which also foreshadow the empty Tomb.

If the Angel Gabriel is facing east, Mary is portrayed as reading her lesson or preparing for a test in the morning. The new dawn shines on her and on the Book which she holds firmly in her hands. She is as attentive to the Word as the archangel is to proclaiming her unique blessedness.

I like this painting because it reminds us that God's Word never fails to accomplish God's purpose. Mary was not a random choice. She was of a long line of women descended from the first people to receive the Word that the Woman's Seed would crush the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15). For Satan to be defeated, the Woman’s Seed would have to be of God, so Jesus is the Son of God and the fulfillment of the expectation of Abraham's people that the Son of God would be born in human form from their bloodline.

How can this be? Because Abraham's people preserved the bloodline of priests by maintaining a specific kinship pattern in which priests married half-sisters and patrilineal daughters of priests (cousins or nieces). Their expectation of the promised Son of God explains their strict adherence to this marriage pattern, with priests marrying only the daughters of priests (confirmed by DNA studies which have identified the cohen/priest marker). These daughter grew up as chaste women.  In Abraham's time they grew up at their father's water shrines because the ancient priests kept sheep for the sacrifice and controlled water systems such as wells to sustain their flocks. This explains why many of the heroes of the Old Testament met their brides at wells or river shrines.

Calling to remembrance our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.


Related reading:  Mary's Priestly Lineage; Mount Mary and the Origins of Life; Peleg: Time of Division; Cousin Brides and the Ruler Sons