The Allegory of Two Wives

 

Lamech the Elder and his 2 wives. Lamech was an early Hebrew ruler.

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Hebrew rulers who controlled territories and water systems had two wives. The separate settlements of the wives marked territorial boundaries of the ruler’s kingdom. This feature of the Hebrew social structure sheds light on the relationship of the faithful among the Hebrew (before Judaism) and the faithful among the people who identify as Christians.

The Apostle Paul draws on the Hebrew social structure to contrast Judaism with the core Christian belief that the gift of salvation is embraced by faith in God's promises. In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul uses the story of Sarah and Hagar to illustrate the difference between salvation by grace through faith in Christ and the Jewish emphasis on salvation through obedience to the law. Sarah's son Isaac is portrayed as the child of promise, while Hagar's son Ishmael is portrayed as a slave to the law.

In Paul's context, the allegory makes sense. He was an apologist for the Messianic Faith that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He insisted that only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save sinners can receive the promise of salvation. Paul was arguing with Jews who had rejected Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. 

Paul also states that those who would be saved must be grafted into the faith of Abraham. Abraham and his Hebrew ancestors believed in God Father and God Son. They also believed in bodily resurrection and looked for a righteous ruler who would overcome death and rise on the third day. The earliest known resurrection texts were prayers offered by Nilotic Hebrew priests for their deceased rulers.

Paul contrasts Sarah, Abraham's principal wife and Hagar, a concubine. His allegory involves two women of unequal social status. Yet another allegory should involve Abraham's two wives, Sarah and Keturah. Both were Hebrew women who held to the faith of their Hebrew ancestors. Sarah was the wife of Abraham's youth and Keturah was the wife of Abraham's old age. Abraham had 9 sons and an unknown number of daughters by 2 wives and 2 concubines (Hagar and Mesek).

Sarah was Abraham's half-sister and Keturah was Abraham's patrilineal cousin. These two Hebrew wives pose an allegory of the relationship of the people of faith who lived in anticipation of the Son's appearing and those who lived after the Son's appearing. Sarah came first and Keturah came much later, but both were women of the Hebrew faith. In other words, as 2 wives made a kingdom for Abraham, so the kingdom of God is comprised of 2 wives. One does not outrank the other or supplant the other. We are not speaking of Israel and the Church. Instead, the allegory to 2 wives represents the faithful justified who believed God's promise concerning the Son yet to appear and the faithful justified who love and obey the Son Incarnate. 

The social structure of the biblical Hebrew tells us much about the relationship between the two households of faith. Together they constitute a kingdom. There is no reason to subsume one household of faith to the other. They are equal in God's kingdom.

Related reading: Abraham's Sons; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Sovereignty and Two Wives; The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons; Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; The Wives' Settlements Mark the Boundaries

Misunderstanding the Priesthood

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Recent posts and videos by Anglican evangelicals such as Allison Barr have presented flawed arguments for the ordination of women to the priesthood. Their views represent a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the priesthood. The priesthood is and always has been about the Blood. 

Blood is essential for life. Blood bonds are the strongest of all kinship bonds. Blood purifies. It is the basis of all biblical covenants. It redeems. In other words, the priesthood speaks of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as no other sacred or secular office can.

Anthropologists have noted that almost universally blood is gendered. That is, the blood work of males and the blood work of females is distinct. The blood work of males pertains to war, hunting and execution. The blood work of females pertains to the monthly cycle and childbirth. The two can never be in the same space. They are never to be confused or mixed. Men were never allowed in the birthing chambers and women were never allowed in the place of animal sacrifice.

God wants us to think clearly about life and death. "Choose this day life or death" (Deut. 30:19) is a powerful exhortation to think about the distinction between life and death. That is why the people were commanded never to boil a baby goat in its mother's sustaining milk (Ex. 23:19, Ex. 34:26, and Deut. 14:21). This action blurs the distinction between life and death.

The priesthood is uniquely about the Blood of Jesus Messiah. No wonder it is constantly under attack.

Where the Messianic Narrative Gets Lost

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, provides the data shown in the diagram. The science of Biblical Anthropology draws its data from the 66 canonical books of the Bible and regards books such as Jasher to be of secondary importance because of their late dates. Jasher (Sefer haYashar) belongs to the Jewish literature known as Midrash and dates to the Middle Ages. Such late rabbinic writings reflect the theology and historical narrative of Judaism which did not exist when Abraham and his ancestors lived. The people shown in the diagram above were all Hebrew. None were Jewish.

Abraham's father was Tera (Terah). The word means "priest", and it is found among Abraham's Hebrew ancestors, some of whom lived in the Nile Valley. The word is found among the rulers of the Nilotic Anu. The title "Tera-netjer" is shown on this tile found by the famous archaeologist Flinders Petrie. Tera-netjer means "priest of God/King".

A Sethite Hebrew priest at a temple of the ruler Heth among the cities of the Nilotic Anu.

Among the Nilotic Luo, Ja'ter refers to the priest who performs the widow cleansing rituals. Among the Dinka of East Africa, the word for priest is tier. The root of these words is TR, the same as appears in the original Hebrew which had no vowels.

In Joshua 24:2 we read: "In olden times, your forefathers – Terah, father of Abraham and father of Nahor – lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods...". 

Because of this, many assume that Abraham was the first of his family to turn from idol worship to iconoclastic monotheism. However, all of the men named in the diagram above worshipped the same God. They were a priest caste, and castes are united in their religion as well as by blood and marriage ties. 

The Joshua passage also is from a much latter time than the persons about which it speaks. The Joshua narrative rejects the model of monarchic and priestly power held among the early Hebrew (4000-2000 BC). That model defines Messiah's authority. This shift causes readers of the Old Testament to lose sight of the continuity between the Messianic expectation of Abraham's Hebrew ancestors and the later Messianic prophesies of the Old Testament. 

Related reading: Abraham was a Descendant of Nimrod; Why So Many Names For God?; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: The Hebrew were a Caste; Ancient Words for Priests

Keturah was a Hebrew Wife

 

Hebron and Beersheba are shown on this map.

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

All Hebrew wives were close kin to their husbands because the Hebrew ruler-priests practiced caste endogamy. Some Hebrew wives were their husband's half-sisters. That is the case with Sarah. She and Abraham had the same father but different mothers. Terah had two wives, as did many of his Hebrew forefathers. It was common for high-ranking Hebrew chiefs to have two wives. 

The half-sister was the bride of the ruler's youth, and the cousin bride was the wife of the ruler's later years. The cousin wife was sought before the Hebrew man took over the rule of his father's territory. This explains Abraham's urgency to fetch a cousin bride for Isaac before he died. Isaac was not Abraham's firstborn son, but as the only son of his half-sister wife, Isaac was Abraham's proper heir. Before he died, Abraham gave grants to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from Isaac (Gen. 25:6). The sending away of non-ascendant sons drove the Hebrew dispersion throughout the Ancient Near East.

Some Hebrew wives were their husbands' cousins. That is the case with Keturah who bore Abraham six sons (Gen. 25). Recognizing this two-wife pattern is essential to understanding the social structure and marriage customs of the early Hebrew. (4000-2000 BC).

The ancient custom of having two wives pertained only to Hebrew men who ruled over territories. The two wives resided in separate settlements that provided security along the ruler's borders. Their border settlements were served by warriors, craftsmen, herdsmen, and physicians. 

Abraham's territory extended between Sarah's settlement at Hebron and Keturah's settlement at Beersheba. These are shown on the map above. Note that Abraham's territory in ancient Edom (Idumea in Greek) does not correspond to the modern Israel.

Keturah’s settlement at Beersheba was the site of seven wells. (Be'er means well.) These wells have been identified by archaeologists. In Abraham’s time, Sarah’s settlement at Hebron had four water sources. It is likely that these wells were also places of ritual cleaning. Shrines were built at wells, and these were tended by priests and their families. The wells provided water for the herds and flocks. Though the water shrines were under the control of regional lords, visitors were welcome to the water. Wells and water shrines were neutral ground and natural gathering places. 

Some Hebrew men met their future wives at wells. Among them were Abraham, Jacob, and Moses. Abraham's servant found Issac's cousin bride at her father's well in Padan-Aram. Jacob met his cousin wife Rebekah at her father's well (Gen. 29). Moses met his cousin wife Zipporah at her father's well in Midian.

The arrangement of the narrative of Sarah's death and burial before the account of Abraham's marriage to Keturah is an artful way to imply that Abraham took a second wife only after Sarah died. However, what is implied is not supported by the biblical data. 

Related reading: Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; Keturah was Abraham's Second Wife; The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons; Cousin Brides Among the Hebrew; INDEX of Topics at Just Genesis

The Mysterious Tarim Mummies

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China, with its fertile rim of oases, was home to a homogeneous population living in two settlements about 600 kilometers apart. It is likely that marriage partners were exchanged between the settlements.

The physical features of the Tarim mummies initially suggested that they were Indo-European migrants. Many had high cheekbones and red or blonde hair. However, DNA analysis revealed they were a genetically isolated population descended from Ancient North Eurasians (ANE) who had not mixed with other groups for thousands of years.

Investigation of their genomic origins found that this isolated population practiced endogamy. Scientists analyzed genome-wide data from thirteen of the earliest known Tarim Basin mummies, dating to between 2,100 and 1,700 B.C., together with five individuals dating to 3,000 - 2,800 B.C. in the neighboring Dzungarian Basin. This first genomic study of prehistoric populations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Region included the earliest yet discovered human remains from the region. The researchers found that the Tarim Basin mummies were direct descendants of a once widespread Pleistocene population that had largely disappeared by the end of the last Ice Age.

Hundreds of mummified bodies have been found in the Tarim Basin. The oldest mummified remains date to about 2000 B.C., the time of Abraham. They are well preserved due to the dry conditions of the Taklamakan Desert. The process of desiccation dramatically slowed decomposition of the bodies and clothing. Some of the burial sites held boat-shaped coffins covered with cattle hides, woven textiles, cheese, grains, and death masks.

“Despite being genetically isolated, the Bronze Age peoples of the Tarim Basin were remarkably culturally cosmopolitan – they built their cuisine around wheat and dairy from the West Asia, millet from East Asia, and medicinal plants like Ephedra from Central Asia,” says Christina Warinner, a senior author of the study, a professor of Anthropology at Harvard University, and a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

Below is a photo of one of the Tarim mummies, known as the "Ur-David" mummy or "Cherchen Man" (Chärchän Man). He wore a red twill tunic and leggings. The mummy dates to about 1000 B.C., the time of King David. He had reddish-brown hair and a ginger beard. Note the solar image on his cheek, suggesting that he was a chief. At that time, rulers were believed to be divinely appointed by being overshadowed by the sun, the primary symbol of the High God. A sun pattern on the mummy's face was applied using yellow ochre.

The image on his cheek appears to be a celestial horse., a symbol of the High God. Some burial sites included wooden horse bits and whips, indicating as equestrian culture. The kings of Judah constructed horses at the entrance to the temple in dedication to the sun, the symbol of the High God. (2 Kg. 23:11). Consider 2 Kings 2:11 - "As they [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."

Celtic coin showing the celestial horseman.

Some believe that the first horseman of the Apocalypse who rides a white horse represents Christ.

Joseph Campbell discovered that horse narratives involving a celestial rider are widespread, and often involve a hero who dies and rises, leading his people to victory. Some interpret this as reflecting solar and seasonal changes that mark public occasions such as harvest festivals, solstice celebrations, etc. Campbell considered this a "monomyth" because of the wide distribution of the common elements and themes. However, this belief in a celestial rider who overcomes death may be a glimmer of the Messianic beliefs of the early Hebrew ruler-priests (4000-2000 BC). 

 

Related reading: The surprising origins of the Tarim Basin mummies; The Sun and Celestial Horses; Righteous Rulers and the Resurrection

Abraham was a Descendant of Nimrod

 

The diagram shows another example of the cousin bride's naming prerogative, a distinctive feature of the early Hebrew marriage and ascendancy pattern. Nimrod's Mesopotamian wife was a cousin and a princess. She named their firstborn son Asshur after her father. 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The so-called “begats” are king lists that predate the Sumerian King Lists by at least 1500 years. To gain a clearer understanding of the influence and authority of these early Hebrew rulers we must consider Genesis chapter 10. Here we are told that Nimrod was a son of Kush, a Hebrew ruler in the Nile region. That is where the oldest known site of Hebrew worship was located at Nekhen.

Nimrod became a high-ranking Hebrew official in Sumer and later in Mesopotamia. He is known for his expansive building projects in Shinar, a region of independent city-states as early as 4100 B.C. Eridu (Eredo) was the earliest known city in Sumeria. The Sumerian King Lists describes Eridu as the “city of the first kings”, stating, “After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu”.

Later Nimrod began building projects in Northern Mesopotamia which is referred to as “Assyria”. Genesis 10:11 states that Nimrod went into the territory of Asshur or Assyria. The words Asshur and Assyria are the same in Hebrew. Asshur the Younger had a brother named Arpachshad. Among Arpachshad’s descendants are Eber, Peleg, Joktan, Nahor, Terah, and Abraham (Gen. 11:10-33).

This diagram shows another example of the cousin bride's naming prerogative. Lamech the Elder's daughter Naamah named her firstborn son Lamech after her father. She married her patrilineal cousin Methuselah. 

Related reading: Nimrod's Mesopotamian Wife; Why Nekhen is Anthropologically Significant; Cousin Brides Among the Hebrew; The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative

The Pillars of God

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The priests of the Ancient Nile Valley (ANV) were astronomers and architects. They recorded information about the fixed stars and clock-like motion of the planets for thousands of years.

 By 4245 BC, the priests of the Upper Nile had a calendar based on the appearance of the binary star system Sirius that becomes visible to the naked eye once every 1,461 years. Apparently, Nilotes had been tracking this star and connecting it to seasonal changes for thousands of years. 

The Priest Manetho reported in his history (241 BC) that Nilotes had been stargazing as early as 40,000 years ago. Plato, who studied for 13 years in Egypt, claimed that the Africans had been tracking the heavens for 10,000 years.

The early Nilotic priests assisted in the planning of royal tombs, pyramids, and temples. Most were oriented to the East with the entrances facing the rising sun because the sun was the symbol of the High God. Many of the temples were in cities or royal settlements that were dedicated to the Sun. One example is Heliopolis, meaning "Sun City". In the Bible Heliopolis is called On.

Heliopolis is mentioned in Isaiah 19:18 as one of five Egyptian cities that swore allegiance to the Lord of Hosts. The pyramids of Giza, Abusir and Saqqara were aligned to the main obelisk or central pillar of Heliopolis, testifying to the prominence of that Sun city.

Heliopolis was called Iunu, meaning place of pillars. The main temple or Great House had many pillars. The Hebrew also conceived of earth as resting on pillars. According to Genesis 1 God separated the dry land from the sea as one of the early acts of creation. Imagine a great sea with steam rising from deep underwater fissures in the earth. Now imagine volcanoes rising up from the sea. These are the "pillars of the earth" described in Psalm 72, Job 9:6, and I Samuel 2:8.

Job 9 speaks of God "who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble." I Samuel 2:8 - "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s and he had set the world upon them." Among Abraham's Nilotic ancestors the original volcanic mound that emerged from the sea was called TaTJaNuN which means the "twin pillars of God in the water."

Pillars were used to mark sacred places, royal tombs, and the entrances to temples. In the Ugaritic creation story the twin mountains likewise are indicated by the sign T. The mountains Trgzz and Trmg emerged from a universal ocean and held up the firmament. The temples that the early Hebrew knew were pillared like this Hypostyle Hall at Karnak.

Karnak's main temple was dedicated to Amun-Ra, the high God. Ra or Re in ancient Egyptian means "father". Re was believed to have a son HR (Horus in Greek). HR in ancient Egyptian means "Most High One".

Originally, the Karnak temple complex was probably located on an island, Karnak's original geological configuration would have produced the illusion of rising from the inundation, recalling the early Nilotic creation story of pillars rising from the primal sea. The Nilotic peoples believed that the Nile was where the work of creation began when the Creator caused a mound to emerge from a primal sea. The first life form was a lily, growing on the peak of the emerging dry land called Tatjenen or TaTJaNun.

Nekhen is the oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship. The oldest known temple at Nekhen was the Temple of Horus, a complex dating to around 3350-3200 BC. It featured a large oval courtyard, a central pole topped with Horus's falcon totem, and a shrine with large timber pillars. The Greeks called Nekhen Hierakonpolis, meaning "priest city." Nekhen was the religious and political capital of the Upper Nile before Egypt existed as a political entity.

It was common for pillars to be inscribed in memory of holy ancestors, as stained-glass windows in churches are dedicated to "pillars" of the congregation. The entrance pillars of Solomon's temple were named for Boaz, Solomon's holy ancestor on his father's side, and Joktan, a holy ancestor on his mother's side.

Related reading: The Prestige of Biblical On; Sun Cities of the Ancient World; Why Nekhen is Anthropologically Significant; The Gourd in Biblical Symbolism