Some stuff I talk about on the video-
MY OLD POSTS-
The Iliad and Odyssey [Homer]
I want to cover some of the classics of
Western Literature- when I do the philosophy and science stuff- the purpose is
to show how God- and ‘religion’ are an inescapable thread that we see all thru
out history- and in fact- the rise of what we call ‘intellectualism’ did indeed
come from the Judaic/Christian tradition [for instance- the modern day
university system did come from the Church].
Ok- lets start with what most
believe to be the greatest work from antiquity- outside of the bible.
These are 2 poems by Homer- the
Iliad and Odyssey.
These poems were written in the 8th
century BCE- and cover the Trojan war- which most believe was a real war- that
took place in the 12th-13th century BCE.
In Homers works we read about
this epic battle.
The war starts with- once again-
a ‘woman’ issue.
Prince Paris of Troy steals Helen
of Greece- from her husband King Menelaus [king of Sparta].
The Greeks- led by Achilles- lay
siege to Troy.
In Homers telling of the event-
the Greeks are actually defending the honor of marriage- and are carrying out a
just retribution against an unjust act.
Sort of the same themes we read
in scripture- when the sons of Jacob defended the honor of their sister Dinah-
when she was treated unjustly by the pagan nation that took her- forcefully- to
be the wife of a kings son.
The brothers meted out justice-
by tricking these pagans to get circumcised- then- while recovering ‘from
surgery’- the sons went in and wiped out the city- to their fathers dismay!
In the story- Achilles is a
warrior- who displays extreme violence- and also the human traits of a man who
acts out of selfish motives.
At one point in the war- he
removes himself from battle- because he feels his honor was betrayed.
The only thing that brings him
back is the killing of his close friend Patroclus- by Hector.
Achilles leads the Greeks to
victory- and reflects the struggle between living a long life- or dying young-
yet dying for a just cause.
One of the more famous quotes
form Homer’s Poems- attributed to Achilles- is ‘I carry 2 sorts of destiny to
the day of my death. Either, if I stay here and fight beside the city of the
Trojans, my return home is gone, but my glory shall be everlasting; but if I
return home to the beloved land of my fathers, the excellence of my glory is
gone, but there will be a long life- left for me, and my end in death will not
come to me quickly.’
There has been some debate over
the historicity of the war itself.
Some scholars believe it was Myth
[I’ll get to this in a moment].
That is- they believe the war
itself was not true- but a sort of Oral Tradition- that encompasses the reality
of the human condition- and that Homers Poems are simply mythological ways to
reveal the true condition of man.
Yet- much like the debate that
took place in the 19th century German universities- over the ‘Myth’
of the bible- later on- the rise of what we now call Archaeology [because of
the Industrial revolution- a new field arose- men started digging up the
ground- for the primary purpose of extracting materials from the earth- and at
this time we also discovered ‘lost worlds’- that is we could actually trace
cities and lands that were once deemed fake].
So- as with Homers Troy- and
bible lands- these archaeologists did indeed find Cities that matched the stories.
In 1870 the German Archaeologist
Schliemann discovered remains that seemed to find the city of Troy- the area is
known today as modern day Turkey.
This same thing happened with the
bible- we did indeed find historical evidence that seemed to back up the
historicity of the stories we find in the bible.
As a matter of fact- a famous
doubter of the bible embarked on a search- to prove the bible was ‘myth’ yet-
after researching carefully the historical names and places we read about in
the book of Acts- he came to believe that the book of Acts- written by both an
historian and doctor [Luke] was the most historically accurate writing that
came from the first century [Acts has lots of names of political figures- court
proceedings- stuff like that- and when doing research like this- it is quite
easy to debunk the historical reality of a fake work- but- when these names and
places were researched- from actual historical records dating back to the first
century- it was amazing how the pieces fit].
The Trojan War is found in many
works of Greek literature- and art.
But the most comprehensive
account comes from Homer’s 2 poems.
Now- in Homer’s poems there are
obvious references to Mythology- Goddesses- Golden apples- the Greek gods
intervening in the affairs of men.
So yeah- we see that there are
obvious mythological aspects to the work.
Yet- the ancient Geeks did indeed
believe the war itself was a real war that took place at around the 12th
century BCE.
Some believe that Homer never
actually wrote the poems- but that he told the stories- like Oral Tradition-
and they were later written down by others.
Sort of like the classic-
Paradise Lost- by John Milton. Milton was blind- and told the story to his
daughters [oral tradition] and the actual work was penned by those who heard
it.
Jesus himself used this method-
he never wrote a book- or letter in the New Testament- yet the gospels were
compiled by his men after his death.
We read about this when Luke [who
I mentioned above] gives the reason for his documenting stuff in the book of
Acts [read Acts chapter one].
Luke also wrote his gospel a few
years after the death and resurrection of Christ.
So- some believe the same thing
happened with Homer- those who heard him tell the story multiple times- simply put
it together later on.
Most scholars believe that Homer
did indeed write the poems- and that the famous Trojan War was a real
historical event.
Last year- when in North Bergen-
my atheist friend Daniel said he watched a PBS show- and he said ‘even a priest
said the bible was Myth’.
I explained to Daniel that when
the more liberal scholars use this term [like in the writings of Bultman] that
they do not mean ‘fake’- like Greek Mythology.
But they mean that some of the
stories in the gospels might be a compilation of the many Oral teachings of
Jesus- and they were put together as one story [some think the Sermon on the
Mount was actually multiple teachings Jesus did- and they were compiled into
one event].
Now- when I explained this to
Daniel- he said ‘see- even you believe it was Myth’.
I told Daniel that no- I do not
hold to this theory [not 100%] but that I was simply telling him that even
those who use the term Myth- when talking about Theology- they do not mean
Myth- as in fake.
So- I find it interesting that
both the New testament- and Homers poems- got the same scrutiny.
In these poems we do indeed see
the condition of man- which Homer depicts as one of constant war- not peace.
James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and
cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
may consume it upon your lusts.
Homers poems are considered by
some to be the beginning of the great works of Western literature- of which
there are many.
The great writer C.S. Lewis- who
rejected Christianity for many years- later became a believer.
He attributed his conversion to
the fact that he could not escape the reality of the Church- or Christian
themes- found in all the fields of study.
Whether it was the classics- or
history- philosophy.
He said every were he read-
studied- he could not escape this scarlet thread that ran thru out all the
fields of knowledge.
Yeah- in the end- his thirst for
knowledge- his intellectual search- led him to the Cross.
Jesus- in a way- was a 1st
century Achilles- he battled the forces of darkness- for the honor of a woman-
the Bride- the church.
He- Like Achilles- chose a just
death- for a just cause.
There’s a prophecy in the Old
Testament- it speaks of Christ ‘the zeal of thine house has eaten me up’.
Jesus was a righteous warrior- a
prophet, priest and king- and he had a zeal for the church- that far exceeded
anything we find in Homers poems.
.
Verses quoted on the video-
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah
Zechariah 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing
before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist
him.
Zechariah 3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee,
O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a
brand plucked out of the fire?
Zechariah 3:3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and
stood before the angel.
Zechariah 3:4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood
before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he
said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe
thee with change of raiment.
Zechariah 3:5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head.
So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the
angel of the LORD stood by.
Zechariah 3:6 And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua,
saying,
Zechariah 3:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in
my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house,
and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these
that stand by.
Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy
fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will
bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
Zechariah 3:9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua;
upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof,
saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one
day.
Zechariah 3:10 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call
every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD
sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings;
with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with
twain he did fly.
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy,
is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isaiah 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him
that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a
man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for
mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isaiah 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live
coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isaiah 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath
touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall
I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed,
but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears
heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until
the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the
land be utterly desolate,
Isaiah 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a
great forsaking in the midst of the land.
Isaiah 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return,
and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them,
when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and oflove, and of a sound mind. Tim. 1:7Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Jn. 14:27
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ! Cor. 15
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the firstbegotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Rev. 1:5
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh
and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death
he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Hebrews 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all
their lifetime subject to bondage.
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Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post
them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John.
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