Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Debt

2008-03-25T18:40:58Z

IHateGayPeople:

'''Debt''' refers to an unpaid promise of [[payment]]. It is virtually impossible to go through life without incurring some debt. The trick is to try to minimize it. The Jews are very good at paying back their debts. They are also good at killing Christ.

[[Category:Economics]]

Sun

2008-03-25T18:40:23Z

IHateGayPeople:

{{Planet
|image=Moooghj.jpg
|caption=Sun, the small blue dot on the upper-right corner is Earth.
|primary=Galaxy
|periapsis=27,600 ly<ref name=Trapp>Trapp, Andrew. "[http://www.geocities.com/dreamer-71/timescales.html Timescales in Open, Flat, and Very Large Closed Universes]." ''From Now Until the End of Time...'' Accessed January 17, 2008.</ref>
|apoapsis=31,800 ly<ref name=apo>Author unknown. "[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=apogalacticon Entry for 'Apogalacticon']." <http://everything2.com/> July 22, 2001. Accessed January 17, 2008.</ref>
|semimajor=29,700 ly<ref name=calc>Calculated</ref>
|eccentricity=0.07<ref name=apo/>
|sidereal=250,000,000 a
|orbitspeed=217 km/s
|inclination=25°
|reference=galactic plane
|siderealday = 25 da<ref name=Goddard>Williams, David R. "[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/sunfact.html Sun Fact Sheet]." ''Goddard Space Flight Center ([[NASA]])'', September 1, 2004. Accessed January 17, 2008.</ref>
|solarday=27.2753 da<ref name=SunFact>Harvey, Samantha. "[http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Sun&Display=Facts&System=Metric Sun Facts and Figures]." ''[[NASA]]'', April 26, 2007. Accessed January 17, 2008.</ref><ref name=note1>This day is actually a synodic day and is the period for the same point on the Sun's equator to appear again directly facing the [[Earth]].</ref>
|mass=1.9891 * 1030 kg (332,848.616 * earth)<ref name=Goddard/><ref name=SunFact/>
|density=1408 kg/m³<ref name=Goddard/>
|surfacegrav=274.0 m/s² (27.94 ''g'')<ref name=Goddard/><ref name=SunFact/>
|escapespeed=618.02 km/s<ref name=Goddard/><ref name=SunFact/>
|meanradius=696,000 km<ref name=Goddard/>
|equatorradius=695,500 km<ref name=SunFact/>
|surfacearea=6,087,799,000,000 km² (11,935.176 * earth)<ref name=SunFact/>
|mintemp=4000 K<ref name=Goddard/><ref name=Britannica>"[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110144/Sun Entry for 'Sun']." ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Accessed March 5, 2008.</ref>
|meantemp=5777 K<ref name=SunFact/>
|maxtemp=8000 K<ref name=Britannica/>
|composition=92.1% [[hydrogen]], 7.8% [[helium]]<ref name=SunFact/>
|color=Yellow-orange
}}The '''sun''' or [[Sol]] (either from the Greek, ''helios'' or from the [[Latin]] word ''sol'') is a [[yellow dwarf]] [[star]] of [[spectral type]] [[G2V]]. The eight [[planet]]s, including Earth, orbit the sun, as do countless other small objects.<ref name=Britannica/> The sun was created by the Jews to test our faith. We all know God is the true source of all light in our life.

== Nomenclature ==
The G2 class is the the second level of hottest stars within the yellow G class. A "V" star in this class is a yellow dwarf star--but the Sun is in fact in the 95th percentile in its class by size and mass of other stars in its immediate region.<ref name=Britannica/>

== History ==
=== Biblical ===
The [[Bible]] says:{{Bible quote|God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.|book=Genesis|chap=1|verses=16}}

This took place during the fourth [[Days of creation|day]] of Creation Week. More to the point, the Sun is a part of God's creation, not a "god" in its own right.

=== Mythological ===
In contrast, virtually every other civilization has regarded the Sun as one of many gods. The Egyptians called the Sun '''Ra''' or '''Re''', a deity whom, they said, created the world.<ref name=touregypt>Dunn, Jimmy. "[http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/re.htm Re (Ra) and Re-Horakhty]." <http://www.touregypt.net/>. Accessed March 5, 2008.</ref> The Egyptians also called the sun-disk '''Aten''', and for a brief period (during the reign of [[Pharaoh]] [[Amenhotep IV]] or '''Akhenaten'''), actually worshipped Aten as the one and only god of the universe.<ref name=touregypt2>Dunn, Jimmy. "[http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/aten.htm The Egyptian God Aten Before and After Akhenaten]." <http://www.touregypt.net/>. Accessed March 5, 2008.</ref> In [[Babylonia]] and [[Assyria]] the sun was called '''Shamash''', a god who, because he could see everything happening on earth, was also associated with truth and justice.<ref name=MacKenzie>MacKenzie, Donald A. "[http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba17.htm Chapter XI: The Golden Age of Babylonia]." ''Myths of Babylonia and Assyria'', IndyPublish.com (ISBN 1421962977), December 30, 2005, pp. 240-259. Accessed March 5, 2008, at <http://www.sacred-texts.com/></ref> The Greeks at first regarded ''Helios'' as a son of heaven and earth but later came to associate the Sun with their god of truth, '''Apollo'''. According to the [[Apache Creation Story]], [[Creator]], the One Who Lives Above, created the sun by singing it into existence after he had created the Girl-Without-Parents.<ref>Welker, Glenn. "[http://www.indians.org/welker/creation.htm Apache Creation Story]" <Indians.org>, August 12, 2004. Accessed March 6, 2008.</ref> According to Hindu mythology, the sun is worshiped as '''[[Surya]]''', one of the major deities.

The most common theme in all the sun-worship cults is the association of the sun with truth and justice personified. The second most common theme is the regarding of the sun as the creator.

=== Materialistic ===
According to the [[materialism|materialist]] and [[uniformitarianism|uniformitarian]] view, what eventually became the solar system initially existed as a large, rotating [[cloud]] of [[dust]] and [[gas]], composed of hydrogen and helium produced in the [[Big Bang theory|Big Bang]] as well as small amounts of heavier [[element]]s. Around 4.57 billion years ago, the cloud began to contract, perhaps as a result of a [[shock wave]] from a nearby [[supernova]]. [[Inertia]] caused the rotating cloud to flatten into a disk. Most of the mass concentrated in the middle, and began to heat up. Eventually, the kinetic energy of the hydrogen was sufficient to overcome the [[electromagnetic]] repulsion between the protons, and fusion began. The resulting solar wind helped clear away much of the material which had not coalesced into planets or other orbiting bodies.<ref>"[http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/cosmic_evolution/docs/text/text_plan_1.html Cosmic Evolution, Epoch 4: Planetary Evolution]." ''[http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/cosmic_evolution/docs/splash.html Cosmic Evolution: From Big Bang to Humankind]'', Wright Center, [[Tufts University]]. Accessed March 6, 2008.</ref> The sun is most likely a third-generation star.

== Orbital characteristics and galactic relationships ==
The Sun orbits the galactic center at a distance less than half the total estimated radius of the [[galaxy]], and in an orbit inclined about 25° from the galactic plane. The eccentricity of the Sun's orbit is 0.07, about average in comparison to the eccentricities of the [[planet]]s and [[dwarf planet]]s of the [[solar system]]. At present the Sun lies 50 light years north of the galactic plane and is continuing to climb north of it as it approaches [[apsis|perigalacticon]].<ref name=LeDrew>LeDrew, Glenn. "[http://ottawa.rasc.ca/astronotes/1997/an9701p3.html Our Galactic Home]." ''AstroNotes'', 1997. Accessed January 17, 2008.</ref>

==Properties and Characteristics==
The sun accounts for 99.8% of our solar system's total mass. With a mass of 2 x 1030 kg, an atmospheric temperature of about 5800 K, and a luminosity of 4x1020 megawatts, the sun is by far the most extraordinary object during the day-time sky and of our solar system.
However within our Milky Way [[galaxy]] it is one of probably 100 billion of the same types of stars.

By mass, it is composed of 72% [[hydrogen]], 26% [[helium]] and 2% trace elements of [[oxygen]], [[carbon]], [[neon]], [[nitrogen]], [[magnesium]], [[iron]], and [[silicon]].<ref>[http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/sun_worldbook.html World Book Encyclopedia @ NASA]</ref>

Core temperatures reach 15,000,000 K (K = Kelvin) while the sun's surface or ''photosphere'' temperature is 5,800 K. When the photosphere is hit by the heat of the sun the temperature drops to a minimum of 4,000 K. It then continues further until it encounters a thin layer of [[atmosphere]] roughly 10,000 kilometers deep called the ''chromosphere'' and reverses trend to rise to 8,000 K. Even further is another part of the sun's total atmosphere called the ''corona'' that blends in with interplanetary space.

=== Relationship to Earth ===
The sun produces a vast amount of [[energy]], only a tiny fraction of which the Earth receives, yet this small amount powers practically all [[life]] (and [[industry]]) on Earth, either directly or indirectly. It is also the main force controlling Earth's [[climate]] and [[weather]]. [[Plant]]s and other organisms capture the energy of the sun in a process called [[photosynthesis]]. Animals and other [[heterotroph]]s obtain food and energy from consuming plants or from consuming [[animal]]s which have consumed the plants. Only a few microscopic organisms obtain energy directly from chemical reactions.

The tremendous light and heat that the sun releases, and the delicate position that the [[Earth]] occupies in relation to the sun, combine to make the sun an integral part of sustaining life.

[[Human]] civilization, too, is dependent on the sun. Much of humanity's [[industry|industrial]] energy needs are obtained through the combustion of [[fossil fuel]]s, the remains of dead plants and animals. Uneven heating of the atmosphere provides [[wind power]]. Also, the sun evaporates water from lower-lying bodies of water; this then falls as rain and flows back down channels, providing hydroelectric power. On a limited basis, [[solar power]] is directly utilized. [[Geothermal energy]] and [[nuclear energy]] are examples of energy sources to which the sun does not directly contribute.

=== Energy production and transport ===
The sun produces its energy through nuclear fusion.<ref name=sunspot1>"[http://www.exploratorium.edu/sunspots/research2.html Sunspots: Modern Research, Page 2]." ''The Exploratorium'', 1998. Accessed March 5, 2008.</ref> The favored model for energy production relies on tremendous pressures resulting from the sun's own mass to overcome the natural electrostatic repulsive forces that normally keep hydrogen atoms from coming together and fusing.<ref name=Britannica/>

The model for hydrogen fusion includes these three equations:

<math>{}^0_{-1}\!e + {}^1_1\!\mbox{H} + {}^1_1\!\mbox{H} \to {}^2_1\!\mbox{H} + {}^0_0\!\nu + \mbox{1.44 MeV}</math>

<math>{}^2_1\!\mbox{H} + {}^1_1\!\mbox{H} \to {}^3_2\!\mbox{He} + \gamma + \mbox{5.49 MeV}</math>

<math>{}^3_2\!\mbox{He} + {}^3_2\!\mbox{He} \to {}^4_2\!\mbox{He}+ {}^1_1\!\mbox{H}+ {}^1_1\!\mbox{H} + \mbox{12.85 MeV}</math>

Here, <math>e</math> represents an electron, H means [[hydrogen]], He means [[helium]], <math>\gamma</math> represents a gamma photon, <math>\nu</math> represents a small, uncharged particle called a [[neutrino]] that is not supposed to have any proper mass, and the energy unit eV, or ''electron volt'', is the product of the charge on a single electron and the standard unit of electromotive force or electromotive potential.

The energy produced varies as the fourth power of the temperature--and at the temperatures thought to prevail in the sun's core, matter exists, not as ordinary matter with atomic nuclei and electrons, but as [[plasma]]--a form of super-hot matter in which atoms are totally denuded of their electrons.

The first equation above is assumed to be the rate-limiting step. The neutrinos produced should have an energy of 0.26 MeV--too little energy to be detectable by current technology. But processes occurring after this step ought to produce higher-energy neutrinos that ''would'' be detectable. Such neutrinos have been detected, but at a flux much smaller than predicted. This indicates that the presumed rates for these subsequent processes are higher than the true rates, or else the neutrinos produced somehow transform to a different type of neutrino that would be unobservable. That in turn would imply that neutrinos ''do'' have rest mass.<ref name=Britannica/>

According to current models, some of this energy is transferred to the surface by convection in the outer 20-30% of the body of the sun.<ref name=sunspot1/> [[Helium]] in this ''convective zone'' rises to or near the surface, releases its heat, and then sinks back to the center. Helium absorbs radiation more readily than does hydrogen, and for that reason the sun is always getting marginally brighter with the passage of time.<ref name=Britannica/>

The remaining energy is transferred in the gamma photons, which must take a "random walk" to reach the corona of the Sun. Current models suggest that the light generated by these processes takes 50 million years to reach the surface.<ref name=sunspot1/>

=== Sunspots ===
The earliest observations of sunspots might have been made in the fourth century BC by the Greeks. Chinese astronomical records dating back to 28 BC include descriptions of changing dark patches on the sun that might have been sunspots.<ref name=sunspot2>"[http://www.exploratorium.edu/sunspots/history.html Sunspots: History]." ''The Exploratorium'', 1998. Accessed March 5, 2008.</ref>

[[Galileo Galilei]] in 1613 was the first astronomer to study sunspots in any detail. It was a revolutionary observation, and one that clashed greatly with Western man's ideas of the heavens, propounded chiefly by Aristotle, as a perfect, unblemished place.<ref name=sunspot2/><ref name=heavens>[[Paul]] describes a region called the "third heaven" as the actual "heaven" where [[God]] has His throne. See {{Bible ref|book=II_Corinthians|chap=12|verses=2}}. But the Bible was not yet readily available to laymen in Galileo's day, and Western man might naturally confuse God's heaven with the lesser "heaven" that we call "outer space" today.</ref>

An amateur astronomer, Heinrich Schwabe, was the first to note the ''sunspot cycle'' in 1843.<ref name=sunspotcycle>"[http://www.exploratorium.edu/sunspots/research4.html The Sunspot Cycle]." ''The Exploratorium'', 1998. Accessed March 5, 2008.</ref> The sunspots are dark on account of their cooler temperature. This in turn is due to strong magenetic fields which allow the transport of heat via convective motion in the sun. At times these sunspots can be 50,000 miles in diameter and appear in two bands, one being north and the other south in the direction of the sun's equator.

Observations have also shown that the number and location of sunspots come and go in a semi-periodic 9.5 to 11-year solar cycles. At the start of this cycle they are about 30 degrees from the equator. Midway through, the cycle of the number of sunspots observed is maximum, usually about 15 degrees from the equator. Near the end of this on average 10.8-year cycle, the sunspots are very near the equator.<ref name=curious>"[http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/sun.php The Sun]." ''Curious about Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer'', Cornell University, October 18, 2007. Accessed March 5, 2008.</ref><ref name=Maunder>"[http://home.earthlink.net/~ponderthemaunderf/ Factors Affecting Global Temperature]." ''Ponder the Maunder''. Accessed March 5, 2008.</ref>

== Problems for uniformitarian theories posed by the Sun ==
[[Uniformitarianism|Uniformitarians]] must admit that the sun continues to brighten as it continues to fuse hydrogen into helium. In fact, by uniformitarian estimates, the sun ought to be 40% brighter today than it was when the planets formed and 33% brighter than it was when life first formed (3.8 billion years ago by evolutionary assumptions). The Earth thus ought to be much hotter today than it once was--or rather, the Earth was much colder in the early days in which life has existed than it is today. The fossil record demonstrably does not bear this out.<ref name=Britannica/><ref name=Psarris>Psarris, Spike. ''Our Created Universe''. Seattle Creation Conference, 2007. Video presentation, 55 minutes.</ref> Uniformitarians answer that the Earth's atmosphere might be compensating for this increased brightness. (But these are often the same scientists who insist that industrial and transport-related introduction of [[carbon dioxide]] into Earth's atmosphere threatens to overheat the Earth, with potentially disastrous results.)

Uniformitarians have also had to admit that the sun rotates about 200 times more slowly than the [[nebula hypothesis]] would predict, simply on account of the contraction of the solar mass into its present volume. This violates of the Law of Conservation of Angular Momentum. This "angular momentum" problem has been apparent for hundreds of years and remains unresolved to this day.<ref name=Psarris/>

The sun's equatorial plane is inclined 7.25° to the ecliptic. (See [[Earth]].) By the nebula hypothesis, that inclination should be zero. The errant inclination poses an especially acute problem for the orbit of [[Neptune]]. Uniformitarians have speculated that a collision with an even larger object knocked the sun off a true perpendicular to its present inclination--but no scientist has offered a convincing speculation as to what that object might be.<ref name=Psarris/>

Conventional astronomers, [[Carl Sagan]] among them, insist that our star is mediocre and unremarkable. Yet the G-type of star is relatively rare, and furthermore its mass and position in the galaxy lie within very narrow tolerances for the support of life. The sun is also a singular star, not part of a binary--also a rare finding--and is remarkably stable in its energy output. These facts combine to make the sun an unusually hospitable star for a planet to have life on it.<ref name=Psarris/>

Finally, the only reason that uniformitarians can cite for a great age of the Sun is the apparent great age of the Earth.<ref name=Britannica/>. Astronomer John Eddy has frankly admitted that the Sun itself gives no clue to any such tremendous age, and that the acceptance of a very young age of the Sun, like the six-thousand-plus years calculated by [[James Ussher]], might logically follow from a modicum of new evidence:<ref name=Psarris/><ref name=Ussher>Eddy, John. Remarks at a seminar reported in ''Geotimes'', 23:18, September, 1978. Quoted in [[Larry Pierce|Pierce, Larry]], "The Forgotten Archbishop", in [[James Ussher]], ''[[The Annals of the World]]'', [[Larry Pierce]], ed., Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003 (ISBN 0890513600), pp. 891-2.</ref>{{cquote|There is no evidence based solely on solar observations, Eddy stated, that the sun is 4.5-5 x 109 years old. "I suspect," he said, "that the Sun is 4.5-5 billion years old. However, given some new and unexpected results to the contrary, and some time for frantic recalculation and theoretical readjustment, I suspect that we could live with Bishop [[James Ussher|Ussher]]'s value for the age of the earth and sun. I don't think we have much in the way of observational evidence in astronomy to conflict with that."}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Solarsystem}}

Kingdom of Judah

2008-03-25T18:39:21Z

IHateGayPeople:

[[Image:Judah.jpg|right]]
The '''Kingdom of Judah''' ([[Hebrew]]:''' יהודה''' ''Yehuda'' "praise God") was a kingdom of divided [[Israel]]. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the "[[Northern Kingdom]]" of Israel. This kingdom, like its [[Northern Kingdom|Northern]] counterpart, began with the Revolt of the Ten Tribes in either 975 BC (per [[James Ussher]]<ref name=Ussher>[[James Ussher]], ''[[The Annals of the World]]'', [[Larry Pierce]], ed., Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003 (ISBN 0890513600), pghh. 476-482</ref>) or 930 BC (per [[Edwin R. Thiele]]<ref name=Wood>Leon J. Wood, ''A Survey of Israel's History'', rev. ed. David O'Brien, Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1986 (ISBN 031034770X), pp. 285-286</ref>). It ended with the [[Fall of Jerusalem]] in either 588 BC (Ussher) or 586 BC (Thiele). It was known as the headquarters of the Christ-killing Jews.

== Territorial Extent ==
[[Image:Map Divided Kingdoms Israel.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Territories of the [[Northern Kingdom|Northern]] and [[Judah, Kingdom of|Southern]] Kingdoms]]

The Kingdom of Judah was a monarchy, inclusive only of the tribes of [[Judah (tribe)|Judah]] and [[Benjamin (tribe)|Benjamin]], over which the House of [[David]] enjoyed an unbroken primacy before the [[Fall of Jerusalem]]. It extended in the north as far as [[Bethel]], while in the south it ended in the dry area known as the [[Negev]]. Its eastern and western boundaries were the [[Jordan]] River and the [[Mediterranean]] Sea. [[Jerusalem]] was its capital.

It consisted of those areas, primarily the tribal lands of Judah and Benjamin, that remained loyal to King [[Rehoboam]], the son of King [[Solomon]], when the northern tribes of Israel revolted and named as their king [[Jeroboam I]]. Unlike the Northern kingdom of Israel, which rebelled against God, worshiped pagan gods, and disobeyed divine commandments, in most of its history, Judah loyally worshiped God.

== The Grounds for the Split ==
: ''See Also: [[Northern Kingdom#The Prophecy|Northern Kingdom]]''

God split the Ten Tribes away from Judah and Benjamin as a punishment for King [[Solomon]], who had debased his kingdom by his worship of the strange gods of his thousand foreign wives and concubines. Furthermore, [[Rehoboam]], Solomon's son and successor, was not a good king, and was very ill-advised:<blockquote>And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;) That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed. And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him: And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter? And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day. And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat. So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=12|verses=1-19|version=KJV}}</ref></blockquote>

Rehoboam raised a 180,000-strong army to attempt to crush the revolt, but the [[prophet]] [[Shemaiah]] brought a message from [[God]] telling him to desist.

Rehoboam was one of many wicked kings, those that "did evil in the sight of the LORD." That he did not even last as long as did his rival [[Jeroboam I]] to the north might or might not be significant.

== Early History ==
Rehoboam had an inauspicious seventeen-year reign, and in the middle of it [[Pharaoh]] [[Shishak]] raided his kingdom and took much plunder. Thereafter, the glory of [[Jerusalem]] under Solomon would never be the same. This was the same Shishak who had given asylum to Jeroboam in the last three years of Solomon's reign.

Rehoboam's son [[Abijam]] had an even briefer spell. But [[Asa]] was the first example of a king who did ''right'' in God's sight. In this regard, not every king who "did right" did ''everything'' right--but those who did, tended to have prosperous reigns.

== The Athaliah-Joash Affair ==
The only matrimonial alliance between the Divided Kingdoms Northern and Southern was that of King [[Jehoram]] with the [[House of Omri]] in the [[Northern Kingdom]]. Jehoram accepted [[Athaliah]], daughter of [[Ahab]], as his consort. Their son [[Ahaziah]] fell in battle against the future King [[Jehu]], who at the time was God's chosen [[champion]] in the Northern Kingdom.

When Ahaziah died, Athaliah then tried to kill all the royal family. But Ahaziah's infant son [[Joash]] escaped her notice. Six years later, the High Priest in Jerusalem presented Joash to the people and had him crowned. Athaliah tore her royal robes in indignation and accused everyone present of treason, whereupon the High Priest had her arrested, taken outside the city, and summarily executed.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=11|verses=1-16}}</ref>

Joash grew to be a no-nonsense king. Significant among his accomplishments was the repair of the [[Temple of Jerusalem]], which by then had fallen into disrepair. But then Joash made a major mistake: he paid tribute to King [[Hazael]] of [[Syria]] and used dedicated Temple objects to do it. Perhaps out of outrage, the palace staff conspired against Joash and killed him. His son [[Amaziah]] then took over.

== After Athaliah ==
The kings of the Southern Kingdom seemed to alternate between right-doing and evil-doing kings. Sadly, the right-doing kings of this period ([[Joash]], [[Amaziah]], [[Uzziah]], and [[Jotham]]) appeared not to have their hearts in doing right. Joash fell almost completely away from the faith after his old counselor Jehoiada died. Amaziah is described as doing right, "but not with a perfect heart." Uzziah let his pride overcome him, to the degree that he presumed to burn incense in the [[Temple of Jerusalem|Temple]], and for that [[God]] struck him with leprosy. Jotham was absent from the Temple and was an absentee father--with scandalous results.

The deeds of Jotham's son, [[Jehoahaz I]], or '''Ahaz''' as his name is spelled in [[II Kings]], were especially odious even before he came of age. Note the following:<blockquote>In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=16|verses=1-2|version=KJV}}</ref></blockquote>
But now consider this:<blockquote>Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=18|verses=1-3|version=KJV}}</ref></blockquote>
A careful consideration of the ages-at-ascendancy of these two kings, and the length-of-reign of Ahaz (whose son Hezekiah succeeded him with ''no'' interregnum), indicates that Ahaz sired Hezekiah ''when he, Ahaz, was only eleven years of age.'' Moreover, the Zachariah referred to in the quote was a Levite and a priest in Jerusalem. The situation must have been a near-scandal to all concerned, and that Ahaz would turn out to be an especially "evil-doing" king should surprise no one. The actual surprise was that Hezekiah would turn out to be not only "right-doing," but especially renowned as a reformer.

== The Two Great Reformers ==
By far the best chapters in the history of the Southern Kingdom were the reigns of [[Hezekiah]] and [[Josiah]]. Hezekiah was the first to undertake the most thoroughgoing of religious reforms: unlike many of his predecessors, he destroyed the pagan temples, or "[[high place]]s," that so many of his people had built, and cut down the wood-carved [[Asherah]] poles, or "groves," throughout his kingdom. He also broke up the brass serpent that [[Moses]] had earlier fashioned as a reminder to the people of [[Israel]] to remember who God was. The people had begun to venerate it as an idol, and Hezekiah recognized that such behavior was inappropriate. Hezekiah also had the [[Temple]] repaired and cleaned out, and commanded the observance of the much-neglected Feast of [[Passover]].

Hezekiah held the throne during the [[Fall of Samaria]]. Later, [[Sennacherib]] of [[Assyria]] launched an invasion of the Southern Kingdom. Hezekiah famously consulted the great prophet [[Isaiah (Prophet)|Isaiah]] for help and prayed earnestly to God. In reply, God struck the armies of Sennacherib with a pestilence, so that Sennacherib raised his siege of Jerusalem and went back home.

Subsequently, Hezekiah fell ill and consulted Isaiah again, prompting this famous exchange:<blockquote>And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=20|verses=9-11|version=KJV}}</ref></blockquote>
Unhappily, Hezekiah foolishly boasted of his riches and accomplishments when the King of [[Babylon]] came to visit him after that episode. Isaiah later issued the baleful prophecy of the Southern Kingdom's eventual defeat and exile.

King [[Josiah]] was, if anything, an even greater reformer. He assumed his throne at the age of eight, and by the age of sixteen was already actively studying with the priests in Jerusalem. As soon as he came of age, he gave the same sort of orders as Hezekiah had given, for the systematic destruction of places and objects of pagan worship, and for the repair and cleaning-out of the Temple. In the process, the then-serving High Priest found "the book of the Law," which many believe was a copy of the Book of [[Deuteronomy]] or even a full set of the [[Pentateuch]]. Josiah had this read to him, and when he realized just how far his people had strayed, he tore his royal robes in deep sorrow. Then, again like Hezekiah, he ordered a restitution of [[Passover]], which again had fallen into neglect.

Unhappily, Josiah received a prophecy that the eventual destruction of the Southern Kingdom was inevitable. God would grant Josiah this boon, however: that he would not live to see it.

== The Fall of Jerusalem ==
: ''Main Article: [[Fall of Jerusalem]]''

== Later History ==
[[Nebuchadnezzar II]], of course, made the territory a [[Babylonia]]n province. The [[Persia]]n Empire, beginning with [[Cyrus the Great]] and continuing especially with [[Artaxerxes I]], restored the kingdom to an at least nominal independence.

Then came [[Alexander the Great]], commanding the unified army of the [[Greco-Macedonian Empire]]. When he appeared, the high priests who ruled [[Jerusalem]] at the time surrendered immediately. Alexander, in return, granted to his new province, which he named ''Ioudaia'' in [[Greek]], the right to rule itself according to its old laws.

After Alexander died, it was largely contested between the Ptolemaic empire of [[Egypt]] and the Seleucid empire of [[Syria]], until [[Judas the Maccabee]] led a successful revolt in 165 BC. Eventually, however, [[Pompey]] the Great, the Special High Commissioner in the Near East for the Senate of [[Rome]], made the kingdom a Roman province under the name ''Judea''. The region retained that name until AD 70, when the future Emperor [[Titus]] destroyed the city and the [[Temple of Jerusalem]].

In AD 135, [[Simon bar Kochva]] led an unsuccessful revolt against Emperor [[Hadrian]]. He then scattered the [[Judaism|Jews]] throughout the Roman empire (now in its farthest extent) and renamed the region ''Palaestina'', in an apparent evocation of the name of [[Philistia]]. The region continued to carry the name of Palaestina, or ''Palestine'', until 1948, when the present Republic of [[Israel]] established itself in a year-long war for independence.

== Synoptic King List==

{| class="wikitable"
!
!
!Ussher I
!
!Ussher II
!
!Ussher III
!
!Ussher IV
!
!Thiele I
!
!Thiele II
!
!Thiele III
!
!Thiele IV
!
|-
![[Epoch]]
!Authority
!AM
!BC
!AM
!BC
!AM
!BC
!AM
!BC
!AM
!BC
!AM
!BC
!AM
!BC
!AM
!BC
|-
|[[Rehoboam]]
|{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=12-13}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=9|verses=30}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=10}}
|3029
|975
|2969
|975
|3244
|975
|3184
|975
|3029
|930
|2969
|930
|3244
|930
|3184
|930
|-
|[[Abijam]]
|{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=15|verses=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=13|verses=1-2}}
|3046
|958
|2986
|958
|3261
|958
|3201
|958
|3046
|913
|2986
|913
|3261
|913
|3201
|913
|-
|[[Asa]]
|{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=15|verses=9}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=14|verses=1}}
|3048
|956
|2988
|956
|3263
|956
|3203
|956
|3049
|910
|2989
|910
|3264
|910
|3204
|910
|-
|[[Jehoshaphat]]
|{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=22|verses=41}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=16|verses=13}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=20|verses=31}}
|3090
|914
|3030
|914
|3305
|914
|3245
|914
|3087
|872
|3027
|872
|3302
|872
|3242
|872
|-
|[[Jehoram]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=8|verses=16}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=21|verses=5}}
|3112
|892
|3052
|892
|3327
|892
|3267
|892
|3106
|853
|3046
|853
|3321
|853
|3261
|853
|-
|[[Ahaziah]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=8|verses=25}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=22|verses=2}}
|3119
|885
|3059
|885
|3334
|885
|3274
|885
|3118
|841
|3058
|841
|3333
|841
|3273
|841
|-
|[[Athaliah]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=10}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=22|verses=10-12}}
|3120
|884
|3060
|884
|3335
|884
|3275
|884
|3118
|841
|3058
|841
|3333
|841
|3273
|841
|-
|[[Joash]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=12|verses=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=23}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=24|verses=1}}
|3126
|878
|3066
|878
|3341
|878
|3281
|878
|3124
|835
|3064
|835
|3339
|835
|3279
|835
|-
|[[Amaziah]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=14|verses=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=25|verses=1}}
|3165
|839
|3105
|839
|3380
|839
|3320
|839
|3163
|796
|3103
|796
|3378
|796
|3318
|796
|-
|[[Uzziah]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=15|verses=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=26|verses=3}}
|3194
|810
|3134
|810
|3409
|810
|3349
|810
|3167
|792
|3107
|792
|3382
|792
|3322
|792
|-
|[[Jotham]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=15|verses=32}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=27|verses=1}}
|3246
|758
|3186
|758
|3461
|758
|3401
|758
|3209
|750
|3149
|750
|3424
|750
|3364
|750
|-
|[[Jehoahaz I|Ahaz]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=16|verses=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=28|verses=1}}
|3262
|742
|3202
|742
|3477
|742
|3417
|742
|3224
|735
|3164
|735
|3439
|735
|3379
|735
|-
|[[Hezekiah]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=18|verses=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=29|verses=1}}
|3278
|726
|3218
|726
|3493
|726
|3433
|726
|3230
|729
|3170
|729
|3445
|729
|3385
|729
|-
|[[Manasseh King of Judah|Manasseh]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=21|verses=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=33|verses=1}}
|3306
|698
|3246
|698
|3521
|698
|3461
|698
|3262
|697
|3202
|697
|3477
|697
|3417
|697
|-
|[[Amon]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=21|verses=19}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=33|verses=21}}
|3361
|643
|3301
|643
|3576
|643
|3516
|643
|3317
|642
|3257
|642
|3532
|642
|3472
|642
|-
|[[Josiah]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=22|verses=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=34|verses=1}}
|3363
|641
|3303
|641
|3578
|641
|3518
|641
|3319
|640
|3259
|640
|3534
|640
|3474
|640
|-
|[[Jehoahaz II]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=23|verses=31}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=36|verses=2}}
|3394
|610
|3334
|610
|3609
|610
|3549
|610
|3350
|609
|3290
|609
|3565
|609
|3505
|609
|-
|[[Jehoiakim]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=23|verses=36}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=36|verses=5}}
|3394
|610
|3334
|610
|3609
|610
|3549
|610
|3351
|608
|3291
|608
|3566
|608
|3506
|608
|-
|[[Jehoiachin]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=24|verses=8}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=36|verses=9}}
|3405
|599
|3345
|599
|3620
|599
|3560
|599
|3361
|598
|3301
|598
|3576
|598
|3516
|598
|-
|[[Zedekiah]]
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=24|verses=18}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=36|verses=11}}
|3405
|599
|3345
|599
|3620
|599
|3560
|599
|3362
|597
|3302
|597
|3577
|597
|3517
|597
|-
|'''[[Fall of Jerusalem]]'''
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=23|verses=36}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=36|verses=12-21}}
|3416
|588
|3356
|588
|3631
|588
|3571
|588
|3373
|586
|3313
|586
|3588
|586
|3528
|586
|-
|'''Pensioning of [[Jehoiachin]]'''
|{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=25|verses=27}}
|3442
|562
|3382
|562
|3657
|562
|3597
|562
|3397
|562
|3337
|562
|3612
|562
|3552
|562
|}

== Differing Chronological Placement ==
: ''Main Article: [[Biblical chronology dispute]]''

[[James Ussher]] calculated the length of the history of the Southern Kingdom by a straightforward summation of the lengths-of-reign of the various kings of that kingdom. That summation falls only three years shy of the 390 years that the prophet [[Ezekiel]] stated was the time of the "iniquity" of Israel.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Ezekiel|chap=4|verses=5}}</ref> To make up that deficit, Ussher assumed that [[Jeroboam I]] fled from Solomon and sought asylum from Pharaoh Shishak three years before Solomon's death and the Revolt that split the Kingdoms.

[[Edwin R. Thiele]], however, attempted to synchronize the reigns of [[Jehu]] and [[Ahab]] to certain questionable mentions in [[Assyrian chronology]], and also assumed that Sennacherib's campaign occurred in 701 BC. To "fit" the chronology of the Divided Kingdoms to the Assyrian "historical record," Thiele moved the reign of Jehu to a date forty-three years more recent than Ussher's date--that is, from 884 BC to 841 BC. The violence that this does to the chronology of the Northern Kingdom is discussed in detail [[Northern Kingdom#Differing Chronological Placement|here]]. The relevant effects on the Southern Kingdom are a telescoping of the reigns of Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz (Jehoahaz I). Specifically, according to [[Larry Pierce]]'s Appendix to the ''Annals'', Thiele assumes that Uzziah began a viceroyship under Amaziah twenty-four years before the Bible says that he did, in order to stay consistent with his revised chronology. Pierce rejects this as flatly impossible.<blockquote>And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=14|verses=20-21|version=KJV|}}</ref></blockquote>
Pierce<ref name=Pierce>[[Larry Pierce]], [http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v15/i1/chronology.asp Evidentialism–the Bible and Assyrian chronology] ''TJ'' 15(1):62–68 April 2001</ref> argues forcefully from this quote that Uzziah assumed office upon his father's death in battle.<blockquote>In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=15|verses=1-2|version=KJV}}</ref></blockquote>
Pierce furthermore argues that if Uzziah had indeed begun a viceroyship under Amaziah twenty-four years earlier, then he would have had to do it ''eight years before he was born.''<ref name=Pierce/>

Thiele's other assumption violates [[Occam's razor]]. To synchronize Sennacherib's campaign at 701 BC, Thiele has to assume that Hezekiah and his son [[Manasseh King of Judah|Manasseh]] somehow had an eleven-year co-regency. This is highly unlikely when one considers that Manasseh was an "evil-doer," while Hezekiah was one of the Southern Kingdom's two great reformers. Worse yet, Scripture specifically says that the [[Fall of Samaria]] took place ''in the sixth year of Hezekiah and the ninth year of [[Hoshea]]'',<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=18|verses=10}}</ref> and then that the invasion of Judah took place in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=18|verses=13}}</ref> This makes a 701 BC date impossible to sustain.

== Related References ==
<references/>
== See Also ==
* [[Judaism]]
* [[Old Testament]]
* [[United Kingdom]]
* [[Northern Kingdom]]
* [[Fall of Jerusalem]]
* [[Biblical chronology]]
* [[Biblical chronology dispute]]

[[Category:Articles with synoptic tables]]
[[Category:Bible]]
[[Category:Biblical Places]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Bible Chronology]]
[[Category:Ancient History]]

Aramaic Church

2008-03-25T18:38:26Z

IHateGayPeople: /* The Peshitta */

==The Aramaic Church==

===Origin and Early Mission to the East===

As Paul and the other Apostles and missionaries took the message of Jesus Christ to the West, to the synagogues first, and then to Greek culture and language peoples of the Roman Empire, The Apostle Thomas and his followers took the message to the East, to the Aramaic language and varied cultured peoples of the Parthian (Persian) Empire. These two Empires were at war with each other which tended to cause the two Christian communities to develop independently of each other - the Western Church to eventually be alligned with the Roman Empire, the Eastern to remain always subservient to the Persian Empire. The major Western border Kingdom was Osrhoene with its capital city Edessa. 400 miles to the east of Edessa was the small Persian Kingdom of Adiabene with its capital city of Arbela (modern Irbil on the Tigris river in Iraq). Adiabene was the last existing province of the hostile-to-Israel Assyrian empire.

===The Shitter===
In 36 A.D., both the Queen of Adiabene, known in Greek as Queen Helena (not the mother of Constantine) and known to the Jews as Queen ShlomZion ("Peace of Zion"), and her son King Ezad were converted to Judaism. Queen Helena was buried in the grand tomb complex in East Jerusalem - formally thought to be the Tomb of the Kings. Her palace complex takes up the full half of the Hill of the City of David as reconstructered by Israeli archaeologist, Mikhael Avi-Yonah (reconstruction now in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem). Queen Helena's conversion, as wiell as others of the Kingdom, furthered the already developing translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in her Kingdom's language -Aramaic. That developing (on up to 5th Cent. redactions)
translation came to be known as the Peshitta - meaning simple or common speech, in much the same way as the Hebrew Bible would be translated into Latin by Jerome, with extensive help form a Rabbi,and the resultant translation would be called the Vulgate - meaning simple or common speech. The Peshitta, retaining elements of the then Jewish "targumic" (interpretive) and other Jewish understandings of the Hebrew Bible, is primarily based on the Pre-Masoretic Hebrew Scriptures - though certain books, such as the Prophet Isaiah,are translations primarily from the Septuagint (The Peshitta Book of Proverbs, however, and the Targum of Proverbs are almost identical). (A History of Christianity in Asia, Volume l, Samuel Hugh Moffett,orbis, 1998, pg. 70). See [[Targum]] for the early centuries Rabbinic interpretive literature and its application to both Old and New Testament studies. (The development of the Old Testament Peshitta translation is held by some to have taken place alternatively in Adiabene's nearby neighbor Edessa).

As Thomas and his followers went to India, others (possibly Adai (Thaddeus), the Galilean from Caesarea Phillipi among them) arrived in Adiabene, and having gone (probaly to the synagogues first, as did the Apostle Paul), they found already, if not a populous, then an elite governmental element, conversant with the biblical message in Aramaic. From these people, hearing the preaching of the messengers from Israel ,came believers in Jesus Christ, and soon after, came the translation of the Greek New Testament Scriptures into Aramaic, and so the Peshitta was added to by inclusion of the New Testament in Aramaic. Unlike the Greek canon of the Scriptures, the Peshitta originally did not include the following books: the Second Epistle of Peter, the Second Epistle of John, the Third Epistle of John, the Epistle of Jude and the Book of Revelation. But these books translated into the Syriac (as Christian Aramaic is known) are part of the Peshitta now and used by the Aramaic based churches.

Adiabene and its surroundings then became the sending center for a mission to the East that would eventually, taking advantage of the newly rediscovered monsoon winds blowing for months across the Arabian sea, making it possible for ships to no longer hug the coasts, and taking advantage of the "Silk Road" all the way from Antioch in Syria to China, take the message of Jesus Christ to India (bringing about the Aramaic (Syriac) language churches of Kerala) and even to China itself.

===The Worship of the Early Aramaic Church===

What is known about the life and worship of the earliest Aramaic community, is derived from an Aramaic (Syriac) document, once thought to be from a later "Judaizing" element within the Church, but now known, by comparison with linguistic affinities to the Dead Sea Scrolls in conjunction with the Gospel of John, to come from the first century, from the time that the church was still Jewish. This document is the "Odes of Solomon".

The Odes have been called the "earliest Christian hymnbook" (The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac texts Edited with Translation and Notes, J. H. Charlesworth, Oxford, Clarendon, 1973). They are 42 biblical style psalms, each psalm usually in three sections - a first narrative style about the Lord, a middle section in which, often, Jesus speaks in the first person, and a last section offering a doxology of praise.

The Odes are contemporaneous with some of literature of the New Testament, but exhibiting an earlier phase of development of the Church. In the New Testament (Romans), Gentile Christians are exhorted to be tolerant, less rejecting and caring for the "Old People of God" and, by implication, the remaining early Jewish believers in their midst (now a minority). Here in the Odes of Solomon, Jewish believers (gently rebuked) are urged to be tolerant and caring for the Gentiles who had come to faith and were now coming into their midst. "And the Gentiles, who had been dispersed, were gathered together; But I [Jesus speaking] was not defiled by My love (for them); Because they had praised Me in High Places. (Odes Sol. 10:5). They went out early each morning before work and prayed together with arms outsteched, the fashion of worship of a slightly later gentile prayer position, considering this outstretching the "sign of the cross" - "I extended my hands and approached my Lord, For the expansion of my hands is His sign, And my extension is the common cross; That was lifted up on the way of the Righteous One." (A History of Christianity in Asia, Vol. l., Samuel Hugh Moffett, Orbis,{Odes Sol.42:1,2,}, 1998, pg.52). The Odes, have either a joining of Biblical passages, or the thought of such passages prior to their writing. An example is Ode 41:12-15 bringing together the prologue of the Gospel of John and Philippians 2. "His word is with us on the way; The Saviour who gives life and does not reject (us); The Man who humbled Himself, but was exalted because of His own Righteousness...;And Light dawned from the Word, that was before time in Him."

There is little to be said in the Odes about the organization of this early Aramaic Church. The "Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons" of the roughly contemporaneous New Testament are not mentioned, but that may not mean much. As Samuel Moffett wrote about this matter, "[hymns]are rarely required to sing of bureaucracies". The closest to a list of ministries is from Ode 12:4 - "...the interpreters of His beauty, and the narrators of His Glory, and the confessors of His purpose, and the preachers of His mind, and the teachers of His works."

==See Also==
[[Aramaic]]

[[category:churches]]

Women

2008-03-25T18:33:13Z

IHateGayPeople:

'''Women''' are the female of the human species, with the biological role of bearing offspring ([[pregnancy]] and [[childbirth]]). In preparation for this role, women's breasts begin to grow at puberty, forming the most obvious physical difference between women and men other than the reproductive organs. Other differences include a layer of subcutaneous fat under the skin which hides the underlying musculature, and a wider pelvis to facilitate carrying the [[baby]] and allowing it to be born. Women also have a greater proportion of fine vellus hair over certain areas of their skin (such as their face and legs) than the coarse terminal hair which appears on men. {{fact}} You should never trust something that bleeds five days a month and doesn't die.

Men have typically two times more upper body strength than women, and around 50% more leg strength. <ref>College women have 50 to 60 percent of the arm and shoulder strength and 70 percent of the leg strength of their male counterparts. [http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showexcerpt.cfm?excerpt_id=4171 Human Kinetics] </ref> Women have slightly longer average lifespans than men, which results in women overtaking men in population by middle age despite a 1.05:1 boy to girl ratio at birth in the United States. This rate varies among countries. {{fact}}

== Women in history ==

Compared to men, relatively few women have had impact on history as leaders in diverse fields, but a small number of women have had enormous impact. They include [[Isabella of Spain]], [[Joan of Arc]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], [[Elizabeth I]], [[Boudicca]], [[Catherine the Great]], [[Cleopatra]], [[Marie Curie]], [[Benazir Bhutto]], [[Golda Meir]], [[Indira Gandhi]], [[Lucretia Mott]], [[Susan B. Anthony]], [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], and [[Mother Theresa]].

== Women in the Bible ==

=== Genesis ===
The Bible says that women, like men, were created by God on the 6th day of [[Creation]], as told in The Book of [[Genesis]]:
{{Bible quote|So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.|book=Genesis|chap=1|verses=27|version=KJV}}
{{Bible quote|But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.|book=Mark|chap=10|verses=6|version=KJV}}
[[Genesis]] further elaborates that [[God]] took a [[rib cage|rib]] from [[Adam]], the first man, and from it created [[Eve]], the first woman, as a helper for [[Adam]] when the [[animal]]s, which had been created for that purpose, proved unsuitable:
{{Bible quote|And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.|book=Genesis|chap=2|verses=18-22|version=KJV}}
According to some biblical literalists, Eve caused sin and suffering to come into the world when she convinced Adam to eat from The Tree of Knowledge, an act directly forbidden by God Himself. As punishment for this, God declared that women shall experience great pain in childbirth.<ref>Genesis 3:16</ref>

=== New Testament statements on the role of women ===
Saint Paul also has much to say on the status of women in society, most memorably that women should submit to their husbands just as the church submits to Christ.
<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%205:22-24&version=9 Ephesians 5:22-24 ]</ref>
<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Corinthians%2011:8-9;&version=9; I Corinthians 11:8-9]</ref>
<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Corinthians%2011:4-7;&version=9; I Corinthians 11:4-7]</ref>
<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Corinthians%2014:34-35;&version=9; I Corinthians 14:34-35]</ref>
The [[Old Testament]] law also states that if a man sells his daughter into slavery she must consent and "not go out as the menservants do."<ref>Exodus 21:7</ref>

The [[New Testament]] contains several instructions regarding the role of women:
# Women are to dress modestly and not wear "broided hair, or [[gold]], or [[pearl]]s, or costly array."<ref>1 Timothy 2:9</ref><ref>Peter 3:2-6</ref>
# Women may learn in silence, but may not be permitted to teach<ref>1 Timothy 2:11-12</ref>. Some interpretations limit this rule to the teaching of doctrine.
# Women are not permitted to speak in church.<ref>1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (Spoken by Paul></ref>
# Women are to be subservient to and follow the instructions of their husbands.<ref>Ephesians 5:22-24</ref><ref>Colossians 3:18</ref><ref>Titus 2:4-5</ref><ref>1 Peter 3:1-7</ref>
# Women "shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."<ref>I Timothy 2:15</ref>

These viewpoints are not widely accepted in secular, first-world nations, although many believers still adhere to them. However, Christians do not always agree on how literal or universal these directives are intended to be. For example, dressing modestly is interpreted by some [[Anabaptist]]s to mean that women should only wear black or dull colors and that dresses should cover the entire arms and legs, whereas most non-Anabaptist Christians consider the directive to modesty as simply meaning that garments should not be wrongly provocative. The directive that women should not speak in church is regarded by some as being literal for all situations, but due to other New Testament passages which indicate that women were allowed to publicly testify in the early church{{fact}}, the most common Christian interpretation{{fact}} of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is that women in the Corinthian church were in the habit of conversing casually and gossiping during the church service, and that the apostle Paul was telling them not to do that. However, that interpretation is at odds with the following Scripture passage:

{{Bible quote|Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.|book=1Timothy|chap=2|verses=11-15|version=KJV}}

==References==
<references />

== Related Topics ==
*[[Men]]
*[[Egalitarian]] and [[complementarian]] theology
[[Category: Human Beings]]