Exegesis
Every now and then I get it in me to read the Bible. Really read the Bible. There is some very weird stuff in there. Example: The book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament. This dude was supposedly around during the 500's or so. Here he is describing the cherubim that came to him (Ezekiel 1 4-7,22-24, 10 21,9-17):
"A stormwind came from the north, a huge cloud with flashing fire [enveloped in brightness], from the midst of which something gleamed like electrum. Within it were four figures resembling living creatures that looked like this: their form was human, but each had four faces and four wings, and their legs went straight down; the soles of their feet were round. They sparkled with a gleam like burnished bronze.
"Each had four faces and four wings; something like human hands were under their wings. Each had four faces: the first face was that of an ox, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle. Each one went straight forward.
"I also saw the four wheels beside them, one wheel beside each cherub; the wheels appeared to have the luster of chrysolite stone. All four of the seemed to be made of the same, as though they were a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they went in any one of their four directions without veering as they moved; for in whichever direction they were faced, they went straight toward it. The rims of the four wheels were full of eyes all around. I heard the wheels given the name "wheelwork." When the cherubim moved, the wheels went beside them; when they stood still the wheels stood still; when they rose the wheels rose with them; for the livings creatures' spirit was in them.
"Over the heads of the living creatures something like a firmament could be seen, seeming like glittering crystal, stretched straight out above their heads. Then I heard the sound of their wings, like the roaring of mighty waters . . . When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army. [And when they stood still they lowered their wings.]"
He goes on to destroy Israel under the spell of "Spirit."
This is not the vision of cherubim I was given in Sunday school. No whimsical babies with birds' wings here. Why don't they ever read the fun stuff in church? How would the priest explain the "wheelworks" as uplifting to our humble faith in the good Lord? This stuff was completely available to me when I was a kid. Why didn't I take the opportunity to bring it up in Confirmation class. No guidance councilor, and probably most priests, would have been able to give any good answers as to how this is HOLY material meant to help me in my personal spiritual journey. I'm not sure what to think of this, but Erich Von Daniken can't be to much of a whack job to interpret this as aliens.
"A stormwind came from the north, a huge cloud with flashing fire [enveloped in brightness], from the midst of which something gleamed like electrum. Within it were four figures resembling living creatures that looked like this: their form was human, but each had four faces and four wings, and their legs went straight down; the soles of their feet were round. They sparkled with a gleam like burnished bronze.
"Each had four faces and four wings; something like human hands were under their wings. Each had four faces: the first face was that of an ox, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle. Each one went straight forward.
"I also saw the four wheels beside them, one wheel beside each cherub; the wheels appeared to have the luster of chrysolite stone. All four of the seemed to be made of the same, as though they were a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they went in any one of their four directions without veering as they moved; for in whichever direction they were faced, they went straight toward it. The rims of the four wheels were full of eyes all around. I heard the wheels given the name "wheelwork." When the cherubim moved, the wheels went beside them; when they stood still the wheels stood still; when they rose the wheels rose with them; for the livings creatures' spirit was in them.
"Over the heads of the living creatures something like a firmament could be seen, seeming like glittering crystal, stretched straight out above their heads. Then I heard the sound of their wings, like the roaring of mighty waters . . . When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army. [And when they stood still they lowered their wings.]"
He goes on to destroy Israel under the spell of "Spirit."
This is not the vision of cherubim I was given in Sunday school. No whimsical babies with birds' wings here. Why don't they ever read the fun stuff in church? How would the priest explain the "wheelworks" as uplifting to our humble faith in the good Lord? This stuff was completely available to me when I was a kid. Why didn't I take the opportunity to bring it up in Confirmation class. No guidance councilor, and probably most priests, would have been able to give any good answers as to how this is HOLY material meant to help me in my personal spiritual journey. I'm not sure what to think of this, but Erich Von Daniken can't be to much of a whack job to interpret this as aliens.
posted by Stephen "Steve" at 7/27/2004 04:11:00 PM
1 Comments:
Natalie,
Go to ufoartwork.com to see some examples of ren and ancient art that depict things like ufos. The History channel showed some woodprint image that I haven't been able to find that showed four naked male angels with four wings each. But they looked way to human to be drawn from this passage. The artist probably had to conform to normal angelic custom.