Best English Zohar

a reply to: PBL666

I never burned any books

a reply to: PBL666

I do agree Biblical Hebrew is difficult because up until the early 1900's it was lost. What they have speaking to day is a combination of their Yiddish Hebrew and what they gleaned form AV interlinear Bibles.

The introduction in the 1972 New Jerusalem Tanak (one of the books I kept), said they were grateful to the translators of the AV as they so accurately translated much of the OT Hebrew. That Tanak is in the Mission field we left a few years ago with the pastor of a church we planted.

My studies in Hebrew at college were grueling I was surprised to even pass with an A. It was only upon college graduation that I learned I had graduated with honors. I kept looking at my name and next to it was this star/asterisk. I didn't even pay attention to Billy Graham, who was our commencement speaker, because I was searching and searching for what the star/asterisk meant. I finally found it in small print in front under the introduction and commencement line up. it has the star/asterisk and a dash and the words with Honors. I just praised God Cause I knew I hadn't done it.

a reply to: Malocchio

Now I know you are Gnosisisifaith he too claimed to be Muslim.

a reply to: Seede

I agree, it is so hard to look at books you just know, unlike the AV Bible, they don't have any life to them. sometimes when I look online and see how much I could have sold them for if I had kept them. But then again what I lost I have gained 100 fold and many more times over.

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
a reply to: PBL666

I do agree Biblical Hebrew is difficult because up until the early 1900's it was lost. What they have speaking to day is a combination of their Yiddish Hebrew and what they gleaned form AV interlinear Bibles.

The introduction in the 1972 New Jerusalem Tanak (one of the books I kept), said they were grateful to the translators of the AV as they so accurately translated much of the OT Hebrew. That Tanak is in the Mission field we left a few years ago with the pastor of a church we planted.

My studies in Hebrew at college were grueling I was surprised to even pass with an A. It was only upon college graduation that I learned I had graduated with honors. I kept looking at my name and next to it was this star/asterisk. I didn't even pay attention to Billy Graham, who was our commencement speaker, because I was searching and searching for what the star/asterisk meant. I finally found it in small print in front under the introduction and commencement line up. it has the star/asterisk and a dash and the words with Honors. I just praised God Cause I knew I hadn't done it.

Praise the Warrior Goddess Kali.

a reply to: PBL666

LMFOROTHF!!! That made my day.

originally posted by: Seede
a reply to: Malocchio

Text a reply to: Seede Do you have the one with the candle on the cover or the ugly blue and red one? Is there a difference?

The five volume set that I have is totally blue with red flames on the face and is the 1978 second edition. I have not delved into it simply because I felt the same way as ChesterJohn stated. After my experience with Jesus I simply lost interest in most all literature other than the KJV and my Sepher. I use my Sepher for dead sea material, Jubilees, Jasher, Enoch and other outside literature. Otherwise the King James family keeps me pretty busy.

Sepher what? Every Hebrew book is Sepher something, Yezirah, Raziel, it just means book. You don't seem to have ''lost interest" in extra Biblical material at all if you use your "Sepher for..." the books you mentioned, whatever you meant by that.

I have found [just me talking] that i cannot wrap my mind around other distracting literature and keep focused on the word of The Most High.

Literature about God distracts you from God?

I think it distracts you from Christianity, not God. Christian literature, the so called New Testament, is not the be all end all book of God but a book used to spiritually enslave millions and simultaneously preach salvation and doom in an "us vs them, with us or against us" mentality that leans towards rejection of all philosophy and knowledge that is not approved or "Canonical."

It's rather sad to see people viewing lack of knowledge as virtuous and blind acceptance of dogma and mythology as history equally virtuous.

It's spiritual laziness to not explore spiritual literature as the Holy Spirit still guides minds and pens and the concept of canonization was one of censorship and had nothing to do with authenticity or historical accuracy as no book of the New Testament is historically accurate or authentic.

It simply does not work for my brain to become cluttered with too much of too many things. But now that is just me talking. I know some people who are absolutely brilliant beyond belief in knowing languages as well as all sorts of rare literature but I do not have that gift. Then again too, I am several months from ninety and have lost a lot of recall. Not all people are like that but I try to use what I have left.

Well I guess I can understand you're brain needing rest at that age. That's understandable.

PBL666 appears to be very well educated in what you are looking for and I really envy people such as he/she is in mastering languages and recall in literature. I hope your search will lead you to the truth which is Jesus. LOL

I feel you're underestimating yourself and you have much knowledge, you told me about manuscripts I knew nothing of and that's rare as books are my life.

I wish you well in your journey to the Kingdom of God Most High.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

I am glad the goddess does provide.

Your reaction:

LMFOROTHF!!! That made my day.

How non-white non christian people think about your Palestinian kid "Jesus". If the hermetic aspect scares you, dont comment on that.

If you really think that disrupting a discourse on philosophy between a Muslim (OP) and a Jewish person such as myself is important to you; please review that decision.

And do tell me more about your Honors?, that really does interest me.

a reply to: Malocchio

You are on an important path, please dont let the detractors discourage this.

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
a reply to: Malocchio

Now I know you are Gnosisisifaith he too claimed to be Muslim.

I believe there are over 1 billion Muslims in the world and the fact that I am Muslim leading you to conclude that I am this ''Gnosisisfaith" is utterly ridiculous.

Whoever that person was you have mentioned him/her a few times. It sounds like you have an unhealthy obsession with a screen name that could be Bill Clinton for all you know.

I am not ''Gnosisisfaith" but whoever that is from the way you seem to hold a grudge I can only imagine that person was intelligent enough to make you look foolish as I did in Akragon's Paul thread.

Naturally you equate anyone who does this or has similar beliefs with a screen name that haunts you because there could never be 2 people who disagree with you in the world, you are special and know everything.

You are quite mad.

The Zohar is a commentary on the Torah/Pentateuch or the first five books of the Tanakh. It explains things about it that a person who never reads the Zohar will never know that are nonetheless accepted tradition and in that context true.

For instance, Nimrod says ''lets make a name for ourselves."

But it is actually not name (shem) but HaShem (God, The Name).

So he is actually saying ''let us make for ourselves a God."

And thus idolatry was founded.

You would never have known this had I not just told you. The Zohar has much more Torah Wisdom to offer and has actually convinced many Kabbalists that Jesus was the Messiah!!!

It is not adversarial to Christianity whatsoever.

originally posted by: PBL666
a reply to: Malocchio

You are on an important path, please dont let the detractors discourage this.

Never!!

And thanks, I'm very strong but don't discourage and much appreciate the support of one who is wise!

originally posted by: PBL666

originally posted by: Malocchio
a reply to: PBL666


Interesting side note.

Ein Soph is the equivalent to Zoroastrian Zurvan Arkuna (Boundless Time) and both Alexandrian "Gnosticism" and Kabbalah are very similar if you have a keen eye.

Metatron=Mithras.

Yes!. "Gnostic" or "Hermetic" philosophies draw from their same environment, as do the "Zorro's"... The Temple of Fire in Zorro has many similarities with certain other places of pilgrimage in ABRAHAMic philosophy. Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is one, yet the priests hold the "fire"... the smoke is well present... another site is/was (I was not allowed in because I was too dark skinned WTF!) the Temple Mount.

I dont know of any "smoking ceremonies" in Islam, but "smoke" is used throughout the world in esoteric rituals (this I know you know), but here in Australian indigenous "smoking ceremonies" its the release of D, M, T, that invokes the dreaming...

Again, I fully agree with the connection, it was thru Persia/Sumeria/Mesopotamia where this Verdic philosophy flowed, so Zorro is a great place to look. Also its interesting AF.

There is a theory that Sufism was a way of preserving Parsee/Zoroastrian traditions and remaining Muslim, being that ''Gnostic" philosophies all have Zoroastrian influence in some way I find this believable. Though I admit to knowing next to nothing of Sufi tradition.

I do know that within Islam or Baha'i Hermes is equated with Idris/Enoch, a pre Islamic association made by Greeks and Jews and a tradition of teachings from Apollonius of Tyana/Balinus exists as well.

Islam is far more diverse and scholarly than people give it credit for. It is also accepted as a legitimate monotheistic religion that worships the True God by many Orthodox Rabbis and officially by Catholicism.

However the Evangelical Christian movement will stop at nothing to ''prove" Islam is the Antichrist, literally, even though we fully except Jesus as Messiah and our Qur'an considers Christians and Jews ''People of the Book" not to be quarrelled with as believers in Allah.

A tradition like Kabbalah (Kabba Allah?) also is tolerant of other faiths even borrowing from them with no reason to be ashamed as the accumulation of Wisdom is the only way to ''know" God.

Daath, Gnosis, whatever you call it, is feared by the Christian theologian because it is liberation from the selfishness of Soteriology and places the concept of Gnosis in its place.

"Knowledge puffs up" according to the first self loathing Jew Saul of Tarsus, the least trustworthy human to ever hold a pen or dictate a word.

a reply to: Malocchio

After reading this thread, I did start looking into the Muslim accounts of Jesus, and how they vary greatly between groups.

I do understand Kabbalah can be independent of faith, there was even a "Christian Cabala", developed in the renaissance on mis-translations of older texts (possibly Arabic, maybe Hebrew?).

I also assume there is an equivalent to Kabbalah in Islam, but I know nothing of this. A reasoning behind this assumption is seen in Islamic art. Images, made from text; and all words come from god, so all words are "holy". These "images" made from text also exists in the Kabbalah, I'm sure you have seen the Hebrew "YHWH" written downward?, its the same, yet less developed than Islamic typographically based art.

Hermes, glad you mentioned him. I know him as Thoth, and this is a whole other story. I have been both interested and informed by this thread, I hope you continue to post.

a reply to: PBL666

The version of Kabbalah in Islam is more mysterious than it's Jewish equal to the Western world due to lack of communication between Sufis and the West and by reluctance to share sacred teachings, the same as any esoteric group but there is a Sufi Saint and poet named Rumi and some stuff available on the internet but I have not studied the art/science of the Sufis, I do know there is a Sufi Tree of Life that you can Google pictures of.

Fascinating thing, ancient Akkadian, Assyrian and even Sumerian steles have pictures of a larger version of the modern Hebrew Tree of Life you can also Google that must be the origin of the concept.

They must have practiced the art of communicating in symbols and orally for millennia. The Kabbalistic system has 115 levels of purification until you progress to a fully enlightened state and I think it's believed only 36 anonymous people at any time are allowed to rise to this level of enlightenment.

It might be a modern Hasidic legend but I find it interesting because if they are all anonymous everyone will try and if it involves becoming a better individual it's a marvelous tactic to get people in the sect to hit the books and open the mind.

originally posted by: Malocchio
a reply to: PBL666

...

It might be a modern Hasidic legend but I find it interesting because if they are all anonymous everyone will try and if it involves becoming a better individual it's a marvelous tactic to get people in the sect to hit the books and open the mind.

Hasidics are a problem within themselves. It means to mean "an observer", and not to interfere with the "will of god". Their philosophy does not come from a Mid-east tradition, but from their own struggles in northern/eastern Europe. If they saw someone bleeding to death, they wont stop to help, because that is gods will in their view. A traditional Hasidic "better person", is one who shouts at a wall hoping "god" destroys the building above it, not one to feed the poor. (seen first hand).

Yes I know not all hasidics are such hard line, but, this is my experience from living in Israel and being a progressive Jewess.

a reply to: PBL666

I have heard stories and seen documentaries that show exactly what you say about the Hasidic Jews.

Even on an episode of SVU some kids felt extremely scared to call the police for a girl was lying there beaten, probably dead saying ''Let the goy call it in, it's the Sabbath." Though they agreed life or death situations should allow for an exception and called.

Chesed is the root of Hasid and means pious, though I think that only applies to other Jews or Hasids because everyone says what you did, even the Soprano's.

The ones in Israel are the meanest though and their are some shocking documentaries made on the internet that don't mention that they are Hasidic and only represent one segment of Judaism but the way they dress is a dead give away.

The word Chesed is used frequently by the Dead Sea Scrolls as if it were a sect then, though it's tough to be sure.

Just as an update, and thanks everyone, I found a used but like new Tishby "Wisdom of the Zohar" online used for 63$!!!

At the site I found it on a new one STARTED at over 3000$!!!

I don't know the usual cost, but buying the 12(?) volume Pritzker edition for 60 a volume or the 5 volume Soncino for 150$ seems ridiculous when I will have 1000 plus pages of ''Wisdom" on my bookshelf for a mere 63$.

Freakin psyched!! It's being shipped from a city 45 mins from mine so by Friday I will have the Zohar.

Awesome!