Sannhetseeker

If one reads the Bible, particularly Genesis 1:26, one finds and interesting statement: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Why would God, if wholly male (or female) say "Let us..." and "in our image,"? Was God merely utilizing the royal "we", since God is the ultimate royal? Or... Sign in to see full entry.

Individuals mature spiritually at different rates. As a child matures from toddler, to adolescent, to teenager (all the while learning, experimenting, making mistakes), so too does a person climb the ladder of spiritual maturation. As was mentioned in yesterday’s post, the concept of spiritual maturity is discussed in the Bible (see Mark 4, Matthew 13 ). It is also found in many early Christian documents. Theodotus, a student of Valentinus, is quoted in Excerpta, written by Clement of... Sign in to see full entry.

“To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.” Mark 4 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. Matthew 13 Two statements by Jesus/Yeshua:... Sign in to see full entry.

Valentinus, an early Christian Church leader (who, according to the writings of Tertullian, nearly became Pope) writes about secret teachings. In fact, he states (referred to by Iraneus in some of his writings) that he learned the secrets that Jesus/Yeshua taught from Theodus, a disciple of Paul’s. He writes of this in The Gospel of Truth, one of the Apocrypha (books kept out of the New Testament by various Church councils): “That is the gospel of him whom they seek, which he has revealed to the... Sign in to see full entry.

As I continue to research the resurrection of Christ, I find more and more questions than I do answers with regard to whether or not the resurrection happened, or if it is symbolism. In John, one reads that Yeshua/Jesus tells Thomas to "put your finger here and see my hands... do not be faithless, but believing." Jesus/Yeshua seems to be saying, "Here, feel me, I am real." A similar story is found in Luke. But other, contradictory statements are found in Luke as well. In Luke, chapter 24 one... Sign in to see full entry.

No matter your faith. No matter your beliefs. I wish you peace, love and a Joyous... Christmas CHANNUKAH Kwanzaa New Year! Sign in to see full entry.

Secret teachings? Hmmm. I just finished an interesting article by Martha Barker, a British Old Testament scholar, on secret traditions. She argues that there are too many references to secret teachings in the Bible and in other ancient texts for them not to be real. Dionysius (early Christian Mystic) wrote of keeping the “holy of Holies” and the “things of God unshared and undefiled by the uninitiated.” Eusebius (bishop of Caeserea in Palestine; died in 341 and known as the Father of Church... Sign in to see full entry.

I was reading one of Unicorn’s posts the other day and she was writing about mysticism and “new agey” stuff. Now, I don’t know if she was referring to me when she wrote about some bloggers who write on mysticism and “new agey” stuff or not, but I do want to set the record straight about something. The Jewish, Islamic, Sufi, Buddhist, Christian mysticism that I write about is not “new agey” at all. The vast majority of the information I present on mysticism is from about 200 B.C. to around 1600... Sign in to see full entry.

For those who may not know it, I am Christian. I was baptized in May of 1958 at Zion Lutheran Church in Kalamazoo, Mi. And with the exception of a few years during college and just after when I wasn’t sure what I was, I have been Christian all of my life. As a Christian, I try and follow Yeshua/Jesus’ two commandments (not that I don't try to follow the others as well): I love “God” with all my heart and I try to love my neighbors as I love myself. This, I must confess, is not always easy. Some... Sign in to see full entry.

In reading about Greek mysticism and one type of Sufi mysticism, it is interesting to note that both describe “God” as light or illumination. The Greeks distinguished between God’s essence (ousia) and his energies (energeiai) and felt that one could experience his energies or “rays of divinity”, his illumination, but not his essence. In a form of Sufism known as Ishraqi (Illumination), the core of the philosophy is the symbol of light. For followers of Ishraqi, light is seen as the perfect... Sign in to see full entry.