Certainly the sky was not regarded as a hard vault in which the heavenly orbs were fixed. While this English word is derived from the Latin firmamentum which signifies firmness or strengthening.the Hebrew word, raqia, has no such meaning, but denoted the “ expanse,” that which was stretched out. In his Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words , Old Testament language scholar W.E. The Greek connotation thus influenced Jerome to the extent that, when he produced his Latin Vulgate, he used the word firmamentum (meaning a strong or steadfast support-from which the word “firmament” is transliterated) to reflect this pagan concept (McKechinie, 1978, p. Unfortunately, those Hebrew scholars therefore chose to render raqia via the Greek word stereoma -in order to suggest a firm, solid structure. Apparently, the translators of the Septuagint were influenced by the then-popular Egyptian view of cosmology and astronomy that embraced the notion of the heavens being a stone vault. at the behest of the powerful Egyptian pharaoh, Ptolemy Philadelphus, for inclusion in his world-famous library in Alexandria) translated raqia into the Greek as stereoma, which connotes a “solid structure” (Arndt and Gingrich, 1967, p. The Septuagint (a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek produced by Jewish scholars in the third century B.C. of Apologetics Press, it seems that there was some political and religious bias going on when certain Jewish scholars produced the Septuagint, let's see what he has to say. Why there? Well, according to Bert Thompson, Ph.D. 1:8) as being a solid pot lid didn't come from Scripture and its context clues, then were did Strong's get its definition from? Apparently that concept came from Egypt. So if the idea of the firmament (expanse of heaven i.e. In particular, concerning the Ezekiel passage if the firmament were a solid, opaque object like a stone pot lid, then the prophet certainly would not have been able to see through it in order to be able to describe what was past it, namely the LORD sitting on his throne. If someone can tell me that the ancients had glass (see-through) pot lids, then please enlighten me. None of these verses gives the impression of something that is solid, or "firm" as in hard and impenetrable like an opaque pot lid, with in the context. And the evening and the morning were the second day. Genesis 1:6-8 King James VersionĦ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.ħ And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.Ĩ And God called the firmament Heaven. And so, getting back to the subject at hand, let's look at the very first time the firmament is mentioned in the Bible. Wouldn't it be nice if they simply gave Jesus credit for his awesome handiwork of creation, while admitting that they hate him, despite the majesty of what surrounds them? But then I guess that would make them look like jerks, right? But I digress, I'm on a mission to study the mystery of the firma-ment, not expound upon the dishonesty of the God haters claims. How truly refreshing it would be for the God haters to be honest for once. I don't know the technical term for that phenomenon other than they have a forked tongue. I often marvel at their closed minds, minds which they of course claim are open. And already in my internet searches, I have run into a lot of flack from the God haters out there, and as usual, they are a dime a dozen. Animated images of shooting stars, Hubble photos, aurora borealis, and various visions of heaven are displayed while classical music seals a soothing environment below.D ear reader, as of late, I have started a journey to understand what exactly is the "firmament" as spoken of in the biblical account of creation. A 43' tall tower suspending a 10' high, 52' diameter dome of 21,600 LEDs, each individually controllable by an iPad app.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |