| The later myths from Siberia center on the fir trees and the pinecone almost exclusively. The later Greek myths center on a combination, having cows (Io) and serpents (Isis), lightning bolts (Zeus) and pine trees (Kybele). The Return of the Messiah According to Alexander Del Mar, author of the Middle Ages Revisited, the idea of the Messiah goes back to ancient India and the cycles of the universe. This may or may not be a correct interpretation that takes us far back into ancient history but it’s worth mentioning. Quoting Del Mar: “There can be little doubt that the messianic theory originated in India, where it developed, probably before the Mahabharata wars, into the ten incarnations of Ies-nu, or Vishnu. The theory was that at each annualized revolution of the moon’s node, or more precisely, at each annualized or solarized ecliptical cycle, the entire system of the universe was renewed, the same celestial movements recurred and a new aera was begun. This aera was marked by the appearance on earth of Brahma, or Ies-nu, the Creator, in a new form, or avatar. It was believed that at the end of ten such manifestations, the celestial system would run its entire course, the earth would be destroyed and mankind would be brought to final judgment. A relic of this theory still survives in the Persian, Jewish, Greek and Roman mundane eras, all of which can be traced to the 6585 years which the Indians accorded to the ten incarnations of Ies-nu and termed the Earth’s Journey.” (104) According to medieval Judaism, Armilus is an anti-messiah figure who will conquer Jerusalem and persecute the Jews until his final defeat at the hands of God or the true Messiah. In the Muslim mythology, there is a “beast” Al-Masih ad-Dajjal, who is an evil figure who is to appear, pretending to be al-Masih, before Yawm al-Qiyamah returns. We should all be familiar with the Book of Revelations in which the return of the anti-Christ appears before the true Christ is supposed to return: “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore, didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. … These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (105) Del Mar, in Middle Ages Revisited, goes on to say: “Hence, in the various astrological deductions which the ancients made from their astronomical knowledge, the divisor or multiplier, as the case might be, was as commonly 10 as now it is 12.” (106) Furthermore, he traces the Messianic Theory to the Mahabharata Wars. Says Del Mar: “It is certainly earlier than the era of Gotama, for it was at that period when the year, previously of ten months, was first sub-divided into twelve months, and when the other tens were changed to twelves.” (107) |
“Messiah” means “the anointed one.” (108) Therefore, the next question we must ask is what is the meaning of “one who is anointed.” (109) Christos is a common Greek name. In Greek, it may be spelled Χρίστος (Chrístos). Christos is derived from the earlier word χριστός (note the difference in accentuation), meaning “anointed” and which became the Christian theological term for the Messiah. (110) Now we have the name for one who is anointed, who is the messiah, but we still need one more part to the equation, the meaning of “one who is anointed.” What is the meaning of being anointed, we might rightfully wonder. In the years following 300 AD, the idea of an end of ages and a day of judgment had been falling off the map, however, as the year 1000 AD got closer, people started talking “end days” and “coming Messiah” once again. The Day of Judgment was upon mankind once more and people started giving away all their material possessions, some sold off their possessions in order to live their last days to the fullest and others just committed foolish acts thinking it would no longer matter. (111) Early Hebrew use of Cannabis In 1936, a Polish professor Sara Benetowa (later Sula Benet) an etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences, Warsaw, did research on the origin of the word “cannabis,” and found both Aramaic and Hebrew usages in the Old Testament referring to “keneh bosom” as a fiber for rope and cloth, as well as an incense and an anointing oil. (112) Quoting Dean Latimer: “Around 1980, etymologists at Hebrew University in Jerusalem confirmed that cannabis is mentioned in the Bible by name, Kineboisin (also spelled Kannabosm) in a list of measured ingredients for ‘an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of apothecary’ to be smeared on the head. The word was mistranslated in King James Version as “calamus.” (113) This research was confirmed again that same year by Weston La Barre, who noted that “the term kanebosm occurs as early as both the Aramaic and the Hebrew versions of the Old Testament, hemp being used for rope in Solomon's temple and in priestly robes, as well as ... carried in Biblical caravans.” (114) (104) Middle Ages Revisited, p. 3-4 (105) Fountainhead of Religion, p. 3-4; Revelation 17:7, 14 (106) Middle Ages, p. 4 (107) ibid, p. 5 (108) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah (109) Apples of Apollo, p. 146 (110) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christos_(given_name) (111) History of the Devil, p. 167 (112) See Rubin, Cannabis and Culture, 1975 (113) Latimer, 1988 (114) La Barre, 1980; (Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible by Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen (2007) pp 70-72 |