Oldfarts Yong Tarts Online

Real Old Testament?

begin with questions. Who was the author of the following statements?

"Think about what condition the body and soul should you bring death and how short life is, how cavernous eternity, past and future, how fragile all matter!"
and further:
".. . the actor is removed from the scene praetor, who received him. "But I did not play five instruments, only three!" - Okay. But in life the three acts constitute the entire piece. Because when you have finished, determined that those who composed the team before, and now dissolved. But you neither one nor the other part did not you took. Go away so gently. Because it is mild and the one who releases you ... "
or in another place:
" ... What a power is the man? Do only that which deserves the praise of God, and all accept that God will use him !..."

No, there are passages of the Confessions of St. Augustine's thought, nor select any other holy Christian church. These words come from "Meditations" Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius, which Christianity had much in common that persecuting them furiously, as hostile to everything sacred cult.

The fact that many views of the Stoics - especially the Roman Stoics - is a Christian I knew a very long time. Not noticed that, unfortunately, nothing mysterious, but probably should. I also knew a long time (since a "twelfth day of the" year of life), that the celebration of Christmas was established on the pagan winter solstice holiday, that is the origin of pagan most of the props and traditions of Christmas that the story of the birth of the god in a cave-man and the virgin mother appeared in many pagan traditions, it is also the story of the resurrection, and many Easter traditions originated from the tradition of pre-Christian religions. And it bothered me at times (when it was more I wanted to be a Christian), and sometimes enjoyed (when just gathering the arguments that had me confirm the conviction that Christianity is a fairy tale.) Paganism believed then as an obvious bullshit, and the similarities may suggest the same way the creation of or indicate the true heritage of faith, to which is alternately revolted or returned to it. In addition, by faith alone made me - as I thought - to the rejection of "foreign gods" and "foreign myths", and therefore also to the rejection of her. I thought that the presence of pagan elements undermines the credibility of Christianity itself, and I had a strong feeling that these "foreign" influences may be much more. These forebodings were powerful confirmation of the spring of 2000. It started from the fact that I watched on television program devoted to Planete origins of Christianity. He spoke there a historian of religion, a professor at the University of Jerusalem (probably Hassid, judging from the clothing and impressive length pejsów), which postulated that Jesus was a religious apostate and that his science had little to do with Judaism. That he had betrayed the Mosaic religion, and - bringing the religious message of gojom - its people, for which he had to meet him die "on a tree" - because this is the death of Israel were punished when treason. Professor vehemently denied that so settled by the Harnack belief that Jesus himself was "durch und durch Jude that it was only after his death, began to accept Christianity the pagan elements. Jewish professor argued that at the time of its formation, has been steeped in the religion of Judaism foreign agents. The program that made a powerful impression on me. I felt as if someone finally opened my eyes to a truth of great importance, which is probably subconsciously sensed, but which never - even in my mind - I could not express. I knew then that "this is it, I found a topic that I must begin to explore.

few weeks have passed since then, seeing the program on the Internet when I found a book of Professor Tadeusz Zielinski called "Hellenism and Judaism." I bought it immediately. The note from the publisher found out that the author was the most famous in the world and respected among all Polish Hellenists, a professor of several universities throughout Europe (including Warsaw University, the University of St. Petersburg and the Jagiellonian University), and the book you just bought is the third volume of the "Religions of the Ancient World." Subject

influence of ancient paganism to Christianity appears in each of the six volumes of the series, however, is the third volume, aims to prove that the religion of ancient Hellas is a real Old Testament Christianity, it is the religion and philosophy of the Greeks and Romans influenced the new religion to the extent incomparably more powerful than the religion of Moses.

influence while the latter, first the impact of Hellenism on Judaism - and hence the impact, which coincides with the period from 300 BC until the beginning of our era. The most important of its effects is the appearance in Judaism, belief in a posthumous award for the righteous. Ironically, rebelling against the influence of the Greek insurgents Machabejscy expected that the reward for those who died in this battle will be just a legitimate place in paradise (maliciously I could say that the Champs-Elysees eternal peace). It was under Greek influence there is a belief that after death will be elected to commune with God. Earlier books of the Old Testament only talk about sheol "where God's power does not reach" . The second effect of Hellenistic influence was appearing then thought that the message can carry religious and other nations, and the proselyte must not be worse than someone born in the faith of Abraham and Moses. It was then that raises a permission for the conversion of the Gentiles, and many Egyptians, Syrians and Greeks adopted Judaism. But it is happening only due to contacts with the religious culture of the Greeks. Zielinski is doing an excellent summary here of the Greek and Jewish view of God: "Homeric Zeus was the god of all humanity and looked equally sympathetic and Greek, and his enemy if he deserved it, "Woe is me. My husband, whom I love, they see my eyes, as he was pursuing in the circle of walls, and my heart is sorrow pervades" - says he [Zeus] by Hector, the main enemy of the Achaeans at Troy ... ". Judaism, which was the religion of ekskluzywistyczną, under the influence is more often he was ready to accept those who praise the Lord, even though not born into a Jewish family. In the last three centuries before the beginning of our era Jews know the Greek culture, and more educated of them, including Greek philosophy. Among the Jewish diaspora, but also among Jews living in Palestine, is spreading into Koine, which at the dawn of our era is becoming one of the main Jewish languages \u200b\u200b(Hebrew and partly displacing Aramaic), translated the Greek books are Old Testament (the Septuagint .)

For Zielinski (and as I learned later, also for many other researchers - for example, for Toynbee), the key to understanding how Christianity can be born is the remarkable specificity of land called Galilee. Its very name derives from the Hebrew Zielinski Galil-haq-goim, which means land of the Gentiles (unbelievers, strangers). In the third century before Christ, it is mainly inhabited by the hellenizujący Syrians, Greeks, and of course the Jews who were a minority, however. Temples of Apollo and Zeus, there arises a lot more than any other religious shrines. Greek religion becomes almost a universal religion Galileans. As a result of the Maccabean uprising Galilee is incorporated into the Jewish state and somewhere from the early first century BC many of its inhabitants will be treated - often forced - Judaisation. Judaism is therefore - at least officially - the dominant religion in the Galilee. Formed a synagogue, but the cult of the Greek gods continues. As throughout the Hellenistic world, so in the Galilee, in the second and first century BC starts waiting for the birth of Apollo - the god (son of Zeus, the highest), which has become man to redeem his humiliation by the sins of the world, and after the redemption works "to return to his father and sit on his right hand" . It is to be the Savior of all mankind, and not - as the Jewish Messiah - someone who will give power to a single nation. Apollonian Myth is one of the most important topics, "Religions of the Ancient World." Professor Zielinski shows how the prediction of the Trojan prophetess, the incarnation Zeusowego son "in a thousand years after the destruction of the city of Priam," captured the minds of the Romans and other peoples of the Roman Empire. As expected in a special way this coming of a divine savior in the first century BC and were considered as the next national heroes of Rome (for example, the emperor Octavian Augustus.) Professor Zielinski also writes about the immense popularity of the second myth about another Zeusowym son - born of a virgin Alkmeny Heraklesie, who after a life full of sweat and anguish also sat "on the right hand of Zeus."
Writing about the religious sensitivities of other different reference Galileans, Zielinski notes filled with love - not fear - a reference to God. It is the Galileans begin to call Jehovah "daddy", which is an obvious influence of the Greek way of living relative to the sacrum.

Another aspect mentioned by Professor Zielinski is how 'Greek' was the teaching of Jesus relationship with God (as a loving, forgiving Father), with strangers (which one is your neighbor "), monogamy (a Jewish polygamy) and the mass of other examples. It also shows how deeply Hellenistic was also the way students perceive their master - after all, everyone (except Judas) Galileans. So it is natural to Zielinski, the Gospels and the Book of Revelation is full of symbolism and references to Greek poetry. Author of "Religions of the Ancient World," cites dozens of examples - of course, the prologue of the Gospel of St. Logos John, but also appears in the Revelation vision of a woman, over whose head, John sees "a crown of twelve stars" and who "has give birth to a child, which lurks a dragon" (borrowed from one of the many poetic version of Apollonian myth.) Stories about the birth of the Lord - so reminiscent of the legend of Heraklesie (only virgin was worthy to become the mother of a son of God): respect for the virginity of course, was completely alien to Jewish culture, and the idea that God could have the Son of man for them was so shocking that the high priest carrying the court hearing the words of Jesus, "I am" could only rend garments and exclaim, "He has uttered blasphemy." For quoted by Zielinski countless examples I would add the poetics of the Homeric scene of farewell to his wife and son Hector wyruszającego to war, whether his fear of attempting to fight with Achilles, who so much remind me of the word prayer in Gethsemane.

Thirdly (and here only Zielinski agrees with Harnackiem) strong was the influence of paganism and ancient philosophy on the development of Christian doctrine. However, this place has been the very beginning, when the Galileans and the Hellenized Jewish diaspora take the Good News. Here, too, is a whole bunch of examples - the effect of triad Arcadian Zeus-Hermes Pan, the birth of the doctrine of the Trinity. Adoption of the Greek doctrine of the seven Deadly Sins (Zielinski quotes Horace's poem, and refers to its own version of this issue) and the adoption of the doctrine of sin, of contamination of human nature at the moment of conception. The cult of the Virgin Mary, which Professor Zielinski considers the continuation of worship Mother Earth, Demeter, and Isis, and shows that the cult took over the whole pagan symbolism.
Zielinski points out that even Christian monotheism can hardly be considered typically Jewish heritage, as in Greek and Roman philosophy, he appeared frequently, while the Mosaic religion was originally monolatrią (admitted the existence of other gods, but weaker than the God of Israel). Also reminds us of późnorzymskiej "wielojedyności" god, expressed in the zawołaniu "gods."
Hellenistic worlds of course, was the division of heaven, purgatory and hell.
Zielinski gives a mass of rites, religious symbolism, religious art and associated with her sensitivity, which was taken over from the pagan Romans and Greeks. Not the way it all in a single post even mentioned.

course, I agree with those who put Zielinski allegation of bias, exaggerated emphases of Greek influence and simultaneously downplaying Jewish influences, which, moreover, is often attributed to a negative value (consider that a bad benefited the new religion.) Do not change the fact that his work is probably the only source of so extensive in the Polish language, describing the history of the formation of Christian religion and the role of the pagan influence on the rise.

I finished reading "Religions of the Ancient World" I felt partly heathen and understood that identity.

Finally it remains for me nothing but encourage everyone to read, "Religions of the Ancient World" - works fine, though written nearly 70 years ago. I can still recommend the development of Greek mythology, written by Professor Zielinski, the "Ancient fabulous" - it can be read to children. It is incomparably more interesting reading from the "mythology" Jan Parandowski.

Ecdy Bolin Information

soul, awareness, and other fauna

excellent philosopher, Dominican father, Professor Joseph Maria Bochenski in his famous "One hundred and superstitions," he writes about two superstitious mniemaniach the soul:
"... Superstition is materialistic przeczeniu obvious fact that man - and with it, unless the higher animals have some experiences, ideas, thoughts and feelings that knows something and wants something. All these phenomena are called together learned the word "psyche" - a popular language in talking about the soul. Deny the existence of a soul in this sense can only be an extremely superstitious man, which is completely blind to the most obvious things. It may be worthwhile to emphasize that more serious materialists are not as superstitious in this way: do not deny the existence of the soul, they say only that it is "something tangible." But this is a superstition - you might as well be argued that the tree is actually a cake, iron and water, because mental phenomena are nevertheless quite different from physical property.
There is another superstition for the soul. We call it here 'superstition reistycznym', from the Latin res, which means the same as ... This second opinion is based on superstition , that the human soul, it is similar to such things as tables, typewriters, mountains, and crocodiles. An extreme expression of this zabobonowi gave the French philosopher Rene Descartes. According to him, man consists of two things, of two pieces (he calls it the "substances"), namely the corporeal things, it is the body, and things spiritual, that is the soul. Descartes's view is in fact only a pseudo-phrase of the widespread superstition of the human spirit strolling outside the body. For example, ancient Egyptians believed already in the XXV century before Christ, that is, 4,500 years ago, that the soul wanders after the death of the body in the form of a bird with a human head around the grave of the deceased ... "
Next Bochenski develops his thought and shows that the soul must be understood as a function of the body (guess that would be willing to dopowiedział here that it is a function of his particular authority, namely, brain). It also shows that in a similar manner of understanding the soul of the greatest of the medieval theologians - St. Thomas Aquinas.
Some may seem shocking that a Catholic priest (and besides him probably the most famous medieval Catholic theologian and philosopher) reject the functioning of the universal concept of dualistic perceptions and approach to the view of most contemporary scientists' non-religious backgrounds or materialists. It is true that the latter prefer to avoid the term "soul" and replace it with the name "psyche", but you can see from the quote, so to them and Bocheńskiemu it exactly the same thing. To me it just is not so much shocked, because he's out from the thirteenth year of life for long, though interrupted by periods of doubt and disbelief, with larger or smaller troubles combined belief that the soul is a function of brain, with the profession and practice of faith in which I was brought up.

In this post, let me a little more personal topics, which I think will prove to be justified.
At the end of primary school rozczytywałem in Lem's books and I think that under the influence of a lot of time was spent figuring out the phenomenon of consciousness. Easily reconciled with the fact that mental phenomena are responsible for processes in the brain. Frapował me, but then the following problem: if
A) the set of a few atoms has no consciousness, and
B) if a collection of atoms has no consciousness, then adding another atom, it can not make it will become a conscious entity, then how can be true that
C) a finite set of atoms, which is the brain, it has consciousness?
Of course I knew that sometimes "the amount can create a new quality" (for example, the set of elementary particles, none of which has a color creates a substance having color), but in all such cases can easily find the point at which inductive reasoning is collapses. In the case of the problem of awareness of brain material nohow that point could not be found. Twenty years later I learned that the problem that is then wrack my brains is called hard problem of consciousness and that basically none of the scientists and philosophers have no idea how to solve it we might go about it. Many of them (see the Vienna Circle ) thought to deal with him for taking a completely sterile. I myself, I decided then that probably is false the first of the assumptions that the above mentioned and that the ability to feel something, to "being inside" to have a "subjective experience" is a fundamental feature of matter, or at least very simple physical systems. Of course, it was not me then about some naive antropomorfizowanie plants or stones, but rather that in addition to features such as mass, charge, relative position, and the speed of physical objects have a characteristic that is associated with the experience. And too many years later I learned that I was not an original, and that similar concepts developed were by many philosophers (Alfred Whitehead and Samuel Alexander) and scholars (even the creator of quantum mechanics - for example, Wolfgang Pauli, Erwin Schroedinger, Carl von Weizsäcker and David Bohm). A third of the things related to the mystery of consciousness, which in late childhood and adolescence I experienced was a powerful feeling that there is something elusive, that this irreducible to mechanical phenomena of consciousness, in principle, I can not even well defined, although it is yet the most basic of human - and and so my - experience. Even though it is an experience against which all others are just derivative. For a teenage boy, what if I were a very frustrating experience, so gave up discussion on these issues for nearly twenty years.
returned to them, however, but only a few years ago. I began to read, especially on the Internet by searching the text of famous philosophers and scientists. And though a variety of my beliefs are constantly evolving, the notion that the soul is a function of the brain have not changed at all. I was also faithful to the belief that the problems of consciousness are extremely difficult, perhaps even intractable and that the most promising path that leads to perhaps the solution is so or otherwise, or emergentyzm panpsychizm understood. I've never convinced me stories about various experiences from the border of life and death, which I heard in high school - if anyone remember these experiences, it is apparently his brain still functioned. The similarity of these experiences to the states described by some mystics also proves nothing. But honestly admit that not once felt tempted to make these stories become. Not completely convinced me trendy probably last Rupert Sheldrake with his concept of morphic fields and construction of comparing the brain to a device which combines TV and video cameras, remotely communicates with the non-material (as far as I understand it) the soul. Even during the reading (three years ago), I saw that against the concept Sheldrakea niefalsyfikowalności be objected, and in addition, it is easy to amputowalna by Ockhamowskiej razor. Sheldrake does not explain anything to us, but solely by means of artificial structure replaces one mystery by another, but this time such as the knowledge that we choose never to her research tools. However, it does not explain anything Daniel Dennett, who is trying to confuse the reader by way of one of his famous books "Consciousness explained" , where - in my humble opinion - he just pretends that it does not understand the essence of the mystery of consciousness. Dennettowi also be objected niefalsyfikowalności and I fear that this is a curse that weighs heavily on any attempt to explain these phenomena. Experiment in definitively proving anything or falsyfikujący, must then refer to this as the phenomenon "is seen" from inside ", and" there "by definition can not be found. Reading the discussion of Dennett's ideas, however, recently landed on the web site his fine polemicist - David Chalmers. Professor Chalmers is the author of hundreds of publications on topics related to the phenomenon of consciousness, the editor of the online magazine "Psyche" , the editor of a website with dozens and perhaps hundreds of links to excellent publications on topics related to the mystery of consciousness. It scjentystą, but not a materialist, who Recognizing the complexity and understanding the spirit of mystery entangled in the matter believe that the solution to the scientific method can ever be real (the optimist). It is also aware that the "solution" may mean the emergence of clear evidence of inability to explain these phenomena. It believes that to reach a possible explanation would probably require the creation of a new field of science. This is what Chalmers is the author of determining the existence of mysteries such thing as consciousness (as the "inner experience") difficult problem Consciousness. Chalmers is a supporter of the concept of consciousness is called dualism of properties - that the reality does not consist of separate substance - spiritual and material, but that matter has physical and spiritual properties (which are not reducible to physical - as in physics, for example, the load is not reducible to weight). Regardless of my slight skepticism about the possibility of finding a solution to puzzles of consciousness, going into published on the website own texts or texts Chalmers other authors, This is one of the most inspiring intellectual adventures befell me in recent years. Besides

phenomenon of consciousness with the soul combine two other mysterious phenomena - the self and the intellect (or intelligence). Topics are huge, but I will write about them here a few observations. Many philosophers - for example, Daniel Dennett, Susan Blackmore and John Gray argues that the self does not exist. Proof of this is to be non-existence of continuity of consciousness - which has shown recent advances in neuroscience. In one meaning of this thesis is false. But the lack of continuity was known, and without today's neuroscience. Each of us have experienced the many thousands of times the presence of these "holes", every morning after a more or less sleepless night (no matter what he did the day before). Nor is that the fragmentation of consciousness is very high (reportedly glimpses of consciousness lasts for a split second), or lack of a permanent place in which she would not resided within the brain strengthens the thesis of the non-self, as a meaningful category. The same principle could be put into question after the existence of Daniel Dennett - because his body is not constant - it consists of tiny atoms, each of which is in another place, and between them yawns a huge emptiness in relation to their size. The fact remains that the self is experienced, objective, not subjective, individual. So we can not talk about my self, if you (dear reader), the self, but only of the self as a universal phenomenon, associated with consciousness. It is in this sense, Dennett, Blackmore, and Grey are right in saying that the self does not exist. Indeed, there is no individual self. You can get to this, however, without reference to neurology. I'll write more about this on the occasion one of the following entries, which I intend to devote, as I understand the immortality of the soul.

finally move on to the last of the phenomena, about which I wanted to write today. In many popular programs appear again and again about the alleged achievements of professionals in the creation of so-called Artificial Intelligence. Do not give them the faith. Since the time of Turing, who first zapostulował build thinking machines as a man I have not gone in the direction designated by him or a step. From today's perspective it seems more realistic that we do not solve puzzles intelligence than ever that in the next few centuries, man will be able to talk with your computer, just like talking to a good friend. There are thinkers who do doubt the possibility of creating artificial intelligence and, moreover, there are a variety of interesting arguments. But you do not need to be so radical as they were, to notice a huge naivety Turing, who believed that the problem of artificial intelligence will be resolved even in the twentieth century.

subject of the soul, whether the relationship between mind and body, is huge and fascinating at the same time, so I will not once come back to him. It also has this nice feature that, given the powerlessness in the field of science, all of this is to "make the expert", of which I with pleasure I do.