The Bad Idea that Took Over the World

In this 2015 lecture I talk about the ways in which dualistic forms of thinking about the cosmos, often referred to as "Enochian" in their Jewish forms and "Gnostic" in the wider Hellenistic world, basically took over the Western world and fundamentally transformed Judaism, Christianity, and Islam into religions of "cosmic salvation," rather than ethical transformation of this world--what Judaism calls Tikun Ha-'Olam.
This lecture was part a Biblical Archaeology Society program, publishers of the premiere archaeology magazine, Biblical Archaeology Review. It is used with permission.
I encourage viewers to subscribe to the incredible BAS Library, with thousands of articles, books, and videos. There is nothing like this rich archive that covers every major topic and discovery for more than 40 years. Unlimited access to the library is available for a small annual subscription price, see: www.baslibrary.org.

[@Oldman_nomad]

Introduction 00:00 The speaker discusses his topic of "Enochian Judaism" and its ancient vision of the world and how it became ubiquitous in religious thought. "I'm talking about an ancient vision of the world or the cosmos and how it took over our world." The Definition of Cosmology 00:47 Cosmology, as used here, refers to the human perception of the world or the universe and the human place within it. It poses big questions about human existence and purpose. "Cosmology is the human perception of our world or even the universe and the human place therein... Who are we? What are we? Where did we come from? How did we get here? What is our purpose?" Fundamental Shift in Human Thought 01:39 The speaker proposes that the transition from Abraham to Jesus represents a fundamental shift in human thought. He believes this change had a profound impact on the way people perceive the world and everything within it. Ancient Hebrew Conception of the Universe 02:36 The ancient Hebrew view of the universe is a three-level structure. It consists of the sky/heavens with God or angels, the circle/dome of the earth with the planets, sun, moon, and stars, and the good earth itself. There are also chaotic waters on each side, and Sheol (Hades) represents the realm of the dead. Ancient Hebrew View of Sheol 03:43 Sheol is the realm of the dead in Hebrew thought. This place is not a form of punishment or torture but rather an eternal retirement plan. It is a shadow of the former self and is often described as resting or sleeping in the dust. Human Place in the Hebrew View 06:11 According to the Hebrew Bible, humans inhabit the good earth and are instructed to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. This view emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior and fulfilling one's purpose on earth. Psalms Reflecting the Three-Level Universe 06:26 Psalms 115:16-18 encapsulate the three-level structure of the ancient Hebrew view of the universe. The heavens are attributed to the Lord, the earth is given to humans, and the realm of the dead (Sheol) does not praise God. Lamentation and Mourning in Psalms 08:14 Psalm 88 is an example of a lamentation, expressing someone's nearness to death and their troubles. It reflects the belief that the dead do not praise God and emphasizes the sorrow associated with death. "I'm going to suggest something outlandish: that this is the most fundamental shift in human thought until the Enlightenment." The Hebrew Bible's View of Death 09:12 The idea of the earth being a place for humans to be fruitful, multiply, and live is embedded in the Hebrew Bible. The book of Job is often misunderstood, as it deals with the problem of human suffering and the belief in cosmic justice. "The idea of the earth being the place, the human place, be fruitful and multiply, live life, is very much embedded in the Hebrew bible now." The Problem of Job 09:47 The book of Job presents the problem of why a righteous man like Job is suffering. Job's friends suggest that he must have done something wrong to deserve his suffering, but Job cannot figure out a cause for his suffering. Job's suffering challenges the belief that God always blesses the righteous and punishes the wicked. Job's Lack of Knowledge 10:17 Job is unaware of the cosmic drama between Yahweh and the sons of God, including the Satan. He is unaware of the contest that led to his suffering. Job's friends are unaware of the cosmic drama as well, and they mistakenly attribute Job's suffering to his wrongdoing. Job's Wish for Death 12:09 Job expresses his wish to be hidden in Sheol and suggests that if a man dies, he should live again. However, he does not believe this is the case. "If a man dies, shall he live again? See, now the answer is no, but it should be that way. You should do that." 1 The House of the Dead 17:38 In chapter 7, verse 4, the house of the dead, also known as Shio, is described as the place where none leave once they enter. The dwellers in this house are devoid of light and subsist on dust and clay. Metaphorically, they are depicted as being in the muck, eating clay. Greek Literature Influence 18:12 Book 11 of the Odyssey features Achilles in Hades, highlighting the Greek concept of the underworld. Achilles arranges to be seen in a seance-like event with the help of Odysseus. The mention of blood signifies a metaphorical revival of Achilles. Tombs and Tablets 20:40 Around 350-400 B.C., solid gold tablets resembling tin foil were found in tombs across the Mediterranean. These tablets, called prayers for the dead, are rolled up and placed near the ear or hand of the deceased. Seventeen of these tablets have been discovered so far, bearing instructions for navigating the world of Hades. Instructions for the Dead 22:13 The gold tablets contain cues or instructions for the souls in the world of Hades. They guide the dead on how to navigate the realm and ensure their successful journey. These instructions mention important landmarks, such as the River Styx and the fair cypress tree with a nearby lake for quenching thirst. The Spring of Forgetfulness 24:34 One of the instructions on the gold tablets cautions against approaching a spring called Lathay. Lathay, meaning forgetfulness in Greek, causes souls to lose their memories of past lives. Souls that drink from this spring remain unaware of their previous existence before reincarnation. Dualistic Thinking in Ancient Greece 25:29 The speaker talks about the idea of a lake that is significant to them and how they had to confess certain things to drink from it. They express the belief that their race is from heaven alone and that they are a child of both earth and starry heaven. The speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing oneself and making a bold confession to the guardians of the lake. Dualism and the Concept of Life and Death 33:25 The speaker explains that in dualistic thinking, the physical world is considered temporary, corruptible, and lowly, while the spiritual world is seen as eternal, incorruptible, and glorious. Africanus, a philosopher, challenges the concept of life and argues that it is actually death, while death is true life.

[@Oldman_nomad]

"Life you call this life, it's really death, and death is really life." 34:15 Debate between the Pharisees and Sadducees 41:08 The Pharisees and Sadducees had a different belief about life after death. The Essenes may have aligned with the Pharisees. The Dead Sea Scrolls may contain references to this debate. Belief of the Sadducees 41:19 The Sadducees did not believe in life after death. They were sad, hence the name "Sadducees." The word "Sadducees" comes from "zadok," meaning righteousness. Wisdom of Solomon and Pharisees 41:49 The Pharisees valued the Wisdom of Solomon. The Wisdom of Solomon is not meant to be taken literally, but it represents the Pharisees' beliefs. The books of the Wisdom of Solomon are helpful in understanding the Pharisees' thoughts on human purpose. Reaction to Martyrs 42:11 The transition in beliefs about life after death was possibly a reaction to the martyrs. During the invasion of Antiochus Epiphanes, Jews were persecuted and forbidden from practicing Judaism. Second Maccabees records the transition and the belief that martyrs would be blessed in the afterlife. Justification of God and Theodicy 43:22 The debate about life after death was fueled by theodicy, the justification of God. People questioned why righteous individuals suffered while apostates were blessed. Influence of Enoch 43:43 The book of Enoch played a significant role in shaping beliefs about the afterlife, particularly in Christianity. Enoch describes ascending to the heavens and seeing the dwelling places of the righteous and the holy. Righteousness and Elect in Enoch 47:07 In the book of Enoch, the righteous and elect are described as bright fiery lights. They are seen as a source of blessings and are in the presence of the Lord. This belief in the righteous being rewarded with eternal life is found in various mythologies and religious traditions. "Thus it is amongst them forever and ever... and the righteous and elect shall be without number before Him forever and ever, as fiery lights." The Development of Enochian Judaism 49:31 Enochian Judaism develops around 100 BC through the early Christian period. This form of Judaism focuses on the concept of the heavenly world and expands the idea of heaven. Transforming Greek and Hebrew Views 50:10 The Greek and Hebrew views of the afterlife undergo transformation. In the Greek view, there are seven levels of heaven, and the cycle of birth and death includes reincarnation. Paul's Vision and Enoch's Throne 51:15 Paul, like Enoch, believes in a transformed glory and envisions being in the immediate presence of Jesus Christ. In chapter 72 of Enoch, Enoch is invited to sit on the throne of God. Influence on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 51:53 Enochian Judaism's emphasis on the heavenly world dominates Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Some see it as a positive revelation of God's plan, while others view it as a pollution of Greek ideas infiltrating these religions. Belief in the World to Come 52:47 Judaism does believe in the afterlife, contrary to the misconception that it doesn't. The world to come, known as the "Olam Ha-ba," is a significant aspect of Jewish belief. Diverse Beliefs within Judaism 53:32 While some secular forms of Judaism focus on leading a good life and the uncertainty of an afterlife, Orthodox Judaism maintains belief in the world to come. Traditional Orthodox rabbis, including those in Jerusalem, affirm the existence of another world, and some even embrace the concept of reincarnation. Religion as Salvation from Mortality 54:20 The focus on the afterlife in various religions stems from the desire for salvation from death and mortality. Religion offers the hope of finding a true and eternal home beyond the physical world.

[@lancemarchetti8673]

Thank You chatGPT

[@spikeep6141]

It’s that Whirlwind, again…. Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, it’s a *TWISTER* …!!

[@77goanywhere]

A fascinating and enlightening lecture. It is so interesting that in reviewing hundreds of testimonies of NDEs, so many of these Helenistic themes are present in their experiences. Very few come back proclaiming doctrinal religious views, but most describe the "spiritual" world in such terms as "our real home", "nothing but love", "where we came from, and where we will return to" etc. and much more. And most are transformed in their views about the importance of "doing good" and serving others as the priority of life in this world.

[@dixiecroft6662]

I have heard terrifying testimonies about hell

[@luistorres6956]

​@@dixiecroft6662we don't have to hear it , we can go outside and see for ourselves hell. Private prisons, illegal wars, usury banking etc

[@Matt6X]

@@luistorres6956 Right, but still within your earthly lifespan. .. which is nothing compared to eternity

[@OneTheBlue]

@@Matt6X You are correct, an eternity of suffering would suck. The hell of this earth is more concerning though, because we can be 100% certain that it is real. I have seen no solid reason to believe in the afterlife version of hell. What's more, the idea of hell can be traced back to its roots, and seen to be a fiction invented by humans.

[@AluminiumT6]

@@OneTheBlue Invisible things can make visible things happen. The soul is eternal, once created it won't disappear. Hell is also real, it has been attested throughout the ages, and there's extensive documentation on it. The idea that it's a "fiction invented by humans" is nonsensical as there's no practical reason for humans to invent and sustain belief in something they'd be deeply in terror of, given that the commission of any mortal sin could cause them to fall into it eternally. Rather, people more often try to invent that it doesn't exist, in order to not be in fear of it, which is far easier to explain. They're simply wrong though.

[@kingdomcome1617]

26:00 ... I seem to remember a passage within the Nag Hammadi library that had similar instructions once one physically dies. To tell the guardian "I am returning to the place from which I came" or something to this effect. I'll have to look that particular passage up. I do remember it was missing a lot of the script within that book/scroll. It seems to me, many of the scrolls withing this Library dealing with the gnostic side of things are missing (or purposefully taken out - I do seem to lean more to the conspiratorial side of things these days) portions of the script right whenever things/the teachings started to get interesting.

[@odd-man-outSPORTS]

Good point. Apocalypse of Peter maybe?

[@kingdomcome1617]

@@odd-man-outSPORTS Gospel of Thomas I believe.

[@kingdomcome1617]

@@odd-man-outSPORTS It is in the Gospel of Thomas, but I was thinking of a different passage/book for sure. I'll check the Apocalypse of Peter in a bit.

[@MeanBeanComedy]

That's because the gnostic stuff was added centuries later by people who weren't apostles.

[@kingdomcome1617]

@@MeanBeanComedy You could be right. Do you have any problems with the ideas put forward within the scrolls? Could any of the Teachings overlap with those taught by Jesus in the New Testament? For instance, "The Teachings of Sylvanus"?

[@kevinmendez1599]

Job chapter 19 21:Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me. [22] Why do you persecute me as God, and glut yourselves with my flesh? [23] Who will grant me that my words may be written? Who will grant me that they may be marked down in a book? [24] With an iron pen and in a plate of lead, or else be graven with an instrument in flint stone. [25] For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and in the last day I shall rise out of the earth. [26] And I shall be clothed again with my skin, and in my flesh I will see my God. [27] Whom I myself shall see, and my eyes shall behold, and not another: this my hope is laid up in my bosom. [28] Why then do you say now: Let us persecute him, and let us find occasion of word against him? [29] Flee then from the face of the sword, for the sword is the revenger of iniquities: and know ye that there is judgment.

[@Ellie49]

Another translation (American Standard): "And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God;"

[@jameswaldon5837]

Balanced information shared in a non dogmatic presentation. A lot of questions I have had for years about what certain people believe and why they do so we’re answered in this lecture. This was my first time hearing from Mr. Tabor but it will not be the last.

[@cristianpopescu78]

May this help you,it is about what christianity was in the early years:kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJzEZXeLjsp9a8k

[@gregorybyrne2453]

Know the causes and effects of the climate cycles if the planet and you will know man. The galactic Milankovitch cycles cause our Obliquity Climate trends, Precession causes our cataclysmic climate END TIMES with Eccentricity the 235,000 year rotation of the galactic bulge being the outside force. antikythera device was a predictor, Geology of Gobekli Tepe shows the timelines of Noah's cataclysmic tidal waves that get pulled around the planet east to west 800 mph at the equator every 40 years when the planets are in conjunction. With the first conjunction coming in 2033. Covid & CO2 are comfortable LIEs built upon inconvenient truths. Covid being the Baby Boomer Bust due to the usual suspects of seasonal FLU/Pneumonia and old age. MOTIVE being we are in the END TIMES not due to you or CO2 but rather due to crossing the center of the galaxies double torus electromagnetic gravitational plain known as the Great Year, magnetic north, PRECESSION of the 7 north stars Jesus held in his hand to warn us. "1 man with a gun can CONTROL 100 without." Communist Lenin. Abortion like LGBTQ and China's one child policy is DEPOPULATION before the Great Year RESETS the planet again. BLM in Canada is ALM Aboriginal Lives Matter divide and conquer. Jesus loved all races because there is only one race the HUMAN race with only one minority the INDIVIDUAL human.. End times plan. Build that WALL like the CARNAC stones. Znamya solar sail laser spotlight satellites for garden Eden & geo-engineering. Ezekiel Musk VTVL rockets ARC Musk boring company underground cities to shelter from the emp pillars of fire lightning and 100 lb Talen sized hail. & Praise Jesus because he UNITES us all and UNITED the Brood of Vipers can't Divide and Conquer humanity along race, creed, class and religion.

[@mikemcleroy8265]

He has a new translation of Genesis available. Just got a copy.

[@mercster]

Yes non-dogmatic... "the bad idea."

[@bluwng]

@@mercsterare you saying calling it a bad idea is dogma?

[@Notallowed101]

Pairs nicely with James Lindsey's recent talks about Gnosticism in the contemporary age.

[@pierrelabounty9917]

Lindsay has done some good historical study in ideas. Not knew , but the latest and applies it to our times...

[@pierrelabounty9917]

Not new.

[@annettecloutier2094]

This is one of Prof. Tabor’s best! So easily understood and how we’ve come to believe in life after death. So good!

[@bluwng]

Why believe the Bible when we have a well read professor almost as old and smart as God. I’m kidding, don’t be so easily duped Poindexter.

[@veronica_._._._]

He's flown to "warmer climes" l hear.

[@za2206]

"Not if the word Din is more truthful & peaceful than the word Man."

[@markhamilton8728]

Jesus will save you

[@coreybul]

i believe the saviour and not what the world wants us to believe...mary

[@richardhall5489]

This was fascinating. Thank you very much. I find it very useful to learn about ideas and paradigms that have become so fixed in aspects of culture that they become invisible and unquestioned. I enjoy the way that it changes my view and reminds me to hold my own perspective lightly.

[@Arkstromater]

I love open minded, educated people……I left the church and renounced the title “ Christian “ because I felt like I was being closed minded……when the Bible is the answer to all your questions……it’s hard to remain open minded about other things. I still believe in a higher power, but not the way modern Christian’s do…..I believe that god is good and bad…..bad is just the word that humans give to negative things…and I dont believe that god does things according to the meaning man gives to it.

[@wurzelbert84wucher5]

So, Jesus was the worlds biggets psyop for you then? How could a man have so much influence, that his death and teachings shaped the world for millenia? I don't see how you are closed minded, if you accept Jesus Christ as your saviour and call yourself Christian, you can think about deep social and philosphical questions just as much as any agnostic/atheist.

[@shimshonbendan8730]

Great points all. Just one thing-it is "God", not "god". When spelled with a lower case g, it refers to a polytheistic god, not the One True God of the Torah.

[@benjaminlopez4168]

Your simply brilliant professor. I throughly have enjoyed every lecture you graciously have posted online. Always illuminating.

[@shimshonbendan8730]

*You're! Why is it people cannot spell even simple words anymore? We are losing our language through apathy.

[@thegreatsiberianitch]

*You're

[@brownwarrior6867]

Pedantry is one rung down from dysentery.

[@mikelouis9389]

​@shimshonbendan8730 Spell check. It all depends on whether it's aggressive. Mine is. Proofreading my comments is now second nature.

[@Crabfather]

*YOU'RE *

[@MortenBendiksen]

Christians also wait for the world to come, and dont see heaven as another world. Yes, you'll find all kinds of beliefs, and also that. But heaven is here, now, fundamentally just the invisible side of this world. It is one world, without end. It's always been the orthodox view. Heaven is just the invisible parts, like love, actual personhood, etc. It is the rejection of materialism, which says all that is just some illusion, not really part of this world. Yes, Christians usually believe that seen from a temporal perspective there is a life "after" death, e.g. the dead play a part, an unseen part in this world, as any ancient (except in an intermediary hyper individualistic age), would take for granted. But it is about this world, always. It is a difficult thing to talk about, because only caring about the seen, is part and parcel of how we become lost. Christians live the reality that ones actions matter, in this world, for actual people now, and in the world to come. Of course there are always forces fighting this view. There are always the ones who desire this to be all, that ones actions are done in some vacuum. As we humans became more and more individuals growing out from the total identification with the whole (how could it ever have been different, given any sort of evolution into individual consciousness we see now?), we need a new way to picture the cosmos. Now I believe consciousness creates the world, so I believe it also actually did change the cosmos we inhabit in fundamental ways, and that continues. We shall regain our identification with the whole, but as a choice, from a personal point of view. But we are unable to simply choose it, only by grace are we given what is needed to make the turn about, and regain a conscious felt connection with the whole. The ethical flows from this identification with the whole and realization of how everything forms a whole, in the moment, in the now, in the actual. Compassion for all is the natural response, not to this as dogma, but to the growing into actually believing love is an eternal quality, and giving before deserving, is how anything exists. But usually we are all somewhere in between, not able to see it fully, only aspiring towards it.

[@johneagle932]

This is breathtaking. Only yesterday I was conversing with a friend when I realized a profound truth had dawned upon me- that is: That it is the individuals world view that shapes his life in subtle but amazing ways. WHAT we think the "world' is will determine HOW we live in "it".

[@joesouthborn2960]

Profound truths shared. And doing so makes our lives together better. Thank you!

[@historysmysteriesunveiled8043]

This mentality reminds me of the fallen one Hel'el. "Do as thou whilst" You don't have to believe it, he gets all the ones that are on the fence too. Jesus Christ (Yashua) is the way the light the ✝ruth. Repent & live forever 🕊

[@ashleysthoughts8859]

If heaven is already here, we're screwed. Do not love this world. Heaven will come down. The Bible is clear on that. The biblical view and the idea that heaven is already here does not makes sense to me.

[@MortenBendiksen]

@@ashleysthoughts8859 I understand that. Modern people, experience a fundamentally materialist universe. And religious people do too, they just relegate their thing to some other place. The Bible when saying "heaven" talks about the invisible, not some far off place. It's not a binary system, but two sides of existence, intermingling. The temporal and dead on one side, and the eternal and living God on the other side, and humans in the middle, mediating the two.

[@hughlowe4431]

This is one of the best presentations I’ve heard that spans the history of how the earth has been seen from the OT to the NT

[@LoveVanillaRose]

All souls are immortal. We are here for a short time in a body but continue on eternally beyond it’s death.

[@davidpersson250]

I dont believe that

[@LoveVanillaRose]

@@davidpersson250 doesn't matter.... you'll see when you cross over 💖

[@morpety]

That was so enjoyable. Thank you Dr Tabor.

[@tsolerman]

Thank you very much Sir. Your work is such a comfort for our souls, that strive to find their way around the world and a meaning

[@dynamic9016]

Really appreciate this video..I need to do more research on this particular subject..

[@Thomas_Geist]

Don’t we already call that, “The Axial Period,” which the way I read that change in perspective was far more profound and strangely effecting cultures throughout the world at roughly around the same time which is somewhere 400 years after the Bronze Age Collapse. It doesn’t just take into consideration the afterlife but the entire paradigm of how man relates to the cosmos and the gods. This either supports the, “Hundredth Monkey,” theory or that there was far more commerce in ideas during the restart after the, Late Bronze Age Collapse than acknowledged. I, along with Ockham, lean toward the latter. Yes, this notion of a gray boring sort of afterlife is present in Greece and the Mesopotamian culture derived from the Sumerians; but even this idea recognizes an afterlife, not annihilation (not suggested here.). Although the dating is difficult, the Mahabharata also carries this idea of the afterlife as King Yudisthira dies and joins his family in a dark stinking place which might suggest oral traditions date back to the Bronze Age. There seems no reference to reincarnation in the Mahabharata. Interesting that Tabor does not mention the verse in Job where he says, “though worm devour this body, I KNOW that in this flesh I shall see God.” He is not disabused of this idea thought God had the opportunity in his closing statement to do so. Also just touched upon is that this idea of heaven is also related to Platonic idealism; or that during Jesus’ time undefined ideas of reincarnation seem to be floating about as if they are common knowledge and that Jesus makes use of this in reference to John the Baptist but in very ambiguous terms that don’t tell us a whole lot about his conception. Metaphysical speculation is like taking a bucket of white paint and over time mixing in various colours. It isn’t very long to where the origin of those colours is completely lost and we are left to simply appreciate the new derived colour. Yes, Jesus and Paul make statements regarding the new,”glorified,” body, but then as narrative Jesus eats fish. The Western categorical and reductionist mind is simply not well suited to handle such things. Since I’m sure no one has gotten this far I’m going t stop writing now, but it’s on file in the Collective Unconscious.

[@futurecrunk]

Great observations. I found this to be an amazing talk, though I don't think it is exhaustive nor something I can wholeheartedly cosign. The crux of the matter to me, is the tremendous shift in Judaisms after the exile. It seems to me that once greek metaphysics hits the scene, Judaism starts taking wild leaps in all sorts of directions, and continues to do so for the next 2 millenia. The mention of kabbalah being essentially platonic thought vested in Jewish garments is spot on, and worthy of a lecture of its own.

[@milecurcic4475]

👏

[@Thomas_Geist]

@@futurecrunk Well said, but I would be cautious in attributing the shift on Hebraic metaphysics simply to Hellenism. We have to take into account notions derived from the Babylonian, “experience,” which itself could have been informed by metaphysical ideas further East. Jewish intellectuals didn’t as much adopt Hellenistic cosmology or metaphysics as much as Pre-Socratic Iron Age intellectual method of analysis which they applies to their own body of religious texts. What results is a “mishagos.” I think Kabbalah may be more directly informed by Pythagorean and neo-Platonist speculations. But of course that comes much later. Metaphysics, like philosophy and political/economic theory is a constantly moving target that our Aristotelian method of categorization confuses more than enlightens. By the time we come up with a name for something like Marxism or fascism it’s morphed.

[@realbrickwalls]

I don't think the Axial Age is taken that seriously anymore. It was popularized by Karl Jaspers, a philosopher, not anthropologists or historians.

[@Thomas_Geist]

@@realbrickwalls Right. “Popularized by Karl Jaspers, a philosopher.” Wow, thanks John. Let me write that down. Wikipedia is a wonderful thing. Just a philosopher. Well, John, what does not come out of the intellectual space created by philosophy beginning with epistemology itself? That being in addition to your assertion that Jaspers’s idea (not just his) is no longer taken seriously is simply not true. Of course, knowledge these days is a matter of consensus and narrative. “Let’s get the official experts to take a vote.” A lot of that going around…I get it. An idea with great explanatory and predictive strength has fallen out of favor. Where have I heard that before? I understand the theory of, “The Big Bang,” is fighting for its life as I write. Some things require a certain breath of knowledge regarding the development of Human thought in general to see. Keep reading, John; there’s always hope. Something happened to the consciousness of Man and his position vis-a-vis reality after the Late Bronze Age Collapse, not just in the West but worldwide from the pre-Socratic Greeks; to the Upanishads; to the Buddhist critique or Hinduism; to Zen critique of Buddhism; to Early Iron Age Hebrew prophets; to Zoroastrianism, etc. Confucius, the Dao? Any of this ringing a bell, John? Perhaps you don’t know enough of Bronze Age cosmology to see the radical shift. True, there appears no clearly defined categorical definition, but anyone with a diverse knowledge of religion, philosophy, history and a modicum of common sense should be able to see at least this much. However I’m not writing to you per se, John, but to any still curious minds that might be reading it. You simply volunteered as a platform. The relationship between the gods and the stars changed to a more homocentric perspective with the responsibility of our destiny viewed to be more in our hands. There was a major and fundamental paradigm shift not seen again until possibly the 19th Century. Even, The Enlightenment, was little more than a revival of what began somewhere around the 9th Century BC. I have my own theory on what exactly caused this but the mechanism which made it pan-cultural is yet to be fleshed out; and thanks to attitudes like your own may never be, at least among the expert academic gate keepers. Stay in the middle of the crowd; just continue following the popular trend; and above all, John, stay safe.

[@meofamily4]

I have subscribed as a result of this lecture: the topic is important and the scholarship solid; the one thing that I found strange, is that the audience is expected to be familiar with Gilgamesh but is not expected to be familiar with the works of Cicero. In my youth that was exactly inverse.

[@brucele2056]

It's almost as if there is an agenda to implement the Mandela effect every 6 months etc to flip the script and confuse mankind forever

[@jorgeblanco1929]

Lady luck has helped me again haha for me it’s the opposite

[@meofamily4]

@@jorgeblanco1929 If you permit me, Jorge -- I think there's a general development which has happened, and it's by no means chance. In my youth, the Roman heritage was taken as a basis for our civilization; the Roman writer, advocate, and philosopher Cicero was admired for his condemnation of tyranny, for his mellifluous command of language, and for his philosophic erudition. Caesar may have been the greatest general of Rome; but Cicero was its greatest author. Since then, since my youth (in the 1950s), we no longer look, as we of Western European heritage have for so long, upon Rome as a classical model to admire or from which to learn. Rather, it is something we have more or less forgotten. In its place we have viewed civilization as something coming from the Fertile Crescent, from which we have the oldest and most significant literary remains -- the Code of Hammurabi, the Book of the Dead, and, as an instance of this, the tale of Gilgamesh. And this has taken place, as I say more or less without discussion, within my lifetime.

[@ObjectiveEthics]

Tabor is a brilliant historian regarding the Levant/Mesopotamia between 300 bce and 200 ce. His lectures that predate or post date those times are also very insightful 👌

[@altonlg24]

• Why do good/bad things happen to bad/good people? - who is judging them as good or bad; themselves or an observer? + If themselves, then I would say that this supposed good/bad thing is to help them to let go of their judgment about themselves. + If an observer, then maybe for them to question their judgment and let go of it, grow in awareness, seek understanding, and choose peace, life, and caring. - To become aware, understand and let go of judgment. To seek peace and life - Uproot all judgment and good and evil will go with it.

[@chrisrozema1599]

Im an atheist from the South (read: the Bible Belt) and as such have been forced to defend myself everywhere I go. Ugh, its exhausting. Anyways, I just expected to see a lot more fundies in the comments complaining about the assumption that we all know why this is such a horrible and dangerous idea. So, i was really hoping for an expansion on WHY this such a bad idea when i clicked this video in my feed. That said, i super enjoyed it and it got me thinking about the protestant expulsion of the Apocrypha. They think the notion that this is it -one life, then dust- is the more dangerous. And it's really very self-interested BS, imho, but yeah. The idea that we live forever after death really is a depressing turn of events. I enjoy the Gnostic view that the flesh is corrupt and it's in the mind that we find salvation. But that the mind lives on after the brain melts into a gelatinous pile of goo... that this life is worthless except as a training ground for the hereafter... ive always seen it as a devaluation of life. And one of the major flaws in apologetics and theodicy is this hoping for things unseen. Although I'd like to believe in Bigfoot, so, take that as you may 😂

[@wallyswarzone1077]

🤔 Brother! Great title! Got me interested and it's definitely divine intervention in my case. The most high will show you what you really want to know about 😉. Thank you, everyone else stop watching TV if you haven't already, at least the mainstream media. Literally rots the brain 🤦..!

[@dreamsofadaffodil650]

The Fire was not discovered by one culture of the world, at different places of the world people discovered Fire, invented wheels, learned to cultivate and animals rearing up at different times, independently. This very fact teaches us the important lesson that even knowledge of occultism, spirituality etc. could also be discovered and learned by different cultures and civilizations, at different times and independent of each other. Hence, there shouldn't be imposition of opinion that any one people or place or civilization was privileged to receive some universal knowledge and imparted it to others 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@haticeergun7618]

Your right, the All Mighty God sent His messengers and prophets to entire tribal nations .Most of those nations transgrassed after receiving the knowledge so The All Mighty God destroyed many highly advanced cultures in ancient times. However a secret society out of that era has been able to reach out to the current times all the ancient knowledge confiscated by them for the last two millenia. They now call themselves elites and currently working on the mission of human culling projects as per Georgian Guide Stones depict..

[@Ravi9A]

Wise words. We experience the same cosmos.

[@mozis88]

The chance of this would have been very small and archeology does not prove this either, in my opinion, that's only an illogical belief with the fire and the wheel, and we know that the philosophy of knowledge was also carried around the Earth, otherwise everything from the Aztecs to the Sumerians would not be full of the same signs. Of course, reality is reality, we get to know the same content everywhere and at all times, but it always appears in a different form, while the guiding principle remains the same. But I strongly agree with your last sentence!

[@georgesparks7833]

Enochian Judaism What a fantastic lecture! Complicated and interwoven belief systems that develop over time. Slowly morphing into our concepts of afterlife. Wow! This was really cool😮

[@christopherjcarson]

Brilliant talk,vey well researched!

[@mikeambs]

What an interesting talk! I had to clip that moment about the tombstones having swapped the birth/death dates. I'm fairly new to your talks (heard you first when filling in on Bart's podcast the other week), can't wait to get your book on Paul.

[@Fwam95]

Dude, this guy ROCKs! Thank you Dr. Tabor for your body of work and sharing your knowledge in this presentation.

[@jonnygaynon8861]

Glad to have discovered James Tabor, he's definitely a first rate biblical scholar - but clearly of the literal (fundamentalist) interpretation of the texts. There have been many first rate historians and scholars of scripture that tackle it from completely different angles and thus reach different conclusions on the key themes such as the historical evidence for Biblical characters, permanence of the soul etc. We are most likely all guilty of having an amount of confirmation bias when listening to these people, guess my point is that it's probably helpful to refrain from championing one person's analysis simply because it props up our own philosophical leanings.

[@frankiewally1891]

Insightful and refreshing lecture, thanks

[@lukefromdenver7609]

Dude. Solomon was a sick man, in every way, that's why he wanted to die. You're wild. I have no idea what you're talking about, and I want to, so I can charge you with something, but whoa. It's gobbledygook. Nice 👌 job. You must be a professor.

[@a_lucientes]

Freher's engravings are so beautiful.

[@pjbrand6678]

Thank you for such a good you tube video

[@Tripsqueak]

Thank you for this rich sermon.

[@wdmfan]

My theory is, "tree of knowledge" was divided in parts, & distributed around the world. A lot of ancient history, religion, traditions, languages, texts have some links to similar roots, connecting to the tree. There was knowledge that was moral, & knowledge that was immoral. Knowledge was creating a lot of destruction, (during Enoch times). Parts of it were buried/destroyed/divided/fragmented. A lot of "world conquest" crazy men, were digging through history, artifacts, knowledge, keys, during past millennia.

[@romanzelgatas]

Excellent idea

[@dirt420]

you are so right, that conquest link was a very important one that i couldnt even think of

[@JennySimon206]

In the Bible the term 'knowing someone' was having sex with them. Adam and Eve had sex. That was their sin. Eve was then cursed with childbirth. I mean, duh.

[@holysmokes4493]

That's the underlying premise of the Assassin's Creed video game series.

[@FractalCodex7]

Trees represent people/beings/DNA Elohim beings create as in recreate/reshape in their image a human form, as in genetically modified it by splicing in their reptilian DNA in Genesis 1. In Genesis 2 Adam and Eve arrive from Yahweh Elohim. They were warned not to "eat of it" as in comingle with it. But they did comingle with the serpent race and here we are. Its an allegory on several levels.

[@freyamckenzie5583]

Good talk. What about The Earth is the devils domain and the airwaves are his principalities and the part where Satan had the power to give Jesus a great Dominion if He should turn away from God and follow him. As the centuries are moving on, we are now controlled by 'the airwaves' in just about everything we do. Not just mental temptations. I really enjoyed this conversation, thanks for the upload.

[@charlesco7413]

My theory is the earth was good but not righteous. (The 70+2 ELOHIEM owned the earth) But Eden was actually like an Mobil home as YHVH's private ship. (The garden was only in the east of Eden) There are 3 other cardinal points not adressed. [I think they are represented in the items kept in the Ark of Moses and the Temple items.] SO, Ha-Adam of the bible was YHVH's SEPERATE project, different from the man & Woman Adam &Eve of genisis 1v26 and this new Adam called Ha-Adam would slowly increase the size of Eden by planting and gardening the trees to slowly take over (subdue) the wild earth with YHVH's righteous Eden. But Adam failed (because of serpent sabatoge) and was cast out into darkness. (Why is earth treated as a seperate thing) Then YHVH had no property (governance) on the earth except through Adam's seed. (So he slowly took territory) by the law of Elohiem to subdue that by man's authority to rule the Earth it was good. Abraham took a lot of land quickly and then over the years Adams seed conquered and lost territory. (Consider Gabriels difficulty with answereing Daniel's prayer) But when Esther married into the Persian king line. This gave Ha-Adam's God YHVH a co-rulership authority over all the territory of Medopersia and their vassal states abroad. So YHVH had control of Greece and Rome. So when they switched from bear to leopard then to the beast kingdoms YHVH still had co-rulership. He didnt have Sole-rulership but YHVH was a Co-God with Elohiem and was most high God.

[@bonerici]

Mind blown. Thank you. I never even thought about this.

[@jaskland2176]

I am not buying this. Been drinking the kool-aid?

[@sholoms]

Your remark disparagizes what u doubt, while your "nam de click," only alludes to Pauline Christianity, but not what kind. Care to specify or even elaborate?

[@lesliecogan641]

Many will come in the name of our Lord. Dumb to the word.

[@nbzz5539]

Fascinating presentation

[@rockitbitz]

The audio is far too quiet, I had to turn it up so loud that the ads almost blow the speakers when they cut in.

[@travishaney6594]

I was thinking it was just my device lol

[@tylersims6937]

Nah I also got blasted in the head by advertisery.

[@ps8364]

It’s worth it to pay for premium if you spend any time on KZbin. The ads are so insanely frustrating - it’s such a turn off. Then you have some content creators actually sneaking ads in. Every time I come upon one of these I unsubscribe. Period.

[@Ejacunathan]

Oh poor baby

[@thehighshow]

Yea maybe he should redo the whole thing

[@micahimpanis3713]

25But I know that my Redeemera lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth.b 26Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my fleshc I will see God. 27I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearnsd within me!

[@kerryvorster8727]

This was informative and well researched. As an intellectual and a Christian i do feel a small adjustment in the perception of the Book of Job is necessary. If you do a deep dive into the book you will note that the Lord was not drawn into a petty wager with the Accuser at the expense of his faithful, blameless sergant Job. God is omniscient, he clearly baited the Accusser into testing His servant job for the purpose of spiritual development. You will read that the nature of the relationship between Job and The Lord changes notably throughoutthe book as the dialogue progresses. Job was blameless and essentually a good man, but seemed to be going through the motions of religious rituals and placing his faith in those good works which he perfomed. He is therefore serving a God who is external and and whom he has no tangible personal relationship with. However as his trials persist he learns to truly lean into and turn to the Lord. At end of the Book, Job conceeds that he had 'only heard of God but now he sees God'. The tone and wording indicates to us that Job now fully embraces the Lords nature and authentically submits to Him bringing about the intimacy and personal dimension which the Lord actually desired from Job all along and which He had used the Accusser to achieve through all of the testing.

[@elsacooper1769]

Excellent explanation, thank you! And part of his repentance from pride in his good works was that he forgave his friends for their judgey advice, having learned humility and grace. The spraker didn't mention Job's exclaiming, " Oh that there is mediator between God and man". Remarkable statement that would be good to follow up with study about what this might mean with regard to Jesus Christ, in NT.

[@davepayne2024]

Wonderful!

[@harunhernandez]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🌌 Talk explores an ancient vision of the world, its pervasiveness in modern religion. 02:08 🌟 Profound shift in human thought between Abraham and Jesus. 04:51 🔢 Ancient Hebrew universe: three levels - sky, earth, realm of the dead (Sheol/Hades). 24:34 💡 Greek mythology - drinking from Lethe causes forgetfulness and reincarnation. 30:09 💡 Cicero's "Republic" - earthly life is death, death is life, heavenly perspective. 48:37 🌌 Heavenly dwelling places in Enochian Judaism and early Christianity. 49:04 ✨ Enoch's transformed glory in the heavenly presence, like Moses and Paul. 50:13 🌀 Hebrew view: end-time resurrection to the heavenly world. 51:10 🌟 Enoch invited to sit on God's throne, echoed in Paul's writings and Revelation. 52:08 ⚖️ Debate on otherworldly beliefs - positive revelation or Hellenistic pollution. Made with HARPA AI

[@thecharlieardyshow48]

Thank you for breaking that down for us❣️. That was very nice of you❣️ Really appreciate it❣️. Thanks again❣️

[@markwarrensprawson]

This is so great. Thanks so much for the upload. And of course, thank you so much for being who you are and having done all this reading for the rest of us. I wish KZbin had been around when I was a kid for so many reasons, but this is an example of the foremost of those reasons. Probably more than halfway through my life and I'm discovering all this great stuff that's been buried in our classic texts for millennia. Is it odd that most of this stuff makes better sense to me sans Hebrew? I fumble around with Bible Hub now and again, slowly teasing translations of the Greek out, and I get a little help from a few other KZbin personalities who work with ancient texts like the Septuagint. The Greek just seems to penetrate everything and is so detailed and colorful in its portrayal of all the concepts that make our modern Bible what it is. That little bit of the lecture involving "Odyssey" is truly thrilling. I love that part of the story so much, with the blood and little interview with the various and late. Homer's culture must have been truly incredible. Hell, I love the whole story. I really wish I had studied ancient Greek at university level. Guess I'll just have to try my best not to forget about the Lethe and perhaps next time 'round I'll get to do just that. Until then, I'm just so grateful to have access to this sort of thing.

[@rmschindler144]

studying these words (the various scriptures, etc) is a little absurd & adorable, isn’t it? it’s like we all grew up with bicycles around but nobody knew how to ride one, and at length we gathered around the impulse of common purpose and undertook a great intellectual effort to figure out how it feels to ride a bicycle. here we are, with the immensity of God achingly nearby, but how few dare to inquire directly! I am reminded of when I was in high school, and there were two categories of kids; those who were having sex, and those who talked a lot about sex. it took great courage to go up to a girl you had a crush on. I suppose it takes great courage to ‘go up to’ God, too. you have to risk weird violent flareups even in your friends & family. what a ridiculous taboo-as if to knock on the door of our own inner divinity is absolutely forbidden! not that I’m deprecating this study of other people’s thoughts... having had my first experiences mountain biking, I absolutely loved it, and I loved to read about it and think about it. (I kept my first mountain bike in my bedroom, and I could wake up throughout the night and glimpse it gleaming faintly in the moonlight, and fall asleep again with a satisfied smile.) likewise, having had my first experiences with God, of course I absolutely loved it!-and it changed my life forever-and I love to read and think about God.

[@Trainwhrek]

thanks for posting this, interesting stuff

[@ellengran6814]

There is a huge difference between seeing/experiencing and hearing. When looking at a tree growing and a bonfire burning, you see what once grew by the help of sunshine, water and soil, turns into ash and soot when colours, sounds and heat emerge. You see the woven fabric of life emerge and are able to sense the magic . Today we are told the colours we see are due to electromagnetism. Worlds to which our feelings have non/little connection. When you see the universe as rooms, they are rooms within (kind of like "turtles all the way down), not rooms on top of or next to eachother.

[@rickc2102]

It isn't magic. It's chemistry.

[@ellengran6814]

@@rickc2102 Yes, you a right. It's physics , chemistry and space time. We dont know "The theory of everything" = We dont know how our univerce was been able to create itself and later living beings. Just like our forefathers we have plenty ideas about multiple univerces, "spiderwebs" (string theories) etc etc. What we dont seem to have any more is the appreciation for this fabulous web of life. By connecting our feelings (colours,sounds,smell) , not just our reason (math/physics) to this web, I believe the understandings and appreciation for the molecules/photons will increase. Thats why I tell people to watch the bonfire and experience the photons/molecules etc.

[@solelysoul8543]

There is a huge difference between seeing/experiencing and hearing. This is the difference between Hinduism, Buddhism, sanatan dharma and the empire building western cults.

[@somniumisdreaming]

@@solelysoul8543 Plenty of Buddhist empires out there in the past, don't be blinded by prejudice. One example is the Srivijaya Empire. Man can use any religion to try and gain power.

[@solelysoul8543]

@@somniumisdreaming there is a difference between religion and philosophy of the Indian subcontinent, which the western world considers a religion. A synthetic, artificially colored and flavored, carbonated drink, laden with preservatives, labeled as a mango drink, has nothing to do with a mango.

[@carmengale3311]

I was surprised to see gold scrolls written with words to tell the guards to pass to higher thinking. I wondered where temple rituals got similar words to repeat

[@MISTERBLUE1919]

I've died and came back, I know what, who and where I went ,spoke to and spoke to about. These bodies aren't our true form.

[@futurecrunk]

Ughhhh amazing, but why does it cut off!?!? Is the rest available??

[@LAGoff]

Thanks, Doc! I thank God I was raised in the Jewish faith (c. 196O's) where there was very little Kabbalistic, Moshiach!/Messiah!, post mortem / pre-life mishegos. So I learned to live L'chaim! This was a gift I now see clearly! I feel so sorry for others who weren't gifted this. The Tanakh seems to be trying to 'bring us down' from Egypt (out of Africa)-- out of the 'Egyptian' obsession (slavery) with such liminal matters and train us to just be concerned with life (serving Hashem by doing His commandments). After all, the Exodus is about taking us out of the most 'spiritually' obsessed nation the world has ever know into the service of a God who knows what's best for us. This is not to say that Tanakh doesn't leave clues about 'those' matters (spirit, soul, the 'above' and the 'below'), but they are limited for our good. So, to go back to my circa 1960's Jewish religious upbringing: the only thing I remember that touched on 'those' matters was a feeling of 'Messianic Days' (not a Messiah! Moshiach! figure) where the lamb would lie down with the lion; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, etc. I am saddened with how Kabbalah has become in vogue recently in Judaism; but Tanakh is the story of the Jews' dance between Egyptian slavery (obsession with 'those' matters) and Hashem. "I am Hashem who took you out of Egypt... Come back home, boychick!

[@notme9816]

I grew up in a Christian home in a Nordic Social Democratic nation in the 70s. Quite similar upbringing, rooted in the Golden Rule, commonsense and following the Word of God.

[@Tzimtzum26]

Kabbalah IS Judaism, and is the meaning of the Torah. It is entirely NON-dualist, and emphasises embodying the Divine in this life/world. Heavy emphasis on ethics and this worldliness; but also contemplation of the Mysteries to bind with G-d.

[@LAGoff]

@@Tzimtzum26 "Entirely non dualist"? What exactly does that mean?

[@cydmarantis]

The more I keep the Torah, the more I realize how it is not just the surface commands but actually divinely designed to refine ones character completely and into the likeness of the character of Yeshua Messiah, if we have a humble heart to learn from HaShem, outside the prejudices of man.

[@hammer1794]

I keep too the faith, my ancestors had, before the abrahamic, religions, were forced upon us, all of them are a POISON.. Hail Odin.. and blessed is his son THOR🏹

[@yettibee5371]

Great lecture. I didn't catch though, what was the bad idea?

[@danielleriggs9677]

Minute 34 I think?

[@urbanpioneer5326]

See psalm 73...until i went into the sanctuary of the Lord .and there i saw their end .. On Justice ..

[@3000waterman]

Not boring. What greater compliment could one offer?

[@dovbarleib3256]

You are right about one thing regarding Torah Judaism. The focus of reward and punishment and doing what G-d requires are about this world. It is why the Reward and Punishment passages in the Pentateuch are all Collective. When it comes to reward and punishment on the individual, one of two things happens. Either the Supreme Court (the 70 Elders, later the Sanhedrin) inflicts a penalty (death, lashes, paying a fine, paying double what was stolen, indentured servitude, etc.) OR G-d inflicts this mysterious thing called Karet (spiritual excision). The Written Torah never explains how being spiritually cut off is an Eternal punishment for which it is really difficult to atone. The reason is that the Written Torah only focuses on this world not the next. But the "next world" is implicit in this punishment called karet, for if it were not, being spiritually cut off would be meaningless. So I would argue that the concept of the Eternality of the Soul was even part of the Judaism or the Israelite religion of Moses... even if it was all in Oral form. Plus we have this regarding the death of Avraham and is repeated with Isaac: וַיִּגְוַע וַיָּמָת אַבְרָהָם בְּשֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה, זָקֵן וְשָׂבֵעַ; וַיֵּאָסֶף, אֶל-עַמָּיו.8 And Abraham expired, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; *and was gathered to his people.* What does that mean, that he was gathered to his people?

[@dovbarleib3256]

@Nadav Chomsky Abraham was not gathered to his people (plural) by being buried in a cave where only his wife was buried, a cave that he purchased from the Hittites. So your explanation does not explain how Abraham was gathered to his people. Being gathered to one's people obviously means something other than being buried in a catacomb with family members, especially since we are more than just a body.

[@p83otfan]

Dov Bar…I think you know…

[@barbardosia]

Ibn Ezra (12th Century): AND WAS GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE. Some say that this refers to the soul of life which, even while functioning14 in the body, is a separate entity. When it separates from the body it returns to its source.15 Others say that and was gathered to his people is a mere idiom.16 One who follows in the footsteps of his ancestors is said, as it were, to be joining them. But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace (Gen. 15:15) is similar.

[@amoswittenbergsmusings]

Dov, perhaps you look at my own reaction to Dr Tabor's very interesting talk and care to leave your comment? Be well.

[@____2080_____]

The thing I would challenge here from James would be the conflation between records from ancient traditions that ended up being collected into the religious text of the Pentateuch as being the lineage of connected TRADITION, RELIGION, PEOPLE/CULTURE of what would be called Judaism. No where in his conversation here does he explain the major influence of Solomon bar Isaac/RASHI in collecting from ancient records (primarily from people of the pre-Greek and pre-Roman conquests of the far earlier, far older civilizations of Ancient Egypt) and putting together the first documented narrative that we today call Judaism. Without this, we are giving a false history that makes of feel good, be full of pride but hides the organic unfolding of events to have us really understand these political events/movements/ideas at all.

[@jamesbarlow6423]

Proof?

[@cognitiveblues]

Can you provide evidence of what you posted here? What sources did you use?

[@chodeshadar18]

I think you're confusing Rabbi Judah HaNasi who collected the park traditions from Moses till Roman times. Rashi wrote a commentary on it and the Torah in the 12th century.

[@VSM101]

Ancient People knew about the universe and never looked at the world like that

[@jamesbarlow6423]

@@VSM101 "Ancient people knew about the universe" What does THAT mean?

[@davechristensen8299]

IT STARTS AT 37:00

[@auntistella]

The "cheat sheets" found in the deads hand were done in Egypt too. The Book of the Dead gave the "secret password" answers that the dead were to give in order to go thru each door to the next level so finding these golden "cue cards" as you call them would be something handed down from Egypt

[@carmengale3311]

We need the wisdom of both the old and the new, but live in the present with God our creator who is with us.

[@gad8522]

So you're saying that eternal life and a hope for salvation as revealed by Jesus and Paul and as you say started with the Greeks, is the BAD idea that took over the world. And that the original Hebrew concept of "you die and that's it" is what SHOULD be the prevailing concept? Did I miss somethign here?

[@redsneakers10]

Not to speak for Dr. Tabor, but I think he's suggesting that hope for a life after this one can paradoxically reduce our appreciation of our present life and our desire to make it a better place, since we believe that an infinitely better place already exists and is simply waiting for us. From my own experience, though, it doesn't seem that most Christians genuinely respond this way -- they covet wealth as much as anyone else, partake in pleasures as much as anyone else and fear death as much as anyone else.

[@isaactorres5908]

@@redsneakers10 you don't know real Holy Spirit filled believers then.. But religious christians or religious people..

[@samuelmorales2344]

@@redsneakers10 To the contrary, the dream of heaven forces us to be behave in a certain way. He's view is nihilistic. We're just animals, that do animal things. What makes humans separate from the animals is that we can perceive ourselves as special from them on a fundamental level. It is what anchors our morality and sense of purpose to a greater level. Humans "believe" because we think there is something greater than this life. This is why we have things called religion, which is a Latin-based word. Humans invented the spirit world and other concepts of reality. Some more productive than others. We view things as concrete evil and good as if these are meaningful and objective in nature.

[@johneagle932]

@@redsneakers10 This is a true discernment that you have. I realized it too,at some point in my Christian life. Once I did I then saw that our concepted of "salvation" as a completely future and abstract/apocalyptic event is erroneous. Salvation is PRESENT....from that present reality there is a future outgrowth. So all the salvation for which the Christian longs it must start here and now both in his Awareness and Experience. This means the Will of the believer becomes active in the world, not passive.

[@theseustoo]

Heaven and Hell are the creation of priests for their own purposes... They are simply the 'carrot' and 'stick' with which they bully their 'flocks' into belief and obedience to their demands for 'tithes' and the wishes of their political masters. And yes... this IS the bad idea that took over the world. As Voltaire said (more or less), "He who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities!" If we were all to believe that THIS life is the ONLY ONE, who would waste this short and precious life on anything as stupid as war? Get it now? Have a nice life, because it's the ONLY ONE you can ever actually be CERTAIN of.

[@mau_lopez]

What a magnificent lecture. Just recently discover this channel and am learning and enjoying it already! Thanks so much for sharing Prof. Tabor.

[@dissidentfairy4264]

I have a question, Dr. Tabor. Perhaps you have answered it in a previous lecture, I don't know. I feel that you are spot on regarding the immortal soul, trinity, and hellfire doctrines. I'm not affiliated with a religion, but I do a lot of Biblical research on my own. From your perspective, what does the Bible teach in regard to mans final destination? The Bible says that "the meek shall inherit the earth." Yet it speaks of a certain number that will reside in heaven. One scripture says that the two will become One flock. I feel that it's referring to the Jews and Gentiles. What is your take on this in terms of who goes where? And are there two eternal hopes or only one? If you haven't discussed this topic as of yet I am hoping that you will:-)

[@travel4JC]

I enjoyed the video and teaching, Thank You James

[@peterhook2258]

This is amazing knowledge. In the context of perennial philosophy it is as if there is a spiritual algebras in which the variables are represented by different letters to the messengers of truth, that appear in each culture. Each messenger uses the letters to describe the equations of spirituality...some in part and some more full. The differing cultures fight about the equations because they don't fully understand each others assignment of letters in the variables...even misidentifying the meaning of the others letter assignment..amazing. The attacks against another's algebra are issued from each, attacking what they do not understand in context (the tower of babel is the cause..symbolically)

[@justjoe4260]

VAIN PHILOSOPHY

[@Gnome-kc7pr]

What a bunch of meaningless horse crap

[@isrbillmeyer]

Interesting Had to quickly check the Caiaphas ossuary and the story about the coin to pay the ferryman. Interesting.

[@arthurcantrell1954]

Excellent video.

[@mavrosyvannah]

My cosmology is a greater truth than any human before me.

[@robinstevenson6690]

Great presentation. What a privilege to be able to watch this. Thank you, Dr. Tabor!

[@AR-tb9hq]

discovered your lecture yesterday... been on a binge since

[@MichaelFineMusic]

Fascinating but did I miss the theory as to how this idea took over?

[@eyevolutionsmithljw]

If you look at Charley boy's royal cypher it's a C and an R combined with a numeral representing 3 (or 111) in the loop of the letter R. So 3 is placed into the R. R is the 18th letter. 3 into 18 is 6. 3 sixes. I remember watching the Tim Cohen presentation of his Antichrist and a cup of tea book. Watched it in the noughties. I laughed at the time. Doesn't seem so implausible these days but it is still amusing

[@thomashugus5686]

So glad I found his channel! Big fan!

[@TrggrWarning]

Yeah just found this channel via this vid and scanned his uploads looks great!

[@jeffreyerwin3665]

Prof . Tabor recommends BAR-- Biblical Archeology Review. Anyone who reads or subscribes to this informative magazine should understand that BAR, like Prof. Tabor, has an inherent prejudice against the authenticity of the world's premier biblical archeology relic: the Shroud of Turin.

[@andersthorson5628]

" I am of earth and starry heaven but, my race is of heaven alone " is something I distinctly remember from studying Kabbalah. I am a religious Jew.

[@truerealist757]

If there is birth from ''nowhere'' followed by death to ''nowhere'' then there is guaranteed a RESURRECTION!! Science has categorically taught us that all realities/modalities of existence have their opposites. If there is death there is bound to be a resurrection.

[@ByDesign333]

What goes down must come back up.

[@theonyxcodex]

I respect the fact that you’ve highlighted this as it offers a better indication of what the ancients were thinking at the time. I agree that changes and adaptations should be called out and discussed. Again, I try not to balk at call outs highlighting changes and discrepancies-so as to get to the true meaning of a given text. Now, within this unique spacetime, why can’t it be both cosmic salvation and ethical transformation of this world? Think of it as a kind of quantum-human super-positional purpose. Moreover, if we exist in this form (while “knowing” we’ll go back to the “spiritual heaven”) to learn this much more about the Creator, then how do we go about that if the species kills itself off or remains static when it should be branching out? It’s tied together for our sake. Finally, we all need something to do as we carry on learning during this journey. This is why I believe viewing it from both perspectives is the probability healthiest thing for our species to do. Admittedly, our “struggle” as a species will likely be balancing the two views-and maybe even knowing when it’s best to lean one way or another depending on a given circumstance(s).

[@glenliesegang8935]

those with NDE's see how this world is so limiting. but as you say, the Earth AND Heaven. before technology was there really a way to improve the earth? and saying if you focus on the Next World you will not try to fix this world... no! to realise the material IS temporary, and falling for the promises of what really does not give lasting joy is striving after wind. but loving your neighbor and valuing creation as to be respected and cared for IS enough to negate this speaker's premise- that a dualistic world-view is a great evil. God does not tell Job, "Shut up!" He silences the prattle of one who does not understand. God says(I think!) "This whole shebang cannot be grasped by a limited mind. Trust , in the Big Picture, good is working with free will for a Greater Good."

[@SuperFacecloth]

It is finished. It's just a matter of time.

[@TrggrWarning]

@@SuperFacecloth lol the retooling of these org religions is not only tired they have proven way too deadly. Hope it is over for them.

[@titfos1970]

I appreciate your wide perspective. We see patterns everywhere and we are a pattern ourselves and we think in patterns of symbols and symbolic meaning. Reality only exists if it is observed and we can only know this limited reality between the observer and the observed. Energy gradients flow. + -

[@glenliesegang8935]

@@titfos1970 the Patterns begin at quarks and gluons. Without the organization of what, at best , theory tells us, is 12 unique quarks, the only patterns which occur come from gravitational accretion or tidal effects. Planet structures are not exquisite. Semi-spherical at best. So. Any guesses as to how the intrinsic order of quarks, which had to be a certain way to make bosons, to make atoms to make...molecules which make subsystems of cells, organelles...all the way to us, arose from out of pure undifferentiated energy? That "ordering principal" must have been a part of space-time itself. I posit an Intelligence before, and therefore, outside of space and time. Because randomness never produces exquisite order unless exquisite order exists in each layer underneath.

[@Kianquenseda]

Non duality is beautiful 🤩

[@marilynb2643]

Thank You 💜 it's more difficult to find a Wise 'Man' these days than a Needle in a Trillion Haystacks....The 1st Enoch interpretation that's True not the New Age Hypocritical versions that's all over the Internet these days...✌️🌹🌟🌠🐉

[@MarlonOwnsYourCake]

I don't know enough about platonism to know if I'm a platonist but I really long that analogy that the spirit is to the body what God is tho the universe. I'm already running was too far with that metaphor in my head

[@micaheaton4422]

I was thinking about this sort of thing the other day when I recalled the paraplegic they lowered in front of Jesus. Jesus said to the man, "Your sins are forgiven." That is to say, first the spirit. He only healed the man physically when the pharisees complained. You get the idea that the physical healing is not something they would have complained about, but only the forgiving of sins. The point is actually something about randomness, how it can transform our lives for the worse. Jesus was saying that he had authority to forgive sins. When he said that, he was saying that he could fix randomness. It doesn't matter that we think it was our choice because all of us must learn. To learn we all must face randomness and lose. No, the things about this must be telling us something about the resilience of God. You know, how any good creator, who cared that He would have a creation, would insist upon that sort of failure. The swing, therefore, must be around the interpretation of who God is. Does He care? The pharisees likely had a very different idea about the person of God than Jesus did, even though they believed in the resurrection. Their idea, their cosmos also likely needed it that way. Sin probably also meant something different. I think if you take this far, you will get to the place where you don't complain about failure or praise success too much. Jesus was like that. But do we miss out on any wider aspects of justice? Can we do great things?

[@rwLincoln]

The first scroll of the Bible confirms a "life after this life" in the account of Enoch who walked away with God ---There is no sense in the narrative that God kills Enoch to take him home with Him ---rather that it pleased God to have his company (implying continuing existence) The same can be said of Elijah

[@Tracysbrokenwing]

Wow! I'm blown away❤

[@victorknezevich7281]

I think people have always had a concept of afterlife ,even before established ancient religions,of zoroasrtian Persia , Egypt etc.. because prehistoric burials seem to infer an existence beyond death,people buried in feotal positions covered in red ocre inferring rebirth into afterlife sometimes ancient bodies tied or restrained to prevent them literally returning to the living world.,he makes no mention of this?

[@dorcasmcleod9439]

There is no prehistory. That is purportedly history before written records. There is no such time.

[@williamgreenfield9991]

Even if people "always had a concept of afterlife" that could simply mean people have always indulged in wishful thinking.

[@stridedeck]

He's missing the interpretation to Psalms and Job that the authors are comparing the physical body and the intellect (mind) going to sleep. What of the other part of the body which is made in the image (non-physical) of the Creator? Job wants the physical mind to continue just like the tree shoots, of the same physical nature.

[@PHNWLHM]

#stridedeck Can you tell me where you got this esoteric knowledge from and where I can find more please

[@aimeeb2820]

@@PHNWLHM@stridedeck speaks of the Torah (bible even) best to study and meditate on might I add rather then just read! The book of Enoch which this talk is referring to, is also available online;)

[@TrggrWarning]

Wat? At 10:00 he begins to discuss this exact thing. Cites it even.

[@stridedeck]

@@TrggrWarning You missed what he was saying. He does not go into the essence of the motif. He only talks and describes the motif that has been repeated from many different generations to generations, from cultures to cultures, and from civilisations to civilisations. Joseph Campbell does a better job into revealing the essence of these common motifs.

[@roselotusmystic]

Thank GodDess for The Mystical 'gnostic' 'esoteric' forms of Judaism, Christianity AND Islam 🙏 Not, to mention . . . Hinduism, Buddhism, TAOism, . . . Paganism, Indigenous Spirituality, Secular Humanism, etc, etc . . . 🙏

[@MrAuberyCooper]

- and the Earth & cosmos is just like the Hebrew presentation at the beginning of this video. We don't live on the outside of a ball after all !

[@chrispaul4599]

Ezra translated the Pentateuch from Egyptian Hieroglphics into Hebrew (derived from Phoenician use Phonics Glyphs of the same) in Babylon during the Captivity, 600s BC. From Radial and Ideogrammatic into Linear and Polysylabilic. A picture tells a thousand words.

[@jeremysears4263]

Source?

[@mysteriousdeath14400]

Yeah, do you have a scholarly link to support the Hebrew people writing their scriptures and stories in the Egyptian language and needing to translate it into Hebrew? I've never heard of such a thing.

[@teologizando]

😳

[@pierrelabounty9917]

A picture does not tell us as much as one would think. It needs interpretation. A picture can be a forum for lies as well. And propaganda. See I told you. The picture. Then someone says but I took the picture and it was staged. For example.

[@armandoguerra7658]

The real question is, what if we are in Sheol?

[@mikef7698]

Why would there be rainbows in Sheol?

[@armandoguerra7658]

@@mikef7698 this is the vampire realm, everybody has to eat something that was alive to survive (even plants are alive), and thats just the surface line, those in power seem to do as they please, diplomatic immunity, no taxes, etc. while you have to work as a mule to keep your head above water, and it’s getting more and more hard. If we are not in Sheol, then it means that the real world has been conquered by the enemy, the corrupted, and I don’t know what’s worse, cause only a divine intervention can prevent their plans from becoming full blown reality

[@mikef7698]

@armandoguerra7658 Romans 8:20-22 "20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." These verses emphasize the idea that creation is in a state of futility and corruption, awaiting deliverance and restoration through the redemption of God's children. The passage speaks of creation's current suffering and its hopeful anticipation of future liberation and transformation. Also worth looking at Isaiah 24:4-6, and any verses discussing the god of this world (and 1 John 5:19).

[@armandoguerra7658]

@@mikef7698 I’m with you, I don’t know the verses and exact author, except revelations 2:9, but my dilemma is, how far down the road are we gonna go, because if we are in sheol, we are the last ones Jesus is getting back home, the harrowing of hell as an alegoric timeline, is the last thing Jesus does in his resurrection bucket list (if I’m not wrong)

[@domovoi_0]

Thank you.

[@a.t.6322]

I don’t know is agree with Dr. Tabor (remember the talpiot tomb debacle?) but he is a first rate bible studies scholar and filled with great insight.

[@Asheanae]

Im in exactly the same position as you (apart from going through it with public scrutiny)... Its impossible to out exercise binge eating, and this ED is VERY common for ADHD, when you deplete dopamine, food is an immediate cure, and its almost impossible to cook (to wait..!) for the dopamine, so highly processed, fast food is the go-to. Being aware of your dopamine (can feel like lethargy/lack of impetuous, or the opposite side, almost unable to stop), and what things particularly spark your dopamine will probably be THE missing link in terms of self management that you've never been advised of. The best training and diet plan wont work for you, if it hasnt been adapted to work WITH your ADHD, not against it. Having fast meals that are healthier than your current sources available to you, and having dopamine sources other than food to reach for when you're low, is critical! Im a personal trainer with ADHD and eating issues, im in England, but I'd be happy to have a chat with you.

[@theunapologeticjew]

Dr. Tabor, really enjoy your work online and in print. You mention Job eluding to a saving figure and I wonder if you would go deeper into that. Are you meaning like The Messiah? Other anointed ones along the way? Thanks

[@travelsouthafrica5048]

you do realize that Jesus walked the earth since the beginning ? there was never a time that Christ was not , He mentioned this to the jews who upon hearing it wanted to stone Him "before Abraham was I AM"

[@notme9816]

You have a great voice.

[@Xanadu2025]

Fantastic. Thank you, Dr.

[@amoswittenbergsmusings]

I listened with fascination to James Tabor's lecture and find myself puzzled by my own faith. Full disclosure: I left Christianity as a young man after a few years as an assistant pastor and converted to Judaism. I am now in my early 70s and have spent the better part of the years allotted to me learning more every day. For me the essence of the faith of Israel is the proclamation of the oneness of God and his love for his creation which he will never abandon. In my world תחיית המתים [the reviving of the dead] has nothing to do with a resurrection to an ethereal realm divorced from עולם הזה [this world]. On the contrary! It is the restoration of this world when the whole of creation is reunited with its Maker and the essential unity is revealed. When I receive an Amazon order, it is packed in carton which I remove and throw away. This is not the way God treats his world - he does not abandon my embodiment but cherishes *everything* he created and continuously recreates. I learn with friends and partners Jewish mystical ("kabbalistic") traditions. I agree with Dr Tabor that sometimes these traditions do seem to express a withdrawal from the material world. However, for me, a deeper understanding reveals that it is all about the (re)sanctification of *all* of the created world, not about extracting some spiritual essence ("the soul") and throw away the packing ("the body"). The body/soul dichotomy language does feature in the Jewish tradition, of course, but most of the time it does *not* reflect and anti-cosmic dualism. We should not confuse the notion of עולם הבא [the world to come] with the heavenly realm. In my Judaism the heavenly realm is part of the interface between the One God and his creation. The world to come, when used in a global sense (the messianic future) is: this world reunited with its Maker. When used in a particular sense ("my" coming world), it is the expression of trust that, whatever happens to the sum total of all my life, its successes and failures, the entire payload of my embodied life, is in good hands with him who made me, even when my embodied live has finished. My bodily part rests and awaits the fulfilment of the global destiny of this world when he will somehow restore the packing to the payload and reveal that there never was any real dichotomy.

[@pbasswil]

Interesting comment, I thought you _at least_ deserved acknowledgement for the effort you put into thoughtfully expressing it!

[@amoswittenbergsmusings]

@@pbasswil Thank you, madam or sir, for your kindness. I did get two more 'likes' apart from your own but I do not comment to gain approvals 😎. I do hope to stir up some unrest and perhaps some reflections on different ways of understanding - and I try to formulate my thoughts in ways that avoid hurting other people, a sort of anti-trolling.

[@pbasswil]

@@amoswittenbergsmusings Anyway, even if your own faith tends toward some kind of fulfillment of god's promises _on earth,_ Tabor's point is made: There was a general discontent with the old idea of an undesirable zombie-like state for eternity in sheol, where all people ended up (righteous or otherwise). Now, members of _all_ religions with roots in Abraham believe that death is not 'the final curtain'. Therefore, in this new way of conceiving, normal life between birth & death is no longer exclusive - something meaningful will follow it.

[@amoswittenbergsmusings]

@@pbasswil Please reread my comment. I know that this life between birth and death is not "all there is." In my faith tradition there are no *images* of a paradise state of affairs after physical death. Instead we find a wide ranging variety of statements: רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דּוֹמֶה לִפְרוֹזְדוֹר בִּפְנֵי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הַתְקֵן עַצְמְךָ בַפְּרוֹזְדוֹר, כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס לַטְּרַקְלִין הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, יָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, מִכָּל חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְיָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת שֶׁל קוֹרַת רוּחַ בָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא, מִכָּל חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה Rabbi Ya'akov says: "This world is like an anteroom to the world to come. Rectify yourself in the anteroom so that you will enter into the banqueting hall." He used to say: "One hour of return to God and good acts in this world is better than your whole life in the world to come but one hour of tranquillity in the world to come is better than your whole life in this world. (Avot 4,16-17) תניא עולם הבא אין בו לא אכילה ולא שתייה ולא פריה ורביה. אלא צדיקים יושבים ועטרותיהם בראשיהם ונהנים מזיו השכינה The rabbis taught: in the world to come there is not eating and no drinking and no procreation, rather, the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads and they enjoy the splendour of the Divine Presence. (Kalla Rabbati 2) The *preoccupation* with "the afterlife" is where I beg to differ. The Torah says it much clearer than I could ever say: הנסתרת לה' אלקינו והנגלת לנו ולבנינו עד עולם לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת The hidden things belong to the LORD but the revealed things are for us and for our children to do all the words of this teaching. Deuteronomy 29,28 If that is good enough for Moses, it is good enough for me.

[@pbasswil]

@@amoswittenbergsmusings My point - and Tabor's - was: Most faiths now believe that something follows this mundane existence of toiling, eating, and reproducing (whether you believe that something to be 'afterlife', or an earthly shift in your relation to god). Our current daily activities _aren't_ the whole deal. Like Tabor says, this idea wasn't always the Hebrew vision: it emerged later in Judaism (probably influenced by Western schools of thought that pervaded the Mediterranean), and continued in the new faiths that branched out of it. To be blunt: the exact creed that you follow and whose leaders you quote isn't that interesting to me. But may it bring you peace and blessings! Cheers.

[@Machobuck1317]

Hey James have u ever found old scrolls about the sabbath???? What are the best books to buy on dead sea scroll???

[@byronumphress3805]

🕊THE SCRIPTURE OF MOSSES AND THE MANNA TO BE GATHERED TWICE AMOUNT THE DAY BEFORE. BECAUSE ON SATURDAY YOU WOULD NOT RECEIVE. ✝️🌹🕊GOD BLESS

[@simritnam612]

@24:00, how do you get from caiphas tomb family member to "high priest follows greek custom" seems like sleight of hand here

[@remicaron3191]

Just beautiful. Hope will make our world better for Her and soon we can learn to live our death in harmony.

[@FacePaster]

This is great teaching. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@ready1fire1aim1]

"Abrahamic Gnosticism" aka (Abrahamic Knowledge-ism) came before Judaism. Another word for Judaism is Yahwism.

[@RosaGrau2014]

This is so interesting.

[@nobodyreally]

34:33 the medical acronym: Estimated date of confinement (EDOC): The due date or estimated calendar date when a baby will be born. DOC date of confinement (date baby is born). “Confinement” I thought was a interesting word choice. Imprison•ment (mente, mens "mind"). 🤔