This syncretism may have a root all the way back in Genesis, depending on how you want to interpret the Melchizedek story in Gen 14:18-20. Joshua 24:2 shows that Abraham was called out of a pagan culture to be set apart for Yahweh's purpose of building a new nation faithful to Him alone. This goes with your definition of holiness. But the mysterious meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek shows that Yahweh may have been worshipped by pagans in Abraham's day. Melchizedek was a king and priest of Salem (i.e Jerusalem before Israel's conquest of it). His name is a theophoric that means "my king is Zedek". So he is literally named after the Canaanite sun god. Yet, he is called a priest of God most high. So...a guy named after a pagan sun god living in a pagan city-state also serving as a priest of the God of Abraham. This suggests that Yahweh may have been part of different ancient pagan pantheons. Then in Psalm 110 and in Hebrews this guy gets described as a type of Christ! Pretty wild.
Below from Encyclopedia Britannica. People rattle on about the Mother Goddess being the bomb in the past and dominant and that her religion should be revived. But as always reality is a messy complicated weave.
“High God, in anthropology and the history of religion, a type of supreme deity found among many nonliterate peoples of North and South America, Africa, northern Asia, and Australia. The adjective high is primarily a locative term: a High God is conceived as being utterly transcendent, removed from the world that he created. A High God is high in the sense that he lives in or is identified with the sky—hence, the alternative name. Among North American Indians and Central and South Africans, thunder is thought to be the voice of the High God. In Siberia the sun and moon are considered the High God’s eyes. He is connected with food and heaven among American Indians.
Though the pattern varies from people to people, the High God usually is conceived as masculine or sexless. He is thought to be the sole creator of heaven and earth. Although he is omnipotent and omniscient, he is thought to have withdrawn from his creation and therefore to be inaccessible to prayer or sacrifice. Generally, no graphic images of him exist, nor does he receive cult worship or appear in the mythology. If he is invoked, it is only in times of extreme distress, but there is no guarantee that he will hear or respond. His name often is revealed only to initiates, and to speak his name aloud is thought to invite disaster or death; his most frequent title is Father. In some traditions he is conceived to be a transcendent principle of divine order; in others he is pictured as senile or impotent and replaced by a set of more active and involved deities; and in still other traditions he has become so remote that he is all but forgotten.”
Any High God revival going on in paganism? Or have the Abrahamic religions cornered that market? From my perspective and experience Jesus made the Father or the High God if you like, accessible to me. It was a sudden shocking encounter - in eastern meditation center I lived in I knelt and prayed to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, my eyes flew open in surprise at the sudden face to face gentle closeness of God. I exclaimed, “God is no longer my enemy!” I had been under intense conviction that Jesus was the way to the Father and had been resisting.
Also between the distinct persons of the Trinity and the incredible mood shifts and differing, often contradictory words and actions of the Biblical deity it’s like we have a whole pantheon going on in the Living God. Emerson said “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”!
What fun and glorious simplicity! - “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit . . . . . If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” 1 John 4:13, 15-16
May you dance in and know what Paul called - “the new way of the Spirit”
Two orthodox theologians. The first , Cutsinger, is excellent on the many valid paths to the top of the mountain (and some invalid ones). And the second is also excellent on heresy and diversity in early Christianity.
I wonder about something - why does it seem that the pattern of the Jews becoming influential inside (or alongside) largely Pagan civilizations persist but with the difference that since Christ, God doesn’t bail them out like he did in Egypt or Babylon. What does that portend for Israel? Will there always be a Jewish remnant ? And is Iran the new Assyrians/ Babylonians - first destroyers then themselves destroyed?
This syncretism may have a root all the way back in Genesis, depending on how you want to interpret the Melchizedek story in Gen 14:18-20. Joshua 24:2 shows that Abraham was called out of a pagan culture to be set apart for Yahweh's purpose of building a new nation faithful to Him alone. This goes with your definition of holiness. But the mysterious meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek shows that Yahweh may have been worshipped by pagans in Abraham's day. Melchizedek was a king and priest of Salem (i.e Jerusalem before Israel's conquest of it). His name is a theophoric that means "my king is Zedek". So he is literally named after the Canaanite sun god. Yet, he is called a priest of God most high. So...a guy named after a pagan sun god living in a pagan city-state also serving as a priest of the God of Abraham. This suggests that Yahweh may have been part of different ancient pagan pantheons. Then in Psalm 110 and in Hebrews this guy gets described as a type of Christ! Pretty wild.
Below from Encyclopedia Britannica. People rattle on about the Mother Goddess being the bomb in the past and dominant and that her religion should be revived. But as always reality is a messy complicated weave.
“High God, in anthropology and the history of religion, a type of supreme deity found among many nonliterate peoples of North and South America, Africa, northern Asia, and Australia. The adjective high is primarily a locative term: a High God is conceived as being utterly transcendent, removed from the world that he created. A High God is high in the sense that he lives in or is identified with the sky—hence, the alternative name. Among North American Indians and Central and South Africans, thunder is thought to be the voice of the High God. In Siberia the sun and moon are considered the High God’s eyes. He is connected with food and heaven among American Indians.
Though the pattern varies from people to people, the High God usually is conceived as masculine or sexless. He is thought to be the sole creator of heaven and earth. Although he is omnipotent and omniscient, he is thought to have withdrawn from his creation and therefore to be inaccessible to prayer or sacrifice. Generally, no graphic images of him exist, nor does he receive cult worship or appear in the mythology. If he is invoked, it is only in times of extreme distress, but there is no guarantee that he will hear or respond. His name often is revealed only to initiates, and to speak his name aloud is thought to invite disaster or death; his most frequent title is Father. In some traditions he is conceived to be a transcendent principle of divine order; in others he is pictured as senile or impotent and replaced by a set of more active and involved deities; and in still other traditions he has become so remote that he is all but forgotten.”
Any High God revival going on in paganism? Or have the Abrahamic religions cornered that market? From my perspective and experience Jesus made the Father or the High God if you like, accessible to me. It was a sudden shocking encounter - in eastern meditation center I lived in I knelt and prayed to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, my eyes flew open in surprise at the sudden face to face gentle closeness of God. I exclaimed, “God is no longer my enemy!” I had been under intense conviction that Jesus was the way to the Father and had been resisting.
Also between the distinct persons of the Trinity and the incredible mood shifts and differing, often contradictory words and actions of the Biblical deity it’s like we have a whole pantheon going on in the Living God. Emerson said “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”!
What fun and glorious simplicity! - “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit . . . . . If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” 1 John 4:13, 15-16
May you dance in and know what Paul called - “the new way of the Spirit”
Brilliant. Thank you. See this also: https://open.substack.com/pub/addisonhodgeshart/p/a-reflection-in-paschaltide-addendum?r=3ezew&utm_medium=ios
Two orthodox theologians. The first , Cutsinger, is excellent on the many valid paths to the top of the mountain (and some invalid ones). And the second is also excellent on heresy and diversity in early Christianity.
Let’s go
There are many things i don't agree with. Just as an example:
Quote: "That Jew and Gentile are the same and that between Chosen and Unchosen there is no division."
Jews and Gentile is not the same, otherwise Paul wouldn't have described the difference.
Same with chosen and unchosen.
It's all about Christ and to recognize whst he's done for us !
I wonder about something - why does it seem that the pattern of the Jews becoming influential inside (or alongside) largely Pagan civilizations persist but with the difference that since Christ, God doesn’t bail them out like he did in Egypt or Babylon. What does that portend for Israel? Will there always be a Jewish remnant ? And is Iran the new Assyrians/ Babylonians - first destroyers then themselves destroyed?