Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures
Title | Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures PDF eBook |
Author | William Wayne Farris |
Publisher | University of Hawaii Press |
Pages | 358 |
Release | 1998-05-01 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 9780824820305 |
The Japanese have long sought inspiration and legitimacy from the written record of their ancient past. The shaping of bygone eras to contemporary agendas began at least by the early eighth century, when the first court histories, namely the Kojiki and the Nihon shoki, were compiled. Since the late nineteenth century, historians have extensively mined these texts and other written evidence and by the late 1970s had nearly exhausted their meager sources. Fortunately for all those interested in uncovering the origins of Japanese civilization, archaeologists have been hard at work. Today, thanks to this postwar "archaeology boom," Japan historians have never been closer to recreating the lives of prehistoric peasants, ancient princes, and medieval samurai. Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures offers substantial new insights into early Japanese history (A.D. 100-800) through an integrated discussion of historical texts and archaeological artifacts. It contends that the rich archaeological discoveries of the past few decades permit scholars to develop far more satisfactory interpretations of ancient Japan than was possible when they were heavily dependent on written sources.
Apocalypse of Moses
Title | Apocalypse of Moses PDF eBook |
Author | Scriptural Research Institute |
Publisher | Scriptural Research Institute |
Pages | 63 |
Release | 2019-10-10 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 1989604153 |
The Apocalypse of Moses is the Greek version of the Life of Adam and Eve. The original version is believed to have been written in a Semitic language, as there as terms transliterated into Greek from a Semitic language, however, it is not known positively which language, as the original text is lost, and so far, no fragments have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls that can be firmly linked to it. The closest text discovered to date among the Dead Sea Scrolls would be the Genesis Apocryphon scroll, written in Aramaic and generally dated to between 37 BC to 50 AD. The original language of the Apocalypse of Moses was likely also Aramaic, as demonstrated by the use of the name Iah (Jah), which is found more commonly in Aramaic language books, like Tobit. A number of references circumstantially date the original work to the era when the Greeks ruled Judea, between 330 and 140 BC. The reference to Iah is itself evidence of a pre-Hasmonean origin, as the Hasmoneans’ authorized’ version of the Hebrew texts appear to have redacted Iah (יה) to Yahweh (יהוה) when they converted the Jews from the Canaanite (Samaritan/Paleo-Hebrew) script to the Assyrian (Hebrew) script. The name Iah (Jah) does show up in many ancient names, such as Josiah, and phrases such as Hallelujah, implying it was once widely accepted as the name of (a) God, however, virtually disappeared from the Hebrew scriptures at some point, likely during the Hasmonean redaction and standardization circa 140 BC. The reference to Lord Sabaoth (κυρίῳ σαβαωθ) is another indicator of a pre-Hasmonean origin for the text. Lord Sabaoth was the Major-General of the Lord God’s army that helped Joshua destroy the walls of Jericho in the Septuagint’s Book of Joshua. There are many references to Lord Sabaoth, the ‘Lord of War’ in the Greek era, however, during the early Hasmonean era, he became an epitaph of Iaw (Yahweh) the national God of Hasmonean Judea: Iaw Sabaoth (יהוה צבאות). The Hasmoneans redacted Lord Sabaoth from the Book of Joshua, replacing him with Yahweh (יהוה), meaning that Yahweh was the Major-General of his own army in the Masoretic version of Joshua. According to later-Hasmonean records, Yahweh Sabaoth became the Jewish version of Dionysus or Bacchus, a god of war, wine, and lust, before he was abandoned during the formation of the Pharisee sect, who rejected the pronunciation of any of the names of God.
Sacred Trash
Title | Sacred Trash PDF eBook |
Author | Adina Hoffman |
Publisher | Schocken |
Pages | 306 |
Release | 2016-06-21 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 080521223X |
NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FINALIST WINNER OF THE 2012 AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION’S SOPHIE BRODY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN JEWISH LITERATURE Sacred Trash tells the remarkable story of the Cairo Geniza—a synagogue repository for worn-out texts that turned out to contain the most vital cache of Jewish manuscripts ever discovered. This tale of buried communal treasure weaves together unforgettable portraits of Solomon Schechter and the other modern heroes responsible for the collection’s rescue with explorations of the medieval documents themselves—letters and poems, wills and marriage contracts, Bibles, money orders, fiery dissenting religious tracts, fashion-conscious trousseaux lists, prescriptions, petitions, and mysterious magical charms. Presenting a panoramic view of almost a thousand years of vibrant Mediterranean Judaism, Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole bring contemporary readers into the heart of this little-known trove, whose contents have rightly been dubbed “the Living Sea Scrolls.” Part biography, part meditation on the supreme value the Jewish people has long placed in the written word, Sacred Trash is above all a gripping tale of adventure and redemption. (With black-and-white illustrations throughout.)
The Book of the Bee
Title | The Book of the Bee PDF eBook |
Author | E. A. Wallis Budge |
Publisher | CreateSpace |
Pages | 160 |
Release | 2015-09-23 |
Genre | |
ISBN | 9781517484002 |
The Book of the Bee is a collection of Biblical legends first written in Syriac in the 13th century.
Ancient Treasures
Title | Ancient Treasures PDF eBook |
Author | Brian Haughton |
Publisher | Red Wheel/Weiser |
Pages | 257 |
Release | 2013-07-22 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1601635486 |
The author of Hidden History offers a fascinating tour through centuries of buried riches, stolen artifacts, and other true tales of treasure. The allure of treasure has captivated people for centuries. But is it purely a desire for wealth that draws us to tales of hidden riches, or is it also the romantic appeal of uncovering lost ancient artifacts? The stories behind the loss and recovery of ancient treasures often read like historical suspense fiction. In Ancient Treasures, readers discover the true histories of lost hoards, looted archaeological artifacts, and sunken treasures, including: The Sevso Treasure, a hoard of large silver vessels from the late Roman Empire—estimated to be worth $200 million—looted in the 1970s and sold on the black market. The Amber Room, a chamber decoration of amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, stolen by the Nazis in 1941 and brought to the castle at Königsberg in Russia, from which it disappeared. The fabulous wealth of Roman and Viking hoards buried in the ground for safekeeping, only to be unearthed centuries later by humble metal detectorists. The wrecks of the Spanish treasure fleets, whose New World plunder has been the target of elaborate salvage attempts by modern treasure hunters
Equinox
Title | Equinox PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | |
Pages | 368 |
Release | 1913 |
Genre | Occultism |
ISBN |
Holy Treasure and Sacred Song
Title | Holy Treasure and Sacred Song PDF eBook |
Author | Benjamin David Brand |
Publisher | Oxford University Press, USA |
Pages | 321 |
Release | 2014 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 019935135X |
Holy Treasure and Sacred Song explores the complex interplay between relic cults and the liturgy in medieval Tuscany. Drawing on documentary, literary and visual evidence rarely considered together, it reveals that liturgical texts, music, and ritual were integral to the clergy's well-informed promotion of saints buried in their churches.