What will the new Francis Scott Key Bridge look like?

What will the new Francis Scott Key Bridge look like?

Neal Augenstein | naugenstein@wtop.com

March 28, 2025, 5:22 AM

This week, WTOP’s team coverage of “The Key Bridge, One Year Later” revisits an unthinkable, tragic collapse that sent shockwaves around the nation and forever changed the face of Baltimore.

The new Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, will have a different appearance and provide a slightly different driving experience than the 1977 bridge which was struck on March 26, 2024, by the container ship Dali, causing much of the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River.

“The old bridge was a truss design — a steel truss — I think the bridge was originally 1.7 miles long,” said Joseph DaVia, head of the regulatory branch at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which issued the permit to rebuild the Key Bridge.

As with the old bridge, the new Key Bridge will have two lanes in each direction.

“The new bridge is going to be what’s called a cable-stayed design,” said DaVia. “So, there’ll be an array of cables looped over two large navigational pylons, or piers, holding up the main bridge structure.”

The new bridge will be longer and higher, according to a fact sheet released by the Maryland Transportation Authority. While the old bridge had a vertical clearance of 185 feet, from the water to the bridge deck above the federal shipping channel, the new bridge will have a clearance of 230 feet.

“When you look at a project of this nature, you don’t plan for the next year or two,” said DaVia. “You plan for the next 50 or 100 years.”

Container ships are much larger than they were in the 1970s, when the Key Bridge was designed.

Related Key Bridge stories

The Key Bridge, One Year Later: How life has changed in Baltimore Co. since the bridge collapse

‘I’ll never forget’: Md. Gov. Wes Moore reflects on Key Bridge collapse on 1-year anniversary

He drove one of the final cars to cross Baltimore’s Key Bridge before it collapsed

“There’s going to be larger ships that are going to be moving goods around the world, here through the Port of Baltimore,” said DaVia. “So, they’re lookin at a much higher clearance here for the new Francis Scott Bridge.”

The Key Bridge is projected to be completed in the fall of 2028.

“There will still be a limiting factor of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which is still 185 feet,” said DaVia. “So, these larger ships couldn’t come up to the new Key Bridge, until the Bay Bridge is replaced.”

The old bridge’s length was approximately 1.7 miles long — the new bridge is expected to be 2.4 miles in length.

“It’s going to be longer because they’re proposing it to be higher. To keep the same grade — I think it’s 4% going up the bridge and down the bridge on the other side — in order to go higher, you have to go longer,” said DaVia.

Some new safety features will be visible

The plans for the new Key Bridge will include safety features to head-off the chain-reaction disaster that occurred when the Dali struck the bridge last March.

“That’s where they would construct either rock islands, or rock fill, or ‘dolphins,’ which are large cylindrical structures that would be filled with concrete or rock,” said DaVia. “Or, some sort of a fender system around the piers, or a concrete collar, that would be designed to take the hit of a large ship like the Dali, and not have the pier come down.”

Once construction begins, crews will have to install a temporary construction trestle.

“That’s kind of a smaller bridge, to build the bridge,” said DaVia, which will extend from both the eastern and western shore of the Patapsco River.

“It’ll be a steel structure, about 10 feet above the water surface, and that’s where the contractor will place their cranes, equipment, and personnel to actually build the bridge,” said DaVia. “You’ll see this bridge being built first.”

https://wtop.com/baltimore/2025/03/what-will-the-new-francis-scott-key-bridge-look-like/

The back-to-Africa movement was a political movement in the 19th and 20th centuries advocating for a return of the descendants of African American slaves to the African continent. The small number of freed slaves who did settle in Africa—some under duress—initially faced brutal conditions, due to diseases to which they no longer had biological resistance.[1] As the failure became known in the United States in the 1820s, it spawned and energized the radical abolitionist movement. In the 20th century, the Jamaican political activist and black nationalist Marcus Garvey, members of the Rastafari movement, and other African Americans supported the concept, but few actually left the United States.

In the late 18th century, thousands of Black Loyalists joined British military forces during the American Revolutionary War.[2] In 1787, the British Crown founded a settlement in Sierra Leone in what was called the "Province of Freedom", beginning a long process of settlement of formerly enslaved African Americans in Sierra Leone. During these same years, some African Americans launched their own initiatives to return to Africa, and by 1811, Paul Cuffee, a wealthy New England African-American/Native-American shipper, had transported some members of the group known as the "Free African Society" to Liberia. During these years, some free African Americans also relocated to Haiti, where a slave revolution had effected a free black state by 1800.[3] On 18 November 1803, Haiti became the first nation ever to successfully gain independence through a slave revolt. In the following years, Liberia was founded by free Africans from the United States. The emigration of African Americans both free and recently emancipated was funded and organized by the American Colonization Society (ACS), which hoped that slavery could be ended as an institution, without releasing millions of former slaves into American society.[1] The mortality rate of these settlers was high.[4][5] Of the 4,571 emigrants who arrived in Liberia between 1820 and 1843, only 1,819 survived.[6][7]

Background

The question of where free black people of American birth should reside was not much discussed by white writers, and by some black thinkers, in the 18th century: "At the time of the American Revolution, there had been few free blacks anywhere in the country."[8]: 19  In 1776, slavery was legal everywhere in the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States through the American Revolutionary War. There were a small number of free black people. Pressures for ending slavery began small but steadily increased. Various philosophical and religious condemnations of slavery, especially by Quakers, were published. Slavery became illegal in England in 1772 by court decision (see Somerset v Stewart), and in the British Empire by statute in 1833. In France, slavery was illegal at least since the 16th century. As part of the French Revolution, it was abolished in French colonies in 1794, although it was restored from 1802 to 1848. Starting in 1791, the enslaved of Saint-Domingue revolted, gaining their freedom, and establishing the free black country of Haiti. Starting with Pennsylvania and Massachusetts in 1780, slavery was gradually abolished in all the Northern states, although this did not mean that existing slaves were always freed. Vermont, which at the time was not part of the United States, abolished adult slavery in its foundational document, of 1777. In the 1840 census, there were still hundreds of slaves in the North and millions more in the South. By the 1850 census, there weren't any slaves in the free states. In the South, sometimes influenced by appeals from preachers—abolitionism in the United States had a strong religious component—some individuals freed their slaves or left instructions in their will, to free them upon the owner's death.

The number of free black people in the new United States skyrocketed and the question of "what to do with them" steadily grew in importance. Even when free, nowhere in the United States did they have the same rights as white people. They were not citizens, as the Dred Scott decision made clear. Usually seen as racially inferior, few whites believed them a desirable or even possible part of American society. [citation needed] They were prohibited from living in some areas and there was much completely legal discrimination. Black passengers on river boats were not allowed in the cabin but had to stay on deck, whatever the weather. In Florida, each free black man had to have a white man who could be sued for the Negro's misdeeds, if any, since black people could neither sue nor be sued. The Quaker Zephaniah Kingsley, who believed that the amalgamation of the races was desirable, was forced to leave Florida for Haiti. In the South, until it was forbidden, free black people learned to read and write, and often came into contact with the widely circulated abolitionist writings. The slave owners who controlled the Southern states saw these free black people as a threat to the stability of the economy and society, and made no secret of their desire to be rid of them.

The emergence of the back-to-Africa movement

Much of the African-American population was freed people seeking opportunity. Many Southern freed blacks migrated to the industrial North to seek employment, while others moved to surrounding Southern states.[9] No one anywhere wanted them; they were seen as perpetual foreigners who, by working for less, took jobs from citizens. Whites were not used to sharing space with blacks in a context outside of chattel slavery. Many did not believe that free blacks had a place in America.[10]

In the North, many whites believed that blacks could not achieve equality in the United States and therefore pushed for their emigration to Africa,[11] even though most had been born in the U.S. and had never seen Africa.

Such sentiment was not exclusive to Northerners. One proponent of the colonization movement, Solomon Parker of Hampshire County, Virginia, was quoted as having said: "I am not willing that the Man or any of my Blacks shall ever be freed to remain in the United States.... Am opposed to slavery and also opposed to freeing blacks to stay in our Country and do sincerely hope that the time is approaching when our Land shall be rid of them."[12]

Riots swept the free states in waves, usually in urban areas where there had been recent immigration of blacks from the South. The height of these riots was in 1819, with 25 riots recorded, resulting in many injuries and fatalities,[13] although riots continued up through the 1830s (see anti-abolitionism in the North). The back-to-Africa movement was seen as the solution to these problems by both groups, with more support from the white population than the black population. Blacks often viewed the project with skepticism, particularly among the middle-class, who feared that the Colonization movement was a ploy to deport freed African Americans to restrict their efforts against slavery. Shortly after the foundation of the American Colonization Society, 3,000 free blacks gathered in a church in Philadelphia and issued forth a declaration stating that they "will never separate ourselves voluntarily from the slave population of the country."[14]: 261  Similarly, black leaders, such as James Forten, who had previously supported the Colonization Movement, changed their minds as a result of widespread black resistance to the idea.[15]

Religious motivations for colonization

Following the Great Awakening, in which America was swept by a wave of religious fervor, many enslaved African Americans converted to Christianity. At the same time, many religious people in America struggled to reconcile slavery with their beliefs. Quakers in particular found difficulty in continued support for the enslavement of their brothers in Christ.[15] For example, Reverend Moses Tichnell and Reverend Samuel R. Houston freed slaves and sent them to Liberia in 1855 and 1856 respectively.[12] These two men, believing that they were morally obligated to finance such voyages, played an important role in the colonization movement.

American Colonization Society

Main article: American Colonization Society

The American Colonization Society (ACS) was an early advocate of the idea of resettling American-born blacks in Africa. Founded in 1816 by Dr. Robert Finley, it was composed of two core groups: abolitionists and slave owners. Abolitionist members believed in freeing African slaves, along with their descendants, and providing them with the opportunity to return to Africa. Slave-owning members believed free blacks endangered the system of slavery and sought to expel them from America by means of migration.[16][self-published source?]

The American Colonization Society came under attack from American abolitionists, who insisted that the removal of freed slaves from the United States reinforced the institution of slavery.[17]

Since its inception, the American Colonization Society struggled to garner support from within free black communities. During the late 1840s and early 1850s, the creation of an independent Liberian state splintered the nearly uniform voice against colonization. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 provided the United States government ample power to recapture fugitive slaves. Following its passage, many black leaders promoted emigration and colonization to a nation that would provide and protect their rights.[18]

In spite of this, several black critics were outspoken against the back-to-Africa movement and the activities of the American Colonization Society. A report from a free black political conference in New York warned: "all kinds of chicanery and stratagem will be employed to allure the people [to the colony]...the independence of its inhabitants; the enjoyment and privileges of its citizens, will be pictured forth in glowing colors, to deceive you."[18]

According to the Encyclopedia of Georgia History and Culture, "as early as 1820, black Americans had begun to return to their ancestral homeland through the auspices of the American Colonization Society." By 1847, the American Colonization Society founded Liberia, a land to be settled by black people returning from the United States of America.[19] Between 1822 and the American Civil War, the American Colonization Society had migrated approximately 15,000 free blacks back to Africa.[20]

Notable members of the American Colonization Society included Thomas Buchanan, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, Daniel Webster, John Marshall, and Francis Scott Key.[21]

Other pre-Civil War attempts

In 1811, Paul Cuffe, "a black man who was a wealthy man of property, a petitioner for equal rights for blacks",[22] began to explore the idea of Black people returning to their native land; convinced that "opportunities for the advancement of black people were limited in America, and he became interested in African colonization."[23] With the help of Quakers in Philadelphia, he was able to transport 38 blacks to Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1815.[24]

Martin Delany, an African American, in 1854 led the National Emigration Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.[25] He visited Liberia and made plans, largely unrealized, to assist Blacks in relocating there.

Post-emancipation

The back-to-Africa movement eventually began to decline but would see a revival again in 1877 at the end of the Reconstruction era, as many blacks in the South faced violence from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.[26] Interest among the South's black population in African emigration peaked during the 1890s, a time when racism reached its peak and the greatest number of lynchings in American history took place.[27] The continued experience of segregation, discrimination, and the belief that they would never achieve true equality attracted many blacks to a Pan-African emancipation in their motherland.

The movement declined again following many hoaxes and fraudulent activities associated with the movement. According to Crumrin, however, the most important reason for the decline in the back-to-Africa movement was that the "vast majority of those who were meant to colonize did not wish to leave. Most free blacks simply did not want to go "home" to a place from which they were generations removed. America, not Africa, was their home, and they had little desire to migrate to a strange and forbidding land not their own."[28] They often said that they were no more African than white Americans were British.

Florida Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward (1905–1909) called for blacks to be permanently moved to land the federal government would purchase, either foreign or domestic. After buying their respective properties, a territory would be established in which blacks could not leave, and whites could not enter.[citation needed]

Early 20th century attempts at resettlement were made, such as those by Chief Alfred Sam between 1913 and 1915.[29] The eventual disillusionment of those who migrated to the North and the frustrations of struggling to cope with urban life set the scene for the back-to-Africa movement of the 1920s, established by Marcus Garvey.[30] Garvey contemporaneously served as a major inspiration for a number of 1920s activists and preachers, such as James E. Lewis, whose Los Angeles congregation help to finance the construction of a passenger ship.[31] Many of those who migrated to the Northern States from the South found that, although they were financially better off, they remained at the bottom both economically and socially.[32] Garvey supported a proposal by Torrey George McCallum that passed the Mississippi State Senate in 1922, though it was widely rejected and ridiculed by the Black press.[33]

The movement picked up steam once again in the decade or so preceding the Second World War. Activists in the Peace Movement of Ethiopia organisation were committed to black emigration to West Africa in order to escape from the torrid social conditions which they were experiencing in the United States due to the Depression.[34] They harboured an almost utopian vision of Liberia, created from a simultaneous vision of Pan-Africanism and a belief that the Americanisation they would provide would heal Liberia's social and economic troubles.[35] This reflects the imperialist assumption of the PME and other back-to-Africa proponents that African-Americans had the right to return to and determine Africa's future.[36] Others were unaware or ignored that Liberia had been crippled by the Depression and instead viewed it as prosperous. Mittie Maude Lena Gordon, the founder of the PME, was essential to this campaign as she acquired the support of Earnest Sevier COX, a white nationalist from Richmond, Virginia. She convinced him to support their cause by using her gender in order to appear submissive and thus appeal to COX'S masculinity, as well as by playing on their mutual goal of racial separatism. COX provided influential connections that the movement had previously lacked, and he gave the issue of black emigration political exposure when he managed to convince members of the Virginia General Assembly to recommend the US Congress provide financial aid for this in 1936. Despite COX'S racial beliefs, the PME retained support amongst black communities because Gordon described him as a necessary, Moses-like figure.[35]

His support soon began to diminish so Gordon looked elsewhere, once again finding an unlikely ally on the opposite side of the moral compass in Senator Theodore G. Bilbo. An ardent white nationalist, Bilbo had been campaigning for racial separatism within the government for a while. He proposed an amendment to the House Joint Resolution 679—a work relief bill—in 1938, that would have "repatriated" African American volunteers to Liberia, providing them with financial assistance. This amendment was endorsed by Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association at the Eight International UNIA convention.[34] This amendment provided the precedent for the movement to progress; Bilbo had the political capital which he needed in order to get the issue of black repatriation into wide-scale political debate. This issue continued to exist, and in early 1939, Bilbo began to draft what came to be known as the Greater Liberia Bill. The bill suggested that the United States should purchase 400,000 square miles of African land from England and France, it should credit them as war debts, and it should provide financial assistance to black Americans in order to encourage them to relocate to Africa.[35] It is unclear who, if anyone, the PME sent to Liberia in order to facilitate the emigration which this bill would have encouraged.[37]

Outside the black nationalist movement, the bill did not garner much support, with leading civil rights groups such as the NAACP refusing to endorse it and the national press lambasting it. Other African Americans did not support emigration to Liberia due to charges of slavery and political corruption which were filed against its government by the League of Nations. Additionally, the bill received very little support from the Senate, thus, the idea of black repatriation lost much of its traction. US participation in the Second World War led to a decline in public racism, which made any passing of the bill unlikely after that.[35][38]

The back-to-Africa movement returned to national prominence in the 1960s, due to the racial unrest which occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. George Lincoln Rockwell, a white nationalist and the founder of the American Nazi Party, supported the resettlement of all African Americans in a new African state to be funded by the U.S. government.

Because they shared his racial separatist views, Rockwell forged some ties with leaders of the black nationalist movement, such as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X — the latter of whom changed his views and opposed the N.O.I's black separatism.[39] The National Post writes that "The American Nazi Party espoused a similar segregation dream as the Nation of Islam — even if the details differed. The American Nazis planned to offer a one-way ticket to Africa for every black person in the United States in order to form a new country. Those who chose to remain would be rounded up and placed into reservations."[40] The Nation of Islam, holding that all white people were inherently evil, were inclined to trust Rockwell, as they viewed him as "honest" for being open in his espousal of hatred for Black people.[40]

In January 1962, Rockwell wrote to his followers that Elijah Muhammad "knows that [race] mixing is a Jewish fraud and leads only to aggravation of the problems that it is supposed to solve...I have talked to the Muslim leaders and am certain that a workable plan for separation of the races could be effected to the satisfaction of all concerned."[41] Of the N.O.I., Rockwell said, 'I am fully in concert with their program, and I have the highest respect for Elijah Muhammad,' and donated $20 (~$204.00 in 2023) to the Nation of Islam at their 'Freedom Rally' event on June 25, 1961, at Uline Arena in Washington, where he and 10–20 of his "stormtroopers" attended a speech given by Malcolm X.[42] Rockwell was also guest speaker at a N.O.I event in the International Amphitheater in Chicago hosted by Elijah Mohammed and Malcolm X on February 25, 1962.[43][44]

Malcolm X renounced his black separatist views after his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964.[45]

Repatriation to Africa

Ex-slave repatriation or the emigration of African-American, Caribbean, and Black British former slaves to Africa occurred mainly during the late 18th century to mid-19th century. In the cases of Sierra Leone and Liberia, both were established by former slaves who were repatriated to Africa within a 28-year period.

Sierra Leone

Main article: History of Sierra Leone

The Province of Freedom from Voyages to the River Sierra Leone by John Matthews, 1788

Many freed slaves were discontent with where they were resettled in Canada after the Revolutionary War and were eager to return to their homeland. Beginning in 1787, the British government made their first attempt to settle people in Sierra Leone. About 300 Black Britons, known as the Black Poor of London, were settled on the Sierra Leonean peninsula in West Africa. Within two years, most members of the settlement would die from disease or conflict with the local Temne people. In 1792, a second attempt at settlement was made when 1,100 freed slaves established Freetown with support from British abolitionist Thomas Clarkson. Their numbers were further bolstered when over 500 Jamaican Maroons were transported first to Nova Scotia, and then to Sierra Leone in 1800.[46]

In 1815, Paul Cuffe brought the first group of thirty-eight emigrant freed slaves from the United States to Sierra Leone. In 1820, minister Daniel Coker led a group of ninety free blacks in hopes of founding a new colony in Sierra Leone. He intended to proselytize Christianity among the Africans. Leaving New York on the ship Elizabeth, his voyage ended on an island off the coast of Sierra Leone. Arriving just before the rains of spring, the group of immigrants were soon stricken with fever. The survivors ultimately fled to Freetown, and the settlement disintegrated.[47]

The repatriation of slaves to Africa from the United Kingdom and its dependencies was initiated by the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor. This organization was later succeeded by the Sierra Leone Company. In time, African American Black Loyalists and West Indians would immigrate to the colony of Freetown, Sierra Leone, in smaller numbers in efforts led by black merchants or beneficiaries such as Paul Cuffe.[48]

The Sierra Leone Creole people are descendants of the Black Poor, freed African-American, Jamaican Maroon and Liberated African slaves who settled in the Western Area of Sierra Leone between 1787 and about 1885. The colony was established by the British, supported by abolitionists, under the Sierra Leone Company as a place for freedmen. The settlers called their new settlement Freetown.[49][50][51]

Liberia

Main article: History of Liberia

African Americans depart for Liberia, 1896

The history of Liberia (after European arrival) is, with Sierra Leone, unique in Africa; starting neither as a native state, nor as a European colony. With the departure of the first ship to Africa in 1820, the American Colonization Society established settlements for free American blacks on the coast of West Africa.[52] The first American ships were uncertain of where they were heading. Their plan was to follow the paths that the British had taken, or simply take a chance on where they would land. At first, they followed the previous routes of the British and reached the coast of Sierra Leone. After leaving Sierra Leone, the Americans slowly reached a more southern part of the African coastline.

The Americans were eventually successful at finding a suitable spot to establish their colonies, arriving at what the British had named the Pepper Coast. (The name of this region referred to the type of ginger spice used for medicine flavoring, Grains of paradise.) Along the Pepper Coast, local African groups were variably forced or convinced to give the Americans tracts of land; most probably assumed they were providing short term land leases based on ancestral patterns of landlord-stranger relationships.[53] Over the course of twenty years, a series of fragmented settlements sprung across Liberia's coast, which had been inhabited by indigenous people since at least the 16th century. Along with the difficulty of gaining enough land, life proved hard for these early settlers. Disease was widespread, along with the lack of food. Almost 50% of the new settlers died in the first twenty years after their arrival in Liberia.[54]

Liberia declared independence on 26 July 1847.[55]: 5  With an elected black government and the offer of free land to African-American settlers, Liberia became the most common destination of emigrating African Americans during the 19th century.[55]: 2 [56] Newly arriving African Americans to Liberia experienced many challenges, including broken family ties, very high mortality rates from disease, and a difficult adjustment period. A group of 43 African Americans from Christiansburg, Virginia, left for Liberia in 1830, but suffered high mortality. "Eighty percent of the emigrants were dead within ten years of landing there, most of them victims of malaria; another ten percent quit the colony, with the majority fleeing to Sierra Leone."[57] Many African Americans who survived this period of adjustment in Liberia became fond of the country.[58]

Black interest in Liberian emigration emerged when the Civil War promised the end of slavery and meaningful change to the status of Black Americans. Some 7,000 enslaved people were freed by their masters, so at that point those free African Americans left the U.S. to escape racism and have more opportunities (mainly because they had lost all hope of achievement). In the 1830s, the movement became increasingly dominated by Southern slave owners, who did not want free blacks and saw sending them to Liberia as a solution. Slaves freed from slave ships were sent there instead of their countries of origin. The emigration of free blacks to Liberia particularly increased after Nat Turner's Rebellion of 1831. Middle-class blacks were more resolved to live as black Americans; many rural poor folks gave up on the United States and looked to Liberia to construct a better life. Liberia promised freedom and equality; it also represented a chance for a better life for the South's black farmers. The Liberian government offered 25 acres of free land for each immigrant family, and 10 acres for a single adult, who came to the Black republic. In the early 19th century, Liberia evoked mixed images in the minds of black Americans. They viewed Liberia as a destination for black families who left the United States in search of a better way of life, returning to their ancestral homeland of Africa.[55]: 2–9 

As noted by researcher Washington Hyde, "Black Americans—who in the time of slavery lost their original languages and much of their original culture, gained a distinctly American, English-speaking Christian identity, and had no clear idea of precisely where in the wide continent of Africa their ancestors had come from—were perceived by the natives of Liberia as foreign settlers. Having an African ancestry and a black skin color were definitely not enough. Indeed, their settlement in Liberia had much in common with the contemporary white settlement of the American Frontier and these settlers' struggle with Native American tribes.... The Liberian experience can also be considered as anticipating that of Zionism and Israel—with Jews similarly seeking redemption through a return to an ancestral land and similarly being regarded as foreign interlopers by the local Arab tribes. It would take Americo-Liberians a century and more to become truly accepted as one of Liberia's ethnic groups.... All of which certainly contributed to most Black Americans rejecting the Back-to-Africa option and opting instead for seeking equal rights in America."[59]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-to-Africa_movement

Robert Gabriel Mugabe (/mʊˈɡɑːbi/;[1] Shona: [muɡaɓe]; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) from 1975 to 1980 and led its successor political party, the ZANU – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), from 1980 to 2017. Ideologically an African nationalist, during the 1970s and 1980s he identified as a Marxist–Leninist, and as a socialist during the 1990s and the remainder of his career.

Mugabe was born to a poor Shona family in Kutama, Southern Rhodesia. Educated at Kutama College and the University of Fort Hare in South Africa, he then worked as a schoolteacher in Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Ghana. Angered by white minority rule of his homeland within the British Empire, Mugabe embraced Marxism and joined African nationalists calling for an independent state controlled by the black majority. After making antigovernmental comments, he was convicted of sedition and imprisoned between 1964 and 1974. On release, he fled to Mozambique, established his leadership of ZANU, and oversaw its role in the Rhodesian Bush War, fighting Ian Smith's predominantly white government. He reluctantly participated in peace talks in the United Kingdom that resulted in the Lancaster House Agreement, putting an end to the war. In the 1980 general election, Mugabe led ZANU-PF to victory, becoming Prime Minister when the country, now renamed Zimbabwe, gained internationally recognized independence later that year. Mugabe's administration expanded healthcare and education and—despite his professed desire for a socialist society—adhered largely to mainstream economic policies.

Mugabe's calls for racial reconciliation failed to stem growing white emigration, while relations with Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) also deteriorated. In the Gukurahundi of 1982–1987, Mugabe's 5th Brigade crushed ZAPU-linked opposition in Matabeleland in a campaign that killed at least 20,000 people, mostly Ndebele civilians. Internationally, he sent troops into the Second Congo War and chaired the Non-Aligned Movement (1986–1989), the Organisation of African Unity (1997–1998), and the African Union (2015–2016). Pursuing decolonisation, Mugabe emphasized the redistribution of land controlled by white farmers to landless blacks, initially on a "willing seller–willing buyer" basis. Frustrated at the slow rate of redistribution, from 2000 he encouraged black Zimbabweans to violently seize white-owned farms. Food production was severely impacted, leading to famine, economic decline, and foreign sanctions. Opposition to Mugabe grew, but he was re-elected in 2002, 2008, and 2013 through campaigns dominated by violence, electoral fraud, and nationalistic appeals to his rural Shona voter base. In 2017, members of his party ousted him in a coup, replacing him with former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Having dominated Zimbabwe's politics for nearly four decades, Mugabe was a controversial figure. He was praised as a revolutionary hero of the African liberation struggle who helped free Zimbabwe from British colonialism, imperialism, and white minority rule. Critics accused Mugabe of being a dictator responsible for economic mismanagement and widespread corruption and human rights abuses, including anti-white racism, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Early life

Childhood: 1924–1945

Robert Gabriel Mugabe was born on 21 February 1924 at the Kutama Mission village in Southern Rhodesia's Zvimba District.[2] His father, Gabriel Matibiri, was a carpenter while his mother Bona was a Christian catechist for the village children.[3] They had been trained in their professions by the Jesuits, the Roman Catholic religious order which had established the mission.[4] Bona and Gabriel had six children: Miteri (Michael), Raphael, Robert, Dhonandhe (Donald), Sabina, and Bridgette.[5] They belonged to the Zezuru clan, one of the smallest branches of the Shona tribe.[6] Mugabe's paternal grandfather was Chief Constantine Karigamombe, alias "Matibiri", a powerful figure who served King Lobengula in the 19th century.[7] Through his father, he claimed membership of the chieftaincy family that has provided the hereditary rulers of Zvimba for generations.[8]

The Jesuits were strict disciplinarians and under their influence Mugabe developed an intense self-discipline,[4] while also becoming a devout Catholic.[9] Mugabe excelled at school,[10] where he was a secretive and solitary child,[11] preferring to read, rather than playing sports or socialising with other children.[12] He was taunted by many of the other children, who regarded him as a coward and a mother's boy.[13]

In about 1930 Gabriel had an argument with one of the Jesuits, and as a result the Mugabe family was expelled from the mission village by its French leader, Father Jean-Baptiste Loubière.[14] The family settled in a village about 11 kilometres (7 miles) away; the children were permitted to remain at the mission primary school, living with relatives in Kutama during term-time and returning to their parental home on weekends.[10] Around the same time, Robert's older brother Raphael died, likely of diarrhoea.[10] In early 1934, Robert's other older brother, Michael, also died, after consuming poisoned maize.[15] Later that year, Gabriel left his family in search of employment in Bulawayo.[16] He subsequently abandoned Bona and their six children and established a relationship with another woman, with whom he had three further offspring.[17]

Loubière died shortly after and was replaced by an Irishman, Father Jerome O'Hea, who welcomed the return of the Mugabe family to Kutama.[10] In contrast to the racism that permeated Southern Rhodesian society, under O'Hea's leadership the Kutama Mission preached an ethos of racial equality.[18] O'Hea nurtured the young Mugabe; shortly before his death in 1970 he described the latter as having "an exceptional mind and an exceptional heart".[19] As well as helping provide Mugabe with a Christian education, O'Hea taught him about the Irish War of Independence, in which Irish revolutionaries had overthrown the British imperial regime.[20] After completing six years of elementary education, in 1941 Mugabe was offered a place on a teacher training course at Kutama College. Mugabe's mother could not afford the tuition fees, which were paid in part by his grandfather and in part by O'Hea.[21] As part of this education, Mugabe began teaching at his old school, earning £2 per month, which he used to support his family.[22] In 1944, Gabriel returned to Kutama with his three new children, but died shortly after, leaving Robert to take financial responsibility for both his three siblings and three half-siblings.[22] Having attained a teaching diploma, Mugabe left Kutama in 1945.[23]

University education and teaching career: 1945–1960

During the following years, Mugabe taught at various schools around Southern Rhodesia,[24] among them the Dadaya Mission school in Shabani.[25] There is no evidence that Mugabe was involved in political activity at the time, and he did not participate in the country's 1948 general strike.[26] In 1949 he won a scholarship to study at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa's Eastern Cape.[27] There he joined the African National Congress youth league (ANCYL)[28] and attended African nationalist meetings, where he met a number of Jewish South African communists who introduced him to Marxist ideas.[29] He later related that despite this exposure to Marxism, his biggest influence at the time were the actions of Mahatma Gandhi during the Indian independence movement.[30] In 1952, he left the university with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English literature.[31] In later years he described his time at Fort Hare as the "turning point" in his life.[32]

Mugabe was inspired by the example set by Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah.

Mugabe returned to Southern Rhodesia in 1952,[33] by which time—he later related— he was "completely hostile to the [colonialist] system".[34] Here, his first job was as a teacher at the Driefontein Roman Catholic Mission School near Umvuma.[28] In 1953 he relocated to the Highfield Government School in Salisbury's Harari township and in 1954 to the Mambo Township Government School in Gwelo.[35] Meanwhile, he gained a Bachelor of Education degree by correspondence from the University of South Africa,[36] and ordered a number of Marxist tracts—among them Karl Marx's Capital and Friedrich Engels' The Condition of the Working Class in England—from a London mail-order company.[37] Despite his growing interest in politics, he was not active in any political movement.[34] He joined a number of inter-racial groups, such as the Capricorn Africa Society, through which he mixed with both black and white Rhodesians.[38] Guy Clutton-Brock, who knew Mugabe through this group, later noted that he was "an extraordinary young man" who could be "a bit of a cold fish at times" but "could talk about Elvis Presley or Bing Crosby as easily as politics".[39]

From 1955 to 1958, Mugabe lived in neighbouring Northern Rhodesia, where he worked at Chalimbana Teacher Training College in Lusaka.[36] There he continued his education by working on a second degree by correspondence, this time a Bachelor of Administration from the University of London International Programmes through distance and learning.[36] In Northern Rhodesia, he was taken in for a time by the family of Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom Mugabe inspired to join the liberation movement and who would later go on to be President of Zimbabwe.[40] In 1958, Mugabe moved to Ghana to work at St Mary's Teacher Training College in Takoradi.[41] He taught at Apowa Secondary School, also at Takoradi, after obtaining his local certification at Achimota College (1958–1960), where he met his first wife, Sally Hayfron.[42] According to Mugabe, "I went [to Ghana] as an adventurist. I wanted to see what it would be like in an independent African state".[43] Ghana had been the first African state to gain independence from European colonial powers and under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah underwent a range of African nationalist reforms; Mugabe reveled in this environment.[44] In tandem with his teaching, Mugabe attended the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute in Winneba.[45] Mugabe later claimed that it was in Ghana that he finally embraced Marxism.[46] He also began a relationship there with Hayfron who worked at the college and shared his political interests.[47]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mugabe

Robert Francis Prevost named first American pope

by The National News Desk Thu, May 8th 2025 at 9:16 AM

Updated Thu, May 8th 2025 at 11:29 AM

Robert Francis Prevost has been named the new pontiff, becoming the first American to hold the position after a two-day conclave. He will go by the name Pope Leo XIV.

His first words greeting his new followers were "Peace be with you" in a speech that shifted from Italian to Spanish and centered on messages of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization. He will now take over a Catholic Church with some 1.4 billion followers around the world facing decisions on how to move the church forward and whether to continue the path of his predecessor.

“We must try together to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges and dialogue,” Pope Leo told his new followers before leading the Hail Mary prayer.

Born in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV spent much of his life outside the United States. He spent two decades in Peru, where he became a bishop and naturalized citizen before being brought to the Vatican by Pope Francis to oversee the office that chooses and manages bishops around the world. His prominence due to his position within the Vatican positioned him as a leading candidate heading into the conclave aside from his nationality.

White smoke rose from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel Thursday evening in Vatican City after just over 24 hours of voting, when Pope Leo XIV earned at least 89 votes from the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month at the age of 88.

A crowded St. Peter's Square cheered as a top cardinal said the words “Habemus Papam!” or “We have a pope!” from the loggia of the basilica. The new pope made his first public appearance and delivered a blessing. He is the 267th holder of the office in a line of pontiffs dating back to St. Peter. The last pope to take the name Leo was Pope Leo XIII, who led the church from 1878 to 1903.

He is expected to be a unifying figure for the Church after years of ideological divides between its progressive and conservative wings. Leo rarely took outspoken stances on some of the most controversial issues.

President Donald Trump congratulated Pope Leo XIV in a post on Truth Social.

"It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!" Trump wrote.

https://katu.com/news/nation-world/white-smoke-rises-above-sistine-chapel-to-signal-new-pope-has-been-chosen-vatican-conclave-cardinals

Salvatore "Robert" Loggia (/ˈloʊʒə/ LOH-zhə, Italian: [salvaˈtoːre ˈlɔddʒa]; January 3, 1930 – December 4, 2015) was an Italian-American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Jagged Edge (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for Big (1988).

In a career spanning over sixty years, Loggia performed in many films, including The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), three Pink Panther films, An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Scarface (1983), Prizzi's Honor (1985), Oliver & Company (1988), Innocent Blood (1992), Independence Day (1996), Lost Highway (1997), Return to Me (2000), and Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012).

He also appeared on television series, including the Walt Disney limited series The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca.[1] He played T. Hewitt Edward Cat in the NBC martial arts/action drama series T.H.E. Cat from 1966-1967,[2] and Nick Mancuso in Mancuso, FBI from 1989–1990. Loggia also appeared in Malcolm in the Middle in 2001, The Sopranos in 2004, and Men of a Certain Age in 2011.

Early life and education

Loggia was born in New York City on January 3, 1930,[3] to Biagio Loggia, a shoemaker born in Palma di Montechiaro, Province of Agrigento, Sicily, and Elena Blandino, a homemaker born in Vittoria, Province of Ragusa, Sicily.[4][5] He grew up in the Little Italy neighborhood, where the family spoke Sicilian at home. He graduated from New Dorp High School before taking courses at Wagner College where he joined the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.[6] In 1951, he earned a degree in journalism from University of Missouri.[7] He later studied acting with Alvina Krause at Northwestern University.[citation needed]

After serving in the United States Army as a reporter for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in the Caribbean,[8] he started his acting career at the Actors Studio, studying under Stella Adler.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Loggia

Pope Francis[b] (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio;[c] 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until his death on 21 April 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a family of Italian origin, Bergoglio was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from a severe illness. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March 2013. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis was known for having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors by, for instance, choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he was known for favoring simpler vestments devoid of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had as cardinal.

Throughout his papacy, Francis was noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, international visibility, commitment to interreligious dialogue, and concern for the poor, migrants, and refugees. Francis believed the Catholic Church should demonstrate more inclusivity to LGBTQ people, and stated that although blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, individuals in same-sex relationships can be blessed as long as the blessing is not given in a liturgical context.[2] Francis made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia.[3][4] Francis convened the Synod on Synodality, which was described as the culmination of his papacy and the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.[4][5][6]

Concerning global governance, Francis was a critic of trickle-down economics, consumerism, and overdevelopment;[7] he made action on climate change a leading focus of his papacy.[8] He viewed capital punishment as inadmissible in all cases,[9] and committed the Catholic Church to its worldwide abolition.[10] Francis criticized the rise of right-wing populism and anti-immigration politics, calling the protection of migrants a "duty of civilization".[11] Francis supported the decriminalization of homosexuality.[12] In international diplomacy, Francis helped to restore full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, negotiated a deal with the People's Republic of China to define Communist Party influence in appointing Chinese bishops, and encouraged peace between Israel and Palestinians, signing the Vatican's first treaty with the State of Palestine. In 2022 he apologized for the Church's role in the cultural genocide of Canadian Indigenous peoples in residential schools. From 2023 he condemned Israel's military operations in Gaza, calling for investigations of war crimes. Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday before dying on 21 April 2025, Easter Monday.[13][14] The 2025 papal conclave elected Leo XIV as Francis's successor on 8 May 2025. Leo XIV became the second Pope from the Americas, after Francis.[15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis

The St George Church Lalibela

The last of the eleven rock-hewn churches to be built in Lalibela, the Church of Saint George, known locally as Bete Giyorgis, was built by King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty and remains a site of huge cultural and religious significance.

According to popular mythology, the king had an apparition in which one of Gods angels told him of plans for a building which could bring heaven down to Earth.

Inspired by his vision, the king commissioned the project to build the Church of Saint George. The mythology continues, insisting that upon its completion the same angels visited the site, and blessed all those who were present.

It is said that the hoof-prints of the white stallion that St George rode on the day the church was completed can still be found imprinted in the rocks surrounding the church.

Built on a cruciform plan, the sole material used in its construction was the volcanic rock found already on site.

The church has three west facing doorways, and a series of windows. Each layer of the building have distinct motifs, leading to the roof which is covered in intersecting crosses that lie within a bigger Greek cross.

The walls of the church reach a staggering 30 metres, and over 3,400 metres cubed of rock was excavated from the site in order to shape the exterior of the monolith. From here, a further 450 metres cubed was removed in order to facilitate the lavish interior.

The entrance to the church is accessible via a network of sunken trenches and tunnels that lead to a series of adjoining churches, sanctuaries and baptismal courtyards.

Amongst the labyrinth of sanctuaries lies a number of tombs, housing former monks and priests who dedicated themselves to the church and to ensuring its longevity.

The church also houses an array of hidden treasures, only accessible to a few high ranking members of the priesthood. Amongst these treasures is a wooden box apparently carved by the king himself.

Church of Saint George, rock-hewn churches in Lalibela Ethiopia

On entry, you'll be struck by the brightly coloured frescoes depicting the trials and tribulations of St George, circled by interweaving blue, gold and red patterns.

Spread across the room, these paintings lead all who visit through a spiritual rabbit hole, full of painted prophetic predictions based on the dream King Lalibela had all those years ago.

Now officially recognized as the eighth wonder of the world, the Church of St George is a mesmerizing display of commitment to faith, and represents the beating heart of spiritual Ethiopia.

https://artuexpeditions.com/the-st-george-church-lalibela

Trump posts AI-generated photo of himself as pope, drawing internet outrage

By Andrea Shalal

May 3, 20252:21 PM PDT Updated 12 hours ago

Summary

Trump and his wife Melania attended funeral of Pope Francis

Image shows Trump in white paper vestments

Former Italian PM blasts 'shameful' post

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, May 2 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated photo showing himself as the pope ahead of this week's gathering of cardinals to choose a new leader of the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic Church, and just days after he joked he would "like to be pope".

Trump, who is not a Catholic and does not attend church regularly, posted the image on his Truth Social platform late on Friday, less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who died at 88 last month. The White House then reposted it on its official X account.

The image shows an unsmiling Trump seated in an ornate chair, dressed in white papal vestments and headdress, with right forefinger raised.

The irreverent posting drew instant outrage on X, including from Republicans against Trump, a group that describes itself as "pro-democracy conservative Republicans fighting Trump & Trumpism." The group reposted the image, calling it "a blatant insult to Catholics and a mockery of their faith".

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to comment on the image during a briefing with journalists about the process of electing a new pope, which begins on May 7.

Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on X: “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys being a clown. In the meantime, the American economy risks recession and the dollar loses value."

Closer to home, the Catholic bishops of New York state also expressed their displeasure on X.

"There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President," they wrote. "We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us."

Trump on Tuesday had jokingly said he would be his own first choice to become pope, before adding that there was a "very good" candidate in New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

Dolan, the archbishop of New York, is not on the short list of possible contenders for the top spot, but it does include another American, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, New Jersey. There has never been a pope from the United States.

In mid-February, both Trump and the official White House social media accounts posted a different AI-generated image of the president wearing a crown and captioned "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

In West Palm Beach, Debbie Macchia, 60, stood waiting with a dozen other supporters as Trump's motorcade arrived at his golf club on Saturday morning.

"He was clearly joking. Clearly joking," said Macchia, who is Jewish. "But I wouldn't want to see them do anything sacrilegious with the pope, or anything."

Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Joshua McElwee in Vatican City, Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-posts-ai-generated-photo-himself-pope-2025-05-03/

I began by attending Fordham University in the Bronx, mostly because I wanted to be close to home. I got along very well with the Jesuits who ran the school, but after two years, I decided that as long as I had to be in college, I might as well test myself against the best. I applied to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and I got in. At the time, if you were going to make a career in business, Wharton was the place to go. Harvard Business School may produce a lot of CEOs—guys who manage public companies— but the real entrepreneurs all seemed to go to Wharton: Saul Steinberg, Leonard Lauder, Ron Perelman—the list goes on and on."

Donald Trump The Art of the Deal

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DLcbnLrl6moQT7nGj1JitG6AiQ6qgK0y/view?usp=sharing

University of Scranton welcomes President Biden

The university has illuminated its Class of 2020 Gateway in red and blue lights.

Author: WNEP Web Staff

Published: 10:52 PM EDT October 19, 2021

Updated: 10:52 PM EDT October 19, 2021

SCRANTON, Pa. — In preparation for President Joe Biden's visit, a university lit up their lights in his honor.

The University of Scranton has illuminated its Class of 2020 Gateway in blue and red with the number 46 prominently displayed to welcome the 46th president."

University of Scranton welcomes President Biden | wnep.com

https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/university-of-scranton-welcomes-president-biden-gateway-lights/523-cdba68b1-822b-4747-94be-4cd7e4de9d67

"His son, Hunter Biden, 38, is a longtime federal lobbyist for the Jesuit university located in his father's hometown, Scranton PA. According to federal disclosures, Hunter Biden has been earning about $80,000 a year since 2006 to lobby for this university. Senator Biden himself has lectured at the Jesuit University of Scranton, and received an honorary degree from the same university, in 1976."

Codeword Barbelon

by P.D. Stuart

Revelation 17:17-18

1599 Geneva Bible

17 [a]For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to do with one consent for to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God be fulfilled.

18 And that woman which thou sawest, is that [b]great city which reigned over the kings of the earth.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 17:17 A reason rendered from the chief efficient cause, which is the providence of God, by which alone S. John by inversion of order affirmeth to have come to pass, both that the Kings should execute upon the harlot, that which pleased God, and which he declared in the verse next beforegoing: and also that by one consent and counsel, they should give their kingdom unto the beast, etc., verses 13, 14. For as these being blinded have before depended upon the beck of the beast that lifteth up the harlot, so it is said that afterward it shall come to pass, that they shall turn back, and shall fall away from her when their hearts shall be turned into better state by the grace and mercy of God.

Revelation 17:18 That is, Rome that great City, or only City (as Justinian calleth it) the King and head whereof was then the Emperor, but now the Pope, since that the condition of the beast was changed.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2017%3A17-18&version=GNV

EL SABOR DE HEREJIA: THE EDICT OF 1525, THE ALUMBRADOS

AND THE INQUISITORS’ USAGE OF LOCURA

By

Javier A. Montoya

May 2010

Chair: Nina Caputo

Major: History

The alumbrados of Spain were a mystical Christian movement that arose in the 1510s. Initially enjoying noble patronage and an environment of spiritual exploration fostered by the reforms of Cardinal Cisneros, the alumbrados spread their ideas throughout Castile. Led by charismatic female spiritual leaders or beatas, the alumbrados’ brief era of success ended when two of its leaders came before the Tribunal of Toledo in 1524. With a membership consisting mostly of second-generation conversos, the alumbrados advocated an interiorized approach to Christianity under the aegis of dejamiento. The meditational practice of dejamiento called upon its practitioners to “abandon” themselves to God and His will effectively releasing themselves from their ties (ataduras) to the material world that included the Church and the priesthood.

By 1525, convinced of the heretical nature of alumbradismo, the Inquisitors published El edicto contra los alumbrados consisting of 48 alumbrado Propositions followed by official Inquisitorial refutation and condemnation. The Edict of 1525 presented the alumbrados as a dangerous group of heretics in its attempt to delegitimize their beliefs.

This study focuses on the Inquisitors’ diction in their responses to and qualifications of the alumbrado Propositions, specifically their usage of the words loca (crazy) and locura

6

(madness). The usage of loca is then placed within a discourse about the attitudes prevalent in Castilian society towards conversos and beatas with the understanding that stereotyping and general dislike and fear of both groups contributed much to the Inquisitors’ reactions to the alumbrado Propositions. The Edict also reveals the Inquisitors’ interpretative difficulties in classifying alumbradismo and placing it within their continuum of heresy. The usage of loca as a negative qualifier in Inquisitorial responses was meant to highlight the danger the movement posed to Catholic orthodoxy. The alumbrados challenged the Inquisitors’ cosmological views and pre-established categories of heresy. In turn, the Inquisitors designated the alumbrados a novelty placing them in a third space of heresy, one neither crypto-Jewish nor Protestant and lying somewhere between heterodoxy and orthodoxy.

The analysis of the intertwined factors of the Inquisitorial portrayal of the alumbrados and the alumbrados’ status as conversos and women is placed within an overall discourse that addresses the historiographic problems that historians of alumbradismo have faced. As such, the alumbrados are presented as free as possible from labels of heresy or comparison to other contemporary religious movements. Inquisitorial testimonies and documents remain the primary sources of alumbrado history, however, this thesis attempts to set aside the Inquisitors’ interpretation of alumbradismo when representing their ideas. The alumbrados then function as an example of the growing spiritual and religious unrest prevalent in sixteenth century Europe and as an example of a uniquely converso understanding of Christianity.

https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/uf/e0/04/13/85/00001/montoya_j.pdf

Politics

Vance says it was "pretty crazy" that he met Pope Francis in his last 24 hours

By Kaia Hubbard

April 23, 2025 / 9:58 AM EDT / CBS News

Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that it was "pretty crazy" that he was among the last officials to meet with Pope Francis before his death earlier this week.

"When I saw him, I didn't know that he had less than 24 hours still on this earth," Vance told reporters in Agra, India. "I think it was a great blessing."

The vice president is on a four-day trip in India with his wife Usha, the first Hindu American second lady, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from India. Vance's visit with his family comes after they traveled to Italy last week to participate in Holy Week events. Vance noted that plans remain in flux about whether he will attend the pope's funeral in the coming days.

The vice president outlined his brief visit with Francis on Easter Sunday, saying he knew the pope was "very ill," but he "didn't realize how sick he was."

"The thing that I will always remember Pope Francis for is that he was a great pastor," Vance said. "People on the margins, poor people, people suffering from diseases, they saw in Pope Francis an advocate and I think, a true expression of Christian love."

Vance added that the pontiff "affected a lot of lives," saying that he tries to remember "that I was lucky that I got to shake his hand and tell him that I pray for him every day, because I did and I do."

Vance and Francis' meeting came after the two men had sharp disagreements on immigration as the pontiff had long condemned the Trump administration's approach. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, told reporters Wednesday that he's aware of the disagreements the pope had with some of the Trump administration's policies, while noting that he would not "soil the man's legacy by talking about politics."

On the selection of the next pope, the vice president said he would "say a prayer for wisdom" for the Cardinals, saying that "I want them to pick somebody who will be good for the world's Catholics."

"But I'll let them make that decision, and obviously they're entitled to do so," he added.

The vice president's trip to India comes amid President Trump's recent actions on tariffs. Vance arrived in India on Monday and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after which the leaders touted progress on trade talks.

The vice president told reporters Wednesday that "we're making progress across the board," though he said of the trade discussions more broadly that it's "a little bit too early to prejudge, to say what any of these deals is going to look like."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-death-jd-vance-meeting/

James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman;[a] August 2, 1984) is an American politician, author, attorney, and Marine Corps veteran who is the 50th vice president of the United States serving under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 2023 to 2025.

Vance was born in Middletown, Ohio. After high school, Vance joined the Marine Corps, where he served as a military journalist from 2003 to 2007, and was deployed to the Iraq War for six months in 2005. He graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in 2009 and Yale Law School with a law degree in 2013. He practiced briefly as a corporate lawyer before embarking on a career in the tech industry as a venture capitalist. His memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, was published in 2016[2] and adapted into a film in 2020.

Vance won the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio, defeating Democratic nominee Tim Ryan. After initially opposing Donald Trump's candidacy in the 2016 election, Vance became a strong Trump supporter during Trump's first presidency. In July 2024, Trump selected Vance as his running mate before the Republican National Convention. He served as Ohio's senator until his resignation in preparation to assume the vice presidency in January 2025. Vance is the third-youngest vice president in U.S. history, as well as the first millennial to hold the office.

Vance has been characterized as a national conservative and right-wing populist, and he describes himself as a member of the postliberal right. His political positions include opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and gun control. Vance is an outspoken critic of childlessness and has credited the influence of Catholic theology on his sociopolitical positions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance

Is the Catholic church ready for its first African Pope?

As world leaders gather in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, many Catholics are wondering if the church could soon elect its first black pope. With Africa home to one in five Catholics, the idea of a pope from the continent is gaining ground.

Issued on: 26/04/2025 - 09:01

By:

RFI

Follow

Since Francis’s death over Easter, one name gaining attention in the Vatican is Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson.

In 2010, Turkson said he wasn’t ready to become pope and that the church might not be ready either. "I wouldn't want to be that first black pope. I think he'll have a rough time," he said.

But Africa’s share of the Catholic population is growing. The continent is now home to 20 percent of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, as the church struggles to hold on to followers in increasingly secular Europe.

Some now believe the time could be right for the first black pope.

A spiritual leader

Cardinal Peter Turkson, 76, grew up in a small town in what was then the Gold Coast, under British rule. He was the fourth of 10 children. His father worked in a mine and as a carpenter, while his mother sold vegetables at the market.

Turkson studied in seminaries in Ghana and New York, was ordained in 1975, then taught in Ghana. He later completed advanced Biblical studies in Rome.

Pope John Paul II made him archbishop of Cape Coast in 1992 and, in 2003, the first cardinal in Ghana’s history.

His rise continued under John Paul’s successor, Benedict XVI, who brought him to the Vatican in 2009 and made him head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

There, he became one of the pope’s closest advisors, working on issues like climate change and economic justice.

Turkson is seen as having both a strong connection to local congregations in Ghana and experience leading Vatican offices. His communication skills have also been praised.

Other African contenders

Turkson is not the only African name being mentioned as the church prepares for a conclave to choose its next leader. He would also not be the first African pontiff – Pope Victor I, from North Africa, led the church from 189 to 199.

"There has been this sense which has built up that the pope, if he is going to be a global authority, needs to come from the global church," said Miles Pattenden, a historian of Catholicism at Oxford University.

But Pattenden also said there is no reason to believe the next pope will follow Francis’s more liberal approach.

Francis often called for reform but didn’t always deliver. That middle ground might appeal to African candidates, some of whom have been called too conservative by critics, said Cristina Traina, a religious studies professor at Fordham University in New York.

One example is Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, a traditionalist who compared abortion, "Islamic fanaticism" and homosexuality to Nazi ideology. He could attract support from more conservative cardinals.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo has been mentioned. He led efforts to oppose the blessing of same-sex couples in Africa after Francis encouraged acceptance of such unions elsewhere.

A long time coming

Francis, who was from Argentina, worked to make the Vatican reflect the diversity of its members. African cardinals now make up 12 percent of those eligible to vote in the conclave, up from eight percent at the last papal election.

"It would be almost impossible to imagine the world accepting an African pope without this transition of Pope Francis having been from Argentina," said Traina.

Africa still has fewer voting cardinals than some think it should.

Some African Catholics also feel left out. A Congolese priest, who did not want to be named, told the French news agency AFP: "Even if it isn't obvious among our European brothers, discrimination is still a reality that we often don't talk about."

He said the church has made progress, but there is a reason no African has been pope in 1,500 years.

An African pope could bring new ideas to the church’s current challenges, including the ban on married priests, said Traina.

"It has always been on our lips how we wish to have an African pope," said Father Paul Maji, a priest in Abuja, Nigeria. But he added that Africans should not be "sentimental" about where the next pope comes from.

Sylvain Badibanga, dean of the theology faculty at the Catholic University of Congo, told AFP: "We shouldn't think 'it's our turn'. It's God's turn."

Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui, made a cardinal in 2016 after Francis visited the Central African Republic, will vote in a conclave for the first time.

"This is not about regional, continental, or even personal interests," he told RFI, adding that cardinals must think about the broader interests of the Catholic church.

As his name came up again before the 2013 conclave that chose Francis, Turkson said he could become pope "if it's the will of God".

(with newswires)

https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20250426-is-the-catholic-church-ready-for-an-african-pope

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president of the United States for a term of four years.

In the 2024 elections, the Republican Party gained a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and Senate. Incumbent president Donald Trump won a non-consecutive second term; per the limits set by the 22nd Amendment, he is constitutionally barred from being elected president again.[1]

Background

See also: 2024 United States elections

The Republican Party returned to power in the United States with a government trifecta in January 2025 following the 2024 election. Trump, who was elected president in 2016 but lost a re-election bid in 2020 to Joe Biden, and JD Vance, a then-senator from Ohio defeated vice president Kamala Harris, who began her campaign following Biden's exit from the 2024 election, and Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Trump's victory was credited to a post-pandemic surge in inflation,[a] a migrant crisis at the U.S.–Mexico border,[b] and a global anti-incumbent backlash.[8][9][10] In addition, Republicans secured control of the Senate, flipping four seats and earning a three seat majority, while also retaining a House majority, though the party's majority narrowed to three seats after losing two seats.[11]

Electoral system

Main article: United States Electoral College

See also: United States presidential primary and Primary elections in the United States

The president and vice president of the United States are elected through the Electoral College, determined by the number of senators and representatives with an additional three representatives for Washington, D.C. A majority of 270 votes is needed to win the election. Forty-eight states use a winner-take-all system, in which states award all of their electors to the winner of the popular vote. In Maine and Nebraska, two votes are allocated to the winner of the popular vote, while each of the individual congressional districts have one vote. Electoral votes are certified by state electors in December and by Congress on January 6.[12] Presidential candidates are selected in a presidential primary, conducted through primary elections run by state governments or caucuses run by state parties which bind convention delegates to candidates.[13] A brokered convention occurs when a candidate does not receive a majority of votes on the first round of voting,[14] or when a candidate withdraws.[15]

Election Day in the United States has been held on the first Tuesday that falls after the first Monday in November.[16] Previously, states could determine their own Election Day prior to the first Wednesday in December. The 2028 presidential election will occur on November 7, 2028.[17]

Eligibility

The United States Constitution limits occupancy of the presidency to individuals who are at least thirty-five, who have been a resident in the United States for at least fourteen years, and who are a natural-born citizen.[18] Section three of the Fourteenth Amendment prevents current and former federal, state, and military officials from holding office—including the presidency—if they have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the United States;[19] in March 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Trump v. Anderson that former president Donald Trump could seek office after challenges to his ballot eligibility were raised by several state attorneys general.[20] A convicted felon may serve as president.[21] Elon Musk, who emerged as a political influencer in the 2024 presidential election, is ineligible to serve as president as he was born in South Africa and is a naturalized citizen.[22]

Trump is ineligible to be elected to a third term, as the Twenty-Second Amendment forbids any person from being elected president more than twice.[23] Nonetheless, he has repeatedly suggested running for a third term, an idea supported by several of his allies, including Steve Bannon.[24] In January 2025, Tennessee representative Andy Ogles proposed a resolution to amend the Twenty-Second Amendment, allowing for presidents who have served two non-consecutive terms to seek a third term. The verbiage of the amendment would prevent living presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, all currently ineligible under the 22nd Amendment, from running for a third term.[25] At CPAC 2025, conservative groups, such as the Third Term Project, supported the Ogles resolution and promoted the idea of Trump running for an as-yet unconstitutional third term.[26][27] In response, New York Democratic representative Dan Goldman planned to introduce a resolution affirming the Twenty-Second Amendment.[28]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election

Kamala Devi Harris (English: /ˈkɑːmələ ˈdeɪvi/ ⓘ,[1] born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who has been the 49th and current vice president of the United States since 2021, serving under President Joe Biden. Harris is the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 United States presidential election. She is the first female vice president of the United States, making her the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history. She is also the first African American and first Asian American vice president. From 2017 to 2021, she represented California in the United States Senate. Before that, she was Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017.

Born in Oakland, California, Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She began her law career in the office of the district attorney of Alameda County. She was recruited to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and later to the office of the city attorney of San Francisco. She was elected district attorney of San Francisco in 2003 and attorney general of California in 2010, and reelected as attorney general in 2014. As the San Francisco district attorney and the attorney general of California, Harris was the first woman, the first African American, and the first Asian American to hold each office.

Harris was the junior U.S. senator from California from 2017 to 2021. She won the 2016 Senate election, becoming the second Black woman and first South Asian American U.S. senator. As a senator, Harris advocated for stricter gun control laws, the DREAM Act, federal legalization of cannabis, and reforms to healthcare and taxation. She gained a national profile for her pointed questioning of Trump administration officials during Senate hearings, including Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.

Harris sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, but withdrew from the race before the primaries. Biden selected her as his running mate, and their ticket defeated the incumbent president and vice president, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, in the 2020 election. Presiding over an evenly split Senate upon entering office, Harris played a crucial role as president of the Senate. She cast more tie-breaking votes than any other vice president, which helped pass bills such as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 stimulus package and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. After Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election, Harris launched her campaign with Biden's endorsement and soon became the presumptive nominee. On August 6, 2024, she chose Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

Devī (/ˈdeɪvi/;[1] Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is deva. Devi and deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.

The concept and reverence for goddesses appears in the Vedas, which were composed around the 2nd millennium BCE. However, they did not play a vital role in that era.[2] Goddesses such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Parvati, Radha, Saraswati and Sita have continued to be revered in the modern era.[2] The medieval era Puranas witness a major expansion in mythology and literature associated with Devi, with texts such as the Devi Mahatmya, wherein she manifests as the ultimate truth and supreme power. She has inspired the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Further, Devi is viewed as central in the Hindu traditions of Shaktism and Shaivism.[2][3]

Etymology

Devi and deva are Sanskrit terms found in Vedic literature around the 3rd millennium BCE. Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is devi.[4] Monier-Williams translates it as 'heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones'.[5][6] Etymologically, a cognate of devi is Latin dea.[7] When capitalised, Devi maata refers to the mother goddess in Hinduism.[8] Deva is short for devatā and devi for devika.[5]

According to Douglas Harper, the etymological root dev- means "a shining one", from *div-, "to shine", it is an Indo-European cognate of the Greek dios, Gothic divine and Latin deus (Old Latin deivos); see also *Dyēus.[9]

A synonym for the word Devi in the Vedas is Bhagavati. Bhagavatī (Devanagari: भगवती, IAST: Bhagavatī), is an Indian epithet of Sanskrit origin, used as an honorific title for goddesses in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, it is primarily used to address the goddesses Lakshmi and Durga. In Buddhism, it is used to refer to several Mahayana Buddhist female deities, like Cundā.[10]

History

The worship of Devi-like deities dates back to period of Indus Valley civilisation.[11][12]

The Devīsūkta of the Rigveda (10.125.1 to 10.125.8) is among the most studied hymns declaring that the ultimate reality is a goddess:[13][14]

I have created all worlds at my will without being urged by any higher Being, and dwell within them. I permeate the earth and heaven, and all created entities with my greatness and dwell in them as eternal and infinite consciousness.

— Devi Sukta, Rigveda 10.125.8, Translated by June McDaniel[15][16]

The Vedas name numerous cosmic goddesses such as Devi (power), Prithvi (earth), Aditi (cosmic moral order), Vāc (sound), Nirṛti (destruction), Ratri (night) and Aranyani (forest); bounty goddesses such as Dinsana, Raka, Puramdhi, Parendi, Bharati and Mahi are among others are mentioned in the Rigveda.[2]: 6–17, 55–64  However, the goddesses are not discussed as frequently as gods (devas).[2] Devi appears in late Vedic texts dated to be pre-Buddhist, but verses dedicated to her do not suggest that her characteristics were fully developed in the Vedic era.[2]: 18–19  All gods and goddesses are distinguished in Vedic times,[2]: 18  but in post-Vedic texts, particularly in the early medieval era literature, they are ultimately seen as aspects or manifestations of one Devi, the Supreme Power.[17]

Devi is the supreme being in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism; in the Smarta tradition, she is one of the five primary forms of Brahman that is revered.[18][19] In other Hindu traditions, Devi embodies the active energy and power of Deva, and they always appear together complementing each other. Examples of this are Parvati with Shiva in Shaivism, Saraswati with Brahma in Brahmanism and Lakshmi with Vishnu, Sita with Rama and Radha with Krishna in Vaishnavism.[20][21][22]

Devi-inspired philosophy is propounded in many Hindu texts such as the Devi Upanishad, which teaches that Shakti is essentially Brahman (ultimate metaphysical Reality) and that from her arises prakṛti (matter) and purusha (consciousness) and that she is bliss and non-bliss, the Vedas and what is different from it, the born and the unborn and all of the universe. Shakti is Parvati, Shiva’s wife. [23] She is also mentioned as the creative power of Shiva in Tripura Upanishad, Bahvricha Upanishad and Guhyakali Upanishad.[13]

Devi identifies herself in the Devi Upanishad as Brahman in her reply to the gods stating that she rules the world, blesses devotees with riches, that she is the supreme deity to whom all worship is to be offered and that she infuses Ātman in every soul.[23] Devi asserts that she is the creator of earth and heaven and resides there.[13] Her creation of the sky as father and the seas as the mother is reflected as the 'Inner Supreme Self'.[13] Her creations are not prompted by any higher being and she resides in all her creations. She is, states Devi, the eternal and infinite consciousness engulfing earth and heaven, and 'all forms of bliss and non-bliss, knowledge and ignorance, Brahman and Non-Brahman'. The tantric aspect in Devi Upanishad, says June McDaniel, is the usage of the terms yantra, bindu, bija, mantra, shakti and chakra.[13]

Among the major world religions, the concept of Goddess in Hinduism as the divine feminine has had the strongest presence since ancient times.[24]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devi

The name Monita has its roots in India and is derived from the Sanskrit word manita, which means 'honored' or 'respected.' This ancient name reflects the cultural traditions and values of Indian society, where respect and honor hold great significance. Monita has been prominent in Indian history since ancient times, often given to those who were esteemed for their noble character and high social standing. In historical texts and scriptures, the name Monita is often associated with individuals who were recognized for their wisdom, integrity, and leadership qualities.

In modern-day usage, the name Monita continues to evoke a sense of honor and respect. It is a popular name choice among families who value tradition and wish to bestow upon their child a name that reflects these virtues. Monita is often given to female children, symbolizing the strength and dignity they possess. In some cases, the name Monita is also used as a name, further emphasizing the family's heritage and the importance they place on respect and honor.

Overall, the name Monita has a rich history rooted in Indian culture and embodies the values of honor and respect. From ancient times to the present day, this name has stood as a testament to the qualities that society holds in high regard and continues to be cherished by families who wish to pass on these values to future generations.

https://www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/monita

Monita

A Latin word meaning "instructions":

Monita, work by Abbot Porcarius I of Lérins (c. 500)

Monita Secreta, an alleged code of instructions of the Jesuits

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monita

 The Seoket Monitor op the Jesuits, embracing a brief

 history of this Society of Thugs, with their secret instruc

tions and code, with an introdnction by Charles Sauvestre,

 the whole translated from the Spanish. Copy now in the

 hands of the translator, Edwin A. Sherman, the compiler of

 this work.

 PART SECOND.

 CONTENTS.

 Why Abraham Lincoln, the Martyr President, was assassi

nated; the initial point of the conspiracy against him by the

 Jesuits in Illinois in 1856; the Papal conspiracy against him

 and the Union while he was President, and the tragic fate of

 the victim of their foul plot, which was consummated on the

 14th of April, 1865.

 PART THIRD.

 The Papal Syllabus of Errors, by Pope Pius IX.; extracts

 from Den's and Kenricks' Theology; Bishop Dupanloup's

 tirade against Freemasonry, and other miscellaneous matters

 of interest to Freemasons and other fraternal associations.

PREFACE

 BY THE TRANSLATOR.

 In presenting to our readers this translation from the

 Spanish of the "Monita Secreta " (Secret Monitor) of

 the Jesuits, it is but due that a clear and truthful statement

 of how the work came into our hands should be given.

 In the month of August of 1870, the Secretariat of all the

 bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freema

sonry in the City of San Francisco, California, had been

 placed in our hands, and we then occupied an office, which

 had been assigned to us, in the Masonic Temple of this city.

 Scarcely had we then entered upon our duties, when one

 morning in the month of September, 1870, a rap was heard

 at our door, and, on opening it, a stranger, feeble in body,

 with a pallid face bearing the evidence of great suffering and

 of sickness, inquired if that was the office of the Secretary of

 the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, which we answered in the

 affirmative and invited him in and gave him a seat.

 He then took from his pocket a package of papers, covered

 with leather and oil-silk, which he carefully unwrapped and

 presented for our inspection. Being in Spanish and Latin,

 we found upon examination that they were his patents or

 certificates of the various degrees of the Scottish Rite of

 Freemasonry, duly signed and attested by the officers, and

 bearing the seal of the Supreme Council of the Tbirty-third

 Degree of Peru . 

Upon further examination, we found the

 stranger to be a "Brother of the Light," and, with other let

ters and credentials which he bore, that he was a gentleman

 of refinement and culture, and a member of and explorer for

 various scientific societies in Europe, but more especially for

 the Archaeological Society of France, with its principal seat at

 Paris, and with its members and correspondents scattered

 throughout Europe and America. He was a Frenchman,

 and, if we mistake not, a Huguenot. He spoke English, but

rather brokenly, yet correctly in grammar and diction. He

 inquired where our Scottish Rite bodies met, and desired to

 see the hall where onr brethren of that Kite assembled. We

 conducted him up the stairs, which he slowly ascended to the

 ante-room of the Chapter Hall, where, pausing a few mo

ments, we then entered the main hall, and with uncovered

 head he reverently approached the altar, knelt and embraced

 it, and bowed his head in silent prayer. We were peculiarly

 struck with his manner and attitude, and looked on in silence?

 wondering what he would do next. He then raised his head,

 and, reaching behind, took out a handkerchief from his pocket

 in the skirt of his coat and spread it out upon the altar. He

 then reached his hand to the back of his neck inside of his

 collar and slowly pulled up and out a soiled Masonic Rose

 Croix apron and spread it out upon the handkerchief upon

 the altar, and then clasping his hands together and raising

 his eyes towards heaven, offered a prayer in French of grati

tude and thanksgiving. These strange proceedings, at such

 a time and to which Americans are not accustomed, greatly

 intensified our curiosity, and the first thought that passed

 through our mind was, Is he a crank? While waiting

 for him to finish his devotions, we observed that the

 apron was badly stained and had several holes in it, and

 there was something about it which held our attention fixed

 upon it. At last he arose, and we asked of him the meaning

 of all this, which was strange to us, never having witnessed

 anything of this sort before, we having then been a Mason

 nearly seventeen years. We were aware of the difference in

 the rituals of foreign jurisdictions, and the customs of our

 foreign brethren, especially those of the Latin races, and

 could make an allowance for their exuberance and intensity

 of feehng in their affection and ardor for Freemasonry. He

 replied: "If you will return to your room down-stairs, where

 it is warmer than it is in this hall, I will explain to you all."

 We;then returned to the office, and he, looking to see if the

 door was bolted and secure, asked us to assist him in remov

ing his coat and vest, and we did so. Then pulling up his

'•

 outer and under shirts, he showed us his back, and what a

 sight was there presented to us! There were several bullet

 wounds and those made by stabs with a knife or poinard,

 but nearly healed, two or three of which were still slightly

 suppurating. We said to him, "You need a surgeon."

 Oh, no," he answered, "I am pretty near well now." We

 then assisted him to adjust his clothing, which having done,

 we then asked of him to explain to us the history and mean

ing of all this, which he dil in the following manner, which

 is given as correctly as possible and as our recollection serves

 us. He said: "I am a mea)ber of various scientific societies

 in Europe, one of which is the Archaeological Society of

 France, whose seat is in Paris, and of which country I am a

 native. This society has many corresponding members in

 other countries, and is engaged in making archaeological and

 antiquarian researches in various parts of the globe. As one

 of its scientific explorers, I was assigned to Spanish America,

 especially to the countries of Chili, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador,

 New Granada and Venezuela. After having laid out my plan

 of exploration, I directed my principal attention to the west

ern slope of the Andean Kange in South America, and to

 that portion in northeastern Chili, Bolivia and southeastern

 Peru, as that presented the most interesting unexplored ter

ritory for my research and examination. Every facility had

 been accorded to me by the principal government officials of

 those countries; the people of Chili being the most libera^

 and enlightened, while those of Peru and Bolivia were the

 most superstitious and priest-ridden of any under the sun.

 I was greatly indebted to my Masonic brethren at Callao and

 Lima for kind and fraternal courtesies and hospitalities ex

tended to me, and after bidding them adieu, I entered upon

 my tour of exploration and started for my destination to ex

amine the ruins of ancient Temples of the Sun and of towns

 and cities long since perished, which were once populated by

 the subjects of the Incas, and destroyed by the ravages of

 war with other nations, the invasion by the Spaniards under

 Pizarro, and the terrible temblors or earthquakes which bad

8

 helped in the general destruction which had been wrought at

 the hands of the invaders, both of their native continent and

 from across the Atlantic from the Sierra Morena of Old

 Spain —a people now remotely and sparsely settled, except

ing in the few cities and towns, but nearly the whole sunk in

 ignorance, and both soul and body fettered and bound to a

 licentious and merciless priesthood, where every cathedral

 and church was a citadel and fortification, and every monas

tery a barracks garrisoned with lustful and armed monks,

 with innumerable nunneries as harems for the gratification

 of their passions and lustful desires. Morals were at a low

 ebb, and a compagnon de noche was furnished with the gen

eral bill of fare to the guest of the hostelry, to be accepted or

 not, according to the taste or wish of the sojourning traveller.

 "Having determined the point of my destination and com

menced my explorations, the nearest habitation to the locality

 of the ruins which I had selected to examine was nearly six

 miles, and, at times when being excessively fatigued with my

 labor, I found that it would be necessary to camp upon the

 spot, and then afterwards where I was domiciled I could

 write up my reports from the sketches I had made and the

 notes taken down. The house which I occupied while so en

gaged was built of massive adobe walls (or unburnt brick),

 nearly four feet thick, one story in height, and the windows

 without glass were barred with iron grating and shutters in

side. It had originally been constructed during the Spanish

 occupation of the country, and evidently been built as an

 outpost fortification for military purposes, against the inroads

 of the mountain tribes of Indians, with whom a constant

 predatory warfare had been maintained, some of whom, no

 doubt, were the descendants of the original occupants of the

 country, the ruins of whose labors I had undertaken to ex

plore.

 "The room which had been assigned to me by the family

 who occupied this house was about thirty feet square, with

 bare walls, and a seat of the same material (adobe) extending

 nearly around the room, whitewashed, and with patches of

9

 the furniture knocked off in many places. The cama or bed

 consisted of an adobe bedstead laid up in masonry to about

 the same height and shape as an ordinary blacksmith's forge,

 but somewhat larger and covered with a very large bullock's

 hide. Owing to the frequent changes of the bed linen and

 to remove the many lively occupants of this downy couch,

 repeated sweepings of the bedstead had made an incline

 plane inwards, with a narrow gutter next the wall. In that

 country, as it used to be in California, every traveller is ex

pected to Carry his blankets, take up his bed and walk when

 necessary. Some cheap pictures of the Virgin and saints

 and a crucifix adorned the walls, and with a chair and table

 of rude manufacture, nailed and screwed together with thongs

 of rawhide, my furnished apartments were complete. Dur

ing my absence at the ruins, my room was not unfrequently

 occupied by other travelling gentry, passing through the

 country.

 " It was on my return upon one occasion that I learned

 that a distinguished 'Obispo Padre de Jesus,' or Jesuit Bishop

 Father, had also stopped one night and had occupied my

 room and bed, and had left there only two days previous to

 my return. Having thrown my poncho and cloak upon the

 bed, I made my ablutions, satisfied my hunger, and went to

 work transcribing from my notes and arranging my sketches

 in order. While so engaged, I had occasion to rise and go

 to my bed to get some things out of the pocket in my cloak,

 and in doing so I disarranged the rawhide mattress, and my

 attention was directed to a small package in the gutter of the

 bedstead next the wail, which had been covered up. I un

rolled it, and to my great astonishment I found that I had

 made a great discovery of the ' Secret Manual of Instructions,

 together with the ceremonies of induction of members of the

 Society of the Jesuits,' printed in Latin, and bearing the

 seal and signature and attecitation of the General and Secre

tary of the Order at Rome, embracing also the co-lateral

 branch of the Society of San Fedistas, or Fathers of the Holy

 Faith. Accompanying the same were manuscript additions

10

 and amendtuents made to the general work. Carefully con

cealing the fact of my discovery, I immediately set to work

 and in stenographic hand copied the entire woik from the

 Latin into French, and, knowing that it would be exceeding

ly dangerous to be found with the original in my possession,

 if not positively fatal, I wrapped the whole up with the

 ' *

 same care with which I had undone it, replaced it in the cor.

 ner of the gutter of my bedstead and pushed the rawhide

 mattress over it in the same manner as I had found it.

 I started the next morning, after having completed my

 copying, to renew my explorations and to peruse the copy I

 had made. In a week I again returned to the house where I

 had been staying, when I was informed by the family that the

 Obispo with his servant had returned in great trepidation and

 anxiety, asking if they or any one had found a small parcel

 done up, describing its outward appearance, for he had lost

 it and would be ruined if it was not to be found. He had

 ridden on muleback over one hundred and fifty leagues and

 had searched for it in vain. On entering my apartment,

 which he had also occupied, and on approaching the bed

stead and lifting the rawhide, he had discovered the lost par

it.

 cel and was greatly overjoyed on again getting possession of

 He rigidly questioned them concerning the extrangero

 who rented the apartments, but gaining no information that

 would throw any additional light on the subject, went away

 satisfied with what he had recovered.

 "Having when in Paris heard of such a work that had

 been printed and used by Eugene Sue in his great work of

 the 'Wandering Jew,' which precipitated the Revolution of

 1848 and made France a republic, I sent for a copy of that

 work, if it could possibly be obtained, which I was fortunate

 in being able to do through an officer of the Grand Orient of

 France. On comparing the two, I found that they were

 identically alike, with the exception only of late additions

 and emendations, which, with some other matters, were in

 manuscript form as already stated. I therefora adopted the

 copy sent me with the introduction by Charles Sauvestre and

11

 other addenda, and at my leisure translated the whole print

ed matter into Spanish, sent the manuscript to my friends in

 the city of Boston, in the United States, and had it printed

 in Spanish for the benefit of my Masonic brethren in Span

ish America, but the imprint, the better to conceal the source

 and protect my friends, was made to appear as having been

 printed at a certain number and street in Paris. I succeeded

 in getting quite a large number of copies smuggled through

 the custom-house at Callao, Peru, and distributed some of

 them among my Masonic brethren in that country. But,

 alas! unfortunately for myself and the fraternity, the Jesuits

 were to be found even among them, and, being duly warned

 by true brethren, it became necessary, in order to save my

 life, to flee from the country, and I made my arrangements

 to leave accordingly. But being detained longer than 1 ex

pected, I had to take another route to reach another seaport

 than the one originally contemplated, and in doing so had to

 run the gauntlet, as it were, and was shot and stabbed in the

 back, as you see by the wounds nearly healed. Fortunately

 none proved to be fatal. I succeeded in reaching the sea

coast, and through kind brethren was put on board of an

 English steamer bound for Panama, from whose surgeon and

 officers I received every courtesy and attention, and on ar

riving at Panama, I took the Pacific Mail Company's steamer,

 receiving the same tender treatment, and arrived here only a

 few days ago, nearly well, and here I am just as you see me.

 Through it all I have carried one copy of this work safely,

 and here it is. If I could get it translated into English and

 have it printed, it would be a most valuable weapon in the

 hands of the Masonic fraternity."

 At that time we were the Associate Editor of the Masonic

 Mirror, published by A. W. Bishop & Co., afterwards Bishop

 & Sherman. We offered to make the translation, and did a

 small portion of it at that time and sent copies of the oath of

 the San Fedistas and Colloquy to our subscribers, and we

 went with him to Messrs. H. H, Bancroft & Co., Roman &

 Co., and other publishers of San Francisco at that time, to

12

 see if they would print the work, but all of them declined,

 either out of indifference, fear or policy, and the publication

 of it at that time had to be abandoned. This gentleman then

 went with me to Dr. Washington Ayer, with whom the book

 was left. It had been lost, and for a period of about twelvo

 years could not be found, when, as good fortune would have

 it, the book was again recovered in the fall of 1882, and, as

 translated, it is here given to our readers. The original owner

 is supposed to now be in Mexico or Central America, pursu

ing his scientific researches there. His name is withheld for

 prudential reasons and for safety. He is a gentleman of high

 character, and was warmly and favorably indorsed by Senor

 Don Jos^ Raymundo Morales, 33'^ Active Member of the

 Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Eite

 of Freemasonry of Peru at the time of his visit to the Grand

 Consistory of the State of California, at its organization in

 San Francisco, October 12th, 1870, at which time we were

 chosen as the Grand Registrar of that Grand Body.

 The difficulty in adhering to the original text, being a

 translation from the Spanish into English, and the Spanish

 itself being a translation from the Latin and the French at

 the same time, we have endeavored to give the same true to

 the spirit and literally as possible; and though there are

 some paragraphs and sentences somewhat awkward in ex

pression, dubious in their meaning and hard to be understood,

 yet the reader will be ready, when he comes to them, to un

derstand the full force of the language of the Jesuit Talley

rand, *' that words are only intended to conceal ideas."

 Asking the indulgence of our readers for the imperfections

 contained in this our first edition, which when exhausted

 will be supplied by another, and thanking our Masonic and

 other brethren, who have encouraged us in bringing forth

 this work, that we may see the devil as he is, we remain,

 Fraternally yours,

 EDWIN A. SHERMAN,

 Translator and Compiler.

 San Feanoisco, Cal., August 24, 1883.

https://dn790003.ca.archive.org/0/items/engineercorpsofhe00sher/engineercorpsofhe00sher.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/joshua.cox.777

Our democracy

Inbox

Chair Jaime Harrison (via Democrats.org) Unsubscribe

 

Mon, Jan 6, 9:21 AM

 

to me

DemocratsJoin us.

William,

Four years ago, the world watched as Donald Trump inspired a violent mob to storm our Capitol, attacking law enforcement and threatening our democratic institutions.

Today, we especially remember the 140 officers who were injured on January 6 and those who lost their lives due to the Capitol attack. We reaffirm our commitment to making sure this kind of violent attack on our democracy never happens again.

What happened on January 6, 2021, was an assault on one of America’s most fundamental freedoms: the right to have your vote counted in a free and fair election.

The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy — especially when elections do not turn in our favor.

And while our democracy has prevailed, it’s up to all of us to remain vigilant in defending the values our country was founded on. As this new administration begins, we must make sure our democratic processes and institutions continue to function in service of the American people, no matter who wins and loses.

To do this, we cannot let up for even a minute. The Democratic National Committee has made historic investments in protecting voters nationwide and electing Democrats who will fight for what is right. No matter who our president is and who controls Congress, that work continues.

If you are able, I hope you’ll consider making a contribution to support these efforts.

Today and every day, thank you for being a part of this work.

Jaime

Jaime Harrison

Chair

Democratic National Committee

Chair Jaime Harrison

If you gave recently via check or mail, our system may not have yet processed your gift. We are appreciative and thank you greatly for your support.

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Contributions or gifts to the Democratic National Committee are not tax deductible. Paid for by the Democratic National Committee, www.Democrats.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Billy Dunn <0lizzysec1@gmail.com>

 

Mon, Jan 6, 10:46 AM

 

to feedback

the reality is your democracy or republic keeps everyone at each others throats because democracy is neverending battle where no one in this life can have peace because American insurrection attacking democracy while soldiers are defending the democracy overseas, what a sick demented retarded hypocrisy this democracy is and you all prove the vindictiveness and when you gaslight and play stupid while lacing emails and speech with clues you are no better than the Jesuit Nazi that burned Jews in ovens in Nazi Germany. This democracy is in insane debt and your idea of a bettering economy is to go to war!

1

2

Case No. 25 PO 00002 3G

PO Rec No.: 323314

254400044

FILED

2025 JAN-7 PM 4:58 JUSTICE PEACE

IN THE JUSTICE COURT OF DAYTON TOWNSHIP

3

4

JOSHUA JAMES COX

5

Applicant,

VS.

6

BILLY DUNN

7

Adverse Party.

8

COUNTY OF LYON, STATE OF NEVADA

TEMPORARY PROTECTION ORDER AGAINST STALKING OR HARASSMENT

9

Expiration: This order was issued by the Court above on January 7, 2025 and will expire

10

on FEBRUARY 21, 2025 at 11:59 pm unless the Court orders otherwise. Hearing to Extend:

11

12

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

There will be a hearing to determine whether to extend this order on FEBRUARY 18, 2025 at 3:00 pm at the Court listed above.

If you do not attend, the court may rule against you.

The Applicant filed a verified application for a protective order. The Court has jurisdiction over this matter. See NRS 200.591, et seq. The Court finds that stalking, aggravated stalking and/or harassment has occurred. Accordingly, and good cause appearing, it is the ORDER of the Court that the following orders apply to the Adverse Party:

1. YOU ARE PROHIBITED from threatening, physically injuring, or harassing the

Applicant and/or the following persons:

Protected Parties: The following persons are protected under this order: Applicant: JOSHUA JAMES COX

2. YOU ARE ORDERED to not contact the protected parties at all in any way,

including but not limited to in person, by phone/text, by email, or through social

media.

3. YOU ARE ORDERED to stay away from Applicant's residence located at: 2024 LONNIE LANE, DAYTON, NV 89403

20

02020 Nevada Supreme Court

Temporary Protection Order Against Stalking or Harassment (Revised October 2020)

Page 1 of 3

8.

7.

6.

How do you know the person you need protection from (check all that apply)?

We are related by blood or marriage. Explain We are or used to be friends/acquaintances.

We are

neighbors

or reside in the same

We are or were co-workers.

Other: (specify relationship):

in any court?

neighborhood.

Are there any other current or prior court cases that involve you and the Adverse Party

No.

Yes. If you know, please list the case type, county, state, and case number:

Firearms/Guns.

Does the Adverse Party own a gun or have a gun in his/her possession or control?

No

Yes

I don't know.

Most Recent Event. Think about the most recent event. These questions ask about the most recent event only.

Approximate date it happened:

City/State/Location where it happened:

Did the other person use or threaten to use a weapon? No Yes.

What Happened? Explain the most recent event and describe any injuries. Give specific and detailed information about the event. You can list past events on the next page. If you are filing on behalf of a child, include details about who happened to the child.

I WAS LEAVING CALIFORNIA ON JANUARY 2ND WHEN THE CFO

AT MY JAR MESSAGED ME AND

ASKED ME TO MEET HER IN HER OFFICE SOMETIME THAT WEEK. I INFORMED HER THAT I WAS OUT OF TOWN BUT WOULD BE THERE IN THE MORNING (JANUARY 3RD). I ASKED WHAT IT WAS ABOUT AND

02020 Nevada Supreme Court

Application for Protection Order

(Revised October 2020)

Page 3 of 8

SHE SAID THAT SOMEONE THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW WAS TEXTING HER AND 14 OTHER PHONE NUMBERS. AND THEY SENT HER A VIDEO ALSO, BILLY DUNN who RESIDES AT 2031 LONNIE LANE WAS THE PERSON THE OWNERS SENDING THE TEXTY AND VIDEO, HE SENT THESE TO AND FAMRY MEMBERS THAT HE IS STALKING, HARASSING AND CYBER BULLYING ME AND OTHER PEOPLE ONLINE. HE MIGHT DO: IT IS ESCALATING AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE

EMPLOY ME.

Attach more pages if you need more room (pages 4a, 4b, 4c).

C2020 Nevada Supreme Court

Application for Protection Order (Revised October 2020)

Page 4 of 8

9.

Past Event(s).

Think about any other times the person you want protection from threatened or abused you happened. and/or the child/children. The following questions ask about any past events that may have

Approximate Date:

What Happened:

JUNE 12TH 2024 I GOT HOME

FROM WORK AND MY NEIGHBOR APPROACHED WE AND ASKED IF I SAW A POST THAT BILLY SUNN HAD POSTED ON A TACEBOOK GROUP (RE DAYTON NEVADA JOB SEEKERS). I TOLD HIM NO I HAVEN'T SEEN IT AND ASKED TO SEE IT HE HAD AN A. I., APP ASE TO MAKE A STORY ABOUT ME COMMITTING SUICIDE. I HAVE REPORTED THE VIDEOS ONLINE, BUT I KNOW IT ISN'T ENDUGH AND MY FAMILY AND EMPLOYERS AFE WORRIED FOR ME AND WHAT HE MIGHT DO NEXT!

Approximate Date: What Happened:

10. Law enforcement involvement.

Was law enforcement informed?

No

Yes

a. If so, please provide a copy of the police incident report Was anyone arrested? No Yes (Who),

Is the Adverse Party in jail? A No

Yes

C2020 Nevada Supreme Court

Application for Protection Onder (Revised October 2020)

Page 5 of 8  

About Extended Protection Orders:

This application automatically asks the judge to issue up to a 45-day temporary protection order without notifying the other person first.

You can also ask for an extended order that could last for up to 2 years.

If you do, the judge will set a hearing. You and the other person will have to appear in court and explain your side before the judge can extend the protection order.

12.

Length of Protection Order.

X

I want an order up to 45 days only.

I want an order up to 45 days PLUS an extended order that could last up to 2

years.

13. Other Exhibits. You may attach documents, pictures, or anything else that you would like the judge to look at and consider when reviewing your application. The Adverse Party will receive a copy of all documents/evidence you provide.

Describe what you are attaching: Phoras OF TEXTS TO MY EMPLOYER AND PICTURES POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA OF ME ALONG WITH THE FICTITIOUS STORY HE HAD MADE AND POSTED. POLICE REPORT FILED ONLINE ALSO.

14. This document does not contain the personal information of any person as defined by NRS 603A.040.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the law of the State of Nevada that the foregoing is true and correct.

Dated MONDAY JAMY 6, 2025.

Submitted by:

Adh

Toster

(your signature)

Joshut J. Cox

(print your name)

VERIFICATION

I declare that I am the applicant in the above-entitled action; that I have read the foregoing application and know the contents thereof; that the pleading is true of my own knowledge, except for those matters therein contained stated upon information and belief, and that as to those matters, I believe them to be true. I declare under penalty of perjury under the law of the State of Nevada that the foregoing is true and correct.

Dated MONDAY ANUARY 6, 2025.

Submitted

by: Vacher

©2020 Nevada Supreme Court

Page 8 of 8

(your signature)

Joshua J. Cox

(print your name)

Application for Protection Order (Revised October 2020)

On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob[40][41][42] of supporters of then-president Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup d'état,[43] two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. They sought to keep him in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of the president-elect Joe Biden. The attack was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results. According to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, the attack was the culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn the election.[44][45] Within 36 hours, five people died: one was shot by the Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes, including a police officer who died of natural causes a day after being assaulted by rioters.[d][35][46] Many people were injured, including 174 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.[36] Damage caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million.[47]

Encouraged by Trump,[48][49] on January 5 and 6, thousands of his supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., to support his false claims that the 2020 election had been "stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats",[50][51][52][53] and to demand that then-vice president Mike Pence and Congress reject Biden's victory.[54] Starting at noon on January 6 at a "Save America" rally on the Ellipse,[55] Trump gave a speech in which he repeated false claims of election irregularities[56] and said, "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore".[57][58] As Congress began the electoral vote count, thousands of attendees, some armed, walked to the Capitol, and hundreds breached police perimeters.[59][60] Among the rioters were leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers militia groups.[61]

The FBI estimates that between 2,000 and 2,500 people entered the Capitol Building during the attack,[62][63][64] some of whom participated in vandalism and looting,[65][66] including in the offices of then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congress members.[67] Rioters also assaulted Capitol Police officers[68] and journalists.[69] With building security breached, Capitol Police evacuated and locked down both chambers of Congress and several buildings in the Complex.[70] Rioters occupied the empty Senate chamber while federal law enforcement officers defended the evacuated House floor.[71][72] Pipe bombs were found at both the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters, and Molotov cocktails were discovered in a vehicle near the Capitol.[73][74] Trump resisted sending the National Guard to quell the mob.[75] Later that afternoon in a Twitter video,[76] he restated false claims about the election and told his supporters to "go home in peace".[77][78] The Capitol was cleared of rioters by mid-evening,[79] and the electoral vote count was resumed and completed by the early morning of January 7, concluding with Pence declaring the final electoral vote count in favor of President-elect Biden and Vice president-elect Kamala Harris. Pressured by his cabinet, the threat of removal, and many resignations, Trump later conceded to an orderly transition of power in a televised statement.[80][81]

A week after the attack, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for incitement of insurrection, making him the only U.S. president to be impeached twice.[82] In February, after Trump had left office, the Senate voted 57–43 in favor of conviction, but fell short of the required two-thirds, resulting in his acquittal.[83] Senate Republicans blocked a bill to create a bipartisan independent commission to investigate the attack,[84][68] so the House instead approved a select investigation committee.[e][85][86] They held nine televised public hearings on the attack,[87] voted to subpoena Trump,[88] and recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecute him. Following a special counsel investigation, Trump was in August 2023 indicted on four charges,[89][90] which were all dismissed in November 2024, following his reelection to the presidency.[91]

Trump and elected Republican officials have promoted a revisionist history of the event by downplaying the severity of the violence, spreading conspiracy theories, and portraying those charged with crimes as hostages and martyrs.[92]

As of May 2024, of the 1,424 people then charged with federal crimes relating to the event[93] 1,010 pled guilty,[93] and 1,060 have been sentenced, 64% of whom received a jail sentence.[93] Some participants in the attack were linked to far-right extremist groups or conspiratorial movements, including the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters,[94][95] some of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy.[96] Enrique Tarrio, then the chairman of the Proud Boys, received the longest sentence, a 22-year prison term.[97]

On January 20, 2025, upon taking office, Trump granted clemency to all January 6 rioters, including members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers along with those who violently assaulted police.[26]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack

Cox Report

The Report of the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China, commonly known as the Cox Report after Representative Christopher Cox, is a classified U.S. government document reporting on the People's Republic of China's covert operations within the United States during the 1980s and 1990s. The redacted version of the report was released to the public on May 25, 1999.

Committee created by the U.S. House of Representatives

The report was the work product of the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China. This special committee, created by a 409–10 vote of the U.S. House of Representatives on June 18, 1998, was tasked with the responsibility of investigating whether technology or information was transferred to the People's Republic of China that may have contributed to the enhancement of the nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles or to the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction.

A similar investigation had already begun in the U.S. Senate under the leadership of Senator Fred Thompson (Republican-Tennessee). Thompson had opened his hearings on China's influence in America's 1996 presidential and congressional elections 11 months earlier (on July 8, 1997).

The Chairman of the committee was Republican Rep. Christopher Cox of California, whose name became synonymous with the committee's final report. Four other Republicans and Democrats served on the panel, including Representative Norm Dicks, who served as the ranking Democratic member. The committee's final report was approved unanimously by all 9 members. The redacted version of the report was released to the public May 25, 1999.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_Report

A famous Jesuit General Michael Angelo Tambourini once boasted, in 1720, to the Duke of Brissac: " See, My Grace  [my Lord], from this room, I govern not only Paris, but China; not only China, but the whole world, without anyone knowing how it is managed."

"Andrew Steinmetz, History of the Jesuits, Vol. 1 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Lea and Blanchard Publ.,/New York: Richard Bentley, 1848), pp.107, 168-169; see also, Constitution of the Jesuits, edited by Paris Paulin (1843); Eugene Sue (Marie Joseph), The Wandering Jew, (London: Chapman and Hall, 1844/ New York; Harper & Brothers,, 1845), Bk I, Chap. XV, P. 183; see also, p. 618, and Bk. II, p. 21; Abrige de I'Hist. Eccles. de Racine, Chap. xii. P. 77." page 129 Chapter XII "Unhesitating Obedience: The General And The Holy Office" Codeword Barbelon book One by P.D. Stuart

"Steinmetz was fourteen years a Jesuit; see also, Constitutions of the Jesuits, ed. by P. Paulin (1843); Morale Pratique Des Jesuites: Histoire De La Persecution De deux Saints, Vol. I (Cologne, 1669), pp. 50 and 51." "Epilogue-For Such A Time As This"

Pope Francis Lord of the World

by P.D. Stuart

Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in New Mutants #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is initially depicted as a supervillain of the New Mutants and X-Force, though later stories would portray him as an antihero. Deadpool is the alter ego of Wade Wilson, a disfigured Canadian mercenary with superhuman regenerative healing abilities. He is known for his tendency to joke incessantly and break the fourth wall for humorous effect.

The character's popularity has seen him featured in numerous other media outlets. In the 2004 series Cable & Deadpool, he refers to his own scarred appearance as "Ryan Renolds [sic] crossed with a Shar Pei".[7][8] Reynolds developed an interest in portraying the character after reading the comic,[9] which was ultimately realized in the X-Men film series, including X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Deadpool (2016), and its sequels Deadpool 2 (2018) and Marvel Cinematic Universe's Deadpool & Wolverine (2024),[10][11][12][13] in the latter of which Blake Lively, Matthew McConaughey, Paul Mullin, Nathan Fillion, Peggy, and Reynolds' children Inez and Olin portray alternate universe variants of Deadpool.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpool

Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour[1] is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant to be blunt, ironic, laconic, or apparently unintentional.

Etymology

The term deadpan first emerged early in the 20th century, as a compound word (sometimes spelled as two words) combining "dead" and "pan" (a slang term for the face). It appeared in print as early as 1915, in an article about a former baseball player named Gene Woodburn written by his former manager Roger Bresnahan. Bresnahan described how Woodburn used his skill as a ventriloquist to make his manager and others think they were being heckled from the stands. Woodburn, wrote Bresnahan, "had a trick of what the actors call 'the dead pan.' He never cracked a smile and would be the last man you would suspect was working a trick."[2][3]

George M. Cohan, in a 1908 interview, had alluded to dead pans without using the actual term "deadpan". Cohan, after returning from a trip to London, told an interviewer that "the time is ripe for a manager to take over about a dozen American chorus girls and wake up the musical comedy game. The English chorus girls are dead–their pans are cold.”[4]

The Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1928 New York Times article as having the first appearance of the term in print.[5] That article, a collection of film slang compiled by writer and theatrical agent Frank J. Wilstach, defines "dead pan" as "playing a role with expressionless face, as, for instance, the work of Buster Keaton."[6] There were several other uses of the term, in theater and in sports, between the 1915 Bresnahan article and the 1928 article in the Times.[3]

The usage of deadpan as a verb ("to speak, act, or utter in a deadpan manner; to maintain a dead pan") is recorded at least as far back as 1942.[5]

Examples

See also: List of deadpan comedians

Rat Pack comedians Joey Bishop and Brad Jewell, noted for their deadpan style, with Jennie and Terrie Frankel (Doublemint Twins), Sig Sakowicz, Tony Diamond, Sara Sue, Tippi Hedren and Mel Bishop

The English music hall comedian T. W. Barrett, working in the 1880s and 1890s, is credited with being the first to perform in a deadpan manner, standing completely still and without a smile.[7]

Early in his vaudeville days, Buster Keaton developed his deadpan expression. Keaton realised that audiences responded better to his stony expression than when he smiled, and he carried this style into his silent film career.[8] The 1928 Vitaphone short film The Beau Brummels, with vaudeville comics Al Shaw and Sam Lee, was performed entirely in deadpan.[9] The 1980 film Airplane! was performed almost entirely in deadpan;[10] it helped relaunch the career of one of its supporting actors, Leslie Nielsen, who transformed into a prolific deadpan comic after the film.[11] Actor and comedian Bill Murray is known for his deadpan delivery.[12]

Many popular American sitcoms use deadpan expressions to deliver dry humour, including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, and My Name Is Earl. More recent examples are Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt from the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing in Friends, Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson and Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, Jennette McCurdy as Sam Puckett in iCarly, and Louis C.K. in Louie. Another example is the comedy of Steven Wright.[13]

Deadpan delivery runs throughout British humour.[14] In television sitcoms, John Cleese as Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers and Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder in Blackadder are both frustrated figures who display little facial expression in their put-downs.[15] Atkinson also plays authority figures (especially priests) while speaking absurd lines with a deadpan delivery. Monty Python include it in their work, such as "The Ministry of Silly Walks" sketch.[16] For his deadpan delivery Peter Sellers received a BAFTA for Best Actor for I'm All Right Jack (1959). A leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, Peter Cook delivered deadpan monologues in his double act with Dudley Moore.[17] In his various roles Ricky Gervais often draws humour from an exasperated sigh.[18] While in his various guises such as Ali G and Borat, the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen interacts with unsuspecting subjects not realising they have been set up for self-revealing ridicule; on this The Observer states, "his career has been built on winding people up, while keeping a deadpan face."[19]

Dry humour is often confused with highbrow or egghead humour, because the humour in dry humour does not exist in the words or delivery. Instead, the listener must look for humour in the contradiction between words, delivery and context. Failure to include the context or to identify the contradiction results in the listener finding the dry humour unfunny. However, the term "deadpan" itself actually refers only to the method of delivery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpan

"The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was created under the National Security Act of 1947, which President Truman signed on July 26, 1947. The CIA officially came into existence on September 18th that same year, which is when we celebrate our birthday.

With the passage of the 1947 Act, Truman achieved his goals of modernizing and unifying America’s armed services, and, by creating a centralized intelligence agency, reformed our intelligence capabilities. To protect American’s civil liberties, he made sure to clearly divide intelligence roles between domestic and foreign: FBI would handle anything domestic, while CIA was limited to foreign intelligence only. Furthermore, the Act specified that CIA would have no police, subpoena, or law enforcement powers.

President Truman appointed Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter as the first CIA director, known as the Director of Central Intelligence. He had been the Director of one of our immediate “ancestors,” called the Central Intelligence Group. The CIG was a bureaucratic anomaly with no independent budget, no statutory mandate, and staffers assigned from other departments of the government. America needed a peacetime, centralized intelligence agency with its own budget and mandate. That’s why Truman replaced the CIG and created the CIA.

The 1947 Act loosely defined CIA’s mission into four broad tasks:

The 1947 Act was relatively unchanged until 2004. President Bush, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, made major updates to the 1947 act, including the creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

If you’re interested, you can find out more about what is called “the National Security Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of December 2004” on the DNI’s website.

The importance of the 1947 National Security Act cannot be overstated. It created our Nation’s first peacetime intelligence agency, reflected America’s acceptance of its position as a world leader, and it remained a cornerstone of our national security policy for 75 years… and counting.

~ Molly

https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/ask-molly-the-national-security-act-of-1947/

Molly

fem. proper name, a diminutive of Moll, which is a familiar form of Mary.

molly (n.1)

a common 18c. colloquial term for "homosexual man" or "man who is deemed effeminate, a sissy," by 1707, perhaps 1690s. The fem. proper name Molly or Moll served as a type-name of a low-class girl or prostitute in old songs and ballads (perhaps in part for the sake of the easy rhymes).

But the colloquial word also resembles Latin mollis "soft," which also had been used classically in a specific pejorative sense in reference to men, "soft, effeminate, unmanly, weak," in Cicero, Livy, etc. A 1629 publication from the Catholic-Protestant theological disputes, "Truth's triumph ouer Trent," written in English with swerves into Latin, at one point describes the denizens of Hell as fideles fornicarios, adulteros, molles, and so forth, and molles is translated parenthetically in the text as "effeminate." Molly House as a term for a brothel frequented by gay men is attested in a court case from 1726.

also from 18c.

molly (n.2)

seabird, 1857, short for mollymawk, mallemuck, from Dutch mallemok, from mal "foolish" + mok "gull."

also from 1857

https://www.etymonline.com/word/molly

Operation Mockingbird is an alleged large-scale program of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that began in the early years of the Cold War and attempted to manipulate domestic American news media organizations for propaganda purposes. According to author Deborah Davis, Operation Mockingbird recruited leading American journalists into a propaganda network and influenced the operations of front groups. CIA support of front groups was exposed when an April 1967 Ramparts article reported that the National Student Association received funding from the CIA.[1] In 1975, Church Committee Congressional investigations revealed Agency connections with journalists and civic groups.

In 1973, a document referred to as the "Family Jewels"[2] was published by the CIA containing a reference to "Project Mockingbird", which was the name of an operation in 1963 which wiretapped two journalists who had published articles based on classified material.[3] The document does not contain references to "Operation Mockingbird".[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird

Kodashim (Hebrew: קׇדָשִׁים‎, romanized: Qoḏāšim, lit. 'holy things') is the fifth of the six orders, or major divisions, of the Mishnah, Tosefta and the Talmud, and deals largely with the services within the Temple in Jerusalem, its maintenance and design, the korbanot, or sacrificial offerings that were offered there, and other subjects related to these topics, as well as, notably, the topic of kosher slaughter.

Topics

This Seder (order, or division) of the Mishnah is known as Kodashim (“sacred things” or “sanctities”), because it deals with subjects connected with Temple service and ritual slaughter of animals (shehitah). The term kodashim, in the Biblical context, applies to the sacrifices, the Temple and its furnishings, as well as the priests who carried out the duties and ceremonies of its service; and it is with these holy things, places and people that Kodashim is mainly concerned. The title Kodashim is apparently an abbreviation of Shehitat Kodashim ("the slaughter of sacred animals") since the main, although not the only subject of this order is sacrifices.[1][2][3]

The topics of this Seder are primarily the sacrifices of animals, birds, and meal offerings, the laws of bringing a sacrifice, such as the sin offering and the guilt offering, and the laws of misappropriation of sacred property. In addition, the order contains a description of the Second Temple (tractate Middot), and a description and rules about the daily sacrifice service in the Temple (tractate Tamid). The order also includes tractate Hullin, which concerns the slaughter of animals for non-sacrificial use, as well as other dietary laws applying to meat and animal products. Although Hullin is about the slaughter of animals for non-sacrificial, and therefore unsanctified purposes, because the rules about the proper slaughter of animals and birds, and their ritual fitness for use were considered to be an integral part of the concept of holiness in Judaism, they were also included in the order regarding “holy things”.[2][3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodashim

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Revelation 18:2

Zevachim (“Sacrifices”), with FOURTEEN chapters, and originally called Shehitat Kodashim ("slaughtering of the holy animals") deals with the sacrificial system of the Temple period, namely the laws for animal and bird offerings, and the conditions which make them acceptable or not, as specified in the Torah, primarily in the book of Leviticus (Lev 1:2 and on).[1][2][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodashim

14We ought to act on the principle that everyone who lives under obedience should let himself be carried and directed by Divine Providence through the agency of the superior 15as if he were a lifeless body, which allows itself to be carried to any place and treated in any way; or an old man s staff, which serves at any place and for any purpose in which the one holding it in his hand wishes to employ it. 16For in this way the obedient man ought joyfully to employ himself in any task in which the superior desires to employ him in aid of the whole body of the religious order; 17and he ought to hold it certain that by so doing he conforms himself with the divine will more than by anything else he could do while following his own will and different judgment.[3]"

page 221

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

14 And deceived them that dwell on the earth by the signs which were permitted to him to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make the [t]image of the [u]beast, which had the wound of a sword, and did live.

Revelation 13:14

Himmler used the Jesuits as the model for the SS, since he found they had the core elements of absolute obedience and the cult of the organisation.[59][60] Hitler is said to have called Himmler "my Ignatius of Loyola".[59] As an order, the SS needed a coherent doctrine that would set it apart.[61] Himmler attempted to construct such an ideology, and deduced a "pseudo-Germanic tradition" from history.[61] Himmler dismissed the image of Christ as a Jew and rejected Christianity's basic doctrine and its institutions.[62] Starting in 1934, the SS hosted "solstice ceremonies" (Sonnenwendfeiern) to increase team spirit within their ranks.[63] In a 1936 memorandum, Himmler set forth a list of approved holidays based on pagan and political precedents meant to wean SS members from their reliance on Christian festivities.[64] In an attempt to replace Christianity and suffuse the SS with a new doctrine, SS-men were able to choose special Lebenslauffeste, substituting common Christian ceremonies such as baptisms, weddings and burials. Since the ceremonies were held in small private circles, it is unknown how many SS-members opted for these kind of celebrations.[65]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology_of_the_SS

The large Latin inscription on the façade reads: Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang. This abbreviated inscription translates as: "The Supreme Pontiff Clement XII, in the fifth year [of his Pontificate, dedicated this building] to Christ the Savior, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and [John] the Evangelist".[5] The inscription indicates, with its full title (see below), that the archbasilica was originally dedicated to Christ the Savior and, centuries later, rededicated in honor of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. Christ the Savior remains its primary dedication, and its titular feast day is 6 August, the Transfiguration of Christ. As the cathedral of the pope as bishop of Rome, it ranks superior to all other churches of the Catholic Church, including Saint Peter's Basilica.

Name

The archbasilica's Latin name is Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ac Sancti Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum,[6] which in English is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran, and in Italian Arcibasilica [Papale] del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbasilica_of_Saint_John_Lateran#Lateran_Palace

From modest beginnings the SS (Schutzstaffel; Protection Squadrons), became a virtual state within a state in Nazi Germany, staffed by men who perceived themselves as the “racial elite” of Nazi future.

In the Nazi state, the SS assumed leading responsibility for security, identification of ethnicity, settlement and population policy, and intelligence collection and analysis. The SS controlled the German police forces and the concentration camp system. The SS conceived and implemented plans designed to restructure the ethnic composition of eastern Europe and the occupied Soviet Union.

From 1939, the SS assumed responsibility for “solving” the so-called Jewish Question; after 1941, its leadership planned, coordinated and directed the so-called Final Solution of the Jewish Question. This “solution” was the annihilation of the European Jews, which we now refer to as the Holocaust

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/ss

2 §1. The character and charism of the Society of Jesus arise from the Spiritual Exercises which our holy father Ignatius and his companions went through. Led by this experience, they formed an apostolic group rooted in charity, in which, after they had taken the vows of chastity and poverty and had been raised to the priesthood, they offered themselves as a HOLOCAUST to God,[2] so that serving as soldiers of God beneath the banner of the cross and serving the Lord alone and the Church his spouse under the Roman Pontiff, the vicar of Christ on earth,[3] they would be sent into the entire world[4] for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine. [5]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

The ratlines (German: Rattenlinien) were systems of escape routes for German Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe from 1945 onwards in the aftermath of World War II. These escape routes mainly led toward havens in the Americas, particularly in Argentina, though also in Paraguay, Colombia,[1] Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Bolivia, as well as the United States, Canada, Australia, Spain, and Switzerland.

There were two primary routes: the first went from Germany to Spain, then Argentina; the second from Germany to Rome, then Genoa, then South America. The two routes developed independently but eventually came together.[2] The ratlines were supported by rogue elements in the Vatican, particularly an Austrian bishop and four Croatian clergy of the Catholic Church who sympathized with the Ustaše.[3][4][5] Starting in 1947, U.S. Intelligence utilized existing ratlines to move certain Nazi strategists and scientists.[6]

While consensus among Western scholars is that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler died by suicide in 1945, in the late 1940s and 1950s the U.S. investigated claims that he survived and fled to South America..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratlines_(World_War_II)

20. It is better and safer to make alliance and amity with [Moslem] Turks, [Communist] Infidels, or [Talmudic and anti-Torah, Zionist] Jews, than with [Reformation Bible-believing] Heretic Protestants [and Baptists], because they may draw us into the errors of their novelties. {1}

Absolutist Papal Maxims of the Jesuits

Qetesh (also Qodesh, Qadesh, Qedesh, Qetesh, Kadesh, Kedesh, Kadeš or Qades /ˈkɑːdɛʃ/) was a goddess who was incorporated into the ancient Egyptian religion in the late Bronze Age. Her name was likely developed by the Egyptians based on the Semitic root Q-D-Š meaning 'holy' or 'blessed,'[2] attested as a title of El and possibly Athirat and a further independent deity in texts from Ugarit.[3]

Due to lack of clear references to Qetesh as a distinct deity in Ugaritic and other Syro-Palestinian sources, she is considered an Egyptian deity influenced by religion and iconography of Canaan by many modern researchers, rather than merely a Canaanite deity adopted by the Egyptians (examples of which include Reshef and Anat)[4][5]

Character

In Egyptian religion, the functions of Qetesh are hard to determine due to lack of direct references, but her epithets (especially the default one, "lady of heaven") might point at an astral character, and lack of presence in royal cult might mean that she was regarded as a protective goddess mostly by commoners. Known sources do not associate her with fertility or sex, and theories presenting her as a "sacred harlot" are regarded as obsolete in modern scholarship due to lack of evidence.[6]

Her epithets include "Mistress of All the Gods", "Lady of the Stars of Heaven", "Beloved of Ptah", "Great of magic, mistress of the stars", and "Eye of Ra, without her equal".[7] A connection with Ptah or Ra evident in her epithets is also known from Egyptian texts about Anat and Astarte.[8][9]

Iconography

Stele of Qetesh / Kadesh, Dynasty XIX (1292–1186 BC), Museo Egizio

Qetesh wearing the headdress of Hathor and standing on a lion; she holds a lotus flower and a snake and is flanked by Min on the left and Resheph on the right (Louvre).

On a stele representing the deity, Qetesh is depicted as a frontal nude (an uncommon motif in Egyptian art, though not exclusively associated with her), wearing a Hathor wig and standing on a lion, between Min and the Canaanite warrior god Resheph. She holds a snake in one hand and a bouquet of lotus or papyrus flowers in the other.[10][11]

Origin

Early researchers attempted to prove Qetesh was simply a form of a known Canaanite deity, rather than a fully independent goddess. William F. Albright proposed in 1939 that she was a form of the "lady of Byblos" (Baalat Gebal), while René Dussard suggested a connection to "Asherat" (e.g. the biblical Asherah) in 1941. Subsequent studies tried to find further evidence for equivalence of Qetesh and Asherah, despite dissimilar functions and symbols.[12]

The arguments presenting Qetesh and Asherah as the same goddess rely on the erroneous notion that Asherah, Astarte and Anat were the only three prominent goddesses in the religion of ancient Levant, and formed a trinity.[13] However, while Ashtart (Astarte) and Anat were closely associated with each other in Ugarit, in Egyptian sources, and elsewhere,[14][15] there is no evidence for conflation of Athirat and Ashtart, nor is Athirat associated closely with Ashtart and Anat in Ugaritic texts.[16] The concept of Athirat, Anat and Ashtart as a trinity and the only prominent goddesses in the entire region (popularized by authors like Tikva Frymer-Kensky) is modern and ignores the large role of other female deities, for example Shapash, in known texts, as well as the fact El appears to be the deity most closely linked to Athirat in primary sources.[17][18] One of the authors relying on the Anat-Ashtart-Athirat trinity theory is Saul M. Olyan (author of Asherah and the Cult of Yahweh in Israel) who calls the Qudshu-Astarte-Anat plaque "a triple-fusion hypostasis", and considers Qudshu to be an epithet of Athirat by a process of elimination, for Astarte and Anat appear after Qudshu in the inscription.[19][20]

Modern egyptologists, such as Christiane Zivie-Coche, do not consider Qetesh to be a hypostasis of Anat or Astarte, but a goddess developed in Egypt possibly without a clear forerunner among Canaanite or Syrian goddesses, though given a Semitic name and associated mostly with foreign deities.[21]

In popular culture

Qetesh is the name given to the Goa'uld that once possessed Vala Mal Doran, a recurring and then regular character in Seasons 9 and 10, respectively of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1.

Qetesh is also the name used in The Sarah Jane Adventures episode Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith, and confirmed to be the humanoid species (also known as "soul-stealers") of Ruby White (the episode's villain) who feeds off excitement and heightened emotion and have stomachs that live outside their bodies.

Moreover is Qadesh, also called Qwynn, a character in Holly Roberds' fantasy novel "Bitten by Death", published in 2021.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qetesh

What It Means:

"Kadosh" is the Hebrew word for "holy," but it goes beyond just being sacred or set apart. It signifies something that is entirely devoted to God, pure, and distinct from the ordinary.

Why It Matters:

This term is a cornerstone of the Hebrew Bible and frequently appears in passages that describe God’s nature and His expectations for His people. When God is described as "Kadosh," it emphasizes His ultimate purity and separation from all that is common. It's not just about reverence; it’s about living in a way that reflects God’s holiness in our own lives.

Fun Fact:

In Isaiah 6:3, the seraphim around God's throne declare, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty" ("Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh"). This triple repetition highlights the supreme and unparalleled holiness of God, making it a central aspect of divine praise. It’s as if they're shouting, "God is incredibly, utterly holy!"

In ancient Israel, the most sacred place ever is the Temple site in Jerusalem. Perched on a high hill in the heart of the holiest city, it was the ultimate example of setting something aside for special protection. Inside the Temple’s inner chamber, known as the Holy of Holies, was where the presence of the Lord was believed to reside.

What About You?:

Is there something special in your spiritual life that you cherish and want to protect? Maybe it’s a personal ritual, a cherished belief, or a special moment of connection that you hold dear?

Note 345.—'*As to the history of the Kadosh degree, it is said tg have been first invented at Lyons, in France, in 1743. where it appeared under the name of the Petit Elu. This degree, which is said to have been based upon the Templar doctrine heretofore referred to, was afterwards developed into the Kadosh, which we find in 1758 incorporated as the Grand Elect Kadosh into the system of the Council of Emperors of the East and West, which was that year formed at Paris, whence it descended to the Scottish Rite Masons. Of all the Kadoshes. two only ai*e now important, viz.: the Philosophic Kadosh, which Kas been adopted by the Grand Orient of France, and the Knight Kadosh, which constitutes the thirtieth degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, this latter being the most generally diffused of the Kadoshes."—Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Article Kadosh.

"House of 1000 Corpses" - "Run, Rabbit, Run!"

*I write these articles with SPOILERS.

Finishing up my late Halloween month set of movies, I decided to revisit House of 1000 Corpses (the lack of a comma in 1000 has always bothered me…). After thinking about Dog Soldiers director Neil Marshall and whether or not I actually like his films, it made me think of Rob Zombie. I’m in the same boat with his films (and with 3 from Hell out, I wanted to revisit the first film), though I can definitively say I am not a fan of a lot of his work. I was, however, very excited about him in the beginning.

Do I Actually Like This Movie? (SPOILER: Yes, I do.)

I’ve been a fan of Rob Zombie since the White Zombie days. I’m mainly a fan of his music, but his videos were always a bonus since he was so clearly a fan of all things cinema. It was not surprising when he made the move into directing, especially since he had been attached to projects over the years (I seem to remember reading about a planned Crow reboot directed by Zombie that never happened). So when House of 1000 Corpses finally came out, I was pretty amped up for it.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this movie the first time around. But I do remember liking the characters more than the actual story. Captain Spaulding was an obvious favorite with his “Fried Chicken and Gas” store, but he wasn’t in the movie all that much. I found Baby more annoying than anything, though I think that’s the point of her character. Otis was a standout, as well, mostly thanks to Bill Mosely doing a zany Charles Manson impression.

The general vibe of 1970s horror was nice, as well. But looking back, I can’t help but see this movie as Zombie figuring out what he wanted to do. It’s more of a pratice run than a fully realized film. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, I like it more than ever after this viewing. But there was a time when I looked at this as a lesser effort. I blame The Devil’s Rejects for that.

I like House of 1000 Corpses, but I love The Devil’s Rejects. Once I saw that film, I felt that Zombie had figured things out. He had a more cohesive story, and he realized the best thing he could was get the three main characters from the first film out of the house and let them go wild.

It’s not fair, but I started to judge House based on its follow-up. Looking back at it as its own movie, I find a lot more to enjoy. And while I like Rejects more, I still think House is better than most of Zombie’s other films (his Halloween films, as I remember them years later, felt too brutal and not nearly fun enough). On its own, House of 1000 Corpses is a weird, fun, disgusting, disturbing tribute to ‘70s horror.

This Movie Is a Lot More Messed Up than I Remember.

While Zombie’s first two films are borderline comedies, they are still based in horror. This is more the case for House than Rejects (which I consider to be more of an Easy Rider movie with serial killers).

The family is messed up, of course, as they are Zombie’s version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family. But it’s what the family, mainly Otis, does that makes this film disturbing. Otis as Manson obviously makes this film pretty fucking dark, especially with the stuff with the missing cheerleaders early on.

Otis’s later creation of Fish Boy out of Rainn Wilson’s corpse is an image that has stuck with me over the years. And his donning of the skin suit made out of the old dude from Saving Private Ryan is showstopping in its grotesqueness. I mean, he comes out wearing this skin suit and tricks the dead guy’s daughter into thinking he’s her dad. She only realizes it’s only his skin when Otis starts tongue-kissing her through her father’s dead lips. This movie is fucked up.

Perhaps that’s why I prefer Rejects. The main characters are still terrible and do awful things, but nothing as bad as this. You feel just a bit better rooting for them in that film. Otis becomes a more likable Manson in that film.

Okay, I’m not too thrilled with some of the sentences I’ve created in writing about this movie, so I’m just going to stop here.

Why Do I Own This?

I think I bought this without seeing the movie. I don’t think this came out theatrically near me, and I really wanted to see it when it came out on video, so I think I just bought it. I’m glad I did. It’s an experience worth having every couple of years.

Random Thoughts

The interactive menus are actually a little funny, and they're definitely an artifact of a different era in home video releases. My favorite part of the menu is Captain Spaulding reading a porno magazine while he waits for you to pick something.

"I don't like chicken, and I hate clowns!" Okay, I get the clowns, but who the fuck hates chicken?

My least favorite part, and the most amateurish part of Zombie's filmmaking, are the random shots of "creepy" stuff in between each scene. Just go from one scene to the next.

It took way too long for Hardwick's character to get hit with a bat.

It's weird to see Walton Goggins play a half-assed normal role.

The cop-killing sequence does show promise for Zombie's filmmaking abilities. The long wait for the final killshot is effective at creating the mood that evil is happening, and it's quiet all around. No one will be saved.

But them again, it seems at times that Zombie only makes movies as an excuse to show his wife's ass.

"The End?" Adding that question mark is the cheesiest part of this movie by far.

https://whydiot.blogspot.com/2019/11/house-of-1000-corpses-run-rabbit-run.html

Elmer J.[4] Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. Elmer Fudd's aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antagonizing characters. He exhibits the speech sound disorder known as rhotacism, replacing his Rs and Ls with Ws thus referring to Bugs Bunny as a "scwewy" (screwy) or "wascawwy (rascally) wabbit." Elmer's signature catchphrase is, "Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits", as well as his trademark laugh.

The best known Elmer Fudd cartoons include Chuck Jones' work What's Opera, Doc?, the Rossini parody Rabbit of Seville, and the "Hunting Trilogy" of "Rabbit Season/Duck Season" shorts (Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck! Rabbit, Duck!) with Fudd, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck. An earlier prototype of character named Elmer had some of Fudd's recognizable aspects before the character's more conspicuous features were set.

Egghead

Tex Avery introduced a new character in his cartoon short Egghead Rides Again, released July 17, 1937.[5] Egghead initially was depicted as having a bulbous nose, a voice like Joe Penner (provided by radio mimic Danny Webb)[6] and an egg-shaped head. Many cartoon historians believe that Egghead evolved into Elmer over a period of a couple of years. However, animation historian Michael Barrier asserts that "Elmer Fudd was not a modified version of his fellow Warner Bros. character Egghead" and "the two characters were always distinct. That was evidenced by Elmer's early prototype being identified in a Warner publicity sheet for Cinderella Meets Fella (filed with the Library of Congress as a copyright description) as 'Egghead's brother.'"[7][8] Barrier also said that "The Egghead-Elmer story is actually a little messy, my sense being that most of the people involved, whether they were making the films or publicizing them, not only had trouble telling the characters apart but had no idea why they should bother trying."[7]

Egghead made his second appearance in 1938's Daffy Duck & Egghead and was teamed with Warner Bros.' newest cartoon star Daffy Duck. Egghead continued to make appearances in the Warner cartoons in 1938, such as in A-Lad-In Bagdad (1938), and in Count Me Out (1938).[9] Egghead shifts from being bald, to having a Moe Howard haircut, and always has a huge egg-shaped head. Egghead returned decades later in the compilation film Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, while going back to being bald again and redesigned into looking like Elmer Fudd and wearing Elmer Fudd's Clothes and Derby Hat. More recently, he also made a cameo appearance at the end of Looney Tunes: Back in Action and was also given in his own story, which starred him alongside Pete Puma, in the Looney Tunes comic book. An animation historian suggested that the Egghead character was based on Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoonist and entertainer Robert Ripley.[10]

Egghead has the distinction of being the first recurring character created for Leon Schlesinger's Merrie Melodies series (to be followed by such characters as Sniffles, Inki, Elmer Fudd, and even Bugs Bunny), which had previously contained only one-shot characters, although during the Harman-Ising era, Foxy, Goopy Geer, and Piggy each appeared in a few Merrie Melodies.

One of Egghead's final appearances is in Count Me Out.

Voice actors for Egghead

Mel Blanc (as Egghead; Egghead Rides Again, and Egghead when he "woo-hoos" in Daffy Duck & Egghead).

Danny Webb (as Egghead; Egghead Rides Again, Daffy Duck & Egghead, A-Lad-In Bagdad, and Count Me Out).

Mark Kausler voices Egghead in Daffy Duck's Quackbusters.[11]

Elmer Fudd in his true early years

Early prototype of "Elmer Fudd" as he appeared in 1939's A Day at the Zoo

In 1937, Tex Avery created a very early version of Elmer Fudd and introduced him in Little Red Walking Hood, as mysterious hero whistling everywhere he goes. In this cartoon, he had a derby hat, small squinty eyes, big reddish nose, a high collar around his neck, a green long sleeve shirt, green pants, and a bald circle-like human head. At the end of the cartoon, the character tells the villain, the big bad wolf, that he is "the hero in this picture" after he hits the wolf in the head with a mallet. He then continued to make more appearances in the Warner cartoons in 1938, such as in The Isle of Pingo Pongo (made and copyrighted in 1937, released in 1938) (also Prototype-Elmer's second appearance), Cinderella Meets Fella (1938), A Feud There Was (the first time he is fully called "Elmer Fudd") (1938), Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas (1938), Hamateur Night (made and copyrighted in 1938, released in 1939), A Day at the Zoo (made and copyrighted in 1938, released in 1939) and Believe It or Else (1939), mostly as a "running gag" character. In A Feud There Was (1938), Elmer made his entrance riding a motor scooter with the words "Elmer Fudd, Peacemaker" displayed on the side, the first onscreen use of that name. Elmer then appeared on early merchandise and of early Looney Tunes books in 1938 and 1939,[12][13] and even on the lobby cards for "The Isle of Pingo Pongo" and for "Cinderella Meets Fella" with his name attached on them.

In the 1939 cartoon Dangerous Dan McFoo, a new voice actor, Arthur Q. Bryan, was hired to provide the voice of the hero dog character.[citation needed] It was in this cartoon that the popular "milk-sop" wabbit voice of Elmer Fudd was created.[citation needed] Elmer Fudd has since been the chief antagonistic force in most of the Bugs Bunny cartoons, initiating one of the most famous rivalries in the history of American cinema. Sometime later on in this year, some new drawings and redesigns of Elmer Fudd were being created by a character designer, Charlie Thorson.[14]

Elmer emerges

Elmer Fudd, resembling his prototype early in his career, is annoyed by a rabbit in Elmer's Candid Camera.

In 1940, the Egghead-like Elmer's appearance was refined, giving him a chin and a less bulbous nose (although still wearing his old clothing that he was wearing in Tex Avery's earlier cartoons) and Arthur Q. Bryan's "Dan McFoo" voice in what most people consider Elmer Fudd's first true appearance: a Chuck Jones short entitled Elmer's Candid Camera, actually Elmer's ninth appearance, in which a rabbit drives Elmer insane; the rabbit was an early appearance of what would become Bugs Bunny, beginning their long-standing rivalry. Later that year, he appeared in Friz Freleng's Confederate Honey (where he is called Ned Cutler) and The Hardship of Miles Standish where his voice and Little Red Walking Hood-like appearance were still the same. Jones would use this Elmer one more time, in 1941's Elmer's Pet Rabbit; its other title character is labeled as Bugs Bunny but is also identical to his prototype in Camera. In the interim, the two starred in A Wild Hare. Bugs appears with a carrot, New York City accent, and "What's up, doc?" catchphrase all in place for the first time, although the voice and physique are as yet somewhat off. Elmer has a better voice, a trimmer figure (designed by Bob Givens, which would be reused soon later in Jones' Good Night Elmer, this time without a red nose) and his familiar hunting clothes. He is much more recognizable as the Elmer Fudd of later cartoons than Bugs is here. In his new appearances, Elmer actually "wikes wabbits", either attempting to take photos of Bugs, or adopting Bugs as his pet. The rascally rabbit has the poor Fudd so perplexed that there is little wonder as to why Elmer would become a hunter and in some cases actually proclaim, "I hate wittle gway wabbits!" after pumping buckshot down a rabbit hole.

Elmer in Rabbit Fire (1951)

Elmer's role in the two films: that of would-be hunter, dupe and foil for Bugs remained his main role forever afterwards and although Bugs Bunny was called upon to outwit many more worthy opponents, Elmer somehow remained Bugs' classic nemesis, despite (or because of) his legendary gullibility, small size, short temper, and shorter attention span. In Rabbit Fire, he declares himself vegetarian, hunting for sport only.[15]

Elmer was usually cast as a hapless big-game hunter, armed with a double-barreled shotgun (albeit one which could be fired much more than twice without being reloaded) and creeping through the woods "hunting wabbits". In a few cartoons, though, he assumed a completely different persona—a wealthy industrialist type, occupying a luxurious penthouse, or, in one episode involving a role reversal, a sanitarium — into which Bugs would, of course, somehow find his way. In Dog Gone People, he had an ordinary office job working for demanding boss "Mister Cwabtwee". In another cartoon (A Mutt in a Rut) he appeared to work in an office and had a dog he called "Wover Boy", whom he took hunting, though Bugs did not appear. (Elmer also has a hunting dog in To Duck or Not to Duck; in that film, the dog is named Laramore.)

Episodes have featured Elmer in different ways several times. One (What's Up, Doc?, 1950) has Bugs Bunny relating his life story to a biographer, and recalling a time which was a downturn for the movie business. Elmer Fudd is a well-known entertainer who, looking for a new partner for his act, sees Bugs Bunny (after passing caricatures of many other famous 1940s actors (Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Bing Crosby) who, like Bugs, are also out of work). Elmer and Bugs do a one-joke act cross-country, with Bugs dressed like a pinhead, and when he does not know the answer to a joke, Elmer gives it and hits him with a pie in the face. Bugs begins to tire of this gag and pulls a surprise on Fudd, answering the joke correctly and bopping Elmer with a mallet, which prompts the man to point his rifle at Bugs. The bunny asks nervously: "Eh, what's up doc?", which results in a huge round of applause from the audience. Bugs tells Elmer they may be on to something, and Elmer, with the vaudevillian's instinct of sticking with a gag that catches on, nods that they should re-use it. According to this account, the common Elmer-as-hunter episodes are entirely staged.

One episode where Bugs "lost" in trying to hunt was Hare Brush (1956). Elmer has been committed to an insane asylum because he believes he is a rabbit (though it is also revealed that he is a millionaire and owns a mansion and a yacht). Bugs Bunny enters Fudd's room and Elmer bribes him with carrots, then leaves the way the real rabbit entered. Bugs acts surprisingly (for him) naïve, assuming Elmer just wanted to go outside for a while. Elmer's psychiatrist arrives, and thinking Fudd's delusion has affected his appearance, drugs Bugs and conditions him into believing that he is Elmer Fudd, after which Bugs starts wearing hunting clothes and acting like Elmer, hunting the rabbit-costumed Fudd, who is in turn acting like Bugs. Their hunt is cut short when Bugs is arrested by a government agent as Elmer Fudd is wanted for tax evasion. After Bugs is hauled away trying to explain that the rabbit is Elmer Fudd, Fudd breaks the fourth wall and tells the audience "I may be a scwewy wabbit, but I'm not going to Alcatwaz" as he hops away as if he had planned the whole thing.

Elmer Fudd has occasionally appeared in other costumes, notably as Cupid, opposite Daffy Duck in The Stupid Cupid (1944).

The Bugs–Elmer partnership was so familiar to audiences that in a late 1950s cartoon, Bugs' Bonnets, a character study is made of what happens to the relationship between the two when they each accidentally don a different selection of hats (Native American wig, pilgrim hat, military helmets, bridal veil and top hat, to name a few). The result is comic mayhem; a steady game of one-upmanship that ultimately leads to matrimony.

Fat Elmer

For a short time in the 1941–1942 season, Elmer's appearance was modified again, for five cartoons: Wabbit Twouble, The Wacky Wabbit, The Wabbit Who Came to Supper, Any Bonds Today? and Fresh Hare. He became a heavy-set, beer-bellied character, patterned after Arthur Q. Bryan's real-life appearance, and still chasing Bugs (or vice versa). However, audiences did not accept a fat Fudd, so the slimmer version returned for good.

This period also saw a temporary change in Elmer's relationship with Bugs Bunny. Instead of being the hunter, Elmer was the victim of unprovoked pestering by Bugs. In Wabbit Twouble, Bugs plays several gags on Elmer, advising the audience, "I do dis kind o' stuff to him all t'wough da picture!" (A line which would later be said, somewhat ironically, by Cecil Turtle as he and his friends cheat Bugs out of winning a race). Another short, The Wacky Wabbit, finds Elmer focused on prospecting for gold which would be used to fund the World War II effort. Elmer sings a variation of the old prospector's tune "Oh! Susanna" made just for this cartoon (complete with the phrase "V for Victory"), with Bugs joining in just before starting to hassle Elmer. He made a later appearance in The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries episode "Moskow Side Story" as a Russian version with a simple name "Boris" who owns another comedy club in Russia.

Elmer-speak

He nearly always mispronounced consonants [r] and [l], pronouncing them as [w] instead (a trait that also characterized Tweety) when he would talk in his slightly raspy voice. This trait was prevalent in the Elmer's Candid Camera and Elmer's Pet Rabbit cartoons, where the writers would give him exaggerated lines such as "My, that weawwy was a dewicious weg of wamb," to further exaggerate his qualities as a harmless nebbish. The writers often gave him lines filled with those letters, such as doing Shakespeare's Romeo as "What wight thwough yonduh window bweaks!" or Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries as "Kiww the wabbit, kiww the wabbit, kiww the wabbit...!" or "The Beautifuw Bwue Danube, by Johann Stwauss", Stage Door Cartoon's line "Oh, you dubbuh-cwossing wabbit! You tweachewous miscweant!" or the name of actress "Owivia deHaviwwand".

Later appearances

Arthur Q. Bryan died in 1959, but the character was not completely retired at that time. Elmer made appearances in several television specials in the 1970s and 1980s, and some cameo roles in two of the Looney Tunes feature-film compilations. Elmer made a brief headshot cameo appearance in the final scene of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) with other famous characters.

Elmer appeared frequently on the animated series Tiny Toon Adventures as a teacher at Acme Looniversity, where he was the idol and favorite teacher of Elmyra Duff, the slightly deranged animal lover who resembles Elmer in basic head design, name and lack of intellect. On the other hand, a younger version of him makes a single appearance in the episode Plucky's Dastardly Deed, and is named "Egghead Jr", the "smartest kid in class". Elmer made cameos on Animaniacs, one in Turkey Jerky, another in the Pinky and the Brain short, Don't Tread on Us.

Elmer also had a guest starring appearance on Histeria! in the episode "The Teddy Roosevelt Show", in a sketch where he portrayed Gutzon Borglum. This sketch depicts Elmer/Gutzon's construction of Mount Rushmore, accompanied by Borglum's son Lincoln, portrayed by Loud Kiddington. Elmer made another appearance on Histeria!, this time in his traditional role, during a sketch where the bald eagle trades places with the turkey during Thanksgiving weekend, featured in the episode "Americana".

Fudd also appeared on The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries in the first-season episode A Ticket to Crime as detective Sam Fudd; at the end he took off his clothes and turned into Elmer. Elmer appears as part of the TuneSquad team in Space Jam. In one part of the game he and Yosemite Sam shoot out the teeth of one of the Monstars dressed in black suits while Misirlou is heard in the background, a reference TNG be early films of Quentin Tarantino.

Elmer took on a more villainous role in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. He first appears as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck's co-star in a new movie, where he shoots Daffy repeatedly, and is later seen shooting Bugs per the film's script after Daffy's firing. He later appears in the Louvre museum, where he reveals himself to be a secret agent for the Acme Corporation. Elmer chases Bugs and Daffy through the paintings in the Louvre museum, taking on the different art styles as they do so. At the end, Elmer forgets to change back to his normal style after jumping out of the pointillist painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat, allowing Bugs to easily disintegrate Elmer by blowing a fan at him. A four-year-old version of Elmer was featured in the Baby Looney Tunes episode "A Bully for Bugs", where he kept taking all of Bugs' candy, and also bullied the rest of his friends. He was also shown with short blond hair. He appeared in most of the songs.

An even more villainous Elmer appeared in two episodes of Duck Dodgers as The Mother Fudd, an alien who would spread a disease that caused all affected by it to stand around laughing like Elmer and resemble a grey-skinned version of him (a parody of the Flood in Halo and the Borg in Star Trek). In Loonatics Unleashed, his descendant, Electro J. Fudd, tried to prove himself the universe's greatest hunter by capturing Ace Bunny, but settled for Danger Duck instead. Elmer himself also makes an appearance in the form of a photo which shows he presumably died at the hands of a giant squirrel.[citation needed]

In December 2009, Elmer made an appearance in a GEICO commercial where the director tells him to say rabbits instead of "wabbits". Pushed to the edge, Elmer exclaims, "This diwector is wubbing me the wong way!" He was again voiced by Billy West.

Elmer Fudd appears in The Looney Tunes Show, voiced by Billy West. Portrayed as a wealthy businessman coming home after a hard day's work in the "Merrie Melodies" part of the episode "Best Friends," he sings about his love of "gwiwwed cheese" sandwiches. He later had a brief cameo appearance in "Fish and Visitors" as a weather forecaster briefly exclaiming about the rainy weather and doing his famous chuckle at the end. In "Working Duck," Elmer Fudd appeared as a newsman where he reports that Daffy Duck was fired from his position as a security guard after falling asleep during a nighttime bank robbery in which $10 million was stolen. Later on, Elmer Fudd reports that EnormoCorp went out of business due to the worst business decision in the history of business decisions caused by its CEO Daffy Duck (who succeeded the previous CEO Foghorn Leghorn who retired) where he went with the "Proceed as Planned" choice instead of the "Delay the Merger" choice when he mistook Pete Puma as the new muffin man. As a result of this, Elmer mentioned that 10,000 of its workers are now out of a job and states that experts fear that the world economy could collapse. Elmer also states that disgraced CEO Daffy Duck could not be reached for a comment. In "A Christmas Carol," Elmer Fudd reports on Foghorn Leghorn's plans to end the heat wave on Christmas. Elmer Fudd later joins the other characters in the Christmas song called "Christmas Rules" at the end of the episode. In "Dear John," Elmer Fudd reports on Daffy Duck winning a spot on the city council. Elmer Fudd later reports on Daffy Duck's apparent death where he supposedly lost control of his parade float and drove into the St. Bastian River. In "The Black Widow," Elmer Fudd reports on the theft of the Hillhurst Diamond from the museum caused by someone called "The Black Widow."

On June 8, 2011, Elmer starred in the 3-D short "Daffy's Rhapsody" with Daffy Duck. That short was going to precede the film Happy Feet Two,[16] but was instead shown with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Elmer Fudd appears in Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run, voiced again by Billy West. He appears as a spy working for the Mexican general Foghorn Leghorn.

In the 2017 DC Comics/Looney Tunes crossover books, an alternate version of Elmer Fudd was created for a story in which the character was designed more for the DC Universe and was pitted against Batman in the Batman/Elmer Fudd Special. In the story, Elmer is a bounty hunter that originated from the country side before he moved to Gotham to make ends meet. He considered putting the shotgun away for good when he fell in love with Silver St. Cloud, but she was killed by hitman Bugs "The Bunny". He goes to a bar called Porky's (which has attendants that are humanoid versions of other famous Looney Tunes stars) to kill Bugs. Bugs confesses to killing Silver, but avoids death by telling Elmer that Bruce Wayne hired him to do it. Elmer believes Bugs as Bruce was Silver's former lover, and shoots Bruce at a party for vengeance. Batman confronts Elmer in his apartment and defeats the gunman in a fight, where Elmer tells Batman about Silver's death and Bugs. Elmer and Batman return to Porky's and take out most of the crowd before confronting Bugs. The three are shocked to find Silver in the bar herself, where she revealed that she left Bruce and Elmer because of their dangerous lifestyles and had Bugs fake her death. The story ends with all three of the men requesting a glass of carrot juice from Porky. In the issue's backup story, Bugs, Elmer, and Batman re-enact the famous "Rabbit Season, Duck Season" sketch with Batman replacing Daffy as Bugs tells Elmer it is "Bat Season". After getting shot by Elmer too many times, Batman takes Bugs' advice and makes it Robin season, causing Elmer to pursue the Dark Knight's sidekicks instead.[17]

Elmer Fudd appears in New Looney Tunes, voiced by Jeff Bergman. Elmer Fudd was depicted without his trademark double-barreled shotgun in the first season of Looney Tunes Cartoons on the streaming service, HBO Max. The series executive producer and showrunner, Peter Browngardt, said the character could continue to use cartoon violence, such as dynamite and Acme related paraphernalia.[18] The absence of the shotgun has garnered both acclaim and controversy.[19] By 2021, his shotgun was reinstated in the show's second season.[20] He is again voiced by Jeff Bergman in the series.

Elmer appears in the episode "Bugs and the Beanstalk" on Bugs Bunny Builders, voiced once again by Jeff Bergman. In the episode, he is a giant who Bugs discovers in the sky after climbing up there through a giant carrot that he grew in his garden with three magic beans. Elmer wants a place to store his special possessions, so Bugs gathers up the Looney Builders to build a castle for Elmer, even as his new home.

Portrayal

Fudd was originally voiced by Mel Blanc between 1937 and 1938, Danny Webb between 1938 and 1939 (only in Cinderella Meets Fella (1938) and Believe It or Else (1939)), Roy Rogers in 1938, only doing a singing voice in A Feud There Was, and radio actor Arthur Q. Bryan between 1939 and 1959, but on seven occasions during Bryan's lifetime, the voice was provided by Blanc: in Good Night Elmer (1940), Blanc did Elmer's crying; in The Wacky Wabbit (1942), Blanc did Fudd's screams of fear; in The Big Snooze (1946), Blanc spoke as Fudd crying, "Oh, agony, agony!"; in The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950), only a single line was needed, and bringing in Bryan was not cost effective; in Quack Shot (1954), Blanc did Elmer's Peter Lorre-esque laugh after he is shot in the face by his toy battleship; in Wideo Wabbit, Blanc did Elmer's cry of pain; and in What's Opera, Doc?, Elmer's furious scream "SMOG!" was dubbed by Blanc, although Bryan had voiced the rest of the part. In The Stupid Cupid (1944), since Elmer has no dialogue in the cartoon, Frank Graham provided his laugh. Later, during the musician's union strike of 1958, Dave Barry did the voice for Elmer's co-starring appearance in Pre-Hysterical Hare, as during production of the cartoon, Bryan was unavailable due to either feeling ill or appearing on a lot of television shows in New York at the time.[21][22] Elmer was originally going to be voiced in that cartoon by Daws Butler.[22]

In 1959, Bryan died at age 60, and Hal Smith was selected to replace him as Elmer, but after just two cartoons (Dog Gone People (1960) and What's My Lion? (1961)) were recorded by the new actor, with Blanc doing Fudd's crying and gurgling in two scenes in the former cartoon, and another (Crow's Feat (1962)) was made in which Fudd has no lines and therefore no voice, the character was soon retired. Although in more recent years other voice actors have alternated as Elmer's voice, Bryan's characterization remains the definitive one. He was never credited onscreen, because Blanc had a clause in his contract that required him to receive a screen credit and, perhaps inadvertently, denied the same to other voice performers.

Blanc would take on the role regularly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, supplying Elmer's voice for new footage in The Bugs Bunny Show (while Smith voiced the character in the commercials until 1965 when Blanc took up the role full time), The Porky Pig Show, compilation feature films and similar TV specials, as well as some all-new specials. He admitted in his autobiography that he found the voice difficult to get "right", never quite making it his own, which is why his Elmer voice sounded deep and gravelly in the 60s and 70s; however, it began sounding closer to Bryan's Elmer voice, beginning with Bugs Bunny's Valentine (1979). In Speechless (1989), the famous lithograph issued following Blanc's death, Elmer is not shown among the characters bowing their heads in tribute to Blanc.

Other voice actors

Beside Bryan, numerous other actors have voiced Elmer, including:

Mel Blanc (as Prototype-Elmer; Little Red Walking Hood, The Isle of Pingo Pongo, A Feud There Was, Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas, Hamateur Night, A Day at the Zoo; as Elmer; Good Night, Elmer, screaming in The Wacky Wabbit, saying, "Oh, agony, agony!" in The Big Snooze, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, laughing in Quack Shot, screaming in Wideo Wabbit, screaming, "SMOG!" in What's Opera, Doc?, one line in A Mutt in a Rut,[23] crying and gurgling in Dog Gone People, The Bugs Bunny Show,[24] The Porky Pig Show, American Airlines commercials,[25] Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies, The New Adventures of Bugs Bunny,[26] 4 More Adventures of Bugs Bunny,[26] Bugs Bunny’s High-Fructose Christmas Record,[27] Bugs Bunny Vitamins commercials,[28][29] A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court, Looney Tales,[30] Bugs Bunny's Valentine, Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales, Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Bunny, The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special, Six Flags Great America commercial,[31] Sony Electronics commercial,[32] Signet Bank commercial, Looney Tunes Learn About Shapes and Sizes,[33] Looney Tunes Learn About Numbers,[33] Looney Tunes Learn About Sing-Along Songs,[33] Dance Party USA,[34] Oldsmobile commercial,[35] Warner Cinema commercial[36])

Danny Webb (as Prototype-Elmer; Cinderella Meets Fella, and Believe It or Else).

Roy Rogers (as Prototype-Elmer; singing voice in A Feud There Was)

Frank Graham (The Stupid Cupid)

Gilbert Mack (Golden Records records, Bugs Bunny Songfest)[37][38]

Dave Barry (Pre-Hysterical Hare)

Hal Smith (Post Cereal Alpha-Bits commercials,[39] Tang commercials, Dog Gone People, What's My Lion?, Kool-Aid commercials[40])

Richard Andrews (Bugs Bunny Exercise and Adventure Album)[41]

Paul Kuhn (Bugs Bunny's Wild World of Sports)

Darrell Hammond ("Wappin'")

Noel Blanc (You Rang? answering machine messages,[42] Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, Family Guy)[43]

Jeff Bergman (Happy Birthday, Bugs!: 50 Looney Years, Holiday Inn commercial,[44][45] Tiny Toon Adventures, Tyson Foods commercial,[46][47] Box-Office Bunny, Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster, (Blooper) Bunny, Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers, Cartoon Network bumpers,[48][49] Mad,[50] Looney Tunes Dash, Wun Wabbit Wun,[51] New Looney Tunes, Ani-Mayhem,[52] Looney Tunes Cartoons, Bugs Bunny Builders)[53]

Greg Burson (Tiny Toon Adventures, Looney Tunes River Ride, Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure!, Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage,[54][55] Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas,[56] Looney Tunes B-Ball,[57][55] The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, Space Jam (additional lines), Bugs Bunny's Learning Adventures,[58][59] Sheep, Dog 'n' Wolf, various commercials)[53]

Joe Alaskey (Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, You Don't Know Doc! ACME Wise-Guy Edition)[53][60]

Keith Scott (Toyota commercials,[61] The Looney Tunes Radio Show,[62][63] Looney Rock)[53][64][65][66]

Jim Meskimen (Bugs & Friends Sing the Beatles)[67]

Frank Welker (Animaniacs)[53]

Billy West (Space Jam, Bugs & Friends Sing Elvis,[68] Warner Bros. Sing-Along: Quest for Camelot, Warner Bros. Sing-Along: Looney Tunes,[58][69] Histeria!, The Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas,[70] Time Warner Cable commercials,[71][72] The 1st 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show Program Special...Live!...In Stereo, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas, A Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas,[73] GEICO commercial, The Looney Tunes Show, Daffy's Rhapsody, Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run, various video games and webtoons)[53]

Chris Edgerly (Drawn Together)[74]

Tom Kenny (Looney Tunes webtoons)[53]

Brian Drummond (Baby Looney Tunes)[53]

Quinton Flynn (Robot Chicken)[75]

Kevin Shinick (Mad)

James Arnold Taylor (one line in Daffy's Rhapsody)[76][77]

Gary Martin (Looney Tunes Take-Over Weekend promotion)[78]

Seth Green (Robot Chicken)

Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy)

Eric Bauza (Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem,[79] Bugs Bunny in The Golden Carrot,[80][81][82][83] Space Jam: A New Legacy, Bugs and Daffy's Thanksgiving Road Trip,[84] Looney Tunes pinball machine,[85] Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports, Tiny Toons Looniversity)[86]

In popular culture

In the film Fletch Lives (1989), the eponymous character (while in disguise) gives his name as "Elmer Fudd Gantry".[87]

In amateur radio, new amateurs' mentors are called "Elmers", putatively for superficial resemblance to the cartoon character, and perhaps Fudd's use of "broadcastable" euphemisms while (frequently) swearing.[88][89][90]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Fudd

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A rabbi (/ˈræbaɪ/ ⓘ; Hebrew: רַבִּי, romanized: rabbī) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism.[1][2] One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as semikha—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of the rabbi developed in the Pharisaic (167 BCE–73 CE) and Talmudic (70–640 CE) eras, when learned teachers assembled to codify Judaism's written and oral laws. The title "rabbi" was first used in the first century CE. In more recent centuries, the duties of a rabbi became increasingly influenced by the duties of the Protestant Christian minister, hence the title "pulpit rabbis", and in 19th-century Germany and the United States, rabbinic activities such as sermons, pastoral counseling, and representing the community to the outside all increased in importance.

Within the various Jewish denominations, there are different requirements for rabbinic ordination and differences in opinion regarding who is recognized as a rabbi. Non-Orthodox movements (i.e., the Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Renewal movements) have chosen to do so for what they view as halakhic reasons (Conservative Judaism) as well as ethical reasons (Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism).[3][4]

Etymology and pronunciation

The word comes from the Mishnaic Hebrew construct רְבִּי rǝbbī,[a] meaning 'Master [Name]'; the standard Hebrew noun is רב rav 'master'. Rav is also used as a title for rabbis,[6] as are rabbeinu ('our master') and ha-rav ('the master'). A derived term is rebbe.

The Hebrew root in turn derives from the Semitic root ר-ב-ב‎ (R-B-B), which in Biblical Aramaic means 'great' in many senses, including 'revered', but appears primarily as a prefix in construct forms.[7] Although the usage rabim 'many' (as 1 Kings 18:25, הָרַבִּים) 'the majority', 'the multitude' occurs for the assembly of the community in the Dead Sea Scrolls, there is no evidence to support an association of this use with the later title "rabbi".[8] The root is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb,[9] meaning 'lord' (generally used when talking about God, but also about temporal lords), and to the Syriac word ܪܒܝ rabi.

Some communities, especially Sephardic and Yemenite Jews, historically pronounced the title רִבִּי rībbī; this pronunciation competed with רְבִּי rǝbbī and רַבִּי rabbī in Ashkenaz until the modern period.[10][11]

Historical overview

Rabbi is not an occupation found in the Hebrew Bible, and ancient generations did not employ related titles such as Rabban, Rabbi, or Rav to describe either the Babylonian sages or the sages in Israel. For example, Hillel I and Shammai (the religious leaders of the early first century) had no rabbinic title prefixed to their names. The titles "Rabban" and "Rabbi" are first mentioned in Jewish literature in the Mishnah. Rabban was first used for Rabban Gamaliel the elder, Rabban Simeon his son, and Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, all of whom were patriarchs or presidents of the Sanhedrin in the first century. Early recipients of the title rabbi include Rabbi Zadok and Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob, beginning in the time of the disciples of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai. The title "Rabbi" occurs (in Greek transliteration ῥαββί rabbi) in the books of Matthew, Mark, and John in the New Testament, where it is used in reference to "Scribes and Pharisees" as well as to Jesus.[11][12] According to some, the title "rabbi" or "rabban" was first used after 70 CE to refer to Yochanan ben Zakkai and his students, and references in rabbinic texts and the New Testament to rabbis earlier in the 1st century are anachronisms or retroactive honorifics.[13] Other scholars believe that the term "rabbi" was a well-known informal title by the beginning of the first century CE, and thus that the Jewish and Christian references to rabbis reflect the titles in fact used in this period.[14]

The governments of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were based on a system that included the Jewish kings, the Jewish prophets, the legal authority of the high court of Jerusalem, the Great Sanhedrin, and the ritual authority of the priesthood. Members of the Sanhedrin had to receive their ordination (semicha) in an uninterrupted line of transmission from Moses, yet rather than being referred to as rabbis they were called priests or scribes, like Ezra, who is called in the Bible "Ezra, the priest, the scribe, a scribe of the words of God's commandments and of His statutes unto Israel."[15] "Rabbi" as a title does not appear in the Hebrew Bible,[16] though later rabbinic sources occasionally use it as a title for wise Biblical figures.[17]

With the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish monarchy, and the decline of the dual institutions of prophets and the priesthood, the focus of scholarly and spiritual leadership within the Jewish people shifted to the sages of the Men of the Great Assembly (Anshe Knesset HaGedolah). This assembly was composed of the earliest group of "rabbis" in the more modern sense of the word, in large part because they began the formulation and explication of what became known as Judaism's "Oral Law" (Torah SheBe'al Peh). This was eventually encoded and codified within the Mishnah and Talmud and subsequent rabbinical scholarship, leading to what is known as Rabbinic Judaism.

Talmudic period

The traditional explanation is that from the 1st to 5th centuries, the title "Rabbi" was given to those sages of the Land of Israel who received formal ordination (semicha), while the lesser title "Rav" was given to sages who taught in the Babylonian academies, as ordination could not be performed outside the Land of Israel.[16][18] Sherira Gaon summarized the relationship between these titles as follows: "Rabbi is greater than Rav, Rabban is greater than Rabbi, one's name is greater than Rabban".[19] However, some modern scholars argue that "Rabbi" and "Rav" are the same title, pronounced differently due to variations in dialect.[19]

After the suppression of the Patriarchate and Sanhedrin by Theodosius II in 425, there was no more formal ordination in the strict sense. A recognised scholar could be called Rav or Hacham, like the Babylonian sages. The transmission of learning from master to disciple remained of tremendous importance, but there was no formal rabbinic qualification as such.

Middle Ages

In the early Middle Ages "rabbi" was not a formal title, but was used as a term of respect for Jews of great scholarship and reputation.[16] After the emergence of Karaism, Jews who still followed the Talmudic traditions became known as "rabbanites".[16] Initially communities might have a religious judge appointed by the central geonate, often possessing a certification known as pitka dedayanuta or bearing the title chaver (short for chaver besanhedrin hagedolah, used in Israel) or aluf (used in Babylonia).[16] By the 11th century, as the geonate weakened it was common for Jewish communities to elect a local spiritual authority.[16] In the 11th–12th century, some local rabbinic authorities in Spain received formal certification known as ketav masmich or ketav minui in preparation for their leadership role.[16] Maimonides ruled that every congregation is obliged to appoint a preacher and scholar to admonish the community and teach Torah, and the social institution he describes is the germ of the modern congregational rabbinate.

Until the Black Death, Ashkenazi communities typically made religious decisions by consensus of scholars on a council, rather than the decision of a single authority.[20] In the 14th century, the concept arose of a single person who served as religious authority for particular area (the mara de'atra).[16] Formal ordination is first recorded among Ashkenazim with Meir ben Baruch Halevi (late 14th century), who issued the formal title Moreinu (our teacher) to scholars, though it likely existed somewhat earlier.[21] By the 15th century, this formal ordination (known as semicha) became necessary in order to be recognized as a rabbi.[20] Initially some Sephardic communities objected to such formal ordination, but over time the system became adopted by them too.[16]: 13

18th–19th centuries

A dramatic change in rabbinic functions occurred with Jewish emancipation. Tasks that were once the primary focus for rabbis, such as settling disputes by presiding over a Jewish court, became less prominent, while other tasks that were secondary, like delivering sermons, increased in importance.

In 19th-century Germany and the United States, the duties of the rabbi in some respects became increasingly similar to the duties of other clergy, like the Protestant Christian minister, and the title "pulpit rabbis" appeared to describe this phenomenon. Sermons, pastoral counseling, representing the community to the outside, all increased in importance.[16] Non-Orthodox rabbis, on a day-to-day business basis, now spend more time on these functions than they do teaching or answering questions on Jewish law and philosophy. Within the Modern Orthodox community, many rabbis still mainly deal with teaching and questions of Jewish law, but many are increasingly dealing with these same pastoral functions.[22]

Traditionally, rabbis have never been an intermediary between God and humans. This idea was traditionally considered outside the bounds of Jewish theology. Unlike spiritual leaders in many other faiths, they are not considered to be imbued with special powers or abilities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbi

Fulcanelli’s main strategy, the key to unraveling the mystery, lies in an understanding of what he calls the “phonetic law” of the “spoken cabala,” or the “language of the birds.” This punning, multilingual wordplay can be used to reveal unusual and, according to Fulcanelli, meaningful associations between ideas. “What unsuspected marvels we should find, if we knew how to dissect words, to strip them of their bark and liberate the spirit, the divine light which is within,” Fulcanelli writes. He claims that in our day this is the natural language of the outsiders, the outlaws and heretics at the fringes of society. (See appendix A, “Fulcanelli on the Green Language,” for the complete text of this chapter.) 6 This spoken cabala was also the “green language” of the Freemasons (“All the Initiates expressed themselves in cant,” Fulcanelli reminds us) who built the art gothique of the cathedrals. “Gothic art is in fact the art got or art cot —χοτ—the art of light or of the spirit,” Fulcanelli informs us. Ultimately the “art got,” or the “art of light,” is derived from the language of the birds, which seems to be a sort of Ur-language taught by both Jesus and the ancients."

The Mysteries of the Great Cross

by Jay Weidner

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vrxcBcn4h7RRM2SA3X1SS1DsooSxfitI/view?usp=sharing

How to Speak Ignatian: Common words and phrases of the Society of Jesus

Adapted from “How to Speak Loyola,” a glossary developed by the Office of Mission &

Identity, Loyola University, Chicago.

Microsoft Word - How to Speak Ignatian.doc (jesuithighschool.org)

https://www.jesuithighschool.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/how_to_speak_ignatian_0.pdf

Hammurabi (/ˌxæmʊˈrɑːbi/; Old Babylonian Akkadian: 𒄩𒄠𒈬𒊏𒁉, romanized: Ḫâmmurapi;[a] c. 1810 – c. 1750 BC), also spelled Hammurapi,[3][4] was the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire, reigning from c. 1792 to c. 1750 BC. He was preceded by his father, Sin-Muballit, who abdicated due to failing health. During his reign, he conquered the city-states of Larsa, Eshnunna, and Mari. He ousted Ishme-Dagan I, the king of Assyria, and forced his son Mut-Ashkur to pay tribute, bringing almost all of Mesopotamia under Babylonian rule.

Hammurabi is best known for having issued the Code of Hammurabi, which he claimed to have received from Shamash, the Babylonian god of justice. Unlike earlier Sumerian law codes, such as the Code of Ur-Nammu, which had focused on compensating the victim of the crime, the Law of Hammurabi was one of the first law codes to place greater emphasis on the physical punishment of the perpetrator. It prescribed specific penalties for each crime and is among the first codes to establish the presumption of innocence. They were intended to limit what a wronged person was permitted to do in retribution. The Code of Hammurabi and the Law of Moses in the Torah contain numerous similarities.

Hammurabi was seen by many as a god within his own lifetime. After his death, Hammurabi was revered as a great conqueror who spread civilization and forced all peoples to pay obeisance to Marduk, the national god of the Babylonians. Later, his military accomplishments became de-emphasized and his role as the ideal lawgiver became the primary aspect of his legacy. For later Mesopotamians, Hammurabi's reign became the frame of reference for all events occurring in the distant past. Even after the empire he built collapsed, he was still revered as a model ruler, and many kings across the Near East claimed him as an ancestor. Hammurabi was rediscovered by archaeologists in the late nineteenth century and has since been seen as an important figure in the history of law.

Life

Background and ascension

Map showing the Babylonian territory upon Hammurabi's ascension in c. 1792 BC and upon his death in c. 1750 BC

Hammurabi ascended to the throne as the king of a minor kingdom in the midst of a complex geopolitical situation. Hammurabi was an Amorite First Dynasty king of the city-state of Babylon, and inherited the power from his father, Sin-Muballit, in c. 1792 BC.[5] Babylon was one of the many largely Amorite-ruled city-states that dotted the central and southern Mesopotamian plains and waged war on each other for control of fertile agricultural land.[6] Though many cultures co-existed in Mesopotamia, Babylonian culture gained a degree of prominence among the literate classes throughout the Middle East under Hammurabi.[7] The kings who came before Hammurabi had founded a relatively minor city-state in 1894 BC, which controlled little territory outside of the city itself. Babylon was overshadowed by older, larger, and more powerful kingdoms, such as Elam, Assyria, Isin, Eshnunna, and Larsa for a century or so after its founding. However, his father Sin-Muballit had begun to consolidate rule of a small area of south central Mesopotamia under Babylonian rule and, by the time of his reign, had conquered the minor city-states of Borsippa, Kish, and Sippar.[7]

The powerful kingdom of Eshnunna controlled the upper Tigris River, while Larsa controlled the river delta. To the east of Mesopotamia lay the powerful kingdom of Elam, which regularly invaded and forced tribute upon the small states of southern Mesopotamia. In northern Mesopotamia, the Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad I, who had already inherited centuries-old Assyrian colonies in Asia Minor, had expanded his territory into the Levant and central Mesopotamia,[8] although his untimely death would somewhat fragment his empire.[9]

Reign and conquests

Hammurabi's conquests

Date c. 1770 BC – c. 1760 BC

Location

modern-day Iraq & modern-day Syria

Result Babylonian victory

 

Belligerents

Babylonia

Yamhad

Larsa

Mari (until c. 1760 BC)

Elam

Larsa

Mari (from c. 1760 BC)

Minor city-states

Commanders and leaders

Hammurabi

Yarim-Lim I unknown

Casualties and losses

unknown unknown

A limestone votive monument from Sippar, Iraq, dating to c. 1792 – c. 1750 BC showing King Hammurabi raising his right arm in worship, now held in the British Museum

The first few years of Hammurabi's reign were quite peaceful.[10] Hammurabi used his power to undertake a series of public works, including heightening the city walls for defensive purposes, and expanding the temples.[11] The powerful kingdom of Elam, which straddled important trade routes across the Zagros Mountains, invaded the Mesopotamian plain.[12] With allies among the plain states, Elam attacked and destroyed the kingdom of Eshnunna, destroying a number of cities and imposing its rule on portions of the plain for the first time.[13]

In order to consolidate its position, Elam tried to start a war between Hammurabi's Babylonian kingdom and the kingdom of Larsa.[14] Hammurabi and the king of Larsa made an alliance when they discovered this duplicity and were able to crush the Elamites, although Larsa did not contribute greatly to the military effort.[14] Angered by Larsa's failure to come to his aid, Hammurabi turned on that southern power, thus gaining control of the entirety of the lower Mesopotamian plain by c. 1763 BC.[15]

As Hammurabi was assisted during the war in the south by his allies from the north such as Yamhad and Mari, the absence of soldiers in the north led to unrest.[15] Continuing his expansion, Hammurabi turned his attention northward, quelling the unrest. Soon after, he destroyed Eshnunna.[16] Next the Babylonian armies conquered the remaining northern states, including Babylon's former ally Mari, although it is possible that the conquest of Mari was a surrender without any actual conflict.[17][18]

Hammurabi entered into a protracted war with Ishme-Dagan I of Assyria for control of Mesopotamia, with both kings making alliances with minor states in order to gain the upper hand. Eventually Hammurabi prevailed, ousting Ishme-Dagan I just before his own death. Mut-Ashkur, the new king of Assyria, was forced to pay tribute to Hammurabi.[19]

In just a few years, Hammurabi succeeded in uniting all of Mesopotamia under his rule.[18] The Assyrian kingdom survived but was forced to pay tribute during his reign, and of the major city-states in the region, only Aleppo and Qatna to the west in the Levant maintained their independence.[18] However, one stele (stone monument) of Hammurabi has been found as far north as Diyarbekir, where he claims the title "King of the Amorites".[20]

Vast numbers of contract tablets, dated to the reigns of Hammurabi and his successors, have been discovered, as well as 55 of his own letters.[21] These letters give a glimpse into the daily trials of ruling an empire, from dealing with floods and mandating changes to a flawed calendar, to taking care of Babylon's massive herds of livestock.[22] Hammurabi died and passed the reins of the empire on to his son Samsu-iluna in c. 1750 BC, under whose rule the Babylonian empire quickly began to unravel.[23]

Code of laws

Main article: Code of Hammurabi

Code of Hammurabi stele. Louvre Museum, Paris

The Code of Hammurabi was a collection of 282 laws dealing with a wide range of issues.[24] It is not the earliest surviving law code[25][b] but was proved more influential in world politics and international relations[27][28] as instead of focusing on compensating the victim of crime, as in earlier Sumerian law codes, the Code of Hammurabi instead focused on physically punishing the perpetrator.[28] It was also one of the first law codes to place restrictions on what a wronged person was allowed to do in retribution[28] and one of the earliest examples of the idea of presumption of innocence, suggesting that the accused and accuser have the opportunity to provide evidence.[29] The structure of the code is very specific, with each offense receiving a specified punishment. Many offenses resulted in death, disfigurement, or the use of the Lex Talionis philosophy ("Eye for eye, tooth for tooth").[30][28]

The Code of Hammurabi was inscribed on a stele and placed in a public place so that all could see it, although it is thought that few were literate. The stele was later plundered by the Elamites and removed to their capital, Susa; it was rediscovered there in 1901 in Iran and is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The code of Hammurabi contains 282 laws, written by scribes on 12 tablets.[27] Unlike earlier laws, it was written in Akkadian, the daily language of Babylon, and could therefore be read by any literate person in the city. At this time, Akkadian replaced Sumerian, and Hammurabi began language reforms that would make Akkadian the most common language at this time.[31] A carving at the top of the stele portrays Hammurabi receiving the laws from Shamash, the Babylonian god of justice,[32] and the preface states that Hammurabi was chosen by Shamash to bring the laws to the people.[33]

Because of Hammurabi's reputation as a lawgiver, his depiction can be found in law buildings throughout the world. Hammurabi is one of the 23 lawgivers depicted in marble bas-reliefs in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives in the United States Capitol.[34] A frieze by Adolph Weinman depicting the "great lawgivers of history", including Hammurabi, is on the south wall of the U.S. Supreme Court building.[35][36]

Legacy

Posthumous commemoration

Tablet of Hammurabi (𒄩𒄠𒈬𒊏𒁉, 4th line from the top), King of Babylon. British Museum.[37][38][39]

Hammurabi was honored above all other kings of the second millennium BC[40] and he received the unique honor of being declared to be a god within his own lifetime.[41] The personal name "Hammurabi-ili" meaning "Hammurabi is my god" became common during and after his reign. In writings from shortly after his death, Hammurabi is commemorated mainly for three achievements: bringing victory in war, bringing peace, and bringing justice.[41] Hammurabi's conquests came to be regarded as part of a sacred mission to spread civilization to all nations.[42] A stele from Ur glorifies him in his own voice as a mighty ruler who forces evil into submission and compels all peoples to worship Marduk.[43] The stele declares: "The people of Elam, Gutium, Subartu, and Tukrish, whose mountains are distant and whose languages are obscure, I placed into [Marduk's] hand. I myself continued to put straight their confused minds." A later hymn also written in Hammurabi's own voice extols him as a powerful, supernatural force for Marduk:[42]

I am the king, the brace that grasps wrongdoers, that makes people of one mind,

I am the great dragon among kings, who throws their counsel in disarray,

I am the net that is stretched over the enemy,

I am the fear-inspiring, who, when lifting his fierce eyes, gives the disobedient the death sentence,

I am the great net that covers evil intent,

I am the young lion, who breaks nets and scepters,

I am the battle net that catches him who offends me.[43]

After extolling Hammurabi's military accomplishments, the hymn finally declares: "I am Hammurabi, the king of justice."[41] In later commemorations, Hammurabi's role as a great lawgiver came to be emphasized above all his other accomplishments and his military achievements became de-emphasized. Hammurabi's reign became the point of reference for all events in the distant past. A hymn to the goddess Ishtar, whose language suggests it was written during the reign of Ammisaduqa, Hammurabi's fourth successor, declares: "The king who first heard this song as a song of your heroism is Hammurabi. This song for you was composed in his reign. May he be given life forever!"[40] For centuries after his death, Hammurabi's laws continued to be copied by scribes as part of their writing exercises and they were even partially translated into Sumerian.[44]

Political legacy

Copy of Hammurabi's stele usurped by Shutruk-Nahhunte I. The stele was only partially erased and was never re-inscribed.[45]

During the reign of Hammurabi, Babylon usurped the position of "most holy city" in southern Mesopotamia from its predecessor, Nippur.[46] Under the rule of Hammurabi's successor Samsu-iluna, the short-lived Babylonian Empire began to collapse. In northern Mesopotamia, both the Amorites and Babylonians were driven from Assyria by Puzur-Sin a native Akkadian-speaking ruler, c. 1740 BC. Around the same time, native Akkadian speakers threw off Amorite Babylonian rule in the far south of Mesopotamia, creating the Sealand Dynasty, in more or less the region of ancient Sumer. Hammurabi's ineffectual successors met with further defeats and loss of territory at the hands of Assyrian kings such as Adasi and Bel-ibni, as well as to the Sealand Dynasty to the south, Elam to the east, and to the Kassites from the northeast. Thus was Babylon quickly reduced to the small and minor state it had once been upon its founding.[47]

The coup de grace for the Hammurabi's Amorite Dynasty occurred in 1595 BC, when Babylon was sacked and conquered by the powerful Hittite Empire, thereby ending all Amorite political presence in Mesopotamia.[48] However, the Indo-European-speaking Hittites did not remain, turning over Babylon to their Kassite allies, a people speaking a language isolate, from the Zagros mountains region. This Kassite Dynasty ruled Babylon for over 400 years and adopted many aspects of the Babylonian culture, including Hammurabi's code of laws.[48] Even after the fall of the Amorite Dynasty, however, Hammurabi was still remembered and revered.[44] When the Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte I raided Babylon in 1158 BC and carried off many stone monuments, he had most of the inscriptions on these monuments erased and new inscriptions carved into them.[44] On the stele containing Hammurabi's laws, however, only four or five columns were wiped out and no new inscription was ever added.[45] Over a thousand years after Hammurabi's death, the kings of Suhu, a land along the Euphrates river, just northwest of Babylon, claimed him as their ancestor.[49]

A Neo-Babylonian royal inscription, which was intended for display on a stele, commemorates a royal grant of tax exemptions to nine Babylonian cities and presents the royal protagonist as a second Hammurabi.[50]

Relationship to Biblical figures and Mosaic law

In the late nineteenth century, the Code of Hammurabi became a major center of debate in the heated Babel und Bibel ("Babylon and Bible") controversy in Germany over the relationship between the Bible and ancient Babylonian texts.[51] In January 1902, the German Assyriologist Friedrich Delitzsch gave a lecture at the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin in front of the Kaiser and his wife, in which he argued that the Mosaic Laws of the Old Testament were directly copied off the Code of Hammurabi.[52] Delitzsch's lecture was so controversial that, by September 1903, he had managed to collect 1,350 short articles from newspapers and journals, over 300 longer ones, and twenty-eight pamphlets, all written in response to this lecture, as well as the preceding one about the Flood story in the Epic of Gilgamesh. These articles were overwhelmingly critical of Delitzsch, though a few were sympathetic. The Kaiser distanced himself from Delitzsch and his radical views and, in fall of 1904, Delitzsch was forced to give his third lecture in Cologne and Frankfurt am Main rather than in Berlin.[51] The putative relationship between the Mosaic Law and the Code of Hammurabi later became a major part of Delitzsch's argument in his 1920–21 book Die große Täuschung (The Great Deception) that the Hebrew Bible was irredeemably contaminated by Babylonian influence and that only by eliminating the human Old Testament entirely could Christians finally believe in the true, Aryan message of the New Testament.[52] In the early twentieth century, many scholars believed that Hammurabi was Amraphel, the King of Shinar in the Book of Genesis 14:1.[53][54] This view has now been largely rejected,[55][56] and Amraphel's existence is not attested in any writings from outside the Bible.[56]

Parallels between this narrative and the giving of the Covenant Code to Moses by Yahweh atop Mount Sinai in the Biblical Book of Exodus and similarities between the two legal codes suggest a common ancestor in the Semitic background of the two.[57][58][59][60] Nonetheless, fragments of previous law codes have been found and it is unlikely that the Mosaic laws were directly inspired by the Code of Hammurabi.[57][58][59][60][c] Some scholars have disputed this; David P. Wright argues that the Jewish Covenant Code is "directly, primarily, and throughout" based upon the Laws of Hammurabi.[61] In 2010, a team of archaeologists from Hebrew University discovered a cuneiform tablet dating to the eighteenth or seventeenth century BC at Hazor in Israel containing laws clearly derived from the Code of Hammurabi.[62]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi

Kamala Harris Makes a Surprise Met Gala Appearance

The former vice president skipped the carpet, but slipped into the gala in a black silk gown in one of her first major public appearances since the 2024 election.

Kamala Harris in a black and white gown holding a clutch in front of a small couch.

By Vanessa Friedman

May 5, 2025

That’s one way to make a (re-)entrance.

Just days after delivering her first major speech since conceding the 2024 election, in which she condemned the actions of President Trump and warned of a constitutional crisis, former Vice President Kamala Harris was the surprise guest at the Met Gala.

Though a tip sheet of all of the attendees had been distributed beforehand, her name had not been on it, and she sneaked into the gala without posing on the red carpet, according to a spokeswoman.

However, even without the photo ops, the message sent by her asymmetric black silk gown with a choker neckline and one flowing white sleeve was pretty clear: “I’m back. Ish.”

Unlike the Chloé pantsuits that Ms. Harris seemed to have adopted as a semi-uniform by the end of her presidential run, the dress — an Off-White look designed by Ib Kamara, who took on the brand after the untimely death of founder Virgil Abloh — was dramatic. It told the story of two sides. It was a return to the more inclusive dressing strategy Ms. Harris demonstrated during the 2021 inauguration events, when she wore work by all Black designers. And it will probably be controversial.

“To me, the true core of dandyism is rooted in confidence and strength,” Mr. Kamara said. “There is no person who exemplifies these characteristics more than Kamala D. Harris, someone who has overcome adversity and continues to be a beacon for so many.”

Still, political figures are relative rarities at the Met Gala, which tends to over-index on celebrities of all kinds — from Hollywood, in sports, from the art world — and the fashion brands that love them.

Attending the Met can be a fraught decision for any elected official, given the cost ($75,000 a ticket) and its association with coastal elitism and fame. For a Democratic politician like Ms. Harris, who critics believe lost November’s election in part because she and her party were seen as out of touch with the middle of the country, it is especially complicated.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a splash when she attended the gala in 2021, in a gown blaring the message “Tax the Rich.” But there was more discussion over whether she should have been at the party in the first place, given her progressive positions, than there was about the point made by her dress. When Mayor Eric Adams appeared in 2022 wearing a tailcoat with the words “End Gun Violence” on the back, it prompted much the same reaction.

Which is to say, Ms. Harris’s arrival was also a political calculation.

The exhibit the gala celebrates, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” explores the history of the Black dandy and is the first costume institute show to include only designers of color. Honoring that event allowed Ms. Harris to recognize her community and her roots; according to a news release, her look was inspired by “the Black men who helped shape her childhood and were some of her first fashion influences.”

Those men included her Uncle Freddy, whom she would visit in New York, where he worked at the Studio Museum in Harlem and who she said “had incredible style, confidence, and swagger.”

Attending the event (she was accompanied by her husband, Doug Emhoff, who wore Brunello Cucinelli) also allowed her to align herself with an exhibit that seems to represent an unspoken riposte to many of the values espoused by Mr. Trump.

Additionally, Anna Wintour, the mastermind of the gala and the gala’s guest list, is a powerful Democratic fund-raiser who held an event for the Biden-Harris campaign during Paris fashion week in March 2024. As the editor of Vogue she also put Ms. Harris on the magazine’s cover in 2021 and on its digital cover in October 2024, after formally endorsing her last July.

Whether Ms. Harris’s appearance at Ms. Wintour’s greatest shindig is a bit of mutual back-scratching or the start of her next act (or both) is the question.

Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/style/kamala-harris-met-gala-2025.html

Darren Aronofsky first became interested in ballet when his sister studied dance at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. The basic idea for the film started when he hired screenwriters to rework a screenplay called The Understudy, which portrayed off-Broadway actors and explored the notion of being haunted by a double. Aronofsky said the screenplay had elements of All About Eve (1950), Roman Polanski's The Tenant (1976), and Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novella The Double. The director had also seen numerous productions of Swan Lake, and he connected the duality of the White Swan and the Black Swan to the script.[5] When researching for the production of Black Swan, Aronofsky found ballet to be "a very insular world" whose dancers were "not impressed by movies". Regardless, the director found active and inactive dancers to share their experiences with him.

A photograph of a performance of Swan Lake during the third act, with the protagonist transformed into the Black Swan

The scene from the ballet Swan Lake in which the Black Swan (Odile) tricks and seduces the Prince

He also stood backstage to see the Bolshoi Ballet perform at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.[6]

Aronofsky called Black Swan a companion piece to his previous film The Wrestler, recalling one of his early projects about a love affair between a wrestler and a ballerina. He eventually separated the wrestling and the ballet worlds as "too much for one movie". He compared the two films: "Wrestling some consider the lowest art—if they would even call it art—and ballet some people consider the highest art. But what was amazing to me was how similar the performers in both of these worlds are. They both make incredible use of their bodies to express themselves."[6] About the psychological thriller nature of Black Swan, actress Natalie Portman compared the film's tone to Polanski's 1968 film Rosemary's Baby,[7] while Aronofsky said Polanski's Repulsion (1965) and The Tenant (1976) were "big influences" on the final film.[6] Actor Vincent Cassel also compared Black Swan to Polanski's early works and additionally compared it to David Cronenberg's early works.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Swan_(film)

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 1931 – 26 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first Black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from Black theology with African theology.

Tutu was born of mixed Xhosa and Motswana heritage to a poor family in Klerksdorp, South Africa. Entering adulthood, he trained as a teacher and married Nomalizo Leah Tutu, with whom he had several children. In 1960, he was ordained as an Anglican priest and in 1962 moved to the United Kingdom to study theology at King's College London. In 1966 he returned to southern Africa, teaching at the Federal Theological Seminary and then the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. In 1972, he became the Theological Education Fund's director for Africa, a position based in London but necessitating regular tours of the African continent. Back in southern Africa in 1975, he served first as dean of St Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg and then as Bishop of Lesotho; from 1978 to 1985 he was general-secretary of the South African Council of Churches. He emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of South Africa's apartheid system of racial segregation and white minority rule. Although warning the National Party government that anger at apartheid would lead to racial violence, as an activist he stressed non-violent protest and foreign economic pressure to bring about universal suffrage.

In 1985, Tutu became Bishop of Johannesburg and in 1986 the Archbishop of Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa's Anglican hierarchy. In this position, he emphasised a consensus-building model of leadership and oversaw the introduction of female priests. Also in 1986, he became president of the All Africa Conference of Churches, resulting in further tours of the continent. After President F. W. de Klerk released the anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990 and the pair led negotiations to end apartheid and introduce multi-racial democracy, Tutu assisted as a mediator between rival black factions. After the 1994 general election resulted in a coalition government headed by Mandela, the latter selected Tutu to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses committed by both pro and anti-apartheid groups. Following apartheid's fall, Tutu campaigned for gay rights and spoke out on a wide range of subjects, among them his criticism of South African presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, his opposition to the Iraq War, and describing Israel's treatment of Palestinians as apartheid. In 2010, he retired from public life, but continued to speak out on numerous topics and events.

As Tutu rose to prominence in the 1970s, different socio-economic groups and political classes held a wide range of views about him, from critical to admiring. He was popular among South Africa's black majority and was internationally praised for his work involving anti-apartheid activism, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize and other international awards. He also compiled several books of his speeches and sermons.

Early life

Childhood: 1931–1950

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born on 7 October 1931 in Klerksdorp, Transvaal, South Africa.[1] His mother, Allen Dorothea Mavoertsek Mathlare, was born to a Motswana family in Boksburg.[2] His father, Zachariah Zelilo Tutu, was from the amaFengu branch of Xhosa and grew up in Gcuwa, Eastern Cape.[3] At home, the couple spoke the Xhosa language.[4] Having married in Boksburg,[5] they moved to Klerksdorp in the late 1950s, living in the city's "native location", or black residential area, since renamed Makoeteng.[6] Zachariah worked as the principal of a Methodist primary school and the family lived in the mud-brick schoolmaster's house in the yard of the Methodist mission.[7]

Church of Christ the King

The Church of Christ the King in Sophiatown, where Tutu was a server under priest Trevor Huddleston

The Tutus were poor;[8] describing his family, Tutu later related that "although we weren't affluent, we were not destitute either".[9] He had an older sister, Sylvia Funeka, who called him "Mpilo" (meaning 'life').[10] He was his parents' second son; their firstborn boy, Sipho, had died in infancy.[11] Another daughter, Gloria Lindiwe, was born after him.[12] Tutu was sickly from birth;[13] polio atrophied his right hand,[14] and on one occasion he was hospitalised with serious burns.[15] Tutu had a close relationship with his father, although angered at the latter's heavy drinking and violence toward his wife.[16] The family were initially Methodists and Tutu was baptised into the Methodist Church in June 1932.[17] They subsequently changed denominations, first to the African Methodist Episcopal Church and then to the Anglican Church.[18]

In 1936, the family moved to Tshing, where Zachariah became principal of a Methodist school.[15] There, Tutu started his primary education,[9] learned Afrikaans,[19] and became the server at St Francis Anglican Church.[20] He developed a love of reading, particularly enjoying comic books and European fairy tales.[21] In Tshing his parents had a third son, Tamsanqa, who also died in infancy.[9] Around 1941, Tutu's mother moved to the Witwatersrand to work as a cook at Ezenzeleni Blind Institute in Johannesburg. Tutu joined her in the city, living in Roodepoort West.[22] In Johannesburg, he attended a Methodist primary school before transferring to the Swedish Boarding School (SBS) in the St Agnes Mission.[23] Several months later, he moved with his father to Ermelo, eastern Transvaal.[24] After six months, the duo returned to Roodepoort West, where Tutu resumed his studies at SBS.[24] Aged 12, he underwent confirmation at St Mary's Church, Roodepoort.[25]

Tutu entered the Johannesburg Bantu High School (Madibane High School) in 1945, where he excelled academically.[26] Joining a school rugby team, he developed a lifelong love of the sport.[27] Outside of school, he earned money selling oranges and as a caddie for white golfers.[28] To avoid the expense of a daily train commute to school, he briefly lived with family nearer to Johannesburg, before moving back in with his parents when they relocated to Munsieville.[29] He then returned to Johannesburg, moving into an Anglican hostel near the Church of Christ the King in Sophiatown.[30] He became a server at the church and came under the influence of its priest, Trevor Huddleston;[31] later biographer Shirley du Boulay suggested that Huddleston was "the greatest single influence" in Tutu's life.[32] In 1947, Tutu contracted tuberculosis and was hospitalised in Rietfontein for 18 months, during which he was regularly visited by Huddleston.[33] In the hospital, he underwent circumcision to mark his transition to manhood.[34] He returned to school in 1949 and took his national exams in late 1950, gaining a second-class pass.[35]

College and teaching career: 1951–1955

Although Tutu secured admission to study medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, his parents could not afford the tuition fees.[35] Instead, he turned toward teaching, gaining a government scholarship for a course at Pretoria Bantu Normal College, a teacher training institution, in 1951.[36] There, he served as treasurer of the Student Representative Council, helped to organise the Literacy and Dramatic Society, and chaired the Cultural and Debating Society.[37] During one debating event he met the lawyer—and future president of South Africa—Nelson Mandela; they would not encounter each other again until 1990.[38] At the college, Tutu attained his Transvaal Bantu Teachers Diploma, having gained advice about taking exams from the activist Robert Sobukwe.[39] He had also taken five correspondence courses provided by the University of South Africa (UNISA), graduating in the same class as future Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.[40]

In 1954, Tutu began teaching English at Madibane High School; the following year, he transferred to the Krugersdorp High School, where he taught English and history.[41] He began courting Nomalizo Leah Shenxane, a friend of his sister Gloria who was studying to become a primary school teacher.[42] They were legally married at Krugersdorp Native Commissioner's Court in June 1955, before undergoing a Roman Catholic wedding ceremony at the Church of Mary Queen of Apostles; although an Anglican, Tutu agreed to the ceremony due to Leah's Roman Catholic faith.[43] The newlyweds lived at Tutu's parental home before renting their own six months later.[44] Their first child, Trevor, was born in April 1956;[45] a daughter, Thandeka, appeared 16 months later.[46] The couple worshipped at St Paul's Church, where Tutu volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, assistant choirmaster, church councillor, lay preacher, and sub-deacon;[46] he also volunteered as a football administrator for a local team.[44]

Joining the clergy: 1956–1966

Tutu first ministered to a white congregation at the Church of St Alban the Martyr in Golders Green, living with his family in the curate's flat

In 1953, the white-minority National Party government introduced the Bantu Education Act to further their apartheid system of racial segregation and white domination. Disliking the Act, Tutu and his wife left the teaching profession.[47] With Huddleston's support, Tutu chose to become an Anglican priest.[48] In January 1956, his request to join the Ordinands Guild was turned down due to his debts; these were then paid off by the wealthy industrialist Harry Oppenheimer.[49] Tutu was admitted to St Peter's Theological College in Rosettenville, Johannesburg, which was run by the Anglican Community of the Resurrection.[50] The college was residential, and Tutu lived there while his wife trained as a nurse in Sekhukhuneland; their children lived with Tutu's parents in Munsieville.[51] In August 1960, his wife gave birth to another daughter, Naomi.[52]

At the college, Tutu studied the Bible, Anglican doctrine, church history, and Christian ethics,[53] earning a Licentiate of Theology degree,[54] and winning the archbishop's annual essay prize.[55] The college's principal, Godfrey Pawson, wrote that Tutu "has exceptional knowledge and intelligence and is very industrious. At the same time, he shows no arrogance, mixes in well, and is popular ... He has obvious gifts of leadership."[56] During his years at the college, there had been an intensification in anti-apartheid activism as well as a crackdown against it, including the Sharpeville massacre of 1960.[57] Tutu and the other trainees did not engage in anti-apartheid campaigns;[58] he later noted that they were "in some ways a very apolitical bunch".[59]

In December 1960, Edward Paget ordained Tutu as an Anglican priest at St Mary's Cathedral.[60] Tutu was then appointed assistant curate in St Alban's Parish, Benoni, where he was reunited with his wife and children,[61] and earned two-thirds of what his white counterparts were given.[62] In 1962, Tutu was transferred to St Philip's Church in Thokoza, where he was placed in charge of the congregation and developed a passion for pastoral ministry.[63] Many in South Africa's white-dominated Anglican establishment felt the need for more black Africans in positions of ecclesiastical authority; to assist in this, Aelfred Stubbs proposed that Tutu train as a theology teacher at King's College London (KCL).[64] Funding was secured from the International Missionary Council's Theological Education Fund (TEF),[65] and the government agreed to give the Tutus permission to move to Britain.[66] They duly did so in September 1962.[67]

During his master's degree, Tutu worked as assistant curate at St Mary's Church in Bletchingley, Surrey.

At KCL, Tutu studied under theologians like Dennis Nineham, Christopher Evans, Sydney Evans, Geoffrey Parrinder, and Eric Mascall.[68] In London, the Tutus felt liberated experiencing a life free from South Africa's apartheid and pass laws;[69] he later noted that "there is racism in England, but we were not exposed to it".[70] He was also impressed by the freedom of speech in the country, especially at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park.[71] The family moved into the curate's flat behind the Church of St Alban the Martyr in Golders Green, where Tutu assisted Sunday services, the first time that he had ministered to a white congregation.[72] It was in the flat that a daughter, Mpho Andrea Tutu, was born in 1963.[73] Tutu was academically successful and his tutors suggested that he convert to an honours degree, which entailed his also studying Hebrew.[74] He received his degree from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in a ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall.[75]

Tutu then secured a TEF grant to study for a master's degree,[76] doing so from October 1965 until September 1966, completing his dissertation on Islam in West Africa.[77] During this period, the family moved to Bletchingley in Surrey, where Tutu worked as the assistant curate of St Mary's Church.[78] In the village, he encouraged cooperation between his Anglican parishioners and the local Roman Catholic and Methodist communities.[79] Tutu's time in London helped him to jettison any bitterness to whites and feelings of racial inferiority; he overcame his habit of automatically deferring to whites.[80]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu

666 1 Samuel 26:15-16. And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster. 2 Samuel 18:3. But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. Esther 6:2. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus

THE

WESTMINSTER

LARGER

CATECHISM

https://www.freepresbyterian.org/uploads/Larger_Catechism.pdf

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666."

Revelation 13:18

Sargon of Akkad (/ˈsɑːrɡɒn/; Akkadian: 𒊬𒊒𒄀, romanized: Šarrugi; died c. 2279 BC),[3] also known as Sargon the Great,[4] was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire, known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC.[2] He is sometimes identified as the first person in recorded history to rule over an empire.

He was the founder of the "Sargonic" or "Old Akkadian" dynasty, which ruled for about a century after his death until the Gutian conquest of Sumer.[5] The Sumerian King List makes him the cup-bearer to King Ur-Zababa of Kish before Sargon became a king himself.[6]

His empire, which he ruled from his archaeologically as yet unidentified capital, Akkad, is thought to have included most of Mesopotamia and parts of the Levant, Hurrian and Elamite territory.

Sargon appears as a legendary figure in Neo-Assyrian literature of the 8th to 7th centuries BC. Tablets with fragments of a Sargon Birth Legend were found in the Library of Ashurbanipal.[7][8]

Name

The Akkadian name is normalized as either Šarru-ukīn or Šarru-kēn. The name's cuneiform spelling is variously LUGAL-ú-kin, šar-ru-gen6, šar-ru-ki-in, šar-ru-um-ki-in.[12] In Old Babylonian tablets relating the legends of Sargon, his name is transcribed as 𒊬𒊒𒌝𒄀𒅔 (Šar-ru-um-ki-in).[13] In Late Assyrian references, the name is mostly spelled as LUGAL-GI.NA or LUGAL-GIN, i.e. identical to the name of the Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II.[14] The spelling Sargon is derived from the single mention of the name (in reference to Sargon II) in the Hebrew Bible, as סַרְגוֹן, in Isaiah 20:1.

The first element in the name is šarru, the Akkadian (East Semitic) for "king" (c.f. Hebrew śar שַׂר). The second element is derived from the verb kīnum "to confirm, establish" (related to Hebrew kūn כּוּן).[15]

A possible interpretation of the reading Šarru-ukīn is "the king has established (stability)" or "he [the god] has established the king". Such a name would however be unusual; other names in -ukīn always include both a subject and an object, as in Šamaš-šuma-ukīn "Shamash has established an heir".[14] There is some debate over whether the name was an adopted regnal name or a birth name.[16][17] The reading Šarru-kēn has been interpreted adjectivally, as "the king is established; legitimate", expanded as a phrase šarrum ki(e)num.[18]

The terms "Pre-Sargonic" and "Post-Sargonic" were used in Assyriology based on the chronologies of Nabonidus before the historical existence of Sargon of Akkad was confirmed. The form Šarru-ukīn was known from the Assyrian Sargon Legend discovered in 1867 in Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. A contemporary reference to Sargon thought to have been found on the cylinder seal of Ibni-sharru, a high-ranking official serving under Sargon. Joachim Menant published a description of this seal in 1877, reading the king's name as Shegani-shar-lukh, and did not yet identify it with "Sargon the Elder" (who was identified with the Old Assyrian king Sargon I).[19] In 1883, the British Museum acquired the "mace-head of Shar-Gani-sharri", a votive gift deposited at the temple of Shamash in Sippar. This "Shar-Gani" was identified with the Sargon of Agade of Assyrian legend.[20] The identification of "Shar-Gani-sharri" with Sargon was recognised as mistaken in the 1910s. Shar-Gani-sharri (Shar-Kali-Sharri) is, in fact, Sargon's great-grandson, the successor of Naram-Sin.[21]

It is not entirely clear whether the Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II was directly named for Sargon of Akkad, as there is some uncertainty whether his name should be rendered Šarru-ukīn or as Šarru-kēn(u).[22]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargon_of_Akkad

In Egyptian history, the Upper and Lower Egypt period (also known as The Two Lands) was the final stage of prehistoric Egypt and directly preceded the unification of the realm. The conception of Egypt as the Two Lands was an example of the dualism in ancient Egyptian culture and frequently appeared in texts and imagery, including in the titles of Egyptian pharaohs.

The Egyptian title zmꜣ-tꜣwj (Egyptological pronunciation sema-tawy) is usually translated as "Uniter of the Two Lands"[1] and was depicted as a human trachea entwined with the papyrus and lily plant. The trachea stood for unification, while the papyrus and lily plant represent Lower and Upper Egypt.

Standard titles of the pharaoh included the prenomen, quite literally "Of the Sedge and Bee" (nswt-bjtj, the symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt)[2] and "lord of the Two Lands" (written nb-tꜣwj). Queens regnant were addressed as pharaohs and male. Queens consort might use the feminine versions of the second title, "lady of The Two Lands" (nbt-tꜣwj), "mistress of the Entire Two Lands" (hnwt-tꜣwy-tm), and "mistress of the Two Lands" (hnwt-tꜣwy).[3]

Structure

Pschent, the double crown of Egypt

Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions, namely Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. To the north was Lower Egypt, where the Nile stretched out with its several branches to form the Nile Delta. To the south was Upper Egypt, stretching to Aswan. The terminology "Upper" and "Lower" derives from the flow of the Nile from the highlands of East Africa northwards to the Mediterranean Sea.

The two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were united c. 3000 BC, but each maintained its own regalia: the hedjet or White Crown for Upper Egypt and the deshret or Red Crown for Lower Egypt. Thus, the pharaohs were known as the rulers of the Two Lands, and wore the pschent, a double crown, each half representing sovereignty of one of the kingdoms. Ancient Egyptian tradition credited Menes, now believed to be the same as Narmer, as the king who united Upper and Lower Egypt. On the Narmer Palette, the king is depicted wearing the Red Crown on one scene and the White crown in another, and thereby showing his rule over both Lands.[4]

Sema Tawy and symbolism

Hapi tying the papyrus and reed plants in the sema tawy symbol for the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt

The union of Upper and Lower Egypt is depicted by knotted papyrus and reed plants. The binding motif represents both harmony through linkage and domination through containment. The duality is an important part of royal iconography. Sometimes, the duality is further extended by having the knotted plants extend and bind foreign foes (both from the North and the South) as well.[4]

During the first dynasty, dualistic royal titles emerge, including the King of Upper and Lower Egypt (nswt bjtj) title which combines the plant representing Upper Egypt and a bee representing Lower Egypt. The other dualistic title is the Two Ladies name or Nebty name. The two ladies are Nekhbet, the vulture goddess associated with Nekhen in Upper Egypt, and Wadjet, the cobra goddess associated with Buto in Lower Egypt.[4]

There are many depictions of the ritual unifications of the Two Lands. It is not known if this was perhaps a rite that would have been enacted at the beginning of a reign, or merely a symbolic representation. Many of the depictions of the unification show two gods binding the plants. Often the gods are Horus and Set, or on occasion Horus and Thoth. There are several examples of Barque stands from the reigns of Amenhotep III (Hermopolis), Taharqa (Jebel Barkal), and Atlanersa (Jebel Barkal) that show two river gods performing the rite. This matches a scene from the Temple at Abu Simbel from the time of Ramesses II.[5]

There are only a handful of scenes that show the King himself performing the ritual. All of these are from barque stands and date to the reigns of Amenhotep III, Seti I and Ramesses III. The latter two may be copies of the first one.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_and_Lower_Egypt

Beelzebub or Baʿal Zebub (/biːˈɛlzəbʌb, ˈbiːl-/[1] bee-EL-zə-bub, BEEL-; Hebrew: בַּעַל־זְבוּב‎ Baʿal-zəḇūḇ), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron. In some Abrahamic religions he is described as a major demon. The name Beelzebub is associated with the Canaanite god Baal.

In theological sources, predominantly Christian, Beelzebub is another name for Satan. He is known in demonology as one of the seven deadly demons or seven princes of Hell, Beelzebub representing gluttony and envy. The Dictionnaire Infernal describes Beelzebub as a being capable of flying, known as the "Lord of the Flyers", or the "Lord of the Flies".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beelzebub

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Matthew 4:8-11

Vanessa Beeley (born 1963/1964[1]) is a British activist and blogger[2][3][4] known for sharing conspiracy theories[5] and disinformation[2][6] about the Syrian civil war and about the Syrian volunteer organisation the White Helmets.[3][5][7][6][8]

Early life and career

Beeley is the daughter of former British diplomat Harold Beeley.[9][10][11] Initially, she worked as a consultant to a waste management company in the Middle East.[2][12]

Activism

Beeley has travelled to Palestine where she lived through Israeli bombardments.[13] In 2014, she started her blog titled The Wall Will Fall in which she supported the Palestinian cause.[14]

Since 2015, Beeley has focused her activism on the Syrian civil war. She first visited Syria in July 2016.[9] That year, she met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus as part of a US Peace Council delegation, describing it as her "proudest moment".[1][2][9] According to Bellingcat, Beeley was on the steering committee for the Syria Solidarity Movement.[15] After visiting Syria, Beeley went to Moscow to meet Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov and director of information and press Maria Zakharova.[2] An article by Janine di Giovanni in The New York Review of Books described Bogdanov as "Putin's point man on Syria".[2]

Beeley has frequently appeared on the Russian government-owned networks RT and Sputnik commenting on the Syrian war.[4][6][2]

In 2019, two of Beeley's planned talks at universities in Canada, organised by the Hamilton, Ontario chapter of the Stop the War Coalition, were cancelled after a backlash. The Université de Montréal said the room booked for the event was too small and it was concerned that the "event would not go off peacefully".[6]

Journalism

Beeley has been an associate editor of the conspiracy website 21st Century Wire.[3][9][16][11] She has also written articles for MintPress News.[17]

In 2019, she received the "Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism" from the Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees, which Bellingcat describes as a "pro-Assad lobby group".[15]

Beeley has claimed to have been a finalist for the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, however, according to James Fox, a member of the prize committee, there are no finalists for the Gellhorn Prize, and only winners or special commendations are published.[18]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_Beeley

Rabbinic tradition equates Baʿal Berith with Beelzebub, "the lord of flies," the god of Philistine Ekron (2 Kings 1:2).[12] He was worshipped in the shape of a fly; and Jewish tradition states that so addicted were the Jews to his cult that they would carry an image of him in their pockets, producing it, and kissing it from time to time. Baʿal Zebub was called Baʿal Berith because such Jews might be said to make a covenant of devotion with the idol, being unwilling to part with it for a single moment.[13] According to another conception, Baʿal Berith was an obscene article of idolatrous worship, possibly a simulacrum priapi.[14] This is evidently based on the later use of the word "berit" to refer to circumcision.[12]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_Berith

Smith's Bible Dictionary - Baal

Baal, [N] [B] [E] [H]

the supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations, as Ashtoreth was their supreme female divinity. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. There can be no doubt of the very high antiquity of the worship of Baal. It prevailed in the time of Moses among the Moabites and Midianites, ( Numbers 22:41 ) and through them spread to the Israelites. ( Numbers 25:3-18 ; 4:3 ) In the times of the kings it became the religion of the court and people of the ten tribes, ( 1 Kings 16:31-33 ; 1 Kings 18:19 1 Kings 18:22 ) and appears never to have been permanently abolished among them. ( 2 Kings 17:16 ) Temples were erected to Baal in Judah, ( 1 Kings 16:32 ) and he was worshipped with much ceremony. ( 1 Kings 18:19 1 Kings 18:26-28 ; 2 Kings 10:22 ) The attractiveness of this worship to the Jews undoubtedly grew out of its licentious character. We find this worship also in Phoenician colonies. The religion of the ancient British islands much resembled this ancient worship of Baal, and may have been derived from it. Nor need we hesitate to regard the Babylonian Bel, ( Isaiah 46:1 ) or Beaus, as essentially identical with Baal, though perhaps under some modified form. The plural, BAALIM, is found frequently, showing that he was probably worshipped under different compounds, among which appear--

BAAL-BERITH (the covenant Baal ), ( Judges 8:33 ; 9:4 ) the god who comes into covenant with the worshippers.

BAAL-ZEBUB (lord of the fly ), and worshipped at Ekron. ( 2 Kings 1:2 2 Kings 1:3 2 Kings 1:16 )

BAAL-HANAN. a. The name of one of the early kings of Edom. ( Genesis 36:38 Genesis 36:39 ; 1 Chronicles 1:49 1 Chronicles 1:50 ) b. The name of one of Davids officers, who had the superintendence of his olive and sycamore plantations. ( 1 Chronicles 27:28 )

BAAL-PEOR (lord of the opening , i.e. for others to join in the worship). We have already referred to the worship of this god. The narrative (Numb 25) seems clearly to show that this form of Baal-worship was connected with licentious rites.

[N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible

[B] indicates this entry was also found in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary

[E] indicates this entry was also found in Easton's Bible Dictionary

[H] indicates this entry was also found in Hitchcock's Bible Names

Bibliography Information

Smith, William, Dr. "Entry for 'Baal,'". "Smith's Bible Dictionary". . 1901.

Smith's Bible Dictionary - Baal

Baal, [N] [B] [E] [H]

geographical. This word occurs as the prefix or suffix to the names of several places in Palestine, some of which are as follows:

BAAL a town of Simeon, named only in ( 1 Chronicles 4:33 ) which from the parallel list in ( Joshua 19:8 ) seems to have been identical with BAALATH-BEER.

BAALAH (mistress ). a. Another name for KIRJATH-JEARIM, or KIRJATH BAAL, the well-known town now Kuriet el Enab . ( Joshua 15:9 Joshua 15:10 ; 1 Chronicles 13:6 ) b. A town in the south of Judah, ( Joshua 15:29 ) which in Josh 19:3 is called BALAH, and in the parallel list, ( 1 Chronicles 4:29 ) BILHAH.

BAALATH (mistress ), a town of Dan named with Gibbethon, Gath-rim-mon and other Philistine places. ( Joshua 19:44 )

BAALATH-BEER (lord of the well ). BAAL 1, a town among those in the south part of Judah, given to Simeon, which also bore the name of RAMATH-NEGEB, or "the height of the south." ( Joshua 19:8 )

BAAL-GAD (lord of fortune ), used to denote the most northern, ( Joshua 11:17 ; 12:7 ) or perhaps northwestern, ( Joshua 13:5 ) point to which Joshuas victories extended. It was in all probability a Phoenician or Canaanite sanctuary of Baal under the aspect of Gad or Fortune.

BAAL-HAMON (lord of a multitude ), a place at which Solomon had a vineyard, evidently of great extent. ( Solomon 8:11 )

BAAL-HAZOR (village of Baal ), a place where Absalom appears to have had a sheep-farm, and where Amnon was murdered. ( 2 Samuel 13:23 )

MOUNT MOUNT BAAL-HERMON (Lord of Hermon ), ( Judges 3:3 ) and simply Baal-hermon. ( 1 Chronicles 5:23 ) This is usually considered as a distinct place from Mount Hermon; but we know that this mountain had at least three names ( 3:9 ) and Baal-hermon may have been a fourth in use among the Phoenician worshippers.

BAAL-MEON (lord of the house ), one of the towns which were built by the Reubenites. ( Numbers 32:38 ) It also occurs in ( 1 Chronicles 5:8 ) and on each occasion with Nebo. In the time of Ezekiel it was Moabite, one of the cities which were the "glory of the country." ( Ezekiel 25:9 )

BAAL-PERAZIM (lord of divisions ), the scene of a victory of David over the Philistines, and of a great destruction of their images. ( 2 Samuel 5:20 ; 1 Chronicles 14:11 ) See ( Isaiah 28:21 ) where it is called MOUNT MOUNT PERAZIM.

BAAL-SHALISHA (lord of Shalisha ), a place named only in ( 2 Kings 4:42 ) apparently not far from Gilgal; comp. ( 2 Kings 4:38 )

BAAL-TAMAR (lord of the palm tree ), a place named only in ( Judges 20:33 ) as near Gibeah of Benjamin. The palm tree (tamar ) of Deborah, ( Judges 4:5 ) was situated somewhere in the locality, and is possibly alluded to.

BAAL-ZEPHON (lord of the north ), a place in Egypt near where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. ( Numbers 33:7 ; Ezekiel 14:2 Ezekiel 14:9 ) We place Baal-zephon on the western shore of the Gulf of Suez, a little below its head, which at that time was about 30 or 40 miles northward of the Present head.

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/baal/

Thirteenth Rule. To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it, believing that between Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Bride, there is the same Spirit which governs and directs us for the salvation of our souls. Because by the same Spirit and our Lord Who gave the ten Commandments, our holy Mother the Church is directed and governed."

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YC_luOfFWl0Bm0BWkbANKZGC1kkmdHQf/view?usp=sharing

Throughout Zoroastrian history, shrines and temples have been the focus of worship and pilgrimage for adherents of the religion. Early Zoroastrians were recorded as worshiping in the 5th century BCE on mounds and hills where fires were lit below the open skies.[58] In the wake of Achaemenid expansion, shrines were constructed throughout the empire and particularly influenced the role of Mithra, Aredvi Sura Anahita, Verethragna and Tishtrya, alongside other traditional Yazata who all have hymns within the Avesta and also local deities and culture-heroes. Today, enclosed and covered fire temples tend to be the focus of community worship where fires of varying grades are maintained by the clergy assigned to the temples.[59]

The incorporation of cultural and local rituals is quite common and traditions have been passed down in historically Zoroastrian communities such as herbal healing practices, wedding ceremonies, and the like.[60][61][31] Traditionally, Zoroastrian rituals have also included shamanic elements involving mystical methods such as spirit travel to the invisible realm and involving the consumption of fortified wine, Haoma, mang, and other ritual aids.[62][33][63][64][65]

In Zoroastrianism, water (aban) and fire (atar) are agents of ritual purity, and the associated purification ceremonies are considered the basis of ritual life. In Zoroastrian cosmogony, water and fire are respectively the second and last primordial elements to have been created, and scripture considers fire to have its origin in the waters (re. which conception see Apam Napat). Both water and fire are considered life-sustaining, and both water and fire are represented within the precinct of a fire temple. Zoroastrians usually pray in the presence of some form of fire (which can be considered evident in any source of light), and the culminating rite of the principal act of worship constitutes a "strengthening of the waters". Fire is considered a medium through which spiritual insight and wisdom are gained, and water is considered the source of that wisdom. Both fire and water are also hypostasized as the Yazatas Atar and Anahita, with worship hymns and litanies dedicated to them.[citation needed]

A corpse is considered a host for decay, i.e., of druj. Consequently, scripture enjoins the safe disposal of the dead in a manner such that a corpse does not pollute the good creation. These injunctions are the doctrinal basis of the fast-fading traditional practice of ritual exposure, most commonly identified with the so-called Towers of Silence for which there is no standard technical term in either scripture or tradition. Ritual exposure is currently mainly practiced by Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent, in locations where it is not illegal and diclofenac poisoning has not led to the virtual extinction of scavenger birds. Other Zoroastrian communities either cremate their dead, or bury them in graves that are cased with lime mortar.[citation needed]

The central ritual of Zoroastrianism is the Yasna, which is a recitation of the eponymous book of the Avesta and sacrificial ritual ceremony involving Haoma.[67] Extensions to the Yasna ritual are possible through use of the Visperad and Vendidad, but such an extended ritual is rare in modern Zoroastrianism.[68][69] The Yasna itself descended from Indo-Iranian sacrificial ceremonies and animal sacrifice of varying degrees are mentioned in the Avesta and are still practiced in Zoroastrianism albeit through reduced forms such as the sacrifice of fat before meals.[70] High rituals such as the Yasna are considered to be the purview of the Mobads with a corpus of individual and communal rituals and prayers included in the Khordeh Avesta.[67][71]

A Zoroastrian is welcomed into the faith through the Navjote/Sedreh Pushi ceremony, which is traditionally conducted during the later childhood or pre-teen years of the aspirant, though there is no defined age limit for the ritual.[31][72] After the ceremony, Zoroastrians are encouraged to wear their sedreh (ritual shirt) and kusti (ritual girdle) daily as a spiritual reminder and for mystical protection, though reformist Zoroastrians tend to only wear them during festivals, ceremonies, and prayers.[73][31][72]

Historically, Zoroastrians are encouraged to pray the five daily Gāhs and to maintain and celebrate the various holy festivals of the Zoroastrian calendar, which can differ from community to community.[74][75] Zoroastrian prayers, called manthras, are conducted usually with hands outstretched in imitation of Zoroaster's prayer style described in the Gathas and are of a reflectionary and supplicant nature believed to be endowed with the ability to banish evil.[76][77][52] Devout Zoroastrians are known to cover their heads during prayer, either with traditional topi, scarves, other headwear, or even just their hands. However, full coverage and veiling which is traditional in Islamic practice is not a part of Zoroastrianism and Zoroastrian women in Iran wear their head coverings displaying hair and their faces to defy mandates by the Islamic Republic of Iran.[78]

Late antiquity

As late as the Parthian period, a form of Zoroastrianism was without a doubt the dominant religion in the Armenian lands.[115] The Sassanids aggressively promoted the Zurvanite form of Zoroastrianism, often building fire temples in captured territories to promote the religion. During the period of their centuries-long suzerainty over the Caucasus, the Sassanids made attempts to promote Zoroastrianism there with considerable successes, and it was prominent in the pre-Christian Caucasus (especially modern-day Azerbaijan).[citation needed]

Due to its ties to the Christian Roman Empire, Persia's arch-rival since Parthian times, the Sassanids were suspicious of Roman Christianity, and after the reign of Constantine the Great, sometimes persecuted it.[116] In 451 CE, The Sassanid authority clashed with their Armenian subjects in the Battle of Avarayr, making them officially break with the Roman Church. But the Sassanids tolerated or even sometimes favored the Christianity of the Church of the East. The acceptance of Christianity in Georgia (Caucasian Iberia) saw the Zoroastrian religion there slowly but surely decline,[117] but as late the 5th century CE, it was still widely practised as something like a second established religion.[118][119]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism

The House of El Douaihy (also "Al Douaihy" in some cases Doueihy, Douaihi, Doueihi, Dowaihi, Duayhe, Duwayhi', Dwaihy, Arabic: الدويهي, French: de Douai), is an important Lebanese and Levantine noble family of French origins of which can be traced up until the 7th century. The first prominent feudal northern Lebanese Maronite Sheikhs (Lords) to have governed Zgharta and Ehden, (Zgharta District) in northern Lebanon came from the Douaihy clan.

Throughout history, the Douaihys endowed the community with research, faith, commerce and art. The Douaihys are also a religious family, among whom are recognized four Patriarchs, seventeen Bishops, hundreds of monks and nuns, dating from the 14th century to the present day.

On January 26, 2006 the Congregation of Saints in the Vatican has proclaimed the beginning of the process for Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy’s canonization.[1]

It is a large and well-rooted family in the lands of Ehden, Kadisha and Khazahia, where its roots combine with the history of the Maronites for at least one thousand years. The clan had a substantial presence in the Galilee prior to 1948, but its numbers have dwindled in the Holy Land in general since then, with most Palestinian clan members moving to Europe and South America, as well as Lebanon.

The Douaihy family lineage continues to contribute meaningfully on the national and international scene as professors, academics, artists, diplomats, police and army generals, healthcare representatives, parliament members and minister.The family slogan, known by many as "Ana la min?" (Who am I for?), is being upheld by the rightful heir of the family, Duks III, who carries the torch of this legacy. [2][3][4][5][6][7]

Origins

Genealogy in the Middle East, especially of Christian families in Syria, Lebanon and the Holy Land, is complicated and depends on oral traditions much more than written ones.

In the Middle Ages when Tripoli was governed by the Crusaders, a mixed people lived in the area, a result of the intermarriages between the Christians from Europe and the local Christians (Maronites, Melkites, etc.). It was not unusual for a Tripolitan to be of French origin (but of local Christian culture), married to a local Christian, with a Greek son-in-law and an Armenian or Syriac daughter-in-law.

To this day you can find many people of Crusader origin in Lebanon, the Holy Land, Jordan and Syria. The El Douaihy clan are descendants of the French who came from the northern French city of Douai, the capital of the ancient Frankish Duchy of Ostrevant (the arms of the Douai family are still used as a blason of Ostrevant). In the First Crusade, Count Anselme II De Ribemont d’Ostrevant was the “right hand” of Godfroi de Bouillon in the East, so one would assume that his progenitors were related to the De Ribemont d’Ostrevant family.

If Jeremiah Al-Amshiti had been one of the Douai clan, as Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy claimed, the family progenitors would have been “easternized” just after the First Crusade 1096 -1099. The Douaihy clan spread across the Levant, including to Syria and Israel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douaihy

Istifan al-Duwayhi or Estephan El Douaihy (Arabic: اسطفانوس الثاني بطرس الدويهي / ALA-LC: Isṭifānūs al-thānī Buṭrus al-Duwayhī; French: Étienne Douaihi; Latin: Stephanus Dovaihi; Italian: Stefano El Douaihy; 2 August 1630 – 3 May 1704) was the 57th Patriarch of the Maronite Church, serving from 1670 until his death. He was born in Ehden, Lebanon.

He is considered one of the major Lebanese historians of the 17th century and was known as “The Father of Maronite History”, “Pillar of the Maronite Church”, “The Second Chrysostom”, “Splendor of the Maronite Nation”, and “The Glory of Lebanon and the Maronites”. After his death, he was declared a Servant of God by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.[1] On 3 July 2008 Pope Benedict XVI declared him Venerable.[2] On August 2, 2024, he was beatified at a ceremony held in Bkerké, Lebanon.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istifan_al-Duwayhi

Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (née Fajardo García; born September 1, 1957) (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡloɾja esˈtefan]) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of the Top 100 greatest artists of all time by both VH1 and Billboard.[2] Estefan's record sales exceed 100 million worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female singers of all time.[3][4] Many of Estefan's songs became international chart-topping hits, including "1-2-3", "Don't Wanna Lose You", "Coming Out of the Dark", "Turn the Beat Around", and "Heaven's What I Feel". Other hits include "Bad Boy", "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", "Get On Your Feet", and "You'll Be Mine (Party Time)".

A contralto, Estefan started[5] her career as lead singer of Miami Latin Boys, which was later renamed Miami Sound Machine. She and Miami Sound Machine earned worldwide success with their 1985 single "Conga", which became Estefan's signature song and led to Miami Sound Machine winning the 15th annual Tokyo Music Festival's grand prix in 1986. In 1988, she and Miami Sound Machine achieved their first number-one hit with "Anything for You".

In March 1990, Estefan sustained a life-threatening cervical fracture of her spine when her tour bus was involved in a serious accident near Scranton, Pennsylvania. She underwent an emergency surgical stabilization of her cervical spine and post-surgical rehabilitation that lasted almost a year, but made a full recovery. A year later, in March 1991, Estefan launched her comeback with a worldwide tour and album, Into the Light.

Estefan's 1993 Spanish-language album, Mi Tierra, won the first of her three Grammy Awards for Best Tropical Latin Album.[6] The album was also the first Diamond album in Spain. Estefan has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Las Vegas Walk of Fame and was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient in 2017 for her contributions to American cultural life. Estefan won an MTV Video Music Award, was honored with the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, and has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received multiple Billboard Music Awards. She is also a recipient of the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom.[7]

Billboard has listed Estefan as the third-most successful Latina and 23rd-greatest Latin Artist of all time in the U.S., based on both Latin albums and Latin songs chart.[8] Hailed as the "Queen of Latin Pop" by the media,[9] she has amassed 38 number one hits across Billboard charts, including 15 chart-topping songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[10][8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Estefan

Genesis 3:15

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203%3A15&version=DRA

Genesis 3:15

1599 Geneva Bible

15 I will also put enmity between [q]thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. He shall break thine [r]head, and thou shalt [s]bruise his heel.

Genesis 3:15 He chiefly meaneth Satan, by whose motion and craft the serpent deceived the woman.

Genesis 3:15 That is, the power of sin and death.

Genesis 3:15 Satan shall sting Christ and his members, but not overcome them.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203&version=GNV

PARTICULAR AND DAILY EXAMEN It contains in it three times, and two to examine oneself. The first time is in the morning, immediately on rising, when one ought to propose to guard himself with diligence against that particular sin or defect which he wants to correct and amend. The second time is after dinner, when one is to ask of God our Lord what one wants, namely, grace to remember how many times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect, and to amend himself in the future. Then let him make the first Examen, asking account of his soul of that particular thing proposed, which he wants to correct and amend. Let him go over hour by hour, or period by period, commencing at the hour he rose, and continuing up to the hour and instant of the present examen, and let him make in the first line of the G------- as many dots as were the times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect. Then let him resolve anew to amend himself up to the second Examen which he will make. The third time: After supper, the second Examen will be made, in the same way, hour by hour, commencing at the first Examen and continuing up to the present (second) one, and let him make in the second line of the same G------- as many dots as were the times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect. FOUR ADDITIONS FOLLOW TO RID ONESELF SOONER OF THAT PARTICULAR SIN OR DEFECT First Addition. The first Addition is that each time one falls into that particular sin or defect, let him put his hand on his breast, grieving for having fallen: which can be done even in the presence of many, without their perceiving what he is doing. Second Addition. The second: As the first line of the G------- means the first Examen, and the second line the second Examen, let him look at night if there is amendment from the first line to the second, that is, from the first Examen to the second. Third Addition. The third: To compare the second day with the first; that is, the two Examens of the present day with the other two Examens of the previous day, and see if he has amended himself from one day to the other. Fourth Addition. The fourth Addition: To compare one week with another, and see if he has amended himself in the present week over the week past. Note. It is to be noted that the first (large) G------- which follows means the Sunday: the second (smaller), the Monday: the third, the Tuesday, and so on.

GGGGGG

"The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

TRANSLATED FROM

THE AUTOGRAPH

BY

FATHER ELDER MULLAN, S.J.

I.H.S.

NEW YORK

P.J. KENEDY & SONS

PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE

https://ia800303.us.archive.org/3/items/a588350800loyouoft/a588350800loyouoft.pdf

The Douay–Rheims Bible (/ˌduːeɪ ˈriːmz, ˌdaʊeɪ -/,[1] US also /duːˌeɪ -/), also known as the Douay–Rheims Version, Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R, DRB, and DRV, is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by members of the English College, Douai, in the service of the Catholic Church.[2] The New Testament portion was published in Reims, France, in 1582, in one volume with extensive commentary and notes. The Old Testament portion was published in two volumes twenty-seven years later in 1609 and 1610 by the University of Douai. The first volume, covering Genesis to Job, was published in 1609; the second, covering the Book of Psalms to 2 Maccabees (spelt "Machabees") plus the three apocryphal books of the Vulgate appendix following the Old Testament (Prayer of Manasseh, 3 Esdras, and 4 Esdras), was published in 1610. Marginal notes took up the bulk of the volumes and offered insights on issues of translation, and on the Hebrew and Greek source texts of the Vulgate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douay%E2%80%93Rheims_Bible

The former Jesuit College of Reims is a 16th-century building located in Reims in the Marne, a French department in the Champagne area of the Grand Est region. Founded in 1608 by Jesuits, the college was closed in 1762 when the Jesuits were banished from France. The buildings were used for other educational projects during the 19th century. Since 1976 they have belonged to the City of Reims, which has used it to provide a space for various regional and international organisations. Its library and refectory are recognised monuments of Baroque art.

History

Buildings

Nicolas Brûlart de Sillery asked Henri IV for permission for the Jesuits to open a college in Reims. The king authorised, by letters patent of 25 March 1606, the Jesuit fathers to found a college in Reims. His brother François (†. 1630), who was chaplain to the king, bought the Hôtel de Cerny on 12 March 1608 for them to set up there. He donated 3 000 pounds for the fitting out of the establishment.

On 18 October 1608 the Jesuits inaugurated their classes there. They taught Humanities, Philosophy and Mathematics.

In 1610 François Brûlart donated a farm and a priory for the maintenance of a chair of philosophy, then in 1614 an annuity of 1,000 pounds for the opening of a second chair of Philosophy.

In 1615 the Jesuits bought the neighbouring priory of Saint-Maurice to extend the premises and in 1619, François Brûlart made a further donation of 6 600 pounds, which enabled it to be given its present layout: a central chapel with a courtyard surrounded by buildings. The teaching was then completed by theological instruction.

In May 1762, when they were banished from France, the Jesuits' property was seized and the College of Reims was reunited with the Collège des Bons Enfants. In January 1766, the General Hospital took possession of the buildings, which served as a hospice until 1772. The Magneuses, a foundation created by Nicolas Colbert's widow, moved into part of the college in 1791 to take in poor girls aged between 10 and 15 and give them an education. They occupied the college until the middle of the 20th century before it was used to house law students in 1967. The buildings were acquired by the municipality in 1976, and major works were undertaken from 2013 to 2015 to adapt the premises to current teaching.

Conservation

Restored, the building was converted into the multi-activity centre it is today. To protect the architectural and cultural interest of this complex, including its garden, courtyard, refectory, hallway, kitchen, elevations, and interior decoration; the vines that escaped phylloxera are classified[1] as an ancient grape variety,[2] the Verjus;[3] all are under legal protection: this complex has been classified as a historic monument since 2 September 1933, while the 17th century staircase has been classified since 25 December 1921.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesuit_College_of_Reims

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid0t3DdgbxP5MsJDVk3X1zisrZNfPory5P1hta4FoUPu6mMwWuPXcJJXwjGaR9dcrh9l

8 And as if it were for a maiden that loveth to go GAY: so do they take gold and make them up.

Baruch 6:8

Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis[1] following the release of the debut album Village People, which targeted disco's large gay audience. The group's name refers to Manhattan's Greenwich Village, with its reputation as a gayborhood.[2] The characters were a symbolic group of American masculinity[3] and macho gay-fantasy personas.[4] As of January 2020, Willis is the only original member of the group.[5]

The group quickly became popular and moved into the mainstream, scoring several disco and dance hits internationally, including the hit singles "Macho Man", "In the Navy", "Go West", and "Y.M.C.A.", which was their biggest hit. In March 2020, the Library of Congress described "Y.M.C.A." as "an American phenomenon",[6] and added the song to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[7]

History

1977–1979

The original members of the group during the shooting of their debut music video San Francisco in 1977

French musical composer and producer Jacques Morali and his business partner Henri Belolo, known collectively as Can't Stop Productions, were enjoying a successful string of hits in France and Europe. In 1977, they moved to New York City to attempt to break into the American market. Morali had written a few dance tunes when he was given a demo tape recorded by singer/actor Victor Willis. After hiring Willis to sing background vocals on the four tracks, Morali approached him and said, "I had a dream that you sang lead on my album and it went very, very big". Willis agreed to sing on the debut album Village People.[8]

Songwriters Phil Hurtt and Peter Whitehead wrote the lyrics for the first album (Willis would subsequently take over writing duties in 1978 for the group's biggest hits). The Village People studio band was called Gypsy Lane and was conducted by Horace Ott. Ott also provided many of the musical arrangements for Morali, who did not play any instruments.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_People

In 1990, Harris was hired as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California, where she was described as "an able prosecutor on the way up".[27] In 1994, Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown, who was then dating Harris, appointed her to the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and later to the California Medical Assistance Commission.[27] In February 1998, San Francisco district attorney Terence Hallinan recruited Harris as an assistant district attorney.[28] There, she became the chief of the Career Criminal Division, supervising five other attorneys, where she prosecuted homicide, burglary, robbery, and sexual assault cases—particularly three-strikes cases. In August 2000, Harris took a job at San Francisco City Hall, working for city attorney Louise Renne.[29] Harris ran the Family and Children's Services Division, representing child abuse and neglect cases. Renne endorsed Harris during her D.A. campaign.[30]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

Kamala D. Harris, 32nd Attorney General

Home About the AG History Kamala D. Harris, 32nd Attorney General

Photo of Attorney General Kamala D. Harris

Born and raised in the East Bay, Kamala is the daughter of Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, a Tamilian breast cancer specialist who traveled to the United States from Chennai, India to pursue her graduate studies at UC Berkeley. After attending public schools, Kamala's strong commitment to justice and public service led her to Howard University, America’s oldest historically black university, and then to the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Harris has spent her entire professional life in the trenches as a courtroom prosecutor. After graduating from U.C. Hastings College of the Law, she took a position in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. As a Deputy District Attorney she also prosecuted cases for homicide and robbery. She worked at that office from 1990 to 1998 before going on to serve in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

In 1998, Harris was named managing attorney of the Career Criminal Unit of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted three strikes cases and serial felony offenders. She then served as the head of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Families and Children.

In 2004-2010, Kamala Harris served as the first woman District Attorney in San Francisco's history, and as the first African American woman and South Asian American woman in California to hold the office.

https://oag.ca.gov/history/32harris

The investigative judgment, or pre-Advent Judgment (or, more precisely, the pre-Second Advent Judgment), is a unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine which asserts that the divine judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. It is intimately related to the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was described by one of the church's pioneers Ellen G. White as one of the pillars of Adventist belief.[1][2] It is a major component of the broader Adventist understanding of the "heavenly sanctuary", and the two are sometimes spoken of interchangeably.

Summary of the doctrine

Biblical basis

Seventh-day Adventists believe that texts such as Hebrews 8:1–2 teach that the two-compartment design of the earthly sanctuary built by Moses, was in fact a model patterned after the Heavenly Sanctuary "which the Lord set up, not man." Hebrews 8:2 (NASB). They believe that statements in Hebrews 7:17–28[3] as well as statements found in Hebrews chapters 8 and 9, reveal that Christ entered the first phase of his Heavenly ministry (in the Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary) as the High Priest of humanity after his bodily resurrection and ascension into heaven. According to this view the 2,300 days (years) found in Daniel 8:13–14 point to the date when Christ's Most Holy Place ministry in Heaven would start. This is the event typified by the Day of Atonement described in Leviticus 16 and in Leviticus 23:26–32.[4] The Investigative Judgment doctrine states that in 1844 Christ moved from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place in Heaven as described in Daniel 8:13–14, and that this began the judgment described in Daniel 7:9–10.[5]

The main Biblical texts quoted by Seventh-day Adventists in support of the doctrine of the pre-Advent Judgment being applicable to the professed people of God in all ages, are Daniel 7:9–10; 1 Peter 4:17; and Revelation 14:6, 7; 20:12:[5]

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

— Daniel 7:9, 10 (KJV)

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

— 1 Peter 4:17 (KJV)

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

— Revelation 14:6–7 (KJV)

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

— Revelation 20:12 (KJV)

Adventists also believe that the Investigative Judgment is depicted in the parable of the wedding banquet, in Matthew 22:1–14 (KJV).[6] Professing Christians are represented by the wedding guests, and the judgment is represented by the King's inspection of the guests (verses 10, 11). In order to pass the judgment, believers must be wearing the robe of Christ's righteousness, represented by the wedding garments (verses 11, 12).[7]

Derivation of 1844 date

Diagram of the 2300 days in the book Bible Readings for the Home Circle (1888).

The derivation of the 1844 date for the commencement of the pre-Advent Judgment is explained in detail in Adventist publications such as Seventh-day Adventists believe.[8]

Seventy "week" period (Daniel 9:24–27 (KJV))[9] is held to begin in 457 BC, the seventh year of Artaxerxes I.

The "2300 evenings and mornings" period (Daniel 8:13–14 (KJV))[10] is held to commence in the same year.

2300 days are held to correspond to 2300 years (see Day-year principle)

457 BC plus 2300 years gives 1844 AD.[11]

While no specific date is given in official belief statements, many Adventists hold October 22, 1844, as the starting date for the pre-Advent Judgment. Originally Miller set the end of the 2300 days between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. In mid-1844, Miller stated "I confess my error, and acknowledge my disappointment: Yet I still believe that the day of the Lord is near." In February 1844, Samuel S. Snow began preaching the end of the 2300 days to be in the fall of 1844. He soon settled on October 22. In an August camp meeting, October 22 took hold of the Adventists in New England. Miller was one of the last to accept the date.[12] W. W. Prescott suggested that the investigative judgment occurred in the spring, and not autumn,[13] but his view was rejected.[14]

The judgment process

According to Adventist teaching, the works of all men and women are written in "books of record", kept in heaven. During the pre-Advent Judgment, these books are opened (as described in Daniel 7:10[15] and Revelation 20:12), and the lives of all people both living and dead are examined to establish who has responded to Christ's offer of salvation.[16] "The books of record in heaven, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions of the judgment." "As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated."[17]

The Judgment will show those who are authentic believers in God from those who are not. "All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life." On the other hand, "When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God's remembrance." "Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in the day of God."[17]

During the judgment, Satan will bring accusations of transgression and unbelief against believers, while Jesus acts as defense. "Jesus will appear as their advocate, to plead in their behalf before God." "While Jesus is pleading for the subjects of His grace, Satan accuses them before God as transgressors."[17] Adventists claim that the good news of the judgment is that Jesus is not only the Attorney, but he is also the Judge (John 5:22).[18] With Jesus as Attorney and Judge, there is nothing to fear.[19]

For a long time, Adventists held the concept that the pre-advent judgment was only concerned with God judging mankind and deciding their eternal destiny. Increasingly the statement is being made that God already "knows who are his," and certainly does not need years to pore over books to inform himself.[20]

However, beginning in the 1950s and on through the 1970s, Edward Heppenstall began teaching that there were bigger issues involved in the pre-advent judgment than just humans. Heppenstall's proteges, Hans LaRondelle, Raoul Dederen and Morris Venden, through the 1970s and 1980s, taught an understanding of the purpose of the pre-advent judgment that includes humans, Satan, the entire universe, and even God himself.[21]

Relationship to the Great Controversy

The doctrine of the Investigative Judgment is closely linked to the Great Controversy theme, another uniquely Adventist teaching. As the judgment proceeds, angels and "heavenly intelligences" will watch closely. "The deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the interest evinced in the heavenly courts when the names entered in the book of life come up in review before the Judge of all the earth."[17] The result of the judgment, in separating out true from false believers, "vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus" (quoted from the 28 fundamental beliefs). "All [will] come to understand and agree that God is right; that He has no responsibility for the sin problem. His character will emerge unassailable, and His government of love will be reaffirmed."[22]

Relationship to the sanctuary doctrine

The doctrine of the Investigative Judgment is an integral part of the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the sanctuary. As true believers are found righteous in the judgment, their sins are removed or "blotted" from record by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. This is believed to have been foreshadowed by the work of the High Priest in the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). The investigative judgment is the final phase of Christ's atoning work, which began on the cross and continued after his ascension in the Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.[16]

Relationship to eschatology

Main article: Seventh-day Adventist eschatology

Diagram of Adventist eschatology in the book Bible Readings for the Home Circle (1888).

Although the time of the commencement of the Investigative Judgment is clear (1844), no one can know when it will end. "The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord." However, "silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man's destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy's offer to guilty men."[17]

The end of the Investigative Judgment is termed "the close of probation" by Seventh-day Adventists.[16] At this point in time, "the destiny of all will have been decided for life or death".[17] There will be no further opportunity for unbelievers to repent and be saved. Revelation 22:11 is considered to describe the close of probation: "Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."

Following the close of probation will be a "time of trouble",[23] which will be a period of intense conflict and persecution for God's people (Revelation 13:15–17; 7:14). Shortly afterward, Christ will return in glory (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10) and raise the righteous dead (the "first resurrection", Revelation 20:4–5), whom he will take to heaven together with the righteous living to share his millennial reign (Revelation 20:6). Just who these "righteous" are will, of course, have been revealed during the course of the Investigative Judgment. During the millennium, Satan will be imprisoned on earth alone with his demons (Revelation 20:1–3). During this period God's redeemed will be in heaven, having 1000 years to examine the books of Judgment for themselves, ensuring that God has acted fairly in his dealings with humanity. Judgment is committed to those who have walked in human shoes to ensure that the lost have indeed rejected God (Revelation 20:4). At the end of the millennium, Christ will again return to earth with his redeemed to raise the wicked (the "second resurrection", Revelation 20:5). Satan will then deceive the wicked into attacking God's people (Revelation 20:7–9). At this time, Christ will sit down in final Executive Judgment and the books will be open for all (sinner and saved alike) to see and judge (Revelation 20:11–13). Once all have acknowledged the justice and love of God, the execution of the judgment proceeds. Having already thrown Satan and his demonic henchmen into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10), God now consigns those who have rejected forgiveness to incineration and eternal death (Revelation 20:15). Those who have accepted forgiveness inherit a recreated, perfect, new earth. (Revelation 21:1–5). Adventists feel that their eschatological message is to sound the cry of Revelation 22:17: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let him who hears say, 'Come.' And let him who is thirsty, let him come. And whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."

Official belief statements

The doctrine of the Investigative Judgment is outlined in item 24, Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary, of the Seventh-day Adventist fundamental beliefs.[5] In the original Fundamental Beliefs of 1980 it was item 23, but when item 11 was added by the General Conference in 2005 it was changed to item 24.

There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle that the Lord set up and not humans. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross. At His ascension, He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and, began His intercessory ministry, which was typified by the work of the high priest in the holy place of the earthly sanctuary. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry, which was typified by the work of the high priest in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. In that typical service the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The completion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation before the Second Advent. (Lev. 16; Num. 14:34; Ezek. 4:6; Dan. 7:9–27; 8:13, 14; 9:24–27; Heb. 1:3; 2:16, 17; 4:14–16; 8:1–5; 9:11–28; 10:19–22; Rev. 8:3–5; 11:19; 14:6, 7; 20:12; 14:12; 22:11, 12.)

Previous statements

The doctrine as featured in the earlier published beliefs was often spread across multiple statements. For example, in the beliefs published in 1872 the wording now found in belief 24, titled "Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary", was spread over belief statements 2, 9, 10 and 18 (as designated at that time by Roman numerals).

Fundamental Principles taught and practiced by Seventh-day Adventists, 1872.

– II –

That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, the one by whom God created all things, and by whom they do consist; that he took on him the nature of the seed of Abraham for the redemption of our fallen race; that he dwelt among men full of grace and truth, lived our example, died our sacrifice, was raised for our justification, ascended on high to be our only mediator in the sanctuary in Heaven, where, with his own blood, he makes atonement for our sins; which atonement, so far from being made on the cross, which was but the offering of the sacrifice, is the very last portion of his work as priest, according to the example of the Levitical priesthood, which foreshadowed and prefigured the ministry of our Lord in Heaven. See Leviticus ch. 16, Hebrews 8:4, 5; 9:6, 7; &c.

– IX –

That the mistake of Adventists in 1844 pertained to the nature of the event then to transpire, not to the time; that no prophetic period is given to reach to the second advent, but that the longest one, the two thousand and three hundred days of Daniel 8:14, terminated in that year, and brought us to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary.

– X –

That the sanctuary of the new covenant is the tabernacle of God in Heaven, of which Paul speaks in Hebrews 8, and onward, of which our Lord, as great High Priest, is minister; that this sanctuary is the antitype of the Mosaic tabernacle, and that the priestly work of our Lord, connected therewith, is the antitype of the work of the Jewish priests of the former dispensation, Hebrews 8:1-5, &c.; that this is the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days, what is termed its cleansing being in this case, as in the type, simply the entrance of the high priest into the most holy place, to finish the round of service connected therewith, by blotting out and removing from the sanctuary the sins which had been transferred to it by means of the ministration in the first apartment, Hebrews 9:22, 23; and that this work, in the antitype, commencing in 1844, occupies a brief but indefinite space, at the conclusion of which the work of mercy for the world is finished.

– XVIII –

That the time for the cleansing of the sanctuary, synchronizing with the time of the proclamation of the third message, is a time of investigative judgment, first with reference to the dead, and at the close of probation with reference to the living, to determine who of the myriads now sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who of its living multitudes are worthy of translation—points which must be determined before the Lord appears.

In the 1931 statement of beliefs, the beliefs comprising the Investigative Judgment doctrine were placed in sequence as statements 13, 14, 15 and 16:

Item 13, Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, 1931.

That no prophetic period is given in the Bible to reach to the Second Advent, but that the longest one, the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, terminating in 1844, reaches to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary (Daniel 8:14; 9:24, 25; Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6).

Item 14, Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, 1931.

That the true sanctuary, of which the tabernacle on earth was a type, is the temple of God in heaven, of which Paul speaks in Hebrews 8 and onward, and of which the Lord Jesus, as our great high priest, is minister. The priestly work of our Lord is the antitype of the work of the Jewish priests of the former dispensation. That this heavenly sanctuary is the one to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, its cleansing being, as in the type, a work of judgment, beginning with the entrance of Christ as the high priest upon the judgment phase of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, foreshadowed in the earthly service of cleansing the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. This work of judgment in the heavenly sanctuary began in 1844. Its completion will close human probation (Daniel 7:9, 10; 8:14; Hebrews 8:1, 2, 5; Revelation 20:12; Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6).

Item 15, Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, 1931.

That God, in the time of the judgment and in accordance with His uniform dealing with the human family in warning them of coming events vitally affecting their destiny (Amos 3:6, 7), sends forth a proclamation of the approach of the Second Advent of Christ; that this work is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14, and that their threefold message brings to view a work of reform to prepare a people to meet Him at His coming (Amos 3:6, 7; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 14:6–12).

Item 16, Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, 1931.

That the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, synchronizing with the period of the proclamation of the message of Revelation 14, is a time of investigative judgment, first, with reference to the dead, and second, with reference to the living. This investigative judgment determines who of the myriads sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who of its living multitudes are worthy of translation (1 Peter 4:17, 18; Daniel 7:9, 10; Revelation 14:6, 7; Luke 20:35).

Every five years the Adventist World Church meets in session to review current issues, add doctrinal statements and clarify church positions. Although a significant restatement of the published beliefs took place in 1980 General Conference session, the church has chosen to leave the doctrinal statement on the Investigative judgment virtually unchanged from its formulation in the 1870s.

Other statements and significant publications

The constitution of the Adventist Theological Society affirms the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment.

e. The Society affirms a real sanctuary in heaven and the pre-advent judgment of believers beginning in 1844, based upon the historicist view of prophecy and the year-day principle as taught in Scripture.[24]

Official Adventist publications such as Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine (1957)[25] and Seventh-day Adventists believe (1988)[26] defend the church's traditional teaching.

Documents publicly available on the Biblical Research Institute's website[27] support and defend the traditional doctrine with reference to Scripture.

The 2006 third quarter Adult Bible Study Guide produced by the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference, was entitled The Gospel, 1844, and Judgment, and strongly upholds and defends the church's traditional 1844 doctrine. The preface to the study guide states that "From this doctrine, perhaps more than any other, our distinct identity as Seventh-day Adventists arises."[28]

History

See also: History of the Seventh-day Adventist church

The emphasis of this belief has evolved over time, but the basis is the same. The year 1844 is believed to be the time Christ commenced a new phase of ministry in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary, symbolised by the Day of Atonement ceremony described in Leviticus 16.[29] In the years immediately after World War II, Adventism tended to view the judgment in stern tones and the teaching has increasingly been understood as God on the side of people.[30]

Smuts van Rooyen describes a "string of changing interpretations we have given this prophecy from Second Coming, to Shut Door, to Investigative Judgment, to cleansing the Living Temple, to Vindication of God's Character, to simple Pre-advent Judgment..."[31]

Origins

William Miller and his followers, the Millerite Adventist movement, consisted of a group of about 50,000 believers[32] expecting Jesus Christ to return to earth on October 22, 1844. They arrived at this date from an interpretation of the Bible verse Daniel 8:14.[33] They understood the 2300 days to represent 2300 years (according to the day-year principle of prophetic interpretation), a time period stretching from the biblical era to the nineteenth century. However, Miller had not been the first to arrive at this interpretation, as he himself emphasized. Others had earlier concluded that a prophetic period of 2300 years was to end "around the year 1843" (Miller's earlier estimate).[34]

When Jesus did not return as expected (an event which Adventists call the "Great Disappointment"), several alternative interpretations of the prophecy were put forward. The majority of Millerites abandoned the 1844 date; however, about 50 members[35] out of the larger group of 50,000 (including Hiram Edson and O. R. L. Crosier) concluded, after Hiram Edson claimed to have had a vision as he crossed a cornfield on the morning after the Great Disappointment, that the event predicted by Daniel 8:14 was not the second coming, but rather Christ's entrance into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.[36] Hiram Edson's revelation led to a series of Bible studies with other Millerites to confirm the validity of his solution.

Edson's vision became the foundation for the Adventist doctrine of the sanctuary, and the people who held it became the nucleus of what would emerge from other "Adventist" groups as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The revelation was greatly encouraging for the [Seventh-day] Adventists. As Ellen White wrote later, "The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith, was the declaration, 'Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed'" (quoting Daniel 8:14).[37][38] She also predicted that criticism of the belief would come.[39]

James White, Crosier, and also Uriah Smith supported the belief. Some critics accused Ellen White of plagiarising from Uriah Smith and other authors on this subject. Those claims were refuted by James White as late as 1851.[40]

The Millerites initially held that although the second coming of Christ had not occurred on October 22, the "close of probation" had occurred on that day. They based this belief on their understanding of the parable of the 10 virgins found in Matthew 25 in which the door of salvation is shut. They believed it was too late to be saved if one had not been through the Millerite experience, while they still anxiously expected that Jesus would return to Earth within their lifetimes. However they shortly began to experience that some of the people they were communicating with were accepting Christ and being converted. The interpretation of Christ's ministry of sanctuary cleansing gave them a theological framework by which to process this.[41] This "shut-door" belief was linked to the sanctuary doctrine.[42] The shut-door aspect was abandoned by the early 1850s.

Robert W. Olson wrote in a formative 1982 document whilst White Estate director:

While the term "shut door" at first was used to indicate probation's close in 1844, it soon came to mean the close of Christ's ministry in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. It stood for a change of Christ's ministry in heaven on October 22, 1844.[43]

Over time, Adventists came to believe that the "cleansing" of the heavenly sanctuary involves a work of judgment as depicted in the courtroom scene of Daniel 7:9–13 immediately prior to the second coming of Christ described in Daniel 7:14. In the 1850s, J. N. Loughborough and Uriah Smith began to teach that a judgment had begun in 1844 when Christ entered the Most Holy Place. Subsequently, in 1857, James White (husband of Ellen G. White) wrote in the Review and Herald (now the Adventist Review) that an "investigative judgment" was taking place in heaven, in which the lives of professed believers would pass in review before God.[36] This is the first time that the phrase "investigative judgment" was used.

The doctrine of the Investigative Judgment was given its most thorough exposition in chapter 28—Facing Life's Record of The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White.[36][44]

Desmond Ford

Main articles: Desmond Ford and Glacier View controversy

Australian Desmond Ford was a theologian in the church. In 1979 he addressed an Adventist Forums meeting at Pacific Union College critiquing the doctrine.[45] This was viewed with concern and he was given leave to write up his views. In August 1980 the "Sanctuary Review Committee" met at Glacier View Ranch in Colorado to discuss Ford's views. Ford had written nearly 1000-pages titled Daniel 8:14, the Day of Atonement and the Investigative Judgement.[46]

The Glacier View meeting produced two consensus statements and formulated a ten-point summary that highlighted major points of difference between Ford's positions and traditional Adventist teaching.[47] Ultimately, the church's administration took action against Ford, revoking his ministerial credentials one month after Glacier View. Special issues of Ministry and Spectrum covered the event.[48][49][50] A number of ministers resigned in the wake of Glacier View because they supported Ford's theology.[51] By one count, 182 pastors in Australia and New Zealand left between 1980 and 1988, equivalent to "an astonishing 40 percent of the total ministerial workforce" in those countries.[52] This amounts to "the most rapid and massive exit of Adventist pastors in the movement's 150-year history"[53] (although he cautions that the fallout may have involved more than one factor). Cottrell believes Ford has given more scholarly study to the belief and written more on it than any other person in history.[42] Ford subsequently formed the independent ministry Good News Unlimited and criticized many of the related church beliefs.

Subsequent history

Following Glacier View, the church formed an 18-member committee called the "Daniel and Revelation Study Committee" under the Biblical Research Institute, in order to study and re-evaluate the traditional Adventist understanding of the investigative judgment.[42] This committee has produced the seven-volume Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, with main contributing authors William H. Shea and Frank B. Holbrook.[54] Five of these seven volumes cover the biblical Book of Daniel, and two cover the Book of Revelation.

Ford has claimed that a number of "key figures" privately agreed with his views about the investigative judgment but refrained from speaking publicly on the issue, fearing that these "key figures" might lose their employment.[55] Arthur Patrick saw Glacier View as a milestone in the theological development of the church, and that the effects of this controversy continue to be felt today.[56]

Morris Venden's portrayal of the investigative judgment emphasizes the fairness of God as a judge,[57] as well as the grace of God.

Recent critics include Dale Ratzlaff, who left the church following the Ford crisis,[58] and former lecturer Jerry Gladson.[59]

Criticism of the doctrine

There has been criticism by non-Adventist theologians, and some progressive Adventists disagree with the doctrine of the investigative judgment as it is traditionally taught by the church.[60]

Criticism has been leveled at the doctrine at the following points:

Lack of biblical basis

Some have claimed that the doctrine has very little scriptural support for it or that it is based on the King James Version of the Bible rather than current translations, or is based almost exclusively on the writings of Ellen G. White.[42] Miller used an English Bible concordance, and found word parallels in English when sometimes the original language was different.[42] It has been criticized for relying on the "prooftext" method, in which disparate Bible verses are linked but sometimes out of context.[42]

Questionable origins

Critics have drawn attention to the fact that the sanctuary doctrine did not initially arise from biblical exegesis, but as a response to William Miller’s 1844 mistake. Donald Barnhouse denounced the doctrine as "the most colossal, psychological, face-saving phenomenon in religious history".[61] Likewise, religion scholar Anthony Hoekema stated that the doctrine was "simply a way out of an embarrassing predicament" and therefore "a doctrine built on a mistake".[62] It has been pointed out that the doctrine was rejected by Miller himself.[62]

Unusual interpretation of prophecy

The 1844 date is based on an interpretation of a biblical verse (Daniel 8:14) that is exclusive to the Millerite/Adventist movement. According to modern Preterist commentators, Daniel 8:14 refers to 2300 evening and morning sacrifices, and therefore covers a period of 1,150 days (or 3.5 years); it refers to the desecration of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes which began in 167 BC and ended 3.5 years later when the Maccabees regained control of the temple and reinstituted their services.[63]

Different view of the Atonement

Protestant Christianity has traditionally taught that Jesus Christ performed his work of atonement on the Cross, and that his sacrificial death brought to fulfillment the entire Old Testament sacrificial system, including the Day of Atonement. The idea that the Day of Atonement does not meet its antitype until 18 centuries after Jesus' crucifixion is a deviation from historic Christian theology.[64]

Lack of support from Christian tradition

No church besides the Seventh-day Adventist denomination teaches this doctrine. It is difficult to see how such a significant doctrine could be so widely overlooked.[62]

Faith vs. works

The doctrine of the Investigative Judgment seems to give works an undue place in salvation. On a strict reading of Ellen G. White, a Christian might be disqualified from salvation by failing to repent of every single sin. This seems to contradict the Reformation understanding of "salvation by grace through faith alone".[65]

Passage of time

Although the original exponents of the doctrine expected the investigative judgment to be a very brief period, about 170 years have now passed since the year 1844. The ever-increasing span of time between 1844 and the second coming casts significant doubt on the validity of the belief.[66]

The Hebrew Calendar

Rabbi Loschak affirms that, "It is impossible for Yom Kippur to occur that late in the month of October (October 22) no matter what alleged change (to the Jewish calendar) there may have been. Simply put the Torah tells us that the first month of the Jewish year is the month of Passover which must occur in the Spring, and the latest secular date it can start is about April 19. Yom Kippur is always 173 days after this date, and that would be October 9. There is no way it could work out to be October 22."[67]

All Hebrew calendars universally agree that Yom Kippur (which is the 10th day of Tishrei), in the year 1844 A.D. (Hebrew year 5605) actually occurred on September 23.[68]

Lack of confidence within Adventism

Raymond F. Cottrell,[69] claimed that the investigative judgment doctrine lacks support within Adventist academia and points to the "Committee on Problems in the book of Daniel", convened in the 1960s, which failed to produce any conclusions despite 5 years of labour.[69] However, see the 7 volumes produced by the Biblical Research Institute on Daniel & Revelation.[70]

According to Cottrell, "In the years immediately following October 22, 1844 the traditional sanctuary doctrine was an important asset for stabilizing the faith of disappointed Adventists. Today it is an equally significant liability and deterrent to the faith, confidence, and salvation of biblically literate Adventists and non-Adventists alike. It was present truth following the great disappointment on October 22, 1844. It is not present truth in the year of our Lord 2002. Quod erat demonstrandum!"[42]

Cottrell also claimed that disciplining of ordained ministers due to theology was inconsistent – that one may believe Christ was a created being, legalism or works-oriented salvation, or the non-literalness of the Genesis creation account without losing their credentials; yet lists many who have lost their jobs regarding the investigative judgment.[71]

Lack of pastoral relevance

Individuals such as Desmond Ford[72] and John McLarty have said that in practice, the investigative judgment is not preached in churches. McLarty claims that the doctrine "is not helpful in providing spiritual care for real people in the real world".[73]

Response from other Christian churches

Non-Adventist Christian churches and theologians have found that the investigative judgment is a doctrine with which they cannot agree. In a discussion between Adventist leaders and representatives from the World Evangelical Alliance in August 2007, the investigative judgment was noted as one of three points of doctrinal disagreement (the other two being the Sabbath and the authoritative role of Ellen G. White).[74]

Adventist response to critics

Lack of biblical basis

According to Adventist apologists this criticism is no longer valid because Adventist scholars have produced an extensive treatment of the doctrine purely on the basis of Scripture alone.[75] However, some Adventist scholars still debate its validity.

Atonement not complete at the cross

According to Adventist apologists this criticism is not entirely valid. The Adventist publication "The 27 Fundamental Beliefs" (pages 110–111) affirms that Christ's atoning sacrifice was completed at the cross; so also does the book Questions on Doctrine (page 375), which affirms the Adventist belief that the death of Christ as mankind's atoning sacrifice was completed once for all. However, Adventists embrace the broad view of the Leviticus 16 "Day of Atonement" model, where the scope for the term "Atonement" involves not only the sacrifice of the sin offering (Christ's completed atoning sacrifice) – but also the work of the High Priest in the Sanctuary. Many Protestant and Catholic scholars, including some early church fathers, have noted the high priestly ministry of Christ in heaven on the basis of the book of Hebrews. The Adventist link with atonement derives from their Wesleyan-Arminian roots by extending the Wesleyan-Lutheran understanding of the atonement to include the high priestly ministry. Thus, Adventists use the term "atonement" more broadly than the traditional theology. W. G. C. Murdock, former dean of the SDA theological seminary, stated, "Seventh-day Adventists have always believed in a complete atonement that is not completed." The sacrifice of Jesus was indeed complete at the cross; however, in Adventist belief his sacrifice has not yet completed repairing broken relationships caused by sin, which will only occur after the end of the world.[76]

Salvation by works

Seventh-day Adventists do not believe in salvation by works. Adventist doctrine states that salvation is by faith alone,[77] but they note that faith without works is dead as we find in James 2. In the Gospel of John (John 14:15), Jesus said "If you love me, keep my commandments." Only those who have been born again and walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:4) could ever love Jesus. Adventists point out that under the New Covenant (as listed in Hebrews chapter 8) the saints receive the Law of God written on the heart and mind, so for the saints keeping his commands is "not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). Adventists insist that Christ's command to "keep My Commandments" was not given as a means of salvation, rather, keeping his commands is the fruit of a changed life. As Christ states in John 15 obedience is the result of love. In the Adventist view of sanctification, works of obedience come about as a result of love that is born of faith in the Savior.

Passage of time since 1844

Adventists counter this criticism by noting that Christ's Holy Place ministry in heaven lasted for 1800 years and that during his Most Holy Place ministry in heaven the door of salvation remains open to all who seek him. The close of probation for mankind does not come before the fulfillment of certain eschatological prophecies predicted in the Book of Revelation and still future to human history. Judgment continues in heaven as long as there are individuals that accept salvation until the close of probation.

Adventists reject Calvinistic predestination. Such a decision makes judgment a necessary part of the divine plan of salvation (Wesleyan–Arminian concept). Adventists use the term "atonement" in harmony with the "Day of Atonement" service found in Leviticus 16. That service includes both the death of the sin offering, and the ministry of the high priest in the sanctuary before the full scope of atonement is completed. Many Christians today limit their concept of atonement to the point where the sin offering has been made and is completed. This difference in the way the term is defined by the various groups within Christendom has been a source of some undue criticism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigative_judgment

Mychal Fallon Judge, OFM (born Robert Emmett Judge; May 11, 1933 – September 11, 2001), was an American Franciscan friar and Catholic priest who served as a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. While serving in that capacity, he was killed, becoming the first certified fatality of the September 11 attacks.[2]

Early life

Mychal Judge was born Robert Emmett Judge on May 11, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of immigrants from County Leitrim, Ireland, and the firstborn of a pair of fraternal twins. His twin sister Dympna was born two days later. Judge was baptized in St. Paul's Church in Brooklyn on June 4. The twins, and their older sister Erin, grew up during the Great Depression.[3]

From the ages of three to six, he watched his father suffer and die of mastoiditis, a slow and painful illness of the skull and inner ear. To earn income following his father's death, Judge shined shoes at New York Penn Station and would visit St. Francis of Assisi Church, located across the street. Seeing the Franciscan friars there, he later said, "I realized that I didn't care for material things. ...I knew then that I wanted to be a friar."[4]

Career

After spending his freshman year at the St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, where he studied under the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, in 1948, at the age of 15, Judge began the formation process to enter the Order of Friars Minor. He transferred to St. Joseph's Seraphic Seminary in Callicoon, New York, the minor seminary of the Holy Name province of the Order. After graduation, he enrolled at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York. In 1954 he was admitted to the novitiate of the Province in Paterson, New Jersey. After completing that year of formation, he received the religious habit and professed his first vows as a member of the Order.[5] At that time, he was given the religious name of Fallon Michael. He later dropped 'Fallon' and changed 'Michael' to Mychal.[6] According to Queer There and Everywhere by Sarah Prager, Mychal changed his name to "differentiate himself from all the other 'Father Michaels.'"[7] He resumed his college studies at St. Bonaventure University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1957.[8] He professed his solemn vows as a full member of the Order in 1958.[5] Following this, he did his theological studies at Holy Name College Seminary in Washington, D.C. Upon completing these studies in 1961, he was ordained a priest.[9]

After his ordination, Judge was assigned to the Shrine of St. Anthony in Boston, Massachusetts. Following his assignment there, he served in various parishes served by the Franciscans: St. Joseph Parish in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Sacred Heart Parish in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, Holy Cross Parish in the Bronx and St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, New Jersey. For three years he served as assistant to the President of Siena College, operated by the Franciscans in Loudonville, New York. In 1986 he was assigned to St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan, where he had first come to know the friars. He lived and worked there until his death.[10]

Around 1971, Judge developed alcoholism, although he never showed obvious signs. In 1978, with the support of Alcoholics Anonymous, he became sober and continued to share his personal story of alcoholism to help others facing addiction.[11]

In 1992, Judge was appointed a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. As chaplain, he offered encouragement and prayers at fires, rescues, and hospitals, and counseled firemen and their families, often working 16-hour days. "His whole ministry was about love. Mychal loved the fire department and they loved him."[12] Judge was a member of AFSCME Local 299 (District Council 37).[13]

Judge was also well known in the city for ministering to the homeless, the hungry, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, the sick, injured, and grieving, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and those alienated by society.[14] Judge once gave the winter coat off his back to a homeless woman in the street, later saying, "She needed it more than me." When he anointed a man who was dying of AIDS, the man asked him, "Do you think God hates me?" Judge picked him up, kissed him, and silently rocked him in his arms.[15] Judge worked with St. Clare's Hospital, which opened the city's first AIDS ward, in order to start an active AIDS ministry. He visited hospitals and AIDS patients and their families, presided over many funerals, and counseled other Catholics such as Brendan Fay and John McNeill. Judge continued to be an advocate for gay rights throughout the rest of his life, marching in pride parades and attending other gay events.[16]

Even before his death, many considered Judge to be a living saint for his extraordinary works of charity and his deep spirituality. While praying, he would sometimes "become so lost in God, as if lost in a trance, that he'd be shocked to find several hours had passed."[17] Judge's spiritual director, the late Jesuit John J. McNeill, observed that Judge achieved an "extraordinary degree of union with the divine. We knew we were dealing with someone directly in line with God."[18]

September 11 attacks

Judge's memorial inscription:

"FR. MYCHAL JUDGE

MAY 11, 1933 – SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Lord, Take me where you want me to go, Let me meet who you want me to meet, Tell me what you want me to say and Keep me out of your way.

On September 11, 2001, upon learning that the World Trade Center had been hit by the first of two jetliners, Judge rushed to the site. He was met by Rudolph Giuliani, the Mayor of New York City, who asked him to pray for the city and its victims. Judge prayed over bodies lying on the streets, then entered the lobby of the World Trade Center North Tower, where an emergency command post had been organized. There he continued offering aid and prayers for the rescuers, the injured, and the dead.

Judge died when debris from the South Tower was ejected into the lobby of the North Tower during the collapse of the World Trade Center. This image of the South Tower was photographed nine days before Judge's death.

When the neighboring South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m., debris went flying through the North Tower lobby, killing many inside. Judge died at this moment, too, struck and killed by the debris, according to a later interview with 1st Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer, it was initially believed that he had suffered a heart attack.[19] In the moment before his death, Judge was repeatedly praying aloud, "Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!", according to Judge's biographer and New York Daily News columnist Michael Daly.[20][21]

Shortly after his death, Judge's body was found and carried out of the North Tower by five people (Firefighters Christian Waugh and Zachary Vause, NYPD Lt. William Cosgrove, civilian John Maguire and FDNY EMT Kevin Allen) shortly before it collapsed at 10:28 a.m. This act was photographed by Reuters photographer Shannon Stapleton, and became one of the most famous photographs taken during the attacks. This event was captured in the documentary film 9/11, shot by Jules and Gedeon Naudet. The Philadelphia Weekly reported that the photograph is "considered an American Pietà."[22] Judge's body was placed before the altar of St. Peter's Catholic Church before being taken by ambulance and fire department colleagues to Engine 1/Ladder 24, the fire station opposite the Franciscan Friary on W 31st Street in Manhattan.[23] He was later taken from the fire station to the medical examiner.[24]

Judge was designated as "Victim 0001" and thereby recognized as the first named victim of the attacks. Although thousands of others had been killed before him, with Daniel Lewin largely believed to have been the first chronological fatality of the attacks, Judge was the first certified fatality because his body was the first to be recovered and taken to the medical examiner.[25]

Judge's body was formally identified by NYPD Detective Steven McDonald, a long-time friend. The New York Medical Examiner found that Judge died of "blunt force trauma to the head".[25]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mychal_Judge

Autobiographical Sketch of Ellen G. White

Birth

I was born at Gorham, Maine, November 26, 1827. My parents, Robert and Eunice Harmon, were for many years residents of this State. In early life they became earnest and devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In that church they held prominent connection, and labored for the conversion of sinners, and to build up the cause of God, for a period of forty years. During this time they had the joy of seeing their children, eight in number, all converted and gathered into the fold of Christ.

 

from EGW Estate

Bracket Street School in Portland, Maine, where Ellen White attended school as a child.—White Estate.

Near-fatal Accident

While I was but a child, my parents removed from Gorham to Portland, Maine. Here, at the age of nine years, an accident happened to me which was to affect my whole life. In company with my twin sister and one of our schoolmates, I was crossing a common in the city of Portland, when a girl about thirteen years of age, becoming angry at some trifle, threw a stone that hit me on the nose. I was stunned by the blow, and fell senseless to the ground.

When consciousness returned, I found myself in a merchant's store. A kind stranger offered to take me home in his carriage, but I, not realizing my weakness, told him that I preferred to walk. Those present were not aware that my injury was so serious, and allowed me to go; but after walking only a few rods, I grew faint and dizzy. My twin sister and my schoolmate carried me home.

I have no recollection of anything further for some time after the accident. My mother said that I noticed nothing, but lay in a stupor for three weeks. No one but herself thought it possible for me to recover, but for some reason she felt that I would live.

When I again aroused to consciousness, it seemed to me that I had been asleep. I did not remember the accident, and was ignorant of the cause of my illness. A great cradle had been made for me, and in it I lay for many weeks. I was reduced almost to a skeleton.

At this time I began to pray the Lord to prepare me for death. When Christian friends visited the family, they would ask my mother if she had talked with me about dying. I overheard this, and it roused me. I desired to become a Christian, and prayed earnestly for the forgiveness of my sins. I felt a peace of mind resulting, and loved everyone, feeling desirous that all should have their sins forgiven, and love Jesus as I did.

I gained strength very slowly. As I became able to join in play with my young friends, I was forced to learn the bitter lesson that our personal appearance often makes a difference in the treatment we receive from our companions.

Education

My health seemed to be hopelessly impaired. For two years I could not breathe through my nose, and was able to attend school but little. It seemed impossible for me to study and to retain what I learned. The same girl who was the cause of my misfortune, was appointed monitor by our teacher, and it was among her duties to assist me in my writing and other lessons. She always seemed sincerely sorry for the great injury she had done me, although I was careful not to remind her of it. She was tender and patient with me, and seemed sad and thoughtful as she saw me laboring under serious disadvantages to get an education.

My nervous system was prostrated, and my hand trembled so that I made but little progress in writing, and could get no farther than the simple copies in coarse hand. As I endeavored to bend my mind to my studies, the letters in the page would run together, great drops of perspiration would stand upon my brow, and a faintness and dizziness would seize me. I had a bad cough, and my whole system seemed debilitated.

My teachers advised me to leave school, and not pursue my studies further till my health should improve. It was the hardest struggle of my young life to yield to my feebleness, and decide that I must leave my studies, and give up the hope of gaining an education.

https://www.ellenwhite.info/ellen_white_life_1a.htm

Emma E. Booker Elementary School is a public elementary school in Sarasota, Florida, which opened in the fall of 1989. It is one of the Booker Schools, with a middle and high school of the same name nearby. It is a part of Sarasota County Schools. The school is best known as the school where United States President George W. Bush was visiting on September 11, 2001, when he learned of the terrorist attacks that were unfolding that day. These events caused the school to receive national attention.

The Booker Schools

The Booker Schools were named for Emma E. Booker,[3] an African-American educator who began teaching at Sarasota County's first black school, Sarasota Grammar School, in 1918. Around that time, Ms. Booker began to take college classes during the summer school break. By 1923, she had become principal of the school, which had no physical building and used rented halls for classes. Her students "sat at desks made of orange crates, learning from hand-me-down books discarded from the white schools."[4][5]

Julius Rosenwald, a part-owner of Sears, established the Rosenwald Fund in 1917 to help underfunded African-American schools in the South. Within the first few years of its establishment, the Fund provided the means for the first African-American school in Sarasota, located on 7th Street and Lemon Avenue, as Emma Booker had made the plight of the school known. The school (with four classrooms and an auditorium) opened with eight grades during the 1924–25 school year. On opening day, Emma Booker led her teachers and students from the Knights of Pythias rental hall to the new school.[6] After 20 years of summer college attendance, she attained her bachelor's degree in 1937.

The Booker Schools were named in her honor in the late 1930s and were expanded to include a high school.[7] When Emma E. Booker Elementary School was named in her honor, a newspaper editorial said: "Emma Booker persevered, personally encouraging students, underwriting their continued education and pressuring intransigent administrators to provide for blacks the same educational opportunities available to whites."[4]

From 1939 to 1989, the Booker Schools all shared a campus at Myrtle Street and Orange Avenue in Sarasota. In 1966, 12 years after the U.S. Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education ended school segregation, there were only 36 African-American students enrolled in the all-white high schools. In 1967, the Sarasota County School Board shut down Booker High School, resulting in the students there having to attend the all-white Sarasota High School. The Newtown community protested the Booker school closure by boycotting the public schools and sending their children to "freedom schools" at local churches. Booker High School reopened in 1970 and became a Visual and Performing Arts magnet school shortly thereafter.[6] The combined Booker School campus was split into the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in 1989 and to the Booker Middle School in 2003, with the Booker High School being refurbished at the previous location.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_E._Booker_Elementary_School

The Branch Davidians (or the General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists) are a cult founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They regard themselves as a continuation of the General Association of Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists, established by Victor Houteff in 1935. They have often been described as a doomsday cult.

Houteff, a Seventh-day Adventist, wrote a series of tracts entitled the "Shepherd's Rod" that called for reform of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. After his ideas were rejected, Houteff and his followers formed the group that became known as "Davidians", and some moved onto land outside Waco, Texas. They built a community called the Mount Carmel Center, which served as headquarters for the movement. After Houteff's death in 1955, his wife Florence took control of the organization. That same year, Benjamin Roden, a follower of Houteff, proclaimed what he believed to be a new message from God and wrote letters presenting it to Davidians.[1] He signed these letters "The Branch", believing that to be the new name Jesus had taken to reflect a new stage of his work in the heavenly sanctuary. Those who accepted Benjamin Roden's teachings became known as Branch Davidians Seventh Day Adventists.

In 1957, Florence sold the Mount Carmel Center and purchased 941 acres (381 ha) near Elk, Texas – 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Waco – naming it New Mount Carmel Center. After the failure of Florence's prophecy of apocalyptic events on or near April 22, 1959, she dissolved the Davidian Association in 1962 and sold all but 77.86 acres (31.51 ha) of the New Mount Carmel property. Benjamin Roden took possession of it in 1962 and began efforts to purchase the remaining 77.86 acres (31.51 ha). On February 27, 1973, New Mount Carmel was sold to Benjamin, his wife Lois Roden, and their son George Roden.[2] From then on, the property was simply known as Mount Carmel. Upon the death of Benjamin Roden in 1978, Lois became the next Davidian prophet at the compound.[3]

In 1981, a young man named Vernon Howell, later known as David Koresh, came to Mount Carmel and studied biblical prophecy under Lois Roden. By 1983, Howell (Koresh) had gained a group of followers that separated from Lois' organization to form "The Davidian Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Association".[4] Meanwhile, Lois continued to operate the Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Association from Mt. Carmel Center near Waco.[5] Koresh's group and the Branch Davidians (Lois's group) were two separate organizations with different leaders, names, and locations from 1983. It was not until 1987, after Lois died, that Koresh filed a document claiming to be the president of the Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Association.[6] Koresh and followers, further, went to Mt. Carmel center, engaging in a shootout with George Roden that eventually resulted in Koresh's group occupying the land. These actions are regarded by Branch Davidians who remained loyal to Lois Roden as an act of identity theft against them.[7]

Koresh's leadership ended at the Waco siege of 1993, a fifty-one–day standoff between the sect and federal agents. Four agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and two residents were killed by the sect during the initial raid, while four sect members were killed by ATF agents on February 28, 1993. Seventy-six members of Koresh's group, including many children, died in a fire that erupted during the siege on April 19, 1993.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branch_Davidians

Carson opens up about his membership in Seventh-day Adventist Church

Politics Oct 31, 2015 5:05 PM EST

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — As his surge in heavily evangelical Iowa puts a spotlight on his faith, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is opening up about his membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He embraces it as right for him while also framing his beliefs in broad terms that aim to transcend divisions among Christians.

In an interview with The Associated Press, days after GOP rival Donald Trump criticized Carson’s church, the retired neurosurgeon said his relationship with God was “the most important aspect. It’s not really denomination specific.”

Carson discussed a brief period as a college student when he questioned whether to stay in the church. And in his own criticism, he said it was a “huge mistake” that the top Adventist policymaking body recently voted against ordaining women. “I don’t see any reason why women can’t be ordained,” he said.

The remarks from the Republican presidential candidate were his most expansive about his church since he joined the 2016 contest. Voters have come to know him for his faith-infused policy stands, including his opposition to abortion and gay marriage, without hearing much from him about his Adventism.

The church, formed in 1863 in Battle Creek, Michigan, has a spiritual focus on healthy living and an extensive network of hospitals and medical clinics. Carson expressed pride in the denomination, while also trying to reach beyond it.

“There are a lot of people who have a close relationship with God, and you can generally tell who they are by the way they act, the way they treat other people,” he said Wednesday a few hours before the GOP debate. “The reason that there are like 4,000 denominations is that people have looked at this and said, ‘Let’s interpret it this way. Let’s interpret it this way.’

“Sometimes they get caught up in that and forget about the real purpose of Christian faith,” he said.

Trump has appeared to be trying to paint Carson as part of a faith outside the mainstream, not a religious conservative who shares the values of Iowa’s evangelicals. During a rally last Saturday in Florida, Trump noted he was a Presbyterian, calling his own church “middle of the road.” Then he added, “I mean, Seventh-day Adventist, I don’t know about.”

A possible impetus for Trump’s new approach was a series of preference polls showing Carson overtaking him in Iowa, the lead-off caucus state where evangelical voters are crucial to success for Republicans.

In 2012, Mitt Romney, a Mormon, won just 14 percent of Iowans who described themselves as born again or evangelical Christian, according to Iowa caucus exit polls, amid deep skepticism about his church and his politics.

Carson told the AP he had “totally anticipated” that Trump and his supporters would try to stir doubts about his church in the primary contests.

“Donald Trump is Donald Trump. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s doing that. I would only be surprised if he didn’t,” Carson said. “There’s a lot of things that are done in politics that are not fair, but when you get into the fray you have to expect those things.”

The Seventh-day Adventist Church was born from what is known as the “Great Disappointment,” when Jesus failed to arrive in 1844 as expected by thousands of Christians in a moment of widespread religious fervor known as the Second Great Awakening. Many of these disheartened faithful, called Adventists for their belief in Christ’s imminent return, continued studying the Bible together and set Saturday as their Sabbath day of worship.

Ellen White and her husband James were leaders in that movement and founded the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The denomination says it now has 18.7 million members worldwide, with 1.2 million in North America.

For the small number of evangelicals who pay close attention to the church, their unease is focused in part on Ellen White, a prolific writer considered a prophet by Adventists, whose views continue to shape the denomination.

Some pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention protested this year when Carson was invited to address their annual meeting. While the reasons for the objections were mixed, some cited the religious weight given to White’s opinions, even though Adventists, like other conservative Christians, consider only the Bible authoritative.

“We caught wind of the controversy and just gracefully bowed out,” Carson said, shrugging off the episode.

Carson is accustomed to misunderstandings about his church.

“A lot of people would ascribe any weird thing they heard about anybody – they’d say, ‘That’s the Adventists,'” he said.

His mother was an Adventist, and he was baptized into the church twice at his own request, because he felt he was too young the first time to grasp the significance. He has served as an elder, a religious teacher and as a star representative of the denomination around the world. Videos are plentiful online of Carson debating atheists, upholding Adventist teaching that God created the Earth in six days, and giving personal testimonies at churches.

A twice-daily Bible reader, Carson said he still belongs to his longtime church in Spencerville, Maryland, and to another in Florida. If he’s on the road campaigning on a Saturday, he and his wife will try to find a local Adventist church or watch services online.

In the interview, Carson revealed he went through a brief period of questioning as a Yale University student about whether Adventism was right for him. He said he was upset by segregation in the church.

After trying out services at Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and Lutheran churches, he ended up staying.

“I concluded it was the right church, just the wrong people. The church was very segregated. You know, if you have the love of God in your heart, it seems like you wouldn’t do that. That has changed fairly significantly since that time,” Carson said.

Traces of the anti-Catholic prejudice White expressed in her writings can still be found in Adventism. Carson rejects that bias.

“I love Catholics. My best friend is Catholic. I have several honorary degrees from Catholic universities,” he said.

Carson also addressed White’s end-of-the world prophecy about Jesus’ return. She predicted that the government, with the help of Christians who celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, will persecute Seventh-day Adventists for their Saturday worship.

“I think there’s a wide variety of interpretations of that. There’s a lot of persecution of Christians going on already in other parts of world. And some people assume that’s going to happen every place. I’m not sure that’s an appropriate assumption,” he said. “If you look at what’s going on today with persecution of Christians, particularly in the Middle East, I believe that’s really more what’s being talked about.”

Adventists today place a heavy emphasis on protecting religious liberty, a position with roots in White’s prophecy, although their efforts extend beyond their own to church to help protect all faiths. The denomination filed a brief in support of the Muslim woman who won a Supreme Court case this year against Abercrombie & Fitch, which refused to hire her because she wore a headscarf.

Given the denomination’s traditional concern for religious freedom, some Adventists have been upset by Carson’s recent comments that the U.S. should not elect a Muslim president. He stood by that position in the interview, and said those who object probably don’t understand Islamic law, which he said “is not consistent with” the U.S. understanding of religious liberty.

Last May, Seventh-day Adventist officials issued a statement taking note of Carson’s candidacy. It emphasized the church’s longstanding support for the separation of church and state and said it was crucial for Adventists to continue keeping politics out of the pulpit during this election season.

Still, given the extra attention, the denomination is rolling out a new website, whoareadventists.org, to educate the public about the church.

“I think this is a great opportunity for us,” said Daniel Weber, an Adventist spokesman. “Donald Trump did a great thing when he said, ‘Who are Adventists?’ Now we’re answering that question.”

Darrell Scott, an Ohio pastor who has been helping to introduce Trump to Christian leaders from across the country, is among those pushing Trump or his surrogates to spend more time talking about Carson’s church.

“If they’re crediting the rise in the polls to the evangelical community and are saying the evangelical community is embracing Carson then they need to re-examine their position,” he said, “because he’s not a Christian in the evangelical sense of the word.”

Bob Vander Plaats, the president of the Iowa-based social conservative organization The Family Leader, said Trump has likely spurred evangelicals to ask more questions about Carson’s faith, but he doesn’t expect Carson’s denomination to hurt him.

“I do believe there is probably more people today in Iowa and across the country trying to learn about Seventh-day Adventists,” Vander Plaats said. “But I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of people getting into the theological weeds.”

Carson said he could easily handle whatever criticisms of his faith arise during the campaign.

“The things that I hear every day – are you kidding?” he said. “I fully expect people to come after me from every possible perspective because you know what I represent is a threat to the established regimes in this country on both sides of the aisle.”

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/carson-opens-membership-seventh-day-adventist-church

The Advent Rite

Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry

The following disclosure takes place in future chapters of the fictional novel Bipolar WINTER. It is presented here for those readers who have asked for coming plot elements. This document is lengthy, but you are encouraged to read to the end, as the information contained here explains foundational elements of Bipolar WINTER.

Like many other restrictive religious communities, the Seventh-day Adventist Church throws a cloak of secrecy over many of its practices and much of its history. One such example is that its founders were part of a newly-founded fraternity called The Shmita (Hebrew: שמיטה) Advent Rite of Freemasonry, a lodge that broke from regular lines of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, whose aim was to guide the formation and direction of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. One of those founders was William Miller, who was credited with starting the Advent movement and who served his lodge as Worshipful Master.

There are many indications that men who were previously members of a regular line of Freemasonry were responsible for establishing the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but their secrecy has concealed any specific information tying them to those events.

This corrupted, irregular line of Freemasonry (which had taken on the formal name The Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry) not only excluded women, but also permitted only a handful of men to join every year – making their invitation to Ellen White highly unusual. Ellen White, prophetess and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was asked to join the Advent Rite after she overheard a long conversation between a Noble Brother of the lodge and her husband. Because the Noble Brother and James White had unknowingly disclosed secrets (and they were under a blood oath to keep their secrets from being revealed), Ellen White was forced to join the covert society—herself under a blood oath to maintain the secrets of the Advent Rite. In their private conversation, the men discussed secret teachings, plans, and passwords, all of which Ellen White overheard.

One of the Advent order’s teachings held that members who passed on were to be buried on the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath (Saturday), and the number seven was to be extremely significant in the ceremony. (The secret meanings of “sevens within sevens”—the rituals, vestments, proper passwords, signs and tokens—will be explained in future volumes of Bipolar WINTER.)

The Advent Rite made clear that once the solemn formalities of the burial ceremony had begun, the service had to be completed without any interruption whatsoever.

The deceased was to be carried by seven men who, after setting the casket down near the grave, would walk around it seven times, stopping after each circuit to bow. They would then each turn around in a complete circle before walking around the casket again.

Seven other men would stand in a row near the head of the casket and recite Psalms 91 in its entirety, precisely 19 times (19 is the reverse of 91). That process would begin before and continue during the other parts of the service. Additionally, before beginning to read, the seven men would each be sprinkled with sacred oil seven times by the presiding Worshipful Master.

Ellen White, for reasons explained later, underwent four funeral ceremonies. Three were open to the public, but the fourth—performed in secret—was kept hidden from the non-Advent Rite Freemasons. The occurrence of a fourth secret ceremony begs the question: If the SDA church can bend the truth about Ellen White’s interment, is there anything they won’t do to keep their members in the dark, no matter what the subject? That’s certainly a question to ponder.

In Ellen White’s fourth funeral, seven pallbearers carried her casket to the gravesite, where seven Seventh-day Adventist ministers, who had all been initiated as Noble Brothers into the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry, acted as guards. Each of the seven men who walked around her casket bowed to the east seven times and wore a black band around their left arm, on which the seventh letter of the alphabet had been embossed in gold. The seventh letter, G, represented the words ‘Grand Geometrician’, also known as ‘The Great (or Grand) Architect of the Universe’. Why the left arm? The presence of the band on the left arm indicates the sinister nature of the men was being controlled by the higher nature of God.

Each of the sevens from the funeral ceremony represented one of the sevens mentioned in the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy depicted on the 1850 prophetic chart, which Ellen White had asked her husband to print. At the time it was printed, she stated that it was perfect in every way: “I saw that God was in the publishment of the chart by Brother Nichols. I saw that there was a prophecy of this chart in the Bible, and if this chart is designed for God’s people, if it [is] sufficient for one it is for another, and if one needed a new chart painted on a larger scale, all need it just as much.” (Manuscript Releases, volume 13, 359). The chart Ellen White mentioned included a few errors that were corrected with a second chart. Both were to be used by Adventists evangelists in explaining the message until the very month and year of Christ’s return in clouds of glory.

Exactly 33 days passed from the time of Ellen White’s mock burial—her third memorial, in which a casket weighted with rocks was lowered into the ground—attended by hundreds of people, until she was actually interred on Thursday, August 26, 1915. On each intervening day, members of the Advent Rite held a ceremony, and during each ceremony, a different member of the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry read one of the 32 degrees near the room in which her body was held in a vault.

On the 33rd day, Ellen White had the 33rd honorary degree of the Advent Rite (Sovereign Grand Advent Inspector General) conferred upon her. It was read from an 1880 manuscript which had been slightly modified by her husband, James White.

During that period of 33 days, seven younger ministers were initiated into the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry, each of them receiving the baptism of the 32nd degree. They had been closely observed and found to be perfect candidates for initiation, a process called being “stepped up to” in the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry. The seven men were taught through rituals and read one level of initiation every day (from small books called ‘monitors’) in the presence of Ellen White’s body during the 33 days until her interment.

The initiations the Advent masons underwent had been altered from the original teachings of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, with the new initiates being taught the secrets of how and why the Catholic Church would be infiltrated in the years to come, how Masonic teachings would take over the Catholic Church hierarchy, and how the Catholic Church would one day be controlled by masons, with the top administrators, leaders, and the Pope himself all having been initiated into the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry.

The seven men were also told how Ellen White had been visited by 19 angels during her lifetime, and they learned the secrets of the number 19. Since then, SDA teachings have revealed additional insights into the number 19. The distinct orders of each of the 19 angels is explained here. Additionally, the seven men were coached in different aspects of the Qur’an, studying Islam in secret (which is still done to this day), and were instructed to greet each other with the words ‘As-Salaam-Alaikum’ when they met in secret. They were also schooled as to the reasons why the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy had to continue to be taught in secret and why the SDA church was to fade out any mention of The Third Woe or its connections to Islam. The church has also eliminated teachings on the second prophetic chart, which depicts Islam as bringing three levels of woes on the earth.

After having had the 32nd (highest) degree conferred upon them, the seven men were henceforth known as Masters of the Advent Royal Secret. At another meeting, they were given a second title of Advent Muslim, after which others present in the large chamber stood and in unison gave the secret sign and recited the Advent Obligation. The Masters of the Advent Royal Secret were informed that even though the main branches of the Seventh-day Adventist Church would begin to teach the Trinity doctrine, they, as the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry, would revert back to Ellen White’s original teachings concerning the nature of One God, which she had never abandoned, never intending her church to embrace the Trinity doctrine. The Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry now secretly follows Ellen White’s original doctrine.

Years later, John Harvey Kellogg (founder of the cereal giant Kellogg’s), who knew that certain leaders were, like him, ready to adopt the Catholic teachings on the Trinity, pushed for this new teaching to be surreptitiously introduced into the SDA church over time. He did this despite knowing the new Trinitarian belief would erode any respect devout of Muslims for the Seventh-day Adventist Church (because Muslims would see it as a challenge to the reasons Abraham was taught about one God). Kellogg, who was like a son to Ellen White, understood how harshly Islam would one day judge the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church if it abandoned the beliefs of its founder, but Kellogg still pushed for the church to embrace what Jews and Muslims consider idolatry – that idea of more than one God. Ellen White saw the Son as an expansion of the Father. She believed in One God—Jesus is both the Creator of the universe and the Creation. According to White, Jesus is the begotten creative force that is the expanded energy of God. The Holy Spirit is the energy field of God that is in touch with the creative expansion of Himself. White believed The One expands itself without a triune existence.

Ellen White died on July 16, 1915 at her home in Elmshaven, St Helena, California, where her first funeral service was held on July 18.

A camp meeting concerning White’s Conflict of the Ages series was being held in Richmond, California, at the time, so her body was taken there by train and a second funeral service was presided over by the president of the Pacific Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. White’s body was then taken to Battle Creek, Michigan, where on Saturday, July 24 (the Sabbath) it lay in state in the Battle Creek Tabernacle so that church members and well-wishers could pay their respects.

Between the hours of 8:00 am and 10:00 am, around 2,000 people passed by her body. Six—not seven, as there were in the closed order’s service—Seventh-day Adventist ministers acted as honor guards, rotating in 19-minute shifts. Every 19 minutes, another group of six ministers took their place. One of the ministers stood at the head of the casket, another stood at the foot, and two ministers guarded each side, keeping those paying their respects from getting too close. The six guards represented the 6th millennium in which we now live.

A third funeral service was held in the Battle Creek Tabernacle later that same day. With many of the surrounding Seventh-day Adventist churches canceling their Sabbath services so their members could travel to the funeral, around 4,600 people attended, but since the Battle Creek Tabernacle could hold just over 3,000 people, not even standing room was available for all who attended.

The sermon was preached by Elder Stephen Haskell, who had asked Ellen White to marry him after both of their spouses had passed. (She declined his proposal.)

After the service, Ellen White’s body appeared to be taken to the Oak Hill Cemetery to be buried next to her husband, James White, but the casket was empty—except for the rocks bound in cloth intended to duplicate her weight—something those in attendance didn’t know, leaving them to assume that she had finally been laid to rest on the Sabbath, July 24th.

Very few church members know of the role John Harvey Kellogg played in all of this. The vertical headstone (obelisk) set in the White’s family grave site was purchased by Kellogg sometime after the death of James White, some 34 years earlier. Ellen White had seen the obelisk and wanted to purchase it for her family’s gravesite, so Kellogg gave the money to a family friend, asking them to pay for the obelisk and give it as a gift, making it appear to have come from them.

I have been asked if it is true that a symbol associated with the Order of the Eastern Star is engraved on the obelisk. (The Order of the Eastern Star is a Freemasonic appendant and concordant body which both men and women can join. It was started in 1850 by an attorney named Rob Morris, who shared many friends with James and Ellen White and William Miller.) That answer will be given in a later volume of Bipolar WINTER.

Kellogg was also responsible for creating a story designed to be told to anyone who might one day discover that Ellen White’s body was kept out of the grave until August 26. According to the story, leaders of the SDA church were afraid Kellogg might want to exhume White’s body to have an autopsy performed to determine if her brain had been affected by a childhood accident. (At the age of nine, she was struck in the face by a rock.)

There is, though, another explanation—one which I am reluctant to mention, as it might make some question their beliefs. However, after much consideration, I feel it’s important enough to share and allow you to decide for yourselves.

Those closest to Ellen White in the Advent Rite strongly believed that the most senior angel who had come to her throughout her life was going to return to resurrect her. In files kept at her home, Ellen White had written about others being translated, meaning being taken up to Heaven without seeing death.

Only a few people throughout history have been considered pure enough to be visited by an angel of the Lord. Because Ellen White had been visited by 19 angels, her fellow members of the Advent Rite believed that she was certain to be resurrected, and then later, as Christ, be translated into Heaven. As a result, they kept her body out of the grave to allow that to happen. They fervently wished it would happen, as having their prophetess resurrected right from the room in which they’d conferred the 33rd degree upon her would bring awareness of the church and its teachings to the wider world.

But as time went by and nothing happened, members of the Advent Rite made the decision to lay Ellen White’s body to rest after the 33-day period had passed.

It’s important to mention these events because the belief that the angel would come to resurrect White directly conflicts with the SDA church’s teaching that all resurrection will happen only at the second coming of Christ. The church teaching on the State of the Dead is that all who have died are still sleeping, unaware of the passage of time, and waiting for Christ to come again.

As a side note, it’s said that Ellen White was approached by many leaders of the church after her husband died, asking her to contact the Lord and request that her husband be raised from the dead, as the church might not be able to continue without his help. She told them to keep their request private and explained to them that she’d been inspired to allow her husband to remain in his slumber. She told them her husband was tired, having been over-burdened with work and needed to rest until the Lord came, and that her husband’s work was to be carried on by her and the other leaders of the church.

Kellogg was also influential in retaining one aspect of the text in Ellen White’s book The Desire of Ages. He asked one of her assistants to tell her that if she left the wording concerning the Holy Spirit within the text, it would ensure that the SDA church would not come under attack until the Time of Trouble began.

Ellen White never changed her teaching that both God the Father and His Only Begotten Son radiated an all-pervading, self-effulgent and fully conscious blue light outward from Their bodies. God, being one, had a material expansion indicated through His begotten Son and the Holy Spirit. Unlike the Catholic Church’s doctrine of the Trinity, White’s teachings held that a shared light or spirit radiated from the bodies of God the Father and His material expansion expressed as His Only Begotten Son, bringing healing to those who would accept this holy, healing, and comforting Spirit.

Many people have asked why the bodies of Ellen White, her husband, her son, and other Adventists, such as Samuele R. Bacchiocchi (29 January 1938 – 20 December 2008), John Nevins Andrews (July 22, 1829 – October 21, 1883) and Le Roy Edwin Froom (October 16, 1890 – February 20, 1974), were all buried on the Holy Sabbath.

There is an answer, half of which will be shared on the Bipolar WINTER blog. The rest will be disclosed in future volumes of Bipolar WINTER.

For those of you who are unaware of the significance of interments being made on the Sabbath, it’s important to know that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has made it a custom to refuse funeral services on the Sabbath. But the reason for that is probably not what you think. The real reason is to reserve the Sabbath for the secret funeral services (which still go on to this day) of the few members of the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry. Being buried on the Sabbath sets those Noble Brothers of the Advent Rite and their wives aside as being special when compared to other members of the SDA church.

Even though Ellen White’s assistants were allowed to become 32nd degree Masons, and Ellen White was herself a 33rd degree Mason (an honorary degree), she didn’t support the regular lines of Freemasons. In secret, she supported the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry. However, she still believed in what she preached because she had been forced to take a secret oath to preserve her life. Following her death, the only places to continue teaching about such things as the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy were the few secret lodges of the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry. At the same time, certain initiated leaders within the Seventh-day Adventist Church were being directed to begin fading out the 2520 teaching and to develop different – and controversial – teachings concerning the ‘Daily’ in Daniel.

Early Adventists didn’t consider their new order—the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry—to be like other Freemason societies. To early Adventists, the Advent Rite was like an extension of their church. Members of the Advent Rite even became known among themselves as ‘Excellent Masters of the Chart’ (a reference to the prophetic chart of 1850). According to the Shmita Advent Rite’s teaching, this can only be spoken of now that we live in the time of the coming of the Messiah heralded by a global pandemic—the plague of sores.

While Ellen White had not wanted her church members to join the traditional Freemason order, her fellow founders of the SDA church considered the Advent Rite’s secret and closed order to be a much higher and purer example of the ancient and accepted mysteries. She was forced to become a member when she overheard the secrets the Rite—because of this she warned SDA members to avoid any contact with secret societies lest they suffer the fate she did in being forced to join under the penalty of death.

The reasons Ellen White disapproved of the Freemasons while being a member herself are explained in later volumes of Bipolar WINTER.

Ellen White didn’t want the 2520 prophecy faded out of the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was not given any indication that it would happen. She watched as her husband became confused as to whether he should continue to support the 2520 teachings in public or go along with the other leaders of the Advent Rite and appear as if he no longer believed in it. Ellen White had already indicated that she would not openly continue to speak of the 2520 prophecy, but she did leave hidden references to it in her writings. Uriah Smith, along with others, would later agree with the leaders of the Advent Rite to keep their support of the 2520 prophecy private. That begs the question: Why did Sister White never publicly tell church members that the Seven Times Time Prophecy was an erroneous teaching?

Today, many (so-called) conservative Seventh-day Adventist ministers question why anyone would still give any importance to White’s prophetic charts. If you are one who disbelieves the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy, ask yourself the following questions:

1) Why would a prophecy which claims Christ began His judgement in the year 1844, and which the Spirit of Prophecy endorsed, be mocked by me and many of today’s Bible students and ministers? Leaders of the SDA church believe Christ entered the Most Holy Place in October 1844 and began to judge the living and the dead. This is one of two prophecies of Ellen White upon which the Seventh-day Adventist Church was founded and, indeed, on which its continued existence depends. Ellen White insisted that two witnesses attest to each prophecy. She further asserted that the 2300 Day Prophecy pointed to the Investigative Judgement and thus served as the second basis for the founding of the Adventist church. Many who scrutinize the 1844 prophecy and its proof spend hours each day in personal prayer, contemplation, meditation, and studying of sacred texts (such as the oral and written Torah) and the Spirit of Prophecy in its fullness. Adventist church leaders are now trying to disconnect 2300 Day Prophecy from Adventism. Leaders of the Adventist church removed the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy as an official teaching because it was hard to understand, and in so doing, removed the second witness to the Investigative Judgement.

2) Why would I want to appear to be an expert and then scorn a prophecy which Ellen White asked to be left on the 1850 chart before she had it printed by her husband, especially at a time in history when the Spirit of Prophecy is already being questioned by forces around the world who want to see it discredited and abandoned? Many leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church want to eliminate these prophecies from church doctrine because they are being mocked by the world (Daniel 8:14). The Adventist church’s foundational prophecies are easily mocked by others, but leaders and scholars who have tried to get rid of 2300 Day Prophecy have not been allowed to do so because without it (and the scripture to which it allegedly points), the very existence of the SDA church is rendered invalid. Adventist leaders now feel a sense of urgency because they believe Jesus has completed His judgement of the dead and is now judging the living.

Why also does one of the wealthiest organizations on earth allow its ordained ministers to disparage the 2520 teachings? What spirit leads those ordained men and women to want to deny the 2520 prophecy? Why is it important for those men and women to appear on video and lead people around the world to doubt the Seven Times Time Prophecy? What are these men and women trying to accomplish?

Finally, another problem facing the SDA church stems from Ellen White’s frequent use of Freemasonic and occult terms. I have no answer as to why she used those terms in her writings, other than to note that while Freemasons and occultists do at times use Biblical terms, texts, and expressions, the Bible doesn’t use Masonic and occult terminology, and neither would a prophet of God. Make of that what you will.

Today, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is seeking new ways to keep its members from asking questions about its Masonic origins, the Trinity, and any continuations of a closed society or hidden hand active within the SDA church.

I encourage you to consider all of this – including the information linked in the preceding paragraphs – and ask yourself what is behind the actions of SDA church leadership. I also invite you to follow me as I consider these and many other questions.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230320223618/http://adventrite.com/

David Koresh (/kəˈrɛʃ/[citation needed]; born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was an American cult leader[2] who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993.[3][4] As the head of the Branch Davidians, a religious sect, Koresh claimed to be its final prophet. His apocalyptic Biblical teachings, including interpretations of the Book of Revelation and the Seven Seals, attracted various followers.[5]

Coming from a dysfunctional background, Koresh was a member and later a leader of the Branch Davidians, a movement originally led by Benjamin Roden, based at the Mount Carmel Center outside Waco, Texas. There, Koresh competed for dominance with another leader, Benjamin Roden's son George, until Koresh and his followers took over Mount Carmel in 1987. In the early 1990s, he became subject to allegations about polygamy and child sexual abuse by former Branch Davidian associates.

Further allegations related to the Branch Davidians' stockpiling of weapons led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and later the FBI to launch a raid on the group's Mount Carmel compound in February 1993. During the 51-day siege and violence that ensued, Koresh was wounded by ATF forces and later died of a gunshot wound in unclear circumstances as the compound was destroyed in a fire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Koresh

Ignatius Loyola, a Catholic Priest, theologian and founder of the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church in the 16th Century, said, among his many inspiring sayings, “Go forth and set the world on fire."

Fire as the agent of Truth

Asha Vahishta is closely associated with fire. Fire is "grandly conceived as a force informing all the other Amesha Spentas, giving them warmth and the spark of life."[27] In Yasht 17.20, Angra Mainyu clamours that Zoroaster burns him with Asha Vahishta. In Vendidad 4.54-55, speaking against the truth and violating the sanctity of promise is detected by the consumption of "water, blazing, of golden color, having the power to detect guilt."

This analogy of truth that burns and detecting truth through fire is already attested in the very earliest texts, that is, in the Gathas and in the Yasna Haptanghaiti. In Yasna 43–44, Ahura Mazda dispenses justice through radiance of His fire and the strength of aṣ̌a. Fire "detects" sinners "by hand-grasping" (Yasna 34.4). An individual who has passed the fiery test (garmo-varah, ordeal by heat), has attained physical and spiritual strength, wisdom, truth and love with serenity (Yasna 30.7). Altogether, "there are said to have been some 30 kinds of fiery tests in all."[28] According to the post-Sassanid Dadestan i denig (I.31.10), at the final judgement a river of molten metal will cover the earth. The righteous, as they wade through this river, will perceive the molten metal as a bath of warm milk. The wicked will be scorched. For details on aṣ̌a's role in personal and final judgement, see aṣ̌a in eschatology, below.

Fire is moreover the "auxiliary of the truth," "and not only, as in the ordeal, of justice and of truth at the same time."[11] In Yasna 31.19, "the man who thinks of aṣ̌a, [...] who uses his tongue in order to speak correctly, [does so] with the aid of brilliant fire". In Yasna 34-44 devotees "ardently desire [Mazda's] mighty fire, through aṣ̌a." In Yasna 43–44, Ahura Mazda "shall come to [Zoroaster] through the splendour of [Mazda's] fire, possessing the strength of (through) aṣ̌a and good mind (=Vohu Manah)." That fire "possesses strength through aṣ̌a" is repeated again in Yasna 43.4. In Yasna 43.9, Zoroaster, wishing to serve fire, gives his attention to aṣ̌a. In Yasna 37.1, in a list of what are otherwise all physical creations, aṣ̌a takes the place of fire.

Asha Vahishta's association with atar is carried forward in the post-Gathic texts, and they are often mentioned together. In Zoroastrian cosmogony, each of the Amesha Spentas represents one aspect of creation and one of seven primordial elements that in Zoroastrian tradition are the basis of that creation. In this matrix, aṣ̌a/arta is the origin of fire, Avestan atar, which permeates through all Creation. The correspondence then is that aṣ̌a/arta "penetrates all ethical life, as fire penetrates all physical being."[12]

In the liturgy Asha Vahishta is frequently invoked together with fire. (Yasna l.4, 2.4, 3.6, 4.9, 6.3, 7.6, 17.3, 22.6, 59.3, 62.3 etc.). In one passage, fire is a protector of aṣ̌a: "when the Evil Spirit assailed the creation of Good Truth, Good Thought and Fire intervened" (Yasht 13.77)

In later Zoroastrian tradition, Asha Vahishta is still at times identified with the fire of the household hearth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha

The Great Controversy is a book by Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and held in esteem as a prophetess or messenger of God among Seventh-day Adventist members. In it, White describes the "Great Controversy theme" between Jesus Christ and Satan, as played out over the millennia from its start in heaven, to its final end when the remnant who are faithful to God will be taken to heaven at the Second Advent of Christ, and the world is destroyed and recreated. Regarding the reason for writing the book, the author reported, "In this vision at Lovett's Grove (in 1858), most of the matter of the Great Controversy which I had seen ten years before, was repeated, and I was shown that I must write it out."[1]

The name "Great Controversy" first applied to volume 1 of the 4 volume set "Spiritual Gifts" published in 1858. That single volume was then expanded to a 4 volume set entitled "The Spirit of Prophecy" subtitled "The Great Controversy" with the volumes published separately from 1870 to 1884. The last volume was also subtitled, "From the Destruction of Jerusalem, to the End of the Controversy". The 4 volume set was then expanded to 5 volumes entitled "the Conflict of the Ages Series" with the last volume given the name "The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan During the Christian Dispensation" published in 1888. Volume 5 was again expanded and published in 1911. The 1884, 1888, and 1911 books incorporate historical data from other authors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Controversy_(book)

Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974[1]) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender rights and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights.[2]

Beatie came out as a trans man in early 1997. Beatie had gender-affirming surgery in March 2002 and became known as "the pregnant man" after he became pregnant through artificial insemination in 2007.[3] Beatie chose to be pregnant, with donated sperm,[4][5] because his wife Nancy was sterile.

The couple filed for divorce in 2012. The Beatie case is the first of its kind on record, where a documented legal male gave birth within a marriage to a woman, and for the first time, a court challenged a marriage where the husband gave birth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie

Tracing boards are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures that follow each of the Masonic Degrees, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through the ceremonies of the different masonic degrees.[1]

History and development

Floor and table designs

In the eighteenth century Masonic lodges met chiefly in private rooms above taverns, and the symbolic designs used in catechesis were chalked on the table or floor in the centre of the hired room, usually by the Tyler or the Worshipful Master.[2] Evidence suggests that a simple boundary was drawn (usually a square or rectangle, or sometimes a cross) within which various Masonic symbols were added, often of a geometric type (such as a circle or pentagram). In many lodges the boundary shape may have been drawn by the Tyler, with the Master adding the symbolic detail. Later various symbolic objects were incorporated, examples including a ladder, a beehive, and an hourglass, and sometimes drawings were interchangeable with physical objects.[3] At the end of the work a new member was often required to erase the drawing with a mop, as a practical demonstration of his obligation of secrecy.

Though the various Grand Lodges were then generally hostile to the creation of any physical representations of the ritual and symbols of the Craft, the time-consuming business of redrawing the symbols at every meeting was gradually replaced by keeping a removable "floor cloth" on which the various symbols were painted. Different portions might be exposed according to the work being executed.[4] By the second half of the eighteenth century the Masonic symbols were being painted on a variety of removable materials ranging from small marble slabs to canvas, to give a more decorative and elaborate symbolic display.

Painted boards

During the nineteenth century there was a rapid expansion of the use of permanent painted tracing boards, usually painted on canvas and framed in wood. Many artists produced competing designs, and most lodges commissioned sets of bespoke boards which were therefore of a unique design, despite following common themes. Some designs became particularly popular, leading to some repetition of favoured design features. Boards by John Cole and Josiah Bowring were examples of popularly recurring designs.[5]

The English artist John Harris was initiated in 1818 and produced many different series of tracing boards, including a miniature set of 1823 which became popular after Harris dedicated the design to Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).[6] Eventually the Emulation Lodge of Improvement sought to bring a measure of standardisation in tracing board design, and organised a competition in 1845, to which many different designs were submitted. Harris himself submitted at least two different sets to the competition, but one of his designs was the winner. Harris revised the designs in 1849, and these "Emulation" tracing boards are today considered a definitive design within British and Commonwealth Freemasonry.[7]

Contemporary use

In lodges under the UGLE, and many jurisdictions derived from English Freemasonry, tracing boards are an essential part of lodge furniture, sometimes displayed flat on the floor, and sometimes vertically against a pedestal or on the wall. Sets of three boards, usually of older designs, may often be found in special cases for storage and display within lodge rooms. There are sometimes tracing boards in other degrees.[8] The Royal Arch tracing board has fallen into disuse in most places, and examples are now rare. In the Mark Master Mason and Royal Ark Mariner degrees as administered from London, the tracing boards have experienced a great revival in popularity from the end of the twentieth century, and official rituals for the explanations of these tracing boards are again in regular use in English lodges.

As different Masonic jurisdictions established official, or standard, degree rituals the creation of new tracing boards by artists waned, and has since largely disappeared in favour of standard designs. Nonetheless, some masonic artists have experimented with very modern designs for the twenty-first century.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_board

The Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in the cave complex of Tora Bora, eastern Afghanistan, from November 30 – December 17, 2001, during the final stages of the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was launched by the United States and its allies with the objective to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant organization al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden were suspected of being responsible for the September 11 attacks three months prior. Tora Bora (Pashto: تورا بورا; Black Cave) is located in the Spīn Ghar mountain range near the Khyber Pass. The U.S. stated that al-Qaeda had its headquarters there and that it was bin Laden's location at the time.

Background

In Operation Cyclone during the early 1980s, CIA officers had assisted the mujahideen fighters in extending and shoring up the caves to use for resistance during the Soviet–Afghan War.[8] The U.S. then supported their effort. Several years later, the Taliban formed and took control of most of the country, enforcing Islamic fundamentalist rule. Several cave areas were used in much earlier periods, as the difficult terrain formed a natural defensive position and had been used by tribal warriors fighting foreign invaders.

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom to dismantle the Taliban regime that had sheltered Osama bin Laden. To achieve this goal, the U.S. military joined forces with the Northern Alliance, a group of rebels who had long been waging a guerrilla war against the Taliban. Through a combination of air strikes and ground operations, the U.S. and its allies quickly gained the upper hand, seizing control of key Taliban strongholds and toppling the regime's grip on power. By November 13, 2001, the Northern Alliance had captured the capital city of Kabul.

The CIA was closely tracking Osama bin Laden's movements, hoping to locate and catch him. On November 10, 2001, he had been spotted near Jalalabad traveling in a convoy of 200 pick-up trucks heading in the direction of his training camp in Tora Bora mountain.[12] The U.S. had expected bin Laden to make a last stand at Tora Bora, hoping to repeat his success against the Soviets in the Battle of Jaji in 1987. Vice President Dick Cheney revealed in a November 29, 2001 television interview that bin Laden was believed to be in the general area of Tora Bora, surrounded by a sizable force of loyal fighters.[4] The CIA lead in the Panjshir, Gary Berntsen, sent a detachment to team up with Afghan tribal militias around Jalalabad who opposed the Taliban.[12] The Americans climbed the mountains guided by the locals who knew the terrain. After a few days of climbing, they arrived at the training camp in Tora Bora where hundreds of Al-Qaeda fighters could be spotted.[13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tora_Bora

Katharina von Bora (German: [kataˈʁiːnaː fɔn ˈboːʁaː]; 29 January 1499? – 20 December 1552), after her wedding Katharina Luther, also referred to as "die Lutherin" ('the Lutheress'),[1] was the wife of the German reformer Martin Luther and a seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation. Although little is known about her, she is often considered to have been important to the Reformation, her marriage setting a precedent for Protestant family life and clerical marriage.[2]

Ancestry

Katharina von Bora was the daughter to a family of Saxon lesser nobility.[3][4][5] According to common belief, she was born on 29 January 1499 in Lippendorf, but there is no evidence of this in contemporary documents. Due to there being multiple branches in her family and the uncertainty of her birth name, there are diverging theories about her place of birth.[6] One of them proposes that she was born in Hirschfeld and that her parents were Hans von Bora zu Hirschfeld and his wife, born Anna von Haugwitz.[7][8] It is also possible that Katharina was the daughter of Jan von Bora auf Lippendorf and his wife Margarete, both of whom were only mentioned in 1505.[9]

Early life

A portrait of Martin Luther in 1526 by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Her father sent then five-year-old von Bora to a Benedictine convent in Brehna in 1504 to be educated, according to a letter Laurentius Zoch sent to Martin Luther in 1531.[10] At the age of nine, she was moved to Nimbschen Abbey, Cistercian community named Marienthron ('Mary's Throne') near Grimma, where her maternal aunt was a nun.[11] Von Bora's presence is in the financial accounts of 1509/10.[12]

Plaque on the ruins of Nimbschen Abbey, commemorating von Bora's time there and her escape.

After years of being a nun, von Bora became interested in the growing reform movement and grew dissatisfied with cloistered life. Conspiring with several other sisters, she contacted Luther and begged for his assistance.[13] On 4 April 1523, Holy Saturday, Luther sent Leonhard Köppe, a merchant and councillor of Torgau who regularly delivered herring to the convent. The nuns escaped by hiding in his covered wagon among the fish barrels, and fled to Wittenberg.[14]

Luther asked the family of the nuns to admit them into their houses, but they declined, possibly because this would have made them accomplices to a crime under canon law.[15]

Within two years, Luther was able to arrange marriages or find employment for all of the escaped nuns except von Bora. She was first housed with the family of Philipp Reichenbach, the municipal clerk of Wittenberg, then with Lucas Cranach the Elder and his wife, Barbara. Von Bora had a number of suitors, including Hieronymus Baumgartner from Nuremberg, and a pastor, Kaspar Glatz from Orlamünde, but none of the proposals resulted in marriage. She told Luther's friend and fellow reformer, Nicolaus von Amsdorf, that she would be willing to marry only Luther or von Amsdorf.[16]

Marriage to Luther

Three depictions of Katharina von Bora

Martin Luther, as well as many of his friends, was at first unsure of whether he should marry. Philip Melanchthon thought that this would hurt the Reformation by causing scandal. Luther eventually decided that his marriage would 'please his father, rile the pope, cause the angels to laugh, and the devils to weep'.[16] 26-year-old Von Bora and 41-year-old Luther married on 13 June 1525, before witnesses including Justus Jonas, Johannes Bugenhagen, and Barbara and Lucas Cranach.[17] A small wedding breakfast was held the next morning, and a more formal, public ceremony on 27 June, presided over by Bugenhagen.[18]

The couple took up residence in the former dormitory and educational institution of Augustinian friars studying in Wittenberg (known as the 'Black Monastery'), a wedding gift from John, Elector of Saxony, brother of Luther's protector Frederick III, Elector of Saxony.[19] Katharina immediately took on the task of managing the monastery's vast holdings. She bred and sold cattle and ran a brewery to provide for their family, the numerous students who boarded with them, and her husband's visitors. In times of epidemics, she operated a hospital with nurses, working alongside them. Luther called her the 'boss of Zulsdorf', after the farm they owned, and the 'morning star of Wittenberg' for her habit of rising at 4 a.m.[2]

Based on Luther's descriptions, his wife, whom he nicknamed 'Herr Käthe', exerted much control over his life. She might have even influenced his decisions to a degree; Luther said that his wife 'convince[d] [him] of whatever' she pleased', and explicitly afforded her 'complete control' over the household, as long as 'his rights' were 'preserved', since '[f]emale government has never done any good'.[20] She thus assisted her husband with running their estate and directed renovations when necessary.[21] Anecdotal evidence suggests that Katharina Luther played a wife's role as taught by her husband's movement: she depended on him financially (although she also increased their estate's profits), and respected him as a 'higher vessel', always calling him 'Herr Doktor'. He reciprocated by occasionally consulting her on church matters.[22]

Katharina bore six children: Hans (1526–1575), Elisabeth (1527–1528), Magdalena (1529–1542), Martin (1531–1565), Paul (1533–1593), and Margarete (1534–1570). She also suffered a miscarriage on 1 November 1539. The Luthers raised four orphaned children, including Katharina's nephew, Fabian.[23]

Significance of the marriage

The marriage of von Bora to Luther is very important in the history of Protestantism, specifically in regard to the development of its views on marriage and gender roles. While Luther was not the first cleric to marry because of Reformation ideas, he was one of the most prominent. As he argued publicly for clerical marriage and produced much anti-Catholic propaganda, his marriage became a natural target for his enemies.[24]

After Luther's death

von Bora in 1546

von Bora's gravestone engraving at Saint Mary's Church in Torgau, Germany

When Martin Luther died in 1546, Katharina was left in difficult financial straits without Luther's salary as professor and pastor, even though she owned land, properties, and the Black Cloister. She had been counselled by Martin Luther to move out of the old abbey and sell it after his death, and move into much more modest quarters with the children who remained at home, but she refused.[25] Luther had named her his sole heir in his last will. His will could not be executed, however, because it did not conform with Saxon law.[26]

Almost immediately after, Katharina had to leave the Black Cloister, now called Lutherhaus, by herself, at the outbreak of the Schmalkaldic War, fleeing to Magdeburg. After she returned, the approaching war forced another flight in 1547, this time to Braunschweig. In July 1547, at the close of the war, she was able to return to Wittenberg.[citation needed]

After the war, the buildings and lands of the monastery had been torn apart and laid waste. Cattle and other farm animals had been stolen or killed. If she had sold the land and the buildings, she could have had a good financial situation. Financially, they could not remain there. Katharina was able to support herself thanks to the generosity of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, and the princes of Anhalt.[27]

She remained in Wittenberg in poverty until 1552, when an outbreak of the Black Plague and a harvest failure forced her to leave the city once again. She fled to Torgau, where she was thrown from her cart into a watery ditch near the city gates. For three months, she went in and out of consciousness, before dying in Torgau on 20 December 1552, at the age of 53. She was buried at Torgau's Saint Mary's Church, far from her husband's grave in Wittenberg. She is reported to have said on her deathbed, 'I will stick to Christ as a burr to cloth.'[28]

By the time of Katharina's death, the surviving Luther children were adults. After Katharina's death, the Black Cloister was sold back to the university in 1564 by his heirs.[citation needed]

Margareta Luther, born in Wittenberg on 27 December 1534, married into a noble, wealthy Prussian family, to Georg von Kunheim (Wehlau, 1 July 1523 – Mühlhausen [now Gvardeyskoye, Kaliningrad Oblast], 18 October 1611, the son of Georg von Kunheim [1480–1543] and wife Margarethe, Truchsessin von Wetzhausen [1490–1527]) but died in Mühlhausen in 1570 at the age of thirty-six.[29]

Commemoration

Katharina von Bora is commemorated on 20 December in the Calendar of Saints of some Lutheran churches in the United States.[30] In 2022, she was officially added to the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with a feast day on 20 December.[31]

In addition to a statue in Wittenberg and several biographies, an opera of her life now keeps her memory alive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_von_Bora

 Augustinians and Cistercians | Church and Society in the Medieval West

One newly founded order broke with the rule of Benedict, finding its inspiration in a letter of Augustine is that prescribed simply that monks share all their property, pray together at regular intervals, dress alike, and obey a superior. Some of the “Augustinians,” as they called themselves, interpreted these general rules severely, living in silence, performing manual labor, eating and drinking sparingly, and singing psalms; others ate meat, conversed among themselves, and did not insist on manual labor.

Often beginning as small informal foundations, the Augustinians attracted modest donations from relatively modest donors. Unlike Cluny, with its vast collections of buildings crowned by a great and splendid church, the Augustinian foundations were simple and humble. The Augustinians preached, baptized, heard confessions, and helped the poor unobtrusively. They multiplied rapidly, and in the thirteenth century there were thousands of Augustinian houses in England and on the Continent.

Founded only a little later, the Cistercians abandoned the world instead of living in it. Their original house, Citeaux (Cistercium) in Burgundy, lay in a dismal wasteland far from the distractions of the world. There they pioneered land reclamation and launched a period of agricultural expansion. By the twelfth century the Cistercians were looked to for their knowledge of how to make previously uncultivated lands, often swamps, productive. They considered themselves the only true Benedictines, vet the self-denial, poverty, and wholly spiritual life that the Cistercians adopted was often seen by their contemporaries as arrogant, worldly, and even greedy.

Perhaps the best-known Cistercian leader was Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1091-1153), who in 1115 led a band of Cistercians to a new and remote site from which he influenced worldly affairs to a remarkable degree, preaching for a Second Crusade and attacking the scholastic method of teaching. As he wrote, “There are many who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge: that is curiosity. There are others who desire to know in order that they themselves be known: that is vanity. Others seek knowledge in order to sell it: that is dishonorable. But there are also some who seek knowledge in order to edify others. That is love.” He launched significant reforms in teaching, the observance of church rules, and attitudes toward worship.

In the end, the Cistercians, too, changed. Display conquered austerity, and aristocratic traditions quenched humility. By the thirteenth century, great Cistercian monasteries were wealthy centers of production. The expensive arts of architecture and sculpture were lavished on their buildings. These Cistercian monasteries had become great corporations, thoroughly tied into the increasingly complex web of medieval economic life.

https://bigsiteofhistory.com/augustinians-and-cistercians-church-and-society-in-the-medieval-west

 The Cistercian Order

Main article: Cistercians

In 1075 Robert de Molesme, a Benedictine monk from Cluny Abbey, had obtained the permission of Pope Gregory VII to found a monastery at Molesme in Burgundy. At Molesme, Robert tried to restore monastery practice to the simple and severe character of the original Rule of Saint Benedict, called "Strict Observance". Being only partly successful in this at Molesme, Robert in 1098 led a band of 21 monks from their abbey at Molesme to establish a new monastery. The monks acquired a plot of marsh land just south of Dijon called Cîteaux (Latin: "Cistercium") and set about building a new monastery there which became Cîteaux Abbey, the mother Abbey of the newly founded Cistercian Order.[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluniac_Reforms

Finally, the Constitutions train us all for perfection, instructing us in the weapons to be used in combatting our three fierce and raging adversaries. They teach us how to counter the lust of the flesh with chastity, the lust of the eyes with poverty, and the pride of life with obedience. I shall say nothing of our observance of chastity (in which we should imitate the purity of the angels so far as our frailty allows), or of our OBSERVANCE of poverty (which is so STRICT that neither churches nor professed houses may acquire any rents, lands, or even perpetual endowments). As for obedience, however, by which we consecrate the chief and noblest part of ourselves to God, our Constitutions require of us that it be so prompt, eager, perfect, and integral that we do not swerve even a hairsbreadth from our superiors commands. In matters falling under obedience, not only must our action be guided by the superior s command and our will by his will, but even something much more difficult our understanding by his understanding.

To sum up: men crucified to the world, and to whom the world itself is crucified[7] such would our Constitutions have us to be; new men, I say, who have put off their affections to put on Christ;[8] dead to themselves to live to justice; who, with St. Paul in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, in long suffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Spirit, in charity unfeigned, in the word of truth, show themselves ministers of God[9] and by the armor of Justice on the right hand and, on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, by good success finally and ill success, press forward with great strides to their heavenly country. This is the sum and aim of our institute.

And so I beseech you, brothers in the Lord, that we may walk in a manner worthy of our vocation,[10] and, in order to know that vocation, may read and reread these Constitutions that have been bestowed upon us by the gift of God. Let us study them day and night. Let us vie with each other in learning them, pondering them, and keeping them. If we do so, our name will be matched by our lives and our profession made manifest in deed.

Farewell in Christ.

Rome, the house of the Society of Jesus, 1559 [7]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

1 741 In 1 741, in Hamburg, a Chapter of Scottish Masters of Saint Andrew was founded in the

Lodge “Judica”. This is a significant fact, since this establishment thus revealed the

existence of a Templar System.

1749 An important date, which marked the official introduction of the Templar Rite, both by

H. -G. de Marschall, hereditary Marshal of Thuringe, and by his friend, Barond von

Hund, in the Lodge of Kittlitz, near Lobau.

9 Bonne - PV.

10 “ Mais elle ne saurait l’être pour d’autresV’ . I’m sure I’ve mistranslated this but I can’t think what else it

might mean.- Pv.

10

Templars & Rose Croix, Translatée! by Piers A Vaughan © 2005

You will note that, geographically speaking, ail these towns are located in the

provinces where the Teutonic Order of olden times had previously flourished. Let us

continue to quote G. de Montchal:

1755 Convent of Dresden, known under the name o/Rectification of Dresden , from which was

created the Rectified Rite of that name, and through which the Templar System was

established in a Masonic Workshop which took the name of Grand Lodge.

1763 Convent of Altenberg, near Iena. There the régime was submitted to a drastic reform,

and ail the Alchemists, Kabbalists and other were chased out. Its administrative

organization, which was that of the old Order of the Temple, was knit even doser still. It

took the name o/’Strict Templar Observance.

How, in a Order which had shown itself so terribly steeped in the aristocratie

morgue (in the words of European Masons), had occultists managed to gain admission?

Montchal tells us that at the Convent of Kohlo in 1742, a fïrst purging had already

occurred. That is a piece of history of secret societies and chivalric Orders which ....

It is very probably by and with the support of the Princes of the House of Hesse-

Cassel...

We know, in fact, from sure historié sources, that William IV of Hesse-Cassel,

called “The Wise ”, was an enlightened sovereign, remarkable for his broad and extended

knowledge, above ail in the realm of occultism.

Born on June 14, 1533, died August 25, 1592, he was the author of Astrological

Tables, and published the resuit of his observations in this area. He possessed an

astronomical observatory where he worked for rnany years with his friends, Christ

Rothmann, the wise Mathematician, and Just Borge, who was the best Physician-Optician

of the âge. He was also the friend and constant protector of Tycho de Brahé.

Now, from the appearance of the heraldry of the House of Hesse-Cassel, we can

note a curious fact. According to the genealogist La Chesnay des Bois, in his

“ Dictionary of Nobility ” (Ed. from 1776), quoting du Buisson, and according to J. B.

Rietstap in his book “General Heraldry”, both famous heraldists, the Princes of Hesse-

Cassel bore shields: “of silver with a red Lating cross with broad ends, with a second

crossbar in red 11 ...”

So the House of Hesse-Cassel bore as the distinctive family emblem the Latin

cross with a second red crossbar, which was the exclusive privilège of the high

dignitaries of the Order of the Temple, of the living Order...

For this red cross was its exclusive privilège, and none other among the knightly

Orders coming from the Crusades was given the right to work under the white mande!

11 “D ’ argent à la Croix pâtée et alésée de gueules, à la double traverse de gueules

il

Templars & Rose Croix, Translatée! by Piers A Vaughan © 2005

This privilège was conceded to the Templars by Pope Eugenius III in 1 146, at the request

of St. Bernard. (Cf. Probst-Biraben, in "The Mystery of the Templars ”, p. 29). As for the

double cross, it was the mark of high dignitaries of the Temple, as John Charpentier tells

us in his work "The Order of the Templars ” (p. 41).

But this is not ail. We hâve mentioned Tycho de Brahé, and here is a still more

surprising fact!

Son of the Grand Bailiff of Scanie, belonging to the oldest Swedish nobility (still

Sweden, or rather already Swedish), Tycho de Brahé had a château constructed which

was devoted to his alchemical and astrological studies, with a splendid library and

observatory, ail narned Uranienborg.

Born in 1 546 in Scanie, Denmark (which State was still a province of Sweden), he

died in Prague in 1601. Note this place, for we will return to it as a meeting place for

Jewish Kabbalists, Alchemists and Rosicrucian Theurgists in the years which follow,

right up to the end of the 18 th Century.

Now, one beautiful day in 1590, which disembarked in Uranienborg? King James

VI of Scotland, (future King of England under the name of James l st ), who had just

legally reinstated the Order of Chardon of Saint Andrew of Scotland, which Order was a

perpétuation of the Templars, as we hâve seen. . . From Uranienborg, the King and Tycho

de Brahé went to Cassel, and stayed near to William IV, the Wise. In 1591, a year later,

James VI published a flrst treatise on pneumatology, in which he treated at length on the

diverse nature of Spirits, developing the théories of his predecessor in this domain,

Reginald Scott, but perhaps also those of his friends: William IV the Wsie and Tycho de

Brahé. This book was “ Daemonologia , hoc est adversus incantationem sive magiam

institutio, auctore serenissimo potentissimioque principe.’’'’

This same sovereign, with the flrst English Rosicrucians, constituted the “ Royal

Rose Croix ”, composed of thirty-two knights (in remembrance of the thirty-two Paths of

Wisdom of the Kabbalah), and who was certainly the point of departure for the Jacobite

Rose-Croix, which became the 18 th Degree of Scottish Masonry of the 19 th Century.

How can one not accept that it was the resurgence of a vast initiatory movement

which perpetuated the Temple, which in one program and towards a coinmon aim was

able to unité these two sovereigns which, being occultists, both at the head of a defunct

Order of the Temple, bearing arms of foreign monks, like those of the high dignitaries of

the Temple for William IV the Wise, and those who took as a collective Symbol of the

Rose-Croix of the 18 th Century, for James VI of Scotland: “silver, with a red St. Andrews

Cross, four red roses in the quarters . . .” ?

“D ’ argent , au sautoir de gueules, cantonné de quatre roses du même”.

13 Which equates, graphically, to a cross of Saint Andrew, with four roses spread across the four angles of

this cross. Valentin Andrea bore this sign on his ring; it figures on a drawing decorating the upper région

of his portrait reproduced in the work by Wittermans: “ History of the Rose-Croix ”, p. 31.

12

Templars & Rose Croix, Translatée! by Piers A Vaughan © 2005

So, according to our own conclusions and to the light which preceded it, this is

the reason for the Alchemists, Kabbalists, Theurgists as well as commoners, entering an

Order as aristocratie as that of the Teutonic Knights or that of the Strict Templar

Observance from which it came.

We note that certain authors, notably Philléas Lebesgue, supported the theory that

Marshall von Ludendorff had been one of the last représentatives of an esoteric Teuronic

kernel, perpetuating certain théories from the Gibelins to exclusively pangennanist ends.

What the famous devise of the Austrian Emperors claimed to affinn with their

“A.E.I.O.U.”, when translated from Latin into English signified something like this:

“Austria is destined to dominate the world”. And it was Ludendorff who made Hitler!

Templars & Rose Croix, Translatée! by Piers A Vaughan © 2005

https://archive.org/stream/AmblelainRTemplarsRoseCroix/Amblelain%20R%20Templars%20%26%20Rose%20Croix_djvu.txt

The Hamburg cell (German: Hamburger Zelle) was, according to U.S. and German intelligence agencies, a group of radical Islamists based in Hamburg, Germany, that included students from different Arab countries who eventually came to be key operatives in the September 11 attacks. Important members included Mohamed Atta, who led the four hijacking teams in 2001 and piloted American Airlines Flight 11; Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who conspired with the other three members but was unable to enter the United States; Marwan al-Shehhi, who piloted United Airlines Flight 175; and Ziad Jarrah, who piloted United Airlines Flight 93 and failed to hit a target in Washington, D.C.. Other members included Said Bahaji, Zakariya Essabar, Mounir el-Motassadeq, and Abdelghani Mzoudi.

Background

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On November 1, 1998, future-hijackers Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh moved into a spacious apartment (two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen) together on Marienstraße. Here they formed the secretive Hamburg cell, which also included other minor participants in the 9/11 plot. They met together three or four times a week to discuss their anti-American and anti-Israeli views and to decide how best to fight for their cause.

As late as 1999, the four core members of the group had intended to wage jihad in Chechnya, where Islamic jihadists were rebelling against Russia. The 9/11 Commission Report notes in Chapter 5 that "according to bin al-Shibh [who is now in U.S. custody], a chance meeting on a train in Germany caused the group to travel to Afghanistan instead. An individual named Khalid al Masri (or Khalid al-Masri) approached bin al-Shibh and Shehhi (because they were Arabs with beards, bin al-Shibh thinks) and struck up a conversation about jihad in Chechnya. When they later called Masri and expressed interest in going to Chechnya, he told them to contact Abu Musab in Duisburg, Germany. Abu Musab turned out to be Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was well known to U.S. and German intelligence.

Bin al-Shibh, Shehhi and Jarrah visited Slahi in Duisburg, where he convinced them that it would be best to train in Afghanistan first, because further experience would be useful, and anyway it was difficult at that time to get into Chechnya. Slahi instructed them to travel to Karachi, Pakistan, then to the Taliban office in Quetta, Pakistan, where they were to contact a man named Umar al-Masri. Atta and Jarrah left Hamburg during the last week of November 1999. Shehhi left by himself around the same time; bin al-Shibh followed two weeks later. Slahi denies any involvement with Al-Qaeda by 1999, having previously fought with the group against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He attests that he hosted the trio as an act of hospitality to fellow muslims.

"Umar al-Masri" turned out to be a nonexistent person. The name was a code word that instructed members of the Taliban office to escort the men to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where they were convinced to join the al-Qaeda network and wage jihad against America. They met with Osama bin Laden himself and swore their loyalty to him. Mohamed Atta was chosen by Bin Laden as the leader of the group that would attack America; Atta would contact Bin Laden several more times before the attacks. The men then returned to Germany to enroll in flight training school, and later moved on to flight training schools in the United States at the recommendation of one of their instructors based in Germany.

The members of the Hamburg Cell were a boon to the 9/11 plot, which Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had proposed to Bin Laden in 1996. The Hamburg students were fluent in English, educated, accustomed to the Western lifestyle, radically Islamic, and capable of learning to pilot aircraft. "Bin Laden and Mohammed Atef wasted no time in assigning the Hamburg group to the most ambitious operation yet planned by al-Qaeda," the 9/11 Commission Report says.

Many al-Qaeda members lived in the Hamburg apartment at various times. In all, 29 men listed the apartment as their home address while Mohamed Atta's name was on the lease. Reportedly, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed visited the apartment repeatedly.

German intelligence monitored the apartment, but did not find any evidence against the residents. Both the United States' Central Intelligence Agency and German Intelligence have received criticism for failing to share information on these and other al-Qaida members.

Hamburg Cell film

The film Hamburg Cell is a docudrama on the planning and execution of the attacks. A co-production between Channel 4 in the UK and CBC in Canada, it was shown in the UK during September 2004, amid criticism that this was too close to the anniversary of the attack. Using computer-generated imagery, the film's producers were able to show the twin towers of the World Trade Center, before the attack, in the background. Ziad Jarrah is featured calling his girlfriend, Aysel Sengün, from a public telephone at the airport, repeating the words 'I love you' over and over.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg_cell

The Deutsche Bank Building (formerly Bankers Trust Plaza) was a 39-story office building located at 130 Liberty Street in Manhattan, New York City, adjacent to the World Trade Center site. The building opened in 1974 and closed following the September 11 attacks in 2001, due to contamination that spread from the collapse of the South Tower. The structure was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, which also designed the Empire State Building.

The building was purchased by Deutsche Bank when it acquired Bankers Trust in 1998. It was part of the skyline of Lower Manhattan, and was demolished between 2007 and 2011. 5 World Trade Center will eventually replace the building, expanding the ground space on which the World Trade Center stands, as this land was not part of the original World Trade Center.

September 11th

The collapse of the South Tower during the September 11 attacks tore a 24-story gash into the facade of the building, knocked out a load-bearing column,[3] and destroyed 158,000 square feet of floor space.[4] Additionally, an elevated plaza[5] that was located at the base of the building was destroyed by the collapse.[6]

One person is known to have died within the building during the attacks.[3]

After the September 11 attacks

Plans

Detail of gash in the facade imparted by the collapse of the World Trade Center. A segment of South Tower exterior columns is visible hanging from the gash.

Steel and concrete protruded from the building for months afterward, which was eventually cleaned up. However, due to extensive contamination, Deutsche Bank decided that the 39-story ruin was to be taken down. During the cleanup and recovery period, netting was placed inside gashes and holes to prevent collapse. The owner maintained that the building could not be restored to habitable condition, while its insurers sought to treat the incident as recoverable damage rather than a total loss.[7] Work on the building was deferred for over two years during which the condition of the building deteriorated.

In September 2005, human remains were found on the roof,[8] and in March 2006, construction workers found more bone fragments and remains. This prompted calls from victims' family members for another search of the building by forensic experts. Between April 7 and 14, 2006, more than 700 human bone fragments were discovered in the ballast gravel on the roof.

The cost of demolition had steadily increased to $75 million by Bovis Lend Lease, as large amounts of asbestos, dioxins, lead, silica, quartz, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chromium, and manganese had been found within the building.[9]

Demolition

In 2004, an agreement was announced to settle the disposition of the building and insurance claims. As part of this agreement, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation acquired the land and commenced demolition work.[10] On December 7, 2006, the Associated Press reported that the building would be dismantled. The report indicated that nearby residents were fearful of possible toxic dust associated with the Twin Towers within the building.[11]

Deconstruction began in March 2007, but on May 17, 2007, work was halted after a 22-foot section of pipe fell 35 stories and landed on the roof of "The Ten House", home to Engine 10 and Ladder 10 of the New York City Fire Department. Two firefighters were injured by falling debris, although they were not struck by the pipe itself.[12]

View of the building during the fire of August 18, 2007

On August 18, 2007, at approximately 3:40 pm, a seven-alarm fire broke out on the 17th floor of the building, caused by workers smoking in violation of the building's safety rules. Around this time, crews were removing one floor per week, and the building had only 26 more. At the time of the fire, crews were removing asbestos. The fire spread in both directions, affecting a total of 10 floors. The floors were also filled with a maze of protective polyethylene sheets, which were designed to prevent the spread of asbestos, and also trapped smoke. The building lacked a standpipe due to workers cutting the pipes needed to supply water to the building, making it extremely difficult to put out the fire. The building had not been inspected since March, when it should have been inspected every 15 days. The fire burned into the night before being extinguished, and numerous special and support units responded from the New York City Fire Department to combat the fire. The fire killed two FDNY firefighters, Robert Beddia of Engine Company 24, and Joseph Graffagnino of Ladder Company 5, who succumbed on the 14th floor to smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. The fire also injured 115 other firefighters, 46 of which were seriously injured enough to require medical leave. Plans to demolish the building continued as quickly as possible.[13][14] In 2008, the Manhattan District Attorney indicted three construction supervisors and the demolition subcontractor, John Galt Corporation.[15] A city stop-work order was lifted in April 2008 and decontamination work began again in May of the same year.[16] The fire emergency plan filed with the city, had various chapters sending the reader in circles ending up on a page that said call 911, and had no other plan for fire evacuation.[citation needed]

Dismantling in January 2008.

Dismantling was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008, and later by the end of 2010. In October 2009, it was announced that dismantling of the building would finally resume.

Demolition was completed on January 20, 2011, with the removal of the crane.[17] Demolition of the first floor and foundation was finished on February 28, 2011. It was the last part of the building to be removed.[16][18]

Future

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey took over the site as its developer. The site is occupied by the Vehicular Security Center and Liberty Park, while the 5 World Trade Center is in the planning stages.

5 World Trade Center

Main article: 5 World Trade Center

On June 14, 2007, Bloomberg and then-Governor Eliot Spitzer announced that JPMorgan Chase had won the bid to buy and build the new tower at 130 Liberty Street to replace the Deutsche Bank Building. However, after the acquisition of Bear Stearns by JPMorgan Chase in March 2008, the future of 130 Liberty Street has been put into question as JPMorgan Chase has announced that it intends to move into Bear Stearns' old headquarters at 383 Madison Avenue. If JPMorgan Chase does not renew their bid, the site would likely be used for a residential or hotel tower, as per Bloomberg's plan prior to JPMorgan Chase's bid. Recently, community and civic leaders met to discuss the site's future with community leaders favoring a hotel or residential development and outgoing deputy mayor Robert Lieber favoring an office tower.[19]

Church and Vehicular Security Center

Main article: Vehicular Security Center

On October 14, 2011, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls rebuilding at Ground Zero, and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church announced an agreement that allows the church to build a 4,100-square-foot church and interfaith bereavement center at 130 Liberty Street.[20] The original church, which was located at 155 Cedar Street and founded by Greek immigrants in 1916, was the only religious building to be completely destroyed during the 9/11 attacks. As of 2020, the church had not been completed.[21] Construction restarted after a several year pause on August 3, 2020, with an aim to be completed by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in 2021.[22] The church was ultimately consecrated on July 4, 2022 and was fully completed in December 2022.

Delays in taking down the Deutsche Bank at Ground Zero forced the Port Authority to delay the expected completion date of the crucial Vehicular Security Center. Repeated delays had also added roughly $100 million to the cost of rebuilding the World Trade Center. Originally projected to open in 2013,[23] it opened in June 2016 following the completion of Liberty Park, which is on top of the garage.[24]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Bank_Building

Deutsche Bank

1.4

(8)

Bank·

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XIV- VATICAN SECRET BILLIONS-FRANCIS:

PREACHING BUT NOT DOING

"... first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shall thou see out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Matthew 7:5.

clearly t

to cast

S FAR AS LIVING A HUMBLE LIFE GOES, THE stories being told about Francis' personal and frugal decisions seem to indicate that the Pope cares deeply about the poor; and that in Argentina he lived a very humble and - by all accounts - modest life (apparently, he cooked his own meals, took public transportation and decided not to live in lavish quarters).

Understandably, poor and needy people feel a 'sense' of camaraderie with him; especially when they hear Pope Francis saying he wants to reform "the evils of capitalism," and "savage capitalism," which he calls "the rotten root, the tree that produces poverty, hunger, sickness, [and] death."2

When asked about the Pope's various 'public relations strategy,' and why it was so credible, Gianni Riotta of La Stampa said, "The pope convinces because he 'is' authentic'," Riotla wrote in an article published the day after the Pope's trip to the Italian island of Lampedusa. (Gianni Riotta, La Stampa, July, 9, 2013). Now, let us see if the Pope is consistent and whether his voice is one of authenticity, worthy of our respect.

Back in March 2014, the Boston Globe had an interview with Cardinal Pell'. The Globe's interview with Australian Cardinal Pell is

1

www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-pope-capitalism-

idUSBRE94K12K20130521

2 From AD2000 Vol 1., No 9 (Dec. 1988 - Jan. 1989), p. 12. Published the raison d'etre of AD2000 was restated by Michael Gilchrist as "...the by the Catholic association "The Thomas More Centre". In August 2001, strengthening of orthodoxy through John Paul II's leadership..." 3 In an article published the day after the Pope's trip to the Italian island of Lampedusa. (Gianni Riotta, La Stampa, July, 9, 2013).

4 Whom Pope Francis appointed to be the Prefect of the Vatican's newly-

created Secretariat for the Economy.

166

h

8

6

Vatican Secret Billions-Francis: Preaching But Not Doing sulliciently rare and intriguing to warrant a fuller review of the excerpts (I have devoted a full chapter in this book to the findings of the Globe). In that interview Cardinal Pell told the Globe,' that although previous elforts at reform of the Vatican have come and gone, he insists that this one-Pope Francis-is for real. "Pope Francis is very different," said Pell. "Not only does he mean it, but he has the capacity to get it done." So, according to Cardinal Pell, Francis has the capacity to get it done. The Question is, will he? There is a glaring hypocrisy about Francis that the Media seems unwilling to acknowledge, namely that while Pope Francis claims to live a life of simplicity (as made obligatory by his Jesuit vows), he does so from a place of opulence and wealth, with every earthly comfort he could ever need at his beck and call,' and with all his needs met, and bills paid. In other words his poverty is illusionary! Moreover, he does not in reality practice what he preaches.

He is in fact engaging in a kind of dissimulation, on at least two levels. First, his Church is the wealthiest entity in the world. Second, the Jesuit Order to which he belongs maintains enormous financial and property assets invested in some of the world's largest multinational corporations, the very corporations he accuses of "savage capitalism". Francis is behaving like the Pharisees of old: whose unspoken motto was 'do what we say, but not what we do'.

In

an

GOD'S BANKERS AND THE VATICAN INC.

online article titled, "Pope Francis is not anti-capitalism," Betty Clermont wrote in the Daily Kos:

5

Pope Francis has hired "McKinsey & Company, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and so on. At one stage, an Italian writer jokingly suggested relocating the

John L. Allen Jr., Globe Staff, "Pope's new financial fixer has instincts

of linebacker," March 02, 2014:

www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/03/02/aussie-with-linebacker-instincts-

pope-financial-fixer/1BkAoAgPxs4DIt9JraJFdJ/story.html

Interestingly, Spell also says in the interview that in the Vatican, English is still "the language of the enemy." In saying that he evokes memories of King Henry VIII and the rise of Protestantism.

7 And

yes,

misspelling and mispronounciation.

it is "beck and call" and not beckon call, which is a gross

8

Betty Clermont author of The Neo-Catholics: Implementing Christian Nationalism in America (Clarity Press, 2009).

167

POPE FRANCIS, LORD OF THE WORLD... SURPRISING REVELATIONS Vatican from Rome to New York to save all those doyens of profit the [need for their] commute."

Ernst & Young "has agreed to pay $99 million to former Lehman Brothers investors who have accused the auditor of helping Lehman misstate its financial records before the investment bank's collapse

triggered a financial crisis in 2008."

"KPMG Facilitated the Financial Fiasco." "Pioneers of mortgage debt securitization from Morgan Stanley and Black Rock set the stage for the financial crisis that severely disrupted the global economy. While these players and poor government policies have received much attention in recent years, auditors, such as KPMG International, enabled the crisis to metastasize at an accelerated rate. KPMG was the auditor for the key players in the mortgage crisis, including Fannie Mae, Countrywide Financial and New Century Mortgage."

When Banco Santander president Emilio Botin died 2014, the office passed to his daughter Ana Patricia Botin. Emilio Botin was "the third generation of bankers of Santander, close to Opus Dei." After Francis' election, Banco Santander offered to make itself available "at the Vatican's disposition." Banco Santander will now "have a presence that is going to mean a new leading role in the Vatican."

Banco Santander is "a colossus with $ 18.7 billion with 10,000 branches (prides itself on having the more branches than any other bank in the world) are present mainly in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, those territories inhabited by tens of millions of Catholics." Banco Santander, rated Britain's worst, was accused of gouging U.S. consumers. "The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs announced that it had issued subpoenas to two subsidiaries of the Spanish lender Banco Santander, which together represent one of the country's largest originators of auto loans ... The subprime auto lending industry is facing increased regulatory scrutiny. Critics say the industry takes advantage of vulnerable borrowers, who often have to pay steep rates for the loans." APSA (Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See) manages the Vatican's investment and

property portfolios.

The Pope appointed Peter Sutherland, Irish master of the universe, as an adviser to APSA. Sutherland is MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHAIRMAN OF GOLDMAN SACHS INTERNATIONAL, advisory director European chairman of the Trilateral Commission. HE IS ALSO ON of Goldman Sachs Group, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF BP OIL and THE ADVISORY BOARD OF IESE OPUS DEI'S flagship graduate business school. Also, Pope Francis still maintains the Vatican's financial

168

Vatican Secret Billions-Francis: Preaching But Not Doing institutions in the Cayman and Turks and Caicos Islands, both havens for off-shore tax shelters and other dubious activities.

The reason for all these investment and financial advisors and consultants is that the Catholic Church is not only the longest surviving commercial franchise on the planet, but is also the wealthiest as well!

As regards the Vatican's enormous wealth, British journalist and bestselling author Avro Manhattan' states in his classic The Vatican Billions, "The Vatican has large investments with the Rothschilds of Britain, France and America, with the Hambros Bank, with the Credit Suisse in London and Zurich. In the United States it has large investments with the Morgan Bank, the Chase-Manhattan Bank, the First National Bank of New York, the Bankers Trust Company, and others. The Vatican has billions of shares in the most powerful international corporations such as Gulf Oil, Shell, General Motors, Bethlehem Steel, General Electric, International Business Machines, T.W.A., etc. At a conservative estimate, these amount to more than 500 million dollars in the U.S.A. alone." (this book was written in 1983).

Time Magazine of Friday, February 26, 1965, writes, "the Vatican's wealth put it at $10 billion to $15 billion. Of this wealth, Italian stockholdings alone run to $1.6 billion, 15% of the value of listed shares on the Italian market. The Vatican has big investments in banking, insurance, chemicals, steel, construction, real estate. Dividends help pay for Vatican expenses and charities such as assisting 1,500,000 children and providing some measure of food and clothing to 7,000,000 needy Italians. Unlike ordinary stockholders, THE VATICAN PAYS NO TAXES ON THIS INCOME, which led the leftist Rome weekly L'Espresso last week to call it "the biggest tax evader in Italy.'

9

The Time article continues,

9911

"In 1962, Italy placed a 15% tax on all stock dividends, which two

Baron Manhattan was the author of well over fourteen books on the Vatican, including the best-seller "The Vatican in World Politics," going through 57 editions. He was the world's foremost authority on Vatican politics. While in London, during WW II, he operated a radio station were #1 on the Forbidden Index for 50 years, until one brave publisher called "Radio Freedom" broadcasting to occupied Europe. His books

reprinted it in 1983!

10

11 content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,00.html

Avro Manhattan, The Vatican Billions (Paravision Books, 1972/ Reprint, Los Angeles, CA: Chick Publications, 1983), p. 197.

169

POPE FRANCIS, LORD OF THE WORLD... SURPRISING REVELATIONS years later was raised to a 30% maximum. A rider to the original law that would have exempted the Vatican was specifically struck down. Nevertheless, the Vatican refused to pay the taxes-which might run upwards of $15 million a year-citing the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between Pope Pius XI and Mussolini (Mussolini was a fascist and Hitler's right hand ally). At that time, Italy agreed to pay the Pope $39 million in cash and $52 million in 5% government bonds as indemnity for losses suffered by the Pope when the Papal States were incorporated into Italy in 1870. Under Pius XII, Vatican money was shrewdly invested in stocks and real estate, and the capital has multiplied manyfold. The treaty also..... exempted the Vatican from paying certain taxes then existing on dividends. The Christian Democrats, who have ruled Italy most of the time since the war, never wanted to collect the dividend tax from the Vatican.... Caught in the crossfire, Christian Democratic Premier Aldo Moro asked the Vatican for a list of all its Italian stockholdings, assuring the Holy See that the exemption would then be granted. But the Vatican Secretary of State, Amleto Cardinal Cicognani, coldly replied that a sovereign government does not tell another about the state of its finances.... Still trying to legalize the Vatican's refusal to pay the tax, the Christian Democrats in the government wrote a bill-Law No. 1773-that would exempt Vatican dividends and slipped it through Parliament during the presidential crisis that followed the resignation of President Antonio Segni. But before the bill could be promulgated, the Socialists read it and blocked it. That made the Vatican furious. A spokesman hinted that unless the harassment ceased, the Holy See WOULD SELL ITS ITALIAN STOCKHOLDINGS. The dumping of millions of shares of stock on the already shaky Italian market would precipitate a financial crisis and bring down the Italian government..."

he presents himself as a champion of the poor and dispossessed." The Vatican billions, and treasures the Pope never talks about. Yet,

SOURCES OF THE VATICAN'S WEALTH

Agreement made with fascist dictator Mussolini in 1929, in which The Vatican's wealth comes from a variety of sources. In an Vatican City was once again recognised as a sovereign state within Italy. the Pope was given one billion, seven hundred fifty million Italian fire

12 Now See this video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=di04_vKfqNw?version=3&amp;hl=en[/flash

170

Vatican Secret Billions-Francis: Preaching But Not Doing made up of 750,000,000.00 lire (8,152,000.00) in cash and 1,000,000,000.00 lire (£10,869,000.00) in Italian State bonds bearing interest at 5 per cent (The Times, Tuesday, February 12, 1929). With this wealth, the Vatican bought shares in major corporations like General Motors, Shell, Gulf, General Electric, and IBM, to name just a few. Remember, these are the very wealthy corporations the Pope is saying are at the foundations of corrupt and "savage capitalism”.

The Vatican's shares and stocks are so large that Sir Owen Seaman and Mark Lemon in their article in Punch periodical tell us, "... the Vatican is in daily touch with Zurich and Wall Street."13

Likewise, Avro Manhattan in his book states on page 137, concerning the Vatican billions:

"As in Italy, the US and other

countries, most of her property, shares and bonds are camouflaged behind the names of individual Catholic laymen or even purely financial or banking or industrial concerns."

In The Vatican Billions," Avro Manhattan reveals the source of Vatican financing:

"...the celebrated Jewish house of the Rothschilds - who, incidentally, had been lending money to the Vatican since 1831 - came once more to the fore with the buying, selling and amalgamating of millions of shares and other investments on behalf of the Vatican. The beginning of this liaison between the Rothschilds and the Vatican was in 1969-70 when the Vatican sold the controlling share of the giant Immobilaire to the Parisbas Transcompany of Luxenburg which was controlled by the mighty Banque de Paris et de Pays Bas. This... was controlled by the French branch of the Rothschilds. Afterwards the Vatican sold hundreds of millions worth of shares and other investments with Hambros Bank and the Continental Bank of Illinois, at the time presided over by David Kennedy, the US Treasury Minister. It is interesting to remember that the President of the French Republic, Mr Pompidou, for many years worked for the private bank of the Rothschilds."

The following demonstrates the great influence the Rothschilds have exercised over the U.S. financial system, as far back as 1875. The Friend of 1875, Volume 48, p. 200, states, "the Rothschilds and their associates, have concluded with the U.S. Treasury a contract for $25,000,000 new five per cent, bonds, and that with this contract goes

13 Sir Owen Seaman, Mark Lemon, et al.... London Charivari, Volume 262, Jan. 28, 1972 (Punch Publications Limited, 1972), p. 97/p.104. Op. cit., The Vatican Billions, p. 202/p. 191.

14

171

POPE FRANCIS, LORD OF THE WORLD... SURPRISING REVELATIONS the privilege of taking the entire unsold remainder any time within six months. This makes a total of eighty millions [sic] taken by the Rothschilds...."

As masters of finance, the Rothschilds have no superiors; and the Vatican invests its funds in foreign banks through the Rothschilds. The accumulated wealth of the Rothschilds is still today at the Pope's disposal! Emanuel Mann Josephson on page 5 of his 1968 book The Federal Reserve Conspiracy and Rockefellers states: "the Rothschilds have been the fiscal agents of the Vatican." Corrado Pallenberg on page 126 of his 1971 book Vatican Finances, comments, "We know that the Vatican has ties with the Rothschilds... with the Morgan Bank and the Bankers Trust...." And Nino Lo Bello, former Rome correspondent, tells us too that "in July of 1870, the Vatican floated a loan of $200,000.00 from the House of Rothschild."15

On April 19, 1982, the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court, in a ruling, confirmed that "the Federal Reserve Banks are privately owned... " (see Lewis vs. United States, 680 F.2d 1239 (9th Cir. 1982).

The Vatican also bought large or controlling interests in major capitalist banks, utilities, insurance companies, and industrial corporations; it has also established intimate financial relations with Crédit Suisse, Hambros Bank in London, J.P. Morgan Bank, and the Bankers Trust Company in New York.

Says Avro Manhattan, "Jesus, the founder of Christianity, was the poorest of the poor. Roman Catholicism, which claims to be His church, is the richest of the rich." Even her dignitaries are bedecked For example, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia "The pectoral cross [worn by abbots, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and the pope should [i.e. must] be made of gold and ... decorated with gems...

Manhattan adds, "Some idea of the real estate and other forms of wealth controlled by the Catholic church may be gathered by the remark of a member of the New York Catholic Conference, namely

57.

was to

15 Nino Lo Bello, The Vatican Empire (NY: Trident Press, 1968), p. 3 16 Avro Manhattan, The Vatican Billions, p. 17/chap. 1. Manhattan died in 1990 only months before his 'prophetic' Terror over Yugoslavia w 17 Catholic Encyclopedia (Our Sunday Visitor, 1991), p. 466.

unfold.

172

Vatican Secret Billions-Francis: Preaching But Not Doing that his church probably ranks second only to the United States Government in total annual purchase.""

"Another statement, made by a nationally syndicated Catholic priest, perhaps is even more telling. "The Catholic church,' he said, 'must be the biggest corporation in the United States. We have a branch office in every neighborhood. Our assets and real estate holdings must exceed those of Standard Oil, A.T.&T., and U.S. Steel combined. And our roster of dues-paying members must be second only to the tax rolls of the United States Government."" (...)

The Vatican also grows her wealth through liquour sales. For example, the De Rance Inc. of Milwaukee was a feeder foundation for the Roman Catholic religious orders. De Rance had a 47 per cent interest in Miller Beer. In one year, Miller had sales totalling $145 million and is (was) the eighth largest producer of beer in the U.S.A. The Catholic Church is involved in the wholesale of alcohol, with many of her religious orders doing the same, such as the Christian Brothers, who advertise the largest-selling brandy in the U.S.A.; and the Carthusian Order of monks, which produces and sells Chartreuse, referred to as a "super liqueur"."

JEWELS OF THE CHRISTIAN' FAITH

But the Vatican's wealth is not only measured in money. Visit St. Peter's Basilica and you will be amazed, nay astounded at the vast array of priceless paintings, marble statues, jewel encrusted Bibles and jewelry on display, in the same way a pimp might show his 'bling.' We're not talking a worth of millions, but of billions of dollars.

18 Manhattan, The Vatican Billions; See too, Andrew D. Tanner, The question of tax exemption for churches (National Conference of Christians and Jews, 1963), p. 12; D. B. Robertson, Should Churches be Taxed? (Westminster Press, 1968), p. 160; James Gollin, Worldly goods: the wealth and power of the American Catholic Church, the Vatican, and the men who control the money (Random House, 1971, p. 6.

19

David Yallop, In God's Name (London: Corgi Books, 1985), p. 182.

173

POPE FRANCIS, LORD OF THE WORLD... SURPRISING REVELATION Sample from the Vatican's Jewelry Collection: Necklace of St Januarius, made in 1875 by goldsmith Michele Dato, on display as part of the treasure exhibition in Rome

The necklace, one of the most precious pieces of jewellery made by artist Michel Dat

1679. Photo: DailyMail online.

A cross of diamonds and emeralds, donated by French Emperor Napokon o

necklace. Photo: Daily Mail online/Reuters

174

Vatican Secret Billions-Francis: Preaching But Not Doing In awe: Visitors look at the mitre, part of a collection on display at the Fondazione Roma Muscum in Italy. Photo: DailyMail online/AP.

In an article titled, "So much for a vow of poverty: Vatican shows off sumptuous 'San Gennaro' collection of gems said to be worth more than England's crown jewels," The Daily Mail writes, "Another centrepiece is a golden mitre, the ceremonial headdress of bishops, commissioned to crown the saint's bust in its annual procession and MADE OF 3,300 DIAMONDS AND HUNDREDS OF RUBIES AND EMERALDS, given in many separate donations."

1920

One of scores of golden mitres commissioned to crown the saint's bust in its annual procession is made of 3,300 diamonds and hundreds of rubies and emeralds, given in many separate donations. Photo: DailyMail online.

20 www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2480683/Rare-Italian-San-

Gennaro-collection-gems-said-worth-Englands-crown-jewels.html

175

POPE FRANCIS, LORD OF THE WORLD... SURPRISING REVELATION been put together, is the most formidable stockbroker in the world. The Says Avro Manhattan, "The Catholic church, once all her assets have Vatican, independently of each successive pope, has been increasing orientated towards the U.S.A. The Wall Street Journal said that the Vatican's financial deals in the U.S. alone were so big that VERY OFTEN IT SOLD OR BOUGHT GOLD IN LOTS OF A MILLION OR MORE DOLLARS AT ONE TIME." (...)"

Manhattan continues on the same page, "The Vatican's treasure of to amount to several billion dollars. A large bulk of this is stored in gold solid gold has been estimated by the United Nations World Magazine ingots with the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, while banks in England and Switzerland hold the rest. But this is just a small portion of the wealth of the Vatican, which in the U.S. alone, is greater than that of the five wealthiest giant corporations of the country. When to that is added all the real estate, property, stocks and shares abroad, then the staggering accumulation of the wealth of the Catholic church becomes so formidable as to defy any rational assessment." (... end of quote)

When did the Catholic Church ever redistribute any of this enormous wealth? In fact whenever governments have confiscated the Church's property, for the general good of society ("the common good). she has always been up in arms (literally!) and would rise up in revolution to overthrow those governments.

For example, in 1856, the Mexican government instituted a major reform, passing legislation to dispossess the Catholic Church of some of its wealth: "The extensive ecclesiastical holdings of urban and rural real estate and capital were nationalized and redistributed." These were lands which had fallen into "the dead hand" of the Church and which lands were being put to absolutely no use whatsoever! According to Jaime Suchlicki, one of the aims of the government reform was to develop the economy by returning to productive cultivation the underutilized lands of the Church." And what was the Catholic of agrarian revolts and culminating in the great Mexican Revolution," Church's response? It initiated several revolutions, "provoking decades

21 Op. cit., Avro Manhattan, The Vatican Billions, p. 197/chap. 26. 22 J. Suchlicki, Mexico: From Montezuma to the Fall of the PRI (2001). 23 A. Escobar Ohmstede, J. Gordillo, "¿Defensa o despojo?", in Estudios campesinos en el Archivo General Agrario, vol. 1 (Mexico, 1998), p. 17.

176

Vatican Secret Billions-Francis: Preaching But Not Doing "Various localized revolts ensued and a major insurrection swept the state in 1875-1876."" But "The Franciscans avoided statutory privatization [redistribution] of the monastery complex through a clever manoeuvre. They sold the property around 1845 but continued to occupy it, with permission of the absentee owner, until circa 1868." "Meanwhile," says another author, "the town knew nothing of the sale. Local families farmed the crop land, paying rent to an agent they thought represented the friars [Franciscans]."

Again, in February 1915, the Catholic Church was ordered to pay 500,000 pesos to alleviate the suffering of poor Mexicans, many of whom were Catholics. I can assure you that not a penny was handed over willingly.

And in 1926, unable to bear the thought of having to give up more of her wealth, the Catholic Church took a stand against the Mexican government of Plutarco Elías Calles and turned to violence: orchestrating "over five thousand Cristeros" to initiate an armed rebellion, which resulted in a "bloody battle lasting a full three-years."

That reader is Vaticanism for you! I say again, consummate, sovereign, ORGANISED hypocrisy is the foundation of all Vatican policy! Pope Francis will not seek to reform this, nor can he, indeed, it is doubtful that he has any desire or intention to do so. Said Christ, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees [the leaders of the Jewish church), which is hypocrisy." Luke 12:1.

Reader, do you not like me long for the day when the Catholic Church gives away some of its enormous wealth to the poor. Do you not also long for the day, when as the professed vicar of Christ on earth, Pope Francis would put into practice the words of the Lord himself, when he tested the greed of the rich young Jewish ruler?: "Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21). Will the Pope

pass this test?

24 Guy P. C. Thomson and David G. La France, Patriotism, Politics, and Popular Liberalism in Nineteenth-century Mexico (1999), pp. 211-15. 25 Jose Rivera Carvallo, Totimehuaca'n: Convento y templos, franciscanos (Puebla, Mexico, 1961), pp. 50, 70-1, 80, 122.

26 DIT, exp. 1879/1, 'Peticio' n del comu'n del Pueblo de Totimehuaca'n al Provincialfranciscano', 3 May 1879; EILEEN M. MULHARE, Social Organization and Property Reform in Nineteenth-Century Rural Mexico 2004, pp. 105-140, Cambridge University Press (S0268416004004825). (Colgate University, NY, p. 124, in "Continuity and Change," 19 (1),

177

POPE FRANCIS, LORD OF THE WORLD... SURPRISING REVELATIONS The jewelled city, decked with gold, peals and other costly omaments: THE VATICAN INC.

There are enough rooms in all the Vatican's and the Catholic Church's properties across the world that can be converted to facilities and homes or apartments for the poor outcasts. There is enough farmland owned by the Church all over the world that are being put to no good use, which would go some way to alleviating the hunger of those in need of housing. If the Church would at least lease its lands and buildings to the state, at fair rates, for that purpose, much poverty can be relieved. Will this Jesuit Pope, the self-proclaimed champion of the poor, take up this challenge for social and property "reform" within the Vatican?

"Is not this the fast that I have chosen?... Is it not to deal the bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou see the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?" (Isaiah 58:6, 7). Again, will Pope Francis pass this test? Will he effect such needed property and economic reforms within his own Church?

"... first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shall thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5).

178

Pope Francis Lord of the World

by P.D. Stuart

Matthew 19

1599 Geneva Bible

19 2 The sick are healed. 3 and 7 A bill of divorcement. 12 Eunuchs. 13 Children brought to Christ. 17 God only good. The commandments must be kept. 21 A perfect man. 23 A rich man. 26 Salvation cometh of God. 27 To leave all and follow Christ.

1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he [a]departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan.

2 And great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there.

3 ¶ [b]Then came unto him the Pharisees tempting him, and saying to him, Is it lawful for a man to [c]put away his wife upon every occasion?

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning, made them male and female,

5 And said, For this cause, shall a man leave father and mother, and [d]cleave unto his wife, and they which were [e]two, shall be one flesh?

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. Let not man therefore put asunder that, which God hath [f]coupled together.

7 [g]They said to him, Why did then Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?

8 He said unto them, Moses, [h]because of the hardness of your heart, [i]suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9 I say therefore unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be [j]for whoredom, and marry another, commiteth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her which is divorced, doth commit adultery.

10 Then said his disciples to him, If the [k]matter be so between man and wife, it is not good to marry.

11 [l]But he said unto them, All men cannot [m]receive this thing, save they to whom it is given.

12 For there are some [n]eunuchs, which were so born of their mother’s belly: and there be some eunuchs, which be gelded by men: and there be some eunuchs, which have [o]gelded themselves for the kingdom of heaven. He that is able to receive this, let him receive it.

13 ¶ [p]Then were brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

15 And when he had put his hands on them, he departed thence.

16 ¶ [q]And behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why called thou me good? there is none good but one, even God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the Commandments.

18 He said unto him, Which? And Jesus said, These, Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shalt not bear false witness.

19 Honor thy father, and mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

20 The young man said unto him, I have observed all these things from my youth. What lack I yet?

21 Jesus said unto him, If [r]thou wilt be perfect, go, sell that thou hast, and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, and follow me.

22 And when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

23 [s]Then Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

24 And again I say unto you, It is [t]easier for a [u]camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

25 And when his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

26 And Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

27 ¶ Then answered Peter, and said to him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee: what therefore shall we have?

28 [v]And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say to you, that when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his Majesty, ye which followed me in the [w]regeneration, shall sit also upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And whosoever shall forsake houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my Name’s sake, he shall receive an hundredfold more, and shall inherit everlasting life.

30 [x]But many that are first, shall be last, and the last shall be first.

Footnotes

Matthew 19:1 Passed over the water out of Galilee into the borders of Judea.

Matthew 19:3 The band of marriage ought not to be broken, unless it be for fornication.

Matthew 19:3 To send her a book of divorcement, see also Matt. 1:19.

Matthew 19:5 The Greek word imported to be glued unto, whereby is signified that straight knot, which is between man and wife, as though they were glued together.

Matthew 19:5 They which were two, become as it were one: and this word flesh is by a figure taken for the whole man, or the body after the manner of the Hebrews.

Matthew 19:6 Hath made them yoke fellows, as the marriage itself is by a borrowed kind of speech called a yoke.

Matthew 19:7 Because political Laws are constrained to bear with some things, it followeth not by and by that God alloweth them.

Matthew 19:8 Being occasioned by reason of the hardness of your hearts.

Matthew 19:8 By a political law, not by the moral law: for this law is a perpetual law of God’s justice, the other boweth and bendeth as the carpenter’s Bevel.

Matthew 19:9 Therefore in these days the Laws that were made against adulterers were not regarded: for they should have needed no divorcement, if marriage had been cut asunder with punishment by death.

Matthew 19:10 If the matter stands so between man and wife, or in marriage.

Matthew 19:11 The gift of continency is peculiar, and therefore no man can set a Law to himself of perpetual continency.

Matthew 19:11 Receive and admit, as by translation we say, that a straight and narrow place is not able to receive many things.

Matthew 19:12 The word Eunuch is a general word, and hath divers kinds under it, as gelded men and barren men.

Matthew 19:12 Which abstain from marriage, and live continently through the gift of God.

Matthew 19:13 Infants and little children are contained in the free covenant of God.

Matthew 19:16 They neither know themselves nor the Law, that seek to be saved by the Law.

Matthew 19:21 The young man did not answer truly in saying that he had kept all the commandments: and therefore he layeth out an example of true charity before him, to show the disease that lay lurking in his mind.

Matthew 19:23 Rich men have need of a singular gift of God, to escape out of the snares of Satan.

Matthew 19:24 Word for word, it is of less labor.

Matthew 19:24 Theophylact noteth, that by this word is meant a cable rope, but Caninius allegeth out of the Talmuds that it is a proverb, and the word Camel, signifieth the beast itself.

Matthew 19:28 It is not lost, that is neglected for God’s sake.

Matthew 19:28 The regeneration is taken for that day, wherein the elect shall begin to live a new life, that is to say, when they shall enjoy the heavenly inheritance, both in body and soul.

Matthew 19:30 To have begun well, and not to continue unto the end, doth not only not profit, but also hurteth very much.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019&version=GNV