AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY

James 1:22-23

But become makers of the message - and not just hearers misleading yourselves
For if anyone is a hearer of the message and not a maker
he is like a man assessing the face of his 'Genesis' in a mirror [Jm.1:22-23]


Please note: Strict implementation of HTML prohibits the display of 8-bit Greek characters from the 'Symbol' font, as still used on this site to display unaccented Greek characters. Users of Internet Explorer should expect no problems but users of Firefox 3.x may need to install the 'Web Page Fixer +' add-on available here or here before the Greek text will display as intended.


If you find this website to be of some interest
then you may also like to read:

  Why Call Me God? : The Gospel Seen with a Single Eye  

published by Capabel Press in September 2009.

The book explains the ancient 'mystery' concealed behind the text of the gospels
at the time they were first composed.

The riddles of Greek scripture are soon unravelled to expose the devastating plot
which must have been familiar to the Gnostic authors.

Analysis then shows that the deeply challenging message of the gospels
is not what the Christian churches say. It is something very different…
and now explained in this groundbreaking book.

For details, please click here

Why Call Me God

ISBN: 978 0 9562057 0 4


Chapter 15 : A Stone for Stumbling ?

Copyright Notice
As the basis for my work I have used the Nestlé-Aland 26th Edition Greek text. Copyright on this is reserved as follows :
..... Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestlé-Aland 26th edition (c)1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;
..... The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition (c) 1975, United Bible Societies, London
This is the Greek text underlying most modern English translations since 1881, including the New American Standard and New International Versions. Certain words within the Nestlé text proper are enclosed in square brackets [ ] or double brackets [[ ]]. These reflect those places where the critical text editors consider the inclusion or omission of such text to be in question.
This text is only available for NON-COMMERCIAL personal/scholarly and educational use.

I have also used the CATSS LXX editions of the Septuagint Old Testament prepared by the TLG (Thesaurus Linguae Graecae) Project directed by T. Brunner at the University of California, Irvine and made available through the Center for Computer Analysis of Texts (CCAT) at the University of Pennsylvania 'for the use of students, teachers and scholars in study and education contexts'.
This text is only available for NON-COMMERCIAL personal/scholarly and educational use.

Unless otherwise noted, the remainder of what is presented in this document is my original work. Copyright on this is reserved as follows :
..... Authentic Christianity, 4th edition : (c) 2004, Target Technical, York, UK
All rights are reserved - except that this text is made available without charge for NON-COMMERCIAL personal/scholarly and educational use.

15.1 Introduction
For anyone who hopes to penetrate the 'mysteries' of Judaeo-Christian scripture, the evidence considered in this chapter may prove to be of interest. Scripture is fiction - but no picnic. Its themes can be hard to follow - and for some the ultimate conclusions may come as little short of startling.

In the gospels we hear of a 'Father', mysterious, unseen. Much hinges upon the identity of this person - but who exactly is it ? Properly addressed, this question resolves itself into two. First, who do the authors expect that a hasty reader may suppose it to be ? Second, who do the authors themselves hold it to be ? The answers here may differ, for those who configure a 'mystery' do not seek to shield their readers from the challenge they construct. It is their whole purpose that the reader should be exposed to it.

Then we hear of numerous 'spirits'. Some are 'holy', others 'unclean' - and some may qualify on both counts. We hear of stones, of tables and of bread - of serpents and of Satan. And Jesus himself is portrayed as 'son of god', also 'son of man'. Actually in Greek the latter is 'o uioV tou anqrwpou' ( 'the son of the Person' ), an enigmatic title if ever there was one [ but prob. alludes to the 'Person' of Gn.1:26 seq ].

Scripture is about 'knowing knowledge of good and evil ' [Gn.2:9, 2:17, 3:5, 3:22]. It relies upon the theme (established in ancient philosophy) that invariably evil will encompass the careless, overwhelming them, all unwitting. For these persons it may be that what they think to be good is not good at all, but merely evil which masquerades as good [see 2Cor.11:14] - and has them completely surrounded [see Lk.19:42-44, 21:20]. The scriptural authors clearly perceive that it is through confusion, through deception, even by impersonation, that mankind may be outwitted. As for the psychology of religion, they are experts. Like examiners today, they seek to expose the weakness of a candidate. They recognise evil to be stunningly crafty and write accordingly, allowing it free rein in their texts.

At Gn.4:2 we are introduced to Cain and Abel. "And it happened that Abel was a herdsman of flocks, but Cain was working the earth". Later Cain meets his brother Abel 'in the plain' - and he kills him [Gn.4:8]. Conceptually this 'plain' may represent what (in our age) we might call 'a level playing field'. And with its being level, it is evil which 'wins the day' [ref: Gn.4:14-15]. For this is the 'day of the lord' [see 1Th.5:2] - and we find that Abel, the true 'good shepherd', is done away with, shortly to be replaced by Seth whose name may suggest that he is 'the appointed one' [Gn.4:25].

And 'appointed' Seth may be, but he is no herdsman. For Eve says "God has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, for Cain slew him" [MT Gn.4:25]. The Hebrew word used here for 'another' implies a difference from Abel, not mere substitution. Then the word 'seed' (used earlier at Gn.1:11-12, 1:29, 3:15) is intrinsically an 'earthy' one (see Gn.13:16). Its use here points to Seth being a 'worker of the earth', another alike to Cain. Then we notice that Seth's son, Enos, also takes after Cain : for 'he expected to call upon the name of the lord god' [Gn.4:26].

Do you see the pattern ? That which is good is extinguished ... to be replaced by what is 'appointed'. The substitute, selected, appointed ... overlays the good foundation beneath. Thus the 'lord god' takes the place of 'God' - and Seth takes the place of Abel.

One of the few superlatives in scripture is used of that token of evil, 'ofin', the serpent, the one we encounter by the fruit tree. At Gn.3:4 this fount of all deception says to the woman 'ou qanatw apoqaneisqe ...' ( "By death you shall not die ..." ). But notice the prior description of this one as 'fronimwtatoV pantwn twn qhriwn' ( most sagacious of all the beasts ) [Gn.3:1]. These authors surely hope for their readers to learn from what they have written - and what they may learn is how to prevail# over evil. Death indeed spares no man.

Then this is the counterpart of the same scriptural theme. For evil to be overcome, a substantial effort will be required - both intellectual and spiritual. Before you get to know the truth, you must first want to know it. And even then it does not come easy. You will need courage, and you must work at it - the more so if you lack a sound teacher. For scripture is manifestly confusing and it is filled with temptations, the promise of eternal life being just one. There is a traditional saying amongst religious Jews :

As for the evil one, drag him to the house of studies.
If he is stone, melt him. If he is iron, shatter him.

So the challenge presented to the reader is this. Are you able to prevail# against the onslaught of deception which these ancient texts thrust in your path ? Obscurity is merely a sign of this embedded challenge, a feature fully deliberate on the part of the authors. Then who can understand the plot ? Like any good puzzle, to work it out demands care, meticulous care. Notice that Cain is admonished for his failure rightly to discriminate [Gn.4:7]. For in giving his allegiance to the wrong god, he has made a colossal mistake. What is evil looks to evil - but Abel (who is good) looks to God.

And lest anyone should doubt that what we encounter is obscurity, deliberately configured, that the texts of scripture are designed and executed to test the reasoning and the discrimination of the reader in the matter of dividing good from evil, let me reproduce (again) the opinion of Augustine of Hippo as he set it down in Latin some 1600 years ago [ 'De Doctrina Christiana, 2:6:7; 4:8:22 ] :


Book 2 : Chap. 6. Use of the Obscurities in Scripture which arise from its figurative language

7. Sed multis et multiplicibus obscuritatibus et ambiguitatibus decipiuntur, qui temere legunt, aliud pro alio sentientes, quibusdam autem locis, quid uel falso suspicentur, non inueniunt : ita obscure dicta quaedam densissimam caliginem obducunt. Quod totum prouisum esse diuinitus non dubito ad edomandam labore superbiam et intellectum a fastidio reuocandum, cui facile inuestigata plerumque uilescunt.

But hasty or careless readers are caught out by the many and manifold obscurities and ambiguities, substituting one meaning for another - and in some places (which for instance may be suspected to be false) they cannot hit upon even a fair interpretation. Some of the expressions are so obscure as to shroud the meaning in the thickest darkness. And I do not doubt that all this was divinely arranged for the purpose of subduing pride by toil - and for preventing a feeling of squeamishness in the intellect (which does generally hold in small esteem what is discovered without difficulty).

Book 4 : Chap. 8. The obscurity of the sacred writers, though compatible with eloquence, not to be imitated by Christian teachers

22. Sed nos etsi de litteris eorum, quae sine difficultate intelleguntur, nonnulla sumimus elocutionis exempla, nequaquam tamen putare debemus imitandos nobis eos esse in his, quae ad exercendas et elimandas quodammodo mentes legentium et ad rumpenda fastidia atque acuenda studia discere uolentium, celandos quoque, siue ut ad pietatem conuertantur , siue ut a mysteriis secludantur, animos impiorum, utili ac salubri obscuritate dixerunt.

Sic quippe illi locuti sunt, ut posteriores, qui eos recte intellegerent et exponerent, alteram gratiam, disparem quidem, uerum tamen subsequentem in dei ecclesia reperirent. Non ergo expositores eorum ita loqui debent, tamquam se ipsi exponendos simili auctoritate proponant, sed in omnibus sermonibus suis primitus ac maxime ut intellegantur elaborent et, quantum possunt perspicuitate dicendi, ut aut multum tardus sit, qui non intellegit, aut in rerum, quas explicare atque ostendere uolumus, difficultate ac subtilitate, non in nostra locutione sit causa, qua minus tardiusue quod dicimus possit intellegi.

But although I take some examples of eloquence from those writings of theirs which there is no difficulty in understanding, we are not by any means to suppose that it is our duty to imitate them in those passages where, with a view to exercise and to train the minds of their readers, and to break down the squeamishness and stimulate the zeal of those who are willing to learn, whilst also keeping in ignorance the minds of the impious that either they may be converted to piety or shut out from a knowledge of the mysteries, from one or other of these reasons they have expressed themselves with a useful and wholesome obscurity.

They have indeed expressed themselves in such a way that those who in after ages understood and explained them aright ... (etc). The expositors of these writers, then, ought not to express themselves in the same way, as if putting forward their expositions as of the same authority; but they ought in all their deliverances to make it their first and chief aim to be understood, using as far as possible such clearness of speech that either he will be very dull who does not understand them, or that if what they say should not be very easily or quickly understood, the reason will lie not in their manner of expression, but in the difficulty and subtlety of the matter they are trying to explain.

Then here is a similar opinion set down in English almost 1500 years later. It is from the pen of a clergyman in New York - published in the 'Tribune' late in the 19th century :


taken from: J Ralston Skinner, 'Key to the Hebrew-Egyptian Mystery' : App. VII, p.304

A second difficulty is akin to the first, and can be easily compared with it. It is the obscurity of the text. It does not appear to contradict itself, but its very meaning is a puzzle. The ordinary reader sees only a chaos, and either looks over the passage until he finds some plain words to satisfy him, or he performs the dangerous task of guessing where he has no data, and so makes the Scripture to speak falsely. To overcome this difficulty we need all the appliances which are requisite in reading the alleged discrepancies of the Word, and these are to be used in an intenser degree. History and geography must be ransacked and arranged in the mind; the oriental habits and styles of thought must be familiarized; bigotry and narrowness must be abandoned for a broad view of the race and a generous sympathy for human development everywhere. Especially are the two languages of scripture to be carefully studied - the sterility of Hebrew, whose obscurity lies in its poverty, and the flexible and beautiful Greek, whose obscurity lies in its richness.

Matthew :
40N 7 13 eiselqate dia thV stenhV pulhV oti plateia h pulh kai eurucwroV h odoV h apagousa eiV thn apwleian kai polloi eisin oi eisercomenoi di authV
40N 7 13 Enter in through the narrow gate. For broad (is) the gate, and spacious the way which leads to destruction - and many are those entering in through it.
40N 7 14 ti stenh h pulh kai teqlimmenh h odoV h apagousa eiV thn zwhn kai oligoi eisin oi euriskonteV authn
40N 7 14 How narrow the gate and restricted the way which leads to life - and few are those finding it !
Notice that this 'narrow way' is not said to lead to 'eternal life' - but merely to 'life'.
40N 7 15 prosecete apo twn yeudoprofhtwn oitineV ercontai proV umaV en endumasin probatwn eswqen de eisin lukoi arpageV
40N 7 15 Beware of the false prophets, those who come to you in sheep's clothing - but inwardly are rapacious wolves.

The scriptural authors must have expected that the 'obscurity' with which they wrote would have this result : that many, failing to resolve the sinister 'mystery' enshrined in their texts, would live out their lives upon this 'spacious way that leads to destruction'. Never would these persons realise the solution to the 'mystery', never explain it to their children. I myself was indoctrinated from childhood in the tradition of the Roman Catholic church. Yes, it almost happened to me.

For with the forceful extinction of the gnostic tradition in the world of Roman influence, the 'narrow way' was all but deleted for those who lived after the 3rd century CE. Now, for the vast majority, the truth was inaccessible. Then how fortunate that the primary texts of scripture were preserved, riddles and all, in Hebrew and in Greek - right into the 21st century. Thus it would still be possible to prise them open. By "putting out into the deep ... things of Satan" [Lk.5:4 ... Rv.2:24], this ancient 'mystery' could still be resolved - by any person sufficiently diligent, yet not (as Augustine hints) too 'squeamish'.

----- o -----

John :
43N 1 10 en tw kosmw hn kai o kosmoV di autou egeneto kai o kosmoV auton ouk egnw
43N 1 10 He was in the world and the world happened through him - and the world did not know him.

Yes, this 'genuine light' is the one which dazzles the world. As a result its true identity is not widely known, nor that of the 'Father'. And how many have been led astray - over all the centuries.

Is.6:9; Mt.13:14; Ac.28:26 :
poreuqhti kai eipon tw law toutw akoh akousete kai ou mh sunhte kai bleponteV bleyete kai ou mh idhte
Go and say to this people : "With hearing, you will hear, but not understand. And seeing, you will see, but not perceive".

Not only dazzled, but hard of hearing as well. Could the proper rôle of the scriptural author be stated more clearly ? This is to be a wholesale puzzle, a deceptive 'mystery'. Intended as a major challenge to the reader, it is destined to lead many astray.

Then setting aside all presumption, let us begin again from the outset. Let us 'start over'. And this time let us read carefully, watching out for anything which could be the cause for our stumbling. Are you with me so far ?


15.2 Why did your Face Fall ?
The book of Isaiah deals extensively with a character identified as 'lord Sabaoth' - whose directions to the prophet we have just heard (click to review). The full title appears 62 times in the Masoretic (Hebrew) text of this book - and 53 times in the LXX Greek (where the remaining references are abbreviated as 'lord').

In Hebrew he is Hebrew019 ( YHWH SBAHTh ), the name Sabaoth arguably invoking the verb Hebrew020 ( I glorify ), as also the noun Hebrew021 ( Sabbath {7} ).

This is the title for one of the seven archons in the gnostic 'Hebdomad', the group of secondary 'gods' identified in the various traditions of Gnosticism. In the extra-canonical 'Apocryphon of John' this archon is said to have the face of a dragon (other evidence suggests that of a snake). Either way, the tradition identified at Rv.12:9 then gives him a decidedly sinister provenance (see also discussion at Chapter 5.4).

But it is important to notice what is said about him as the plot thickens at Is.8:14. Here the LXX Greek text differs substantially from the Hebrew, a feature of interest because it yields two perspectives on the same theme. The Hebrew text presents its warning in an unconditional format :

JPS 1917 Edition Masoretic Text : (c) 2003 Mechon Mamre : Is.8:14

Is.8:14 (Hebrew)
23O 8 14 And he shall be for a holy one - but for a stumbling stone and for a rock to trip upon ...


The LXX (Greek) was authoritative for the later Greek-speaking world (gospel authors included). Here the same verse is expressed using a conditional clause :

23O 8 14 kai ean ep' autw pepoiqwV hs estai soi eiV agiasma kai ouc wV liqou proskommati sunanthsesqe autw oude wV petras ptwmati ...
23O 8 14 And if you should have been persuaded about him, he shall be to you for a holiness - and (then) you will not encounter him as a stone for stumbling, nor as a rock for falling ...


The Hebrew text indicates that this is indeed 'a holy one' - but a major hazard besides. Then the Greek variant allows for two classes of reader. The first embraces those 'persuaded about him' : a hazard he may be, but these are the ones who do not encounter him as such. Then have they been deceived in some way ? The most efficacious trap is that which the quarry cannot resist - and fails altogether to recognise.

A second class (those 'not persuaded') includes those who do pay attention to the numerous warnings embedded in scripture. They can solve the riddles. Then they are aware of the trap - which now poses no risk to them.

To grasp the significance of this 'stone' we need to read widely and with some care - for here we have a dispersed riddle, developing through the successive texts of scripture. Let us begin with Isaiah, then move on to some other passages which appear to be linked :


LXX Isaiah :
23O 8 12 mhpote eiphte sklhron pan gar o ean eiph o laoV outoV sklhron estin ton de fobon autou ou mh fobhqhte oude mh taracqhte
23O 8 12 Lest perhaps you should say "Hard !", for each one what if you say "This people is hard !". But (as for) its fear, do not be afraid - nor be disturbed.
23O 8 13 kurion auton agiasate kai autoV estai sou foboV
23O 8 13 (The) lord [Hebr: YHWH Sabaoth], make him holy, then he shall be your fear
23O 8 14 kai ean ep' autw pepoiqwV hV estai soi eiV agiasma kai ouc wV liqou proskommati sunanthsesqe autw oude wV petras ptwmati o de oikoV iakwb en pagidi kai en koilasmati egkaqhmenoi en ierousalhm
23O 8 14 And, if you should have been persuaded about him, he shall be to you for a holiness - and (then) you will not encounter him as a stone for stumbling, nor as a rock for falling. But the house (of) Jacob (is) in a snare - and (stuck ?) in a cavity**, those seated in Jerusalem
23O 8 15 dia touto adunathsousin en autoiV polloi kai pesountai kai suntribhsontai kai eggiousin kai alwsontai anqrwpoi en asfaleia onteV
23O 8 15 Through this, many shall become weak in themselves - and they shall fall. They shall be crushed together and shall get near and shall go astray, persons existing in safety !
23O 8 16 tote faneroi esontai oi sfragizomenoi ton nomon tou mh maqein
23O 8 16 Then they shall be evident - those sealing the law for (it) not to be understood
23O 8 17 kai erei menw ton qeon ton apostreyanta to proswpon autou apo tou oikou iakwb kai pepoiqwV esomai ep' autw
23O 8 17 And you shall say "I remain for the god who turns away his face from the house of Jacob - and I shall be persuaded about him".
.....
23O 28 16 dia touto outwV legei kurioV idou egw embalw eiV ta qemelia siwn liqon polutelh eklekton akrogwniaion entimon eiV ta qemelia authV kai o pisteuwn ep' autw ou mh kataiscunqh
23O 28 16 Through this, thus says (the) lord : "Look, I shall toss into the foundations (of) Zion a luxurious stone, a selected top corner, honourable in its foundations. And the one believing in this (matter) was certainly not prevailed over# ".

The scriptural authors write with great care. A corresponding care should benefit their readers. This top cornerstone is described as 'luxurious'. An elect stone of this kind may overlay (and so conceal) older foundations of a different kind. Notice how it is described - as 'honourable in its foundations', not as 'honourable in its own right'.

Indeed this stone is declared to be the cause for many to 'become weak', to fall, to go astray ...

The many who will go astray are the ones for whom 'the law has been sealed for it not to be understood'. Then, if we are not to be badly misled, it is imperative that we discover how to break open this 'seal upon the law'.

Remember too what Simeon says of the Christ child : "Look, this one is found for (the) fall and resurrection of many in Israel - and for a contradictory sign" [Lk.2:34].

An exhibitionist god, taking the rôle of impostor, may overlay (and so conceal) the prime God beneath.


LXX Genesis :

When Cain first appears on the scene we are told 'he was working the earth' [Gn.4:2]. But in later scripture we are clearly informed 'his works were evil' [1Jn.3:12].

The Anglican church tradition of 'Harvest Festival' seems to have its origins within the Romantic movement of the 19th century. But, as with the eucharist itself, this rite is surely maintained in error by persons suffering the giddy confusion which so often settles upon a reader who has yet to penetrate the 'mystery ', who has yet to break the 'seal '. Of them it may still be said : "They had not understood about the breads" [Mk.6:52]. But all they need to do is to read carefully - and to reason things out.

In the convention of scripture 'working/eating the earth' is the rôle assigned to the worm [Gn.3:14], the mythical creature equated with Satan [Rv.12:9]. When Adam too is cursed the same rôle is assigned to him [Gn.3:17-19, 3:23]. So we may ask whether Cain 'inherits' his occupation from the serpent - or from Adam ? Which of these is to be understood as the 'Father' ?

Probably the two are equivalent. In practice it makes no difference. Once he succumbs to the serpent's trick, it becomes impossible to distinguish Adam from the serpent. Either way, Cain inherits this earthy trait, the same exhibited in turn by Noe [Gn.9:20-21], by Melchizedek when he brings 'bread and wine' [Gn.14:18] - and by Jesus in the gospels [eg. Mk.6:41, 8:6, 14:22-25].

Now at LXX Gn.4:7 Cain is informed that he has made a mistake - a mistake in connection with his sacrifice. This 'sacrifice' is an offering 'from the fruits of the earth [Gn.4:3] to which 'God (sic) ... paid no attention' [Gn.4:4-5]. But what is the nature of Cain's mistake ? Is he unable to distinguish between God and the 'lord god', the rock over whom he stumbles - and as a result he brings the wrong kind of offering ?

Is it not when a person stumbles, when he trips his foot upon a stone, that he 'falls upon his face' ?

Then let us pay close attention to the story ...

01O 4 3 kai egeneto meq' hmeraV hnegken kain apo twn karpwn thV ghV qusian tw kuriw
01O 4 3 And it happened with (the) days that Cain brought from the fruits of the earth a sacrifice for the lord.
01O 4 4 kai abel hnegken kai autoV apo twn prwtotokwn twn probatwn autou kai apo twn steatwn autwn kai epeiden o qeoV epi abel kai epi toiV dwroiV autou
01O 4 4 And Abel brought both he from the firstborn of his flock - and from their fats [Hebr: dairy/milk]. And God (sic) looked upon Abel and upon his gifts
01O 4 5 epi de kain kai epi taiV qusiaiV autou ou prosescen kai eluphsen ton kain lian kai sunepesen tw proswpw
01O 4 5 (but) upon Cain and upon his sacrifices he did not pay attention. And it grieved Cain very much - and he fell to the face
01O 4 6 kai eipen kurioV o qeoV tw kain ina ti perilupoV egenou kai ina ti sunepesen to proswpon sou
01O 4 6 And the lord god said to Cain "Why did you become sorrowful ? And why did your face fall ?

Why did you become sorrowful ? And why did your face fall ? These questions echo through all subsequent scripture.

Cain has stumbled - he has stumbled badly. But he is blind to his mistake. His attentions are directed to the 'lord god'. For him, this god manifests all the attributes of God. But when he brings his 'sacrifice', 'fruits of the earth', there is no response from God. What could be wrong ? He has no idea, none whatever.

Turning to the gospels, at the Passover meal it is now Jesus who breaks bread and offers wine. Yes, these are 'fruits of the earth'. Shortly it is Jesus who becomes 'perilupoV' (sorrowful) [Mt.26:38; Mk.14:34]. And in the very next verse it is Jesus who 'falls upon his face' [Mt.26:39] - or [Mk.14:35] he 'falls upon the earth'.

Thus Jesus and Cain act alike. Each brings 'from the fruits of the earth', each becomes 'sorrowful', each then 'falls upon his face'. Could it be that Jesus too has 'tripped upon the stumbling-stone', falling to his face as he prays to the mysterious 'Father' [Mt.26:39,42; Mk.14:36] ?

Cain responds with jealousy. 'Resurrected' upon his more favoured brother, he promptly kills him. For Cain was the first-born [Gn.4:1]. He does not expect to be ignored by God. But he has failed to grasp the nature of his own mistake.

Jesus too responds with 'resurrection'. Like Cain, he is 'o prwtotokos' (the first-born) [eg. Lk.2:7]. And, thinking back, we realise that before the 'public life' of Jesus gets under way, John the Baptist is the one eliminated (like Abel before him) - this time at the hands of a 'king' who (again) is said to be 'perilupoV' (sorrowful) [Mk.6:26]. Prior to this John has struggled to identify Jesus in public - but in the text of the gospels he expresses himself only in riddles. Then his imprisonment and death serve to prevent him from making any more explicit identification. This frees Jesus to proceed with his 'works'.

As with Abel and Cain, John and Jesus are opposites. That which is good is extinguished ... to be replaced by what is 'appointed'. The parallels here are surely striking, hardly adventitious. These gospel authors are following a plot which has been very well defined beforehand.

It is the plot set out in Genesis - with Jesus taking the part of Cain.

01O 4 7 ouk ean orqwV prosenegkhV orqwV de mh dielhV hmarteV hsucason proV se h apostrofh autou kai su arxeiV autou
01O 4 7 Did you not make a mistake [alt: did you not sin] - if you were bringing (your sacrifices) rightly but not distinguishing [alt: dividing, punctuating] rightly ? Wait quietly (until) towards you (is) his aversion [ie. until he turns away from you] - and (then) you shall take first place over him."
01O 4 8 kai eipen kain proV abel ton adelfon autou dielqwmen eiV to pedion kai egeneto en tw einai autouV en tw pediw kai anesth kain epi abel ton adelfon autou kai apekteinen auton
01O 4 8 And Cain said to Abel, his brother "Let us go into the plain". And it happened with their being in the plain - and Cain (was) resurrected upon Abel, his brother, and he killed him.

Yes, Cain has made a mistake. He has failed to distinguish - to distinguish between God and 'the lord god', between 'milk, butter & honey' and 'bread, wine & figs', between the tokens of good and the tokens of evil.

For the slaughter of his brother he is now cursed again. What he says in response evokes accurately the predicament of Jesus (as set out in the gospels). Look at Pilate's comment at Lk.23:4,14; Jn.19:4,6; Ac.13:28 . Here Pilate is depicted as knowing who Jesus is, as grasping the futility of having him killed (for he is a god). All the same Jesus is killed, lynched by those whose problem remains that they have failed entirely to recognise who he is - for they have missed the signs [Gn.4:15].

Cain's prediction applies to Jesus : 'Each one finding me shall kill me' - for 'I shall be hidden from your face'.

01O 4 13 kai eipen kain proV ton kurion meizwn h aitia mou tou afeqhnai me
01O 4 13 And Cain said to the lord "My accusation (is) greater than (will allow) my acquittal
01O 4 14 ei ekballeiV me shmeron apo proswpou thV ghV kai apo tou proswpou sou krubhsomai kai esomai stenwn kai tremwn epi thV ghV kai estai paV o euriskwn me apoktenei me
01O 4 14 If you throw me out today from (the) face of the earth, I shall be hidden also from your face. And I shall be contracting [alt: sighing] and shivering upon the earth - and it shall be that each one finding me shall kill me".

LXX Exodus (the 'lord' speaks to Moses) :
02O 33 20 kai eipen ou dunhsh idein mou to proswpon ou gar mh idh anqrwpoV to proswpon mou kai zhsetai
02O 33 20 And he said "You will not be able to see my face - for a person may not see my face and live".
02O 33 21 kai eipen kurioV idou topoV par' emoi sthsh epi thV petraV
02O 33 21 And (the) lord said "Look, (there is) a place by me : you shall stand upon the rock.
02O 33 22 hnika d' an parelqh mou h doxa kai qhsw se eiV ophn thV petraV kai skepasw th ceiri mou epi se ewV an parelqw
02O 33 22 Whenever my glory goes by then I shall place you in a cavity** of the rock - and shall cover you over with my hand until I go by
02O 33 23 kai afelw thn ceira kai tote oyh ta opisw mou to de proswpon mou ouk ofqhsetai soi
02O 33 23 And I shall take away the hand - and then you shall see the things behind me. But my face shall not be revealed to you".

Romans :
45N 9 31 israhl de diwkwn nomon dikaiosunhV eiV nomon ouk efqasen
45N 9 31 But Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at a law
45N 9 32 dia ti oti ouk ek pistewV all wV ex ergwn prosekoyan tw liqw tou proskommatoV
45N 9 32 Why ? Because, not from faith but as from works, they stumbled over the stone of stumbling
45N 9 33 kaqwV gegraptai idou tiqhmi en siwn liqon proskommatoV kai petran skandalou kai o pisteuwn ep autw ou kataiscunqhsetai
45N 9 33 Just as it has been written "Look, I place in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of scandal. And the one believing in this (matter) will not be prevailed over# ".
.....
45N 11 7 ti oun o epizhtei israhl touto ouk epetucen h de eklogh epetucen oi de loipoi epwrwqhsan
45N 11 7 What then ? That which Israel sought, this did not come about. But the selection did come about - and those remaining were Petrified.
45N 11 8 kaqwV gegraptai edwken autoiV o qeoV pneuma katanuxewV ofqalmouV tou mh blepein kai wta tou mh akouein ewV thV shmeron hmeraV
45N 11 8 Just as it has been written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes which did not see and ears which did not hear - until the 'today' day" [see: Is.6:5, 6:10; Gn.4:14-15]
45N 11 9 kai dauid legei genhqhtw h trapeza autwn eiV pagida kai eiV qhran kai eiV skandalon kai eiV antapodoma autoiV
45N 11 9 And David says "May their table become for them a snare and a pursuit - a scandal and a retribution to them [see: Ps.69:22]
The 'city of David' was Bethlehem [Lk.2:4] : its meaning in Hebrew, "House of Bread".

1 Corinthians :
46N 10 1 ou qelw gar umaV agnoein adelfoi oti oi patereV hmwn panteV upo thn nefelhn hsan kai panteV dia thV qalasshV dihlqon
46N 10 1 For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, that our fathers all were under the cloud, and all went through the sea
46N 10 2 kai panteV eiV ton mwushn ebaptisqhsan en th nefelh kai en th qalassh
46N 10 2 And all were baptised into Moses - in the cloud and in the sea
46N 10 3 kai panteV to auto pneumatikon brwma efagon
46N 10 3 And all ate the same spiritual food
46N 10 4 kai panteV to auto pneumatikon epion poma epinon gar ek pneumatikhV akolouqoushV petraV h petra de hn o cristoV
46N 10 4 And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a following spiritual rock - and the rock was the Christ.

The immediate reference here is surely to the mysterious 'space-filled' manna [Nb.21:5] - and to the rock at Choreb, yielding water when Moses strikes it [Ex.17:6].

But remember that at Gn.28:18 Jacob (soon to be named 'Israel') takes the stone from under his head, sets it up as a pillar, and pours oil upon the top of it. With this action he 'anoints' the stone. Thus symbolically this stone is the Christ - for the name Christ means simply 'anointed one', from the Greek verb 'criw' (I anoint).

The text referring to Joseph at Gn.49:24 confirms the sinister significance of this. The Greek (LXX) refers to 'o katiscusaV israhl' (the one prevailing over# Israel) [see Gn.32:24-30]. But the Hebrew (Masoretic text) is more explicit, citing instead the 'evil stone of Israel' :

JPS 1917 Edition Masoretic Text : (c) 2003 Mechon Mamre : Gn.49:24

Gn.49:24 (Hebrew)
01O 49 24 But his bow sat firm, and the limbs of his hands were made supple, from the hands of the 'mighty one' of Jacob, from there, (the) 'evil stone of Israel'
46N 10 5 all ouk en toiV pleiosin autwn eudokhsen o qeoV katestrwqhsan gar en th erhmw
46N 10 5 But with the majority of them God was not well pleased - for they were (left) strewn in the desert.
46N 10 6 tauta de tupoi hmwn egenhqhsan eiV to mh einai hmaV epiqumhtaV kakwn kaqwV kakeinoi epequmhsan
46N 10 6 And these things became for us examples, that they should not come to be our evil desires - just as those (persons) also desired.

Then drinking from the 'spiritual rock' which is 'the Christ' is not what pleases God. It is not to become one of our 'evil desires'. Is that now clear ?

----- o -----

From the 'Apocryphon of John' (trans. Frederik Wisse) :
The teaching of the saviour, and the revelation of the mysteries and the things hidden in silence, even these things which he taught John, his disciple.

And it happened one day, when John, the brother of James - who are the sons of Zebedee - had come up to the temple, that a Pharisee named Arimanius approached him and said to him "Where is your master whom you followed ?". And he said to him "He has gone to the place from which he came". The Pharisee said to him "With deception did this Nazarene deceive you (pl.), and he filled your ears with lies, and closed your hearts (and) turned you from the traditions of your fathers".

When I, John, heard these things I turned away from the temple to a desert place. And I grieved greatly in my heart, saying "How then was the saviour appointed, and why was he sent into the world by his Father, and who is his Father who sent him, and of what sort is that aeon to which we shall go ? For what did he mean when he said to us 'This aeon to which you will go is of the type of the imperishable aeon', but he did not teach us concerning the latter, of what sort it is.

Luke :
42N 4 3 eipen de autw o diaboloV ei uioV ei tou qeou eipe tw liqw toutw ina genhtai artoV
42N 4 3 But the devil said to him "If you are a son of God, say to this stone that it may become bread"

Mark :
41N 3 11 kai ta pneumata ta akaqarta otan auton eqewroun prosepipton autw kai ekrazon legonteV oti su ei o uioV tou qeou
41N 3 11 And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down for him and cried out, saying that "You are the son of God !"
.....
41N 6 41 kai labwn touV pente artouV kai touV duo icquaV anableyaV eiV ton ouranon euloghsen kai kateklasen touV artouV kai edidou toiV maqhtaiV [autou] ina paratiqwsin autoiV kai touV duo icquas emerisen pasin
41N 6 41 And taking the five breads and the two fish, looking up into heaven, he blessed and broke the breads : and he gave to [his] learners so that they would set before them - and the two fish he divided amongst all
41N 6 42 kai efagon panteV kai ecortasqhsan
41N 6 42 And they all ate, and were filled
41N 6 43 kai hran klasmata dwdeka kofinwn plhrwmata kai apo twn icquwn
41N 6 43 And they took up twelve fragments full of [small] baskets - and from the fish
Perhaps you spotted the serpentofin ] - concealed as a fragment of the Greek word for 'baskets' ?

Revelation :
66N 12 9 kai eblhqh o drakwn o megaV o ofiV o arcaioV o kaloumenoV diaboloV kai o satanaV o planwn thn oikoumenhn olhn eblhqh eiV thn ghn kai oi aggeloi autou met autou eblhqhsan
66N 12 9 And he was thrown out (from heaven), the great dragon, the ancient serpent, the one called devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown out into the earth - and his angels were thrown out with him.

Matthew :
40N 7 9 h tiV estin ex umwn anqrwpoV on aithsei o uioV autou arton mh liqon epidwsei autw
40N 7 9 Or what person is there out of you who, (when) his son asks for bread, will not give him a stone ?
40N 7 10 h kai icqun aithsei mh ofin epidwsei autw
40N 7 10 Or then he asks for a fish, will not give him a serpent ?

Mark :
41N 6 52 ou gar sunhkan epi toiV artois all hn autwn h kardia pepwrwmenh
41N 6 52 For they had not understood about the breads - but for them the heart was 'Petrified'.

Then in summary :

Furthermore :

15.3 A god against God ?
The concept of an opponent to God, an evil god against God, pervades all of scripture. But direct titles for this 'person' are rare to find in the texts of the 'Old Testament'. One example seems to be at LXX Nb.22:21 where we encounter Balaam's donkey, a creature portrayed as commendably perceptive. Compared with his mount, Balaam himself is slow to recognise what is wrong. But eventually Balaam's eyes are opened - and the 'angel of God ' says to him "idou egw exhlqon eiV diabolhn sou" (Look ! I emerged into a devil for you !) [Nb.22:32].

This opponent, this 'devil ', is now manifested as :

... ton aggelon kuriou anqesthkota en th odw kai thn macairan espasmenhn en th ceiri autou
... the angel of a lord, stood across in the way, and the dagger drawn in his hand

The 'dagger' (a short sword) resembles (in its shape) the cross where Jesus will die.

Then this description evokes perhaps Gn.3:24 - and even Gn.4:8 (where the dagger is Cain's). And then, turning to the texts of the 'New Testament', we find that it is Jesus who confers upon the twelve 'exousian pneumatwn akaqartwn' (authority for unclean spirits) [Mt.10:1] - and goes on to tell them [Mt.10:34] :

40N 10 34 mh nomishte oti hlqon balein eirhnhn epi thn ghn ouk hlqon balein eirhnhn alla macairan
40N 10 34 "Do not suppose that I came to cast peace upon the earth. I did not come to cast peace, but a dagger"

In Revelation we find that 'the dragon, the ancient serpent' is identified as 'a devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world ' [Rv.12:9; 20:2]. He is 'thrown down to the earth - and his angels thrown down with him'. This is surely a reference to the crafty serpent of Genesis Chapter 3, the equivalence between 'the serpent' and 'the devil' being long established in both Jewish and Christian traditions. The mythical garden of Paradise is his alternate domain, its central feature 'to xulon thV zwhV' (the tree of life) [Gn.2:9].

The gospels are in many ways extremely sinister. In the narrative this 'god against God ' features at times quite explicit. There are sixteen references to 'satan' in the four gospels - and fourteen more to 'the devil '. Throughout these texts he remains a trickster. For recognition we may be forced back at times upon the sayings he lets slip - or upon those personal traits which give him away. For in his quest to deceive he may seek to impress. Then he may exhibit the attributes of a god in the hope of being embraced as God. This style is what we know as impersonation.

We may do well to remember 2Cor.11:14 :

47N 11 14 kai ou qauma autoV gar o satanaV metaschmatizetai eis aggelon fwtoV
47N 11 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light

----- o -----

Now amongst the Greek texts of the gospels we find the words 'exousia' (authority) and 'doxa' (glory). Along with their corresponding verbs, they occur with the following incidence :

  Matthew Mark Luke John
 exousia
 (authority)
10 10 17 7
 doxa
 (glory)
9 4 22 34
 Total : 19 14 39 41

Table 1 : Incidence of 'exousia, doxa' in the 4 gospels

These words find more use in Luke and in John - with a strong bias in the fourth gospel towards the use of 'doxa' (glory).

By exploring how they are used in connection with Jesus, I hope to assess the mind of the scriptural author on the origin of such attributes, drawing out their significance. Dying on the cross, Jesus is offered 'oxoV' (vinegar) - for by now the wine is turning sour. Notice that the letter 'x' ( X ) is common to each of these words. In Greek it holds also the number value 60. Then hear Jesus' last words :

Matthew :
40N 27 46 peri de thn enathn wran anebohsen o ihsouV fwnh megalh legwn hli hli lema sabacqani tout estin qee mou qee mou inati me egkatelipeV
40N 27 46 But around the ninth hour Jesus cried up with a loud voice, saying "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani". That is "My god, my god, for what have you abandoned me ?".
The false equivalent rendered here in the Greek text of the gospel is abstracted from Ps.22. But the words ascribed to Jesus are the Hebrew "Eli, Eli, lema sabachth-ani", thus :

Hebrew022
"My god, My god, why do you glorify me ?"

Yes, the gospels are certainly interesting, but we do need to read carefully - both in Hebrew and in Greek. For, as the Hebrew here indicates, Jesus has been 'glorified' - just as Satan promises at Lk.4:6 [click here]. But the substituted phrase in Greek reveals how the status of Jesus now matches that first ascribed to Cain. He is altogether ignored - and still he cannot understand why :

LXX Genesis :
01O 4 4 ..... kai epeiden o qeos epi abel kai epi tois dwrois autou
..... And God (sic) looked upon Abel and upon his gifts
01O 4 5 epi de kain kai epi tais qusiais autou ou prosescen kai eluphsen ton kain lian ...
01O 4 5 (but) upon Cain and upon his sacrifices he did not pay attention. And it grieved Cain very much ...

I fancy the scriptural authors hold that ultimately Satan abandons all those unwise enough to embrace his 'offer' - attractive as it always does seem. Then with these last words spoken by Jesus they construct a finale with truly Faustian overtones.


15.4 Let the Stones become Bread
In each of the 'synoptic' gospels Jesus is 'led by the spirit in the desert' for forty days of testing. Consistently the verb 'peirazw' is used - which makes it pretty clear that Jesus is being tested, tried out, examined or assessed. And surely this must be in preparation for the part he is to play in the coming narrative. But who is this examiner ?

In Matthew and in Luke the 'testing' takes place 'under the devil ' : in Mark it is 'under Satan'. The two names seem to be equivalent - but what is striking is that consistently we have the Greek preposition 'upo'. Used here with the genitive case, it certainly means 'under'. Abbott & Mansfield's 'Primer of Greek Grammar' indicates that this is "often with a notion of dependence" [Syntax, 52]. Then it seems clear that Jesus is in some way subject to this personification of evil - for he submits to the test. But how should this be ?

It is of key importance that we should grasp correctly the nature of this relationship. Now it is the long standing presumption of the established Christian church that Jesus himself is good, obeying the will of the 'Father' - and that here he withstands the blandishments of Satan, his evil opponent. But is there any evidence for this ? There are many 'sleights of hand' in the texts of scripture : we may do well to step cautiously. Those paying full attention will realise that we do not know the identity of this mysterious 'Father' [Mt.11:27; Lk.10:22]. Then which father would send his son into the desert to be assessed by the devil ?

Let us turn to the texts which relate how the 'testing' of Jesus begins. In the gospels attributed to Matthew and Luke this is where we encounter the first explicit reference to 'the devil ' - right at the start of Jesus' public life. In the Markan narrative 'the devil ' is never mentioned as such : instead we have the first use of the Hebrew title 'SaTaN' (meaning 'enemy'). Then let us see how these texts go. The square brackets [ ] indicate variants present in the source text :

Matthew :
40N 3 16 baptisqeiV de o ihsouV euquV anebh apo tou udatoV kai idou hnewcqhsan [autw] oi ouranoi kai eiden [to] pneuma [tou] qeou katabainon wsei peristeran [kai] ercomenon ep auton
40N 3 16 And, baptised, Jesus came up immediately from the water - and look ! The heavens were opened [to him] and he saw a spirit of a god [the spirit of God] coming down as if a pigeon [and] coming upon him
40N 3 17 kai idou fwnh ek twn ouranwn legousa outoV estin o uioV mou o agaphtoV en w eudokhsa
40N 3 17 And look! A voice out of the heavens saying "This is my son, the beloved, in whom I was pleased"
40N 4 1 tote o ihsouV anhcqh eiV thn erhmon upo tou pneumatoV peirasqhnai upo tou diabolou
40N 4 1 Then Jesus was brought up into the desert under the spirit to be tested under the devil
40N 4 2 kai nhsteusas hmeras tesserakonta kai nuktas tesserakonta usteron epeinasen
40N 4 2 And, fasting forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry
40N 4 3 kai proselqwn o peirazwn eipen autw ei uioV ei tou qeou eipe ina oi liqoi outoi artoi genwntai
40N 4 3 And, coming, the one testing said to him "If you are a son of God, say that these stones may become bread"

Here we have the first challenge "... say that these stones may become bread". And if you look carefully you will see that within four verses there are concealed not only 5 pieces of breadas ] but also 2 fishcq ] (for the basis and significance of this, see the analysis of the stories of the 'Feeding of the 5000/4000' set out at Chapter 3).

In this sense the 'stones' may be those of the scriptural text itself (recalling the words of the covenant set down by the finger of god upon two plaques of stone entrusted to Moses). Then this anagram riddle provides one sense in which these stones 'become' bread - for the inscribed text yields concealed forms of 'food'.

Mark :
41N 1 10 kai euquV anabainwn ek tou udatoV eiden scizomenouV touV ouranouV kai to pneuma wV peristeran katabainon eiV auton
41N 1 10 And immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens tearing and the spirit like a pigeon coming down into him
41N 1 11 kai fwnh egeneto ek twn ouranwn su ei o uioV mou o agaphtoV en soi eudokhsa
41N 1 11 And a voice came out of the heavens "You are my son, the beloved. In you I was pleased"
41N 1 12 kai euquV to pneuma auton ekballei eiV thn erhmon
41N 1 12 And immediately the spirit cast him out into the desert
41N 1 13 kai hn en th erhmw tesserakonta hmeras peirazomenoV upo tou satana kai hn meta twn qhriwn kai oi aggeloi dihkonoun autw
41N 1 13 And he was in the desert (for) forty days (of) testing under Satan. And he was with the wild beasts and the angels ministered to him

The text in Mark is shorter and simpler, lacking the detailed riddles of Matthew and Luke.

Wild beasts and angels are the attendants of Satan.

Luke :
42N 3 21 egeneto de en tw baptisqhnai apanta ton laon kai ihsou baptisqentoV kai proseucomenou anewcqhnai ton ouranon
42N 3 21 But it happened with the entire people being baptised, and from Jesus being baptised and praying (for) heaven to be opened up
42N 3 22 kai katabhnai to pneuma to agion swmatikw eidei wV peristeran ep auton kai fwnhn ex ouranou genesqai su ei o uioV mou o agaphtoV en soi eudokhsa
42N 3 22 And (for) the spirit, the holy one, to come down in bodily form as a pigeon, upon him. And there came a voice from heaven "You are my son, the beloved. In you I was pleased."
.....
42N 4 1 ihsouV de plhrhV pneumatoV agiou upestreyen apo tou iordanou kai hgeto en tw pneumati en th erhmw
42N 4 1 But Jesus, full of a holy spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in the spirit in the desert
42N 4 2 hmeras tesserakonta peirazomenoV upo tou diabolou kai ouk efagen ouden en taiV hmeraiV ekeinaiV kai suntelesqeiswn autwn epeinasen
42N 4 2 (for) forty days (of) testing under the devil. And he did not eat anything within 'those days' - and, from their completion, he was hungry
42N 4 3 eipen de autw o diaboloV ei uioV ei tou qeou eipe tw liqw toutw ina genhtai artoV
42N 4 3 But the devil said to him "If you are a son of God, say to this stone that it may become bread"
42N 4 4 kai apekriqh proV auton o ihsouV gegraptai oti ouk ep artw monw zhsetai o anqrwpoV
42N 4 4 And Jesus answered him "It has been written that 'Not on bread alone shall the Person live' " [Dt.8:3]
42N 4 5 kai anagagwn auton edeixen autw pasas tas basileias thV oikoumenhV en stigmh cronou
42N 4 5 And, taking him up, he showed him all the kingdoms of the world within a moment of time

Now see if you can follow this riddle.

First of all, there is nothing to eat within 'ouk efagen ouden en taiV hmeraiV ekeinaiV' (he did not eat anything within those days). With the use of the preposition 'en', the endings of the feminine words here are all forced into the dative case (ending -aiV) : thus they fail to yield any 'bread' [ as or aV ].

But then 'he was hungry' [ epeinasen ] ... and immediately 'bread' appears [ as ].

Read on a few verses and now Jesus shows his examiner, the devil, that he knows how to feed the people. For he points out 'pasas tas basileias thV oikoumenhV' (all the kingdoms of the earth) - and look ! Just three words yield 5 pieces of 'bread'as ] - and all clustered together 'en stigmh cronou' (within a moment of time) ! Isn't that clever ?

If you don't understand the basis for this elegant 'digram' riddle, then I commend you to the analysis of the stories of the 'Feeding of the 5000/4000' set out at Chapter 3. There the Greek scriptural shorthand for bread is derived.

And if you consider improbable such a use of implicit digrams, take a look at Prof. Bruce Metzger's book 'Maunuscripts of the Greek Bible' [Ref.1]. On p.36 he lists the several explicit digrams and trigrams which it is well known were employed in Greek scripture of the early centuries CE. They were called by Ludwig Traube 'Nomina Sacra'. A word such as 'uioV' (son) was contracted using the first letter in conjunction with the last - thus 'uV'.

By analogy it is perfectly reasonable that a word such as 'artoV' (bread) should be recognised in the contracted form 'aV' - or 'as' (in the uncial texts of early scripture there would have been no distinction between these two forms).

----- o -----

Later in the story Jesus is speaking to the 'seventy' he himself has appointed [Lk.10:1 seq.]. The number seventy may evoke Gn.4:24. But the narrative here appears to recall the prior description of Jesus own baptism :

42N 10 18 eipen de autoiV eqewroun ton satanan wV astraphn ek tou ouranou pesonta
42N 10 18 But he said to them "I beheld Satan falling like lightning from heaven
42N 10 19 idou dedwka umin thn exousian tou patein epanw ofewn kai skorpiwn kai epi pasan thn dunamin tou ecqrou kai ouden umaV ou mh adikhsh
42N 10 19 Look, I give you authority to tread over serpents and scorpions - and upon all the power of the enemy. And certainly nothing will do you injustice".

Notice the anagrammatic repetition within 10:18 itself. The words for 'pigeon' [ peristeran ] and for 'lightning' [ astraphn ] share between them six letters. Thus is 'Satan' linked with the lightning which 'comes down', the lightning with the pigeon - and the pigeon with the mysterious 'spirit' which also 'comes down' upon Jesus. Then we may suspect that this spirit was an 'unclean' spirit, even Satan himself.

Now in the narrative it is Jesus who first sees "the heavens tearing" and "the spirit like a pigeon coming down into him" [Mk.1:10]. The same 'spirit' then provides for him to be 'tested/assessed under Satan'. And yes, it is Jesus who later, in the context of training his own followers, says this : "I beheld Satan falling like lightning from heaven" [Lk.10:18].

A thoughtful reader may well suspect that this story of Jesus' baptism, the story which marks the start of his 'public life', is a deliberately oblique description of his adoption by the forces of evil. This 'spirit', 'coming upon him from the Father', is a manifestation of the devil - whose willing agent Jesus now becomes.

But, over all the centuries, how many readers have been able to reason this out ? If the number had been significant then the history and culture of western Europe might have developed quite differently.

----- o -----

Now let us consider further the identity of this 'spirit' which comes upon Jesus at his baptism. Perhaps you remember how the flood was brought to an end :

01O 8 1 kai emnhsqh o qeoV tou nwe kai pantwn twn qhriwn kai pantwn twn kthnwn kai pantwn twn peteinwn kai pantwn twn erpetwn osa hn met' autou en th kibwtw kai ephgagen o qeoV pneuma epi thn ghn kai ekopasen to udwr
01O 8 1 And God was reminded of Noah and of all the wild beasts, and all the pastoral beasts, and all the birds, and all the creeping things which were with him in the ark. And God brought a spirit upon the earth - and the water abated.

It is with the baptism of Jesus that "the waters" are to abate once again - and "the dry" (the earth, the desert) is to be exposed. This is the same sequence previously noted at Gn.1:9 and at Gn.8:13. And, just as before, it is when the flood recedes that the pigeon first appears on the scene :

01O 8 8 kai apesteilen thn peristeran opisw autou idein ei kekopaken to udwr apo proswpou thV ghV
01O 8 8 And he [Noah] sent off the pigeon behind it [the raven] to see if the water had abated from (the) face of the earth

Yet in the baptism narrative of the gospels we are not exactly told that we have a pigeon - but what is implied is that we have something which is alike to a pigeon, which in some way or other is similar. So for those with a keen eye, here are some words which are similar to one another in that they share the six letter group 'speira', the root for the Greek word : 'speiraw' (I sow) :

The concepts 'peristera' (a pigeon) and 'peirasw' (I shall test) are linked explicitly in each of the passages above - for the spirit comes down as a pigeon to lead Jesus in the desert for forty days of testing. The two words are also related in the way they are spelled.

Moreover a pigeon has a cereal diet, another conceptual link to 'speiraV' (the one sowing). For the pigeon may seek to eat the seed which is sown [a notion made explicit at Mt.13:4; Mk.4:4; Lk.8:5].

Then the number value of 'speiraV' (the one sowing) is 666, the same value given at Rv.13:18 for "the number of a person, the number of the beast". And at Mt.13:39 'speiraV' is equated explicitly with 'o ecqroV' (the enemy, this term being the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word 'satan') and explicitly with 'o diaboloV' (the devil). So our first impression of this 'spirit', so consistently likened to 'a pigeon', is hardly a favourable one.

Now let us recall where the last two of these words have their origin in scripture :

Genesis :
01O 3 8 kai hkousan thn fwnhn kuriou tou qeou peripatountos en tw paradeisw to deilinon kai ekrubhsan o te adam kai h gunh autou apo proswpou kuriou tou qeou en mesw tou xulou tou paradeisou
01O 3 8 And they heard the voice of the lord god walking about in Paradise towards evening. And they hid - both Adam and his woman - from (the) face of the lord god in the midst of the tree of Paradise

Perhaps you are beginning to see where all this points ? The one whose voice was heard 'walking about in Paradise' and whose face was to be found 'in the midst of the tree of Paradise' was the 'lord god', alias the serpent, 'the one called a devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world' [Rv.12:9]. And yes, Jesus does represent that Paradise is the location for his 'kingdom' - as we finally learn when he is dying on the cross :

Luke :
42N 23 42 kai elegen ihsou mnhsqhti mou otan elqhV eiV thn basileian sou
42N 23 42 And he said to Jesus "Remember me when you come into your kingdom".
42N 23 43 kai eipen autw amhn soi legw shmeron met emou esh en tw paradeisw
42N 23 43 And he said to him "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise".

The scriptural author writes in line with the tradition of Genesis. For him, Paradise is where Adam was cursed to "eat earth". It is the 'kingdom' of the serpent.

At Lk.3:22 we have a father (the voice speaks of his son), a son (Jesus himself), and a spirit (likened to a pigeon). Then here is the basis for the curious concept of a triune god (the Trinity).

By anagrammatic association, the 'bodily form' taken by this 'spirit' may well be 'speiraV' (the one sowing) - a title established at Mt.13:39 for the devil.


15.5 A New Covenant
To keep this analysis as simple as possible, I shall continue by using principally the gospel attributed to Luke (but the theme in Matthew is in many ways similar).

At his baptism a mysterious voice refers to Jesus as 'son' [Lk.3:22]. The owner of this voice is addressed in return as 'father' [eg. Lk.10:21; 22:29; 22:42]. But who knows the full identity of these two characters ? In fact the identities are never spelled out. This is quite typical of the method of scripture - where the resulting uncertainty provides so readily for the reader to be led astray. Look :

Luke :
42N 10 21 en auth th wra hgalliasato [en] tw pneumati tw agiw kai eipen exomologoumai soi pater kurie tou ouranou kai thV ghV oti apekruyas tauta apo sofwn kai sunetwn kai apekaluyas auta nhpioiV nai o pathr oti outwV eudokia egeneto emprosqen sou
42N 10 21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the spirit, the holy one, and said "I acknowledge, Father, lord of Heaven and Earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants. Yes, 'The Father', for thus it became pleasing before you.
42N 10 22 panta moi paredoqh upo tou patroV mou kai oudeiV ginwskei tiV estin o uioV ei mh o pathr kai tiV estin o pathr ei mh o uioV kai w ean boulhtai o uioV apokaluyai
42N 10 22 Everything has been given away to me under my father - and no one knows who the son is, except the father - and who the father is, except the son and he to whom, if he should wish, the son may reveal (him)".

And look, Jesus seeks even to conceal his own identity :

Mark :
41N 1 34 kai eqerapeusen pollouV kakwV econtaV poikilaiV nosoiV kai daimonia polla exebalen kai ouk hfien lalein ta daimonia oti hdeisan auton
41N 1 34 And he healed many (of those) badly having various diseases - and cast out many demons. And he did not allow the demons to speak because they knew him.
.....
41N 3 11 kai ta pneumata ta akaqarta otan auton eqewroun prosepipton autw kai ekrazon legonteV oti su ei o uioV tou qeou
41N 3 11 And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down for him and cried out, saying that "You are the son of God !"
41N 3 12 kai polla epetima autoiV ina mh auton faneron poihswsin
41N 3 12 And repeatedly he reprimanded them - so that they should not make him known

When an author configures the identity of key players in his narrative as a 'secret', what is his purpose ? Just who is to be kept in ignorance ? Who is to be disadvantaged - and why ? And how curious : it is the demons, the unclean spirits, who are the ones with inside knowledge.

----- o -----

Perhaps what follows will help you to understand, will help the penny to drop. Here is the promise of the 'New Testament', the new 'covenant' - linked by the quotations from Deuteronomy to the earlier promise of the first 'covenant' .

In each case the deal is done in the desert. And who is the one making this commitment to Jesus ? Yes, it is 'the one called a devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world' [Rv.12:9], the examiner, the impostor, the opponent of God.

Luke :
42N 3 21 egeneto de en tw baptisqhnai apanta ton laon kai ihsou baptisqentoV kai proseucomenou anewcqhnai ton ouranon
42N 3 21 But it happened with the entire people being baptised, and from Jesus being baptised and praying (for) heaven to be opened up
42N 3 22 kai katabhnai to pneuma to agion swmatikw eidei wV peristeran ep auton kai fwnhn ex ouranou genesqai su ei o uioV mou o agaphtoV en soi eudokhsa
42N 3 22 And (for) the spirit, the holy one, to come down in bodily form as a pigeon, upon him. And there came a voice from heaven "You are my son, the beloved. In you I was pleased."

Jesus was the son, as it was supposed, of Joseph ...

The inserted genealogy (for all its significance) may here distract our attention. But do not let us be distracted.

42N 4 1 ihsouV de plhrhV pneumatoV agiou upestreyen apo tou iordanou kai hgeto en tw pneumati en th erhmw
42N 4 1 But Jesus, full of a holy spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in the spirit within the desert
42N 4 2 hmeras tesserakonta peirazomenoV upo tou diabolou kai ouk efagen ouden en taiV hmeraiV ekeinaiV kai suntelesqeiswn autwn epeinasen
42N 4 2 (for) forty days (of) testing under the devil. And he did not eat anything within 'those days' - and, from their completion, he was hungry
42N 4 3 eipen de autw o diaboloV ei uioV ei tou qeou eipe tw liqw toutw ina genhtai artoV
42N 4 3 But the devil said to him "If you are a son of God, say to this stone that it may become bread"
42N 4 4 kai apekriqh proV auton o ihsouV gegraptai oti ouk ep artw monw zhsetai o anqrwpoV
42N 4 4 And Jesus answered him "It has been written that 'Not on bread alone shall the Person live' " [Dt.8:3]
42N 4 5 kai anagagwn auton edeixen autw pasas tas basileias thV oikoumenhV en stigmh cronou
42N 4 5 And, taking him up, he showed him all the kingdoms of the world within a moment of time

Remember Cain's sacrifice, a sacrifice for the lord god, a sacrifice from the 'fruits of the earth' ? Well now it is Jesus who produces the bread.

Next comes the promise ... the promise of the 'New Covenant' ...

42N 4 6 kai eipen autw o diaboloV soi dwsw thn exousian tauthn apasan kai thn doxan autwn oti emoi paradedotai kai w ean qelw didwmi authn
42N 4 6 And the devil said to him "To you I shall give this authority, in its entirety, and the glory of them. For it has been given away to me - and to whomsoever I wish, I give it.
42N 4 7 su oun ean proskunhshV enwpion emou estai sou pasa
42N 4 7 Then if you will worship in my presence, it shall all be yours".

Here is the devil's promise, yes authority and the glory pertaining to 'all the kingdoms of the world'. He claims these as his - to give to whoever he likes.

His promise is conditional, though. We will need to watch as the narrative develops. Does Jesus worship in his presence ? Upon this much indeed depends.

Addendum at 9th January 2006 :
It appears that a transfer of authority from God to Satan is here considered by the author as 'fait accompli'. But is there a passage in prior scripture which justifies this ? It may not be so easy to spot, but I think it is at Gn.1:27-28 with the introduction of the 'lord god' - who from that point on is to lord it 'incognito' over the earth, revelling in his newfound glory, convinced that he himself is the only god [qv. Is.6:1-10; 44:6-8] :

LXX Genesis :
01O 1 26 kai eipen o qeoV poihswmen anqrwpon kat' eikona hmeteran kai kaq' omoiwsin kai arcetwsan twn icquwn thV qalasshV kai twn peteinwn tou ouranou kai twn kthnwn kai pashV thV ghV kai pantwn twn erpetwn twn erpontwn epi thV ghV
01O 1 26 And God said "Let us make A PERSON ACCORDING TO OUR IMAGE and according to likenesses : and let THEM rule (over) the fish of the sea and (over) the birds of Heaven - and (over) the pastoral beasts and (over) all the earth - and (over) all the creeping things which creep upon the earth"
01O 1 27 kai epoihsen o qeoV ton anqrwpon kat' eikona qeou epoihsen auton arsen kai qhlu epoihsen autouV
01O 1 27 And God made 'THE PERSON'. According to (the) image of a god he made HIM. Male and female he made THEM.
01O 1 28 kai huloghsen autouV o qeoV legwn auxanesqe kai plhqunesqe kai plhrwsate thn ghn kai katakurieusate authV kai arcete twn icquwn thV qalasshV kai twn peteinwn tou ouranou kai pantwn twn kthnwn kai pashV thV ghV kai pantwn twn erpetwn twn erpontwn epi thV ghV
01O 1 28 And God blessed THEM, saying "Grow and multiply and fill the earth and lord over it. And rule (over) the fish of the sea and (over) the birds of heaven - and (over) ALL the pastoral beasts and (over) all the EARTH - and (over) all the creeping things which creep upon the earth"

And look, this androgynous 'lord god' may be identified subsequently by the food he prefers. For here is the diet prescribed for him by God ... it is cereals and fruit => bread and wine :

01O 1 29 kai eipen o qeoV idou dedwka umin pan corton sporimon speiron sperma o estin epanw pashV thV ghV kai pan xulon o ecei en eautw karpon spermatoV sporimou umin estai eiV brwsin
01O 1 29 And God said "Look, I have given to YOU [pl.] every GRASS spreading SEED to propagate which is above all the EARTH - and every TREE which has within itself FRUIT (having) SEED to propagate. For you it shall be for eating.
42N 4 8 kai apokriqeiV o ihsouV eipen autw gegraptai kurion ton qeon sou proskunhseiV kai autw monw latreuseiV
42N 4 8 And Jesus, answering, said to him "It has been written 'The lord your god you shall worship and him alone shall you serve' " [Dt.6:13]

This 'lord god', the god of Abraham and the Exodus, is the one for whom Cain brings 'fruits of the earth'. But the works of Cain are evil [qv.1Jn.3:12] - as also is the 'lord god' for whom he brings his 'sacrifice' ?

Addendum at 9th January 2006 :
The author has Jesus quote from Deuteronomy here - a verse which now appears intended to gratify the devil, for whom "the lord your god" is merely an alternate title ?

42N 4 9 hgagen de auton eiV ierousalhm kai esthsen epi to pterugion tou ierou kai eipen autw ei uioV ei tou qeou bale seauton enteuqen katw
42N 4 9 And he brought him into Jerusalem and he stood upon the ridge of the temple. And he said to him "If you are a son of God, throw yourself down from here

Jesus now arrives at the temple (the very place for worship) in the presence of Satan - whose temple this actually is (for we must now suspect that Satan is the 'lord god', though we may not yet have divined it fully). Already the condition for the promise looks like being filled, the condition for the 'New Testament'.

42N 4 10 gegraptai gar oti toiV aggeloiV autou enteleitai peri sou tou diafulaxai se
42N 4 10 for it has been written that 'He will charge his angels concerning you - to guard you'
42N 4 11 kai oti epi ceirwn arousin se mhpote proskoyhV proV liqon ton poda sou
42N 4 11 and that 'Upon hands they will raise you, lest ever you should trip your foot upon a stone' " [Ps.91:11-12]

There is heavy irony here - for the stone (the 'lord god', also the Christ) was the stone of stumbling, the same that now becomes bread.

42N 4 12 kai apokriqeiV eipen autw o ihsouV oti eirhtai ouk ekpeiraseis kurion ton qeon sou
42N 4 12 And, answering, Jesus said to him that it has been said 'You shall not test out the lord your god' [Dt.6:16]
42N 4 13 kai suntelesas panta peirasmon o diaboloV apesth ap autou acri kairou
42N 4 13 And, completing every test, the devil departed from him - until (another) time

Jesus is now approved by the devil, qualified to commence the 'works' of his public life.

The time for the devil's 'return' turns out to be in Luke Chapter 22. Here the above exchanges are finally realised (see Section 15.7 below).


15.6 The Promise takes Effect
Events now develop apace. John the Baptist has issued his guarded warnings - largely in the form of riddles [Lk.3:1-18]. But these were hardly welcome. Promptly he has been silenced, imprisoned and executed [Lk.3:20]. Like Abel before him, he is eliminated from the scene. Thus has the stage been cleared.

With baptism, the 'spirit' has come upon Jesus - and the devil has deployed his promise. There is no reason to delay. Look, the sinister promise is being fulfilled already :

Luke :
42N 4 14 kai upestreyen o ihsouV en th dunamei tou pneumatoV eiV thn galilaian kai fhmh exhlqen kaq olhV thV pericwrou peri autou
42N 4 14 And Jesus returned (below) in the power of the spirit into Galilee - and fame went out down the whole of the surrounding area concerning him
42N 4 15 kai autoV edidasken en taiV sunagwgaiV autwn doxazomenoV upo pantwn
42N 4 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all

Here is the synagogue, once again the place for worship. And here, right on cue, is the promised glory. In the text just nine verses have elapsed since the promise was first declared !

----- o -----

Within a few more verses Jesus moves on to (fictional) Capernaum. And now look ...

42N 4 31 kai kathlqen eiV kafarnaoum polin thV galilaias kai hn didaskwn autouV en toiV sabbasin
42N 4 31 And he came down into Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and he was teaching them on the Sabbaths
42N 4 32 kai exeplhssonto epi th didach autou oti en exousia hn o logoV autou
42N 4 32 And they were extra-struck in connection with his teaching - for his 'logos' [alt: his message] was within authority

Here too is the authority which the devil has promised. And is that not a curious saying ...

"... his 'logos' was within authority" ?

But yes, it is so, arithmetically. For the Greek word 'logoV' (message) has the number value 373, whilst the word 'exousia' (authority) has the value 746, an exact ratio of 1:2. Thus his 'logos' may be found (twice) within 'authority'.

This is an 'isopsephia' riddle - and evidently links with the fourth gospel's use of the word 'logoV' to refer to the person of Jesus himself.

42N 4 36 kai egeneto qamboV epi pantas kai sunelaloun proV allhlouV legonteV tiV o logoV outoV oti en exousia kai dunamei epitassei toiV akaqartoiV pneumasin kai exercontai
42N 4 36 And amazement came upon all and they spoke together to one another, saying "What (is) this 'logos' ? For within authority and power he gives instructions to the unclean spirits - and they come out !"
42N 4 37 kai exeporeueto hcos peri autou eiV panta topon thV pericwrou
42N 4 37 And an echo about him went out into every place of the surrounding region
Notice 3 x's in the last 2 verses - and the reversed "echo" of 'satan' (satan) embodied within the word 'pantas' (all) in v.36 - as well as in subsequent verses.
42N 4 38 anastas de apo thV sunagwghV eishlqen eiV thn oikian simwnoV penqera de tou simwnoV hn sunecomenh puretw megalw kai hrwthsan auton peri authV
42N 4 38 But, rising up from the synagogue, he entered into the house of Simon. But a mother-in-law of Simon was afflicted with a great fever and they begged him about her.

Note also 'hcos' (an echo) found in the word 'sunecomenh' (afflicted), this being the only anagram source for the word 'hcos' arising in the whole chapter.

----- o -----

Recapitulating, at Lk.4:6-7 the devil speaks to Jesus thus :

"To you I shall give this authority, in its entirety, and the glory of them.
For it has been given away to me - and to whomsoever I wish, I give it
Then if you will worship in my presence, it shall all be yours".

And who can fail to notice that the very attributes Satan has promised have been promptly delivered - right here in this narrative ? Then we observe that the authority Jesus exercises is authority over the unclean spirits, a sinister power indeed !

----- o -----

Now, at Lk.10:21-24, Jesus confirms (with his prayer overheard) that the one he addresses as 'Father', so-called 'lord of Heaven and Earth', is the very same under whom 'everything has been given away' to him. But we know already that the one who promised everything to Jesus was the devil - and we have seen for ourselves the evidence that this promise has taken effect.

There is no escape. If we suspected it before, it is now certain.

The one whom Jesus addresses as 'Father' must be the devil himself :

Luke :
42N 10 21 en auth th wra hgalliasato [en] tw pneumati tw agiw kai eipen exomologoumai soi pater kurie tou ouranou kai thV ghV oti apekruyas tauta apo sofwn kai sunetwn kai apekaluyas auta nhpioiV nai o pathr oti outwV eudokia egeneto emprosqen sou
42N 10 21 In that same hour he rejoiced with[in] the spirit, the holy one, and he said "I acknowledge, Father, lord of Heaven and Earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants. Yes, 'The Father', for thus it became pleasing before you.
42N 10 22 panta moi paredoqh upo tou patroV mou kai oudeiV ginwskei tiV estin o uioV ei mh o pathr kai tiV estin o pathr ei mh o uioV kai w ean boulhtai o uioV apokaluyai
42N 10 22 Everything has been given away to me under my father - and no one knows who the son is, except the father - and who the father is, except the son and he to whom, if he should wish, the son may reveal (him)".
42N 10 23 kai strafeis pros tous maqhtas kat idian eipen makarioi oi ofqalmoi oi blepontes a blepete
42N 10 23 And turning to the disciples privately, he said "Blessed (are) the eyes which see what you see
42N 10 24 legw gar umin oti polloi profhtai kai basileis hqelhsan idein a umeis blepete kai ouk eidan kai akousai a akouete kai ouk hkousan
42N 10 24 For I say to you that many prophets and kings wished to see what you see, and did not see - and to hear what you hear, and did not hear".

Yes, that does seem to be true. How hard it can be for people to hear the message of scripture, to accept the tortuous message of the gnostic author - when all along they had thought of Jesus as good. Many will say : "It could not be so !".

But those who can keep an open mind will reply "Oh yes, it could". And truly I think there is no escape. This is the message of scripture, whether you knew it or not, whether you like it or not.

Then the Christian church (as so long established) is completely mistaken, altogether taken in. And if not best described as satanic, then one may speak of this organisation more kindly as being incompetent in scripture - and so false in all its claims.

In summary :

----- o -----

In the fourth gospel we find this matter efficiently confirmed. The name of Cain is never mentioned explicitly in any of the gospels. But here Jesus, taking the part of Judah, alias Cain, refers to himself as 'ekeinoV' (that one). Here we have an allusive euphemism, a scripture writer's device which allows us to hear the name of 'kain' (Cain) without it being actually written into the text. Remember Is.6:9 "With hearing, you will hear, but not understand ..." ? Well this is an excellent example of how it may be achieved. And now what Jesus says makes complete sense.

Be sure to appreciate that Jesus is speaking to Judaeans, and notice that it is to "those Judaeans who did believe in him" [Jn.8:31 seq.]. This is what he says :

John :
43N 8 43 dia ti thn lalian thn emhn ou ginwskete oti ou dunasqe akouein ton logon ton emon
43N 8 43 "On what account do you not know the talking which is mine ? Because you are not able to hear the 'logos' [the speech] which is mine.
43N 8 44 umeiV ek tou patroV tou diabolou este kai taV epiqumiaV tou patroV umwn qelete poiein ekeinoV anqrwpoktonoV hn ap archV kai en th alhqeia ouk esthken oti ouk estin alhqeia en autw otan lalh to yeudoV ek twn idiwn lalei oti yeusthV estin kai o pathr autou
43N 8 44 You are from the father, the devil - and you wish to make the desires of your father. That one was a man-killer from the beginning - and he does not remain in the truth because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own. For he is a liar, and his father.
43N 8 45 egw de oti thn alhqeian legw ou pisteuete moi
43N 8 45 But because I say the truth, you do not believe me."

Cain, of course, is the 'man-killer'.

Need I highlight the complex irony in all this ? Here Jesus speaks the truth.

In the oblique convention of the gospel Jesus (the 'logos') is Cain - and 'the father' is indeed 'the devil'.

And here Jesus tells the truth ... but they do not believe him !

43N 8 46 tiV ex umwn elegcei me peri amartiaV ei alhqeian legw dia ti umeiV ou pisteuete moi
43N 8 46 Which out of you reproves me about sin ? If I say (the) truth, through what do you not believe me ?
43N 8 47 o wn ek tou qeou ta rhmata tou qeou akouei dia touto umeiV ouk akouete oti ek tou qeou ouk este
43N 8 47 The one who is from God hears the words of God. Through this you do not hear - because you are not from God".

So there you have it. They believed in him, but they did not believe him.

And how should this be ? Simple. Not being from God, they did not hear the words of God.

.....

43N 8 58 eipen autois ihsous amhn amhn legw umin prin abraam genesqai egw eimi
43N 8 58 Jesus said to them "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM".

These words 'egw eimi' are first used by Cain in his denial at Gn.4:9. The words are then employed in the texts of scripture as his 'trademark' [see Chapter 7.6, Ego Eimi and also Chapter 13.3, Appendix 1].

Cain then goes 'hidden from your face' [Gn.4:14]. But throughout all subsequent scripture we hear his voice.


15.7 The Chickens come Home to Roost
Following Jesus' baptism - and his sinister possession by 'a spirit' [Lk.3:21-22] - the author of the gospel attributed to Luke develops, over several chapters, his narration of what is usually known as 'the public life' of Jesus.

Now, with the imminent culmination of this 'public life', the time has come for Satan to 'give Jesus away'. Accordingly the author writes that "Satan entered into Judas" [Lk.22:3]. And, "seeking a good chance to give him away in the absence of the crowd" [Lk.22:6], it is Judas who now directs the preparation of the private Passover meal [Lk.22:8-13].

In celebrating this feast, Jesus next commissions his followers to take over the rôle which he himself is about to relinquish. And here once again is Satan, explicitly identified in the narrative, his conditions laid down in an anagram riddle. This 'sower' riddle serves to associate [Lk.22:31] the wheat (siton) used to make the unleavened bread for the feast [Lk.22:7] with the very name Satan (satan) ...

He says "But you are those who have continued with me in my testings ...", a phrase which is sure to recall the scenario of Lk.4:1-13. There Jesus was being "tested under the devil" [Lk.4:2] - in the course of which he was "promised a kingdom" [Lk.4:5-7] - with all it entailed. You will remember that the scene closed with the devil "departing from him ... until (another) time" [Lk.4:13].

Now the interrupted scene resumes - but with a difference. For this time it is 'the son' who repeats, to his own followers, the devil's promise made to him : "I appoint to you ... a kingdom ...".

Responsibility for the satanic 'New Covenant' is to be transferred to those who follow Jesus :

Luke :
42N 22 28 umeiV de este oi diamemenhkoteV met emou en tois peirasmois mou
42N 22 28 "But you are those who have continued with me in my testings
42N 22 29 kagw diatiqemai umin kaqwV dieqeto moi o pathr mou basileian
42N 22 29 And I appoint to you, just as my father appointed to me, a kingdom

If you remember, at the start of Jesus' public life it was the devil who promised to Jesus in its entirety the authority and the glory pertaining to 'all the kingdoms of the world' [Lk.4:6-7].

Subsequently Jesus addresses the source of these 'powers' as 'Father' [Lk.10:21].

Now he seeks to transfer these 'kingdom' powers to his own followers. In doing so he refers yet again to the devil as 'my father' [Lk.22:29].

Solving the riddles of scripture may be likened to completing a jigsaw puzzle. Piece by piece the whole picture builds up ... and then, quite suddenly, we realise what is going on.

Yes, this can come as quite a surprise. But once you have seen the solution, there is no doubt of it - and no going back.

42N 22 30 ina esqhte kai pinhte epi thV trapezhV mou en th basileia mou kai kaqhsesqe epi qronwn tas dwdeka fulas krinonteV tou israhl
42N 22 30 That you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you will sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
42N 22 31 simwn simwn idou o satanas exhthsato umas tou siniasai wV ton siton
42N 22 31 Simon, Simon [twice], look ! Satan demanded you [pl.] for sifting like the wheat

Again this serves to inform us that it is Satan with whom Jesus has been in communication

42N 22 32 egw de edehqhn peri sou ina mh ekliph h pistiV sou kai su pote epistreyas sthrison touV adelfouV sou
42N 22 32 But I pleaded about you that your [sg.] faith might not vanish. And you [sg.], when you [sg.] recover, support your brothers".
.....
42N 22 38 oi de eipan kurie idou macairai wde duo o de eipen autoiV ikanon estin
42N 22 38 But they said "Lord, look ! Here are two daggers". He said to them, "It is sufficient".
42N 22 39 kai exelqwn eporeuqh kata to eqoV eiV to oroV twn elaiwn hkolouqhsan de autw kai oi maqhtai
42N 22 39 And coming out, he went, according to habit, to the Mount of Olives. But his disciples also followed him.

Once again the location is Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives being outside the walls but opposite the temple.

The word 'macairai' (daggers) conceals the word 'aima' (blood) [ see Is.34:6, explained towards the end of Chapter 2, Section 2.5 ] - whilst 'ikanon' (sufficient) conceals Cain's own name 'kain'.

42N 22 40 genomenoV de epi tou topou eipen autoiV proseucesqe mh eiselqein eis peirasmon
42N 22 40 But coming upon the place, he said to them "Pray that you do not enter into testing".
42N 22 41 kai autoV apespasqh ap autwn wsei liqou bolhn kai qeis ta gonata proshuceto
42N 22 41 And he was withdrawn from them as if a stone`s throw - and placing the knees, he prayed

Jesus is brought to his knees ... and there once again is the stone.

And he prays to the 'Father' ... who is the stone ...

42N 22 42 legwn pater ei boulei parenegke touto to pothrion ap emou plhn mh to qelhma mou alla to son ginesqw
42N 22 42 Saying "Father, if you are willing, take away this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will, but yours be done".
42N 22 43 [[wfqh de autw aggeloV ap ouranou eniscuwn auton
42N 22 43 [[ But an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him

Right on cue, here is the angel which at Lk.4:10-11 [click here] Satan foretold. As with Cain at Gn.4:5, Jesus has now stumbled over the 'stone of stumbling'. The condition set at Lk.4:7 [click here] is clearly fulfilled. He worships on his knees before the 'Father'. The game is given away - completely.

And as for the angel, remember 2Cor.11:14 : "Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light".

We have now exposed the core riddle of the gospels - which are certainly gnostic texts through and through !

42N 22 44 kai genomenoV en agwnia ektenesteron proshuceto kai egeneto o idrwV autou wsei qromboi aimatoV katabainontoV epi thn ghn]]
42N 22 44 And becoming in agony he prayed for longer - and his sweat became as if (it were) drops of blood falling down upon the earth ]].

This evokes for us a curse. It is the old curse upon Adam at Gn.3:19 "In the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread until your return to the earth from which you were taken. For you are earth - and to earth you shall return".

.....

42N 22 60 eipen de o petroV anqrwpe ouk oida o legeiV kai paracrhma eti lalountoV autou efwnhsen alektwr
42N 22 60 But Peter said "Person ? I do not know who you are talking about !" And at once, while he was still speaking, a cock crowed

15.8 Riddles Reveal the Truth - Suddenly

Matthew :
40N 7 7 aiteite kai doqhsetai umin zhteite kai eurhsete krouete kai anoighsetai umin
40N 7 7 Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.
40N 7 8 pas gar o aitwn lambanei kai o zhtwn euriskei kai tw krouonti anoighsetai
40N 7 8 For each one asking receives - and the one seeking finds - and to the one knocking it will be opened.
40N 7 9 h tiV estin ex umwn anqrwpoV on aithsei o uioV autou arton mh liqon epidwsei autw
40N 7 9 Or what person is there out of you who, (when) his son asks for bread, will not give him a stone ?
40N 7 10 h kai icqun aithsei mh ofin epidwsei autw
40N 7 10 Or then he asks for a fish, will not give him a serpent ?

Luke :
42N 11 9 kagw umin legw aiteite kai doqhsetai umin zhteite kai eurhsete krouete kai anoighsetai umin
42N 11 9 And I say to you, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.
42N 11 10 pas gar o aitwn lambanei kai o zhtwn euriskei kai tw krouonti anoig[hs]etai
42N 11 10 For each one asking receives : and the one seeking finds : and to the one knocking it will be opened.
42N 11 11 tina de ex umwn ton patera aithsei o uioV icqun kai anti icquoV ofin autw epidwsei
42N 11 11 But which out of you, when the son asks the father (for) a fish, even in exchange for a fish will give him a serpent ?
42N 11 12 h kai aithsei won epidwsei autw skorpion
42N 11 12 Or even he asks (for) an egg, will give him a scorpion ?
42N 11 13 ei oun umeiV ponhroi uparconteV oidate domata agaqa didonai toiV teknoiV umwn posw mallon o pathr [o] ex ouranou dwsei pneuma agion toiV aitousin auton
42N 11 13 Then if you, being evil, know to give 'good gifts' to your children, how much more will the father from heaven give a holy spirit to those asking him ?

Luke :
42N 21 34 prosecete de eautoiV mhpote barhqwsin umwn ai kardiai en kraipalh kai meqh kai merimnaiV biwtikaiV kai episth ef umaV aifnidios h hmera ekeinh
42N 21 34 "But take care lest your hearts may be made heavy in debauchery and intoxication and (the) cares of living - and it may come upon you sudden, that 'day'.
42N 21 35 ws pagis epeiseleusetai gar epi pantas tous kaqhmenous epi proswpon pashs ths ghs
42N 21 35 For like a snare it will come upon all those seated upon a face of all the earth.

Notice the word 'ofiV' (serpent) concealed as an anagram within the word 'aifnidios' (sudden).

The 'day' of the lord may remind us of the threat uttered by Cain at Gn.4:14 "If you throw me out today from (the) face of the earth ...".


1 Thessalonians :
(considered the earliest text of the whole 'New Testament' set) :

The 'day' of the lord is like a thief in the night [a theme echoed at 2P.3:10] ...
52N 5 2 autoi gar akribws oidate oti hmera kuriou ws klepths en nukti outws ercetai ...
52N 5 2 As for these, you know full well that (the) 'day' of (the) lord (is) like a thief in the night. It comes like this ...
52N 5 3 otan legwsin eirhnh kai asfaleia tote aifnidios autois efistatai oleqros wsper h wdin th en gastri ecoush kai ou mh ekfugwsin
52N 5 3 Just when they are saying "Peace and safety", then sudden calamity will come upon them - like the birth pangs for one pregnant. And they will certainly not escape !

That 'day' again - and once more the serpent concealed. And surely we have seen before that word 'asfaleia' (safety) - and used with manifest irony ! Click here to see just where ... was it something to do with that 'stone for stumbling' ?

----- o -----

Scripture is certainly interesting - and certainly it is very clever.

Unfortunately the Christian church has maintained, now for some seventeen centuries, only a shallow interpretation of it - an interpretation which is obviously false, manifestly contra-indicated by a full and careful reading of this same scripture. What an irony ! For it is clear that this so-called 'church' has altogether failed to penetrate the 'mystery' of its own scriptures, it has failed to break the 'seal'. Then it is the assembly of those deceived. For in these texts the authors clearly write to depict Jesus as a satanic figure - and the 'Father' as Satan himself. Yet who knows it ?

With the forceful extinction of the gnostic tradition in the early centuries CE it most certainly does appear that the truth was obscured. The establishment, in the place of this tradition, of what we know as the 'Christian' church must then rank as one of the most unfortunate episodes in the history of Europe, then of the civilised world. For the authority of this 'church' was never more than that of those confused, of those entirely deceived.

But how it struggles on, this satanic 'church' - ever persistent in its blind and bigoted ignorance, unthinking, unrepentant, prideful. Yes, pride, arrogance, ignorance, these are the attributes of Satan, the one postulated as 'deceiver of the whole world' ! And this 'church' has, in its ignorance, followed Cain's mistaken example and picked the wrong god - a god it does not even "know".

Could it be time at last to call a halt to this manifest folly ? For these scriptures are merely gnostic myth, filled with tricks and clever riddles. Carefully configured in times of antiquity, they still achieve in our age what they were first designed to do. They deceive the greedy and the credulous - yet yield a sound reward for the careful reader. Yes, Augustine was surely correct. But what a price we have paid - with thousands of years of religious conflict, a struggle entirely wasted.

How easily are people led astray - those not paying proper attention to things ! Then the remedy is that of the Jewish sage :

As for the evil one, drag him to the house of studies ...

In scripture the serpent is a token of evil and his claims are false [Gn.3:4; Jn.11:25-26]. Death spares no man.

But the truth may be told - by those who know it.


15.9 Postscript
This site is still 'under construction'. So please forgive its shortcomings ! There is always more which might be done.

If you would like to make any comments (favourable or otherwise) or have any corrections to offer, then I would be delighted to hear from you - and please accept my thanks in advance. Please use this e-mail address :

email string as GIF

15.10 References
[1] Metzger, Bruce M., "Manuscripts of the Greek Bible", Oxford University Press, 1981, : ISBN 0-19-502924-0, p.36