The Kitchen: Refried Beans

Planet Tokyo The Kitchen Planet Tokyo Refried Beans [RIGHT-CLICK IMAGE, 'NEW TAB'] [RIGHT-CLICK IMAGE, 'NEW TAB'] We're having one of my frozen chilli con carne meals, either in wraps or with rice. Planning on making refried beans, using this recipe as inspiration (combined with other ideas). Refried Beans Purée beans blender fry:   onion, sugar, + salt, till soft add garlic & cook, abt. 1 min (scrape into blender with beans) Intend to adapt with: *oregano *caraway seeds *paprika / smoked paprika *cumin heat skillet until smokes add puréed beans & cook when thickens, add ketchup Worcestershire & mustard Optional:  add cheese Not sure if I'll bother with the blender, when I can use a potato masher ... and I like some texture in the beans. This is just a rough idea of what I'm doing. I'm looking forward to this:  I love beans. Listening Tous Pour L'un Mongol Invasion Dabke Mix 2013 - PalestineATW

Assange in Danger: Ecuadorian Embassy Intruder Busted

WikiLeaks @WikiLeaks @WikiLeaks Highly improbable that this was a random 'intruder'. More like an MI6 or CIA visit. They're trying to kill Assange now. Security should have shot whoever that was creeping up on Ecuador sovereign territory. VIDEO IGNORANT PIG CHORUS SQUEALS FOR AUSSIE JOURNALIST ASSANGE ASSASSINATION [RIGHT-CLICK IMAGE, 'NEW TAB'] AUSTRALIA WHY aren't Australians furious that one of their own is illegally and undemocratically imprisoned by the British war criminals, on behalf of the American war criminals, on trumped up Swedish police 'rape' allegations, on which they base Sweden's FAKE 'PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS' & 6 YEARS OF UNLAWFUL ASSANGE IMPRISONMENT DOWN THE TRACK - without even INTERVIEWING their US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT & US STATE DEPT. WANTED POLITICALLY PERSECUTED AUSSIE JOURNALIST QUARRY, as the CORRUPT AMERICAN CAPITALIST EMPIRE STATE seeks to redefine international journalism and truth-telling as 'crime', so that they may continue to commit war crimes and other malfeasance under cover of secrecy, and with impunity. SWEDEN POLICE are top-down pressured into remaining silent about brutal rapes, gang rapes and mass rapes of Swedish women and girls by foreign infiltrators that have been violently assaulting native Swedish women for decades of GENOCIDAL Swedish government POLICY, and SILENCE of police and Swedish press, operating under a BLANKET of SWEDISH MEDIA COLLUSION, LIES & PROPAGANDA. THAT same corrupt Swedish state that implements a program of rape of Sweden as a Swedish nation state, and likewise implements a program rape of Swedish womanhood by foreigner, while paying lip service to Sweden's 'feminist foreign policy' that is UTTER PERVERSION & FAKE PR CONCOCTION THAT IS CONCEALING A SHOCKING & UGLY REALITY. CONSIDERING the Swedish state, police and media CORRUPTION AND COLLUSION to cover up RAPES OF SWEDISH WOMEN AND GIRLS by foreigners, just think what this corrupt state is capable of committing to accommodate the wishes and agenda of world trade and military hegemon, the US CAPITALIST EMPIRE that has issued a SECRET WARRANT for the arrest of AUSSIE JOURNALIST JULIAN ASSANGE (confirmed shortly after he was taken prisoner in Britain). ASSANGE IS WANTED by the criminal US CAPITALIST EMPIRE, and the corrupt Swedish state that facilitates rape of Swedes is blocking this Australian whistleblower publisher's LAWFULLY GRANTED POLITICAL ASYLUM AND ROBBING HIM OF LIBERTY on preposterous Swedish state  'sexual misconduct' allegations. THAT corrupt Swedish state is exploiting flimsy Swedish police allegations to unlawfully imprison Australian Journalist, Julian Assange without charge. SWEDEN POLICE allegations are so flimsy the corrupt Swedish state has strategically chosen (on advice of, and collusion with, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service) to DENY ASSANGE opportunity to DEFEND  himself, by thus far DENYING Assange an interview in UK where he is detained, although the corrupt rape-facilitating state that is Sweden has precedent of having conducted 44 such interviews on British soil in the past. It is under these circumstances that the corrupt state that is Sweden has continued to deprive Julian Assange of liberty, as it has maintained de facto imprisonment of Assange, who has been terrorised by the UNDEMOCRATIC, WAR-CRIMINAL BRITISH STATE committing an intimidating and costly 4-year Embassy siege at Embassy of Ecuador, London. CRIMINAL, RAPE-FACILITATING SWEDEN, has also denied Julian Assange needed medical treatment. A UNITED NATIONS panel recently ruled that Assange was arbitrarily and lawfully detained, but both Sweden and Britain have refused to accept the United Nations panel ruling and Britain has spent MILLIONS OF POUNDS on this illegal imprisonment that is CLEARLY POLITICAL PERSECUTION of Australian, Julian Assange. WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, AUSSIES? DO SOMETHING! @WikiLeaks VIDEO - UN PANEL RULING BRITISH INTELLIGENCE GCHQ "DEFO A FIT UP" [RIGHT-CLICK IMAGE, 'NEW TAB'] [RIGHT-CLICK IMAGE, 'NEW TAB'] [RIGHT-CLICK IMAGE, 'NEW TAB'] [RIGHT-CLICK IMAGE, 'NEW TAB'] FEMINIST SWEDEN [RIGHT-CLICK IMAGE, 'NEW TAB'] BRITISH INTELLIGENCE GCHQ "DEFO A FIT UP" SUPPORT ASSANGE

Coroner’s Court Inquest: John Jones QC

INQUEST https://archive.is/OKVbu#selection-2721.0-3015.241 QC who worked on Julian Assange case jumped in front of West Hampstead train after being allowed out of private hospital 15:22 19 August 2016 | Rachel Roberts John Jones QC, a 48-year-old married father of two who worked at renowned legal chambers Doughty Street, was being treated for severe depression and had recently had his medication changed when he died at West Hampstead Thameslink station on April 18 this year. An inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court heard that the lawyer – who worked on high profile war crimes cases at The Hague – suffered from “obsessive overthinking” which had become prevalent following a stressful period in his life. He lived in Golders Green, and was staying as a voluntary patient at The Nightingale hospital in Marylebone in the weeks leading up to his death. The day before he died was a Sunday and Mr Jones had been allowed to visit his family. His mother, Peggy, met him in a local park, and told the inquest: “I was shocked at how thin he was. He couldn’t stop shaking, and I wondered what effect the medication was having.” He returned to The Nightingale in the evening, but complained of not being able to sleep at 1.10am, and was given medication. At 5.10am, he asked to go for a walk. Nurse Katie McTaggart said she allowed him to leave after completing a risk assessment form because she said he did not seem to be in any danger, and walking helped to calm his mind. At approximately 7am, the court heard that Mr Jones leapt to his death. The train driver gave a written statement to say it appeared to be “a deliberate act”. CCTV footage of the death was not played to the court because coroner Mary Hassell said she thought it would be “too distressing” but that she had watched it, and was satisfied that “nobody else was involved”. Recording a narrative verdict, Ms Hassell said she could not be certain that Mr Jones intended to kill himself because the balance of his mind was affected. Ms Hassell said: “John Jones died instantaneously when he jumped in front of a moving train. “However, the state of his mental health at the time meant that he lacked the necessary intent to categorise this as suicide.” Mr Jones’ wife, lawyer Misa Zgonec-Rozej, told the inquest: “I feel horrified that he was allowed out so early in the morning, in such a fragile state and without having slept properly for days. “I genuinely believe that John did not want to die, and that he didn’t know what he was doing (when he jumped).” Ms Hassell was critical of the fact that Mr Jones was allowed to isolate himself in the hospital and had not been made to engage with the various forms of therapy on offer. She said she would make a Prevention of Future Deaths report recommending that The Nightingale insists that voluntary patients participate in therapy, as Mr Jones spent most of his time there in his room, alone with his thoughts. Ms Hassell asked the consultant psychiatrist, Dr Pereira, who treated him, whether he would have had Mr Jones admitted to an NHS hospital if he hadn’t been a private patient. Dr Pereira said: “It’s a very good question, and I think the answer would be no.” He said there would be no reason to stop Mr Jones from leaving the hospital whenever he wanted, as he did not meet the threshold for sectioning, and was there on a voluntary basis. Ms Hassell criticised the “perfunctory” risk assessment form because she said patients could simply tick the boxes with the answers they knew would allow them to leave. The inquest heard that Mr Jones decided to stop taking Chlonazepam, a benzodopiate, a couple of weeks before he died as the combination of medication he was taking was making him drowsy and unable to concentrate. He had been receiving treatment for only a few weeks when he died, and was signed off sick from Doughty Street, where he worked alongside leading barristers including Geoffrey Robertson, Amal Clooney and Holborn and St Pancras MP Keir Starmer. Dr Pereira said Mr Jones felt “ashamed” of his problems, and was particularly troubled that he had to stop working on “a high profile case”. Although not named in court, it was well-documented that he was working on the case of WikiLeaks founder Mr Assange, whose extradition to Sweden Mr Jones was trying to prevent when he became ill. The court heard that Oxford graduate Mr Jones had some “financial and marital” difficulties, and had found relocating back to London after living in The Hague “stressful”. Mr Jones’ parents gave statements to say their son first displayed signs of mental disorder as a teenage schoolboy in the US. Ms Jones said her son enjoyed a happy childhood, spent partly in California when her husband, an academic, was at Stanford University, and that John had an “idealised” image of America. Although he went on to achieve great things, Mr Jones was expelled from a prestigious boys’ boarding school, Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire, for “several ill-judged, high spirited antics” – a source of regret which troubled him for the rest of his life. His mother said: “This became the focus of his obsessional thinking, and was a matter he would return to frequently, and during his admission to The Nightingale hospital.” Mr Jones then attended another boarding school in America – but became “deeply unhappy”, leading to psychiatric intervention and his return to the UK. Although it was suggested he may have feigned illness to leave the school, Dr Pereira said he believed this was a “hypermanic” episode – consistent with bipolar disorder, which Mr Jones may have suffered from. Mr Jones attended a private sixth form college in England before winning a place at Oxford – but the court heard that “scars from the American school episode” would resurface from time to time, causing him to “ruminate” on his life choices. His mother said: “He hoped, I think, that as my field was psychotherapy, I might be able to offer explanations – but I was unable to do so, and these could be dark, dark times for John.” Ms Jones said her son returned from The Hague in September 2015 in good spirits, but he and his family moved into a home which required renovating and he became “increasingly agitated and stressed” and had trouble sleeping in early 2016. She said her son talked about suicide “only in the abstract” and told her he would never take his life because of his children. As a human rights lawyer, Mr Jones had saved others from torture around the world, but told his mother his downward spiral into despair was “horrible pain... the worst possible torture you could devise”. Ms Jones and her husband, Hugh, had their son admitted to The Nightingale on Dr Pereira’s recommendation. But she said she was surprised at the atmosphere of the place: “It wasn’t that it was unpleasant...but the informality seemed out of sync with the seriousness of John’s condition.” She said she was “shocked” at Dr Pereira’s treatment of John, and thought he was trying to “break him” when he made a “dismissive” remark about “grandiosity” and told him he “had treated lots of silks and members of the government”. But Dr Pereira said he was trying to break down the stigma John felt about having a mental health problem by letting him know that it was common in all walks of life. Dr Pereira said Mr Jones was worried about “reputational damage” and would avoid walking around Westminster Magistrates’ Court – which is close to The Nightingale – in case he bumped into any of the barristers. Mr Jones’ wife said they had a “wonderful relationship” although John was someone who “often needed encouragement”. She described how his difficulty sleeping left him exhausted and worried about his ability to perform at work. “He started doubting himself and all the decisions he had made in his life. He felt he was useless and had failed. “Objectively, it was so irrational. He had a loving family who he adored, he was incredibly successful, and we had a positive future ahead of us.” She was “surprised” when her husband was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a one hour meeting with Dr Pereira because she said: “John could be obsessive, and could ruminate, but he didn’t have highs and lows.” Mr Jones tried to get an adjournment on the Assange case in March as he was unable to work, his mind foggy with medication, but the judge refused, pushing him into “a dark, depressive phase”, according to his wife. Dr Pereira said: “He was very disappointed at not being able to do the case... He felt his career was beginning to unravel.” The doctor said that bipolar disorder was notoriously difficult to diagnose correctly, and that Mr Jones may in fact have suffered from a condition known as “obsessive ruminating disorder”. He said that Mr Jones was reluctant to open up because there were certain things he didn’t want to talk about and was convinced he would be “banished from the world” if he did, and that he felt “caught between the devil and the deep blue sea”. Mr Jones told Dr Pereira there were certain “trigger” words and films he had seen, any mention of which would set off his negative thought patterns. He left seven documents on his work computer, which police took from Doughty Street, in which there are clues to the workings of his brilliant but troubled mind. In these documents, Mr Jones said the boarding school which expelled him had been “the perfect storm of high expectations, lack of finance and failing at work” – circumstances which seemed to him to be replicated in the build-up to his death. He wrote: “Every morning I wake up with the mental pain of the fact that I was expelled from Exeter... the pain has not diminished... I feel that facing up to it may leave me unable to function... I need to be able to know that I suffered an adolescent trauma, that I’m not loopy now. I have suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for the past 30 years... It’s a bit like Tom Cruise’s character in (the film) Vanilla Sky.” Asked if he would do anything differently for Mr Jones with the benefit of hindsight, Dr Pereira said he might insist that he engage with therapy from day one, but said: “Whether that would have resulted in a positive outcome, I’m not sure.” https://archive.is/OKVbu#selection-2721.0-3015.241 COMMENT That's some heavy stuff. If the video footage does indeed indicate without a doubt that this man jumped (and that he wasn't pushed), then I would be inclined to accept he chose to kill himself - even though people close to him deny this (as maybe it's easier on the mind of those left behind) - and even though the verdict wasn't 'suicide' (which I can't quite understand). Everyone's suicide is 'objectively irrational', but to the person that commits suicide, is it a decision to end great psychic pain that isn't necessarily as irrational as it seems to those that do not feel the pain or experience the feeling of being trapped with high levels of distress. If he wasn't pushed, I don't understand how a magistrate can rule that it was not 'suicide', whatever the state of mind.  If judging the act on the condition of the state of mind, then it's an odd ruling, when the state of mind appeared such that he was permitted to exit the hospital for a walk, only a couple of hours before his death.   Most suicides would probably occur in a distressed or disturbed state of mind or being.  Probably even those where suicide is a logical 'choice', because people feel they have no other 'choice' - as in the terminally ill, or, say, the Masada captives, 'choice' of death because the alternative is unacceptable. The obsessive aspects and rumination I can identify with:  I have a weird one-track mind, which is maybe some kind of an autistic mind.  But not the clever kind.  Very average kind of mind.  Jones' sleeplessness, depression, rumination and sort of obsessive feel-bad factor directed at the self (plus real world problems and medication switching), are a combination of factors that are maybe markers of when a person in distress may be most overwhelmed and most at risk of self-harm. There's heaps of things I feel bad about.  Maybe that's just the human condition that in a depressed state goes into over-drive.  When it's severe like that, directed at the self, enduring and combined with the other red-flag factors, it's not a good sign.  Think I've spent at least the last couple of years severely depressed, but it's just one long drag of a depression and disengagement with my material world, rather than an intense feel-bad depression.  It's more an apathy and withdrawal, with an intense focus on whatever far removed from me engages me.  In everyday terms, I'm disengaged.  But my mind is actively engaged in a form of escape that's probably not too healthy.  But I'm generally happy just doing my thing ... when I'm left to my own devices.  Dealing with my reality leaves me distressed.  Unreality feels so much better.  LOL I don't understand why he wasn't given an adjournment that he needed.  It's not asking for much, especially when Sweden and the UK Crown Prosecution Service have done nothing but collude to prevent an Assange defence, over the 6 years the journalist has been arbitrarily and undemocratically held prisoner by the state, over Sweden police concocted 'allegations' ... that Sweden has taken care not to investigate in all these years of dragging their feet and refusing to respect international law, by blocking both investigation and the POLITICAL asylum (rightly) granted to this journalist. Treatment of people who are mentally distressed would be very difficult.  Pushing people to engage in therapy and preventing them leaving clinics, when they are voluntarily admitted and show no obvious signs of psychosis, would infringe on  their right to independent agency as adult individuals.  It must be a really hard call deciding when it is important to step in and overrule the adult individual. Opening up to medical personnel about private thoughts, anguish, what one considers personal failings etc, would be very difficult and painful in itself, because it involves exposing the naked psyche to someone who isn't you and can't be you, can't live you, can't come to terms with you etc (as living and living with oneself and one's conditions is a DIY job), and it would probably add to the feeling of 'failing' and 'wrongness' of self, or whatever, having to expose one's psychic self to indifferent, professional, strangers. Maybe not everything needs to be examined and maybe pushing things aside - like bad feelings - isn't such a bad thing?   It works for me ... sort of.  Things rise up from time to time, but you push them right back down, have a good night's sleep etc, and things are brighter the next day. Examining why we feel bad about ourselves and digging up psychic wounds from the past is maybe a self-defeating exercise, because it sort of validates the 'victim' self or wounded self aspect, instead of the healthy self.  Not sure.  I've not really given much thought to this.  Just what popped into my head.  Thinking along lines of things that cannot be undone; the past cannot be undone. What about a program of radical self-acceptance that requires no examination of one's 'innards'?   That sounds a good treatment option to me.  It's terrible what this guy went through, and his death is such a waste of an intelligent mind.   But he's free now.  'Masada Sunrise' (photo:  Egged Tours) Masada (Heb. Metsada) - 70AD - 73 AD:  Radical Jews (rebels against Rome, patriots, true to Judaism) Sicarii and Zealots stand against pagan/Roman rule; last stronghold against Roman invasion (after First Jewish War and destruction of Second Temple Jerusalem 70AD); Zealots subject to 10,000 Roman troop siege at Masada (King Herod's citadel / fortress / Herod had ruled as Roman vassal:  Herod appointed King of Judaea by the Romans); scene of suicide (murder-suicide pact); urged by leader, Elazar Ben-Yair, to choose death as free men (and rule of god rather than Roman rule); death chosen, rather than submit to defeat and slaughter by Romans; lots drawn:  ten men as executioners.  Uncompromising stance of Elazar Ben-Yair against might of Roman Empire went against the Jewish people who were subsequently subjected to 600 years of Roman rule (until Islamic conquests). more history Sicarii / Siqari'im (Heb.) Sicarii  - Latin:  'dagger-man' - fm. sica, secor (to slice) splinter group of:  Hebrew Zealots (Tribe of Judah) splinter decades prior to:  destruction of Second Temple Jerusalem 70 AD opposed Roman occupation of Judea sought to expel the Romans & Jewish groups co-operating with Roman rule PROTO MOSSAD OPS SICARII - ASSASSINATION TEAMS Sicarii = fm  sicae (small daggers) would pull daggers to attack Romans & Hebrew Roman-sympathisers in public crowds would blend into crowd to escape detection after striking Sicarii one of earliest forms of organised assassination unit pre-date Islamic Hashishin & Japanese ninjas Sicarii victim:  Jonathan the High Priest (but may have been arranged by Roman governor, Antonius Felix) COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT BY ROMANS severe retaliation by the Romans on entire Hebrew population PRISONER EXCHANGE Sicarii could be bribed to spare targets eg.  governor of the Temple precincts (Eleazar) / released in exchange for 10 captured Sicarii assassins SICARII - FALSE FLAGS beginning of the First Roman-Jewish War, the Sicarii, and (possibly) Zealot helpers commit series of atrocities in Jerusalem to force population out of docility against into engaging in war against Roman occupation Talmud source: Sicarii destroyed Jerusalem food supply to force Jewish fight against the Roman siege instead of negotiating peace Sicarii leaders: Menahem ben Yehuda Eleazar ben Ya'ir important figures in First Roman-Jewish War numerous battles against Roman soldiers Victory Against Roman Garrison Masada 700 Roman soldiers garrison on Mount Masada taken over by Menahem ben Yehuda all 700 Roman troops were killed by Sicarii Victory Against Romans Antonia Fortress Jewish radicals overpowered troops of Agrippa II at Antonia fortress Guerilla Warfare various guerilla op on Roman convoys & legions in Judea Terror Tactics to Remove Romans Sicarii raided nearby Hebrew villages massacred 700 Roman women and children attempt to prevent spread of Roman generational rule 66AD Jewish Union Against Romans 66 AD - Sicarii, Zealonts & other rebels eventually joined forces to attack & liberate Jerusalem took control of Temple in Jerusalem executed all trying to usurp Sicarii (radical Jewish) power sieges and raids launched by local Jewish population to remove radicals radicals won:  Jerusalem in hands of Jewish radicals for next 4 years of First Roman-Jewish War Roman counter-attacks and sieges to starve Jewish rebels Jewish radicals internal dissent & lack of leadership; groups disintegrate Menahem ben Yehuda murdered by rival faction (legend:  before dying, promised to return before end of second fall of man) Romans destroy Jerusalem 70 AD Eleazar ben Ya'ir and followers return to Masada Sicarii and Zealots Jewish radicals continue to resist Romans to:  73 AD After the fall of Second Temple in 70 AD sicarii = became revolutionary Hebrew party, scattered abroad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicarii The Sicarii fight against Roman occupation is a little like the Palestinian fight against Israeli / diaspora Jewish occupation in the modern day. Stabbings happen in Israel frequently, only it's not professional teams.  It's Palestinian general public solo actions.  Palestine fighting Israel today, is like Judaea fighting the then Romans.  Israel has become the Romans and Washington is Rome.  But it is also something like the original conquest of the 'Promised Land' after the release of Jews from Egypt; only the conquests is as modern 'Romans' today. Judging by history, best course of action appears compromise.  But I don't think 'Rome' is intent on compromising.

Thought, History, Culture, Politics

לא אירא  I Fear Not AUDIO | #0.0 [all info is from wikipedia, unless otherwise marked] chaos magic belief is a tool Chaos magic theory - belief is an active magical force emphasis: 1. flexibility of belief 2. ability to consciously choose one's beliefs 3. application of belief as a tool Austin Osman Spare:  will formulates desire which puts into action belief Peter Carroll:  altered state of consciousness > requisite - gnostic state - 'gnosis' / single focus departure from tradition:   energies, spirits or symbolic acts as fount Carroll concept:  related Buddhist 'Samadhi' (Aleister Crowley western occultism  + Austin Osman Spare) according to chaos magic beliefs, rituals, meditations & other traditional elements of no intrinsic value:  only value as gnosis-inducing techniques Gnosis 1.  Inhibitory gnosis - meditation > trance fasting, sleeplessness, sensory deprivation, hypnotic or trance-inducing substances 2.  Excitatory gnosis - arousal > mindlessness > sex, emotions, corporal punishment, dance, drumming, chanting, sensory overload, hyperventilation, disinhibitory or hallucinogenic drugs 3.  Indifferent vacuity - emptiness of mind - incidental / third method Magical Paradigm Shifting chaos magic feature:  concept of the magical paradigm shift concept borrowed from: philosopher Thomas Samuel Kuhn technique: arbitrarily changing beliefs and 'magical paradigm' eg.  Lovecraftian rite using technique from Edred Thorsson book (on ritual) - influenced by Tantric practices of breaking down social conditioning to realise nature of reality - flexibility of belief is a means of personal power and freedom - creating:  'syncretic reality tunnelling' Syncretism - combining of different beliefs, while blending practices of various schools of thought eg.  blending of two or more religious belief systems into a new system eg.  when a culture is conquered, conquerors bring religious beliefs but do not succeed in entirely eradicating the old beliefs/customs Ancient Greece Classical Athens was exclusive in matters of religion Decree of Diopeithes made the introduction of and belief in foreign gods a criminal offence only Greeks were allowed to worship in Athenian temples and festivals foreigners were considered impure But:   Athens imported many foreign cults syncretism - a feature of Hellenistic Ancient Greek religion *BUT only outside of Greece Hellenistic culture following Alexander the Great = syncretist features:  Mesopotamian, Persian, Anatolian, Egyption, Etruscan-Roman elements     blended with HELLENIC FORMULA  Egyptian god Amun  Hellenized Zeus Ammon  Alexander the Great sought Mun's oracle at:  Siwa identifications derive from:  'interpretatio graeca' ie custom of:  identifying gods of disparate mythologies with own deities 2nd millennium BC - proto-Greeks arrive in Aegean & mainland Greece found:  localised nymphs & divinities connected with every important landscape feature MOUNTAIN, CAVE, GROVE, SPRING all had own locally venerated deity Ancient Romans - heirs to similar civilisation - identified Greek deities with similar figures in Etruscan-Roman tradition - copied cult practices - Rome adopted syncretic gods of Hellenistic period:  Serapis, Isis, Mithras, Cybele, Dionysus - Gk. Dionysus merged w/ Latin mead god Liber - Romans converted:   Anatolian Sabazios to Sabazius - Anatolian goddess Cybele (cult-centre Pessinos, imported to Rome - Magna Mater) - Romans mingled gods of Celts & Germanic peoples with their own deities:     - Sulis Minerva, Apollo Sucellos (good-smiter), Mars Thingsus (war-assembly) + others - Roman historian Tacitus refers to German worshippers of what is interpreted as:  Thor and Odin - equivalent of Roman-Greco Hercules and Mercury Romans  considered religious aspects that they adopted from other cultures no less meaningful or different to religious aspects of Roman in origin / early Roman acceptance of religions of other cultures enabled Romans to easily integrate new regions as they expanded JUDAISM EGYPTIAN MONOTHEISM (BRIEF) 1.  Sigmund Freud proposed:     Judaism arising from pre-existing monotheism that was imposed on Egypt     briefly during the rule of Akhenaten     Code of Hammurabi cited as starting point Ten Commandments ZOROASTRIANISM 2.  Judaism refined its concept of monotheism, adopting features from contacts with Zoroastrianism:     - eschatology - 'end time', 'end of the world', ultimate destiny     - angelology     - demonology Jewish halakhic prohibitions on:  polytheism, idolatry etc, but Jewish sects arose:     - Messianic Judiaism     - Jewish Buddhism     - Nazarenism     - Judeo-Paganism         several Jewish Messiah claimants     - Sabbateans:  mix Kabbalistic Judaism with Christianity and Islam     - believers in Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676)         1600s kabbalist         Jewish rabbi - proclaimed to be Jewish Messiah in 1665 by Nathan of Gaza         1666 - converted to Islam, Jewish apostate         converted to escape punishment by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV         Jews followed him into Islam - became:  the Dönmeh ('crypto-Jew' heretics, Turkey)         *but continued to be accepted Jewish Messiah in diaspora         followers before & during conversion to Islam = Sabbateans         1.  Maaminim (believers)         2.  Haberim (associates)         3.  Ba'ale Milhamah (warriors)         Sabbateans lived into 20th century as:  Dönmeh - ie crypto-Jews Ottoman Empire         publicly converted to Islam but retained Jewish beliefs, centred in Salonica         Salonica = Thessaloniki, capital of Greek Macedonia, 2nd largest city Greece         Salonica nickname:  Symprotévousa = 'co-capital' of Constantinople         ie. co-capital of Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire Jacob Frank - b. Jakub Lejbowicz, 1791 1800s Polish-Jewish religious leader claimed to be incarnation of self-proclaimed messiah:  Sabbatai Zevi & incarnation of Jewish patriarch Jacob Jewish authorities excommunicated Jacob Frank & followers heretical doctrines, incl. deification of self as part of trinity + neo-Carpocratian 'purification through transgression' Frankism new, heretical form of Judaism, incorporating aspects of Christianity into Judaism Frankism arose from: 1.  influence of messianic movement of Sabbatai Zevi 2.  religious mysticism following violent persecution & socio-economic upheavals:     - Poland     - Ruthenia (Ukraine) - before WWII one-third Ukraine urban population = Jewish Halychyna (Galicia), the westernmost area of Ukraine late 14th Century - Jews the subjects of the Polish kings, and magnates Jewish population of Halychyna (Galicia) & Bukovyna, part Austria-Hungary considerably high: - 5% of the then global Jewish population 10th century:  founding of Kingdom of Poland 11th century, Byzantine Jews of Constantinople =  familial, cultural, and theological ties with the Jews of Kiev 1569:  creation of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Poland:  host to largest foreign minorities in Europe during Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, significant Jewish settlement in Ukraine Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648–1657) Ukrainian Cossack Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky led Cossack uprising on basis that Poles had sold Cossacks as slaves to Jews then Jewish population 51,000 + est. force of (a) Cossacks and (b) Crimean Tatars massacred & took into captivity large numbers:  Jews, Roman Catholics & Uniates 1648-49 (Uniates = Eastern rite Catholic churches) recent estimates:  15,000 to 13,000 Jews killed or taken captive / 300 Jewish settlements destroyed Cossack Uprising and the Deluge left a deep and lasting impression on the Jewish social and spiritual life *'Deluge' is not explained by source (Wikipedia) Ukraine regions with significant Jewish populations (Wikipedia): Kiev Dnipropetrovsk Khariv Odessa Mid-1600s Cossack Uprising, time of Jewish: 1.  mysticism 2.  overly formal rabbinism 3.  teachings of Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov, or BeShT, (1698–1760) Baal Shem Tov techings profound effect on the Jews of Eastern Europe disciples of Baal Shem Tov promote:   new fervent brand of Judaism (Hasidism) Hasidism =  related to Kabbalah Hasidism = rise of Haredi Judaism + continuous influence through successive Hasidic dynasties Hassidism (Mystical Judaism) - Eastern Europe Moshe Idel expert:  mystical and philosophical literature Max Cooper Professor of Jewish Thought Hebrew University, Jerusalem published author new study of mystical Judaism (Hassidism) of Eastern Europe 18th & 19th centuries study by panoramic approach / v. existentialist approach understand Hassidism as an aggregation of multiple streams, incl. - magic - theosophic  kabbalah - ecstatic kabbalah earlier stages of Jewish mysticism phenomenological models Hassidism is dependent on non-Lurianic schools of kabbalah Hassidism emerges as an important stage in Jewish mysticism Idel argues this emergence is NOT merely: reaction to historical and social forces (such as Sabbatianism) Idel: close study of ecstasy and magic http://www.sunypress.edu/p-1755-hasidism.aspx Kabbalah body of mystical teachings of rabbinical origin based on an esoteric interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures Medieval Latin cabala from: Hebrew qabbālâ, received doctrine, tradition, from qibbēl, to receive kabbalah (many variants spellings) [Medieval Latin cabala, from Hebrew qabbālâ, received doctrine, tradition, from qibbēl, to receive; see qbl in Semitic roots.] several different systems of romanizing the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets in existence as:  Hebrew and Arabic alphabets generally do not indicate short vowels or the doubling of consonants technically spellings with double 'b' incorrect, as single 'b' produces Hebrew spelling doubling of consonants = Anglicisation other eg.     scholarly transliteration =  Qur'a     Anglicisation =  Koran http://www.thefreedictionary.com/kabbalah Semitic root:  qbl  = to receive Astral Projection - Kabbalah (Into the static remix) AUDIO | #1.0 Jacob Frank's mid 1800s teachings radical & unorthodox Frank and followers were excommunicated by Jews Frank and followers eventually converted to Catholicism Russia measures to keep Russian Empire free of Jews hindered by:  Russian partition of Poland, when Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth annexation by Russia occurred: 1772 - First Partition 1793 - Second Partition 1795 - Third Partition Russian Empire acquires large population of Jews Catherine the Great establishes:  Pale of Settlement, including Congress Poland & Crimea 1821 anti-Jewish riots in Odessa after the death of the Greek Orthodox patriarch in Constantinople cited by some as first riot / pogrom Youssef Sarrouf b. Damascus church name:  Ignatius 1778 Ignatius (Youssef) Sarrouf consecrated metropolitan bishop of Beirut by Patriarch Theodosius V Dahan attempts to reform x2 Melkite monastic orders as metropolitan of Beirut attempts to reform antagonised clergy 1812 Ignatius Sarrouf was elected Patriarch, and confirmed immediately by Rome 1812 murdered by a Melkite faithful - unknown reasons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_IV_Sarrouf Melkite = member of:   Christian churches in Egypt and Syria that accepted the Council of Chalcedon. = member of:   Eastern Catholic church that uses the Byzantine rite and has patriarchates in Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem  (Antioch, ancient Greco-Roman city in Anatolia) 'Melkite' word originates from Semitic origins - 'malka' (king) (Semitic); malkaye (pl.) (Aramaic; then Green then Latin http://www.thefreedictionary.com/melkite Other sources cite: 1859 riot in Odessa as first pogrom/riot 1881–1884 assassination of Alexander II aftermath:  large-scale anti-Jewish violence swept southern Russian Empire, including Ukraine 1882, Alexander III of Russia - May Laws effective over 30 years to 1917 strict quotas on Jews permitted to obtain education results in mass emigration 1886 - edict of Expulsion applied to the Jews of Kiev 1893–94, some areas of Crimea cut out of the Pale 1894 -  Alexander III died in Crimea Reign of Alexander III - began with riots against Jews - ended with Jewish expulsions of Jews      - Jews exiled from Yalta to the Pale - 1800s - Odessa large Jewish settlement - 1897  - Odessa, Jews estimated - 37% of the population Russian Revolution Jews over-represented in the Russian revolutionaries leadership (90% of them according to Czar Nicholas II) most were hostile to traditional Jewish culture & Jewish political parties were loyal to Communist atheism & proletarian internationalism reportedly committed to stamp out 'Jewish cultural particularism' In this political turmoil: - Russian/Slavic counter-revolutionary groups, incl. Black Hundreds, opposed the Revolution with violent attacks on socialists and attacks against Jews 2.  backlash from the conservative elements + spasmodic anti-Jewish attacks (reportedly 5,000 Jews killed in Odessa in single day) 1905: series of attacks against Jews erupted at the same time as Revolution against the government of Nicholas II chief organizers of anti-Jewish violence:  members of the Union of the Russian People (commonly known as the "Black Hundreds") 1911 to 1913, anti-Jewish sentiment prevailed 1915, in the face of German military invasion,  thousands of Jews from the Russian border areas, which coincide with the Pale of Settlement 1917 Russian Revolution + Russian Civil War, an estimated 70,000 to 250,000 Jewish civilians were killed in the atrocities throughout the former Russian Empire 1918–1920 - est. 31,071 Jews killed in modern Ukraine territory Russian Civil War November 1917—October 1922 immediately following: Russian Revolutions of 1917 Casualties estimated: 1,500,000 many factions vying for political control of Russia Red Army - fighting for Bolshevik socialism (faction of: Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) White Army - disparate allied forces - incl. diverse interests - monarchism, capitalism and alternative forms of socialism plus: rival militant socialists and non-ideological Green armies fought against Bolsheviks and White Army Victory for the Red Army in: Russia Ukraine Belarus South Caucasus Central Asia Tuva Mongolia Victory for separatist movements: Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania Poland Territorial changes - establishment of independent: Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania Poland Other: Russia under Soviet socialist government https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Civil_War Carpocrates of Alexandria founder early Gnostic sect early 2nd Century negative bias & opposition in writings of Church Fathers esp. Irenaeus of Lyons & Clement of Alexandria did not believe in divinity of 'Jesus' figure believed they themselves could transcend material realm believed they no longer bound by Mosaic law (based on the material powers) believed they no longer bound by any morality, which they held is MERE HUMAN OPINION [comment:  lol ... they're right / but we still condemn those that transgress what we believe is right / why?  ] believed:  one's eternal soul imprisoned & mast pass all conditions of early life to leave Carpocrates practised various magical arts as well as leading a licentious life Early Christian authors opposed representational art, statues, portraits etc considered:  heretical heretical Carpocratians, are known to have owned portraits of 'Christ' figure The Will faculty of the mind which selects capacity to act decisively on one's desires will important /  one of the distinct parts of the mind (with reason and understanding) considered important in ethics central role in enabling a person to act deliberately How can will be free if actions have natural or divine causes ('divine' explanation of the superstitious) which determine actions? Nature of freedom v. problem of evil Aristotle:  ethical importance of will - major influence ethical and legal thinking in western civilization Aristotle - virtue and vice = individual choice Aristotelian philosophy became part of a standard approach to all legal and ethical discussion in Europe by the time of Thomas Aquinas ENLIGHTENMENT Enlightenment siècle des Lumières (literally “century of the Enlightened”) German: Aufklärung European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries Ideas concerning God, reason, nature, and humanity were synthesized into a world-view wide acceptance in West began revolutionary developments in art, philosophy, and politics key to Enlightenment thought: use and celebration of reason goals of the rational: considered to be knowledge, freedom, and happiness [britannica] [comment:  pursuit of knowledge, freedom & happiness is only 'rational' if you are driven / programmed / socialised that way; some people are not.  Some people are motivated by power, money and other things - like aggression towards others; fear or other driving forces ...  Who defines, eg. 'happiness'?  ] https://www.britannica.com/event/Enlightenment-European-history Thomas Aquinas philosophy can be seen as a synthesis of Aristotle + early Christian doctrine (Boethius + St Augustine of Hippo) Boethius Boethius  Roman Senator 6th Century b. 4 years after Odoacer (Germanic) deposed Roman emperor, declaring self King of Italy wrote:  'Consolation of Philosophy', in prison Augustine Augustine of Hippo, aka St Augustine, non-European - Berber, bishop Algeria Watched the fall / disintegration of Rome / formulated 1.  doctrine of 'original sin' 2. just war theory 3. concept of Church as a spiritual 'City of God' [comment:  I can get right into the 'just war' theory, I think ... not so much the doctrine of 'sin'.  What is wrong with these religious nuts?   Christianity is totally unappealing to me.  Christianity delivered to Europeans by a Berber colonial Roman Empire subject, however clever he may be in Latin etc., is a huge turn-off for me.  This is not the religion of Europeans.  Where are the European gods?  ... I'm guessing customs, traditions and oral history of Eurpean gods was destroyed by forced conversion to Christianity.   ] Profound influence on Medieval Europe; had long-term mistress, arranged marriage to minor arranged / chose celibacy & religion, as overly attached to former mistress; teacher of Greek brutal, did not take to Greek; became highly proficient Latin ) Value to the church:  "Augustine worked tirelessly in trying to convince the people of Hippo (in Algeria) to convert to Christianity" Vandals, Germanic tribe, converted to Arianism (teachings of Arius, Alexandria, Egypt:  "asserts that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was created by God the Father at a point in time, is distinct from the Father and is therefore subordinate to the Father" [here]) 430 AD -  Vandals invade Roman Africa Vandals besiege Hippo (the city) in Spring of 430 AD Augustine suffering from illness / spent final days in prayer directed that library of church in Hippo & books should be preserved died 430, Aug. 28 (7 days from now) Vandals lifted siege of Hippo shortly thereafter Vandals burned city, destroying all but Augustine's cathedral & library Augustine's body transferred to Cagliari, Sardinia by bishops expelled from North Africa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo Thomas Aquinas also cited other sources: Maimonides (Jewish-Spanish / Egyptian-Moroccan work) and Plato (Greek) + Muslim scholars: Islamic philosophers Avicenna and Averroes Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon (Rambam) Maimonides ('-ides' Greek suffix equivalent of 'ben' / son of) > son of Maimon ie Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon referred to as 'Rambam' Rabbeinu Moshe Ben Maimon (ie Rabbi/Teacher, Moses Son of Maimon) aka 'ha Nesher ha Gadol' (the great eagle) due to: status as interpreter of the Oral Torah Graecised (and subsequently Latinised) medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher and astronomer prolific and influential Torah scholars physician of Middle Ages b. 1135 or 1138 Cordova, Almoravid Empire (Morocco Berber Muslim dynasty, invaders Spain- ie. in Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain under long-standing Muslim invader control) d. 1204 Egypt body taken to lower Galilee & buried in Tiberias worked as rabbi, physician & philosopher in Morocco & Egypt writings on Jewish law and ethics influence as far as: Iraq and Yemen revered head of Jews in Egypt vociferous critics of some of his writings (esp. Spain) Rambam works: cornerstone of Jewish scholarship 14-volume Mishneh Torah = codification of Talmudic law Philosophy & Science - Rambam prominent in history of Islamic and Arab sciences influenced Arab and Muslim philosophers and scientists Maimonides: prominent philosopher and polymath (expert various fields) in both the Jewish and Islamic worlds Maimonides, in turn, was influenced by: Al-Farabi (c. 872 AD –  950/951) Avicenna (c. 980 AD  – 1037) Medieval saying (& Maimonides epitaph), referring to his rabbinic writings: " ... From Mosheh (of the Torah) to Mosheh (Maimonides) there was none like Mosheh" one of the most influential figures in medieval Jewish philosophy adaptation of Aristotelian thought to Judaic faith in century following Rambam / Maimonides death, acculturated Jews tried to apply: Maimonides's Aristotelianism in ways that undercut traditionalist belief and observance = intellectual controversy: Spanish Jewish French Jewish (southern France) - debate spurred Catholic Church interventions against 'heresy' (think there was squealing to the Christian authorities, if I remember correctly) - + general confiscation of rabbinic texts - more radical interpretations of Maimonides were defeated - Ashkenazi Jews tended to ignore his specifically philosophical writings - Ashkenazi Jews stressed rabbinic & halakhic writings - these writings included philosophical discussions re halakhic observance - Rambam = 1. philosophical understanding of God both in the Aggadah (rabbinic texts, folklore, history & other) of Talmud 2. philosophical understanding of God in behaviour of the hasid [the pious Jew] ... ie member of Rabbi Baal Shem Tov Eastern European founded mystical movement  / rejected Talmudic learning / deity should be served in word and deed (a) 1648-1657 Cossack Uprising & (b) Jewish Messiah Sabbatai Zevi - Turkey, Sabbateans (later Islam / forced convert)  Dönmeh (crypto-Jewish) sect / kin ties to Ukraine & influence etc. - brief mention above. Traditionally observant Jews - still influenced by Rambam Hasdai Crescas aka Or Adonai ie Hasdai ben Judah Crescas b. c. 13440 Barcelona, Catalonia - d. 1410, Aragon (Spain) Spanish-Jewish philosopher famous halakhist (teacher of Jewish law) primary work: Or Adonai (aka 'Or Hashem', Heb.) means: Light of the Lord 1400s - Jewish reinterpretation of classical Jewish theology per then-current philosophy, ie. neo-Aristotelian rationalism Hasdai ben Judah Crescas considered rationalist neo-Aristotelian interpretation threat blurring distinctiveness of Jewish faith - felt it reduced Judaism to surrogate Aristotelian concepts Crescas = critic of Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon's works Rambam / Maimonides = rejected as futile and unwarranted all inquiry into the ultimate purpose of the world  [LOL .. think he might be right ] Crescas posed that purpose was: happiness of the soul / union with the divine / soul's never-stilled yearning [No ... why would anyone want to be united with something that is strange/unknown/foreign/alien ... and be among an impersonal club open to everyone else?  Something missing (for me).   ] former thinkers made immortality depend on knowledge Crescas claims knowledge does not produce soul / highest perfection through 'love' > fountain-head of all good > highest good is love manifested in obedience to deity's laws [comment:  Most unappealing.  Where's the religion that says there's nothing but chaos and absurdity, and then you die and there's nothing more ...?    LOL  ]    Crescas - opponent of Maimonides on philosophical grounds / Jewish law code, the Mishneh Torah method issue Crescas work - fundamental importance / shaping of Baruch Spinoza's system / distinction between attributes and properties / identical with Crescas distinction b/w: subjectively ascribed attributes & objective reality of attributes in deity (?) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Or_Adonai Baruch Spinoza Benedito de Espinosa Jewish Dutch philosopher of Sephardic/Portuguese origin parents forcibly converted to Christianity continued to practice Judaism in secret (Marranos) arrested, tortured, condemned by Inquisition (Portugal) escaped to Amsterdam father, Michael Spinoza: important merchant / one of directors synagogue mother, died before Spinoza 6th birthday b. Amsterdam 1632 d. The Hague 1677 one of foremost advocates of 17th Century Rationalism one of early, originating figures of Enlightenment Amsterdam Jewish settlement originally Jews raised in Spain, Portugal, France, or Italy as Christians who fled to Amsterdam to escape persecution & to practice ancestral religion Jews granted toleration by Dutch authorities conditional: 1. no scandal 2. all responsibility for care of own community members Amsterdam Jews established social & educational institutions: eg. 1638, Talmud-Torah school - adult males (formerly Catholic education) Baruch Spinoza =  student: Torah-Talmud school in Amsterdam Spinoza likely learned: Hebrew, Jewish philosophy & work of Moses Maimonedes (Rambam) Isaac La Peyrère French courtier book: Prae-Adamitae (Latin: 'Men Before Adam') (1655) challenged the accuracy of the bible insisted that the spread of human beings to all parts of the globe implies there must have been humans before Adam and Eve La Peyrère argued: bible is the history of the Jews, not the history of humanity one of Spinoza’s teachers, Menasseh ben Israel, was acquainted with La Peyrère Prae-Adamitae was soon condemned in the Netherlands and elsewhere regarded as one of the most dangerous pieces of heresy in print Spinoza owned a copy of the work many of La Peyrère assertions re bible later appeared in Spinoza’s writings Spinoza fell out with synagogue Amsterdam mid-1656 Spinoza formally excommunicated by Synagogue: - horrendous curses were cast upon him - members of the synagogue forbidden contact with him - members of the synagogue forbidden to ready anything he had written / or listen to him CHEREM | HEREM http://www.crivoice.org/terms/t-herem.html Judaism - excommunication = 'herem' aka - charam aka - cherem [comment:  sounds like the Arabic 'haram' (forbidden by Islamic law) ... well, it does to me / but I'm not an Arab or Jew Jewish 'Herem' = technical term in Hebrew / translation difficult - put under the ban - devote to destruction - exterminate - ostracise - excommunicate - devoted to deity (like a sacrifice / but not 'sacrifice') Cherem / Herem ancient Jewish practice of: holy war = conquered enemy would be totally destroyed, incl. women & children & entire settlement depending on circumstances, spoils could be taken *hey, it's like Islamic Holy War Judaism:  idea of holy war was a religious concept attempt to eliminate religious ideas or practices that posed a threat to Jews (as conquerors) note: not only outsiders, it could also be members of Jewish tribe posing threat eg. Jews worshipping other gods Hebrew bible - x50 occurrence (verb) - x30 (noun) occurrence 'Herem' applied to actions that threaten the religious integrity of the community eg.  "Judges 21:11 This is what you shall do; every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction." What is destroyed is devoted to deity and is understood to belong to deity - therefore element of ritualised killing.  But not sacrifice in normal sense. What is devoted to deity cannot be sold, redeemed etc - animal or human what is devoted to destruction shall be put to death non-Yahweh worshippers were a contamination on the land and posed a threat to proper worship of Jewish deity Num 21:2 Then Israel made a vow to the LORD and said, "If you will indeed give this people into our hands, then we will utterly destroy their towns." The LORD listened to the voice of Israel, and handed over the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their towns; so the place was called Hormah. Hormah = broken rock; banned; devoted to destruction ie. Canaanite 'Zephath' (Heb. Tsfat) several conflicts - migrant Israelites invading 'Promised Land' & Amalekites and Canaanites, who occupied southern Canaan ie.  this is the equivalent of 'Cherem' or 'Herem' - it appears location between: Beer Sheba and Gaza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormah Deuteronomy cities listed as devoted to destruction contains warnings about the dangers of not eliminating the Canaanites when the Israelites enter the land [comment:  History is repeating itself in Palestine / Israel.  ] Deut 7:1-4 1 [deity] clears away many nations before you--the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations mightier and more numerous than you NO MERCY - HOLY WAR [when you defeat them] ... you must utterly destroy them make no covenant with them show them no mercy do not intermarry with them (as it would turn descendants to follow foreign gods) Israel's entry into the land in Joshua Israelites practised cherem on captured Canaanite cities see: destruction of Jericho see: destruction of Ai & other cities Joshua 6:18 - things devoted to destruction / do not covet all destroyed (men, women, young, old & animals) - city and all in it burnt down exception was: gold, silver, bronze and iron objects put into the treasury of the house of synagogue (?) RAKKAT Rakkat (Heb.) - city aka Tiberias located at shore of Sea of Galilee (Heb. Yam Ha-Kinerett) est. 20 AD, named in honour of Roman Emperor Tiberius Jewish oral tradition says city built on Jewish village of: Rakkat (Book of Jushua) venerated in Judaism from mid-2nd Century AD time of Herodian Tetrarchy one of Judaism's 4 holy cities Jerusalem Hebron Safed Rakkat (Tiberias) was political and religious Jewish hub known for hot springs historian Josephus calls hot springs village 'Emmaus', located near Tiberias most religious (as opposed to Hellenized, including Cohanic) Jews refused to settle there due to presence of cemetery, rendering site ritually unclean for priestly caste during Bar Kokhba revolt 132-136 AD against Romans Sanhedrin, Jewish court, fled Jerusalem, for Rakkat 614 AD - final revolt against Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) part of Jewish population supported Persian invaders Jewish rebels financed by: Benjamin of Tiberias (immense wealth) during Jewish revolt: Christians massacred, churches destroyed 628 AD - Byzantine Roman army return to Tiberias / surrender Jewish rebels & end of Persian occupation thereafter Christian defeat: battle of Neneveh 629 AD - Emperor Heraclius - wide-scale slaughter of Jews emptied Galilee of most its Jewish population Jewish survivors flee to Egypt 634 CE - Rakkat (Tyberias) under Arab control / Christian capitulation 70 Jewish families from Tiberias permitted to renew Jewish presence in Jerusalem - importance of Rakkat (Tiberias) declined after Christians make a come-back with First Crusade / Rakkat (Tiberias) occupied by Franks, soon after capture of Jerusalem 12th century = best Torah manuscripts found in Rakkat (Tiberias) 1187 - Saladin defeats Christians, Battle of Hattin Third Crusade: Christains drive out Muslims 1265 - Malmluks (Egyptian) drive out Christians 1516 - Ottoman Muslims drive out Mamluk Muslims British and diaspora Jews enter the picture early 1900s miscellaneous dramas betwen Arabs & Jews/diaspora Jews Jewish paramilitary terrorist org. (Haganah) - 1921-1948 active during:  British Mandate of Palestine - gave rise to Irgun, Zionist paramilitary org. founded to combat the revolts of Palestinian Arabs against the Jewish settlement of Palestine post World War II, when the British refused to open Palestine to unlimited Jewish immigration Haganah turned to terrorist activities bombing bridges, rail lines, and ships used to deport illegal Jewish immigrants Jewish paramilitary mortar attacks, followed by attack on Rakkat Arab Liberation Army not permitted to take over defence Arab population of Rakkat (Tiberias) 6,000 residents or 47.5% of the population widespread looting of the Arab areas by Jewish population  evacuated under British military protection on 18 April 1948 had to be suppressed by force by the Haganah paramilitary and Jewish police (killed or injured several looters) I.D.F. May 1948 - Haganah dissolved as private organisation Haganah became the national army of Israel (IDF) known as: Tzva Haganah le-Yisraʾel (“Israel Defense Forces”) 1948 - almost entirely Jewish city - Sephardic and Mizrahi CHEREM TRIBAL TOOL OF WARFARE ... concept of holy war and the corresponding cherem were ancient tribal concepts that related to protection of a clan, tribe, or people from outside influences, especially in religious practices Jerimiah interprets exile as due to syncretism of worship of Yahweh with Ba'al worship http://www.crivoice.org/terms/t-herem.html 1400s - then-current philosophy, ie. neo-Aristotelian rationalism - reinterpretation of classical Jewish theology Major practitioners of rationalist approach to Jewish philosophy: Moshe ben Maimon - Maimonides (Rambam) Levi ben Gershon - Gersonides (Ralbag) Saadia Gaon - Joseph Albo - Spain - Sefer ha-Ikkarim ('Book of Principles') limited the fundamental Jewish principles of faith to three: belief in the existence of God belief in revelation belief in divine justice, re idea of immortality shorashim ('roots', Heb.), or secondary radicals: God's unity God's incorporeality God's independence of time God's perfection: in God there can be neither weakness nor other defect belief in revelation, or the communication of divine instruction by God to man The Hebrew prophets are the media of God's revelation The belief in the unique greatness of Moses as a prophet The binding force of the Mosaic law belief in the Messiah is only a "twig" / unnecessary to soundness of trunk therefore belief in Messiah: not an integral part of Judaism it is not true that every law must be observed it is not true that neglect of part of law equals Jew violates divine covenant (damned) [comment: so this is like the out-clause / loophole of Jewish law & philosophy? ] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Albo Aquinas of Italian origins.  Family held land in county Aquino to 1137.   Deemed a 'saint' & considered ideal teacher for priesthood - " one of the Catholic Church's greatest theologians and philosophers".  More here  [I'm just rush skimming basics]. Thomas Aquinas's 'Summa Theologica' makes a structured treatment of the concept of will using:  Scholasticism (method of critical thought dominating teachings of academics of medieval universities in Europe abt. 1100 to 1700) - employing method in articulating and defending dogma in an increasingly pluralistic context - outgrowth of and departure from Christian monastic schools at earliest Euro. unis. - first institutions considered universities in West, established:     Italy, France, Spain, England - late 11th & 12th centuries     study:  arts, law, medicine, theology scholasticism = method of learning (not philosophy) strong emphasis on dialectical reasoning to extend knowledge by inference & to resolve contractions known for rigorous conceptual analysis and the careful drawing of distinctions often takes the form of explicit disputation formula: 1.  topic broached in the form of a question 2.  opponents' responses are given 3.  counterproposal is argued 4.  opponents' arguments rebutted due to emphasis on rigorous dialectical method scholasticism eventually applied to many fields of study HARMONISE | RECONCILE Scholasticism began as attempt by medieval Christian thinkers to harmonize the various authorities of their own tradition (thus to reconcile Christian theology) with classical and late antiquity philosophy esp. Aristotle (+ also of Neoplatonism) main figures of scholasticism include: Anselm of Canterbury Peter Abelard Alexander of Hales Albertus Magnus Duns Scotus William of Ockham Bonaventure Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas masterwork:  'Summa Theologica' =  pinnacle of scholastic, medieval, and Christian philosophy began while Aquinas was regent master, Rome at Santa Sabina (forerunner of Pontifical Uni, of St Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum) Important scholastic tradition works past Aquinas time = Lutheran & Reform thinkers Middle Ages first significant renewal of learning in West arose from Carolingian Renaissance Charlemagne (advised by Peter of Pisa and Alcuin of York) attracted the scholars of England and Ireland 787 AD decree:  Charlemagne established schools in every abbey of empire became centres of Medieval learning 'scholasticism' derived from these schools Knowledge of Ancient Greek had vanished in the west *except in Ireland in Ireland. Ancient Greek teaching = use  widely dispersed in monastic schools Irish scholars famed for their learning - eg:   Johannes Scotus Eriugena, 815–877 AD - one of the founders of scholasticism     - outstanding philosopher (originality)     - translated many Greek works into Latin - Irish scholars = considerable presence in Frankish court Scholastic period =  beginning of  rediscovery of many Greek works which had been lost to the Latin West 10th century, Spain began translating texts & in latter half 10th century transmitted same to rest of Europe 12th century -  Reconquista - ie. defeat of Islamic invader rule (Hispania) period begins on:  initial Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 710s     711, Muslim Moors, mainly North African Berber soldiers with some Arabs     crossed Strait of Gibraltar:  consquest of Visigothic Kingdomn of Hispania     established an Islamic rule - lasts 300 years period ends:  fall of Emirate of Granada, last Islamic state on Iberian Peninsula Coat of arms of Alcanadre. La Rioja, northern Spain, depicts severed heads of slain Moors Reconquista = continuous phenomenon Christian Iberian kingdoms opposed and conquered the Muslim kingdoms / Muslims understood as a common enemy who had militarily seized Christian territory 9th century - concept of Christian reconquest of peninsula first emerged > Christian document:   Chronica Prophetica (883–884) > stressing the Christian and Muslim cultural and religious divide > necessity to drive Muslims out Opposition to Muslim rule was undermined by: - alliances with Muslims - mercenaries from both sides who faught for whoever paid most 12th century -  Reconquista - ie. defeat of Islamic invader rule  (Hispania) fall of Emirate of Granada, last Islamic state on Iberian Peninsula = - immediately before European rediscovery of Americas ('New World') - ushering in era:  Portuguese & Spanish Colonial empires Traditional mark of begining of Reconquista:  Battle of Covadonga, 718-722 small Christian army led by Pelagius (nobleman) defeated army of Umayyad Caliphate - mountains established Christian Kingdom of Asturias 11th century - Crusades Christian religious ideology of reconquest vs. staunch Muslim Jihad ideology in Al-Andalus (Andalusia, Muslim Spain) by Almoravids (Berbers, of nomadic descent, Muslim) by Almohads (even greater degree) (southern Morocco, Berber Muslim, 'the unifiers' [note:   capitalist-sponsored historians are now attempting to rewrite history ] Following:  12th century Reconquista of Spain Spain opened further for Christian scholars Christians encountered knowledge in fields of mathematics, astronomy & philosophy [comment:  knowledge  described as 'Arabic' ... but Arabs are desert-dweller conquerors of other developed nations (eg Persians) / so provenance of the 'Arabic' knowledge attribution is not clear to me ] 13th and early 14th centuries = High Scolasticism - culmination of the recovery of Greek philosophy - schools of translation Italy & Sicily & rest of Europe, increased - scholars travelled widely & translated works - eg. Adelard of Bath, scholar, travelled to Sicily and Arab world - Adelard translated works on astronomy and mathematics - and Euclid's:  'Elements' - powerful NORMAN KINGS - courts gathered academics from Italy & other (prestige) - William of Moerbeke - translations & editions:  Greek philosophical texts mid 13th C. (more info re Aristotle than Arabic systems) - major commentaries followed - large universities developed Europe cities - rival Church clerical orders - battle for:  political and intellectual control - 1.  Franciscans - Fracis of Assisi 1209     - leader:  Bonaventure (pro Augustine + Plato, little Aristotle _ neoplatonist eliments)     - per Anselm, considered that:     - reason can only discover truth when philosophy is illuminated by RELIGIOUS faith     others:  Duns Scotus, Peter Auriol and William of Ockham - 2.  Dominicans - teaching order founded by St Dominic - 1215     - more emphasis on the use of reason     - extensive use of the new Aristotelian sources     - (from east & Moorish Spain)     - Dominican thinking:         - Albertus Magnus         - (especially) Thomas Aquinas         - Aquinas synthesis Greek rationalism + Christian doctrine = defined Catholic philosophy         - Aquinas first to use new translation of Aristotle's metaphysical + epistemological writing         = a significant departure from the Neoplatonic and Augustinian thinking             that had dominated early scholasticism Late Scholasticism - aka Second scholasticism     - 16th & 17th Century     - revival of scholastic system of philosophy and theology     - 2 schools survived from earlier phases of scholasticism, Scotism and Thomism     - Scotists, mostly belonging to the various branches of the Franciscan order     - ie. Italian, French, Irish & German     - Thomists (usually but not exclusively)     - Iberians in the Dominican and the Carmelite orders     - second scholasticism influence augmented by:      -  Society of Jesus (1540), by Ignatius Loyola, per approval of Pope Paul III (Jesuits)     - Jesuit style of academic approach:  a third "school" of second scholasticism DECLINE OF SCHOLASTICISM:  ENLIGHTENMENT ERA ONSET, SCIENCE REVOLUTION + VERNACULAR     - second scholasticism - decline under attacks of philosophers writing in vernacular languages     - ie.   Descartes, Pascal and Locke     - decline also  b/c -  competition from more experimental and mathematical science methods     - leading to:  Scientific Revolution     - Enlightenment commences:  end 1600s (17th Century) = decline scholasticism     - but scholasticism remained influential long period Iberian universities Reformed Scholasticism - Calvinist Neo-Scholasticism - late 1800s revival (aka neo-Thomism Thomistic Scholasticism - aka Strict Observance Thomism     - always alive in Dominican Order,     - ravaged after Reformation, French Revolution & Napoleonic occupation     - went into decline in the 1970s in English speaking world     - discussion moved from academic environment to internet groups re this form of thinking Analytical Scholasticism     - analytic philosophy = renewed interest in scholastic approach to philosophy     - attempts:  combine elements of scholastic and analytic methodology     - for > contemporary philosophical synthesis     - Analytical Thomism a pioneer of this philosophical movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholasticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconquista https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbateans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessaloniki [all info is from wikipedia, unless otherwise marked] LISTENING to ...  אהבה באויר Love is in the Air AUDIO  |  #2.0 חג שמח Chag Sameach (KHAHG sah-MEHY-ahkh)  AUDIO | #3.0 I think I can hear 'Beit Israel' (house of Israel) and I think I hear 'hava', which is gold (I think) Language Hebrew word for 'gold'  / 'hava' = eve (?) =  zahav comprised of three letters:  zayin, hei & vav  Hebrew names for 'golden' Carmela Carmelina Carmeline Carmella Paz Paza Pazia Pazice Pazit Zahavah Zehave Zehavi Zehavit Zehuva     + 'Golda'  (not Hebrew word, probably Ashkenazi (Yiddish)) Persian comparison: source | info Hebrew Holiday Greetings חג שמח Chag Sameach  (KHAHG sah-MEHY-ahkh)   "Hebrew. Literally, joyous festival. This is an appropriate greeting for just about any holiday, but it's especially appropriate for Sukkot, Shavu'ot and Pesach (Passover), which are technically the only festivals (the other holidays are holidays, not festivals). " source לא אירא I Fear Not  -  AUDIO | #0.0   I like this a lot ... but I can't find lyrics.   Google Translate does not provide audio for Hebrew; making it impossible to match what I hear with Hebrew on their translate tool. im ...  lo irani bi - (or lo ilani bi?) - this is probably "I fear not" ? lo irani bi - ani = 'I' lo, lo, lo, lo   - 'lo' is probably 'don't' khola shalom  (all + peace? - eg.  Avi-khol (father of ALL) khola chamas (all + glitters - eg.   “Zohorei Chama” (Sun's Glitters)) Shem Mashach  (messiah ?) *  Hebr. 'mashach' which means 'to spread with oil'  / annoint Oi mil hava   (hava - must be 'eve' / not 'gold') la mil hava Oi mil hava she liv shelach - (shelach associated with spies in Promised Land)                          - Sh'lach = send to you (Heb.)                     - Torah reading = annual cycle passages                     - Shelach story = week 37 [Think I'd better stop & to something practical here, or I'll be the cause of domestic arguments.  LOL ] * I like the guttural sounds of Hebrew (which is probably like guttural sounds of Arabic).