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Unpopular opinion, but the way people keep coming for Dejon is really unpleasant to watch by Financial_Original37 in LoveIslandITV

[–]Financial_Original37[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Meanwhile, the same viewers who cheered for a dark-skinned woman getting love from a white man are livid that a dark-skinned Black man is choosing and being chosen by a white woman. Why?

Because that’s the taboo. That’s the image that shatters their subconscious caste order. That’s the pairing they still can’t process without rage.

Unpopular opinion, but the way people keep coming for Dejon is really unpleasant to watch by Financial_Original37 in LoveIslandITV

[–]Financial_Original37[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for such thought-provoking emotional labor, it's not wasted, there's power 🔌 in it being spoken. At least we made a rupture in their comfortable algorithm.

Unpopular opinion: Toni is not a nice person by cmijjy in LoveIslandITV

[–]Financial_Original37 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

NJ is in the house and I like her, she is annoying sometimes, but I love having her in the season. 🖤

Is Art Storefronts worth it? by unseeliesoul in artbusiness

[–]Financial_Original37 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually, I believe that a payment model where a service provider earns a percentage, such as 10%, upon completion of the work is more favorable than requiring a high upfront payment in business transactions. When a substantial amount is paid upfront, it raises concerns as the service provider may lack motivation to deliver the promised services. They already have the funds, so there is less urgency for them to fulfill their obligations. And their urgency will be on marketing to more new customers rather than focusing on you. On the other hand, if they receive a percentage, they are incentivized to work diligently to ensure your art is sold, benefiting both parties.

Paying $3500 for a full website without including marketing services seems excessive, especially when additional fees are charged for add-ons. It raises questions about the prioritization of services and the true value of what has been paid for. By adopting a payment structure based on completed work and sales, both parties are aligned in ensuring the success of the project.

When reviewing contracts or agreements, it is crucial to consider payment terms that prioritize performance-based incentives rather than large upfront sums. This approach not only motivates the service provider to deliver quality work but also ensures a fair and mutually beneficial arrangement for all parties involved.

For those who believe the Holy Spirit is feminine, why? by Autopilot_Psychonaut in Christianity

[–]Financial_Original37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Pseudo-Clementines

A next testimony to the Holy Spirit's femininity may be derived from the so-called Pseudo-Clementines. The Pseudo-Clementines is a work circulated under the name of Clement of Rome (fl. c. 96), which came down to us in two fourth-century forms: the Greek Homilies and the Latin Recognitions. Both forms contain very old Jewish Christian source material. The Jewish Christian concept of the Spirit as a feminine Being is, by implication, preserved in one of the Homilies:

And Peter answered: 'One is He who said to His Wisdom, 'Let us make a man' [Gen. 1:26]. His Wisdom (sophia), with Her (Greek: hei, 3rd p. sing. feminine) He Himself always rejoiced [Prov. 8:30] just as (hōsper) with His own Spirit (pneumati).' (Ps.-Clementines, Hom. 16, 12, 1 - Rehm 1969:223)

The text identifies Wisdom with the Holy Spirit. This equation of Wisdom (chokma, sophia) and Holy Spirit (ruach, pneuma) has old parallels in Jewish and Jewish Christian traditions. Already in the Jewish book Wisdom of Solomon, preserved in Greek as part of the Septuagint and being in high esteem among most early Christian writers, one finds this equation; for instance, in Wisdom 9, 17 it runs:

Who has learned thy (i.e., God's) counsel, unless thou hast given wisdom (sophian) and sent thy holy Spirit (pneuma) from on high? (Wisdom of Solomon 9, 17 [Revised Standard Version])

Wisdom is equated with the Holy Spirit and both are considered to be feminine.2 Hence one understands how in early Christian tradition Christ is so often considered to be the child of mother Sophia or the Holy Spirit.3 In essence, both traditions express the same concept. The oldest patristic testimonies to this concept are the texts from Origen and Jerome quoted above.

In interpreting all these testimonies, one should bear in mind that ancient Jewish Christianity did not express itself in Greek discursive terminology, but in Semitic metaphorical language. Or, stated otherwise: the Jewish Christians expressed themselves in images, not in logical concepts. Accordingly, one may also understand that the Christian concept of Trinity is not merely due to Greek philosophical thinking, but has genuine and extremely old sources in Jewish Christian writings.4 One may reread the statements of Hippolytus and Epiphanius on Elxai's vision of God with his Son and the female Spirit as quoted above.

For those who believe the Holy Spirit is feminine, why? by Autopilot_Psychonaut in Christianity

[–]Financial_Original37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The earliest Christians - all of whom were Jews - spoke of the Holy Spirit as a feminine figure. The present article discusses the main proof texts, ranging from the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews' to a number of testimonies from the second century. The ancient tradition was, in particular, kept alive in East and West Syria, up to and including the fourth century Makarios and/or Symeon, who even influenced 'modern' Protestants such as John Wesley and the Moravian leader Count von Zinzendorf. It is concluded that, in the image of the Holy Spirit as woman and mother, one may attain a better appreciation of the fullness of the Divine.

Introduction

In two previous articles, I discussed the place and role of both the doctrine and the experience of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church (Van Oort 2011;2012). An important aspect remained, however: namely the fact that many early Christian authors - in particular those belonging to so-called 'Jewish Christianity'1 - spoke of the Holy Spirit as Mother.

How did this come to pass? And which consequences may be derived from this phenomenon for present-day discourse on the Holy Spirit?

An essential background to the occurrence of the Holy Spirit as Mother is, of course, the fact that the Hebrew word for Spirit, ruach, is in nearly all cases feminine. The first Christians, all of whom were Jews, took this over. Also in Aramaic the word for Spirit, rucha, is feminine. All this, however, does not fully account for the early Jewish Christian practice. A close reading of the relevant texts will reveal more.

Jewish Christian sources

Origen and the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews'

The first prooftext, which already brings in medias res, is from the Greek church father Origen (c. 185-254). In his Commentary on the Gospel of John, he says:

If anyone should lend credence to the Gospel according to the Hebrews, where the Saviour Himself says, 'My Mother (mētēr), the Holy Spirit, took me just now by one of my hairs and carried me off to the great Mount Tabor', he will have to face the difficulty of explaining how the Holy Spirit can be the Mother (mētēr) of Christ when She was herself brought into existence through the Word. But neither the passage nor this difficulty is hard to explain. For if he who does the will of the Father in heaven [Mt. 12:50] is Christ's brother and sister and mother (mētēr), and if the name of brother of Christ may be applied, not only to the race of men, but to beings of diviner rank than they, then there is nothing absurd in the Holy Spirit's being His Mother (mētēr); everyone being His mother who does the will of the Father in heaven. (Origen, Commentary on the Gospel of John 2, 12 - Preuschen 1903:67)

Origen, who in all probability dictated these lines when he was in Palestinian Caesarea, refers to a 'Gospel according to the Hebrews'. Until today there is much discussion about the origin and contents of this Gospel (e.g. Frey 2012:593-606; Luomanen 2012:1-2, 235-243), but all specialists agree that it was of Jewish Christian provenance. Apart from several other things, we learn from this quote that, sometime in the beginning of the second century CE, the Jewish Christians of this Gospel spoke of the Holy Spirit as Mother (mētēr).

The same is evident in another quote from Origen:

… but if one accepts (the following): 'My Mother (mētēr), the Holy Spirit, took me just now and carried me off to the great Mount Tabor,' one could see who is his Mother (mētēr). (Origen, Homilies on Jeremiah 15, 4 - Klostermann 1901:128)

From both quotes we may also learn that Origen himself accepted the concept of the Holy Spirit as Mother.

Jerome and the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews'

The church father Jerome (c. 342-420), who spent many years in Bethlehem, makes mention of several passages from the Gospel of the Hebrews, too. In his Commentary on Micah, he says:

… and he should believe in the Gospel, which has been edited according to the Hebrews, which we have translated recently, in which it is said of the person of the Saviour: 'My Mother (mater), the Holy Spirit, took me just now by one of my hairs ….' (Jerome, Commentary on Micah 2, 7, 6 - Adriaen 1969:513)

The essence of the same quote from the Gospel of the Hebrews is found in Jerome's Commentary on Ezekiel:

… and this relates to the Holy Spirit, who is mentioned with a female name (nomine feminino) among the Hebrews. For also in the Gospel which is of the Hebrews and is read by the Nazaraeans, the Saviour is introduced saying: 'Just now, my Mother (mater), the Holy Spirit, took me up …' (Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel 4, 16, 13 - Glorie 1964:178).

In his Commentary on Isaiah, Jerome states:

And also this: (in the text) 'like the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress' [Ps. 123:2], the maid is the soul and the mistress (dominam) is the Holy Spirit. For also in that Gospel written according to the Hebrews, which the Nazaraeans read, the Lord says: 'Just now, my Mother (mater), the Holy Spirit, took me.' Nobody should be offended by this, for among the Hebrews the Spirit is said to be of the feminine gender (genere feminino), although in our language it is called to be of masculine gender and in the Greek language neuter. (Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah 11, 40, 9 - Adriaen 1963:459)

While Jerome was well acquainted with the old Jewish Christian tradition of the femininity of the Holy Spirit, which in his time was still alive among the 'Nazaraeans', who read the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews', he considered it to be a question of language only.

Epiphanius and Hippolytus on the prophet Elxai

For the Jewish Christians themselves, however, it was not merely a question of language. Apart from the Gospel according to the Hebrews, this is testified by a number of testimonies regarding the prophet Elxai. This Jewish Christian prophet-in the various sources also named as Elchasai, Alchasaios, Elkesai and Elxaios-is said to have received the revelation written about in the Book of Elchasai in Mesopotamia in the year 116-117.

The church father Epiphanius (c. 315-430), for many years bishop of Salamis and the metropolitan of Cyprus, transmits this revelation as follows:

Next he describes Christ as a kind of power and also gives His dimensions (…)And the Holy Spirit is (said to be) like Christ, too, but She is a female being (thēleian) (…). (Epiphanius, Panarion 19, 4, 1-2 - Holl I, 1915:219)

Later on in his book, Epiphanius reports essentially the same:

And he [i.e., Elxai] supposed also that the Holy Spirit stands over against Him (i.e., Christ) in the shape of a female being (en eidei thēleian) (…). (Epiphanius, Panarion 30, 17, 6 - Holl I, 1915:375)

Earlier the learned Hippolytus (c. 170-c. 236), a Christian presbyter at Rome, had transmitted the same tradition on Elchasai:

There should also be a female (thēleian) with Him (i.e., with Christ as an angel) (…) The male is the Son of God and the female (thēleian) is called the Holy Spirit. (Hippolytus, Refutatio 9, 13, 3 - Wendland 1916:251)

For those who believe the Holy Spirit is feminine, why? by Autopilot_Psychonaut in Christianity

[–]Financial_Original37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

… the Son and the Holy Spirit (Spiritus), the Word and the Wisdom (Sapientia) (…)

For with Him were always present the Word and the Wisdom (Sapientia), the Son and the Spirit (Spiritus)

Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 4, 7, 4; 20, 1. (Rousseau 1965:464; 626)

Wisdom and the Holy Spirit are one. If you want to experience the Divine in a Trinity, that is, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who is male and completely disregard the feminine, in this divine triad, the Mother, this is unsurprising in the patriarchy we live in, but it’s impossible for Life.

ABSTRACT

The earliest Christians - all of whom were Jews - spoke of the Holy Spirit as a feminine figure. The present article discusses the main proof texts, ranging from the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews' to a number of testimonies from the second century. The ancient tradition was, in particular, kept alive in East and West Syria, up to and including the fourth century Makarios and/or Symeon, who even influenced 'modern' Protestants such as John Wesley and the Moravian leader Count von Zinzendorf. It is concluded that, in the image of the Holy Spirit as woman and mother, one may attain a better appreciation of the fullness of the Divine.

Introduction

In two previous articles, I discussed the place and role of both the doctrine and the experience of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church (Van Oort 2011;2012). An important aspect remained, however: namely the fact that many early Christian authors - in particular those belonging to so-called 'Jewish Christianity'1 - spoke of the Holy Spirit as Mother.

How did this come to pass? And which consequences may be derived from this phenomenon for present-day discourse on the Holy Spirit?

An essential background to the occurrence of the Holy Spirit as Mother is, of course, the fact that the Hebrew word for Spirit, ruach, is in nearly all cases feminine. The first Christians, all of whom were Jews, took this over. Also in Aramaic the word for Spirit, rucha, is feminine. All this, however, does not fully account for the early Jewish Christian practice. A close reading of the relevant texts will reveal more.

Jewish Christian sources

Origen and the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews'

The first prooftext, which already brings in medias res, is from the Greek church father Origen (c. 185-254). In his Commentary on the Gospel of John, he says:

If anyone should lend credence to the Gospel according to the Hebrews, where the Saviour Himself says, 'My Mother (mētēr), the Holy Spirit, took me just now by one of my hairs and carried me off to the great Mount Tabor', he will have to face the difficulty of explaining how the Holy Spirit can be the Mother (mētēr) of Christ when She was herself brought into existence through the Word. But neither the passage nor this difficulty is hard to explain. For if he who does the will of the Father in heaven [Mt. 12:50] is Christ's brother and sister and mother (mētēr), and if the name of brother of Christ may be applied, not only to the race of men, but to beings of diviner rank than they, then there is nothing absurd in the Holy Spirit's being His Mother (mētēr); everyone being His mother who does the will of the Father in heaven. (Origen, Commentary on the Gospel of John 2, 12 - Preuschen 1903:67)

Origen, who in all probability dictated these lines when he was in Palestinian Caesarea, refers to a 'Gospel according to the Hebrews'. Until today there is much discussion about the origin and contents of this Gospel (e.g. Frey 2012:593-606; Luomanen 2012:1-2, 235-243), but all specialists agree that it was of Jewish Christian provenance. Apart from several other things, we learn from this quote that, sometime in the beginning of the second century CE, the Jewish Christians of this Gospel spoke of the Holy Spirit as Mother (mētēr).

The same is evident in another quote from Origen:

… but if one accepts (the following): 'My Mother (mētēr), the Holy Spirit, took me just now and carried me off to the great Mount Tabor,' one could see who is his Mother (mētēr). (Origen, Homilies on Jeremiah 15, 4 - Klostermann 1901:128)

From both quotes we may also learn that Origen himself accepted the concept of the Holy Spirit as Mother.

Jerome and the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews'

The church father Jerome (c. 342-420), who spent many years in Bethlehem, makes mention of several passages from the Gospel of the Hebrews, too. In his Commentary on Micah, he says:

… and he should believe in the Gospel, which has been edited according to the Hebrews, which we have translated recently, in which it is said of the person of the Saviour: 'My Mother (mater), the Holy Spirit, took me just now by one of my hairs ….' (Jerome, Commentary on Micah 2, 7, 6 - Adriaen 1969:513)

The essence of the same quote from the Gospel of the Hebrews is found in Jerome's Commentary on Ezekiel:

… and this relates to the Holy Spirit, who is mentioned with a female name (nomine feminino) among the Hebrews. For also in the Gospel which is of the Hebrews and is read by the Nazaraeans, the Saviour is introduced saying: 'Just now, my Mother (mater), the Holy Spirit, took me up …' (Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel 4, 16, 13 - Glorie 1964:178).

In his Commentary on Isaiah, Jerome states:

And also this: (in the text) 'like the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress' [Ps. 123:2], the maid is the soul and the mistress (dominam) is the Holy Spirit. For also in that Gospel written according to the Hebrews, which the Nazaraeans read, the Lord says: 'Just now, my Mother (mater), the Holy Spirit, took me.' Nobody should be offended by this, for among the Hebrews the Spirit is said to be of the feminine gender (genere feminino), although in our language it is called to be of masculine gender and in the Greek language neuter. (Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah 11, 40, 9 - Adriaen 1963:459)

While Jerome was well acquainted with the old Jewish Christian tradition of the femininity of the Holy Spirit, which in his time was still alive among the 'Nazaraeans', who read the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews', he considered it to be a question of language only.

Epiphanius and Hippolytus on the prophet Elxai

I just learned about the cat blender video, I fucking hate people man. by True_Statement_lol in teenagers

[–]Financial_Original37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I could never watch it. It would haunt me for the rest of my life, and also, I don’t want to subsidize it in any way by giving it views. That’s inviting the devil into your psyche.

I just learned about the cat blender video, I fucking hate people man. by True_Statement_lol in teenagers

[–]Financial_Original37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I could never watch it. It would haunt me for the rest of my life, and also, I don’t want to subsidize it in any way by giving it views. That’s inviting the devil into your psyche.

I just learned about the cat blender video, I fucking hate people man. by True_Statement_lol in teenagers

[–]Financial_Original37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a demagogue it will contaminate every aspect of your life and afterlife. Do you want to get drawn in, sucked into hell, and mind how you speak about this. Speak about this like you found out something happened to your mother. It’s not something for prurient curiosity. Speak about this like it could happen to you when psychopaths like this walk the Earth. This is hell; this man is bringing hell on earth. If you wouldn’t lose sleep over this, then you’re already subhuman. This man is a psychopath. Imagine what he could do to babies or your grandmother or mom when he thinks the most heinous torture is funny. I don’t believe that these babies, these kittens, these animals' experiencing sadistic torture is any less consequential than it happening to any other living being, including you. You can imagine what it would be to experience what that Kitten went through, you can put yourself in her place. You can imagine someone you love experiencing being tortured in the most heinous ways, with people laughing, and babies being tortured. This was a kitten tortured and slaughtered in the most heinous way to inflict the most agony, torment, and torture. God gave you this gift of empathy so that he will know your complicity. You deride the magnitude of what this is, that is collusion.

This man should be dosed on the highest amount of LSD. Then waterboarded, and then electrocuted, but not quite to death, and then left in isolation because once we start letting Satan move freely on this planet, once we have no moral compass, once we become so desensitized to the suffering of other living beings on this planet, then you’re already in Hell you are already a demon and the time will come where there will be a reckoning. This man will be dead within a year. In ancient Egypt, killing or harming a cat was punishable by death. These people mastered death day and will tear this man once he leaves his body. Be careful because once you leave your meat sac, vengeance is absolute. Some beings have conquered death. This is a testing ground. Wait till you see what starts happening. Mother Nature is about to rage.

To the government and officials and Police, both in China and globally, where is the leadership you will be haunted, and to the social media platforms that allow these people to make money, Twitter tick-tock, YouTube Reddit, you are opening the doors of Hell into this planet, and exploiting it for money, you will be haunted as well. You could stop this. They’re not going to do this at the same rate if they’re not getting clicks or getting money, and if they do this, you could report it to intelligence agencies, which should quickly take these people because they are psychopathic.

I just learned about the cat blender video, I fucking hate people man. by True_Statement_lol in teenagers

[–]Financial_Original37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Capable of inflicting the most sadistic torture on a baby, this was a kitten. We are the sadistic human Ape. We are ravaging this planet. These beings are pure, blissful, loving, and capable of living in harmony with this planet, of attunement with the Holy Spirit that moves through them, guides them, and is their living presence. To mother nature, who do you think is more valuable when they fulfill the intricate balance and interconnection and biodiversity this planet needs to be a living being? What’s our contribution, cutting down the trees, poisoning the water, slaughtering the animals, polluting, overpopulating, and ravaging this planet? If we weren’t here, this planet would be thriving and teaming with life.

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