Hi George and Ishinan:
I have given thought in the past regarding the Iron Age conception of
cosmology and what רָקִיעַ meant. I took my clue from the term
וַֽאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמָיִם used at Gen 7:11, 8:2; 2 Ki 7:19; Isa 24:18; Mal
3:10. The best translation I can think of, less generic than "Windows" is
"shutters" because araboth are non-glazed windows but lattice-work windows
(which would not be found in a symbolic robe). Araboth are constructed in a
solid substrate. The Cairo Geniza Targum, T. Pseudojonathan and T. Neofiti
use the Aramaic hrky, windows that would be constructed in a plank boat,
wall of a house as well as shemaya. Have you ever had room service
breakfast at a Hotel (preferably King David)? You have your plate of food
and a stainless steel domed covering to keep it warm. Sometimes there is
even an arabah in the top through which you put your finger to lift the
cover. The plate is the flat circular earth and the steel cover is the
raqiya. The finger hole is the arabah (except they are closed with a lattice
which had to וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ וּבֵין
הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ to keep breakfast from getting wet. We now
know there is no water above the heavens and our space walking astronauts
needed no scuba gear. All of the stars, planets, the sun and moon "hung"
like lanterns from the inside of the metal dome. This is also pretty close
to other Iron Age and Bronze Age cosmologies. Mr, Ockham informs me that
רָקִיעַ is hammered out metal.
Best Regards,
Jack
Jack Kilmon
Houston, TX
-----Original Message-----
From: George Athas
Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2012 2:55 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO
THE HEAVENS IN SEMITIC LANGUAGES
Ishinan,
Thanks for a fascinating post and all the digging you've done to bring out
those references. I have a couple of issues, however, with how you're
bringing the data together and reaching a conclusion about them.
Firstly, the Quranic references are, obviously, quite late. We are talking
at the very least a millennium later than the biblical texts we've been
tossing about. As such, I'm reticent to place too much weight on them in
terms of determining the conceptuality of the biblical writers.
Secondly, the Kabbalah is also quite late and, therefore, unreliable for
determining the ancient conceptuality. Paul evidently had a concept of
multiple heavens (cf. 2 Cor 12.2), but again this says nothing about, say,
how the writer of Genesis 1 understood the רקיע.
Thirdly, I follow your discussion about seeing celestial realia as divine
garments. Clothing is often used as a symbol of authority (cf. how robes get
used and misused in the books of Samuel and Kings), so I see the symbolic
value in the texts you mention. And I see how you're getting 'patch' out of
רקע. However, I really do not see how this relates specifically to the issue
of whether the רקיע is conceived as an actual hard panel or not. As far as I
can see, none of the texts you've mentioned make use of this word. If I'm
wrong on that, please correct me — I'm very happy to change my opinion on
this.
Finally, the concept of 'patch' as part of רקע does not mean this concept
exhausts the meaning of the trilateral root. We are dealing with a semantic
domain that is demonstrated ultimately by usage of specific forms (verbs,
nouns, etc.) in specific contexts. I fear that you may be imbibing a little
of the etymological fallacy with a dash of totality transfer. As I
mentioned, I'm happy to be corrected on this, but I don't think the data
quite get us to your conclusion.
Cheers!
GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
Sydney, Australia
From: Ishnian <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Date: Saturday, 1 September 2012 2:06 PM
To: B-Hebrew <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: [b-hebrew] MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO THE
HEAVENS IN SEMITIC LANGUAGES
MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO THE HEAVENS IN SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
The trilateral root of _rq`_ in Hebrew actually means "patch", ( parallel
meaning is also found in many Semitic languages such as in Ugaritic,
Classical Arabic etc. All of them are, invariably, describing the sky region
with the exact same terminology. Parallel to Hebrew_ rq`_ Arabic has
al-raqiy` or the first heaven
and al-'Arqa` for each layer or patch of the seven heavens . This is a
clear reference to each one of the seven heavens. The Qur'an (Fussilat 41:
12) "And He created seven skies (heavens) in two days, and taught each
sky its duties. And He adorned the nearest sky (or: the sky of this world)
with stars...etc." and
"Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a similar
number." (Qur'an 65:120)
Further Islamic texts refer to several levels of heavens: known as
al-Firdaws, `Adn, Na`iym, Na'wa, DAr al-salAm, dAr al-MuaqAmah, Al-MaqqAm
al-'Amiyn.
Each of these heavens being a cover to what is next to it as though it was
'patched' over by the next one above it. The highest celestial 'region'
being portrayed as 'patched' garment.
The same idea of the seven heavens is expressed in the Jewish Kabbalah:
Shamayim, the first Heaven Raqy`, the second Heaven Shehaqim, the third
Heaven Machen, the fourth Heaven Machon, the fifth Heaven Zebul, the sixth
Heaven, and Araboth the seventh Heaven.
Ugaritic, equally has a rich vocabulary in describing heaven as a divine
clothing. For example: when Motu sarcastically refers back to Ba`lu's
victory over Yammu and his monsters, he asserts that Ba`lu was uncovered (
i.e. suffered a terrible humiliation) But then he goes on to state that,
the heavens came loose like the girdle (rks) of his cloak (`ipd) {see KTU
1.5:1.4-5}. Thus it would seem that Motu takes the heavens to be the
"clothing" of the weather -god Ba`lu ( here it could just as well become an
obvious metaphor for the clouded sky.) In fact, in Ugaritic, once the
heavens are depicted as Ba`lu cloak.
Similarly, the Bible frequently uses the concept of the heavens covering
YHWH like a tent ( which incidentally is made of patches sowed together). In
fact the idea that the heavens are YHWH 's garment finds an echo in Ps.
102:25-26
"Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens
(shamamym) [are] the work of thy hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old
like a garment (bgd); as a vesture ( lbwsh) shalt thou change them, and they
shall be changed:"
In addition, natural phenomena also may be clothed by YHWH. Indeed, in
anger, God clothes the heavens with blackness, and he makes sackcloth (sq)
their covering ( ksw-t) Isa. 50:3 "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and
I make sackcloth their covering."
I hope that the above examples are sufficiently convincing to convey the
true meaning and symbolism of "clothing/patched garment:" in reference to
the sky or heaven(s) in the Semitic languages.
Best regards to all
Ishinan Ishibashi
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