Jack, I believe the word you're after is "cloche".
GEORGE ATHAS Dean of Research, Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia) On 02/09/2012, at 10:46 PM, "Jack Kilmon" <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 > > > _______________________________________________ > b-hebrew mailing list > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew > > _______________________________________________ > b-hebrew mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew > _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
