The narrative of Jesus and the Money Changers occurs in
both the
Synoptic Gospels and in the
Gospel of John, although it occurs close to the end of the
Synoptic Gospels (at
Mark 11:15–19,
11:27–33,
Matthew 21:12–17,
21:23–27 and
Luke 19:45–48,
20:1–8) but close to the start in John (at
John 2:12–25) and as a result some biblical scholars think
there may have been two incidents. In the episode,
Jesus is stated to have visited the
Temple in Jerusalem,
Herod's Temple, at which the courtyard is described as
being filled with
livestock and the tables of the
money changers, who changed the standard
Greek and
Roman money for
Jewish and
Tyrian money, which were the only coinage that could be
used in Temple ceremonies. According to the Gospels, Jesus
took offense to this (extorting profit from the exchange of
monies), and so, creating a
whip
from some cords, drives out the livestock, scatters the coins
of the money changers, and turns over their tables, and those
of the people selling
doves.
1
In those days arose Mathathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem, and he abode in the mountain of Modin.
Mathathias:–The name means ‘Gift of Yahweh’. Son of John,
priest of the order of Joarib, and father to the Maccabees, he was
originally of Hasmonean descent, and it was his action of defying the decree
of Antiochus Epiphanes that sparked off the rebellion.
The Maccabees were the sons of Mathathias, a Jewish priest who died
mid-second century B.C. To understand the emergence of the Maccabees one
must remember their place in Jewish history. At the time there had begun the
first steps of ‘Hellenization’: namely the imposition of the worship of Zeus
and other Greek gods, as well as the recognition of the king as being ‘Epiphanes’,
the manifestation of God. This practice seems to have divided Jewish
thought, with some supporting such policies, and others opposing them. It is
to the latter group that the Maccabees belonged.
Having witnessed the plundering of the temple
at Jerusalem and its subsequent dedication to Zeus, Mathathias of Modin
began the rebellion in 167 B.C., when he refused to offer sacrifice on a
pagan altar. Forced to flee to the hills with his five sons,
Mathathias began to rally troops to his cause and began a lengthy guerrilla
war against the Syrians, which was to eventually end in triumph.
Mathathias, a priest of the first 24 courses and therefore of the noblest who dwelt at Modin, a city of Judah, was the first to strike a blow. With his own hand he slew a Jew at Modin who was willing to offer the idolatrous sacrifices ordered by the king, and also Apelles, the leader of the king's messengers (1 Macc 2:15-28). He fled with his sons to the mountains (168 BC), where he organized a successful resistance; but being of advanced age and unfit for the fatigue of active service, he died in 166 BC and was buried “in the sepulchers of his fathers” at Modin (1 Macc 2:70; Josephus, Ant., XII, vi, 3). He apparently named as his successor his 3rd son, Judas, though it was with real insight that on his deathbed he recommended the four brothers to take Simon as their counselor (1 Macc 2:65).
fif suna:–Each of the five sons is also given a
surname, or princely title, in the Bible as follows: John, Gaddi; Simon,
Thassi; Judas, Maccabees; Eleazar, Avarin; and Jonathan, Apphus. The main
character is clearly Judas. His surname,
Maccabees (possibly meaning ‘hammer’) is taken as the title for the
four books, as well as for the rebellion as a whole.
It was he who took over after the death of Mathathias and by 165 B.C. had
been so successful that he was able to re-purify the temple at Jerusalem.
He campaigned against the Edomites, Ammonites, and the Syrians in such areas
as Galilee, Gilead, and the lands of the Philistines. Despite all his
success he never aspired to the highpriesthood preferring always to remain a
military leader. He was eventually defeated by Bacchides.
2
And he had five sons:
John who was surnamed Gaddis: (The Holy) (My fortune) (numerically = 44 = 8 ) (The boy's name Gaddis/ Geddes \ge(d)-des\. surname possibly related to "goad", a pointed rod used to drive livestock.) gad'-is (A Gaddis; Kaddis; the King James Version Caddis): Surname of John, the eldest brother of Judas Maccabeus
John, the eldest, surnamed Gaddis (the King
James Version “Caddis”), probably meaning “my fortune,” was murdered by a
marauding tribe, the sons of JAMBRI (which see), near Medeba, on the East of
the Jordan, when engaged upon the convoy of some property of the Maccabees
to the friendly country of the Nabateans (1 Macc 9:35-42).
3
And Simon, who was surnamed Thasi: (numerically = 56 = 1)
(The guide) (The zealous) (The meaning of the name Thasi / Thassi is
uncertain. It might mean 'the spring is come' in reference to the
tranquility first secured by the supremacy secured by Simon. It might
also mean 'the fresh grass springs up'. The name Simon means: The name
Simon \s(i)-mon\
is pronounced SYE-mun. It is of
Hebrew origin,
and its meaning is "to
hear, to be heard;
reputation".
Biblical:
Simon was the name of two of the
apostles,
including Simon Peter.
From 143–134 B.C. the Maccabean cause was led by Simon (or ‘Thasi’), who
sided with Demetrius II in his opposition against Antiochus VI. The book
ends with the assassination of Simon by Ptolemy, and of his two sons Judas
and John, leaving John Hyrcanus, his remaining heir, to escape and continue
the dynasty.
Simon, surnamed Thassi (“the zealous?”) was now the only surviving member of the original Maccabean family, and he readily took up the inheritance. Tryphon murdered the boy-king Antiochus Dionysus and seized the throne of Seleucus, although having no connection with the Seleucid family. Simon accordingly broke entirely with Tryphon after making successful overtures to Demetrius, who granted the fullest immunity from all the dues that had marked the Seleucid supremacy. Even the golden crown, which had to be paid on the investiture of a new high priest, was now remitted. On the 23rd of Ijjar (May), 141, the patriots entered even the Akra “with praise and palm branches, and with harps, and with cymbals and with viols, and with hymns, and with songs” (1 Macc 13:51). Simon was declared in a Jewish assembly to be high priest and chief of the people “for ever, until there should arise a prophet worthy of credence” (1 Macc 14:41), a limitation that was felt to be necessary on account of the departure of the people from the Divine appointment of the high priests of the old line and one that practically perpetuated the high-priesthood in the family of Simon. Even a new era was started, of which the high-priesthood of Simon was to be year 1, and this was really the foundation of the Hasmonean dynasty (see ASMONEANS).
Upon the death of Jonathan Simon Thassi took over, claiming also the title of high-priest. He embarked on a scheme of refortification, managing ultimately to gain independence from Demetrius I in 142 B.C. He was eventually murdered by his son-in-law Ptolemy, leaving his heir, John Hyrcanus to take over.
John Hyrcanus, one of the sons of Simon,
escaped from the plot laid by Ptolemy, and succeeded his father, both as
prince and high priest. See ASMONEANS. He was succeeded (104 BC) by his son
Aristobulus I who took the final step of assuming the title of king.
4
Judas, who was called Machabeus: (numerically = 73 = 10 = 1
) (Machabeus means " the hammer".)
With the death of Mathathias in 166 B.C. leadership passed to his son Judas,
the most striking figure of the whole work. He led the resistance for six
years until his death at the battle of Laisa (Elasa) at the hands of
Bacchides. During that time the guerrilla army strengthened considerably to
the size where it was able to meet the Syrian army in the field. Judas
repulsed several attacks before his death, defeating Appollonius, Seron at
Bethhoron, Lysias's army under the command of Nicanor and Gorgias, and
Lysias himself at Bethsura.
The name Maccabeus was first applied to Judas, one of the sons of Mathathias generally called in English the Maccabees, a celebrated family who defended Jewish rights and customs in the 2nd century BC (1 Macc 2:1-3). The word has been variously derived (e.g. as the initial letters of Mī Khāmōkhā, Bā-'ēlīm Yahweh! “Who is like unto thee among the mighty, O Yahweh ?”), but it is probably best associated with maḳḳābhāh] “hammer,” and as applied to Judas may be compared with the malleus Scotorum and malleus haereticorum of the Middle Ages (see next article). To understand the work of the Maccabees, it is necessary to take note of the relation in which the Jews and Palestine stood at the time to the immediately neighboring nations.
Judas, commonly called Judas Maccabeus - often called in 2 Maccabees “Judas the Maccabee” - held strongly the opinions of his father and proved at least a very capable leader in guerrilla warfare. He defeated several of the generals of Antiochus - Apollonius at Beth-horon, part of the army of Lysias at Emmaus (166 BC), and Lysias himself at Bethsura the following year. He took possession of Jerusalem, except the “Tower,” where he was subsequently besieged and hard pressed by Lysias and the young king Antiochus Eupator in 163 BC; but quarrels among the Syrian generals secured relief and liberty of religion to the Jews which, however, proved of short duration. The Hellenizing Jews, with ALCIMUS (which see) at their head, secured the favor of the king, who sent Nicanor against Judas. The victory over Nicanor first at Capharsalama and later (161 BC) at Adasa near Beth-horon, in which engagement Nicanor was slain, was the greatest of Judas' successes and practically secured the independence of the Jews. The attempt of Judas to negotiate an alliance with the Romans, who had now serious interests in these regions, caused much dissatisfaction among his followers; and their defection at Elasa (161 BC), during the invasion under Bacchides, which was undertaken before the answer of the Roman Senate arrived, was the cause of the defeat and death of Judas in battle. His body was buried “in the sepulchres of his fathers” at Modin. There is no proof that Judas held the office of high priest like his father Mattathias. (An interesting and not altogether favorable estimate of Judas and of the spiritual import of the revolt will be found in Jerusalem under the High Priests, 97-99, by E.R. Bevan, London, 1904.)
5
Eleazar, who was surnamed Abaron: (numerically = 56 =
1 ) (Aharon?) (Avaran) (The beastslayer)
Eleazar, surnamed Avaran, met his death (161 BC) in the early
stage of the Syrian war, shortly before the death of Judas. In the battle of
Bethzacharias (163 BC), in which the Jews for the first time met elephants
in war, he stabbed from below the elephants on which he supposed the young
king was riding. He killed the elephant but he was himself crushed to death
by its fall (1 Macc 6:43-46). For the further history of the Hasmonean
dynasty, see ASMONEANS; MACCABEES, BOOKS OF.
The final son, Eleazar Avarin, was never a leader of the
rebellion. However, his importance is recognised in II Macc 8:23ff., where
we are told that he was appointed to read aloud the sacred book. He died in
the battle near Beth-zacharias against Antiochus Eupator.
~~~~~~~~
Jonathan, who was surnamed Apphus. (numerically = 81 = 9 ) (The cunning) (The wary)
Jonathan (called Apphus, “the wary”), the youngest of the sons of Mattathias, succeeded Judas, whose defeat and death had left the patriotic party in a deplorable condition from which it was rescued by the skill and ability of Jonathan, aided largely by the rivalries among the competitors for the Syrian throne. It was in reality from these rivalries that resulted the 65 years (129-64 BC) of the completely independent rule of the Hasmonean dynasty (see ASMONEANS) that elapsed between the Greek supremacy of the Syrian kings and the Roman supremacy established by Pompey. The first step toward the recovery of the patriots was the permission granted them by Demetrius I to return to Judea in 158 BC - the year in which Bacchides ended an unsuccessful campaign against Jonathan and in fact accepted the terms of the latter. After his departure, Jonathan “judged the people at Michmash” (1 Macc 9:73). Jonathan was even authorized to reenter Jerusalem and to maintain a military force, only the “Tower” the Akra, as it was called in Greek, being held by a Syrian garrison. See further under ASMONEANS; LACEDAEMONIANS; TRYPHON.
After the death of Judas the leadership passed to Jonathan who commanded from 160–143 B.C. Jonathan is notable for the diplomatic success of making a truce with Bacchides. This allowed him both time to regroup his army and also to support Alexander Balas, the pretender to the Syrian throne, receiving in return the appointment of High Priest. In 145 B.C. Demetrius II deposed Alexander, and Jonathan was forced to side with Antiochus VI, son of Balas, only to be treacherously murdered at the hands of his regent Tryphon.
After Judas’s death, Jonathan Apphus led the rebellion. Although his power was intially weakened, he eventually, due as much to Syrian inter-struggle as his own skill, established the Hasmonean dynasty on the throne in Jerusalem. As well as being the military leader, Jonathan was also appointed high-priest.
6
These saw the evils that were done in the people of Juda, and in Jerusalem.
Numerically, 91118 - 81119 = 9999 - also - 81119 - 91118 = -9999
666 = the number of man
999 = the number of God
Other name spellings from the Jewish encyclopedia
The First Book of
Maccabees and Josephus enumerate the sons of Mattathias as follows:
John
Gaddis or Caddis (Johanan Gadi), Simon Thassi, Judas Maccabeus
There was a lot of slaughter in the wars and battles of the Maccabeans, but when the battles were done, the sang with praise to God because they were doing God's will.
MATHATHIAS'S IN THIS LONG STORY
MATHATHIAS (1 Maccabees 2 passim; 14:29; Septuagint Mattathías), the father of the five Machabees) who fought with the Seleucids for Jewish liberty.
MATHATHIAS (1 Maccabees 11:70), the son of Absalom and a captain in the army of Jonathan the Machabee; together with Judas the son of Calphi, he alone stood by Jonathan's side till the tide of battle turned in the plain of Asor.
MATHATHIAS (1 Maccabees 16:14), a son of Simon the high priest; he and his father and brother Judas were murdered by Ptolemee, the son of Abobus, at Doch. MATHATHIAS (Matthathías), two ancestors of Jesus (Luke 3:25, 26).
Festivals honoring this period became Hannakah - Chanakah
The beginning of the book includes two letters sent by
Jews in
Jerusalem to Jews of the
Diaspora in
Egypt
concerning the feast day set up to celebrate the purification of
the temple (see
Hanukkah) and the feast to celebrate the defeat of Nicanor.
Hanukkah (Hebrew:
חנוכה, alt. Chanukah),
also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day
Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the
Second Temple in
Jerusalem at the time of the
Maccabean Revolt of the
2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting
on the 25th day of
Kislev
according to the
Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late
December on the
Gregorian calendar.
The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a special candelabrum, the Menorah or Hanukiah, one light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. An extra light called a shamash, (Hebrew: "guard" or "servant") is also lit each night, and is given a distinct location, usually higher or lower than the others. The purpose of the extra light is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud (Tracate Shabbat 21b-23a), against using the Hanukkah lights for anything other than publicizing and meditating on the Hanukkah story. (The shamash is used to light the other lights.)
Hanukkah is mentioned in the deuterocanonical or apocrypha books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. 1 Maccabees states: "For eight days they celebrated the rededication of the altar. Then Judah and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the rededication...should be observed...every year...for eight days. (1 Mac.4:56-59)" According to 2 Maccabees, "the Jews celebrated joyfully for eight days as on the feast of Booths."
Sukkot (Hebrew:
סוכות or סֻכּוֹת,
sukkōt ; "booths",
also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of
Booths or Feast of
Tabernacles), is a
Biblical
pilgrimage
festival that occurs in autumn on the 15th day of the
month of
Tishri (late September to late October). The holiday
lasts 7 days. Outside the land of
Israel, many people continue to sit in the
Sukkah on the following day,
Shemini Atzeret. In
Judaism it is one of the three major
holidays known collectively as the
Shalosh Regalim (three pilgrim festivals), when
historically the Jewish populace traveled to the
Temple in Jerusalem.
In 2008 - it occurs on October 14, 2008
SEE: FEAST OF TABERNACLES - 2008
http://www.greatdreams.com/sacred/feast_of_tabernacles_2008.htm
The Menorah is Linked to The Tree of Life
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The Menorah crop circle formation is directly linked to three other extremely significant crop formations that also appeared at Barbury Castle, one of which was the Kabalistic Tree of Life. Amazingly, the circles of the new Menorah formation can be rearranged slightly to become strikingly similar to The Tree of Life!
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The three diagrams above illustrate the point.
The three circles on each side of the top of the Menorah pattern are
simply moved to the sides, and the pathways straightened and
shortened, as shown in the middle illustration. The illustration on
the right is the Kabalistic Tree of Life. Notice that one of the
circles in the Tree of Life diagram is a ring, rather than a
completely darkened circle. This sphere of the Tree of Life is
called "Daat," and is considered "hidden." In most of the diagrams
of the Tree that I have seen, the sphere of Daat is either not
shown, or is shown as a ring made of dashed lines. The ten circles
of The Tree are given the numbers one through ten. The hidden circle
called "Daat" can be considered the eleventh.
See more at:
http://www.greatdreams.com/menorah.htm
| If we take a look of the | Record of John, the `Gospel Writer' of | John, say Chapter 7. We see in Scripture | John writes that after certain events, | John 7:1 after these things "Jesus walked in | Galilee:" he would not walk openly, "he | would not walk in Jewry," he would not | . walk amongst the Jews, "because the Jews | sought to kill him." | | 2. "Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was | b. His own brethren doubt him. at hand. 3. His brothers said to him | John 7:2 to him, Leave here, and go to Judea, | John 7:3 that your disciples may see the | works that you are doing. 4. For no | John 7:4 works in secret, if he seeks to be known ] openly. If you do these things, show yourself | to the world. 5. For even his brothers did not| John 7:5 believe in him." 6. " Jesus said unto them, My time is | c. Hated by the
world. 11. The Jews were looking for him at the] There was much muttering amongst the people] 37. On the last day of the feast, the great day]
In John, this is the first of the three times that Jesus
goes to
Jerusalem for the
Passover, and John says that during the Passover Feast
there were (unspecified) miraculous signs performed by Jesus,
which caused people to believe in him, but that he would
not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. Some
scholars have argued that John may have included this latter
statement, about knowing all men, in order to portray
Jesus as possessing a knowledge of people's hearts and minds
(Brown et al. 955), and hence have attributes that would be
expected of
God.
This event satisfies the criterion of multiple attestation, and scholars of the historical Jesus generally credit this event as genuine and associate it with Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. Jesus' criticismAccording to the synoptics, Jesus targeted specifically the money changers and the dove sellers and justifies his actions by quoting from the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Jeremiah:
and
The quote from Isaiah comes from a section which instructs that all who obey God's will, whether Jewish or not, are to be allowed into the Temple so that they can pray, and therefore converse with God. The loud market-like atmosphere of money changers and livestock often seems to modern readers to be at odds with the Temple being a place of quiet prayer. However, this interpretation may reflect anachronistic perceptions of ancient worship -- which often involved the sacrificial slaughter of animals -- and the manner in which understandings of pre-Christian ritualistic practices intersect with modern notions of contemplative worship. Further, from a Judaic cultural perspective, Jews would have certainly utilized money changers, yet the currency exchange would have been primarily accessed by non-Hebrew travelers changing foreign coins. The area in question was almost certainly the Court of the Gentiles, a location in the massive Temple complex setup specifically for the purpose of purchasing sacrificial animals and—out of necessity—a place where Jewish pilgrims could exchange their foreign coinage for the appropriate local currency. The reference to den of thieves may be a
reference to inflated pricing or more sinister forms of using
a religious cult to exploit the poor. Or, simply to exaggerate
the lecherousness of the traders. In
Mark 12:40 and
Luke 20:47 Jesus again accuses the Temple authorities of
thieving and this time names poor widows as their victims
going on to provide evidence of this in
Mark 12:42 and
Luke 21:2. Dove sellers were selling doves that were
sacrificed by the poor who could not afford grander sacrifices
and specifically by women. It could also be translated den
of bandits, and it may refer to the rebels against Rome
who took refuge in the Temple in the war against Rome that
ended with the destruction of the Temple in the year 70 A.D.
According to
Mark 11:16, Jesus then put an embargo on people carrying
any merchandise through the temple—a sanction that would have
disrupted all commerce.
The synoptics then state that the crowd were in awe of Jesus, which concerned "the chief priests and the teachers of the law." Luke and Mark say these Temple leaders were so concerned that they began to plot against Jesus' life, to which Luke adds that the crowd were so in awe with Jesus that no-one could be found to assassinate him. Matthew says the Temple leaders questioned Jesus if he was aware the children were shouting Hosanna to the Son of David, and Jesus responded by accepting the worship of the children as valid by quoting ...from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise from the Book of Psalms (Psalm 8:2). The Gospel of John presents a quite different exchange.
Jesus is described as angrily criticising the occupants of the
temple for turning it into a market. At some point (either
after or during the incident) the disciples are described as
remembering the quotation zeal for your house consumes me
(Psalms
69:9). The word in Greek is ζηλος/zelos[1]
from which
Zealots is derived.
The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. It was a decisive
event in the
First Jewish-Roman War, followed by the
fall of Masada in 73. The
Roman army, led by the future Emperor
Titus, with
Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command,
besieged and conquered the city of
Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its
Jewish
defenders in 66. The city and its famous
Temple were completely destroyed.
The destruction of the Temple is still mourned annually as the Jewish fast Tisha B'Av, and the Arch of Titus, depicting and celebrating the sack of Jerusalem and the Temple, still stands in Rome. FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70)
ISRAEL TEMPLE DATABASE ON THIS SITE: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=site%3Agreatdreams.com++israel+temple+&btnG=Search
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