Posted by Paul Myers on August 30, 1998 at 19:00:06:
In Reply to: Lucifer posted by Paul Myers on August 30, 1998 at 18:52:23:
: : I continually run into debates and conclusions of "scholarly" exegesis based on suppositions. There are a few points that need to be cleared up on this particular issue.
: : 1) Heylel is a Hebrew word adopted from the Chaldean language. It is not a Babylonian word (since "Babylonian" is used in a political sense and not in a cultural sense. The Sumerians were the first (or "old") "Babylonians" and the Chaldeans, of Nebuchadnezzer fame, were the second (or "new") "Babylonians"). Heylel means "Light Bearer" and is a euphemism for the Morning Star. The Morning Star, which we now know to be the planet Venus (hence the name), was an astrological sign for the Redeemer or Savior (cf. the legends of Horus and Mithras as well). The Morning Star rises in the East just prior to the onset of Dawn so I am sure you can see the allegorical significance.
: : 2) Heylel was not a word for Nebuchadnezzer. Isaiah was using this word derogatorily (14:12) and parallels the prophecies of Daniel ch 4. It was Nebuchadnezzer who was calling himself Heylel and Isaiah was mocking him.
: : 3) It was not Shakespeare who first equated "Lucifer" with the Devil. It was John Milton in "Paradise Lost".
: : 4) Furthermore, it is especially difficult for the Christian to assert that "Lucifer" is the Devil given that Jesus referred to himself as "Lucifer" (Rev 22:16). In this passage Jesus was reasserting his claim to Messiahship by way of the ancient symbol -- authority by antiquity. These anomolies caused problems for The Church in an earlier time. In 1263 Pope Clement V commissioned a Franciscan Monk, Roger Bacon, to investigate these apparent problems arising from translation. In his investigation he discovered papers by Jerome where, on his deathbed, the latter recanted the Latin Vulgate translation due to errors caused by haste. Jerome particularly singled out the Isaian translations. Bacon's report back to the papacy that "Lucifer" was the Messiah and not the devil earned him not accolades but prison time until he recanted his investigation -- which he did. Afterall, the Earth was not officially round until sometime this century so what could we expect. Please refer to "The Opus Majus of Roger Bacon", "Causes of Error", Ch. VI.
: : It appears that the various Christian sects spend an inordinate amount of time aruguing about their particular erroneous translations rather than objectively seeking truth. "Come now and let us REASON together.", commanded the Lord (Isaiah 1:18) and "My children are destroyed for lack of knowledge" He warned (Hosea 6:4). This is a call to be a little more rigorous in our investigations, a little less specious in our content and a little less sophmoric in our dialectics.
: : Peace to you,
: : Lexmagus
I agree with what you say. Of course the eord in Isaiah 14 Lucifer means morning star. You would be hard pressed to use this passage to prove the existance of a supernatural fallen angel.See verse 16 "is this the man".
Verse 4 tells us who this man is - the king of Babylon! A very well written article.