Chaldeans

Watched Transformers movie at Flat over veggie lazagnia and cheesy bread...

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."-- Transformers

They're autobots, and they each have a name (introduced to me through Glen Aulin Megatron Blond Bear tales!!)...and they're at war with one another, and the good ones ally themselves with us, a lower level species!, and have become our protectors....at the end they put out a call to their fellow...planetbots?...that Earth is a new home....

Well. this was all an odd thing to see while considering a verse from Daniel I read last night...lemegogetthat...

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19: And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

20: And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

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That caught my attention, and too while I watched in the movie the autobots introduce themselves and their attributes...I was reminded of this nameing in Daniel...the signifigance of which I dont follow...

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6: Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

7: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.

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I mentioned before that the ancient gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, have taken up residence in modern comic books stories...and these comic book movies follow old storytelling formulas...which work very well on one's emotions...the audience included toddlers and oldsters...all in rapt attention...the special effects are spectacular!!

And there's this bit of how the Babylonian King selects, and indicates a reputation the ancient Israeli's had, not unlike today's!!

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1: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

2: And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. 3: And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; 4: Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

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Now, I've had to figure out who the Chaldeans are!!...

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Chaldea proper was the vast plain in the south formed by the deposits of the Euphrates and the Tigris, extending to about four hundred miles along the course of these rivers, and about a hundred miles in average width. In the late Assyrian Empire, Babylonian ceased to be spoken, and Aramaic took its place. One form of this widespread language is used in Daniel and Ezra. When the Chaldean empire was absorbed into the Achaemenid, the name Chaldean lost its meaning as the name of a race of men, and came to be applied to a class. The Persians found the Chaldeans masters of reading and writing, and especially versed in all forms of incantation, in sorcery, witchcraft, and the magical arts.[citation needed] Thus, in Greek, "Chaldean" came to acquire the meaning of "astrologer" (e.g. in Strabo). In this sense it is also used in the Book of Daniel (Dan. 1:4, 2:2ff.).

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Those are wikipedia quotes...but they in turn were taken from the Jewish Encyclopedia...

And what it explains is the "Chaldeans" became a synonym for "scientists"...though back then they dabbled in the supernatural...well...they still do...Newton and his alchemy studies...

The historical Chaldeans were the Reed People of Iraq who recently went through great woe when Saddam diverted the river from the delta...that's interesting...as the ancient Egyptians were a 'reed' people too to start...all that history swallowed by the Nile delta...

Are the Transformers "Chaldeans" in the sense of "scientists"...curiously this story begins with a tale of a ship at the north pole...or south...which bears a resemblance to the movies American Treasure...which I think I have in a previous post....the second in this series will come out during the Holidays...and what's that "cube" about!!??

Haven't I seen all this in Alias?...maybe Sydney's on...Chuck Norris exercising dont do it...brb...(Christie's okay...)

The Hoover Dam bit has a CT link..at least it's one my wild woollies...as Herbert Hoover I think made off with treasure from the Fall of Peking...maybe even something in the Library which was torched...and he's about something with gold in Australia...and is just generally one of the more mysterious Presidents...so a tip of the hat to the movie scripters for snagging him into it all!!

For a pic here I'll see if I can find Ezekiels chariot...well, I got that pic from an elaborate, as in intellectual, religious blog....and it's a Sumerian seal of some sort that I've often seen...but...but what were the ancients "seeing"...and here's Daniel again with his transfor...er...beasts!!

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1: In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2: Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3: And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4: The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5: And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6: After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7: After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8: I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
9: I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10: A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
11: I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
12: As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
13: I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14: And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

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The UFO folk of course make much of all this...and I'll try to make something of the Ancient of Days tomorrow...

DavidDavid

Tree in the Door

Nov. 13, 2007