Burnt Offerings
November 23, 2016
G.D.O’Bradovich III
1
While the Unsuspecting Reader may be looking forward to a review of a certain 1976 movie by the same title, the frequent Reader will not be so easily deceived by this essay’s title.
Various occupations require specific mental worldviews and temperaments, and philology is no exception to this general, yet surprisingly helpful, observation. Historically, banks and insurance companies have attracted conservative minded employees who are aware that they are responsible for other people's money. If personal assets are rightly valued, then the inheritance of language should be treasured more than wealth, as words are not limited to certain individuals, but are universally available to all people. Clearly, liberal bankers are as oxymoronic as liberal philologists. The philologist understands better than most non linguists that the meaning of words change according to time and place. For example, in the 14th century, “bigamist” meant what we would describe as elopement today, while 30 years later, bigamist would have the current meaning. In the 16th century, “Greek” was interchangeable with “Christian”. With only a little knowledge, the initially clear wording of “Greek bigamist” suddenly becomes ambiguous, and without context, remains uncertain. Therefore, the unsuspecting modern reader may become misinformed, due entirely to their knowledge that is limited to the present. These ambiguities are not limited to the English language, but extend to all living languages. We expect that writing in Latin and ancient Greek prevents ambiguity, as the meaning of these words, and the construction of the respective language, is, or can be, universally understood. Alas, our high expectations encounter the alleged writings of the Church Fathers, with the result of having little merit.
“Burnt offerings” is an exact translation of the Greek word that can be transliterated as “holokaustos”. Regretfully, translations are incapable of providing the proper context of a word, as context is required for a complete understanding of the meaning. Recourse to current dictionaries are neither the preferred nor the complete course of research.
The context of the “burnt offering” is that the entire sacrificial animal is burned with fire. Sacrificing certain parts of the animal is not a “holocaust”, insofar as the Greek word is referenced and properly understood. Hence, “holocaust” is an all encompassing sacrifice.
Animals are sacrificed by killing, and death is usually accomplished by bloodshed, that is, exsanguination. Once again, this practice varies by time and location.
The Roman Church explicitly teaches that the Mass is a bloodless sacrifice. The fourth Gospel suggests or implies that Jesus is the lamb of God. Later, we read that the lamb of God was slain, and that we have been redeemed to God by his blood.
Although it is not a job requirement for either philologists or Great Occultists, word associations and the ability to visualize are helpful to both vocations. We have serious reservations that this mental agility can be taught; we believe that this trait is wholly natural. In common parlance: “Ya either got it, or ya don't”.
When encountering “burnt offerings”, we see “holokaustos” (1) and associated images of pagan sacrifices (2). From complete sacrifices(3), we envision partial sacrifices (4) and then bloodless sacrifices (5) of the Roman church. Penultimately, we have associations with the second world war (6), and, finally, a pop culture reference to the movie (7). Therefore, from one phrase, the mind has seven possible avenues of thought. If one were to continue expanding these possible avenues, then one can reach thousands of potential topics and images. We now know why some people cannot immediately fall asleep and why a certain famous philologist spent his final years in an institution.
The Perplexed Reader will wonder why Yours Truly offers this pertinent information now, after the passage of several years, hundreds of web pages and tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of words.
Our answer is threefold.
Firstly, our website began as a whim, an accident, and no one could have foreseen the eventual magnitude of the site. The ebbs and flows of the topics reflect encounters and discussions with Apprentices, potential Apprentices, and other people of interest. Unlike certain writers who envisioned the titles of their works as descriptions of the Garden of Eden, the best example of this phenomenon is Nietzsche, we had no overarching vision.
Secondly, we recall the Prolegomena or introduction by Jean Hardouin where he does not provide the necessary information to fully understand his intentions until the final chapters. This willful omission can be understood as an esoteric writing technique that forces the curious reader to read the entire work again. A second, and more careful, reading almost insures that Hardouin’s intended meaning is properly understood.
Finally, should the Gentle Reader find the webpage entitled ”Curriculum Vitae” and read the entries from the top to the bottom of the page, that is, from the most recent to the oldest works, this approach confirms the words of the Master who famously said the first will be last and the last will be first.
Various occupations require specific mental worldviews and temperaments, and philology is no exception to this general, yet surprisingly helpful, observation. Historically, banks and insurance companies have attracted conservative minded employees who are aware that they are responsible for other people's money. If personal assets are rightly valued, then the inheritance of language should be treasured more than wealth, as words are not limited to certain individuals, but are universally available to all people. Clearly, liberal bankers are as oxymoronic as liberal philologists. The philologist understands better than most non linguists that the meaning of words change according to time and place. For example, in the 14th century, “bigamist” meant what we would describe as elopement today, while 30 years later, bigamist would have the current meaning. In the 16th century, “Greek” was interchangeable with “Christian”. With only a little knowledge, the initially clear wording of “Greek bigamist” suddenly becomes ambiguous, and without context, remains uncertain. Therefore, the unsuspecting modern reader may become misinformed, due entirely to their knowledge that is limited to the present. These ambiguities are not limited to the English language, but extend to all living languages. We expect that writing in Latin and ancient Greek prevents ambiguity, as the meaning of these words, and the construction of the respective language, is, or can be, universally understood. Alas, our high expectations encounter the alleged writings of the Church Fathers, with the result of having little merit.
“Burnt offerings” is an exact translation of the Greek word that can be transliterated as “holokaustos”. Regretfully, translations are incapable of providing the proper context of a word, as context is required for a complete understanding of the meaning. Recourse to current dictionaries are neither the preferred nor the complete course of research.
The context of the “burnt offering” is that the entire sacrificial animal is burned with fire. Sacrificing certain parts of the animal is not a “holocaust”, insofar as the Greek word is referenced and properly understood. Hence, “holocaust” is an all encompassing sacrifice.
Animals are sacrificed by killing, and death is usually accomplished by bloodshed, that is, exsanguination. Once again, this practice varies by time and location.
The Roman Church explicitly teaches that the Mass is a bloodless sacrifice. The fourth Gospel suggests or implies that Jesus is the lamb of God. Later, we read that the lamb of God was slain, and that we have been redeemed to God by his blood.
Although it is not a job requirement for either philologists or Great Occultists, word associations and the ability to visualize are helpful to both vocations. We have serious reservations that this mental agility can be taught; we believe that this trait is wholly natural. In common parlance: “Ya either got it, or ya don't”.
When encountering “burnt offerings”, we see “holokaustos” (1) and associated images of pagan sacrifices (2). From complete sacrifices(3), we envision partial sacrifices (4) and then bloodless sacrifices (5) of the Roman church. Penultimately, we have associations with the second world war (6), and, finally, a pop culture reference to the movie (7). Therefore, from one phrase, the mind has seven possible avenues of thought. If one were to continue expanding these possible avenues, then one can reach thousands of potential topics and images. We now know why some people cannot immediately fall asleep and why a certain famous philologist spent his final years in an institution.
The Perplexed Reader will wonder why Yours Truly offers this pertinent information now, after the passage of several years, hundreds of web pages and tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of words.
Our answer is threefold.
Firstly, our website began as a whim, an accident, and no one could have foreseen the eventual magnitude of the site. The ebbs and flows of the topics reflect encounters and discussions with Apprentices, potential Apprentices, and other people of interest. Unlike certain writers who envisioned the titles of their works as descriptions of the Garden of Eden, the best example of this phenomenon is Nietzsche, we had no overarching vision.
Secondly, we recall the Prolegomena or introduction by Jean Hardouin where he does not provide the necessary information to fully understand his intentions until the final chapters. This willful omission can be understood as an esoteric writing technique that forces the curious reader to read the entire work again. A second, and more careful, reading almost insures that Hardouin’s intended meaning is properly understood.
Finally, should the Gentle Reader find the webpage entitled ”Curriculum Vitae” and read the entries from the top to the bottom of the page, that is, from the most recent to the oldest works, this approach confirms the words of the Master who famously said the first will be last and the last will be first.