MAGNIFICAT BENEDICTUS DOXOLOGY

Magnificat

The title commonly given to the Latin text and vernacular translation of the Canticle (or Song) of Mary. It is the opening word of the Vulgate text (Luke 1:46-55): "Magnificat anima mea, Dominum", etc. (My soul doth magnify the Lord, etc.). In ancient antiphonaries it was often styled Evangelium Mariæ, the "Gospel of Mary". In the Roman Breviary it is entitled (Vespers for Sunday) Canticum B.M.V. (Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary). The "Magnificat", "Benedictus" (Canticle of Zachary — Luke 1:68-79), and "Nunc Dimittis" (Canticle of Simeon — Luke 2:29-32) are also styled "evangelical canticles", as they are found in the Gospel (Evangelium) of St. Luke.

Form and content

Commentators divide it into three or four stanzas, of which easily accessible illustrations may be found in McEvilly, "Exposition of the Gospel of St. Luke" (triple-division: verses 46-49, 50-53, 54-55); in Maas, "Life of Jesus Christ" (also triple, but slightly different: vv. 46-50, 51-43, 54-55); and in Schaff and Riddle, "Popular Commentary on the New Testament" (division into four stanzas: vv. 46-48, 49-50, 51-52, 53-55). The Magnificat is in many places very similar in thought and phrase to the Canticle of Anna (1 Samuel 2:1-10), and to various psalms (xxxiii, 3-5; xxxiv, 9; cxxxvii, 6; lxx, 19; cxxv, 2-3; cx, 9; xcvii, 1; cxvii, 16; xxxii, 10; cxii, 7; xxxii, 11; xcvii, 3; cxxxi, 11). Similarities are found with Hab., iii, 18; Mal., iii, 12; Job 5:11; Isaiah 12:8 and 49:3; Genesis 17:19. Steeped thus in Scriptural thought and phraseology, summing up in its inspired ecstasy the economy of God with His Chosen People, indicating the fulfillment of the olden prophecy and prophesying anew until the end of time, the Magnificat is the crown of the Old Testament singing, the last canticle of the Old and the first of the New Testament. It was uttered (or, not improbably, chanted) by the Blessed Virgin, when she visited her cousin Elizabeth under the circumstances narrated by St. Luke in the first chapter of his Gospel. It is an ecstasy of praise for the inestimable favour bestowed by God on the Virgin, for the mercies shown to Israel, and for the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and to the patriarchs. Only four points of exegesis will be noted here. Some commentators distinguish the meaning of "soul" (or "intellect") and "spirit" (or "will") in the first two verses; but, in view of Hebrew usage, probably both words mean the same thing, "the soul with all its faculties". In v. 48, "humility" probably means the "low estate", or "lowliness", rather than the virtue of humility. The second half of v. 48 utters a prophecy which has been fulfilled ever since, and which adds to the overwhelming reasons for rejecting the Elizabethan authorship of the canticle. Finally the first half of v. 55 (As he spoke to our fathers) is probably parenthetical.

Marian authorship

The past decade has witnessed a discussion of the authorship of the Magnificat, based on the fact that three ancient codices (Vercellensis, Veronensis, Rhedigerianus) have: "Et ait Elisabeth: Magnificat anima mea", etc. (And Elizabeth said: My soul doth magnify, etc.); and also on some very slight patristic use of the variant reading. Harnack in "Berliner Sitzungsberichte" (17 May, 1900), 538-56, announced his view of the Elizabethan authorship, contending that the original reading is neither "Mary" nor "Elizabeth", but merely "she" (said). About two years previously, Durand had criticized, in the "Revue Biblique", the argument of Jacobé for a probable ascription to Elizabeth. Dom Morin had called attention ("Revue Biblique", 1897) to the words of Nicetas (Niceta) of Remesiana, in a Vatican manuscript of his "De psalmodiæ bono": "Cum Helisabeth Dominum anima nostra magnificat" (With Elizabeth our soul doth magnify the Lord). The works of Nicetas have been edited recently by Burn, and give (De psalmodiæ bono, ix, xi) evidence of Nicetas's view (see note 4, p. 79, ibid.). In the introduction to Burn's volume, Burkit rejects the reading "Et ait Elisabeth" as wholly untenable in view of the contradictory testimony of Tertullian and of all the Greek and Syriac texts, but contends for the original reading "she" (said) and for the Elizabethan authorship. He is answered by the Anglican Bishop of Salisbury, who supports the probability of an original reading "she", but rejects the ascription to Elizabeth (pp. clv-clviii). The witness of the codices and of the Fathers is practically unanimous for the Vulgate reading: "Et ait Maria"; but, apart from this, the attribution of the Magnificat to Elizabeth would, in St. Luke's context, be highly abnormal. Long before the recent discussion, Westcott and Hort, in the appendix (52) to their "Introduction to the New Testament in the Original Greek" (New York, 1882), had briefly discussed and rejected the reading "Elisabeth"; and this rejection is summarily confirmed in their revised text of the "N. T. in the Original Greek" (London, 1895), 523.

Liturgical use

While the canticles taken by the Roman Breviary from the Old Testament are located with the psalms, and are so distributed as to be sung only once a week, the Magnificat shares with the other two "evangelical canticles" the honour of a daily recitation and of a singularly prominent location immediately before the Oratio, or Prayer of the daily Office (or, if there be preces, immediately before these). The "Magnificat" is assigned to Vespers, the "Benedictus" to Lauds, and the "Nunc Dimittis" to Compline. Six reasons are given by Durandus for the assignment of the Magnificat to Vespers, the first being that the world was saved in its eventide by the assent of Mary to the Divine plan of Redemption. Another reason is found by Colvenarius in the probability that it was towards evening when Our Lady arrived at the house of St. Elizabeth. However this may be, in the Rule (written before 502) of St. Cæsarius of Arles, the earliest extant account of its liturgical use, it is assigned to Lauds, as it is in the Greek Churches of to-day. The ceremonies attending its singing in the choir at solemn Vespers are notably impressive. At the intonation "Magnificat", all who are in the sanctuary arise, and the celebrant (having first removed his biretta "in honour of the canticles") goes with his assistants to the altar, where, with the customary reverences, etc., he blesses the incense and incenses the altar as at the beginning of solemn Mass. In order to permit the elaborate ceremony of incensing, the Magnificat is sung much more slowly than the psalms. A similar ceremony attends the singing of the Benedictus at solemn Lauds, but not of the Nunc Dimittis at Compline.
At the first word of the Magnificat and of the Benedictus (but not of the Nunc Dimittis, save where custom has made it lawful) the Sign of the Cross is made. In some churches the Magnificat is sung at devotions outside of Vespers. Answering a question from Canada, the "Ecclesiastical Review" (XXIII, 74) declares that the rubrics allow such a separation, but forbids the incensing of the altar in such a case. The same review (XXIII, 173) remarks that "the practice of making the Sign of the Cross at the opening of the Magnificat, the Benedictus, and the Nunc Dimittis in the Office is of very ancient usage, and is sanctioned by the very best authority", and refers to the Congregation of Sacred Rites, 20 December, 1861.

Musical settings

Like the canticles and psalms, the Magnificat is preceeded and followed by an antiphon varying for the feast or ferial Office, and is sung to the eight modes of plain song. The first verse has, however, no mediation, because of the brevity (the one word Magnificat) of the first half. The Canticles of Mary and of Zachary share (even in the Office of the Dead) the peculiar honour of commencing every verse with an initium or intonation. This intonation varies for the varying modes; and the Magnificat has a special solemn intonation for the second, seventh, and eighth modes, although in this case the usual festive intonation applies, in the second and eighth modes, to all the verses except the first. The "musical", as distinguished from the "plainsong", treating of the canticle has been very varied. Sometimes the chanted verses alternated with harmonized plainsong, sometimes with falso bordone having original melodies in the same mode as the plain song. But there are innumerable settings which are entirely original, and which run through the whole range of musical expression, from the simplest harmony up to the most elaborate dramatic treatment, with orchestral accompaniment of the text. Almost every great church composer has worked often and zealously on this theme. Palestrina published two settings in each of the eight modes, and left in manuscript almost as many more. Fifty settings by Orlando di Lasso are in the Royal Library at Munich, and tradition credits him with twice as many more. In our own days, César Franck (1822-90) is said to have completed sixty-three out of the hundred he had planned. In addition to such names as Palestrina, di Lasso, Josquin des Prés, Morales, Goudimal, Animuccia, Vittoria, Anerio, Gabrieli, Suriano, who with their contemporaries contributed innumerable settings, the modern Cecilian School has done much work on the Magnificat both as a separate canticle, and as one of the numbers in a "Complete Vespers" of many feasts. In Anglican services the Magnificat receives a musical treatment not different from that accorded to the other canticles, and therefore quite dissimilar to that for Catholic Vespers, in which the length of time consumed in incensing the altar allows much greater musical elaboration. A glance through the pages of Novello's catalogue of "Services" leads to the estimate of upwards of one thousand settings of the Magnificat for Anglican services by a single publishing house. Altogether, the estimate of Krebbiel that this canticle "has probably been set to music oftener than any hymn in the liturgy" seems well within the truth.

 

"Draw Closer"

What draws us to the paranormal? The supernatural? The unknown beyond? Is it pure human curiosity or is there truly something embedded in our DNA that is part of a larger, spiritual force? Is it not strange that the only credible witness of supernatural beings were in the days of ancient history and biblical times? Believe it or not, this is SO on purpose to push the scale to force us as humans to act on belief and faith alone. No matter your background, religion, etc., no matter if you even believe in other worldly life or not, it's there. Prime example, Joseph was drawn to the Manger when he woke up and did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Even though she was knocked up by another angel by means of artificial insemination with the seed of Creator of All Things! He had no union with her until she gave birth to The Son and gave him the title, Jesus, which means "To Save".  We know now, none of the Superior Celestial Beings were ever called by their original actual names, so we give them titles instead.  So in this popular example, Joseph was acting on his belief. 

"What do You Believe?"

Then there is Mary. What drew her to the manger? Biblical history tells us an angel titled, Gabriel or "Strong One", told her she would carry a child, deliver it, raise it and let it go into the world not to be changed by the world, to change the world. That's heavy stuff for a 16-17 year old virgin! Then and now! It was not a prophecy the supernatural being explained to Mary, it was a Master Plan. On purpose for a purpose. The Strong One even told Mary her relative, Elizabeth, who was believed to be barren and up in age, was already six months pregnant thanks to a little intervention from his kind. She believed the being to be honest when he said, "I am the Lord's servant" she said, "may it be as you have said" and he left. Mary was acting on her commitment to succeed an impossible mission. Mary was not supernatural. The practice of impregnating a virgin is not even supernatural as modern science has proven. But what makes her actions so beyond the norm is she believed. That - is supernatural. 

  "What are you committed to that is 'impossible'?

Like it or not, that little nudge inside you that helped you overcome the impossible was not done by you alone. You had to tap into the special part of you that is not your own-the ability to believe, commit and act on the premise of hope are all "supernatural" actions! It is that irresistible push from the pit of your stomach, the fire in your belly, the heat in your bones, the force in your drive. It is that part of you that is from your Creator. Your natural abilities are from your mother and father, your supernatural abilities are from God. Therefore, it is literally impossible to achieve the supernatural without God. 

"What drew Jesus to the manger?"

Here's the best part about the supernatural human power of belief, commitment and action. We get stronger through our attitude! That's right, it's all about attitude. Your attitude should be the same as "The One Who Saves". The Anointed One, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something be comprehensible, tangible or even something to be held. Instead, He made himself nothing, took on the chores of a servant, a common man and took on the attitude of a human. Many believe if He really was the Son of God, why didn't act like all the other supernatural beings before Him? Why did He not take humans as slaves and concubines and rule the world? It was His attitude that made all the difference. His attitude was Love not hate. His attitude was peace not pain. His attitude was life-even after death!

You see, Jesus, humbly--"served." This - out of all the miracles, great wonders, fantastic legends of grandeur and perseverance including resurrection, none compared to his choice to tap into his "human" side and perform yet another human supernatural power! The power to serve. Grace is the gift-Life is the promise. This is how you Draw Closer to each other and the Divine. Who knew? All this time, humans were created with supernatural powers? Pretty cool, eh? We have the power to love, the power to help each other overcome impossible odds by working together to achieve common goals. We have the power to believe, the power to commit and the power to change the world through our positive attitude. Use your powers wisely-after all, with great power comes great responsibility.

~DeMaster A. Thomas~

The Ripple Effect: A Fabric of Existence

Control is an illusion. You can cause a decision to become true, but you cannot control it's outcome. You do not have ultimate control over life or death. While you can create life and bring it into the world, you cannot control the core direction that new life will take internally, spiritually. You can control it's environment, weigh heavy influence on it's comprehension of self and others, but you cannot control it's spirit. You may have control over the death of that new life and can decide when the body of that new life ceases to exist. But you cannot control where the soul goes after it leaves that body. Whatever is going to happen before life and after life, is not, essentially, in your control. 

You can become victim to the "idea of fear" and completely lose yourself as well as the sight of the circumstance. Believe me when I tell you that the power in you is stronger than the power that surrounds you. Do not be afraid. You will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace. You will not be humiliated. You will shed the pain of past injustice and grow in the strength of peace and truth. You will prevail.  No one who is bound in the Eternal Light of Life shall suffer from the temporary darkness of this earth and this time. You are the passenger of a greater power unknown to those who wish you harm. And the Captain of the ship will not allow any harm to come of you in the end times. Wickedness and hateful things are evil in the eyes of the All Powerful and all that wish to exude it will be swiftly brought to justice; in the blink of an eye. The vengeance is so great in dispair, that your eyes will be spared its sight; fore no man or woman or child shall be witness to such monstrosity and still claim to be internally and forever grateful and at peace. 

Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
This is what true caring feels like. Knowledge is only as good as it's application. Bring the peace within you out and share it with others. Love is contagious. It will spread, but not without opposition. Do not be in a hurry to live out your life. After all, you only get one. Take time to reflect and if you are now in a place of peace, take a few moments to truly embrace it. Take a deep breath and feel the warmth of a subtle smile begin to push your lips. You are grateful. Be glad in it. If you are still on your journey to rid yourself of whatever illness, despair or pain you may be going through right now, know this. You are not alone. You will be removed from your pain soon and very soon. Smile in confidence, knowing that whatever trial you may be encountering is temporary, and it too will surely pass. And once it does, you can sing out with happiness and look back with accomplishment. You made it through the low valleys of your life and only the mountaintop awaits.

~DeMaster A. Thomas~  

 

MASTEROLOGY

E.M.D. - 1992

"Pay attention so you don't have to rewind me

You'd cry too, if you could only see what I see...

I'll flick a star through space just to watch time fly

I'll drop meteors, just to hear planets cry...

Through Masterology, you will gain philosophy

but with parapsychology, comes mysticology

you ask what is this force that created me

it's the realms of energy

the potion of humanity."

Everyone has their idea of a perfect world as close to Heaven as they can get it. Problem is, no human alive today has ever seen the One True Heaven and has never experienced life without the moral and intellectual fall of humankind, so it would be pretty hard to say it's "perfect." We can only say it is our idea of Paradise. In a "perfect world", the world would be one government, one form of economic exchange and life, liberty and individual contentment would be universal to all. This - is my utopia, as it stands today. Not to say my view will not change tomorrow, but as of today, this is where I would like to see our world progress to, at least with some degree of understanding that we cannot change the human nature of others, we can only change ourselves. This is just a snapshot of a few of the larger issues facing our world today. Of course to address every little detail would require a blog the size of the Internet itself. So let's just take a look a few of the basic necessities. 

-De'Master Thomas

HEALTH CARE - Universal is ideal, but only if the culture it serves is already healthy from eating healthy, getting proper exercise, maintaining a healthy nutritional intake and maintaining a positive mental attitude. Well, in the "perfect world", this is attainable for all. If there is a need for health care services, payment is pretty simple: no deductibles. $10 copay for medications, $20 for regular physician visits and $100 for hospital and operative visits. But what about the poor? You say, we will address that in the economic balance section. 

TAXES - This is no longer the worst word in the economic vocabulary in the "perfect world", because in the "perfect world", taxes are not seen as theft by the government, instead is it called, "Contributory Support." This is not a spin on words to make stealing people's money sound better. It is exactly what it says! All people contributing to a universal system of infrastructure, education, technology, security, military, global and interplanetary progression and development. No longer will there be a system of inflation and greed. It is an equal, 10% of one's earnings and a 10% maximum sales and interest assessment. No more, no less. For the whole world. Reminding you before you say, "this is stupid and wouldn't work!" Remember, this is global economics on a planet with one currency, no stock exchange, no bonds, security, etc. Only a well oiled, perfectly balanced budget that all the world puts into and all the world benefits from because there is no fraud, abuse, embezzlement, greed or theft.

INFRASTRUCTURE - In Paradise, all public access bridges, roads, highways and transportation services are provided at no additional excess cost to the responsible, contributing citizen. You already paid your Contributory Support Assessment, so why would there be a need to ask for more money if the money collected is managed to perfection! Imagine no tolls on expressways or bridges, no "pay-for-parking" in public access areas and no additional fees for anything related to public access transportation? It's possible and attainable today! We just have to want it bad enough to implement the well balanced local, county and state diets and then maintain and elevate the healthy bodies of government and services for all to enjoy for years to come.

 ALL BUSINESS IS BIG BUSINESS - Yes, the power of small business is back! In Paradise, every person who chooses to own a legitimate, regulated business, will not be required to pay any taxes on their business profits. They will be able to employ, buy, sell and trade on the open market with confidence and security without the threat of buyouts, financial ruin, and loss of income to excessive fees and penalties applied out of greed and theft. If you want to open a business, just file a $25 license with your local area obtain your health and practices certificate after passing the fair but necessary requirements and that's it! Open your doors, web site, gallery, store, shop, market, practice, studio, whatever it is, and enjoy sharing your talents and gifts with the world all while making a profit. All insurances are mandatory in order to operate anything, much like it is now, but remember, you will get your rate based on your risk and your risk alone! Not the risk of every person in your area. This means paying only for what you indemnify, if at the end of your policy period, you have not used any of the funds saved up for your loss risk, you get your money back! You use only what you put in. All forms of insurance will be for loss coverage only, there is no damages awarded above and beyond the cost of the loss. Thereby lowering the overall cost for everyone and remaining profitable. Welcome to Paradise! Where you literally, never have to worry about your butt being covered!

POLITICS - Who would have thought, politics actually can play an important role in a healthy, strong, prominent viable society! That's right. In the "perfect world," government does exactly that - GOVERN! That's it. No legislation is done from the bench because the judge follows the law, not their personal opinion about the situation or circumstance of the case. Government regulates, legislates, enforces and protects. Government protects all rights of all peoples and ensures that all operations, great and small, social or otherwise, are mandated and controlled and restrained. There is no fraud, crime or corruption. There is no deception, intimidation, backstabbing or degradation. Public service is exactly that - service to the public. Salaries are fair, honest and equal to private sector work and all the laws that apply to the average citizen applies to the public official - there is no one person of greater importance than another. All public servants strive to maintain and elevate the greater global good. There are small reflections I must highlight, in Paradise, every registered person can vote! Period. That's it. There can be no slander or slam ads against an opponent, every person appointed to a position of public service obtains the position on their own merit, not by smearing the other person. There are no borders in a Universal - One World Civilization. Therefore, no walls of separation of country, nation or continent. WE ARE ONE. No exceptions. There are no parties, only people.

ECONOMICS- Now we can get to the "root of all" evils - the world's God, the world's Savior, the world's Anti-Christ, the world's Living Satan - MONEY. This is simply not a true statement. No matter how many times you hear the phrase, the root of all evil is money, it will still be wrong, wrong, wrong!! The root of all evil is SIN! Money does not cause the sin, sin causes the abuse of money. In the "perfect world," economically sound, fiscally responsible and progressively efficient, money is a tool for the exchange of goods and services that are not bartered or traded. It is not the "end-all, be-all" to everything that this current world made it out be. It is, exactly as the other horrifically abused phrase states, just something that grows on trees. MONEY IS MADE FROM PAPER - PAPER IS MADE FROM TREES - ERGO - MONEY GROWS ON TREES!! Buying a home or automobile or any other once considered, large ticket item, would be the same as buying a shirt at the mall or a burger at a restaurant. The price on the sticker is the price you pay. Period. There are no additional fees or assessments of any kind. There are no property taxes - you already paid that in the Contributory Support Assessment. There are no fees - you already paid that in the price of the item. It is yours - enjoy. By incorporating a Universal Currency, eliminating stock exchanges and all forms of extraordinary banking systems designed for theft and greed, there is no longer a need to weigh one form of currency against another. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BROKE POCKETS OR EMPTY WALLETS - ONLY BROKEN MINDS AND EMPTY HEARTS.

 SOCIAL STRUCTURE/HUMANITARIANISM

Last but certainly not least, the benefit of a perfect harmony of social structure and humanitarianism. This is where YOU come in. No world is a perfect world without an individual who is willing to be the best person they can be - unlock their true potential and allow their talents and gifts to be shared and embraced with the world around them. Each one of us has to look inside ourselves and say that we are our neighbor's keeper, what I do has a direct reflection and reaction on myself, my family, friends, peers and colleagues. We must choose to be wise in our steps, intelligent in our accomplishments, compassionate in our care for ourselves and others and most importantly-lead our lives in love. Love first. And the rest will follow. In this perfect world, you are the light in the misty darkness. You are the cure for a world in need. If everyone on the planet decided to stop sinning and start loving all at the same time, this little post in the small blog would become the greatest cornerstone of peace on earth known to man right after the Second Coming of Christ. Universal peace, prosperity is only a choice away.

~De'Master A. Thomas

EXPOSED: Satan in the Industry (Music, Hollywood, Illuminati)

NASA: The world is not ending on Dec. 21

 

by NASA

Posted on November 14, 2012 at 7:29 AM

Dec. 21, 2012, won't be the end of the world as we know, however, it will be another winter solstice.

Contrary to some of the common beliefs out there, the claims behind the end of the world quickly unravel when pinned down to the 2012 timeline.

Below, NASA Scientists answer several questions that are frequently asked regarding 2012.

Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012.

Answer (A):The world will not end in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.

Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?

A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012 and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012?

A: Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.

Q: Could planets align in a way that impacts Earth?

A: There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. One major alignment occurred in 1962, for example, and two others happened during 1982 and 2000. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way Galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.
Q: Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?

A: Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.


Q: What is the polar shift theory? Is it true that the Earth's crust does a 180-degree rotation around the core in a matter of days if not hours?

A: A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. There are slow movements of the continents (for example Antarctica was near the equator hundreds of millions of years ago), but that is irrelevant to claims of reversal of the rotational poles. However, many of the disaster websites pull a bait-and-switch to fool people. They claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic polarity of Earth, which does change irregularly, with a magnetic reversal taking place every 400,000 years on average. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn’t cause any harm to life on Earth. Scientists believe a magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia.

Q: Is the Earth in danger of being hit by a meteor in 2012?

A: The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids, although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Today NASA astronomers are carrying out a survey called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs. All this work is done openly with the discoveries posted every day on the NASA Near-Earth Object Program Office website, so you can see for yourself that nothing is predicted to hit in 2012.

Q: How do NASA scientists feel about claims of the world ending in 2012?

A: For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.

Q: Is there a danger from giant solar storms predicted for 2012?

A: Solar activity has a regular cycle, with peaks approximately every 11 years. Near these activity peaks, solar flares can cause some interruption of satellite communications, although engineers are learning how to build electronics that are protected against most solar storms. But there is no special risk associated with 2012. The next solar maximum will occur in the 2012-2014 time frame and is predicted to be an average solar cycle, no different than previous cycles throughout history.

What's the story on Lilith, Adam's "first wife"?

straightdope.com

 

Dear Straight Dope:

What's this I hear every so often about Lillith, Adam's (as in adam and Eve) first wife?

— Jack-E in killeen

We dunno what you've heard. You could have heard Lilith is a model for Oppressed Womanhood. You could have heard she's a succubus who gives men wet dreams. You could have heard that she's a demoness who murders babies. You could have heard that she's a goddess, the wife of Death.

On the one hand there are all these (and likely other) interpretations. On the other hand there are the legends themselves, which are also quite varied, from Jewish folklore. Let's start with a paraphrase of the most familiar legend, which dates to medieval times, from the controversial work known as the Alphabet of Ben Sirah, including a few of our own interjections:

When God created Adam, he was lonely, so God created Lilith from the same dust from which Adam was molded. But they quarrelled; Adam [the proverbial domineering male] wished to rule over Lilith. But Lilith [a militant feminist] was also proud and willful, claiming equality with Adam because she was created from the same dust. She left Adam and fled the Garden. God sent three angels in pursuit of Lilith. They caught her and ordered her to return to Adam. She refused, and said that she would henceforth weaken and kill little children, infants and babes. The angels overpowered her, and she promised that if the mother hung an amulet over the baby bearing the names of the three angels, she would stay away from that home. So they let her go, and God created Eve to be Adam's mate [created from Adam's rib, so that she couldn't claim equality]. And ever since, Lilith flies around the world, howling her hatred of mankind through the night, and vowing vengeance because of the shabby treatment she had received from Adam. She is also called "The Howling One." You can see how this legend could lead to various interpretations, depending on whether you think she is noble (in rebelling against male domination) or evil (in vowing vengeance against innocent babies.)

But where does this legend come from? The author of Ben Sirah basically wove together three separate threads from centuries earlier works, because Lilith is a very ancient legend.

Let's start with the Bible as primary source material. Genesis of course mentions Adam and Eve, but -- please note -- doesn't mention Lilith. The idea of Lilith as a "prior first woman" before Eve arises much later. The only reference to Lilith in the Bible (Old or New Testaments) is Isaiah 34:14, probably written around 540 BC; it's a description of desolation, jackals and ravens among nettles and briers, etc.: "Goat demons shall greet each other; there too the lilith will repose." Most of the other creatures referenced in this poetry cannot be positively identified. The KJV, following the Vulgate, translates "the lilith" as "the night demon," confusing the lili- with the Hebrew word for night. But presumably Isaiah meant some sort of demon.

The notion of a lilith as a demon is probably Assyrian (say around 700 BC), incorporated into Isaiah by way of the ancient Israelite contacts with the mythologies of Babylonia and Chaldea. The Assyrians had three female demons, Lilit, Lilu,and Ardat Lilit. There's little doubt that the Hebrew lilith-demon mentioned in Isaiah was a folkloric adaptation of the Assyrian demons.

Several hundred years after Isaiah, we find Talmudic writings that describe Lilith (now as a named demon, rather than a broad category) as an irresistibly seductive she-demon with long hair (presumably worn loose, a sure sign of wantonness) and wings. Terey wants us to be sure to say that she's a succubus. She seduces unwary men, then savagely kills the children she bears for them.

From this, she becomes the demon responsible for the death of babies. In ancient times, one needed to protect against such demons; today, we blame other factors for the death of infants. To guard against Lilith, superstitious Jews would hang four amulets, one on the wall of each room of a newborn babe, with the inscription "Lilith - abi!" ["Lilith - begone!"] which some think is the origin, much later, of the English word "lullaby." OK, that's legend one: a she-demon who kills babies.

Legend two: early rabbinic writings about Adam and Eve. There are rabbinic midrashim, stories filling in the gaps in the text, that tell of Adam and Eve after they leave the garden. Adam is angry with Eve for causing so much trouble, so he leaves her, and is beset by demons (called "lilith"; the name is still a generic category of demon). A particular lilith called Penzai seduces Adam and becomes pregnant. Got it? So that legend associates a lilith with Adam. Legend three: an early midrash that puzzles about why Eve is created from a rib of Adam, why not created equally with him? The midrash suggests the creation of a prior "first woman" (unnamed) who doesn't work out as a fitting companion for Adam. OK, so around a thousand years later (give or take a few centuries), the Alphabet of Ben Sira creates the story we started with, tying together all three legends, merging (1) Lilith the child-slaying night-demon story with (2) Penzai the lilith who seduces Adam with (3) the "prior first woman" story. This mingling of legends provided a good Jewish context for the ancient custom of making the Lilith amulets (thus exonerating the custom from the taint of superstition or witchcraft.) That's why the legend of Lilith as Adam's first wife doesn't emerge until medieval times, although the strands of the story are much earlier. The Zohar, the great book of Jewish mysticism from the 12th Century, adds yet another dimension. The Zohar generally doesn't mention Lilith by name, but refers to her as the wife of Samael, the Angel of Death ... and sometimes as the wife of Satan. She sleeps with men, causing wet dreams, and she collects semen from the marriage bed. (Flowing semen is a symbol of life, the white fluid, contrasted with flowing blood as a symbol of death, the red fluid, so the demoness who kills children collecting semen is symbolically very neat.)

So that's the legend(s) and their origin(s). A little confusing, but demonology is not an exact science.

Now, a brief footnote in Modern Times. You can imagine that modern feminists would latch on to the rabbinic story of punishment for resisting male domination, and use Lilith as a symbol. It's a two-edged symbol, of course, since Lilith as a demon who destroys newborns pre-dates the medieval explanation of Lilith as a rebellious wife. However, the modern use of Lilith as a symbol of oppressed womanhood remains quite strong and with every modern interpretation of ancient history, a new legend is born.