Cepher Shabbath Meetings

The Pledge of Allegiance is a curious oath - a pledge to a flag, rather than to a nation, rather than to a form of government, rather than to a society; instead we have a pledge of allegiance to the flag of a nation "under God". Unfortunately, this god is not named. Rather it is assumed that we all know the God that is being discussed. However, the ambiguity has left a lot of room for those who worship an unknown god to make the pledge with zeal, and yet continue on their path toward the god they serve.

When we read scripture we see a call to worship only the true Elohiym of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya'aqov, and to have no others before Yahuah. But there most assuredly is a god before Yahuah in the United States, and we are soon going to prove this proposition. Stay with us on the Dig as we explore this proposition.

Sabbath with Dr. P

Ah yes - the Raqia! There is and remains a great controversy in the faith community - a controversy that begins with a rejection of the dogma of science as a result of the lies that have been told to us over the years by a group who has always sought to rule over us. Lies have consequences - particularly when they are discovered. And although the truth can be repressed, censored, stricken, deleted, and even burned, its essence remains and comes back to haunt the liar in this life or the next. 

The truth exists and it prevails, even when it goes unnoticed for years, decades, centuries - even a millennia. Suddenly, it is discovered and revealed, and the liar is made known a liar for the whole world to see. "Trust the science" is both a demand and a plea made by people who are no longer deserving of trust in the marketplace of ideas; from the claim that New York would be under 15 feet of water by 2010, to the claim being made even now that "it's safe and effective" in the face of VAERS numbers exceeding 32,000, science as expressed in our current society cannot be trusted or believed and it will take decades to restore its credibility. 

Yet, because science has made duplicitous claims and erected false dogmas on the idea that "the science is settled" on the psychopathy of certain politicians does not mean that common understandings which preceded these modern prevaricators is false. 

Many people have taken to the idea that by literalizing scripture in the English language they can discover the "truth" about the shape of the earth. Literalizing scripture, however, can be dangerous, particularly when it comes to the circumcision of the heart! Sometimes, the English is an over-simplistic restatement  of a much deeper word found in the Ivriyt - the language in which the scripture was initially conceived. 

Raqia is just such a word. Join us this Thursday evening and Jon Hallam, Jessica Knock, and John Barr join together to dig into this topic, and as we unearth the firmament.

Sabbath with Dr. P

The Ancient World speaks to us of an ancient priesthood, and scriptures abound with the discussion of their practices, ordinances, dress, and ways. But when we look from the modern epoch, we find many different classes. We presume that the Levites are the priests, yet not all qualified. And of those who qualified as Coheniym (priests), there remains a discrepancy, because ultimately, the priesthood of Aharon would land squarely on Tsadoq and his progeny. 

In all of this, enter the priesthood of Meleki-tsadiq (Melchizedek). Who is this priest and what is he doing here? And as we near the time of the Mashiach, another group arises who would come to be known as the Essenes. What is the history here, and can we know the truth, given the agendi of the powers that be to restate history to reflect the machinations of spiritual authority currently at play. 

Join me with special guests Jessica Knock, John Barr, and Malcolm David as dig fresh soil anew with a look at the priesthood. What do we know, and when did we know it?

Sabbath with Dr. P

Until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) mankind was reliant wholly upon fragments and copies which at best reached back to the second century in the modern epoch.   In 1948, this changed with the discovery of what appears to be ancient  manuscripts dating from the fourth through first century BC. These have  come to be known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.   While little of the past has been authoritatively ascertained, it is  believed that the residents of the ancient city we now call Qumran, but  then known as Damascus, was inhabited by a sect known as the Essenes.  There are, however, historians, who are willing to debate this issue,  including the issue of whether the authorship of these scrolls can be  successfully and exclusively attributed to the Essenes. Some, for  instance, believe that the Tsadoqiym – a group of Levites distinct from  the practices of the Essenes – may have occupied the area prior to the  monastic practices of this latter group, and may have had a hand in the  crafting of specific scrolls.   Regardless of the dispute, we see a “canon” of sorts appearing in the  selection of manuscripts to be preserved in the caves of Qumran – not  only safe from the Greeks and the Romans who may have sought to destroy  the relics of the prior culture entirely, but also safe from the  corruption which would soon come under the Makkabiym, the Hyrcanians,  and the Hasmoneans. In this selection we find the remnants of multiple  copies of the Cepher Chanoch and the Cepher Yovheliym – a selection  which preceded the Council of Jamnia by centuries and the Council of  Trent by nearly two millennium.    Since the discovery of the DSS, we have now seen the emergence of a religious system based upon the conclusions drawn from these artifacts  and manuscripts called Orthodox Essene Judaism.   This purpose of today’s discussion is not an endorsement of this set of beliefs, but rather an objective dig to look at what we find.  Get your shovel and pick axe. The dig is on.

Sabbath with Dr. P

Sabbath with Dr. P

The Ancient Past – what do we know?  Get out your shovel and join us today on the Dig, with Stephen Pidgeon,  and panelists John Barr, Jessica Knock, and a special appearance by Lisa Marie from Jerusalem.