__________ JERUSALEM __________
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.
~ William Blake (1757-1827)
 |
| William Blake (1757-1827), poet, artist, mystic |
Now what do YOU think Blake MEANT by invoking the name JERUSALEM? Surely by claiming the desirability of establishing "Jerusalem" on “England’s green and pleasant land” it is not possible that he was referring to that tiny, hotly disputed piece of territory in the Middle East over which we are now reviving torrents of controversy?
Now the Israel has been made great again by the President of the United States of America, maybe he'll eventually get around to making America great again.
ReplyDeleteOf course, a first step in that direction would be to destroying the Federal Reserve bank, the biggest swindle ever foisted on a nation in the history of the planet. Hand in hand with the FED is the IRS the ultimate ball and chain to the swindle.
Nice to know that Netanyahu slept in Jared Kushner's bed. Not sure if Jared was in bed at the same time with him or not. That's how business gets done in good old pedo-Washington, D.C.
PLEASE try to refrain from making snide references to ANYONE's sexual orientation, Waylon.
DeleteI don't believe for a nanosecond that either Netanyahu's of Jared Kushner's mascuunuty is in question. And even if it were, I can't see how it could be germane to the sad, sick situation created by Israel's forced implantation (by Western Powers) into Arab-owned territory in 1948.
Today's post, however, is SUPPOSED to be about the possible SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATIONS of Jerusalem as emplyed by William Blake and by extension the SPIRITUAL interpretation of then name "ISRAEL" and what it means in the context of the BIBLE.
"Jared Kushner once lent Benjamin Netanyahu his bed.
DeleteNetanyahu has long been a friend of the Kushners, and particularly Jared’s dad, Charles Kushner, a major donor to pro-Israel and Jewish causes. One time, Kantor reports – she doesn’t specify when – Jared gave up his bed and moved to the basement so Netanyahu could spend the night at their home in Livingston, New Jersey."
http://www.jpost.com/American-Politics/When-Netanyahu-slept-at-the-Kushners-and-other-media-tales-of-Trumps-Jewish-confidantes-481486
Just so you don't think I just pulled that idea out of my ass, FT.
Coincidentally, just around the time of William Blake:
Delete"The Rothschild banking family of England was founded in 1798 by Nathan Mayer von Rothschild (1777–1836) who first settled in Manchester but then moved to London. Nathan was sent there from his home in Frankfurt by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812). Wanting his sons to succeed on their own and to expand the family business across Europe, Mayer Amschel Rothschild had his eldest son remain in Frankfurt, while his four other sons were sent to different European cities to establish a financial institution to invest in business and provide banking services. Nathan Mayer von Rothschild, the third son, first established a textile jobbing business in Manchester and from there went on to establish N M Rothschild & Sons bank in London.
From the home base in Frankfurt, Rothschild sons not only established themselves in the UK but also in Paris, Vienna and Naples in the Two Sicilies. Through their collaborative efforts, the Rothschilds rose to prominence in a variety of banking endeavours including loans, government bonds and trading in bullion. Their financing afforded investment opportunities and during the 19th century they became major stakeholders in large-scale mining and rail transport ventures that were fundamental to the rapidly expanding industrial economies of Europe."
If William Blake was in the vanguard of English intellectuals of the day he'd have likely been influenced by the Luciferian monsters who likely pretended to be Jerusalem rooted, the Rothschilds who understood well that a country or world would be ruled by those that controlled the finances and currency of a nation and it mattered not what moron was placed on a throne.
But I'm not sure if William Blake should be considered an icon of English religion. Likely just another Luciferian Mason.
After John Ruskin, Cecil Rhodes and the Rhodesians got through with England it was never the same again. Even America felt the consequences when Woodrow Wilson was linked to that cabal through his puppet master Mandell House. We are all still paying a steep price in the world for that TREASON.
ReplyDeleteAll right, Waylon, but have you no thoughts on the SUBJECT of this post?
DeleteWhat DOES "Jerusalem" mean in the cntext of Blake's poem, and what isu SUPPOSED to mean in the conger of CHRISTIANITY?
For that matter what does ISRAEL mean in the biblical, metaphorical, metaphysical sense?
Do you not see the grave danger –– and often FATAL consequences –– of LITERAL interpretations of ANY term, title,, significant piece of literature or poetry?
FT, in my opinion, in times like these, anyone pronouncing on any subject should strive to speak as plainly and clearly as possible. Speaking in riddles adds nothing to those seeking an understanding of what is really going on in our world today.
DeleteI don't really have any opinion of Jerusalem in and of itself. It is simply an ancient city. Those that see some biblical significance in that aren't really my cup of tea. And I do know there is a significant portion of the population that would be thanking the heavens above that President Trump has fulfilled a significant religious vision from ancient times and will likely associate this with just another fulfilled biblical prophecy.
Even though it's likely of the Scofield version, another heresy.
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DeleteOh dear, Waylon! I have gone through this routine so many times over the years it might be better for my mental health, if just SHUT UP and let it go. That would be much easier for me. The argument can't be won conclusively anyway, because we are dealing with intangibles. However,my sense of integrity and my understanding of Truth will not permit me to allow what-appears-to-be a heartlpess, purely materialistic approach go unchallenged.
DeleteIn my understanding the things that matter most are wholly intangible.
How does one weigh, measure, quantify or capture in any kind of container such things as
Honor,
Probity,
Spirit,
Soul,
Principle,
Humor,
Character,
Personality,
Whimsy
Capriciousness,
Captiousness,
Arrogance,
Deceitfulness,
Deviousness,
Hypocrisy,
Duty,
Curosity,
Virtue
Belligerence,
Hostility
Indifference,
Cupidity,
Insouciance,
Love,
Antipathy,
Snideness,
Disgust,
Spite,
Envy,
Malice,
Avarice,
Gluttony,
Covetousness,
Fanaticism,
Superstition,
Trust,
Suspicion,
Truth,
Falsehood,
Fallacious,
Logical,
Irrational,
Sensibility,
Fairness,
Decency,
Creativity,
Justice,
Decency,
Beauty,
Ingenuity,
Ambition,
Laziness,
Laxity,
Desire,
Attraction
Enchantment,
Repulsion,
Repugnance,
Perversion,
Fascination,
Mystery,
Pruruence,
Tolerance,
Openness
Frankness,
Sincerity,
Magnanimity,
Charity,
Opacity,
Degeneracy,
Salubriousness,
Wastefulness,
Thrift,
Blatancy
Subtlety
Inspiration
Courage,
Diplomacy
Affectation,
Meekness,
Shyness,
Boldness,
Aggressiveness,
Prestige,
Dignity,
Sloth,
Insolence
Tastefulness,
Vulgarity
Refinement,
Mercy,
Alertness,
Cooperation,
Obstinacy,
Curiosity,
Ecstasy,
Misery,
Talent,
And on and on and on
No one could deny these things not only exist, but also have great bearing on our lives, therefore, they are vitally important, yet all are intangible –– none can be weighed, measured, counted, contained, stroked, hugged, kissed, embraced, eaten, excreted, or hoarded. They can neither be creaed nor destroyed, not could they be bought or sold.
From what source do MELODY, HARMONY, METER, FORM and WONDER, CHARM, MAGNANIMITY emanate? What force impels us to create and develop Art, Architecture, Music, Drama, Literature, Poetry, Cultivated Landscapes, Haute Cuisine, Etiquette, Sociability?
Why IS it that we seem unable to live "by BREAD alone?"
___ COULD IT BE ___
Could it be
We need our fantasies
And fond illusions
More than we need
Mundane reality?
Did ancient astronauts
Visit Earth aeons ago,
Plant Colonies - perform
Wondrous Feats of Engineering
Still unexplained?
The eternal Mystery of
The Pyramids - The Sphinx
Stonehenge - Gigantic Chalk Figures,
Discernible only from great heights -
Easter Island - Machu Pichu?
The Origin of Man -
The miracles of Music -
Painting - Sculpture -
Poetry and Thought.
The Star of Bethlehem -
The Virgin Birth - The Magi -
Betrayal, Death and Resurrection?
Patterns of Migration?
Courtship Rituals?
Attachment - Dependency -
Illness - Abandonment -
Grief - Tedium -
Decline - Decay -
The eternal Search
For Acceptance - Appreciation -
Affection - Understanding -
ESCAPE!
~ FreeThinke
Waylon,
DeleteCould you explain what you mean by the Scofield version, another heresy -- particularly the word heresy.
Here is part of what WIKI has to say abut The Scofield Version, AOW:
DeleteScofield Reference Bible
"The Scofield Reference Bible is a widely circulated study Bible edited and annotated by the American Bible student Cyrus I. Scofield, which popularized DISPENSATIONALISM at the beginning of the 20th century. Published by Oxford University Press and containing the entire text of the traditional, Protestant King James Version, it first appeared in 1909 and was revised by the author in 1917.
The Scofield Bible had several innovative features. Most importantly, it printed what amounted to a commentary on the biblical text alongside the Bible instead of in a separate volume, the first to do so since the Geneva Bible (1560)
It also contained a cross-referencing system that tied together related verses of Scripture and allowed a reader to follow biblical themes from one chapter and book to another (so called "chain references").
Finally, the 1917 edition also attempted to date events of the Bible. It was in the pages of the Scofield Reference Bible that many Christians first encountered Archbishop James Ussher's calculation of the date of Creation as 4004 BC; and through discussion of Scofield's notes, which advocated the "gap theory," fundamentalists began a serious internal debate about the nature and chronology of creation.
The Scofield Bible was published only a few years before World War I, a war that destroyed the cultural optimism that had viewed the world as entering a new era of peace and prosperity; then the post-World War II era witnessed the creation in Israel of a homeland for the Jews. Thus, Scofield's premillennialism seemed prophetic.
'At the popular level, especially, many people came to regard the DISPENSATIONALIST scheme as completely vindicated."
Sales of the Reference Bible exceeded two million copies by the end of World War II.
DISPENSATIONALISM is the belief that between creation and the final judgment there would be seven distinct eras of God's dealing with man and that these eras are a framework for synthesizing the message of the Bible.
It was largely through the influence of Scofield's notes that dispensationalism grew in influence among fundamentalist Christians in the United States. Scofield's notes on the Book of Revelation are a major source for the various timetables, judgments, and plagues elaborated on by popular religious writers ...
What all this mght mean to WAYTLON, who I believe c]insiders himself agnostic, is anybody's guess. I hope he will return to clarify his remark.
I think it was the Scofield bible that united Zionism with Christianity in America. which was my reference above to heresy.
DeleteThe heresy being: How can Christianity possibly be united with Zionism and the Judaism of the Talmud?
How does one weigh, measure, quantify or capture in any kind of container such things as ...
DeleteThose words identify aspects of character which are either present or absent in a truly human being. Since they represent human values actions speak louder than words and and in deciding who possesses those aspects of human character, only God knows for sure, unless there is a longer term observation of an individual's actions to confirm self-serving proclamations.
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DeleteExcellent documentary: " Christian Zionism - War & The Scofield Bible"
DeleteWaylon,
DeleteHow can Christianity possibly be united with Zionism and the Judaism of the Talmud?
Two main contrary schools of thought:
1) The Lord will bless those who bless Israel (the covenant between Abraham with all his descendants and Jehovah God).
2) Through the line of the descendants of Abraham, the Messiah was brought into this world, and with this Messiah came the new covenant and an explicit way of salvation.
Many Christians who support Zionism manage to reconcile those two schools of thought.
Not all Christians support Zionism because Zionism doesn't recognize Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God.
I'll take a look at the video.
Waylon,
DeleteI guess that it all comes down to whether a Christian interprets Israel and Jerusalem as literal or figurative. I grew up studying the figurative interpretation.
The libs were cheering their messiah Obsma wanted to move the Capital to Jerusalem , but never did!
ReplyDeleteAnd now that Trump did it they are in a uproar.
Ah! The good old Double Standard is forever at work in party politics.
DeleteAnd ain't it a shame?
But WHY should zny of this Middle East mess MATTER to US?
The Trump administration has until Dec. 4 to sign a waiver that delays moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for another six months. Every U.S. president since Bill Clinton has signed it twice a year after Congress passed a bill in 1995 that called for the mission to be relocated. They have cited national security concerns and the potential for an embassy move to upset a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians..
DeleteThe reasons both democratic and republican presidents, until Trump, have signed the waiver makes sense. a) Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel ks a stick in eye of Palestinians and the entire Middle East, b) it reduces the likelihood of ever finding a lasting peace, c) it increases the likelihood of violence around the world at points of US presence.
When religious ideology and keeping campaign promises relative to same comes between present day reality it's a problem. At least in my view.
You pointed out 1948 and the west's decision to plant the Jewish state in the middle of a hornets nest in a geographical area in which they were almost universally they were hated. Here we are nearly 70 yeares later.
It should matter in my opinion because unless we find a way to peacefully resolve the myriad problems that exist between the worlds 3 major religions the next world war will likely be the result of failing to do so. And, it will most likely be nuclear.
As an aside, maybe we should have ceeded the entire area that makes up NYC to the Jewish state and allowed them to set up shop and national boundaries.
DeleteThink of the possibilities!
"Jerusalem" refers to the New Jerusalem of Revelations, not the city in Israel and it will not be built in Blake's mind before the eradication of laissez-faire capitalism.
ReplyDelete"And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?"
Clearly, no.
A few diffefrent ideas on the meanung of "dark satanic mills" drawn from history and insight:
Delete1) William Blake was a radical Christian, so his dark satanic mills were not the factories of the industrial revolution but the orthodox churches of the establishment. Is this true?
q_ William Blake did see a dark and satanic mill. At one time he lived in "lovely Lambeth" and every time he walked into the City of London he would have passed by the blackened and roofless shell of the Albion Flour Mills that stood for 18 years after being burned down in 1791. The site of the mill was between the present Tate Modern and Blackfriars bridge on the River Thames.
The mill, only five years old when it burned down and equipped with the latest steam-powered rotary machinery, could grind wheat night and day, and hence alarmed the owners of wind- and water-powered mills in London and the south-east. Arson was suspected: it was said local millers were seen dancing on Blackfriars bridge in the light of the flames.
Also in 1791, and only a mile away, the Rev John Wesley, the founder of Methodism – which was thought to be subversive and would lead the lower orders against their betters – had died. So it could be true that the satanic mills were the orthodox churches.
2) Peter Butt, Romford, Essex
Blake's dark satanic mills are indeed the orthodox churches of the establishment. But they were all churches, all forms of worship, all formal education, and anything that attempted to mould the mind into orthodoxy and received opinion. Blake is the radical's radical.
3) Georgina Robinson, Ruardean Woodside, Glos
I aways believed Blake was referring to the universities, Oxford and Cambridge in particular, when he referred to the "dark satanic mills".
4) Ruth Eversley, Lees, Oldham
It has been said that the first part of Jerusalem is a series of questions and demands to which the answers are No, No, No, No and Get them yourself.
WIKI says:
DeleteThe Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, and many of the technological innovations were British. By the mid-18th century Britain controlled a global trading empire with colonies in North America and Africa, and with some political influence on the Indian subcontinent, through the activities of the East India Company. The development of trade and the rise of business were major causes of the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. In particular, average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth.
Some economists say that the major impact of the Industrial Revolution was that the standard of living for the general population began to increase consistently for the first time in history, although others have said that it did not begin to meaningfully improve until the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
GDP per capita was broadly stable before the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of the modern capitalist economy, while the Industrial Revolution began an era of per-capita economic growth in capitalist economies. Economic historians are in agreement that the onset of the Industrial Revolution is the most important event in the history of humanity since the domestication of animals and plants.
It certainly fits Blake's theology to name the "dark Satanic mills" the contemporary church but it is also true that the industrial revolution was a key subject of Blake's and much Romantic poetry.
DeleteWhat is the intended meaning. We'll never know for sure.
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DeleteMetaphysical meaning of Jerusalem
ReplyDeleteJerusalem--"Habitation of peace." The spiritual center in consciousness. In man it is the abiding consciousness of spiritual peace. When we go deep into the silent recesses of our beings, we realize a stillness and sweetness beyond expression. A great peace is there--the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding" (Phil. 4:7). This is the point in consciousness where the Spiritual energy of life is strong enough to vitalize adjacent body substance. The substance is physically a nerve center just back of the stomach; spiritually it is the realization of the unfailing substance of Divine Mind.
Jerusalem, feast in--Metaphysically, a receptive state of mind toward all spiritual good.
"Zion" and "Israel" also have metaphysical meanings that extend far beyond the boindaries of ANY geographical location and transcend all physycial limitations.
ReplyDelete"Jerusalem," "Zion" and "Israel" are really blessed states of MIND –– CONSCIOUSNESS –– PURITY of GOALS and of MOTIVES –– harmony and peace that could only be achieved through SPIRITUAL means.
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DeleteIs it possible that when one achieves harmony and peace through spiritual means they arrive at pure truth? Methinks yes.
DeleteReligion (pick one) is not synonymous with spirituality.
Often religion and the Church (pick one) work against achieving spirituality, harmony, peace, and pure truth.
There is some controversy surrounding this particular work by William Blake. The study-notes website Shmoop offers this information about the work. Page after page! See the NEXT button at the bottom of the web page cited above for an examination of Blake's poem. I read quite a bit before deciding I was too fatigued to continue (not a spare moment, really, for the past 48 hours+).
ReplyDeleteOn this Shmoop page, I paused -- and read the following twice because it surprised me:
...Okay so he's definitely talking about Jesus in lines 3-4, but do "those feet" also belong to Jesus, too? It's a bit hard to say at this point, but all signs point to a big, gigantic, enormous "yes."
So, why is the speaker asking if Jesus walked among the hills of England in ancient times? Didn't Jesus live somewhere in what is now Israel?
Actually, there was a popular legend in England in Blake's day that held that Jesus visited England with his uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, sometime between the ages of 12 and 30 (the so-called "lost years").
It sounds kind of bogus, sure, but there are plenty of scholars who have been willing to take the idea seriously, as you can see in this documentary and in this book.
Go to the above link to access the embedded links.
While I must strenuously object to the doltish, militantly informal, quasi-adolescent tone I have to agree with this analysis:
Delete"For Blake, Jerusalem is always the New Jerusalem described in Chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation, a beautiful golden city that will descend from the sky at the end of time and serve as the eternal home for God and all his true followers. The New Jerusalem in Blake's poetry is what results when all the divisions and fractures of the world are finally healed and the world is made whole again."
I believe that to be true with one notable exception: I am morally certain that "Jerusalem" respresents not a PLACE at all, but rather an IDEAL, BEATIFIC STATE of MIND, SOUL and SPIRIT reflective of the LOVE and TRUTH that is the essence of Almighty GOD.
As for dark Satanic mills, Shmoop states the thought that I had:
ReplyDelete"Satanic Mills" is pretty clearly a reference to the Industrial Revolution—we get that, but… there was no industrial revolution in ancient times. That's what tricky about these lines. On the one hand, yes, the speaker is obviously talking about the Industrial Revolution, but he's got something else in mind as well.
In general, "dark Satanic mills" just refers to life on Earth as we know it—the real world, the "fallen" world that hasn't yet been redeemed by God, the world where there is not yet a new Jerusalem for all of the true believers in God.
Basically, the speaker wonders if there was ever a heaven on Earth in England back in ancient times, and if it was even possible that Jesus would have visited such a "Satanic" place as England.
Of course, we may interpret the poem any way that we wish. But I found some of Shmoop's information to be interesting because that information provided some background information that we might otherwise not have known.
Off Topic
ReplyDelete54,949
Beverly Young Nelson has finally admitted that she forged a portion of the infamous high school yearbook that she and attorney Gloria Allred used as proof of her accusations against U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore.
And in yet another blow to the credibility of ABC News, the disgraced, left-wing network downplayed the bombshell by presenting this admission of forgery as adding “notes” to the inscription. Worse still, the reporter actually coaches Nelson, puts words in her mouth, downplay the enormous significance of her deceit.
Source(s) please.
DeleteVera Feier said
DeleteRoy Moore accuser admits she forged part
of yearbook inscription attributed to
Alabama senate candidate
Fox News, by Staff
One of the women who accused Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of making advances on her when she was a teen and he a local prosecutor admitted Friday to forging part of the yearbook inscription she offered as proof. Beverly Young Nelson told ABC News she wrote part of the disputed note in her high school yearbook that she and famed attorney Gloria Allred presented as proof the then-30-something Moore sought an inappropriate relationship with her in the late 1970s. Nelson still insisted that Moore wrote most of the message and signed the inscription, but said ...
Rather then referring to lawyers as shysters, perhaps they should be called allreds.
ReplyDeleteI think it's high time that you liberals give it up and GET OUT of our way.ทางเข้า D2BET
ReplyDelete