Literary Analysis of Semitic Scripture

Anthony Downey

San Diego California

8/19/24

Commentary: Literary Analysis of Semitic Scripture

"I find that all my thoughts circle around God like the planets around the sun, and are as irresistibly attracted by Him. I would feel it to be the grossest sin if I were to oppose any resistance to this force."

• Carl Jung

The Bible is a set of books derived from an Afro-asiatic religious group, which is meant to answer the mysteries of the universe and contains guidelines, moral code of conduct, and a philosophy for a person to live their lives. It supposes an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being. It is the catalyst for all that is known in the universe. It precedes all things having no end or beginning. Its central figures are patriarchs of an exclusive Semitic race, which God has chosen. It ultimately comes to fruition that a Godman (whom is simultaneously the son of God and God himself) named Jesus is born unto the world to redeem it from the original sin of defying the rules and regulations of the creator. This defiance lead to the world we see as having pain, misery, and misfortune, which was not originally apart of Gods design for humanity. With the sacrifice of the God-incarnate, people can then become twice born through an initiation process, which is meant to transform their lives. Reinstituting Gods divine order and saving those who believe, from the inevitable end of Gods judgment, which is supposed to end in a permanent death of the soul unless otherwise saved by the God-incarnate Jesus Christ. The God whom was initially reserved to the Semitic peoples, through Jesus, opened up a relationship with people of all races and nationalities throughout the world.

The first passage of the bible begins with "In the beginning God...". This is to imply his timeless eternal nature. Shortly after it is established that nothing else existed until he created it. We can conclude He is beyond all material conception because he precedes and is the source of all physical things. It is stated that human beings are created in the image of God , though some may argue, it should not be thought that one mimics or mirrors him in a physical way but his incorporeal nature. "In the beginning..." also implies the beginning of things, which are relevant to human beings, namely the universe. It goes onto explain the concepts of void or space. This at first provides orientation while simultaneously manifesting time. For we have two parts the perceiver and that which is perceived. Though void is often depicted as "nothing" it is shown that it is embedded with parts and particles. It is equated as a "vast water". Some may draw comparisons between this and the primordial soup which begat creation. Literalist will argue that it references a literal water as God gathers these waters together and separates them by land. If we continue reading however, we see that the Heavens as well as the void are given the same terminology. There is some creative license at work, which allows the reader to make an analogy between the mysteries of the divine and the much more relatable world of form. This is very commonly seen throughout all of literature. It seems to demonstrate the chaos, which is the catalyst for creation. The fundamental building blocks of all, which surrounds us. It can also be seen as the continuity or more accurately the cyclical nature of reality. The ebb and flow between life and death. It states in chapter 3 of Genesis "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Our material components will return to the closed system of existence and be recycled, though it is thought that the soul is transcendent of this experience rejoining with its creator once it reestablishes its union with God. There is also seen this unparalled vastness which is inconceivable and boundless. It hopes to invoke feeling of awe and wonder upon the reader. The vastness of the universe is so grand that we can at times feel lost in its immensity, yet this thing is a simple creation compared to the limitlessness of God. We can more appropriately look towards the source and find providence in becoming lost in the mysteries of the creator. Waters also convey reflectiveness. It is seen reflective in two ways, the first being reflective of the sub-conscious mind and its desires, but also of the emotional state of that which it is reflecting. In this case, we see that it is reflective of the will of God. It says in Genesis 1:2, "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters". Spirit can be defined as the nonphysical part of a person, which is the seat of emotions and character. It is the character of God we see displayed, the unmanifest made manifest. It is a reflection indeed a type of inverse of its source. It is simply a gross reflection. Meaning it is a shadow of the former. One does not identify with his shadow although he can recognize it. It is not an independent source of consciousness but rather that which is hidden from awareness. The shadow cannot exist without that which precedes it. People often ask of where about did evil arise. If God is the creator of the former than why not the latter? What we must ask ourselves is does the sun make a shadow? Alternatively, the earth? Does a man make a shadow? Invariably the answer is no, and yet we can recognize that these parts are in some way responsible. The truth is that when a light is shown a shadow is cast. The light of God is shown unto us but it is the shadow of our material nature, which we lay upon our world. It is our curiosity, ingenuity, cleverness, and independence, which is cast upon the world in which we inhabit. For the world, that God created was paradise and reflective of his nature, but the world which we have is reflective of ours. Our independence was in reality disobedience that manifested as selfishness and greed. There is a strive for authority, power, wants, passion, and desires. A world of work, toil, and struggle. Fear and separateness from what the Gnostics would call "the fullness of God". This is just the beginning of our journey but a solution was written in the stars.

What we find in the New Testament is that Jesus was the answer to the problem. What he hoped to address is the question of how to navigate this world in such a way that we can become united with the divine principle. It seems the logic and way of the past was to oppose the new ways to be conceived. In past cultures there seemed to be only one way to truly remedy the consequences of immoral behavior. The Hebrew as their surrounding contemporaries referred to them were no exclusion to this. Sacrifice of plants, animals, precious metals, and human lives was deemed necessary. It was often understood that the life force or soul was somehow imbued in the blood of living creatures; as well, the consequence of sinful behavior was death. To balance the scales of justice an equivalent exchange was to be made. So for a life to be saved a life must too be given. While this was, done guilt and shame would flee from people's psyches, but only shortly. Because of this sacrifice was done liberally to ensure the sanctity of the people. What we see in Christianity is a fundamental shift in thought. Where typically men pay obeisance to God, it seems that God in some respect came to submit to men. Besides the fact that He made himself manifest as a man, which quite assuredly is a humbling experience in itself, he humbles himself further in his interactions with his creation. Jesus makes a point of serving the lowest in society thus setting in motion a chain of events, which would ultimately end in his death and crucifixion. This was no mistake though; no, it was entirely the opposite. It was in fact his goal so that he may make the ultimate sacrifice not only for the Jewish people but also for the world. How is this possible? One may ask. The conclusion, which is established, is that to be eternally forgiven we must in turn have an eternal sacrifice. Nothing on earth would suffice, as all is finite and impermanent. The choice was clear because Jesus was God his blood would pay for the eternal debt. This was recognized as a boundless love, merciful, and a type of meekness we were all to emulate and strive for. It seems that strength does not simply come from exerting power over others, but by exercising authority through restraint. This demonstrates to us humility, grace, wisdom, and compassion. This act had momentous effects that revolutionized the world and how we as human beings conceptualize the meaning of our lives.