Ye-Gods.info

The Mayan Calendar: Is It for Real?

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:13:52 +0000

The Mayans say they got their impressive astronomical and calendrical knowledge from The First People, who had vast knowledge and astonishing abilities, which the gods later took away. Archaeologists say the Maya got their famous calendar from the Olmecs, who used it unknown thousands of years earlier (Mayan civilization reached its height from circa 250–900 CE), but no one can say where the Olmecs got it.

Graham Hancock, in his book Fingerprints of the Gods, finds himself wondering about the Mayan calendar:

No documents, only dark and menacing sculptures, have come down to us from the Olmec era. But the Mayas, justifiably regarded as the greatest ancient civilization to have arisen in the New World, left behind a wealth of calendrical records. Expressed in terms of the modern dating system, these enigmatic inscriptions convey a rather curious message: the Fifth Sun, it seems, is going to come to an end on 23 December, AD 2012.

In the rational intellectual climate of the late twentieth century it is unfashionable to take doomsday prophecies seriously. The general consensus is that they are the products of superstitious minds and can safely be ignored. As I travelled around Mexico, however, I was from time to time bothered by a nagging intuition that the voices of the ancient sages might deserve a hearing after all. I mean, suppose by some crazy offchance they weren’t the superstitious savages we’d always believed them to be? Suppose they knew something we didn’t? Most pertinent of all, suppose that their projected date for the end of the Fifth Sun turned out to be correct?

The Maya also knew how long it takes the moon to orbit the Earth — 29.528395 days, compared to the slightly more exact figure we know today, 29.530588. Mayan priests had tables they could use to predict solar and lunar eclipses, and they had some understanding of the celestial mechanics involved. They were also excellent mathematicians, with knowledge of the advanced concepts of zero and place numerals.

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These are calendar glyphs for the 19 months of the Mayan year, or, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_calendar, 'eighteen months of twenty days each plus a period of five days ('nameless days') at the end of the year known as Wayeb'.... The five days of Wayeb', were thought to be a dangerous time. Foster (2002) writes, 'During Wayeb, portals between the mortal realm and the Underworld dissolved. No boundaries prevented the ill-intending deities from causing disasters.' To ward off these evil spirits, the Maya had customs and rituals they practiced during Wayeb'. For example, people avoided leaving their houses and washing or combing their hair.' For an excellent look at the Mayan calendar, from the Maya World Studies Center in Yucatan, Mexico, click the 'source' link above.

The Mayan calendar shows the solar year to be 365.2420 days; the Gregorian calendar we use today, instituted in 1582, uses 365.2425 days. We know nowadays that the actual figure is 365.2422. The Gregorian calendar is off by only 0.0003 days, but the Mayans are off by only 0.0002 days.

Hancock describes another piece of advanced knowledge the Mayans incorporated into their calendar:

The “synodical revolution” of a planet is the period of time it takes to return to any given point in the sky —as viewed from earth. Venus revolves around the sun every 224.7 days, while the earth follows its own slightly wider orbit. The composite result of these two motions is that Venus rises in exactly the same place in the earth’s sky approximately every 584 days. Whoever invented the sophisticated calendrical system inherited by the Maya had been aware of this and had found ingenious ways to integrate it with other interlocking cycles. Moreover, it is clear from the mathematics which brought these cycles together that the ancient calendar masters had understood that 584 days was only an approximation and that the movements of Venus are by no means regular. They had therefore worked out the exact figure established by today’s science for the average synodical revolution of Venus over very long periods of time. That figure is 583.92 days and it was knitted into the fabric of the Mayan calendar in numerous intricate and complex ways. For example, to reconcile it with the so-called “sacred year” (the tzolkin of 260 days, which was divided into 13 months of 20 days each) the calendar called for a correction of four days to be made every 61 Venus years. In addition, during every fifth cycle, a correction of eight days was made at the end of the 57th revolution. Once these steps were taken, the tzolkin and the synodical revolution of Venus were intermeshed so tightly that the degree of error to which the equation was subject was staggeringly small —one day in 6000 years. And what made this all the more remarkable was that a further series of precisely calculated adjustments kept the Venus cycle and the tzolkin not only in harmony with each other but in exact relationship with the solar year. Again this was achieved in a manner which ensured that the calendar was capable of doing its job, virtually error-free, over vast expanses of time.

Why did the “semi-civilized” Maya need this kind of high-tech precision? Or did they inherit, in good working order, a calendar engineered to fit the needs of a much earlier and far more advanced civilization?

Stelae have been found in Guatemala that refer to dates 90 to 300 million years ago. According to Hancock, “[T]he ancient Maya had a far more accurate understanding of the true immensity of geological time, and of the vast antiquity of our planet, than did anyone in Britain, Europe or North America until Darwin propounded the theory of evolution.”

But the Maya did not seem to really understand much of the information passed down to them. As J. Eric S Thompson, says in his book, The Rise and Fall of Maya Civilization:

What mental quirks led the Maya intelligentsia to chart the heavens, yet fail to grasp the principle of the wheel; to visualize eternity, as no other semi-civilized people has ever done, yet ignore the short step from corbelled to true arch; to count in millions, yet never to learn to weigh a sack of corn?

Hancock asks:

[D]id [the Maya] inherit the calendrical and mathematical tools which faciliated, and enabled them to develop, this sophisticated understanding? If an inheritance is involved, it is legitimate to ask what the original inventors of the Mayan calendar’s computerlike circuitry had intended it to do…. We have seen that the obsessive concern of Mayan society, and indeed of all the ancient cultures of Central America, was with calculating —and if possible postponing— the end of the world. Could this be the purpose the mysterious calendar was designed to fulfill? Could it have been a mechanism for predicting some terrible cosmic or geological catastrophe?

The overwhelming message of a large number of Central American legends is that the Fourth Age of the world ended very badly. A catastrophic deluge was followed by a long period during which the light of the sun vanished from the sky and the air was filled with a tenebrous darkness.

After the destruction of the Fourth Sun, the gods gathered together at Teotihuacan (the Place of the Gods) to bring forth the Fifth Sun, at which time Quetzalcoatl came to Earth to help the remnants of humankind acquire skills and knowledge to make their lives better.

So, after every cataclysm, comes an eventual rebirth. See more at the Ye-Gods.info page Cataclysms and Rebirths.

Dwarves Popular with Ancient Egyptians, Mexicans

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:10:15 +0000

Located far away from one another, without known interactions, how did the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Mesoamericans have so much in common? (Mesoamerica extends approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, and was home to many pre-Columbian societies.)

Trait	Ancient Egypt	Ancient Mesoamerica
Loves and reveres dwarves. Believes dwarves are connected to the gods. Loves to watch dwarves dance. Makes lots of art showing dwarves.
Religious system is built about nine all-powerful deities.
Gods who die can be reborn as a star.
To help a soul ascend directly to the heavens, without a journey through the underworld first, the high priest and four helpers conduct a ceremony at a pyramid, hitting the body very hard with a ceremonial knife.
The afterlife is a journey full of peril, involving travel in a boat with a dog or dog-headed god, a bird or bird-headed god, and an ape or ape-headed god. The hearts of the dead are devoured by beasts.

Graham Hancock, in his book, Fingerprints of the Gods, suggests that the Egyptians and Mesoamericans did not somehow influence each other, but were independently influenced by a third party, an advanced civilization that may have disappeared under an ice age. Hancock also points out many similarities between these two cultures and Sumeria, including the fact that all three sprang into existence seemingly from nowhere, with writing, science, mathematics, and many other skills appearing in an advanced state, with no developmental stages.

Lego Sex, Art, Satire at TheBrickTestament. com

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:02:35 +0000

It takes a lot for me to call something a work of genius, but Brendan Powell Smith’s Brick Testament is a work of genius. He has created —out of Legos— “422 [Bible] stories with 4,588 illustrations. More to come…” This is not kid stuff. It comes with warnings for nudity, sexual content, violence, and cursing. Watching Lego people act out sexual content is very satisfying, and the sea of Lego blood cannot be beat when it comes to violence. The entire book of Revelation is a hoot. Also check out How to Tell When to Stone Your Children.

Brendan Powell Smith’s artistry and craftsmanship are of very high standards, and so is his ability to perpetrate satire. A great find.

Billy Graham on Angels and UFOs

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:18:15 +0000

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Jacob's Ladder, as in Genesis 28:12: 'And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.'

Billy Graham — spiritual advisor to U.S. presidents, evangelist to millions of Christians — wrote a book called Angels in which he shows himself to be remarkably open-minded about UFOs in the world of God. He writes:

Some Christian writers have speculated that UFOs could very well be a part of God’s angelic host who preside over the physical affairs of universal creation. While we cannot assert such a view with certainty, many people are now seeking some type of supernatural explanation for these phenomena. Nothing can hide the fact, however, that these unexplained events are occurring with greater frequency around the entire world and in unexpected places.

(Dr. Graham is a strong believer in the supernatural.) He then details reports of a 1975 “cloud” containing a squadron of UFOs seen in Japan by thousands of people. No doubt Dr. Graham is very familiar with the very many times heavenly occurrences are described as “clouds” in the Bible.

Next, Dr. Graham summarizes the ancient astronaut theory of Erich von Daniken and the theory of “violent scattering of the solar system that caused ruin on earth” set forth by Immanuel Velikovsky, then continues:

The knowledge of the intense suffering of those times was soon repressed, but lies buried in man’s racial memory, explaining his modern self-destructive behavior. Men would dismiss these grandiose cosmologies lightly if it were not that they, along with a number of other theories, have been put forward with such frequency and serious import that no one can shrug them off. They are being studied seriously at many of our universities. As a theme for talk shows, hardly anything or anyone can top concerns like this.

Dr. Graham says:

Some sincere Christians, whose views are anchored in a strong commitment to Scripture, contend that these UFOs are angels. But are they? These people point to certain passages in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah and the book of Revelation, and draw parallels to the reports of observers of alleged UFO appearances. They take the detailed descriptions, for example, of a highly credible airline crew and lay them alongside Ezekiel 10, and put forward a strong case.

He then references Ezekiel 10:9-13, 16-17 regarding the appearance of cherubim, and says:

Any attempt to connect such passages with the visits of angels may, at best, be speculation. Nor should we become preoccupied or overly fascinated with trying to identify contemporary theories and speculations about UFOs or similar pehnomena with biblical passages. Secular speculations often, in fact, run counter to the Bible’s teaching concerning the origin of life on this planet. What is interesting, however, is that such theories are now being given serious attention even by people who make no claim to believe in the God of the Bible.

Later, in discussing the End Times, Dr. Graham says:

Whether the battle between the forces of Satan and the forces of God involve other planets and galaxies we do not know…. It is almost incredible to us that supernatural beings from outer space are engaged in a struggle for this planet.

For more, see the Ye-Gods.info Angels and Demons page.

Classic Wisdom: The Golden Rule

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:19:36 +0000

Everyone knows the Golden Rule — often stated as, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you — and what is sometimes called the Silver Rule — Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you.

Adherents of Christianity know the Rule from Jesus’s statements:

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.

Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

That has to be some of the best advice ever, so it’s not surprising it’s been around for a very long time. Although the term Golden Rule has only been used since 1670, the idea of ethical reciprocity has long been employed by cultures and religions around the world.

The Old Testament, or Torah, states the Rule pre-Jesus.

Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

The Egyptian story The Eloquent Peasant takes a stab at the Rule circa 2000 BCE:

Now this is the command: Do to the doer to cause that he do thus to you.

That reminds me of my friend who always thought that if she helped other people, they would help her when she needed it. Not necessarily so! Numerous interpretations of the Golden Rule — the ethic of reciprocity — make it clear that you are supposed to treat people right whether they treat you right or not.

By circa 300 BCE, Egyptian papyri clearly stated the Silver Rule:

That which you hate to be done to you, do not do to another.

In the 5th century BCE, in the scriptures called Tripitaka, Buddha said:

Udanavarga 5:18 Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.

In the Analects, circa 500 BCE, Confucius say:

XV.24 Zi gong (a disciple of Confucius) asked: “Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?”
The Master replied: “How about ‘shu’ [reciprocity]: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?” —translated by David Hinton

One of the prophet Muhammad’s hadiths, or sayings, was:

That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind.

The Jainist text Suman Suttam, a modern-day rendering of ancient texts, says:

Verse 150 Just as pain is not agreeable to you, it is so with others. Knowing this principle of equality treat others with respect and compassion.

Numerous philosophers have objected to the Golden Rule, saying that since you can’t know what the other person wants, you may be being unkind instead of kind by treating him the way you’d want to be treated. Other philosophers say that — since you wouldn’t want someone treating you the way they thought you wanted to be treated if it wasn’t how you wanted to be treated — the Golden Rule tends to be “self-correcting” and work out pretty well.

It all comes down to empathy. I might not know what food to buy you to make you happy (I like Voodoo Doughnuts and you really don’t), but we are all human — and we all need forgiveness and understanding and patience and respect and love. Even after thousands of years, kindness is still the highest truth.

UFO Experience Inspires This Website and Blog

admin — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:30:42 +0000

I came out of the UFO closet yesterday by sending out a news release for the grand opening of my website, Ye-Gods.info. In the news release, I describe my contactee experience that led to my interest in “ancient astronauts.” Once I knew spaceships are real, it was easy, and mind-blowing, to see previously unrevealed truths shining from ancient texts and art. I want to share all that.

Hope you enjoy the news release, which tells my UFO story.

God May Not Be Great, but He Seemed Impressive at the Time

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:41:11 +0000

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Moses and the Israelites meet Yahweh.

There is another road to walk between the God-deniers, such as the late Christopher Hitchens, and the God-believers, such as institutional religion.

The deniers say the myths and stories are not true. Humans made them up for their own reasons. Leaders manipulated them for control.

The believers say that the stories their ancestors told were true, however nonsensical or contradictory.

I say the stories almost always have basis in truth, but the ancestors had no way to interpret them. The events were beyond their understanding.

Just because the stories’ presentations and interpretations are unacceptable to the modern mind does not mean the stories never happened.

Bible stories and other religious “myths” were beyond our ancestors’ understanding, but they are not beyond our understanding now.

I invite you to look afresh at the stories, writings, and art of religion through the millennia — using your modern-day understanding — to discover what really happened.

A good place to start is with descriptions of the God of the Jews and Christians, Yahweh.

Bible Fun: Hagar Said What?

admin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:23:20 +0000

Hagar meets the angel in the desert. By Fernando Bol, circa 1650.

I was having trouble understanding the Bible story of Hagar talking with an “angel of the LORD.” It starts out clearly enough, with Sarah telling her husband Abraham to go sire a child by her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar. So Abraham impregnates Hagar, at which point Hagar becomes hateful toward Sarah. Sarah is furious; Abraham tells her to deal with Hagar however she wishes. When Sarah is then harsh with Hagar, the servant flees to the wilderness.

Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

Then Hagar has an interaction with the angel of the LORD, who tells her to return to Sarah, and offers some odd predictions about her unborn child:

Genesis 16:7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael [God has hearkened]; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

So far, so good-ish. But the next verse, Genesis 16:13, is so confusing, especially since the story up to now has been about the angel of the LORD, not the big man himself:

Genesis 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? —King James Bible

What does that mean? So I consulted a parallel bible, for some insight, finding 14 more translations. Did it help to clarify the verse? See what you think.

Genesis 16:13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” —New International Version (©1984)

Genesis 16:13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” —New Living Translation (©2007)

Genesis 16:13 So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” —English Standard Version (©2001)

Genesis 16:13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” —New American Standard Bible (©1995)

Genesis 16:13 Hagar named the LORD, who had been speaking to her, “You Are the God Who Watches Over Me.” She said, “This is the place where I watched [the one] who watches over me.” —GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)

Genesis 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spoke to her, You God see me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that sees me? —American King James Version

Genesis 16:13 And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me? —American Standard Version

Genesis 16:13 And to the Lord who was talking with her she gave this name, You are a God who is seen; for she said, Have I not even here in the waste land had a vision of God and am still living? —Bible in Basic English

Genesis 16:13 And she called the name of the Lord that spoke unto her: Thou the God who hast seen me. For she said: Verily here have I seen the hinder parts of him that seeth me. —Douay-Rheims Bible

Genesis 16:13 And she called the name of Jehovah who spoke to her, Thou art the God who reveals himself, for she said, Also here have I seen after he has revealed himself. —Darby Bible Translation

Genesis 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me? —English Revised Version

Genesis 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spoke to her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? —Webster’s Bible Translation

Genesis 16:13 She called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said, “Have I even stayed alive after seeing him?” —World English Bible

Genesis 16:13 And she calleth the name of Jehovah who is speaking unto her, ‘Thou art, O God, my beholder;’ for she said, ‘Even here have I looked behind my beholder?’ —Young’s Literal Translation

God's Hinder Parts, Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel.

So what did Hagar say? I vote for the Douay-Rheims Bible version —”Verily here have I seen the hinder parts of him that seeth me,” or its friend, “Even here have I looked behind my beholder?” from Young’s Literal Translation — mainly because it gives me a chance to use this great painting by Michelangelo showing Yahweh’s hinder parts.

You have to assume that any translator of the Bible had tons of scholarly materials at hand and would stand up and defend his or her version ad nauseum. Reasonable people disagree. So, what the hell, just pick the one you like best!

By the way, I know of one other instance in the Bible where Yahweh’s rear is mentioned, when Moses hides in a cleft of rock.

To see multiple translations of any Bible verse, go to this excellent parallel translation site.

Getting the Fear of God

admin — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:24:42 +0000

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Israelites See Yahweh.

“Let Not God Speak with Us, Lest We Die.” Yahweh (God) is often described in the Torah and Bible as a terrifying disruption: thunder, lightning, fire, earthquakes, clouds, blinding light, thick darkness, and/or whirlwinds. We’ll look at just one example in this post, but a number of relevant Bible verses are on the Ye-Gods.info page, Yahweh as Thunder, Lightning, Fire….

The Book of Exodus describes what happens when Yahweh shows himself to the Israelites in order to inspire their belief and fear. I encourage you to read these verses both as if “God” were a being, and as if “God” were a flying vehicle, such as spaceship or airplane, parked atop Mt. Sinai. See which version is best described by the text.

Exodus 19:9 Exodus 19:9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever…

19:16 So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled…

20:18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off…

20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die…

21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.…

24:16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

According to Exodus, great precautions had to be taken to keep God from accidentally killing people; for instance, Exodus 19:21, “And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.” For much more on Yahweh’s appearance, see the Ye-Gods.info Descriptions of Yahweh section.

Why Were the Hebrews God’s Chosen People?

admin — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:54:59 +0000

Ever wonder how the Hebrews became “God’s chosen people”? Ancient texts state that the Hebrews were assigned to Yahweh, via a divine council, as his slice of the Earthly pie that was divided among the “70 sons of God (El).” (I’m going to leave footnotes out of this post to keep the formatting simple, but there’s a link at the end of this post to an expanded article with footnotes.)

The Dead Sea Scrolls and Ugaritic texts both share the belief that, by the 2nd millennium BCE, the top god (El/Eli/El Elyon) was meeting with 70 bene elohim (sons of God (El), of which Yahweh was one) in a “divine council” to deliberate important decisions. The bene elohim are also referred to in the Bible as judges, rulers, princes, stars, and kings.

By the first millennium BCE, each of the 70 sons of El had been assigned his own nation to rule. Each of the 70 elohim is said to have created a covenant with his particular people.

Deuteronomy 32:8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. (English Standard Version ©2001)

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Am amphora showing a Council of the Greek gods on Mt. Olympus.

So Yahweh had to work with what he got. There are a huge number of bible verses demonstrating Yahweh’s extreme displeasure with the behavior of his people, and showing that he had a long hard time of it browbeating them into militarily conquering the Promised Land. He also became furious when his people worshipped gods and goddesses other than himself, such as the gods represented by the divine council’s 69 other sons of God. He was a “jealous God,” determined that his assigned people would worship no one but himself.

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Canaanite regions all have records of divine councils, also called assemblies or synods of the gods. The divine council of the Old Testament seems different only in that Yahweh’s emphasis on monotheism required that any identification or praise of other council members had to be understated, obscured, or omitted entirely.

Here’s a reference to the divine council in Psalm 82:1, in two translations for comparison.

Psalm 82:1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: (English Standard Version ©2001)

Psalm 82:1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. (King James Version)

The gods of Yahweh’s divine council became, over time, “divine beings” — angels and others. Only Yahweh remained a god, and it was Yahweh who was then credited with creating the divine beings. For more information, including footnotes for the statements made in this post, see the Divine Councils page at Ye-Gods.info.