I have been reading The Odyssey for a literature class, and I find it quite interesting about the plot line surrounding the King and master of a house going away to war and is delayed. In his absence, a bunch of "suitors" move into his house from all over the place looking to court his wife when it seems as though the master won't return. They squat, eating up his cattle and drinking up his wine, even trying to murder his son.
Odysseus makes his comeback in the form of a beggar, and enters the house to test and see who is loyal to him and who has sold out on him. Once he establishes that, he reveals himself, those loyal to him take his side, and he massacres the mass of men who had taken over his house in his meeting hall while they feasted.
He then has the disloyal household servant girls who had been sleeping with them come out and clean up all the gore, sponging everything spotless before having them taken out and killed.
It is a brutal old tale, but I felt like it was a reflection of divine justice as set forth by the prophecies of the messiah returning and there being a great slaughter of those who had stood against him, plundering what belonged to him.
To cap it all off, after this great slaughter and requisition, This passage closes the chapter
Odysseus speaks:
"Let me have the fire. The first thing is to purify this place."
With no more chat Eurykleia obeyed
and fetched out fire and brimstone. Cleansing fumes
he sent through court and hall and storage chamber.
Then the old woman hurried off again
to the women's quarters to announce her news,
and all the servants came now, bearing torches
in twilight, crowding to embrace Odysseus,
and taking his hands to kiss, his head and shoulders,
while he stood there, nodding to every one,
and overcome by longing and by tears.
I just found it rather interesting, considering even Strong's concordance says that brimstone was believed to have the power to cleanse and purify. I wonder if this old belief had something to do with why God chose to use that symbol in the Revelation?
That passage in Homer's Odyssey is quoted by several authorities when they explain what brimstone was in the minds of the Greeks who gave us those words.
Let me quote Charles Pridgeon from his book
Is Hell Eternal or Will God's Plan Fail? page 116
Quote
The word theion translated "brimstone" is exactly the same wordtheion which means "divine." Sulfur was sacred to the deity among the ancient Greeks; and was used to fumigate, to purify, and to cleanse and to consecrate to their deity; for this purpose it was burned in their incense. In Homer's Iliad (16:228), one is spoken of as purifying a goblet with fire and brimstone. The verb derived from theion is theioo which means to hallow, to make divine, or dedicate to a god. (See liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon, 1897 Edition)
To any Greek, or to any trained in the Greek language, a "lake of fire and brimstone" would be a "lake of divine purification." The idea of judgment need not be excluded (see chapter on The Judgments of God). Divine purification and divine consecration are the plain meaning in ancient Greek. In the ordinary explanation, this fundamental meaning is entirely left out, and nothing but eternal torment is associated with it.
Just to let you know that (1) you aren't the first to see that passage in the Iliad; and (2) there is more to brimstone than what is ordinarily taught.
I believe and teach that when God breathed into Adam the breath of life, and he became a living soul, it was brimstone that made Adam live. I also believe and teach that the Lake of Fire is God Himself. That is why I capitalize it in my writings.
But, enough of that for now. I have to deliver a sermon in about 15 minutes.
In reading my last post, even to myself, I come across a little bit abrasive. Almost like a know-it-all.
That was unintentional. I was in a hurry. I apologize.
Quote from: BenJasher on April 27, 2008, 06:35:42 PM
That passage in Homer's Odyssey is quoted by several authorities when they explain what brimstone was in the minds of the Greeks who gave us those words.
Just to let you know that (1) you aren't the first to see that passage in the Iliad; and (2) there is more to brimstone than what is ordinarily taught.
I don't think that this quote is from the Illyad. I kept wondering where that quotation was from, since quite a few UR works mention the existence of this passage in Homer. I went over the Illyad with a comb and even checked it out of the library on audio cassette and still didn't find the quote. Glad to see that someone reproduced the whole quote. It's from the Odyssey, eh?
willieH: Hi Ben... :hithere:
A comment on this comment:
Quote from: BenJasher on April 27, 2008, 06:35:42 PM
I believe and teach that when God breathed into Adam the breath of life, and he became a living soul, it was brimstone that made Adam live. I also believe and teach that the Lake of Fire is God Himself. That is why I capitalize it in my writings.
I completely agree with this statement... and that includes this thought:
We are ALL ...
IN... Him, as noted by PAUL (Acts 17:28)
HE ...
IS... a CONSUMING FIRE... (Heb 12:29)
Therefore, we are all ...
IN... the
LAKE of FIRE ...NOW! :mshock:
Hope your "sermon" is successful and
full of
this degree of TRUTH... :thumbsup:
Btw, ...What "church" do you preach in? :dunno:
peACe...willieH :icon_king:
Yo Willie :thumbsup:
Quote from: martincisneros on April 30, 2008, 12:56:15 PM
I don't think that this quote is from the Illyad. I kept wondering where that quotation was from, since quite a few UR works mention the existence of this passage in Homer. I went over the Illyad with a comb and even checked it out of the library on audio cassette and still didn't find the quote. Glad to see that someone reproduced the whole quote. It's from the Odyssey, eh?
No. It is from the Iliad, book 16, line 228. If you have the Doubleday hardback edition of 1974 as I do, it is on page 384, starting at about the fourth paragraph.
Allow me to quote the passage for you:
Quote from: The IliadAkhilleus went into his hut. He lifted up the lid of a seachest, all intricately wrought, that Thetis of the silver feet had stowed aboard his ship for him to take to Illion, filled to the brim with shirts, wind-breaking cloaks, and fleecy rugs. His hammered cup was there, from which no other man had drank the bright wine, and he made offering to no god but Zeus. Lifting it from the chest, he purified it first with brimstone, washed it with water, and washed his hands, and dipped it full of wine.
It is there, right where Brother Pridgeon said it would be. Please note that it is not where I originally said it would be. It is in the Iliad, not the Odyssey.
Quote from: willieH on May 03, 2008, 09:45:13 PM
Btw, ...What "church" do you preach in? :dunno:
I am pastor of Glad Tidings Chapel in Decatur Arkansas. We are a small church, but you can see us from space. At least that is what it says on our websites. We have two of them. Check them out:
Enduring Grace (http://enduring-grace.com)
and
TWSJ.WS (http://twsj.ws)
I have been here at this church for almost 25 years now.
One more thing: eirinikos' original post quoted a passage from the Odyssey. Again, if you have the version of the Iliad and The Odyssey that I have, brimstone is mentioned twice on page 392. That is book 22, lines 495 through 501.
QuoteBring me brimstone and a brazier- medicinal fumes to cleanse my hall.
and
QuoteWith no more chat Eurykleia obeyed and fetched out fire and brimstone. Cleansing fumes he sent through court and hall and storage chamber.
Notice that in these stories, all three instances of brimstone are in the context of either purification and/or cleansing. Would that detail be pertinent to this discussion? :Sparkletooth:
Here it is at the Project Gutenburg site if you want to see it online: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext99/dyssy08a.txt (http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext99/dyssy08a.txt)