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  • From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
  • To: Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO THE HEAVENS IN SEMITIC LANGUAGES
  • Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2012 02:11:53 +0000

Jack, I believe the word you're after is "cloche".


GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)


On 02/09/2012, at 10:46 PM, "Jack Kilmon" <jkilmon AT historian.net> wrote:

> Hi George and Ishinan:
> I have given thought in the past regarding the Iron Age conception of
> cosmology and what רָקִיעַ meant. I took my clue from the term
> וַֽאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמָיִם used at Gen 7:11, 8:2; 2 Ki 7:19; Isa 24:18; Mal
> 3:10. The best translation I can think of, less generic than "Windows" is
> "shutters" because araboth are non-glazed windows but lattice-work windows
> (which would not be found in a symbolic robe). Araboth are constructed in a
> solid substrate. The Cairo Geniza Targum, T. Pseudojonathan and T. Neofiti
> use the Aramaic hrky, windows that would be constructed in a plank boat,
> wall of a house as well as shemaya. Have you ever had room service
> breakfast at a Hotel (preferably King David)? You have your plate of food
> and a stainless steel domed covering to keep it warm. Sometimes there is
> even an arabah in the top through which you put your finger to lift the
> cover. The plate is the flat circular earth and the steel cover is the
> raqiya. The finger hole is the arabah (except they are closed with a
> lattice which had to וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ
> וּבֵין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ to keep breakfast from getting wet.
> We now know there is no water above the heavens and our space walking
> astronauts needed no scuba gear. All of the stars, planets, the sun and
> moon "hung" like lanterns from the inside of the metal dome. This is also
> pretty close to other Iron Age and Bronze Age cosmologies. Mr, Ockham
> informs me that רָקִיעַ is hammered out metal.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Jack
>
> Jack Kilmon
> Houston, TX
>
> -----Original Message----- From: George Athas
> Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2012 2:55 AM
> To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO
> THE HEAVENS IN SEMITIC LANGUAGES
>
> Ishinan,
>
> Thanks for a fascinating post and all the digging you've done to bring out
> those references. I have a couple of issues, however, with how you're
> bringing the data together and reaching a conclusion about them.
>
> Firstly, the Quranic references are, obviously, quite late. We are talking
> at the very least a millennium later than the biblical texts we've been
> tossing about. As such, I'm reticent to place too much weight on them in
> terms of determining the conceptuality of the biblical writers.
>
> Secondly, the Kabbalah is also quite late and, therefore, unreliable for
> determining the ancient conceptuality. Paul evidently had a concept of
> multiple heavens (cf. 2 Cor 12.2), but again this says nothing about, say,
> how the writer of Genesis 1 understood the רקיע.
>
> Thirdly, I follow your discussion about seeing celestial realia as divine
> garments. Clothing is often used as a symbol of authority (cf. how robes
> get used and misused in the books of Samuel and Kings), so I see the
> symbolic value in the texts you mention. And I see how you're getting
> 'patch' out of רקע. However, I really do not see how this relates
> specifically to the issue of whether the רקיע is conceived as an actual
> hard panel or not. As far as I can see, none of the texts you've mentioned
> make use of this word. If I'm wrong on that, please correct me — I'm very
> happy to change my opinion on this.
>
> Finally, the concept of 'patch' as part of רקע does not mean this concept
> exhausts the meaning of the trilateral root. We are dealing with a semantic
> domain that is demonstrated ultimately by usage of specific forms (verbs,
> nouns, etc.) in specific contexts. I fear that you may be imbibing a little
> of the etymological fallacy with a dash of totality transfer. As I
> mentioned, I'm happy to be corrected on this, but I don't think the data
> quite get us to your conclusion.
>
> Cheers!
>
>
> GEORGE ATHAS
> Dean of Research,
> Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
> Sydney, Australia
>
>
> From: Ishnian <ishinan AT comcast.net<mailto:ishinan AT comcast.net>>
> Date: Saturday, 1 September 2012 2:06 PM
> To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org<mailto:b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>>
> Subject: [b-hebrew] MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO THE
> HEAVENS IN SEMITIC LANGUAGES
>
> MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO THE HEAVENS IN SEMITIC
> LANGUAGES
>
>
> The trilateral root of _rq`_ in Hebrew actually means "patch", ( parallel
> meaning is also found in many Semitic languages such as in Ugaritic,
> Classical Arabic etc. All of them are, invariably, describing the sky
> region with the exact same terminology. Parallel to Hebrew_ rq`_ Arabic
> has al-raqiy` or the first heaven
> and al-'Arqa` for each layer or patch of the seven heavens . This is a
> clear reference to each one of the seven heavens. The Qur'an (Fussilat 41:
> 12) "And He created seven skies (heavens) in two days, and taught each
> sky its duties. And He adorned the nearest sky (or: the sky of this world)
> with stars...etc." and
> "Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a similar
> number." (Qur'an 65:120)
>
> Further Islamic texts refer to several levels of heavens: known as
> al-Firdaws, `Adn, Na`iym, Na'wa, DAr al-salAm, dAr al-MuaqAmah, Al-MaqqAm
> al-'Amiyn.
>
> Each of these heavens being a cover to what is next to it as though it was
> 'patched' over by the next one above it. The highest celestial 'region'
> being portrayed as 'patched' garment.
>
> The same idea of the seven heavens is expressed in the Jewish Kabbalah:
> Shamayim, the first Heaven Raqy`, the second Heaven Shehaqim, the third
> Heaven Machen, the fourth Heaven Machon, the fifth Heaven Zebul, the sixth
> Heaven, and Araboth the seventh Heaven.
>
> Ugaritic, equally has a rich vocabulary in describing heaven as a divine
> clothing. For example: when Motu sarcastically refers back to Ba`lu's
> victory over Yammu and his monsters, he asserts that Ba`lu was uncovered (
> i.e. suffered a terrible humiliation) But then he goes on to state that,
> the heavens came loose like the girdle (rks) of his cloak (`ipd) {see KTU
> 1.5:1.4-5}. Thus it would seem that Motu takes the heavens to be the
> "clothing" of the weather -god Ba`lu ( here it could just as well become an
> obvious metaphor for the clouded sky.) In fact, in Ugaritic, once the
> heavens are depicted as Ba`lu cloak.
>
> Similarly, the Bible frequently uses the concept of the heavens covering
> YHWH like a tent ( which incidentally is made of patches sowed together).
> In fact the idea that the heavens are YHWH 's garment finds an echo in Ps.
> 102:25-26
>
> "Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens
> (shamamym) [are] the work of thy hands.
>
> They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old
> like a garment (bgd); as a vesture ( lbwsh) shalt thou change them, and
> they shall be changed:"
>
> In addition, natural phenomena also may be clothed by YHWH. Indeed, in
> anger, God clothes the heavens with blackness, and he makes sackcloth (sq)
> their covering ( ksw-t) Isa. 50:3 "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and
> I make sackcloth their covering."
>
> I hope that the above examples are sufficiently convincing to convey the
> true meaning and symbolism of "clothing/patched garment:" in reference to
> the sky or heaven(s) in the Semitic languages.
>
> Best regards to all
>
> Ishinan Ishibashi
>
>
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