Symbols and Rituals: Lessons From The Early Original Testament

By Dr. Stephen Harrison and Richard Huizinga

We establish that although symbols arise

spontaneously out of questions that seek to provide

meaning for life's events, that paradoxical

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: Jan 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9781684866663

Dr. Stephen Harrison

Dr. STEPHEN HARRISON is a preacher's kid with forty years of medical experience, and RICHARD HUIZINGA is a retired healthcare executive who enjoys explaining the motivation of our complex social situations. The authors enjoy reflecting and mediating on biblical stories, discussing them in small-town restaurants and then writing about them in a way that will draw believers back to the original stories to uncover the new meaning.

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Symbols And Rituals: Lessons from the Early Original Testament

Copyright © 2023 by Stephen D. Harrison, M.D. and Richard Huizinga. All rights reserved.

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The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of URLink Print and Media.

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Published in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023924449

ISBN 978-1-68486-664-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68486-666-3 (Digital)

05.12.23

Contents

Preface To Symbols

Introduction

Creation

Creation, Symbols, and Sacrifice – Part One

Inclusion Versus Exclusion – Part 1

Inclusion Versus Exclusion – Part 2

Free Will And The Fall

Not So Good

What Did They Do That Was So Wrong

The Lost Ability To Name Things

The Uncovered Coverup

The Rich Man, Creation, and the Ego

Eternal Now

Sacrifice

Creation, Symbols, and Sacrifice – Part One

Creation, Symbols, and Sacrifice – Part Two

Blood, Sacrifice and Questions – Part One

Blood, Sacrifice and Questions – Part Two

Beyond The Suffering

Noah’s Sacrifice

Abraham and Sacrifice – Part One

Abraham and Sacrifice – Part Two

Exodus, Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Cain And Abel And Sacrifice

Worn Out Symbols

Primordial God

Wanting To Be Like God

Separation, Creation, and Rest

The Primordial God

Who Is In Control

The Fall And The Rise Of Rationalization

Rumors And God – Part 1

Separation, Creation, and Rest

Fear And Guilt

When God Endorsed Blame And Cursed

Eternity And Unity

Satan

Promoting Satan

The Promotion Of Satan – Part 2

The Tools Of Satan

Satan And God: Cavorting And Acting

The Original Existential Decision

In Plain Sight

Knowledge

Ananias, Sapphira, and Achan: The Collective Consciousness and the Individual Conscience

Withholding and Revisiting Ananias And Sapphira

Stories And Forgiveness

The Sons Of God

When The Sons of God Had Fun And God Was Sorry

Never Again

Babel And One Language

When Confession Doesn’t Work

Noah And Forgiveness

Tower Of Babel And Forgiveness

Origins Of Forgiveness

Hager And Forgiveness

Job

Servants

Why Does Job Serve God?

Reputation And Job

Job Desocialized

Contrasts In Job Part 1

Contrasts In Job Part 2

Who’s Talking Now

Rumors And God – Part 2

When God Stops Speaking To People

Breaking Bread

Commandments

10 Commandments

Accountability

Accountability – Part Two

When God Stops Speaking And Giving Commands

The 10 Commandments: Being, Resting and Doing

The Greatest Commandment

Comparisons Of The Greatest Commandments

Commandments From God

Don’t Eat The Fruit

Conclusion

Preface To Symbols

Symbols arise spontaneously in history with regards to events that need to be internalized into the human psyche. They serve as convenient representations of measures that go on far beyond the scientific description of the symbol. The flag of a nation as a symbol could in no way shape or form be described adequately for its meaning by merely portraying the measurements, color, and the like.

A symbol and its meaning can neither be forced nor imposed upon a body of people. As much as one group of people may desire their own particular symbol to have meaning for another group of people, the promotion of that symbol must still be a matter of choice for each participant. To be sure when a new individual to a group is exposed to the experience that others have with the symbol there may be a transmission of meaning which is incorporated to the individual.

Symbols may retain their meaning over many generations and across nations as well. Indeed, universal and eternal or timeless symbols do fascinate us. However even with a universal and timeless symbol each individual must come to their own understanding and meaning of that symbol in order for there to be a significant experience. Indeed the attempt to enforce meaning for a symbol that is not spontaneously grasped may be counterproductive.

When a symbol has a long standing and deep meaning for many individuals it may become natural to replace the symbol for that which it is supposed to stand. When this happens meaning can only be reestablished when the symbol is either destroyed or replaced or reinterpreted for that particular time and people. No law or rule by any organization whether government or religion can bring meaning to people.

Indeed, the perpetuation of the meaning of a symbol by law rule or even creed cannot instill meaning for society or even an individual. We therefore do ourselves a service to call to question the meaning of symbols at least for every generation. To be clear it is anachronistic moralism to judge anyone at another time or circumstance for the meaning of symbols in their lives.

We do well to remember in this exercise that the goal is not the perpetuation of the symbol or the elimination of the symbol but rather the ultimate meaning behind that symbol. Pertinent questions in regards to symbols include whether the symbol is universal. Also, does the symbol have the potential to be timeless? Does the symbol have the potential to convey a different and special kind of meaning to another individual or group of people who does not share my particular background?

Introduction

The readers of this treaties is encouraged to read the concise book by Paul Tillich entitled Dynamics of Faith. Of particular importance here is the content regarding symbols by Tillich. Symbols are an essential part of any community whether defined as a community of faith or otherwise. Those symbols must have collective meaning that is durable over time and especially meaningful at times of stress. The strongest and most meaningful symbols are capable of being deeply scrutinized.

Indeed, the strongest respect that we can show for a symbol is to challenge the meaning of that symbol and its application. This challenge may include a total revision of the symbol. The challenge may even include the elimination of the symbol. Indeed, a community that is fearful of changing its symbols or losing those symbols is in danger of disintegration. Fear and control are instruments of such. This paradox is that a symbol that unites a community may divide it if the symbol is overly protected .

Ritual is where the individual or community interacts with the symbol to deepen internally the meaning of the symbol. Rituals generally involve symbols and therefore share many features with symbols. Rituals may unite a community of faith or other communities. Rituals represent the concept that there is a timeless meaning that is beyond their own identity. Yet the ritual itself is not eternal no matter how long it has been utilized and no matter how deeply it is internalized and no matter how many people are involved.

Rituals serve to unite people in the moment and over time. Therefore, they have a spatial property that is the place of enactment. They have a time and historical perspective as well. Rituals and ceremonies intersect often but most commonly in community services and in particular religious ceremonies. Again we have a paradox in that the ritual has the opportunity to enhance the meaning of a symbol while at the same time diminishing the symbol to the mundane.

Because symbols and rituals have deep community and faith connections, the community understandably feels threatened when its symbols and rituals are called into question. The next paradox is that such questioning of the meaning and application of rituals and symbols can only occur when a community is willing to take that chance. The strongest communities are those that issue an invitation for the challenge to their own rituals and symbols.

Ultimately a community is united by both its common meaning and use of symbols even when they are challenged. The penultimate purpose behind a symbol is not merely to unite belief systems but to call people to action that serves to strengthen the community. Acts of heroism follow this principle. So too do acts of charity. Indeed, any time that there remains a single unmet need of the community whether physical, or psychological, or spiritual, then the symbols need to be re-examined.

Our work is meant for us to revisit some ancient stories that we think we know and that we are certain have meaning in our lives and could and even should for others. This process is assisted by allowing ourselves to deconstruct and carry on with the meaning. We knew the scope to be too broad to cover much of the Bible and even Original Testament. We decided to let the work take us where it would. What follows is that pathway.

Creation

Creation, Symbols, and Sacrifice – Part One

The book of Genesis begins of course, with the creation story. While it of course, a symbolic representation, it is not as has popularly been portrayed as unscientific. Rather we must look at it from a symbolic nature in order to have a better understanding of not only the book but of the life and course of humanity. The beauty of the first two sentences is that God takes that which is formless and empty and dark and turns it in to this wonderful creation for us to appreciate and live in.

In order for God to make it all happen he must begin with light. This will become the symbol for the entire Bible both in the Original Testament as well as the New Testament in which Jesus becomes the light of the world in a symbolic sense. Immediately God separates the light which God calls day from the darkness which God calls night. We must keep in mind though, that there can be no light without the darkness.

The next act of God is another act of separation. Once again it involves a symbol that will permeate throughout the Bible. By this time, it appears that water and land have been created although there is some ambiguity. Certainly, the water is present by the time of the separation from water and land by the sixth verse of Genesis chapter 1. The phrasing though allows that land may have come into existence at that point. Indeed, this becomes more clear in verse nine and ten.

Given that Genesis chapter 1 verse nine says God made dry land appear we have the consideration that dry land was part of that formless concept mentioned in verse two. Arguably though the first living creation occurs in verse 11 with vegetation and seed green plants and trees. This is followed by another symbolic mention of light. Then with echoes of evolution we recognize that first there was water and then vegetation and then next we have creatures from the waters and then the birds of the air. This is then followed by the tradition of ground creatures and finally man.

With the creation of human beings, we have another subtle disclosure about God. First God uses the plural phrase let us make man. This plurality implies that God is not a single entity and one in which some will point to as the first reference to the Trinity although that cannot be derived clearly from that verse. In any event whatever the US is, it creates man in its own image. Furthermore, it is given dominion over all creatures and over all the earth.

God acknowledges the human beings are created in the image of God and in a sense the scripture expands the limited connotation of men to include male and female. While there is a reworking of that creation story in the next chapter it is not really contradictory to this one. What is most notable for our discussions at this time is that God gives the human beings a blessing and tells them to be fruitful and multiply. The first command is essentially echoing God’s own creation of vegetation importance.

Inclusion Versus Exclusion – Part