Bible Question:
Why is the number twelve so significant? ex. the twelve diciples, when Jesus raised a twelve year old from the dead, Revelation 21:12. Thanks |
Bible Answer: I am not sure about the 12 year old, though it may be related to the transition from childhood to adulthood. In other areas though, the answer is a more clear in the OT and NT. Twelve is rather prminent in Revelation. Here is some commentary on that context. " Points to Ponder Scripture and the Stars In Revelation 4 and 5, we meet the "four living creatures." These are angelic beings who are described by John as looking like a lion, an ox, a man, and a eagle. Several things should be mentioned about these creatures. First, there is strong evidence to link these creatures to the constellations of the zodiac. The biblical writers were familiar with the constellations, with the exception that Scorpio was probably known to them as the Eagle. Curiously, therefore, the four cherubim mentioned in Revelation 4:6-7 are the middle signs in the four quarters of the zodiac. The lion is Leo, the ox is Taurus, the man is Aquarius, and the eagle corresponds to Scorpio. John lists them in counter-clockwise order backward around the zodiac. This is not, however, an appeal to astrology on the part of John. Rather, it is an example of the common Catholic sacramental understanding that the creation in the heavens, like all the rest of creation, is a sign made by God and pointing to God. In the words of Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God." Thus, to the ancient biblical mind, the groupings of the stars are not random for the simple reason that nothing in all creation is random. Rather, the macrocosm of creation showed the glory of God writ large across the heavens and the microcosm of the Temple declared that glory on a human scale and in a way fitting and proper to our dignity as creatures made in the image of God. This being so, it is no surprise that in the Old Testament (Numbers 2), the arrangement of the twelve tribes of Israel around the tabernacle corresponded to the zodiac and its twelve signs. (In fact, archeologists have uncovered ancient synagogues with a mosaic of the zodiac inlaid in the floor.) The hope of the twelve tribes of the Chosen People is that Israel is the beginning of the new world order, symbolized by the constellations. Indeed, the link between the "heavenly host" ruled by Yahweh Sabaoth (the Lord of hosts) and the nation of Israel is very strong. For the heavenly host or army of angelic powers symbolized by the stars is ruled over by the very same God who commands the armies of Israel or the "earthly host." So the earthly tabernacle was a miniature of God's heavenly dwelling: both were attended by the armies of the Lord, composed of the angels and the people of Israel. Similarly, in Genesis 37:9, Jacob and his sons are likened to the sun, moon, and twelve stars. And, of course, in the most famous linkage of heavenly creation to God's earthly purposes, we have the example of the star of Bethlehem heralding the birth of Messiah. Scripture therefore affirms a very basic Catholic truth: Everything is connected because everything shares the same Creator. What Scripture and Catholic teaching deny is the assertion that this connectedness endows any creature with the glory or honor due to God alone. This is the lie that undergirds such foolish practices as astrology. Astrology, like all heretical belief, consists of absolutizing a relative truth. It makes the stars of the zodiac, not things which point to the revelation of God in Christ, but ends in themselves and "gods" whom we attempt to make the ultimate source of our wisdom. Nonetheless, in their proper place as creatures made by God to be signs, the heavens, like all creation, declare the glory of God and are to be received as a sort of huge sacramental along with the rest of God's revelation in the Scripture, Tradition and Church of Jesus Christ." Catholic Scripture Study Revelation: Lesson 4,The Liturgy of Redemption. copywrite: www.catholicexchange.com |
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FytRobert | ||
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Jokerman64 | ||
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Jokerman64 | ||
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Jokerman64 | ||
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moody1 | ||
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Lyle | ||
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fayrob | ||
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Emmaus | ||
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Emmaus | ||
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13599 | ||
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1628 lincola place brooklyn ny | ||
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sniffney |