Theos-Talk Archives (March 2004 Message tt00380)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Erica Letzerich <eletzerich@y...> 
wrote:
> Celibacy not as something imposed by the mind or by a
> self control process, celibacy as a natural impulse of
> a soul in the stage of a Mahatma or an Avatar. 

I will not argue with you, but I am skeptical about that.

> 59. The wisdom which (humans) call barren is the
> Mother of the Angels. (Ph 40) And the Mate of the
> [Christ] is Mariam Magdalene.

This implies that Mary was metaphorically the church, since the 
church is represented as the "bride" of Christ.

> 60. While a blind person and one who sees are both in
> the dark, they do not differ from one another. But
> when the light comes, then he who sees shall behold
> the light yet he who is blind shall remain in the
> darkness. (Th 34; interlinear) 

This probably refers to spiritual blindness, which is what is meant 
in most cases when Jesus "cured" the blind. He metaphorically opened 
their eyes to the spiritual truth he taught.

> 61. The Lord said: Blest be he who was before he came
> into being. (=Th 19!) For he who is, both was and
> shall be. (Rev/Ap 1:8

This is a reference to the pre-existence of the soul, which is 
implied in numerous places in the OT. Origen says ancient scholars 
were divided on this and that some insisted the OT taught 
traducianism.

> Romans 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. 

The fraternal kiss (the name of which implies it was not erotic) was 
probably not a French kiss. Chrysostom says it symbolically honored 
the mouth because the esoteric teaching was communicated orally and 
not written down. He also says there was some concern about people 
getting off on it, and this in ancient times. Almost certainly in 
the very beginning the fraternal kiss, being fraternmal, was a kiss 
on the neck, since this was the custom then.

> A mother that kiss her child on the lips means that
> she has an erotic relationship with the child? 

Kissing kids on the mouth is a strange thing to do. Are you 
referring to LeTourneau?