INTRODUCTORY VITAL SPARKS OF SUPERFINE JEWISH SACRED PHILOSOPHY: PRIEST ELEAZAR & THE SEVEN JEWISH BROTHERS' PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF ANCIENT JEWISH PHILOSOPHY SIGNIFICANT TO OUR SACRED PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY

*+*PHILOSOPHICAL DIGEST @ ZION*+*

REV. PROF. CYPRIAN CHRIS JERUSALEM OKOLIE,
PhD, DD.
(The LORD'S APOSTLE Of Zionist Kingdom VISION, MISSION & DIVINE MANDATE @ ZION With Kingdom University Missionary Education & Worldwide Kingdom Ministries @ Zion Of Jerusalem Above)


 +INTRODUCTORY VITAL SPARKS OF SUPERFINE JEWISH SACRED PHILOSOPHY: PRIEST ELEAZAR & THE SEVEN JEWISH BROTHERS' PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF ANCIENT JEWISH PHILOSOPHY SIGNIFICANT TO OUR SACRED PHILOSOPHICAL 
INQUIRY+ (2)

 O That Blessed Sparkling Kingdom Men Of Integrity @ ZION & All Favoured Bouncing Daughters Of ZION In His Glory Might Praise The LORD & Sing Unto The Almighty God A New Song! For The LORD Our God Hath Done Marvelous Things Unto Us - His Favoured Kingdom Saints @ ZION; His Right Hand & His Holy Arm Have Gotten Him The Victory. He Had Made Known His Blessed Salvation Unto All Men; Even His Righteousness & Hath Openly Shown In The Light Of The Favoured Heathen; Even The Honour, Blessings & Eternal Salvation That Thou Didst Grant To Thy Kingdom Saints @ ZION Of Holy Jerusalem: Our Glorious Happy Home. 

Alleluia!! Amen. Hosanna In The Highest!

 Blessed Forever Be The Lord Christ De Messiah, The Lord Strong & Powerful In His Invincible Power, The Lord Mighty In Battle, Even The King Of Glory Who Is The Lord In Heaven & On Earth. 

Alleluia!! Hosanna! Amen.

Blessed Be Thou, O Almighty God! The Father Of Everlasting Life, Peace, Love, Grace, Goodness & Mercies Who Has Shown His Favour To Those Who Were Sinners Against Thee & Brought Them To Thy Mercy Of Paradise & Placed Them Amongst Thy Favoured Kingdom Saints @ ZION Of Holy Jerusalem & With Thy Great Spiritual Provisions, In A Spiritual & Holy Life Thru Christ De Messiah, The Redeemer Of Mankind. 
Alleluia!! Amen.

Glory, Glory Be To Almighty God In The Highest! Peace, Peace To Bouncing, Vibrating & Radiating Daughters Of ZION @ Clean Manifestation Of Heroic Virtues Of Love, Chastity & Submission! Peace To Blessed, Sparkling, Elegant & Gallant Kingdom Men Of Integrity, Confidence & Goodwill! Peace To Us - Divine Athletes Of Righteousness & Blessed Kingdom Saints @ ZION Of Holy Jerusalem: Our Glorious Happy Home! 
Alleluia!! Amen.

Beloved Blessed Kingdom Brethren cum Favoured Associates Of God's Kingdom @ Heavenly Mount ZION & My Sparkling Darling Comrades In The Sacred Academia Of Biblical Scholars, Religious Educationists, Aspiring Blessed Theologians cum Sacred Philosophers, Revered Servants Of Almighty God & Great Ministerial Candidates @ ZION Of Holy Jerusalem - Our Glorious Happy Home: Calvary Greetings To U All Today, In Beautiful White Love! 

 All Happiness, Divine Favour, Peace, Eternal Salvation cum Sanctification, Goodness & Mercy By Christ De Messiah Attend To U All. Prosperity, Protection, Progress & Divine Upliftment From God The Father Be Unto U All Thru The Same Lord Christ De Messiah's Most Wonderful Holy Name. Amen & Amen. 

Alleluia!! Hosanna In The Highest!

Happy Welcome To Our Sacred Nourishing Theological Diet Of Today's Awesome, Inspiring, Edifying, Spiritually Thrilling & Imparting, Philosophically Theological Discourse In Clean Manifestation Of Ancient Famous Biblical Athletes Of Righteousness With Heroic Virtues Of Dynamically Ultra-violent Faith, Integrity & Goodwill.

Dear Sparkling Darling Comrades @ ZION: In this current, great & spiritually edifying sacred Talk of Divine Dimension & Purpose did our Blessed, Revered Elder Priest, ELEAZAR, The Son Of AARON & father of clean Manifestation of Heroic Virtues of Faith, Courage & Glorious Integrity With Long-suffering, vehemently & fearlessly stood up in his amazing defence of Divine Virtues Of Faith, Integrity, Holiness & Righteousness & in a glorious defence of Judaism @ ancient Israel of God. 

Alleluia!! Amen.

For by his astonishing Courage & Confidence he defiantly defied the tyrant's torturous order & kept his Confidence, Integrity & Goodwill, even to his death; & brought King Antiochus' unholy tyrannical power to nothingness & to the Glory of Almighty God of Israel. 

Alleluia!! Hosanna! Amen.

 You, O father, did fortify The fidelity of the Law

 Through your steadfastness unto Glory;

 And having spoken in honour of Holiness;

 You did not belie your speech,

 You did confirm the words of Divine Philosophy by your deeds.

 O aged man - forceful than the tortures!

 O revered Elder that was so bold

 And tenser-strung than the flame!

 You great philosopher,

 And king over the passions, Priest Eleazar!

        O Blessed Age, O Reverend Grey Head!

        O Life Faithful To The Sacred Law

        And Perfected By The Seal Of Death!

 For who is that being a philosopher following righteously the whole Rule of Philosophy; & having his Trust in God; & knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all challenges & hardness for the sake of Virtue, would not conquer his passions for the sake of Divine Righteousness?

Yes! By this means, even young boys, being philosophers by virtue of the Reason, which is according to Righteousness, have triumphed over yet more grievous tortures in the hands of the torturous tyrant. For when the tyrant found himself notably defeated in his first attempt @ Priest Eleazar, being impotent to compel an old man to mockingly eat unclean meat, then truly in violent rage he ordered the guards to bring others of the young men of the Hebrews; & if they would eat unclean meat to release them after eating it, but if they refused, to torture them yet more savagely.

 Thus, under these orders of the tyrant Seven Jewish Brothers together with their mother were brought prisoners before him, all handsome & modest, well-born & generally attractive. When the tyrant saw them there, standing as if they were a festal choir, with their mother in the midst, he took notice of them; & strict by their noble & distinguished bearing he smiled @ them.

And, calling them nearer, he said: "O young men, I wish well to each of you; & admire your beauty; & honour highly so large a band of brothers; so not only do I advise you not to persist in the madness of that old man who has already suffered; but I even entreat of you to yield to me & become partakers of my friendship. For, as I am able to punish those who disobey my orders, so I am able to advance those who obey me. Be assured then that you shall be given positions of importance & authority in my service if you will reject the ancestral law of your polity. Share in the Hellenistic life & walk in a new way; & take some pleasure in your youth; for if you drive me to anger with you disobedience, you will compel me to resort to terrible penalties & put every single one of you to death by torture. Have pity on yourselves, whom even I, your opponent, pity for your youth & your beauty. Will you not consider with yourselves this thing that if you disobey me there is nothing before you but death in torments"?

With these words he ordered the instruments of torture to be brought forward in order to persuade them by fear to eat unclean meat. However, when the guards had produced wheels & joint-dislocators & racks & bone-crushers & catapults & cauldrons & braziers & thumbscrews & iron-claws & wedges & branding irons, the tyrant spoke again & said: "You had better feel fear, my lads & the justice you worship will pardon your unwilling transgression".

However, the Seven Brothers, hearing his persuasions & seeing his dreadful engines, not only showed no fear but actually arranged their philosophy in opposition to the tyrant; & by their right Reason did abase his tyranny.

O Blessed Kingdom Brethren @ Heavenly Mount ZION of Jerusalem - In - Glory Above: Just consider very well. Supposing some among them to have been fainthearted & cowardly minded, what sort of language would they have used? Would it not have been to this effect?

"Alas! Miserable creatures that we are & foolish above measures! When the king invites us & appeals to us on terms of kind treatment, shall we not obey him? Why do we encourage ourselves with vain desires & dare a disobedience that is to cost us our lives? Shall we not, O men & my brothers, fear the dreadful instruments & weigh well his threats of the tortures; & abandon these empty vaunts & this fatal bragging? Let us take pity on our own youth & have compassion on our mother's age & let us lay to heart that if we disobey we shall die. And when the Divine Justice will have Mercy on us, if compelled by necessity, we yield to the king in fear. Why should we cast away from us this dear life & rob ourselves of this sweet world? Let us not strive against necessity', nor with vain confidence invite our torture. Even the Law itself does not willingly condemn us to death, we being in terror of the instruments of torture. Why does such contentiousness inflame us & a fatal obstinacy find favour with us, when we have a peaceful life by obeying the king"?

However, no such words escaped these young men @ the prospect of the torture, nor did such thoughts enter into their minds. For they were DESPISERS Of The PASSIONS & MASTERS Over PAINS! Men cherishing PIETY & promoting VIRTUE & practically displaying that "On Behalf Of Virtue, The Sons Of The Hebrews Alone Are Unconquerable"!

   HORROR & TORTURE REVEALING ANCIENT TYRANNY @ ITS WORST CAPACITY.

No sooner dd the tyrant conclude his urging them to eat unclean meat than all with one voice together & as with one soul defiantly said to the king:

"Why do you delay, O tyrant? We are ready to die rather than transgress the Commandments of our fathers. For we would be putting our ancestors also to shame, if we did not walk in obedience to the Law & take Moses as our Counsellor. O tyrant that counsels us to transgress the Law, do not, hating us, pity us beyond ourselves. For we esteem your mercy, giving us our lives in return for a breach of the Law, a thing harder to bear than death itself. You would terrify us with your threats of death under torture, as if a little while ago you had learned nothing from Elder Eleazar. But if the old men of the Hebrews endured the torture for Righteousness' sake, yes, until they died, more befitting will we young men die despising the torments of your compulsion over which, he, our aged teacher also triumphed. Make trial, therefore, O tyrant! And, if you take our lives for the sake of Righteousness think not that you hurt us with your tortures. For we through this your evil entreatment & our endurance of it shall win the prize of Virtue; but you for our cruel murder shall suffer @ the hands of Divine Justice sufficient torment by fire forever".

These words of the youths redoubled the wrath of the tyrant, not @ their disobedience only but @ what he considered their ingratitude. So by his orders, the scourgers brought forward the eldest of them & stripped him of his garment & bound his hands & arms on either side with thongs. But when they had scourged him till they were weary & gained nothing thereby, they cast him upon the wheels. And, on the noble youth was racked till his bones were out of joint. And as joint after joint gave way, he denounced the tyrant in these words: "O you most abominable tyrant, you enemy of the justice of Heaven & blood-minded, you do torment me in this fashion, not for man-slaying nor for impiety but for defending the law of God.

And, when the guards said to him, "Consent to eat that you may be released from your tortures"; he said to them: "Your methods, O miserable minions, are not strong enough to lead captive my REASON. Cut off my limbs & burn my flesh; & twist my joints; through all the torments I will show you that in respect to Virtue, the Sons of the Hebrews alone are unconquerable.

As he spoke thus, they set hot coals upon him besides & intensifying the tortures strained him yet tighter on the wheel. Meanwhile, all the wheel was besmeared by the humours of his body dropping down & the rent flesh ran round the axles of the machine. With his bodily frame already in dissolution, this great-souled youth, like a true son of Abraham, groaned not @ all; but as if he was suffering a change by fire to non-corruption, he nobly endured the tortures, saying in these words:

"Follow my example, O brothers. Do not forever desert me & forswear not honourable warfare on behalf of Righteousness, through which, may the just Providence that watched over our father become merciful into His people & take vengeance on the accursed tyrant". With these words the holy Youth yielded up the ghost.

But while all were watching @ his constancy of soul, the guards brought THE SECOND in age of the sons & grappling him with sharp-clawed bands of iron, they fastened him to the engines & the catapults. But when they heard his noble resolve in answer to their question: "Would he rather eat rather than be tortured"? These panther-like beasts tore @ his sinews with claws of iron; & rent away all the flesh from his cheeks; & tore off the skin from his head.

But, he steadfastly enduring this agony said: "How sweet is every form of death for the sake of the Righteousness of our fathers! And, to the tyrant he said: "O most ruthless of tyrants, does it not seem to you that @ this moment you yourself suffers tortures worse than mine in seeing your arrogant intention overcome by my endurance for Righteousness' sake? For I am supported under pain by the joys that come through Virtue, whereas you are in torment whilst glowing in your impiety; neither shall you escape, O most abominable tyrant, the penalties of the Divine Wrath".

When he had bravely met his glorious death, the THIRD SON was brought forward & was earnestly entreated by many to taste & so to save himself. But he answered & said in a loud voice: Are you ignorant that the same father begot me & my brothers that are dead & the same mother gave us birth & in the same doctrines was I brought up! I do not fore-swear the noble bond of brotherhood. Therefore, if you have engine of torture, apply it to this body of mine, for my soul you cannot reach, not, if you would". But they were greatly angered @ the bold speech of the young man; & they dislocated his hands & his feet with their dislocating engines; & wrenched his limbs out of their sockets & unstrung them; & they twisted round his finger & his arms & his legs & his elbows. And, in no wise being able to strangle his spirit, they stripped off his skin, taking the point of the finger with it; & tore in scythian fashion the scalp from his head; & straightway brought him to the wheel. On this day, they twisted his spine till he saw his own flesh hanging in strips & great gouts of blood pouring down from his entrails.

And @ the point of death he said: "We, O most abominable tyrant, we suffer thus for our upbringing & our Virtue that are of God; but you, for your impiety & your cruelty shall endure torment without end". Finally, he yielded up his noble ghost. 

Alleluia!! Hosanna! Amen.

O Dear Reader & My Sparkling Comrades @ ZION: That I may not get you bored & tired by a too lengthy philosophical discourse, we shall, eventually, if the Lord Christ De Messiah tarries in His Rapture of the Kingdom Saints @ Heavenly ZION, delve into this essential, inspiring sacred exposition & thus find grace to behold the gallant & glorious feats of heroic sacredly philosophical demonstrations of the FOURTH SON along with the rest of the divinely valiant heroic Three Sons & their noble mother of virtuous Character & Exposure. 

Alleluia!! Amen. Hosanna In The Highest!

    O Reasoning Mind More Kingly Than Kings

    Than Freemen More Free!

    Of The Faith Of The Jewish Athletes Of Righteousness & Virtue!

    The Great Defenders Of The Religion Of The Hebrew Race!

    Holy & Well Attuned To The Keynote Of Piety!

 Therein, we shall divinely advance, having met a venerable Elder first, Priest Eleazar & the first Jewish noble Three Sons of a woman full of years with her Seven Sons through the violence of a tyrant desiring to destroy the Hebrew nation. Nevertheless, they gloriously vindicated the Rights of their people, looking unto God & enduring the torments even unto death. 
Alleluia!! Amen. Hosanna In The Highest!

 Certainly, herein is the best of Divine stories that demand poetical representations & worthy to be sang as a song by all lovers of the promoters of Virtue & Righteousness. 
Alleluia!! Amen. Hosanna In The Highest!

   Beloved Blessed Kingdom Brethren @ Heavenly ZION & My Favourite Sparkling Comrades @ ZION Of Holy Jerusalem - Our Glorious Happy Home:

       +SHALOM TO U ALL TODAY, IN MY BEAUTIFUL, SPARKLING, WHITE LOVE!+