Herbs/Drugs in ancient times. What if.
Do you feel that some drugs which were call herbs/roots were used during Bible times, if so what? And if so, what was the purpose and to what degree. What was the influence and what was the outcome in the stories told. Would the outcome be different in some stories if they were or not used, and what did god ever say in accordance for the use of herbs.
What were the positives and negatives of using them if this being true.
How can this be applied to today?
Opium, hallucinogenics and mind bending natural drugs were used way before Bible was written, as they continue to be utilized.
I think we should contrencate on who wrote it more than what they were on, IMHO.
When Christianity became official religion of Rome, Emperor, priests and other Christian influential people, sat around a table and went chapter after chapter, reducing, adding and modifying.
I think it would be more interesting reading the 'fresh out of the oven' Bible...before the Rome and such. Not only in religious sense, but more importantly in socio-cultural sense of the time.
Statement: Undoubtedly, some of the herbs and roots mentioned in the Bible would be labeled today as illegal substances.
Statement: The benefits of using those herbs and roots would be that they would have medicinal purposes.
Statement: FeceMan does not believe that they have influenced "Bible stories."
Originally posted by lil bitchinessWell I remember reading that they used Mandrake.
Opium, hallucinogenics and mind bending natural drugs were used way before Bible was written, as they continue to be utilized.I think we should contrencate on who wrote it more than what they were on, IMHO.
When Christianity became official religion of Rome, Emperor, priests and other Christian influential people, sat around a table and went chapter after chapter, reducing, adding and modifying.
I think it would be more interesting reading the 'fresh out of the oven' Bible...before the Rome and such. Not only in religious sense, but more importantly in socio-cultural sense of the time.
MANDRAKE USES: Traditionally known as an aphrodisiac and closely associated with witchcraft.
EFFECTS: Hallucinations followed by deathlike trance and sleep.
CAUTION: Mandrake can easily cause death by respiratory paralysis.
Mandrake in Hebrew is דודאים (dûwôdãym), meaning “love plant”.
Leah's son Reuben who found the mandrake plants was upset that his mother gave away his stash.
In Genesis 30, Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah finds mandrakes in the field. Rachel, Jacob's second wife, the sister of Leah, is desirous of the mandrakes and she barters with her sister for them. The trade offered by Rachel is for Leah to spend the next night in Jacob's bed. Soon after this Rachel, who was previously barren, gives birth to a son, Joseph. There are classical Jewish commentaries who suggest that mandrakes help barren women to conceive a child.
Song of Solomon: The Mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for the, O my beloved. The Hebrew word dudaim has been translated in the Song of Solomon as "mandrake." The word dudaim refers to a fruit with a sweet and agreeable odour much in demand by the male sex. The word is probably derived from dudim (the pleasure of love) and has been translated as "apples."
Also, there is not a "fresh out of the Oven" Bible. The Vatican says there is, and that they own the original copy, but they have never opened it up to the public. Another thing I found interesting is that when people go back and research the texts to the original Greek, There seems not to be one, there is only Latin and then it's translated into Greek. I believe that the only authintic translations are of the OT, the Talmud.
Re: Herbs/Drugs in ancient times. What if.
Originally posted by debbiejoThere are many possible explanations for possible "visions" and other supernatural experiences. Asceticism of any type results in neural misfiring and other neurological issues. Chemicals that alter neural state result in more controlled incorrect neural behavior. Does this negate the possibility that the "visions" and other supernatural experiences could be true? No, it merely alters the level of probability. Perhaps the misfiring allows for easier or more depth of external manipulation of internal neural activity. I, personally, view God as living within the laws he creates, as such the concept of actions that lead to an increased likelihood of an abnormal neural experience may increase the possibility of divine interaction. But then this also brings one to the question, are schizophrenics communing with God? Paranoid schizophrenia often presents with a religious fanaticism where the individual believes he is an important religious figure.
Do you feel that some drugs which were call herbs/roots were used during Bible times, if so what? And if so, what was the purpose and to what degree. What was the influence and what was the outcome in the stories told. Would the outcome be different in some stories if they were or not used, and what did god ever say in accordance for the use of herbs.What were the positives and negatives of using them if this being true.
How can this be applied to today?
*Extended fasting results in an altered mental state due to neurological misfiring. Fasting as an ascetic behavior.