Gnosis Falsely So Called:

mathsandcomedy.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/gnosis_falsely_so_called.pdf

Introduction:

I could listen to Dr. Robert McNair Price (1954-) all day. The MythVision YouTube channel, seems to be where this great sage hangs out, these days. I can listen to 30-minute talk after 30-minute talk of his for ages.

The poor man seems failed, though, and not long for this world. Saturn mows down all living things beneath his scythe to make way for a newer, fitter, generation, and, alas, Price will one day—like us all—be harvested by the Grim Reaper, Saturn. I hope and pray, though, that he might live for another decade or more.

At present I am reading his Jesus is Dead (2007), which is a critical examination of arguments made by Christian apologists in favour of the alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ. What I love about this book, is that Price ridicules and mocks the apologists’ rogues gallery when such scorn be necessary. In this article, I shall examine what Price said concerning 1^st Timothy 6:20 in a recent MythVision video.

Body:

The Independent Fundamentalist Anabaptist, Matt Powell, recently came out with a YouTube “movie” promoting creationism entitled: Science Falsely So Called (2018).

This film derives its title from the King James Version: Blayney Edition (1769) rendering of 1^st Timothy 6:20:

‘O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:’

.

Let us examine 1^st Timothy 6:20 as it appears in the Clementine Vulgate:

‘Ō Tīmothee, dēpositum cū̆stōdī, dēvītāns profānās vōcum novitātēs, et oppositiōnēs falsī nōminis scientiae,’

‘ÓÓ Tiimóthee, deepósitum cuustóódii/custóódii, deevíítaans profáánaas vóócum novitáátees, ét oppositióónees fálsii nóóminis sciéntiææ,’

‘ÓÓ Tiimóthee, deepósitum custóódii, deevíítaans profáánaas vóócum novitáátees, ét oppositióónees fálsii nóóminis sciéntiææ,’

. My translation of the Clementine Vulgate is as follows:

‘O Timothy! Keep that which was placed down, avoiding the novelties of profane voices, and [the] oppositions of science falsely so named.’

Note how similar my translation of the Vulgate is to the KJV’s translation. In the KJV:

‘… the oppositions of science falsely so called.’

is basically a transliteration of the Vulgate’s:

‘…oppositiōnēs falsī nōminis scientiae.’

Thus, the KJV is not the literary bastion of anti-catholicism that the likes of the New-Independent-Fundamentalist-Anabaptist Pastor, Steven Anderson, would like you to think that it was. The Catholic Vulgate was a major influence on the KJV translators.

According to Price, the verse delineated suprā is a nod and a wink, by the author of 1st Timothy, to the Antitheses of Marcion of Pontus (circā 85 C.E.- circā 160 C.E.)

Marcionism, in a nutshell, was the rejection of the Old Testament, and its God, as evil.

Marcion wrote a book, in which he contrasted the Old-Testament God with the New-Testament God, and this—now lost—book was entitled: Antitheses.

Let us now examine 1^st Timothy 6:20 in the Koine Greek of Scrivener’s (1894) Textus Receptus:

Ὦ Τῑμόθεε, τὴν παρακαταθήκην φύλαξον, ἐκτρεπόμενος τὰς βεβήλους κενοφωνίας καὶ ἀντιθέσεις τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως·

‘Ō̂ Tīmót͡hee, tē̂n parakatat͡hḗkēn phúlaxon, ektrepómenos tā̀s bebḗlous kenop͡hōníās kaì antit͡héseis tē̂s p͡seudōnúmou gnṓseōs.’

Let us examine the Greek verse, suprā, in Young’s Literal Translation (1862) of the Textus Receptus:

‘O Timotheus, the thing entrusted guard thou, avoiding the profane vain-words and opposition of the falsely-named knowledge,’

.

According to Dr. Bob, the Greek verse, suprā, is a warning by Saint Paul, against Marcion’s book: The Antitheses and against the gnosticism of the Marcionite sect. According to the author of 1st Timothy, the Marcionite sect has a false Gnosis, whereas the more orthodox Pauline sect, represented in the Book of 1st Timothy, has the true Gnosis; the true salvific knowledge.

Summary:

Doctor Robert McNair Price’s scholarly ouevre is fascinating. Price’s humorous demeanour, in both his speeches and his writings, rivets the hearer/reader to material that is at times difficult. We are discussing the turgid fields of Ancient History and Textual Criticism, after all. In Jesus is Dead (2007) Price argues that the Bible becomes much more interesting, and much more fun to study, once one jettisons the notion that this Bible constitutes an inerrant revelation from a God… and I strongly agree with him concerning this point.

Duolingo Lesson: Wednesday 22nd July: Hebrew Determiners:

zeh_determiner_demonstrative_colon_this-copy-1.docx

zeh_determiner_demonstrative_colon_this-copy.pdf

Introduction:

At present, that I may one day be able to read the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, or “Old Testament” in its original Hebrew, I am studying Modern Hebrew, for free, via the Duolingo App. I employ this gamified app so as to learn a form of Hebrew that is more similar to Classical/Biblical Hebrew than it is dissimilar. I can, therefore, through the employment of Brown, Driver Briggs and wiktionary, leverage this addictive, and free gamified app so as to learn some Classical/Biblical Hebrew. According to Hector Avalos in The End of Biblical Studies (2007), even though biblical studies is both a dying and oversubscribed [1] profession, nevertheless there is a shortage of talent and competency for the few lecturing positions available. At PhD level, Avalos recommends that those wishing to lecture, should know at least four languages among the following:

 Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, Aramaic and Syriac,

to some degree of fluency, and that, ideally, one would also be able to decipher some French, Coptic, and Akkadian, as well.

Therefore, wishing eventually to lecture Philosophy of Religion[2] at a PhD level, some day, I am actively trying to learn Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German and Aramaic and Syriac. Aramaic and Syriac are dialects of the same language. The gamified nature of Duolingo is enabling me to build up competency in a lot of the above-mentioned languages.

In this article, I examine some instances of Hebrew determiners.

Body:

 

Masculine Singular Form:

The Hebrew word, infrā:

 

זֶה

is a ‘determiner,’ which means:

‘this (masculine, singular)’

. The Hebrew word, suprā, when transliterated into the alphabet used by English speakers, appears thus:

‘zēh.’

The word, suprā, when its phonemes be transcribed phonetically into the International Phonetic Alphabet appears thus:

/zeː/

The word, suprā, whenspelled with Hebrew letters, appears thus:

‘zayin, segol; hey.’

In Biblical Hebrew, we employ the phrase:

הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה

or, when transliterated into the alphabet that English speakers use:

‘had͡ħd͡ħāb͡hā́r hazzḗh;’

‘had͡ħ-d͡ħāb͡hā́r haz-zḗh;’

to mean:

‘this thing.’

The phrase suprā—when its phonemes be transcribed, employing, in so doing, the International Phonetic Alphabet—appear thus:

/had.daː.ˈvaːr haz.ˈzeː/

The phrase, suprā, when spelled using Hebrew letters appears thus:

‘hey, pathach; daleth, dagesh forte, qamats; veith, qamats; reish. hey, pathach; zayin, segol; hey.’

Feminine Singular Form:

The Hebrew word, infrā:

זֺאת

is a determiner which means:

 ‘this (feminine, singular).’

The Hebrew word, suprā, when transliterated into the letters of the alphabet used by English speakers, appears thus:

‘zōʔt͡h.’

. The Hebrew word, suprā, when the phonemes, which comprise it, are transcribed into the International Phonetic alphabet, appears thus:

/zoˑʔθ/

/ˈzoˑʔ.θə/

. The word, suprā, when spelled using Hebrew letters, appears thus:

‘zayin, defective cholam; aleph; tau.’

.

Conclusion:

Having examined these Modern-Hebrew determiners—encountered by means of the Duolingo app—and thereupon examining the Classical-Hebrew equivalents of these two determiners, we can now confidently proceed in our studies of Modern Hebrew, employing Duolingo as an instrument in this endeavor.

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[1] That is to say that there are many more post-graduates who wish to lecture biblical studies than there exist accredited universities, colleges, and seminaries with lecturing positions available.

[2] I prefer to call this field: “Philosophy of Religion” rather than to call it: “Theology.” Philosophy of Religion does not assume the existence of God, whereas Theology does. ‘Philosophy of Religion’ is a more neutral term for this field that both theists and atheists can accept.

The Classical Latin Alphabet:

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You may view the SVG vector code for the Latin portico image at my Codepen account

Here is a Microsoft Word version of this blogpost:

the_latin_alphabet_my

Here is a pdf version of this blogpost:

the_latin_alphabet_my

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Figure 1: The Latin Alphabet. The word ‘abecedarium,’ in English, can mean ‘an alphabet inscribed into stone.’ Hence, this portico, with the Latin alphabet inscribed onto its frieze, is a diagram of an ‘abecedarium,’ in the English sense of the word, as well.

Introduction:

In beginning our study of the Classical Latin language, we shall begin with its alphabet. We shall learn the Latin name of its letters, and how these letters ought to be pronounced.

The Latin word for ‘alphabet’ is ‘abecedārium.’^[i]

Body:

Classical Latin possesses an alphabet that contains twenty-three letters. These letters are as follows:

Table 1: The Classical Latin Alphabet. The diligent student will pronounce the letters of this alphabet, aloud, over and over again; and shall write them out, over and over again; until he/she will have committed this alphabet, and the names of its letters, to memory.

The Classical Latin Alphabet:
Latin Lowercase Letter:	Latin Uppercase Letter:	Letter Name in Latin:	How to Pronounce the Letter’s Name in Phonemic Transcription:
a	A	ā	/aː/
b	B	bē	/beː/
c	C	cē	/keː/
d	D	dē	/deː/
f	F	ef	/ɛf/
g	G	gē	/geː/
h	H	hā	/haː/
i[ii]	I	ī	/iː/
k	K	kā	/kaː/
l	L	el	/ɛl/
m	M	em	/ɛm/
n	N	en	/ɛn/
o	O	ō	/oː/
p	P	pē	/peː/
q	Q	qū	/kuː/
r	R	er	/ɛr/
s	S	es	/ɛs/
t	T	tē	/teː/
u[iii]	V	ū	/uː/
x	X	ix	/ɪx/ /ix/
y[iiii]	Y	ī Graeca	/iː ˈgra͡ɪ.ka/, /iː ˈgra͡ɪ.kɑ/
z	Z	zēta	/ˈsdeː.ta/, /ˈzdeː.ta/, /ˈsdeː.tɑ/, /ˈzdeː.tɑ/

Conclusion:

In this chapter have examined the alphabet of the classical Latin language. We have committed the knowledge:

• that the Latin word for ‘alphabet’ is ‘abecedārium;’
• that the Latin Alphabet comprises twenty-three letters;
• which letters comprise the Latin Alphabet;
• the names of the Latin letters;
• how the names of the Latin Letters are pronounced in Latin.

to memory. Our now having acquired the above-listed knowledge, we can now move forth to following chapters that will treat of the pronunciation of Latin in greater detail.

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[1] ‘The Classical Latin Alphabet’ can also be referred to as ‘the Classical Roman Alphabet.’

Endnotes for the Chapter, ‘The Classical Latin Alphabet:’

^[i] The Latin, ‘abecedārium,’ genitive singular: ‘abecedāriī,’ is a 2^nd-declension neuter noun. The first four letters of the Latin alphabet are:

‘ā,’ ‘bē,’ ‘cē,’ ‘dē

.

Hence from the first four letters of the Latin alphabet we derive the word:

‘“ā,”-“bē,”-“cē,”-“d’”-“-ārium.”’

The 2^nd-declension neuter nominal suffix: ‘-ārium,’ genitive singular: ‘-āriī,’ denotes ‘a place where things are kept.’ Where do we keep our letters? We keep our letters in an ‘alphabet,’ or, in Latin, in an ‘abecedārium.’

Hence, etymologically, in Latin, an ‘abecedārium,’ can be defined as: ‘a place where we keep the Latin letters, “ā,” “bē,” “cē,” “dē,” etc.’

^[ii]Properly speaking, there is no ‘j’ or ‘J’ in Latin. However, one will often see this character’s being employed—usually in Church texts and other works composed later than the Classical epoch—to denote a consonantal ‘i,’ or ‘I.’ In Latin, ‘i,’ as a vowel, is pronounced, when short, as /ɪ/ or /i/; and when long as /iː/.

In Latin, consonantal ‘i’ can be represented by the IPA symbol, /j/. The consonantal ‘i,’—or ‘j,’ as one sometimes sees (in Church texts)—represents this very /j/ sound. The consonantal ‘i’ in the Latin word, ‘iugum,’ or ‘jugum,’ /ˈjʊ.ɡʊm/ that means ‘yoke,’ is pronounced as the ‘y’ in the English word, ‘yurt,’ i.e. as: /jεːt/.

^[iii]In Classical Latin, properly, ‘u,’ and ‘v’ are the same letter. Properly, a ‘V’ is nothing more than the capital form of the lowercase ‘u.’ Therefore, strictly speaking, the presence of a lowercase ‘v,’ in a classical Latin text, is an aberration. Oxford University Press wishes, eventually, to strike this aberration from all of its Latin publications, and I wish them well with this endeavour. Hence, the word ‘verbum,’ that one may observe in present O.U.P. Latin texts will eventually become ‘uerbum.’ However, this practice, today, is far from standard. I prefer this practice, and this is the practice that is employed by Peter V. Jones and Keith C. Sidwell’s Reading Latin: Text Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1986. However, these texts—although I deem them more correct—are still in the minority. At present, in most Latin texts, a ‘u,’ or a ‘U,’ is employed to represent the letter ‘u,’ as a vowel; and a ‘v’ or a ‘V’ is employed to represent the letter ‘u,’ as a consonant. Hence, the letter ‘u,’ or ‘U,’ when short, can be said to represent the phonemes: /ʊ/ or /u/ and, when long it can be said to represent the phoneme /uː/. The letter ‘v’ or ‘V’ can be said to represent the phoneme /w/. This will be the practice employed in this present work. Although not our focus, in Church texts, the letter ‘v,’ or ‘V’ can be said to represent the phoneme /v/.

The technical name for the phoneme, /v/, is ‘voiced labiodental fricative.’

The Phonetics term, ‘voiced,’ informs us that vibrating air from the vocal chords is involved in the pronunciation of /v/.

The Phonetics term, ‘labiodental,’ informs us that both the lips and the teeth are involved in the pronunciation of /v/.

The English adjective, ‘labiodental’ is derived from the New Latin 3^rd-declension adjective, ‘labiōdentālis, labiōdentāle,’ genitive singular: ‘labiōdentālis,’ genitive plural: ‘labiōdentālium,’ base: ‘labiōdentāl-.’ This New Latin word is derived from the Classical Latin 2^nd-declension neuter noun, ‘labium,’ genitive singular: ‘labiī,’ which means ‘lip;’ and from the Classical Latin 3^rd-declension masculine noun, ‘dēns,’ genitive singular: ‘dentis,’ genitive plural: ‘dentium,’ which means ‘tooth;’ and from the 3^rd-declension adjectival suffix, ‘-ālis, -āle.’

Hence, etymologically, in this instance, the English adjective, ‘labiodental’ denotes ‘the use of the lips and the teeth in the articulation of a phoneme.’

The Phonetics term, ‘fricative,’ informs us that turbulence, caused by the air escaping from a narrow channel—in this instance, the mouth and lips—is involved in the pronunciation of /v/.

^[iiii]As with ‘i,’ the Latin letter, ‘y,’ can function as a vowel or as a consonant. Its name in Latin is ‘ī Graeca’ which means ‘Greek “i.”’ When the character, ‘y,’ functions as a consonant, it is said to represent the phoneme, /j/, and on the occasions that ‘y’ functions as a vowel, when short it can be said to represent the phonemes: /ɪ/ or /i/ and when long—i.e. when a macron should appear above it, as: ‘ȳ’—it can be said to represent the phoneme: /iː/.

The Famous Syllogism in Latin, Greek and English:

The Famous Syllogism in Greek, Latin and English.

Click here so as to download a Microsoft Word version of this article.

Click here so as to download a pdf version of this article.

The Famous Syllogism^[1] in Greek, Latin and English:

Figure 1: I drew this pencil portrait of George Boole (1815-1864) with Pencils and Photoshop. The Mathematical Analysis of Logic was published in 1847, and An Investigation into the Laws of Thought was published in 1854.

Introduction:

Quite early on, in his Mathematical Analysis of Logic, George Boole–whence in programming and computer science we derive the datatype name, ‘Boolean’– introduces this famous syllogism to us, his readers.

Body:

In Ancient Greek:

ὁ Σωκράτης ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος.

πάντης ἄνθρωποι ἐστι θνητοί.

οὖν ὁ Σωκράτης ἐστι θνητός.

When Transliterated:

ho Sōcrátēs estin ánthrōpos.

pántēs ánthrōpoi esti thnētoí.

oũn ho Sōkrátēs esti thnētos.

In Latin:

Sōcratēs est homō.

Omnēs hominēs sunt mortālēs.

Ergō, Sōcratēs est mortālis.

In English:

Socrates is a man.

All men are mortal.

Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

Conclusion:

The Ancient-Greek term, ὁ λόγος or, when transliterated, ‘ho lógos,’^[1] means–within the context of logic– ‘statement,’ or ‘argument.’

The Latin 1^st-and-2^nd-declension adjectival suffix, ‘-ica, -icus, -icum’ means ‘of,’ ‘about,’ ‘concerning,’ ‘pertaining to,’ etc.

Hence, etymologically, ‘logic’ is ‘the study of the truth or falsehood of statements and arguments.’

Conventional arithmetic or Conventional Algebra has quantity for its subject. George Boole developed an algebra, or an arithmetic that had logic as its subject.

Indeed, in his book, The Laws of Thought he terms this ‘arithmetic’ or ‘algebra’ of his ‘a calculus of logic’ by which he meant ‘a system whereby the truth or falsehood of statements/arguments could be analysed.’

Figure 1: I drew this pencil portrait of Socrates (469/470-399 BC) with Pencils. Vēre Sōcratēs est enim mortālis. Truly Socrates is mortal indeed.

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^[1] This syllogism—and those like it—are sometimes termed ‘barbara.’ The term, ‘barbara’ is a mnemonic device which informs us that this type of syllogism comprises 3 affirmations. The 1^st premise affirms that Socrates is a man; the 2^nd premise affirms that all men are mortal; and the conclusion affirms that Socrates is mortal.

^[2] The 2^nd-declension masculine noun ὁ λόγος Genitive:τοῦ λόγου or, when transliterated: ‘ho lógos’ Genitive: ‘toũ lógou.’

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Glossary:

calculus (ˈkælkjʊləs) noun plural -luses
a branch of mathematics, developed independently by Newton and Leibniz. Both differential calculus and integral calculus are concerned with the effect on a function of an infinitesimal change in the independent variable as it tends to zero.
any mathematical system of calculation involving the use of symbols
logic an uninterputed formal system. Compare formal language (sense 2)
(plural -li (ˈkælkjʊˌlaɪ) ) pathology a stonelike concretion of minerals and salts found in ducts or hollow organs of the body[C17 from Latin: pebble, stone used in reckoning, from calx small stone, counter]
• calcular (ˈkælkjʊlə) adjective relating to calculus
• calculous (ˈkælkjʊləs) or calculary (ˈkælkjʊlərɪ) of or suffering from a calculus. Obsolete form: calculose
• calculus of variations a branch of calculus concerned with maxima and minima of definite integrals.^[1]

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^[1] Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged, 12th edn., Glasgow, U.K., Harper Collins Publishers, 2014, Loc. 66,078.

The Ancient-Greek word for ‘bone.’

Figure 1: I drew this bone in inkscape.

τὸ οστέον Genitive: τοῦ οστέου ‘tò ostéon’ Genitive: ‘toû ostéou.’ The Ancient-Greek word for ‘bone.’ We derive the medical prefix ‘osteo-‘ from this. ‘osteoarthritis’ for instance is an inflammation of the joints caused by an inflammation of the bones at the joint. Learning Greek makes one better able to understand and remember biological terms.

False in One: False in Everything:

Falsus in uno: falsus in omnibus.^[1]i

This is a principle in English law, whereby should a juror believe that part of a witnesses testimony be false, then he/she can, if he so chooses, disregard the entirety of that testimony.

Figure 1:  A gavel that I drew in Inkscape.  As Stephen Fry pointed out on  QI, these are not actually employed in English courts.

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[1] From the Latin phrase, ‘falsus in ūnō: falsus in omnibus.’ This means:’false in one thing: false in all things.’

Irish Gaelic is Opulent and Elegant:

    Figure 1:  I drew this portrait of Reverend Eugene O’ Growney (1863-1899), a Roman Catholic priest who taught Irish Gaelic in Maynooth, and was very influential in the Gaelic League.

 

I Figure 2:  I drew this 1916 Rising flag in Inkscape.  The motto, ‘Erin go Bragh,’ means: ‘Ireland till [the Last] Judgement;’ ‘Ireland forever.’

Est quidem lingua Hibernica et ēlēgans cum prīmīs et opulenta.

James Ussher (Usher) 1581 1656 

Which means:

The Irish language is indeed both as elegant as the best [of languages] and [also] opulent.

James Usher was an Irish Anglican Bishop.

Latin allows one to read historical documents in their original form.

 

Esse est Perspicī: to be is to be perceived:

Figure 1:  “Of infinite scope.”  I drew this in Inkscape.

Figure 2:  ‘ho skopós’ in Ancient Greek is whence we derive the programming term, ‘scope.’

At present, I am writing an article on ‘scope’ as it pertains to programming.  I am going to try to explain it with Berkeley’s:

“esse est perspicī;”

which means:

“to be is to be percieved.”

, which some suggest to be a foreshadow of  the scientific phenomenon known as:

“quantum observation.”

How far can the quantum observer, as regards the world or universe of the program see, as regards a variable’s declaration and initialisation?

If the quantum observer can see all things; perceive all things; like the omnivident ^[1] “watcher” portrayed in Figure 1, then the variable is said to be of global scope.

However, as regards the world or universe of the program; should the quantum observer be a little myopic; should his field of perception be limited to a function or an object or some other code block, then the variable in question is said to be of local scope.

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^[1]  I invented this theological term, as it is convenient.  It describes the ability of a deity to see all things.  From the Latin adjective, ‘omnis,’ which means ‘all;’ and the Latin 2nd-conjugation verb, ‘videō,’ which means ‘I see.’  Incidentally, Goerge Berkely (1685 – 1753) was an Irish Anglican Clergyman.

The Straight Edge:

The better that I know plane and cartesian Geometry, the better that I can both script, and draw (using a free open-source suite like Inkscape) computer Graphics.

In Plane Geometry, a straight edge is used.  A straight edge differs from a ruler, in that:

• whereas rulers possess gradated markings that indicate standard units of measurement, there are no gradated markings that indicate standard units of measurement – such as millimeters centimeters, etc. – on a straight edge.
• the width of the straight edge is deemed infinite, whereas real-life rulers are, it is needless to say, of finite width.

Figure 1:  A collapsible compass and straight edge.  These two instruments are employed in the construction of figures in Euclidean Geometry.  The span of a collapsible compass is deemed to collapse, should both the metallic point, and the graphite point of the compass be removed at the same time from the page.

See the Pen Collapsible Compass and Straight Edge Inkscape SVG by Ciaran Mc Ardle (@Valerius_de_Hib) on CodePen.

 

It is Dangerous to go Alone!

Figure 1: I drew this Link Sprite Pixel by Pixel in SVG.

I am trying to program without assignment statements for the lulz of it. Modern JavaScript – or ECMA script, as it is increasingly being known – is fully compliant with the functional paradigm. “Uncle Bob” gave a great talk on functional programming. Being able to program without equals signs is like completing Zelda 1 without the Master Sword. It is dangerous to go alone without assignment statements… but I do so anyway as I like to program on the edge. According to Uncle Bob, functional programs are less error prone – no side effects and no changes in state – and more efficient, as there is no need for “garbage collection.”

Figure 2:  Being able to arrive at the value, 0, without the use of an assignment statement was something that I was not able to do… until somebody suggested the bitwise double tilde on Stack  Exchange.