Noemon Acragas
7.3K posts

Noemon Acragas
@noemonas
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Just be one.” - Marcus Aurelius Αμ' δεν ξες που παν οι τονοι, σταματα.



Nope, there is no such thing as "DSS copies", nor are there any copies older than the LXX manuscripts that we do actually have. The LXX is the oldest Old Testament in existence, older than the DSS and older than any MT manuscript. The DSS are in agreement with LXX a lot more than they are with the MT. There are several examples and few key theologically ones where the DSS agrees with the LXX more than it does with the MT. There are no examples where that is true for the MT. A couple for the LXX: Deuteronomy 32:8 – “Sons of God” vs. “Sons of Israel” (Divine Council Theology) DSS (4QDeut^j, ~2nd–1st century BCE): “…according to the number of the sons of God (בני אלוהים / bene elohim).” LXX: “…according to the number of the angels of God (ἀγγέλων θεοῦ) / sons of God.” MT: “…according to the number of the sons of Israel (בני ישראל).” Theological impact: This verse describes God (Elyon/Most High) dividing the nations after Babel. The DSS + LXX reading reflects an ancient Near Eastern “divine council” worldview — God assigns nations to lesser divine beings (sons of God/angels), with Israel as Yahweh’s special portion. The MT change appears to be a deliberate theological edit to avoid any hint of other gods, strengthening strict monotheism. It affects how we understand early Israelite religion, angels, and even New Testament echoes of heavenly beings. Scholars widely regard the DSS/LXX as the older reading.2. Deuteronomy 32:43 – Extra Poetic Lines About Worship by Angels/Heavens (and Avenging Blood) DSS (4QDeut^q and others) + LXX: Includes fuller lines: “Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all the gods/angels bow down to Him… He will avenge the blood of His servants… and cleanse His people’s land.” (LXX adds calls for heavens and sons of God to worship.) MT: Shorter version: “Rejoice, O nations, with His people…” (no mention of gods/angels worshiping or extra avenging lines). Theological impact: The DSS/LXX version directly supports Hebrews 1:6 (“Let all God’s angels worship Him”) and portrays Yahweh’s supremacy over other heavenly beings. The MT omits these to avoid polytheistic-sounding language. This is one of the clearest cases of “theological pruning” in the MT tradition. It strengthens the idea of cosmic worship and divine justice in early Jewish/Christian thought.3. 1 Samuel 10:27–11:1 – The “Nahash Paragraph” (Extra Historical Context for Saul’s Kingship) DSS (4QSam^a) + LXX: Inserts a whole paragraph before 11:1 explaining that Nahash king of the Ammonites had been brutally oppressing the Gadites and Reubenites by gouging out their right eyes (with 7,000 escaping to Jabesh-gilead). It smooths the abrupt jump in the story. MT: Abrupt transition with no background — the oppression detail is missing. Theological/historical impact: This extra Hebrew text (confirmed in DSS and reflected in LXX) makes the narrative coherent and explains why Jabesh-gilead was targeted. Josephus knew it too. It shows the MT sometimes has gaps, while DSS + LXX preserve a fuller, more logical account of Israel’s early monarchy and God’s deliverance through Saul. Some modern translations (NRSV, NAB) include it in the main text or footnotes because of this evidence.4. Psalm 22:16 (Hebrew v. 17) – “They Pierced My Hands and Feet” (Messianic Prophecy) DSS (5/6HevPs, Nahal Hever scroll): “…a band of evil men has encircled me; they have pierced (כארו / kaʾaru) my hands and my feet.” LXX: “They pierced (ὤρυξαν / ōryxan, “dug out/gouged”) my hands and my feet.” MT: “…they like a lion (כארי / kᵉʾarî) my hands and my feet.” (awkward and debated) Theological impact: This is one of the most famous messianic verses in Christianity, interpreted as a prophecy of crucifixion. The DSS Hebrew confirms the LXX reading over the MT’s difficult “like a lion.” The change in MT may be a simple scribal error (yod vs. waw) or intentional smoothing. It has enormous weight in Christian theology (quoted in the Passion narratives) and shows how DSS can restore a reading that aligns with the New Testament’s use of the Old.5. Psalm 145:13 – The Missing “Nun” Verse in the Acrostic Psalm DSS (11QPs^a) + LXX: Adds the full nun-line: “The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind/gracious in all his works.” MT: Skips the nun verse entirely (the psalm is an acrostic, so one letter is missing). Theological impact: Restores the complete acrostic structure and emphasizes God’s faithfulness and kindness — a core theme in Jewish and Christian prayer (this is the famous “Ashrei” psalm recited in liturgy). The DSS + LXX show the verse was present in ancient Hebrew texts; many modern Bibles now include it in footnotes or the main text.Bonus Quick Mentions (Also Theologically Notable) Exodus 1:5: DSS (4QExod^a, 4Q13) + LXX say 75 souls went to Egypt (matching Acts 7:14 in the NT); MT says 70. Jeremiah: Several DSS fragments (e.g., 4QJer^b) match the shorter, differently ordered LXX version; MT is longer/expanded. Isaiah 53:11: DSS (1QIsa^a) includes “light” after “out of the anguish of his soul,” matching LXX and strengthening the Suffering Servant’s vindication theme.






Because we get asked a lot. The Technological Republic, in brief. 1. Silicon Valley owes a moral debt to the country that made its rise possible. The engineering elite of Silicon Valley has an affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation. 2. We must rebel against the tyranny of the apps. Is the iPhone our greatest creative if not crowning achievement as a civilization? The object has changed our lives, but it may also now be limiting and constraining our sense of the possible. 3. Free email is not enough. The decadence of a culture or civilization, and indeed its ruling class, will be forgiven only if that culture is capable of delivering economic growth and security for the public. 4. The limits of soft power, of soaring rhetoric alone, have been exposed. The ability of free and democratic societies to prevail requires something more than moral appeal. It requires hard power, and hard power in this century will be built on software. 5. The question is not whether A.I. weapons will be built; it is who will build them and for what purpose. Our adversaries will not pause to indulge in theatrical debates about the merits of developing technologies with critical military and national security applications. They will proceed. 6. National service should be a universal duty. We should, as a society, seriously consider moving away from an all-volunteer force and only fight the next war if everyone shares in the risk and the cost. 7. If a U.S. Marine asks for a better rifle, we should build it; and the same goes for software. We should as a country be capable of continuing a debate about the appropriateness of military action abroad while remaining unflinching in our commitment to those we have asked to step into harm’s way. 8. Public servants need not be our priests. Any business that compensated its employees in the way that the federal government compensates public servants would struggle to survive. 9. We should show far more grace towards those who have subjected themselves to public life. The eradication of any space for forgiveness—a jettisoning of any tolerance for the complexities and contradictions of the human psyche—may leave us with a cast of characters at the helm we will grow to regret. 10. The psychologization of modern politics is leading us astray. Those who look to the political arena to nourish their soul and sense of self, who rely too heavily on their internal life finding expression in people they may never meet, will be left disappointed. 11. Our society has grown too eager to hasten, and is often gleeful at, the demise of its enemies. The vanquishing of an opponent is a moment to pause, not rejoice. 12. The atomic age is ending. One age of deterrence, the atomic age, is ending, and a new era of deterrence built on A.I. is set to begin. 13. No other country in the history of the world has advanced progressive values more than this one. The United States is far from perfect. But it is easy to forget how much more opportunity exists in this country for those who are not hereditary elites than in any other nation on the planet. 14. American power has made possible an extraordinarily long peace. Too many have forgotten or perhaps take for granted that nearly a century of some version of peace has prevailed in the world without a great power military conflict. At least three generations — billions of people and their children and now grandchildren — have never known a world war. 15. The postwar neutering of Germany and Japan must be undone. The defanging of Germany was an overcorrection for which Europe is now paying a heavy price. A similar and highly theatrical commitment to Japanese pacifism will, if maintained, also threaten to shift the balance of power in Asia. 16. We should applaud those who attempt to build where the market has failed to act. The culture almost snickers at Musk’s interest in grand narrative, as if billionaires ought to simply stay in their lane of enriching themselves . . . . Any curiosity or genuine interest in the value of what he has created is essentially dismissed, or perhaps lurks from beneath a thinly veiled scorn. 17. Silicon Valley must play a role in addressing violent crime. Many politicians across the United States have essentially shrugged when it comes to violent crime, abandoning any serious efforts to address the problem or take on any risk with their constituencies or donors in coming up with solutions and experiments in what should be a desperate bid to save lives. 18. The ruthless exposure of the private lives of public figures drives far too much talent away from government service. The public arena—and the shallow and petty assaults against those who dare to do something other than enrich themselves—has become so unforgiving that the republic is left with a significant roster of ineffectual, empty vessels whose ambition one would forgive if there were any genuine belief structure lurking within. 19. The caution in public life that we unwittingly encourage is corrosive. Those who say nothing wrong often say nothing much at all. 20. The pervasive intolerance of religious belief in certain circles must be resisted. The elite’s intolerance of religious belief is perhaps one of the most telling signs that its political project constitutes a less open intellectual movement than many within it would claim. 21. Some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive. All cultures are now equal. Criticism and value judgments are forbidden. Yet this new dogma glosses over the fact that certain cultures and indeed subcultures . . . have produced wonders. Others have proven middling, and worse, regressive and harmful. 22. We must resist the shallow temptation of a vacant and hollow pluralism. We, in America and more broadly the West, have for the past half century resisted defining national cultures in the name of inclusivity. But inclusion into what? Excerpts from the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West, by Alexander C. Karp & Nicholas W. Zamiska techrepublicbook.com





Να ζήσετε! ❤️🤍💍 #OlympiacosBC #WeAreOlympiacos #TogetherWeFight #OLYARI


Αυτό που πάνε φαντάροι τα παιδιά 28 και βάλε ετών με πτυχία, μεταπτυχιακά, διδακτορικά κλπ και αναλαμβάνει ο στρατός να τους εκπαίδευσει είναι γελοίο. Σε τι να τους εκπαίδευσει; Σε προσοχή ανάπαυση, σε παραπόδας, επ'ώμου, παρουσιάστε ενός G3 του 1987;

Επιστολή της #Ελλάδας στον ΟΗΕ για την #Τουρκία : «Αναφαίρετο το δικαίωμα στα 12 μίλια» #Turkey #Turkiye

For all its flaws, Türkiye is not an existential danger to Europe. It remains a (largely imperfect) democracy, a secular state and is the only militarily powerful country in the Middle East, which, despite major challenges and tensions, can be considered as an ally to Europe.



Turkey poses an existential danger to Europe.

Turkish troll openly threatens Greece & UNCLOS and will later blame "ze Jews" when the sh*t hit the fan.




