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August 21, 2012

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A small (bronze) figurine of the Buddha (the Helgö Buddha) was found in a Viking settlement in Sweden (I saw it some years ago in an exhibition). That does not mean of course that the Vikings went to East Asia but that even in the 'wild' days of the Middle Ages there was some trade by which such items could travel from one end of the continent to the other.

Btw,the headgear is obviously a Faraday cage used as an advanced form of tinfoil hat ;-)

I've nothing of substance to add to this post, or your last few, but I just wanted you to you know that, for whatever little it's worth, I think they're incredible. More please?

A small (bronze) figurine of the Buddha (the Helgö Buddha) was found in a Viking settlement in Sweden (I saw it some years ago in an exhibition). That does not mean of course that the Vikings went to East Asia but that even in the 'wild' days of the Middle Ages there was some trade by which such items could travel from one end of the continent to the other.

Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie. I put that Buddha under that huge pile of archeological rubble.

I was reminded of a boar's tooth helmet. It was mentioned in book ten of the Iliad and here are some examples and this link is to some discussion. He's also wearing a breastplate, so there seems to be a connection to some sort of warrior/soldier

I'm struck by how Mary's veil is pushed back so that we can see the ribbon in her hair. Wearing ribbons like that has been commonplace in Europe for several centuries now, but in paintings like this, where everything is symbolic, it means something more than a nice way to keep her hair off her face. It could be an indication of her marital status, but I think it's more than that, because of something I read in Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff, who said that a ribbon worn around Cleopatra's head and in her hair was an indication of royalty. So it may be a way of referring to Mary's status as a descendent of King David.

And here my recollection was that Joseph was of the line of King David, not Mary. Which makes rather a hash of the virgin birth bit -- of course, the prophecy merely says "a young woman shall concieve", so that's not a problem on that front.

I've seen alternative theories, including that the Hebrew term might mean either "son" or "adopted son."

One gospel gives Mary a Davidian pedigree too. And the line from David to Joseph is different between the gospels.
Catholic dogma makes it quintessential that no word for any relationship means what it actually says. Otherwise Mary would have to be believed to have had at least 7 children, that Paul was married or intended to do so, that he had a son probably out of wedlock and several other inconceivable things that would follow from a literal reading of the Bible. Btw, some serious (although admittedly Jewish) scholars consider it obvious that Jesus was married. A rabbi had to be. There is only a single rabbi among hundreds we know by name for that time that was unmarried and that one had to constantly defend himself for it because it was seen as scandalous(and Paul wrote that he had no idea what Jesus thought about marriage. An unmarried Jesus would have been a statement written in fiery letters).
Btw and back to topic, there is that wacky theory that Jesus went to India (and became a Buddist) in the years between his presentation at the temple and the start of his career as a wandering rabbi. Some Japanese even claim that he came to Japan too and adopted shintoism (and sired some children).

Some Japanese even claim that he came to Japan too and adopted shintoism (and sired some children).

I love that story! Based on the town of Shingo in Aomori The Wikipedia is just the bare bones, this page, by a true believer, describes all the strange coincidences involved. My favorite part is that Jesus didn't die on the cross, it was his brother, whose name was very similar and Jesus left to go to Japan. Check out the highway direction sign. Fun stuff.

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