Might the Jews have construed Hadrian as being a King of Tyre?

by Damien F. Mackey “While in Tyre, Hadrian probably spent time with the public. He was a very popular Emperor and was usually embraced by the majority of the people”. A. R. Birley It is most important for what follows that emperor Hadrian, the Grecophile, be recognised as being the very same evil entity as the Seleucid, Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ (“God Manifest”), as according to e.g. my series: Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ and Emperor Hadrian. Part One: “… a mirror image” (4) Hadrian's Reflection on Antiochus IV Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ and Emperor Hadrian. Part Two: “Hadrian … a second Antiochus” (4) Hadrian as a Second Antiochus Epiphanes Like Hadrian, Antiochus had significant association with the important city of Tyre. In the case of king Antiochus, for instance, we read: 2 Maccabees 4:18-20: When the quadrennial games were being held at Tyre and the king [Antiochus] was present, the vile Jason sent envoys, chosen as being Antiochian citizens from Jerusalem, to carry three hundred silver drachmas for the sacrifice to Hercules. Those who carried the money, however, thought best not to use it for sacrifice, because that was inappropriate, but to expend it for another purpose. So this money was intended by the sender for the sacrifice to Hercules, but by the decision of its carriers it was applied to the construction of triremes. And: 2 Maccabees 4:44-49: When the king [Antiochus] came to Tyre, three men sent by the senate presented the case before him. But Menelaus, already as good as beaten, promised a substantial bribe to Ptolemy son of Dorymenes to win over the king. Therefore Ptolemy, taking the king aside into a colonnade as if for refreshment, induced the king to change his mind. Menelaus, the cause of all the evil, he acquitted of the charges against him, while he sentenced to death those unfortunate men, who would have been freed uncondemned if they had pleaded even before Scythians. And so those who had spoken for the city and the villages and the holy vessels quickly suffered the unjust penalty. Therefore even the Tyrians, showing their hatred of the crime, provided magnificently for their funeral. That the well-travelled Hadrian was heavily invested in Tyre is apparent from the following article (2023) [I totally reject the dates as being about 300 years too late]: https://bibliotecanatalie.com/f/following-hadrian-to-tyre?blogcategory=Ancient Following Hadrian To Tyre HADRIAN'S TRAVELS In 128 CE, Hadrian set off from Rome reaching Ephesus. The following year, he traveled to Antioch. Hadrian reached Syria in 130 CE and went to Palmyra. From there, he roamed Syria Palaestina, Arabia, and Egypt (Aegyptus). On his way back to Ephesus, sometime between 130 and 131 CE, Hadrian went to Tyre (Tyrus or Sur in modern-day Lebanon). Hadrian might have been in the city around January, celebrating his 54th birthday! The Emperor was accompanied by a long entourage representing the Roman government. This probably included his wife and her staff, imperial secretaries, personal friends and advisors, officials, servants, guards, architects, craftsmen, and also men of letters. Documentary sources reveal that extensive preparations were required many months in advance. A papyrus attests that a large supply of food, including 372 suckling pigs and 2,000 sheep, as well as dates, barley, olives, and olive oil, were ordered for Hadrian's travel in 130 CE. AL-BASS SITE IN LEBANON The triumphal arch in the Al Bass site of Tyre (Arabic: sour) was erected to honor Hadrian's arrival. The monument is twenty-one meters high with a core made of sandstone. Originally, it was covered with plaster. A small fragment proves that the arch was once painted in various colors. It was one of the formal gateways to the city. The Al-Bass archaeological area consists of an extensive necropolis, a three-bay monumental arch, and one of the largest Roman hippodromes ever found. They have different dates from the 2nd century to the 6th century AD. On both sides of Hadrian's arch are smaller gates for pedestrians. Back in those days, a wall above these small arches was used. This was high and probably had niches for statues. The two sides had large guard rooms. The southern room was paved with normal stones. In the northern room, mosaic remains are still visible. The presence of these guard rooms suggests that the large arch was placed at Tyre's outer border. Two levels of the road that lead to the Tower of Pagan King Hiram in Tyre's center are still visible. These were paved later in the Byzantine period. The Roman road at the west of Hadrian's Arch has an upper layer with remains of the Byzantine era. It is paved with large limestone blocks. Traces of the chariot wheels are still visible on the road. Various Greek games and chariot racing (the Actia Heraclia and the Olympia) took place every four years in the nearby hippodrome of Tyre. Cf. 2 Maccabees 4:19: When the quadrennial games were being held at Tyre and the king [Antiochus] was present …. …. This Roman road is bordered on each side by a Doric colonnade. It has a convex shape with two smaller channels for collecting rainwater set on both sides. Another paving belongs to a Byzantine Pedestrian road. This gives access to several shops in the southern part of the site. The remains of these shops were discovered under the arches of the aqueduct. The Byzantine road runs along a distance of more than 300 meters and is paved with well-preserved limestone slabs and a necropolis on both sides. It reaches the foot of Hadrian's arch. …. HADRIAN IN TYRE While in Tyre, Hadrian probably spent time with the public. He was a very popular Emperor and was usually embraced by the majority of the people. Hadrian concerned himself with all aspects of people's lives. He was particularly devoted to his arm and would, many times, eat and sleep with the soldiers. He was famous for the commission of several projects when he visited cities and supervised their buildings. Hadrian was one of the highly cultured Roman [sic] Emperors. He was interested in literature, and Egyptian mysticism. He even wrote his own poetry. Not many details are known about his visit to Tyre, but the archeology suggests that Hadrian might have worked on raising the city's triumphal arch, improving roads, and strengthening the infrastructure. Perhaps Hadrian spent his leisure time enjoying the Tyrian games at the Hippodrome, placed south of the Triumphal Arch. The horseshoe-shaped structure accommodated around 30,000 spectators who gathered to watch the death-defying sport of chariot racing. Tyre's Hippodrome is considered the second-largest in the ancient world. The preserved seats give an idea of the huge stadium that was once lively. The spina of the Hippodrome has a red granite obelisk at the center. Hadrian would have enjoyed the various types of sports and events that took place.

Jesus continues to heal the sick

by Damien F. Mackey ‘Go back and report to John [the Baptist] what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me’. Matthew 11:4-6 With these words, based on his miraculous actions, Jesus confirmed to the imprisoned John the Baptist, on behalf of John’s disciples, that He was indeed ‘the One who was to come’, the Messiah. And his healing work has not ceased to this day. With a new miracle (the 71st) now recorded at Lourdes, and with the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes occurring next week, 11th February (2025), I have decided to up-date this article. Caroline De Sury writes: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/12/10/lourdes-confirms-first-miracle-english-speaker-249449 Lourdes confirms 71st miracle—and the first for an English speaker Caroline De Sury — OSV News December 10, 2024 PARIS (OSV News) -- The list of miracles that have taken place at the French Marian shrine in Lourdes now includes, for the first time, an English-speaking soldier-patient. Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool, a seaside British city, officially announced on Dec. 8 that the 71st miracle had been granted to a British soldier, wounded during World War I. John Traynor, a soldier in the Royal Navy, was hit by machine-gun fire in 1915 in present-day Turkey. He was cured at Lourdes during a pilgrimage for his diocese in 1923. “This is a very special case, since we simply searched the archives for the result of investigative work that had been carried out almost 100 years ago,” Fra’ Alessandro de Franciscis, the doctor in charge of the Lourdes Sanctuary’s Office of Medical Observations since 2009, told OSV News. “In reality, this healing had already been officially recognized at Lourdes in 1926,” the medical professional, who is also grand hospitaller of the Sovereign Order of Malta, said. [Millions of pilgrims travel to Lourdes each year. What made it such an important symbol of hope and healing?] According to details provided by the sanctuary, Traynor had undergone numerous surgical operations after his injuries, but to no avail. He had lost the use of his right arm and suffered from severe epileptic seizures. Attempts at medical treatment had resulted in partial paralysis of his legs. “He was living on a war pension,” de Franciscis said, “but in July 1923, he went to Lourdes on the occasion of the first pilgrimage of the Archdiocese of Liverpool, and he was cured on the third day, immediately, instantly, after being immersed in the sanctuary’s pools.” St. Bernadette Soubirous witnessed 18 Marian apparitions beginning on Feb. 11, 1858, and people of her time witnessed the first physical and spiritual healing miracles after visiting the shrine or drinking or washing in the spring Our Lady pointed Bernadette to in an apparition. To date, dozens of miracles have been confirmed by the special medical commission permanently working at the shrine, which de Franciscis leads. “When he returned home to the U.K., he was examined by the doctors,” the doctor said. “They were amazed.” “I would point out that his recovery was complete,” de Franciscis added. “Previously, he was almost paralyzed in his legs, and out of condition to have children. But after his recovery, he and his wife had several children,” he stressed. “Three doctors who were with him on the pilgrimage encouraged him to return to Lourdes to testify to his healing,” the head of Lourdes’ medical office recounted. “That is what he did in July 1926. The collegial investigation took place in Lourdes, according to the usual procedures. The conclusion was that this cure was truly inexplicable.” Everything was properly noted by the predecessors of doctors now working in Lourdes. “The sanctuary’s newspaper published in full, at the time, the minutes of the Office of Medical Observations doctors’ meeting, with the testimonies from the English doctors who had examined John Traynor before and after this cure.” Because of post-war turbulence in Europe, communications between Lourdes and Liverpool regarding conclusions of the inquiry were never forwarded to the Archbishop of Liverpool. “But this was the post-war era, and there were still organizational and communication dysfunctions at the shrine. ... In general, the healings recognized by the sanctuary in the 1920s and 1930s were most often not made public until the 1950s,” the lead Lourdes doctor said. “After his recovery, John Traynor became a member of the Hospitalité of Lourdes, where he went every year,” de Franciscis said, referring to the religious confraternity under the spiritual authority of the bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, which is active in Lourdes during the main pilgrimage season, providing people to welcome pilgrims at … the sanctuary’s baths. “He was strong and healthy, and to English and Irish Catholics, it was obvious that there had been a miracle. But the official documents attesting to his recovery in Lourdes, before and after the miracle, were forgotten,” the doctor told OSV News. “On the occasion of the centenary of this first pilgrimage to Lourdes by the Archdiocese of Liverpool, we turned our attention back to his case,” de Franciscis explained. “We undertook a search of the archives, and found the documents. They prove beyond doubt that the Lourdes Bureau had made a definitive judgment on the unexplained nature of this cure. They are clear and unambiguous.” In recent months, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes, was able to forward a complete dossier to the Archdiocese of Liverpool, which led its archbishop to recognize the healing as a miracle, the doctor confirmed. Traynor, who died in 1943, is therefore the 71st recognized miraculous cure from Lourdes. The 70th person miraculously cured is still alive, de Franciscis said. She is a French woman religious, Sister Bernadette Moriau, now over 85. Her miraculous cure was recognized in 2018, after 10 years of investigation. "And John Traynor is the first case of healing of an English-speaking patient," de Franciscis said. "Most of the miracles are French. There are Italians too, a Belgian and a German. But there were not any English speakers yet." "I am personally sensitive to this," the doctor concluded with a smile. "I myself am Italian, born in Naples, but of an American mother, from Connecticut!" And we read in the article, “Is there a God?”, of the scientifically inexplicable healings there: http://www.is-there-a-god.info/life/lourdes/ Healings at Lourdes This page in brief Apparent divine healings are a challenge to our natural way of thinking. Are the stories true? Is the evidence reliable? Are the explanations we are given true? Do they prove God exists and heals, or is that only for the gullible? This is a brief summary of the apparent miracles at Lourdes, how they have been investigated and the conclusions of a medical commission, which found many apparent miracles had insufficient evidence to justify acceptance, but a small number seem to have no other explanation. A world-famous place of healing Lourdes is a village in southern France, close to the Pyrenees mountains and the Spanish border. Many healing miracles are reputed to have occurred there since 1858, when a 14 year old girl claimed to have ‘seen’ a beautiful lady that Roman Catholics believe was the mother of Jesus. Of the estimated 200 million people who have sought a cure there, millions claim to have been healed. Where possible, people claiming healing are examined on the spot by a medical bureau, and the information is reviewed by an international commission of medical specialists, independent of the Catholic Church and including sceptics. To be regarded as authentic, claims have to satisfy four requirements: • the illness and cure was well documented, • the illness was serious and was unable to be effectively treated, • the symptoms disappeared within hours, and • the healing lasted for sufficient time to ensure the ‘cure’ was not just a temporary remission (e.g. in the case of leukemia, 10 years is required). The miracles Most claims lack sufficient evidence to be verified, but 68 miracles have passed this stringent checking and have been proclaimed as authentic, while several thousand other remarkable cures have been documented. Some examples of claimed healings include: • Margerie Paulette, 22 years old, cured of tubercular meningitis in 1929. • Mademoiselle Dulot, cured of stomach and liver cancer in 1925. • Louise Jamain, cured in 1937 of tubercular peritonitis. • Jeanne Fretel, cured in 1949 of tubercular peritonitis. • Rose Martin, cured of cancer of the uterus in 1947. • Vittorio Micheli, cured of a malignant tumour of the hip in 1963. • Serge Francois, cured of a herniated disc in 2002. The stories of a few other ‘approved miracles’ are outlined below at Some stories. Doubts and questions These miracles which have passed the medical commission’s strict criteria are apparently sufficiently well documented to meet any reasonable requirement for evidence. If we are willing to be convinced by evidence, then the evidence is there that in each of these cases, something very unusual happened. Many atheists and rationalists are quite sure that miracles cannot occur, and thus may not be willing or able to be convinced by any evidence. Therefore they probably will not be convinced here, and will look for natural explanations or, despite the evidence, question the truth of the stories. Protestant christians may also be sceptical that God would heal via the Virgin Mary, and in a place where they may believe superstition is prevalent. But again, how can they explain the evidence? Some stories Jean-Pierre Bely Jean-Pierre Bely was paralysed with multiple sclerosis, and was classified by the French health system as a total invalid when he went to Lourdes in 1987. He received ‘the anointing of the sick’, and when he returned home he was able to walk. Subsequently, virtually all traces of the illness disappeared. Patrick Fontanaud, an agnostic physician who looked after Bely, said there is no scientific explanation for what occurred. Gabriel Gargam Gabriel Gargam was severely injured in a railway accident in 1900, in which he was almost crushed to death and was paralysed from the waist down by a crushed spine. A court ordered the railway to pay him compensation because he was a human wreck who would henceforth need at least two persons to care for him. His condition continued to deteriorate. He was not a religious person, but his mother persuaded him to go on pilgrimage to Lourdes, very weak, fed via a tube and lapsing into unconsciousness. But at Lourdes his paralysis disappeared and he was able to walk, although still very thin and weak. Within a short time, he was eating normally, able to resume work and he lived to 83. Serge Perrin Serge Perrin began to suffer neurological problems in 1964 at age 35, and was subsequently diagnosed with thrombosis in the left carotid artery, for which surgery was nor recommended. He visited Lourdes in 1969 as his condition worsened, but there was no improvement. His deterioration continued until 1970, when he was almost blind and unable to care for himself alone. At his wife’s insistence, he visited Lourdes as second time and received the anointing of the sick. By that afternoon, he could walk without the aid of a walking stick and could see without using spectacles. He returned home, fully cured, as was confirmed by a serious of medical tests. References o Wikipedia on Lourdes and Our Lady of Lourdes. o A description of all 68 approved miracles at Lourdes in The Miracle Hunter. o A Protestant Looks at Lourdes. o Scientific Evidence of Miracles at Lourdes in Doxa.

Pushy deal leading to the colonisation of Palestine

“The author points out explicitly that ‘diverse documentary evidence shows that Zionists pushed’ for the US to enter the First World War on Britain’s side as part of the deal to gain ‘British support for their colonization of Palestine”. Magan Singodia This book review by Magan Singodia has been take from: https://balfourproject.org/against-our-better-judgment-the-hidden-history-of-how-the-us-was-used-to-create-israel/#:~:text=The%20author%20points%20out%20explicitly,for%20their%20colonization%20of%20Palestine'. By Magan Singodia ISBN149591092X (ISBN13: 9781495910920) This is a brilliant book for anyone trying to establish the truth of the political history of America’s unwavering support for Israel. It is an eye-opening account of the lengths the Zionists were and are prepared to go to … secure the claim to the land between River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. The significant time period that the book concentrates on is from the last decades of the 19th century until the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. People around the world are staggered at the unconditional support of the US towards Israel, even at the cost of global democracy being undermined. The book traces the role of the United States in the creation of Israel. It highlights the early warnings against creating a Jewish state on land already inhabited by Palestinians, and against the long-term harm it might bring to the US and all Western interests in the region. Despite these warnings, President Truman supported establishing a Jewish state on land primarily inhabited by Muslims and Christians for many centuries past. Unfortunately, finds Weir, a majority of the American population do not know that the creation of modern-day Israel came about as a result of US politicians forcing through a policy which was opposed by top diplomatic and military experts at the time. The policy of creation of a Jewish state was influenced by a large pro-Israel lobby funded by powerful Zionist organizations working through an “elitist secret society” which had penetrated the inner workings of the political structures of the American government. The book, with thoroughly sourced evidence, exposes the truth, which differs from the prevailing narratives and shows that pro-Israel American Zionists over the years have influenced, some may go as far as saying dictated, US policy; and have also highjacked the media to promote the interests of Israel over the interests and ideals of America. For many, the thought of an unknown power manipulating governments through lobbying in America and Britain is a new perspective; and many who are aware of the phenomenon are frightened to challenge it. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Israel/Palestine conflict. It sets out to expose what it calls the illegalities of the past and the present. It is meticulously documented, and reveals what it claims to be evidence of the deceptive, illegal, and criminal behaviour of the Zionist movement in America, Europe and Palestine. The author has researched extensively the history of Zionism in the world in general, and in America in particular. The book’s strength is the absence of any antisemitic references, which makes it harder for pro-Israel sympathizers to object to Weir’s findings. The author points out explicitly that ‘diverse documentary evidence shows that Zionists pushed’ for the US to enter the First World War on Britain’s side as part of the deal to gain ‘British support for their colonization of Palestine’. The method used was devious. A Zionist leader who worked to persuade British officials at that time wrote that the Allied cause in 1916 had been convinced that ‘the best and perhaps the only way to persuade the American President to come into the war was to secure the cooperation of Zionist Jews by promising them Palestine, enlist and mobilize the powerful forces of Zionist Jews in America and elsewhere in favour of the Allies on a quid pro quo contract basis’. In other words, an unnecessary war that had gone badly required America’s intervention in order to secure the support of the British government in establishing a Jewish state in Palestine. The author notes that the Americans had strongly opposed entering the war and that President Woodrow Wilson had won the presidency with the slogan ‘he kept us out of war’. The Zionist plot, writes Weir, becomes clearer, that from the start the creation of a Jewish state on land inhabited by non-Jews required the backing of a stronger power. This was provided by America and Britain in World War I to meet their goal of having British support for Zionism leading to the drafting of the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The book spells out the rise in support for Zionism in America. It shows the roles of Louis Brandeis, Felix Frankfurter and others in establishing, within the American hierarchy, Zionism ideology. At the same time, it was important to divert the American Jewish populations’ loyalty not just towards America. With the help of the Zionist lobby, Weir says, the movement succeeded in indoctrinating, cajoling and threatening American Jews to be loyal to the Zionist cause. Other Zionist groups set out to establish a firm grip on the American media. This has become a major manifestation of their success amongst the American public to date. The book quotes Professor Richard P. Stevens, who says ‘Zionists early on learned to exploit the essential nature of the American political system—that policies can be made and unmade through force of public opinion and pressure’. One main point the book makes is that Israel/Palestine history is known but has been kept hidden from the general public. The public has to rely on the mainstream media. Meanwhile, while historians are becoming almost exclusively dependent on their work being produced by small publishers–often of a scholarly bent, and read by only by a few. The author points out that those who have tried to bring the truth about Israel/Palestine to the general public have suffered both venomous verbal attacks and economic threats that quickly silence the message and often destroy the messenger. At the same time politicians have become alost totally dependent on the Israel lobby to secure their election. The American public, Weir concludes, must restore their position by insisting that their elected officials place the interests of the United States before those of Israel. This book is a must read in understanding the geo-political dilemma in which the US plays such a crucial part. Magan Singodia is a member of the Executive Committee, a Trustee, and Secretary of the Balfour Project. Now, this is interesting: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/11/19/737517/FBI-raid-American-journalist-interview-Presstv FBI raids home of American journalist Alison Weir over her pro-Palestine work Tuesday, 19 November 2024 10:12 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 27 November 2024 1:16 PM ] Alison Weir, founder of If Americans Knew, an organization seeking to delegitimize US support for Israel. The FBI has raided the house of an American journalist over her pro-Palestine work amid the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, a move seen as part of a broader pattern of opposing voices that shed light on the Gaza genocide and US backing of Israel. Alison Weir, an American journalist researching the Palestinian-Israeli issue for more than 20 years, in a post on X on Monday said that recently FBI agents have been making unexpected visits to her house, asking about a person unfamiliar to her. Weir revealed that the FBI's interest was sparked by her past interviews with Iran's English-language TV channel Press TV, which has interviewed her on various occasions over the years. “During my 20+ years writing and speaking about Palestine, I have taken as many opportunities as humanly possible to get the facts out via any traditional and alternative, domestic and international media outlets available. I don't attempt to vet media outlets and try to reach as many audiences in the US and around the world as I can with the facts about Palestine,” she wrote. The American activist further noted that it has come to light that other activists with a shared dedication to advocating for a just peace in Palestine and even Jewish activists have also been subject to similar visits by the FBI. “I understand the agency has been weaponized in the past to try to silence groups and people that some members of government oppose,” Weir added. The executive director of the think tank If Americans Knew, which provides information on the historical war on Palestine, hinted at a potential agenda to stifle dissent and silence voices critical of the US policies supporting Israel by linking them to Iran. “It would appear someone is now trying to set the stage to silence dissent on Israel-Palestine in the United States by trumping up connections with Iran," she said. Moment of Truth about Palestine In this episode of the program, we are going to talk to Alison Weir, an American journalist who has done research on the Palestinian-Israeli issue. The FBI's investigation into individuals linked to Press TV has sparked alarm among advocates for Palestinian rights, highlighting a growing debate over the limits of dissent and the implications of US government oversight on those exercising their free speech rights. As the narrative unfolds, questions arise about the implications of such investigations on freedom of expression and activism in the United States. In September, the United States Department of the Treasury added Press TV to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)'s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. The US government has enacted stringent sanctions against the Tehran-based news channel, which has been on air since 2007. Operating under the slogan "The Voice of the Voiceless," Press TV aims to highlight significant regional and global issues that are often overlooked or misrepresented by mainstream media. Observers say the US government's move to pull the plug on Press TV is part of Washington’s attempts to silence Iranian media because they "debunk US lies."