WHEN A STOIC PHILOSOPHER CURE ST.PAUL’S EYES:
And How another Stoic Pliny the Elder knew all about “Lukewarm” as a Remedy for Seeing (which I point in my punchline out at the end of essay)
By Andre Austin
(First note that Stoicism was started by Zeno who people thought he came from an Egyptian branch because he was swarthy (black) or black like the Phoenicians who came from black Epaphos. Socrates didn’t invent the method of Q & A to get at Knowledge because it was first practiced systematically by Zeno. When Herodotus wrote in 450BC he said the Egyptians divided their doctors of medicine up in the diseases of the eye, head, tooth, stomach and so on. Egypt had 800 different drugs named in their texts from which influenced the Greek corresponding disciple. I’m sating this because the Stoic Seneca studied Meteorology in Egypt and Pliny the Elder wrote on medical information that was passed to him. The topic is relevant because religious concepts would spill over into the Christian texts)
I’m online tuning in to the tv/radio program called The Breakfast Club watching the crew interview Rev. Run’s daughter Angela Simmons. Rev Run is a member of the 1980’s rap sensational group Run DMC. She brought up the topic of not wanting to be “Lukewarm” but she wanted to be “Hot”. This is no objection of her as an individual Christian because they as a whole have misunderstood the term and has thus been in the wrong temperature for a long time. Hopefully with my essays and future book I can correct this clouded spiritual vision of their lenses, glasses and spectacles. But before I get to it directly I have a story of Seneca curing Paul’s blindness in the book of Acts chapter 9.
The eccentric writer Abelard Reuchlin states in The True Authorship of The New Testament p.14 that: Annaeus Seneca, also appears. He is the Ananias who cures Paul’s blindness in Acts 9:17-18 which gives even more context to Paul’s correspondence letters to the Stoic philosopher Seneca . Reuchlin is a wild radical, who hides his face on youtube videos, l and I don’t agree with all he has to say in his little pamphlet but he has a point when he correctly identifies Annaeus Seneca as curing Paul’s eyes. Pliny the Elder reports that Seneca read on the treatments that Doctors proscribe. Joe Atwill wrote that “Seneca a Stoic philosopher and tutor to the Emperor Nero. Some of his attitudes are reflected in the Gospels” (Caesar’s Messiah p.396). The NT used Seneca’s first name and this may account for Christendom missing or ignoring this important fact.
So Paul is on the road traveling and is knocked down from his Horse and was blinded by God. Annaeus Seneca then placed his hands on him and scales dropped from his eyes and he could see again, got baptized and got his power back after eating some food (see Acts 9: 1-19). The only other time all of these elements are combined together is in the book of Revelations chapter 6 with the “Black Horse”, but that’s another story in other essays of mine.
So was Paul’s vision a spiritual or physical problem or both was a question I had to ask myself. So I went back into the time period to get at the original intent and state of mind of the writes. I did this by looking into the correspondence Letters of Paul and Seneca and the encyclopedic book by Pliny the Elder called Natural History with topics ranging from Astronomy to Zoology.
One of the apocryphal letters of Paul to Seneca may allude to the curing episode of Paul’s eyes in the book of Acts:
Paul to Seneca & Lucilius
“Concerning those things about which ye wrote to me it is not proper for me to mention anything in writing with pen and ink: the one which leaves marks, and the other evidently declares things.
Especially since I know that there are near you, as well as me, those who will understand my meaning. [Seneca would later write that Paul wrote allegorically to protect himself].
Deference is to be paid to all men, and so much the more, as they are more likely to take occasions of quarrelling.
And if we show submissive temper, we shall overcome effectually in all points, if so be they are capable of seeing and acknowledging themselves to have been wrong. Farewell”.
[Seneca would have understood this temper (temperature) as Lukewarm (healing substance for the eyes to see properly].
When Seneca wrote Letters from a Stoic he stated that to be a Nobel person you should be level by not getting Hot or Cold in their Temperament in life. This phrase was in another Stoic writer Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations. It’s the same language as in Chapter 3:14-22 of Revelations dealing with the church of Laodicea. Chapter 3 is dealing with spiritual and physical vision. “One of Laodicea’s source of wealth was making a popular eye medicine. The medical school at Laodicea was famous for the preparation and use of this eye salve” (Nelson’s Dictionary of the Bible 1986 p.940). This salve was mentioned in chapter 3 of Revelations. But I asked myself that it wasn’t probable or likely that the whole damnnn church wasn’t totally physically/spiritual blindness. Another apocryphal letter of Paul to the Laodicean church may prove the misguided Lukewarm skeptics again.
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL, THE APOSTLE TO THE CHURCH OF LAODICEANS
The Laodicean church, (Rev chapter three), was the famous church known to be “Lukewarm”, a term once thought to be negative. The letter is considered an Apocrypha book.
The apostle Paul wrote a Letter to this church and said in part:
“I thank Christ in every prayer of mine, that ye may continue and persevere in good works looking for that which is promised in the day of Judgement”. This is the theme of Rev chap 3 of those who could see vs those who needed salve.
This just further proves that being “Lukewarm” were “good works”
Paul also wrote letters to Seneca, who studied Meteorology in Egypt and applied Hot & Cold terminology found in Rev chapter 3 in his Letters from a Stoic.
Note:
I’m having an suspicion that this Letter to the Laodiceans is authentic. Paul may be alluding to this letter in another letter he wrote to the Colossians 4:14-16
“ Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you
Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.
And when this epistle is read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea”.
This is the same Language at the end of Paul’s Apocrypha Letter to the Laodiceans with the last sentence reading:
“Cause this Epistle to be read to the Colossians, and the Epistle of the Colossians to be read among you”.
I was mainly concerned with the typologically links with Rev 3:15-16 & Colossians where the words Luke and Laodicea appear tightly together. The hints and clues are clear that the writers wanted the reader to be able to associate the spit of Lukewarm as healing substance for the eyes of the righteous which Paul was hinting at in his epistle to the Laodiceans that I already quoted above.
Tefnut was the spit that helped the eyes of Ra and the eyes of Adam and Eve that were opened.
Nelson’s Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible (edition 1986), makes two interesting comments:
“A Letter addressed to the Laodiceans by Paul (Col 4:16) has apparently been lost” p.630. But I think its this Apocrypha letter is in its spirit.
“A popular eye ointment Salve was one of Laodicea’s sources of wealth. The medical school at Laodicea was famous for the preparation and use of this eye salve. The Lukewarm church at Laodicea, however, needed something greater than eye salve to heal its faltering spiritual vision” p.940.
They needed “lukewarm” (Tefnut for setting eyes right) not the salve. All of this misinformation was done to stir people away from black history and religion.
SO NOW HERE COMES THE PUNCHLINE BEGINS
Joe Atwill reports in his Caesar’s Messiah p. 395 “Pliny the Elder was a friend and advisor to Emperor Vespassian, whom he visited daily. He is best known for his Natural history. In a future book we will identify him as one of the people who worked on the writing of the Gospels”. Pliny the Elder like Seneca was a Stoic.
Pliny wrote on treatments for eye trouble and said:
“Nature has provided the eye with many thin membranes and hard outside coverings as a protection against Cold and heat; she cleans the eyes with moisture from the tear-glands and makes them slippery” (book XI: 147). Now this is very interesting because when a person was spit out Lukewarm it was because they were neither Hot or Cold=meaning their spiritual eyes were correct and they were doing good deeds just like Paul’s Apocrypha letter said they were doing. The equivalent to the spit of lukewarm was the Goddess Tefnut “The moisture and damp generative heat of Heaven” (From fetish to God in ancient Egypt p.149 By E. A. Wallis budge).
Well I rest my case and soon I will submit my book Lukewarm: The temperature of Justice I just know you’re going to love.
Notes:
Also in some of the creation stories it is Tefnut that helps place Ra’s eyes in their proper place and order. Tefnut is born by spit just like Lukewarm is. Pliny the elder makes another interesting comment about the eyes:
“When an individual’s eyebrows are level, this shows he is gentle” Book 11:274). A Gentle person is soft heated, mild, tame tender-hearted; unlike having a Temper and having a short-fuse reaching a boiling point.
Tefnut was also named Maat (Level, balance justice law and moral order). In Egypt having a Hot-heart or Cold-heart was viewed as negative and disqualifying behavior for heaven. The verdict was told to church members in Laodicea that they were neither “Hot” or “Cold” was meant that their Hearts were not Hot or Cold towards a reciprocity in sin as a response towards sinners. Having a Cold or Hot heart was viewed very negatively in ancient Egypt in throughout the Bible (see 2 Cor 11:28-29 & Matthew 24:12)
I think Paul’s eye problem was a Allegorical story. But if Seneca really cured Paul’s Physical eye trouble we may have some clues from Pliny the Elder book on what was used. Two candidates I’ve selected:
A. Because the topic of being hungry after his eyes were cured I thought the medicine could have been Hemlock “A poultice is made from hemlock-juice for cooling the stomach. The main use, however, is for checking running eyes in summer and for alleviating pains in them. Hemlock is an ingredient of eye-salves and checks all kinds of catarrh. The leaves also relieve all types of swelling, pain or discharges” (Book 25:152-153). Its interesting that the eye of the sun was called Ra and his nickname is Cat from which we get cataract that relates to the eye or waterfalls. You see in mythology tear drops from Ra’s produced mankind which I believe Hebrews 11:3 was a parody of. So if you get adopted you can become an angel/angle child of Light forming different directions of ray lines from the head/Eye of the sun but that’s another story.
B. Because the issue of scales being dropped from Paul’s eyes Pliny reports: “The verdigris is of much better quality if scales of copper are suspended…the potency of verdigris makes it well-suited for eye-salves. Its caustic property induces watering of the eyes, and so it is vital to wash it off with warm swabs until the corrosive effect has ceased” Book 34:112-113).
C. The word scales can be used for weighing and measuring food which I also believe Acts 9 is typologically linked with Revelations chapter 6 on the black horse. Paul was a composite figure of Hermes/Thoth who was the eye of the moon= Hermes/Thoth it’s the left eye Rx symbol was an amulet for good health protection from harm we still use in pharmacology symbols. Seneca could have used this on Paul’s eyes if we were dealing with spiritual or psychological problems of Paul. The medical associations also use a snake wrapped around a pole which is related to Hermes/Thoth. The Black horse in Rev 6 is associated with balance/scales from which Thoth/Hermes writes down names for people in the book of life an attribute Paul claims to have or know who’s in the book of life (Philippians 4:3). Also these scales are for measuring grain in Rev:6. Hermes/Thoth both symbolized the hekat eye fractions for measuring grain. Paul had the ability to heal just like Hermes/Thoth even though the sweat of his handkerchiefs and aprons (Acts 19:12).
And How another Stoic Pliny the Elder knew all about “Lukewarm” as a Remedy for Seeing (which I point in my punchline out at the end of essay)
By Andre Austin
(First note that Stoicism was started by Zeno who people thought he came from an Egyptian branch because he was swarthy (black) or black like the Phoenicians who came from black Epaphos. Socrates didn’t invent the method of Q & A to get at Knowledge because it was first practiced systematically by Zeno. When Herodotus wrote in 450BC he said the Egyptians divided their doctors of medicine up in the diseases of the eye, head, tooth, stomach and so on. Egypt had 800 different drugs named in their texts from which influenced the Greek corresponding disciple. I’m sating this because the Stoic Seneca studied Meteorology in Egypt and Pliny the Elder wrote on medical information that was passed to him. The topic is relevant because religious concepts would spill over into the Christian texts)
I’m online tuning in to the tv/radio program called The Breakfast Club watching the crew interview Rev. Run’s daughter Angela Simmons. Rev Run is a member of the 1980’s rap sensational group Run DMC. She brought up the topic of not wanting to be “Lukewarm” but she wanted to be “Hot”. This is no objection of her as an individual Christian because they as a whole have misunderstood the term and has thus been in the wrong temperature for a long time. Hopefully with my essays and future book I can correct this clouded spiritual vision of their lenses, glasses and spectacles. But before I get to it directly I have a story of Seneca curing Paul’s blindness in the book of Acts chapter 9.
The eccentric writer Abelard Reuchlin states in The True Authorship of The New Testament p.14 that: Annaeus Seneca, also appears. He is the Ananias who cures Paul’s blindness in Acts 9:17-18 which gives even more context to Paul’s correspondence letters to the Stoic philosopher Seneca . Reuchlin is a wild radical, who hides his face on youtube videos, l and I don’t agree with all he has to say in his little pamphlet but he has a point when he correctly identifies Annaeus Seneca as curing Paul’s eyes. Pliny the Elder reports that Seneca read on the treatments that Doctors proscribe. Joe Atwill wrote that “Seneca a Stoic philosopher and tutor to the Emperor Nero. Some of his attitudes are reflected in the Gospels” (Caesar’s Messiah p.396). The NT used Seneca’s first name and this may account for Christendom missing or ignoring this important fact.
So Paul is on the road traveling and is knocked down from his Horse and was blinded by God. Annaeus Seneca then placed his hands on him and scales dropped from his eyes and he could see again, got baptized and got his power back after eating some food (see Acts 9: 1-19). The only other time all of these elements are combined together is in the book of Revelations chapter 6 with the “Black Horse”, but that’s another story in other essays of mine.
So was Paul’s vision a spiritual or physical problem or both was a question I had to ask myself. So I went back into the time period to get at the original intent and state of mind of the writes. I did this by looking into the correspondence Letters of Paul and Seneca and the encyclopedic book by Pliny the Elder called Natural History with topics ranging from Astronomy to Zoology.
One of the apocryphal letters of Paul to Seneca may allude to the curing episode of Paul’s eyes in the book of Acts:
Paul to Seneca & Lucilius
“Concerning those things about which ye wrote to me it is not proper for me to mention anything in writing with pen and ink: the one which leaves marks, and the other evidently declares things.
Especially since I know that there are near you, as well as me, those who will understand my meaning. [Seneca would later write that Paul wrote allegorically to protect himself].
Deference is to be paid to all men, and so much the more, as they are more likely to take occasions of quarrelling.
And if we show submissive temper, we shall overcome effectually in all points, if so be they are capable of seeing and acknowledging themselves to have been wrong. Farewell”.
[Seneca would have understood this temper (temperature) as Lukewarm (healing substance for the eyes to see properly].
When Seneca wrote Letters from a Stoic he stated that to be a Nobel person you should be level by not getting Hot or Cold in their Temperament in life. This phrase was in another Stoic writer Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations. It’s the same language as in Chapter 3:14-22 of Revelations dealing with the church of Laodicea. Chapter 3 is dealing with spiritual and physical vision. “One of Laodicea’s source of wealth was making a popular eye medicine. The medical school at Laodicea was famous for the preparation and use of this eye salve” (Nelson’s Dictionary of the Bible 1986 p.940). This salve was mentioned in chapter 3 of Revelations. But I asked myself that it wasn’t probable or likely that the whole damnnn church wasn’t totally physically/spiritual blindness. Another apocryphal letter of Paul to the Laodicean church may prove the misguided Lukewarm skeptics again.
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL, THE APOSTLE TO THE CHURCH OF LAODICEANS
The Laodicean church, (Rev chapter three), was the famous church known to be “Lukewarm”, a term once thought to be negative. The letter is considered an Apocrypha book.
The apostle Paul wrote a Letter to this church and said in part:
“I thank Christ in every prayer of mine, that ye may continue and persevere in good works looking for that which is promised in the day of Judgement”. This is the theme of Rev chap 3 of those who could see vs those who needed salve.
This just further proves that being “Lukewarm” were “good works”
Paul also wrote letters to Seneca, who studied Meteorology in Egypt and applied Hot & Cold terminology found in Rev chapter 3 in his Letters from a Stoic.
Note:
I’m having an suspicion that this Letter to the Laodiceans is authentic. Paul may be alluding to this letter in another letter he wrote to the Colossians 4:14-16
“ Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you
Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.
And when this epistle is read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea”.
This is the same Language at the end of Paul’s Apocrypha Letter to the Laodiceans with the last sentence reading:
“Cause this Epistle to be read to the Colossians, and the Epistle of the Colossians to be read among you”.
I was mainly concerned with the typologically links with Rev 3:15-16 & Colossians where the words Luke and Laodicea appear tightly together. The hints and clues are clear that the writers wanted the reader to be able to associate the spit of Lukewarm as healing substance for the eyes of the righteous which Paul was hinting at in his epistle to the Laodiceans that I already quoted above.
Tefnut was the spit that helped the eyes of Ra and the eyes of Adam and Eve that were opened.
Nelson’s Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible (edition 1986), makes two interesting comments:
“A Letter addressed to the Laodiceans by Paul (Col 4:16) has apparently been lost” p.630. But I think its this Apocrypha letter is in its spirit.
“A popular eye ointment Salve was one of Laodicea’s sources of wealth. The medical school at Laodicea was famous for the preparation and use of this eye salve. The Lukewarm church at Laodicea, however, needed something greater than eye salve to heal its faltering spiritual vision” p.940.
They needed “lukewarm” (Tefnut for setting eyes right) not the salve. All of this misinformation was done to stir people away from black history and religion.
SO NOW HERE COMES THE PUNCHLINE BEGINS
Joe Atwill reports in his Caesar’s Messiah p. 395 “Pliny the Elder was a friend and advisor to Emperor Vespassian, whom he visited daily. He is best known for his Natural history. In a future book we will identify him as one of the people who worked on the writing of the Gospels”. Pliny the Elder like Seneca was a Stoic.
Pliny wrote on treatments for eye trouble and said:
“Nature has provided the eye with many thin membranes and hard outside coverings as a protection against Cold and heat; she cleans the eyes with moisture from the tear-glands and makes them slippery” (book XI: 147). Now this is very interesting because when a person was spit out Lukewarm it was because they were neither Hot or Cold=meaning their spiritual eyes were correct and they were doing good deeds just like Paul’s Apocrypha letter said they were doing. The equivalent to the spit of lukewarm was the Goddess Tefnut “The moisture and damp generative heat of Heaven” (From fetish to God in ancient Egypt p.149 By E. A. Wallis budge).
Well I rest my case and soon I will submit my book Lukewarm: The temperature of Justice I just know you’re going to love.
Notes:
Also in some of the creation stories it is Tefnut that helps place Ra’s eyes in their proper place and order. Tefnut is born by spit just like Lukewarm is. Pliny the elder makes another interesting comment about the eyes:
“When an individual’s eyebrows are level, this shows he is gentle” Book 11:274). A Gentle person is soft heated, mild, tame tender-hearted; unlike having a Temper and having a short-fuse reaching a boiling point.
Tefnut was also named Maat (Level, balance justice law and moral order). In Egypt having a Hot-heart or Cold-heart was viewed as negative and disqualifying behavior for heaven. The verdict was told to church members in Laodicea that they were neither “Hot” or “Cold” was meant that their Hearts were not Hot or Cold towards a reciprocity in sin as a response towards sinners. Having a Cold or Hot heart was viewed very negatively in ancient Egypt in throughout the Bible (see 2 Cor 11:28-29 & Matthew 24:12)
I think Paul’s eye problem was a Allegorical story. But if Seneca really cured Paul’s Physical eye trouble we may have some clues from Pliny the Elder book on what was used. Two candidates I’ve selected:
A. Because the topic of being hungry after his eyes were cured I thought the medicine could have been Hemlock “A poultice is made from hemlock-juice for cooling the stomach. The main use, however, is for checking running eyes in summer and for alleviating pains in them. Hemlock is an ingredient of eye-salves and checks all kinds of catarrh. The leaves also relieve all types of swelling, pain or discharges” (Book 25:152-153). Its interesting that the eye of the sun was called Ra and his nickname is Cat from which we get cataract that relates to the eye or waterfalls. You see in mythology tear drops from Ra’s produced mankind which I believe Hebrews 11:3 was a parody of. So if you get adopted you can become an angel/angle child of Light forming different directions of ray lines from the head/Eye of the sun but that’s another story.
B. Because the issue of scales being dropped from Paul’s eyes Pliny reports: “The verdigris is of much better quality if scales of copper are suspended…the potency of verdigris makes it well-suited for eye-salves. Its caustic property induces watering of the eyes, and so it is vital to wash it off with warm swabs until the corrosive effect has ceased” Book 34:112-113).
C. The word scales can be used for weighing and measuring food which I also believe Acts 9 is typologically linked with Revelations chapter 6 on the black horse. Paul was a composite figure of Hermes/Thoth who was the eye of the moon= Hermes/Thoth it’s the left eye Rx symbol was an amulet for good health protection from harm we still use in pharmacology symbols. Seneca could have used this on Paul’s eyes if we were dealing with spiritual or psychological problems of Paul. The medical associations also use a snake wrapped around a pole which is related to Hermes/Thoth. The Black horse in Rev 6 is associated with balance/scales from which Thoth/Hermes writes down names for people in the book of life an attribute Paul claims to have or know who’s in the book of life (Philippians 4:3). Also these scales are for measuring grain in Rev:6. Hermes/Thoth both symbolized the hekat eye fractions for measuring grain. Paul had the ability to heal just like Hermes/Thoth even though the sweat of his handkerchiefs and aprons (Acts 19:12).
