From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 1997 12:44 AM
To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: The Origin of Church Steeples
>From: Roi Garcia
>To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
>Subject: Re: What about Steeples
>
>We are in a building project with a church. We are Messianic they are
>not. They want a steple.
>
>Does anyone have info on the origin of steeples.
>
>Thanks
>
>Roi
>
>********************************************************************
>
From: Dr John M Grier, Sr.
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Re: The Origin of Church Steeples
Two Questions:
(1) Would a Steeple be regarded as an obelisk?
(2) Does the Torah forbid the erection of an obelisk?
Dr John M Grier, Sr.
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From: Patrick Flanigan
To: <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Subject: Re: The Origin of Church Steeples
I can't say that I definitely know the answer, but I suspect it may be
an obelisk taken from freemasonry....male sexual energy. I have
wondered about this for a while having learned about the Washington
monument and various obelisk monuments in cemeteries.
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To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
From: Ken Scott
Subject: Re: The Origin of Church Steeples
Hello Roi;
The steeple is a byproduct from a symbol that was used in worship of
the sun by the heathens and it also had sexual significance.
This is documented in the book Babylon Mystery Religeon by
Ralph Edward Woodsrow ISBN 0-916938-12-3
Quote; Chapter 5
Among the ancient nations, not only were statues of the gods and
goddesses in human form made, other objects with a hidden or
mystery meaning, such as obelisks, were a part of heathen worship.
Originally, the obelisk was associated with sun worship. The
ancients--having rejected the knowledge of the True creator--seeing that
the sun gave life to the plants and to man, looked upon the sun as a god,
the great iife giver. To them, upright objects such as the obelisk also had
a sexual significance. Realizing that through sexual union life was
produced, the phallus was considered {along with the sun} a symbol of
life.
These were beliefs represented by the obelisk.
The word "images" in the Bible is translated from several different
Hebrew words. One of these words, matzebah, means "standing images"
of obelisks (1Kings 14:23; 2Kings 18:4; 23:14; Jer. 43:13; Micah 5:13).
Another word is hammanim which means "sun images", images
dedicated to the sun or obelisks (Isaiah 17:8;27:9).
In order for the obelisks to carry out their intended symbolism, they
were placed upright-erect. Thus they pointed up-toward the sun. As a
symbol of the phallus, the erect position also had a obvious significance.
Bearing this in mind, it is interesting to notice that when divine judgment
was pronounced against the false worship, it was said that these images
(obelisks) "shall not stand up," but would be cast down. (Isaiah 27:9).
One of these Obelisk is found in front of the church in St. Peters Square.
I shall stop here and recommend you get the book and do further research
on this matter.
Shalom Ken S.
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From: Johann van Rooyen
Subject: Re: The Origin of Church Steeples
To: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
INFORMATION ON CHURCH STEEPLES
Question:
>
> Does anyone have info on the origin of steeples.
>
MY COMMENTS:
The shrines of paganism featured one or more prominent towers in
their architecture. The towers are phallic symbols of perverted
sexual worship. Ovid calls Cybele the tower-bearing goddess, the
"first who erected towers and cities." This is a clear reference to
queen Semiramis, the semi-mythical cohort of Ninus, the mighty one
of fortified cities, who was involved in the building of the tower of
Babylon. Like Diana of Ephesus, Cybele was depicted with a
tower-crown on her head. In ancient Babylonian paganism, towers
were erected next to the temples, as an integral part of the temple
complex. In The Cambridge Ancient History_Egypt and Babylon, Bury
(1924:533) writes that a visitor to an ancient Babylonian city never
had problems in finding the temple, because the tower was visible from
afar. The Catholic Encyclopaedia tells us that,
"_it is a striking fact that most Babylonian cities possessed
a_temple-tower."
Pagan Babylon, then, was the origin of religious steeples.
After the confusion of the languages of mankind occurred in Babylon,
this architectural practice spread all over the earth. We find
steeples in the temple architectures of India, China, Arabia, Europe,
Turkey, and many other countries. In his book, Sex Worship and
Symbolism in Primitive Races, S. Brown wrote (1916):
"There is evidence that the spires of our churches owe their existence
to the uprights or obelisks outside the temples of former ages_There
are still in existence today remarkable specimens of original phallic
symbols_steeples on our churches_and obelisks."
In Scripture, obelisks are usually called sun-pillars and Asherah
poles. Asherah poles featured prominently in the perverse rites of
Caananite paganism.
A Church tower then, depicts the erect phallus of Nimrod; it is an
architectural symbol can be traced to the cult of Eloah Mahozim.
Greetings
Johann van Rooyen
South Africa
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From: Rabbi Michael 'Mordecai' Silver
Organization: Etz Chayim - Tree of Life Messianic Jewish Congregation
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com Subject:
Re: The Origin of Church Steeples
The well-known pointed obelisks or sun-pillars of Egypt are found in
the Scriptures in the Hebrew words matzebah and hammanim. The
former word is best translated as pillars or as sun-pillars, and the latter
as sun-images. In Jer. 43:13 this matzebah (sun-pillars) are
identified as those obelisks found in Beth-shemesh (in Greek:
Heliopolis) in the land of Egypt. Unfortunately The KJV rendered this
word matzebah in most places as images instead of obelisks or pillars,
as the other English versions correctly do. In Exodus 23:24 Israel was
commanded to break down these pillars of the heathen nations. He
repeated this in Exodus 34:13, Deu. 7:5 and Deu. 12:3. And in many
other places in Scripture these pillars or sun-pillars are
emphatically described as an abomination by our Mighty One. Israel was
not only commanded to break down these pagan pillars or sun pillars,
they were strictly commanded not to erect them (Deu 16:22 and Lev
26:1). In Deu 16:22 our Mighty One says that He hates them.
Diodorus spoke of an obelisk 130 feet high which was erected by Queen
Semiramis in Babylon. In Babylon the phallic symbolism seems to have
been the more important aspect. However, in Egypt more emphasis was
put on its sun-symbolism, pointing upwards to the sun, and also
described as a sun-ray. These obelisks were commonly erected at the
entrance to the temples of Isis or other temples of the numerous
Sun-deities of Egypt, especially in the city of Heliopolis
(Beth-shemesh), for its sun-symbolism as well as for its phallic
meaning. Ezekiel chapter 8 clearly describes to us the mixture of
Israel's True Worship with that of Sun-worship in the form of
Tammuz-worship (Tammuz being the young Sun-deity) in verse 14, as well
as the 25 elders worshipping the Sun towards the East (verse 16). In
verses 3 and 5 we read of "the image of jealousy" which was erected in
the entrance to the Temple. Scofield regards this "image of jealousy"
to be phallic. The Lamsa Bible as well as the New English Bible have
rendered this as "image of lust."
Travellers to Rome all know about the famous obelisk at the entrance
of St. Peter's in Rome. It is not a mere copy of an Egyptian obelisk,
it is one of the very same obelisks that stood in Egypt in Heliopolis
in ancient times! When the mystery religion came to pagan Rome,
Egyptians obelisks, especially from Heliopolis, were hauled, at great
expense. and erected by the Roman emperors. Caligula, in 37-41 BCE,
had this very same obelisk brought from Heliopolis, Egypt, to his
circus on the Vatican Hill, where now stands St. Peter's. This solid
red granite obelisk in front of St. Peter's is 83 feet high (132 feet
with its foundation) and weighs 320 tons. Pope Sixtus V ordered it to
be moved a little in 1586, in order to center it in front of St.
Peter's. The sun-pillar from Helopolis, which Elohim has ordered to be
destroyed, was not destroyed. Rather, it was erected right in the
entrance to St. Peter's -- a memorial to the merger of Sun-worship
with the Messianic Belief.
The majority of church buildings that have been built over the
centuries have a tower. Each generation of church builders has copied
the former generation, probably never questioning the origin of the
idea. The Scriptural Temple of Yawuweh does not have a pointed tower
or pointed pillar in its design. Similar to the sun-pillar or
obelisks, these pointed towers of churches can be traced back to
Babylon. Many of the towers that were built in the Babylonian empire
were not watchtowers, but were religious towers. In those times, a
stranger entering a Babylonian city would have no difficulty locating
its temple, we are told, for high above the flat roofed houses, its
tower could be seen. We are also told by The Catholic Encyclopedia,
"It is a striking fact that most Babylonian cities possessed
a...temple-tower."
Whether it be a tower, a steeple or spire, they are all un-Scriptural.
Several writers link, and not without some justification, the towers,
steeples and spires with the ancient obelisk. "There is evidence,"
says one. "to show that the spires of our churches owe their existence
to the uprights or obelisks outside the temples of former ages."
Another says, "There are still in existence today remarkable specimens
of original phallic symbols...steeples on churches...and obelisks."
The Church has sadly failed to destroy the obelisks or sun-pillars of
Sun-worship. They have kept on erecting new ones, similar to the
obelisks, nowadays standing separate from the main building, often
similar to the obelisks of old. However, this will continue only till
the time of the end-time, for we read, "the Asherim and the sun-images
shall rise no more: (Isa 27:9 ASV). Indeed Elohim Himself will destroy
them in the endtime, "and I will cut off your carved images and your
pillars out of the middle of you, and you shall no more worship the
work of your hand" (Micah 5:13 ASV).
The above information is excerpted from a book "Come Out of Her My
People" by C.J. Koster which is available through my ministry. It
makes for some very interesting reading.
Rabbi Mordecai
--
Rabbi Michael Silver (Rav Mordecai Ben-Baruch)
Etz Chayim - Tree of Life Messianic Jewish Congregation
P.O. Box 364, Organ, NM 88052 (near sunny Las Cruces)
Phone or Fax: 505-382-0193
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From: Howard Morgan
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Re: The Origin of Church Steeples
Friends,
I picked this up somewhere in my studies. Church steeples originated
with the synagogue. In europe synagogues were places were jewish
travellers knew they could not only find a place of worship but also a
place of rest during their travels, a place where they would not have
to suffer indignities. The synagogue had a pole attached to its roof
so that the traveller could see it from afar. Churches picked up on
this idea and wanting to identify the location of the church, placed
the steeple so that it could be seen from a distance.
Blessings
Dr. Howard Morgan
Triumphant Living Ministries
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From: Teri Bell-Peacock
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Re: The Origin of Church Steeples
Eddie:
Some denominations teach that the steeple originated as a pagan
sexual symbol. However, according to Dwight A.Pryor,of the Center for
Judaic-Christian Studies in Dayton, Ohio, the steeple originated from
a Jewish practice. Synagogues were supposed to be on a hill, easily
seen. If the terrain were such that there were no hills in the
region, a pole was to be erected beside or on top of the synagogue, so
that the site could be spotted from a distance. This practice,
apparently was one that was carried over to the new believing jewish
congregations and has passed down to the christian churches of today.
Hope this helps your groups resolve the controversy!
Shalom,
Stay in His Love,
Teri Bell-Peacock
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