Why was the Tabernacle of Moses built, and what was its purpose?
It played a critical role in communicating with God.
"This book is in many ways a magisterial work … I am amazed by the range of ancient languages called on for parallels to Biblical Hebrew terms. I found especially compelling the extensive discussion of radioactivity in connection with the cloud and the ark as receptor as well as the explanation in this connection of the urim and tumim and the ephod." ~ Dr. E. Isaac
Why did noted biblical scholar Jacob Milgrom call Talking With God “an enormous imaginative work” and “a modern midrash?”
It’s because Talking With God takes on some of the most puzzling Old Testament passages. It’s because Talking With God propounds such a controversial conclusion about the nature of many of the objects and practices surrounding the Ark of the Testimony.
It’s also because Talking With God delves deep into the ancient Hebrew texts of the Old Testament to uncover and prove the true purpose of the Ark. On deep examination, these ancient words and phrases assemble, piece-by-piece, the long lost meaning of puzzling passages that have confounded laypeople and biblical scholars for centuries. Explaining why the Ark was much more than a container.
Talking With God offers a challenging, controversial view of what the Ancient Israelites experienced, and how our understanding of that experience has shifted so dramatically over time.
Developed by a biblical scholar over 40 years of research: The deep value of a scientific approach
Whether you take the Bible literally or not, the fact is that most approaches to understanding this all-important book depend on interpretations of interpretations of interpretations. The Old Testament was written in ancient Hebrew and later interpreted—under duress some believe—into Greek and Roman, then into more modern languages.
The basic trouble with these approaches is not only that each interpretation depends on the meaning in the preceding interpretation. It also depends on the meaning of the interpreted word at the time of the new interpretation.
Why being “nice” isn’t really being “nice” and why this concept is so important
A simple example… Have you met someone “nice” lately? Of course you have, but today we believe someone “nice” is just a likeable person. In it’s original Latin derivation, though, “nice” meant “not to know” or ignorant/unaware. This subtle shift in language has profound significance in how we engage that “nice” person we meet at a party or other affair. How did we get here? Well, we learned who’s “nice” from our parents and others who inherited their interpretation from their parents and others. And so on and so on…
In researching and writing Talking With God, biblical researcher Roger D. Isaacs, sought to get past the interpretations. He wanted to understand what really happened when the Lord gave Moses the laws/stones on Mt. Sinai. He wanted to clarify the original meanings of key words used by first hand observers and the Bible passages that didn’t seem to make any sense.
In Talking With God, Isaacs examines numerous key words in their ancient Hebrew alongside their counterparts in 19 ancient languages and discovers that words translated as "holy," "glory," "clean," "unclean," "sin," "atone," "plague," and "soul" have completely different meanings from what we believe today, which, when related to the Ark of the Testimony completely reframe our understanding of it’s nature and purpose.
And, Talking With God also highlights the radical change in meaning and significance that accompanied the shift in terminology from Ark of the Testimony to Ark of the Covenant. Yes, it all sounds hard to believe, but to quote a prominent rabbi,
"Talking with God, dramatically introduces a whole new world of thinking about biblical practices. Agree with Isaacs or not, you will never be able to accept the Bible in the same way as Scholars have done throughout the centuries. The scholarship is profound, the theories impressive, and the book is disturbing in the most incredible way.” ~ Rabbi Richard Marx
Whether or not you take the Bible literally, you will see that what happened to the ancient Israelites was later interpreted incorrectly and, that interpretation is now at the heart of the world’s major religions.
What’s inside Talking With God?
Talking With God is a rich trove of religious, historical, etymological and scientific information. The book was written to make very complex ideas accessible to everyday scholars as well as rich enough for academics. Inside you will find…
- Findings and results from the exploration of digs and sites around throughout the Middle East;
- 514 pages complete with sidebar references to relevant bible verses;
- 63 illustrations including historical plates secured specifically from the Oriental Institute and other;
- An extensive bibliography that includes more than 100 pages of detailed background;
- Index of 19 ancient languages including Ugaritic, Ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, etc.
“…It is very well-written: accessible, easygoing, and able to make a complicated subject easy to follow. Jargon and obfuscation have practically become the hallmarks of the academic literature of the present era, and I can’t tell you how pleased I was to see such simple, clear writing … the book looks terrific–great cover, layout, fonts, images–really first-rate!” ~ Richard Russell, MD
The book answers many age-old biblical questions including …
- What was the true purpose of the Ark of the Testimony?
- Why did people die when they touched the Ark?
- What was the real reason for God "visiting the iniquity of the fathers" on the "third and fourth" generation of their sons?
- Why was the purpose of the Israelites’ sacrifice totally different from that of the countries around them?
- Why don’t the words "holy" mean "holy," "sin" mean sin, "glory" mean glory?
- What is the soul and exactly where is it located?
Even more, Talking With God is a resource for deep study and discovery for those who are as curious about the original text of the Bible and the true meaning of puzzling bible passages and words. For scholars of the Bible, the methods described offer a unique approach to decoding passages of deep interest.
If you love learning about the Bible for yourself, get Talking With God
If you feel there’s more to know about Moses and his experiences, get Talking With God
If you want to get past the Hollywood interpretations of these biblical passages, get Talking With God
Order “Talking With God”
Talking With God: The Radioactive Ark of the Testimony
by Roger D. Isaacs
P.S.: If you know someone who would benefit from Talking With God, order it for them or recommend it to them.
