New Age Bible Versions: G.A. Riplinger--"divinely inspired" KJV-onlyist and occultist
New Age Bible Versions: G.A. Riplinger--"divinely inspired" KJV-onlyist and occultist
Partial Bibliography, ordered from least to most dangerous to Christians:
New Age Bible Versions: An Exhaustive Documentation of the Message, Men & Manuscripts Moving Mankind to the Antichrist's One World Religion, G. A. Riplinger (1993) -> New Age Bible Versions: An Exhaustive Documentation of the Message, Men & Manuscripts Moving Mankind to the Antichrist's One World Religion: G. A. Riplinger: 9780963584502: Amazon.com: Books
"...objectively and methodically documents the hidden alliance between new versions and the New Age Movement's One World Religion. ... Documented are the thousands of words, verses, and doctrines by which new versions will prepare the apostate churches of these last days to accept the religion of the Antichrist - even his mark, image, and Lucifer worship."
Claim to divine inspiration when writing New Age Bible Versions:
Bible Versions <- In a newsletter, Riplinger effectively claims divine inspiration for her own book . (4)
"Daily, during the six years needed for this investigation, the Lord miraculously brought the needed materials and resources – much like the ravens fed Elijah. Each discovery was not the result of effort on my part, but of the direct hand of God – so much so that I hesitated to even put my name on the book. Consequently, I used G. A. Riplinger - God as author and Riplinger as secretary."
--
Hazardous Materials: Greek and Hebrew Study Dangers by G. A. Riplinger (2008) -> Hazardous Materials: Greek and Hebrew Study Dangers: G.A. Riplinger: 9780979411762: Amazon.com: Books
"Exposed are: Strong's Concordance Lexicons; Bible Dictionaries by Vine, Zodhiates; Word Studies by Vincent, Wuest, Trench; Hebrew-English Dictionaries by Brown, Driver, and Briggs; Greek-English Dictionaries by Moulton, Thayer, Danker, Liddell; Greek and Hebrew texts by Metzger, Aland, Scrivener, Berry, Ginsburg, Green, Robinson, Hodges; And all Greek and Hebrew Study Tools and Interlinears
Proves the purity of the King James Bible
You will learn such things as the connection between new version editor and child molester C.J. Vaughan and tools such as Strong s Concordance, Vine s Expository Dictionary, the Unitarian J.H. Thayer s Greek-English Lexicon, Moulton s Lexicon and Vincent and Wuest s Word Studies. Heresy trials deposed editors of the popular Hebrew-English Lexicon by Brown, Driver, and Briggs and the New Testament Greek-English Lexicon by Frederick Danker. All Greek-English New Testament lexicons plagiarize the first Greek-English lexicon written by Scott and Liddell, who harbored the pedophile author of Alice in Wonderland, who took improper photographs of Liddell s child and remains a suspect in the Jack the Ripper murder case. The book demonstrates that Greek texts from UBS to TBS fail to reach the perfection of the Holy Bible, where God s words shall not pass away. Why are good Christians putting aside their inspired Bibles to look for light in conflicting and ununinspired Greek & Hebrew tools, made by men who denied its truths?"
--
In Awe of Thy Word: Understanding the King James Bible Its Mystery and History Letter by Letter by G. A. Riplinger (2004) -> In Awe of Thy Word: Understanding the King James Bible Its Mystery and History Letter by Letter: G. A. Riplinger: 9780963584526: Amazon.com: Books
"DISCOVER what translators and past generations knew --- exactly how to find the meaning of each Bible word, inside the Bible itself. THIS BOOK is the first and only documented history of the words of the Holy Bible.
Understand also what translators, such as Erasmus and Coverdale, meant when they spoke of the vernacular Bible's "holy letters" and "syllables."
See how these God-set alphabet building blocks build a word's meaning and automatically define words for faithful readers of the King James Bible --- which alone brings forward the fountainhead of letter meanings discovered by computational linguists from the world's leading universities.
Find out how only the King James Bible teaches and comforts through its "miraculous" mathematically ordered sounds.
It is based on word-for-word and letter-by-letter analysis of a vault of ancient, rare and valuable Bibles."
--
About Gail Riplinger's New Age Bible Versions
In Awe of Thy Word WARNING
Mrs. Riplinger warned her readers to limit their studies to science and avoid New Age information. Specific information about how to discern between the occult and science was not included in her seemingly casual warning--other than to communicate that esoterics see letters in gods that are not there and that they ascribe nonsense meanings to letters:
(The internet can be a real "web." Be careful to limit your study to that of verifiable science; avoid mystical New Age information that counterfeits the truth of God (e.g. Kabbalah). They "changed the truth of God into a lie" and even worship God's creation (Rom. 1:25); esoterics have their own nonsense meanings ascribed to letters; these should be avoided. But just because New Age vegans worship 'mother earth' is no reason to quit eating vegetables. Likewise, just because esoterics see in letters 'gods' that are not there, this should not deter true scriptural and scholarly investigation into the word of God.)
(In Awe of Thy Word, page 1116)
Note: Meanings that satanists and witches ascribe to letters--and then put into practice to invoke "gods" (devils) to send on assignment-- are not nonsense. Curses are far from harmless--especially when directed toward those who "give place" to the devil by (knowingly or unknowingly) venturing into their territory.
The practice and methodology of ascertaining letter and sound meanings stems directly from the occult.
--
SHOCK & AWE IN THE KJV-ONLY CAMP
In her 2003 book, In Awe of Thy Word: Understanding the King James Bible: Its Mystery & History Letter by Letter, Gail Riplinger warned Christians against the use of all Greek and Hebrew lexicons and concordances, as well as Greek-English and Hebrew-English interlinear translations, as aids to understanding the Bible. Her reason for placing these resources on the KJV-Only “Index of Forbidden Books”? In the course of their research, the Hebrew and Greek scholars who authored them consulted books authored by unsaved liberals:
“What about the Greek and Hebrew interlinears and study aids compiled by Christian men?
“These men may have inspired Greek and Hebrew words, but the English reference books they use to translate them into so-called ‘literal,’ ‘plain,’ ‘everyday’ English, are anything but inspired. Since ancient Koine Greek is not the mother tongue of any living person, they must use the books with the ‘corrupt words’ of unsaved liberal lexicon writers to create their interlinears and study aids (Dan. 2:9). Since they are forced to use the very reference books used by the new version translators, their so-called English equivalencies or definitions are identical to those in the new versions and are in error.” (In Awe of Thy Word, p. 518)
In place of using the traditional Hebrew and Greek resources to better comprehend the meanings of the words God used in Scripture, Gail Riplinger recommended that KJV readers “gather insights about the subject from linguists who have already explored this vast and new scientific field of letter meanings.” The meaning of God’s letters, stated Gail, must be given their proper place, even priority, in determining the meaning of God’s words:
“God built the Bible, letter by letter. He gave each sound a sense. The meanings of each letter can be found in the Bible, in the book of Genesis... Just as God created the basic chemical elements to use a building blocks to create different things, he also created letters, with significations that they carry to create word meanings. An appendix at the end of this book details some of the central meanings of each letter.” (Awe, p. 16)
In place of Greek and Hebrew resources to help Christians determine accurate word meanings, Gail Riplinger recommended worldly books from liberal, humanistic and atheistic universities to aid them in determining letter meanings. Computer technology and English dictionaries are recommended to replace interlinear translations, lexicons and concordances as resources for Bible study.
appear instantly online when a KJV word is searched.” (In Awe of Thy Word, p. 64)
“LITERATURE CITED… Only books having an asterisk (*) are recommended for further study on this subject…”
Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants, Thomas Jefferson University Press, (*great linguistics, non-Christian world view)
Mysteries of the Alphabet, Marc-Alain Ouaknin, University of Bar-Han, Israel* (In Awe of Thy Word, pp. 1179-83)
IThe reader may be wondering who on earth interprets the Bible by deciphering its letter meanings. This arcane subject is the obsession of Jewish Kabbalists who seek “union with the Divine” using a complex system of mystical agnosticism and magical practices taught by rabbinic sages.
“Kabbalism...includes...a group of divinatory and magical practices, manipulations of the alphabet and the text of the Pentateuch, magic spells and rites. All of these elements go back to very early days—to the beginnings of Israel in Palestine, and it is these beginnings which shed most light on both scholarly Kabbalism and popular Hasidism, and, in addition, go far to illuminate the real, the abiding spiritual meaning of Judaism in all times and places.” (Introduction, The Holy Kabbalah, 2003, p. ix)
How do Gail Riplinger’s readers know that the unsaved linguists she recommended in her book are not Kabbalists? They don’t, since Gail has withheld vital information about the pagan beliefs and hidden agenda of her sources. For example, one book “recommended for further study on this subject” of letter meanings is Mysteries of the Alphabet by Marc-Alain Ouaknin, who is a Kabbalist. (see above) Rabbi Ouaknin is also cited as an authority on the letter meanings of the Tetragrammaton, the four lettered name of God (YHWH), with no disclaimer or caveat but simply introduced as “Professor Marc-Alain Ouaknin of the Center for Research and Jewish Studies in Paris and a professor at the University of Bar-Han in Israel.” Rabbi Ouaknin’s other works include Mysteries of the Kabbalah, an introduction to the Kabbalah in which Rabbi Ouaknin expressed the foundational Kabbalistic principle that God is the “Text” of the Torah.
“For Christians, the infinite deity also becomes finite through the body of Christ. For kabbalists, the incarnation is produced in the body of the Text. This statement indicates the importance of reading and study in Judaism. It has been said, ‘God is the text.’ This means that the most radical manifestation of divinity is through the text, the Book, and the letters of the alphabet.” (Ouaknin, Mysteries of the Kabbalah, pp. 381-2)
In other words, Kabbalists such as Rabbi Ouaknin believe that God “incarnated,” not as a man, Jesus Christ, but in the “letters” of the Old Testament! Moreover, says Rabbi Ouaknin, since this ‘Text-God’ is infinite (Ein-Sof), it is the work of Kabbalists and Talmudists to interpret the letters and text of Scripture so that God’s words have an infinite number of meanings:
“The ‘Text-God’ must be accorded its status of infinity; in other words, every means must be used to give it an infinite meaning. These means consist of all the rules of interpretation...especially gematria, tseruf [combining letters], and so on. The need to interpret the text as the liberation of the divine is one of the fundamental meanings of all the work of kabbalists and Talmudists... The Talmud...is a means of interpreting the text in such a way that the words it contains...can be interpreted in a plurality of ways.
“And it is this plurality which becomes freedom—of God and men!” (Mysteries of the Kabbalah, pp. 381-2)
Why would Gail Riplinger recommend the work of a Kabbalist for further study of the subject of letter meanings? Perhaps for the same reason she falsely attributed to Erasmus the Kabbalistic statement, “God is in every syllable.” (see above) The fact is that Gail Riplinger is teaching the same Kabbalistic approach to the interpretation of Scripture as Rabbi Ouaknin and other Kabbalists whose publications and ideas she promotes in her book, In Awe of Thy Word.
Gail Riplinger’s readers need to know where her unconventional approach to interpreting God’s Word will ultimately lead. According to The Zohar, the central book of Kabbalah, the letters of the Hebrew alphabet function as channels to “the Light,” which is the esoteric term for Lucifer, and the spiritual enlightenment which he offers:
The Language of The Zohar
“...the individual letters of The Zohar have special significance. In our everyday lives, we’re used to thinking of the letters of the English alphabet in purely functional terms... The letters of the Hebrew alphabet (used for both Aramaic and Hebrew) should be understood in an entirely different way. In addition to their functional importance as components of words, each Aramaic letter is also a channel to a unique form of spiritual energy.... The Aramaic alphabet is a gift of the Creator, just as The Zohar itself is a gift... Scanning the letters—just letting your eyes pass over them—opens an unlimited channel to the Light.” (The Kabbalah Centre International)
“GODS” IN THE WORDS
In Awe of Thy Word is, in essence, a primer on Kabbalah, that is, discovering the hidden meanings in the spiritually energized letters in the King James Bible. An Appendix titled “The KJV’s ABCs” is a dictionary of the 26 letters of the English alphabet and the “hidden meanings” which Gail has fathomed in each letter. To aid the reader in exploring even deeper meanings in each letter and thereby determine the meaning of the words in the KJV, Gail recommends reading the works of “computational linguists” whose “letter meanings... are shown to agree 100% with meanings ascribed to letters in Genesis.” (Awe, p. 1115) One “computational linguist” highly recommended by Gail is Margaret Magnus, another Kabbalist.
Magnus’ book, Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants, is also recommended for further study of letter meanings:
“LITERATURE CITED. The books cited here are those from which direct quotations have been noted. They represent only a tiny portion of those used in researching this book. Only books having an asterisk (*) are recommended for further study on this subject...
“Magnus, M. Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants, Kirksville, Missouri: Thomas Jefferson University Press, 1999.
(*great linguistics; non-Christian world view).” (Awe, pp. 1179, 1181)
“Non-Christian world view” hardly prepares the reader for the esoteric content of Magnus’ book whose Kabbalistic thesis is that: (1) letters and their sounds in combination are subterranean “Gods of the Word,” (2) the “Archetypes in the Consonants” are “sound gods” or living spirits which actually reside in the consonants of the English alphabet, and (3) the English language is the playground of this collection of sound gods who interact with each other and influence human affairs:
“These sounds do have the look and feel of a pack of Tarot cards. They are large and archetypal in nature. As you spend time with a sound, you see it rise from the dust and live, no less than you or I. It takes on the proportions of a god and moves with a will and destiny of its own. Yet it remains always rooted in its essence, guided by a coherency and logic wider than itself. It lives together in discord or in peace with its neighbors and they fight out their battles and engage in their love affairs within our English words. One suddenly envisions language as the playground of the sound gods... [quotes Carl Jung]...I, too, am a true believer in the autonomy of the archetype. A /t/ or an /h/ is no less than a Zeus. The consonants are not essentially physical, but they live, evolve, and influence human affairs. We overlook something if we deny that they can get up and walk around.” (Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants, pp. 65-6)
New Age Bible Versions: G.A. Riplinger--"divinely inspired" KJV-onlyist and occultist
Partial Bibliography, ordered from least to most dangerous to Christians:
New Age Bible Versions: An Exhaustive Documentation of the Message, Men & Manuscripts Moving Mankind to the Antichrist's One World Religion, G. A. Riplinger (1993) -> New Age Bible Versions: An Exhaustive Documentation of the Message, Men & Manuscripts Moving Mankind to the Antichrist's One World Religion: G. A. Riplinger: 9780963584502: Amazon.com: Books
"...objectively and methodically documents the hidden alliance between new versions and the New Age Movement's One World Religion. ... Documented are the thousands of words, verses, and doctrines by which new versions will prepare the apostate churches of these last days to accept the religion of the Antichrist - even his mark, image, and Lucifer worship."
Claim to divine inspiration when writing New Age Bible Versions:
Bible Versions <- In a newsletter, Riplinger effectively claims divine inspiration for her own book . (4)
"Daily, during the six years needed for this investigation, the Lord miraculously brought the needed materials and resources – much like the ravens fed Elijah. Each discovery was not the result of effort on my part, but of the direct hand of God – so much so that I hesitated to even put my name on the book. Consequently, I used G. A. Riplinger - God as author and Riplinger as secretary."
--
Hazardous Materials: Greek and Hebrew Study Dangers by G. A. Riplinger (2008) -> Hazardous Materials: Greek and Hebrew Study Dangers: G.A. Riplinger: 9780979411762: Amazon.com: Books
"Exposed are: Strong's Concordance Lexicons; Bible Dictionaries by Vine, Zodhiates; Word Studies by Vincent, Wuest, Trench; Hebrew-English Dictionaries by Brown, Driver, and Briggs; Greek-English Dictionaries by Moulton, Thayer, Danker, Liddell; Greek and Hebrew texts by Metzger, Aland, Scrivener, Berry, Ginsburg, Green, Robinson, Hodges; And all Greek and Hebrew Study Tools and Interlinears
Proves the purity of the King James Bible
You will learn such things as the connection between new version editor and child molester C.J. Vaughan and tools such as Strong s Concordance, Vine s Expository Dictionary, the Unitarian J.H. Thayer s Greek-English Lexicon, Moulton s Lexicon and Vincent and Wuest s Word Studies. Heresy trials deposed editors of the popular Hebrew-English Lexicon by Brown, Driver, and Briggs and the New Testament Greek-English Lexicon by Frederick Danker. All Greek-English New Testament lexicons plagiarize the first Greek-English lexicon written by Scott and Liddell, who harbored the pedophile author of Alice in Wonderland, who took improper photographs of Liddell s child and remains a suspect in the Jack the Ripper murder case. The book demonstrates that Greek texts from UBS to TBS fail to reach the perfection of the Holy Bible, where God s words shall not pass away. Why are good Christians putting aside their inspired Bibles to look for light in conflicting and ununinspired Greek & Hebrew tools, made by men who denied its truths?"
--
In Awe of Thy Word: Understanding the King James Bible Its Mystery and History Letter by Letter by G. A. Riplinger (2004) -> In Awe of Thy Word: Understanding the King James Bible Its Mystery and History Letter by Letter: G. A. Riplinger: 9780963584526: Amazon.com: Books
"DISCOVER what translators and past generations knew --- exactly how to find the meaning of each Bible word, inside the Bible itself. THIS BOOK is the first and only documented history of the words of the Holy Bible.
Understand also what translators, such as Erasmus and Coverdale, meant when they spoke of the vernacular Bible's "holy letters" and "syllables."
See how these God-set alphabet building blocks build a word's meaning and automatically define words for faithful readers of the King James Bible --- which alone brings forward the fountainhead of letter meanings discovered by computational linguists from the world's leading universities.
Find out how only the King James Bible teaches and comforts through its "miraculous" mathematically ordered sounds.
It is based on word-for-word and letter-by-letter analysis of a vault of ancient, rare and valuable Bibles."
--
About Gail Riplinger's New Age Bible Versions
In Awe of Thy Word WARNING
Mrs. Riplinger warned her readers to limit their studies to science and avoid New Age information. Specific information about how to discern between the occult and science was not included in her seemingly casual warning--other than to communicate that esoterics see letters in gods that are not there and that they ascribe nonsense meanings to letters:
(The internet can be a real "web." Be careful to limit your study to that of verifiable science; avoid mystical New Age information that counterfeits the truth of God (e.g. Kabbalah). They "changed the truth of God into a lie" and even worship God's creation (Rom. 1:25); esoterics have their own nonsense meanings ascribed to letters; these should be avoided. But just because New Age vegans worship 'mother earth' is no reason to quit eating vegetables. Likewise, just because esoterics see in letters 'gods' that are not there, this should not deter true scriptural and scholarly investigation into the word of God.)
(In Awe of Thy Word, page 1116)
Note: Meanings that satanists and witches ascribe to letters--and then put into practice to invoke "gods" (devils) to send on assignment-- are not nonsense. Curses are far from harmless--especially when directed toward those who "give place" to the devil by (knowingly or unknowingly) venturing into their territory.
The practice and methodology of ascertaining letter and sound meanings stems directly from the occult.
--
SHOCK & AWE IN THE KJV-ONLY CAMP
In her 2003 book, In Awe of Thy Word: Understanding the King James Bible: Its Mystery & History Letter by Letter, Gail Riplinger warned Christians against the use of all Greek and Hebrew lexicons and concordances, as well as Greek-English and Hebrew-English interlinear translations, as aids to understanding the Bible. Her reason for placing these resources on the KJV-Only “Index of Forbidden Books”? In the course of their research, the Hebrew and Greek scholars who authored them consulted books authored by unsaved liberals:
“What about the Greek and Hebrew interlinears and study aids compiled by Christian men?
“These men may have inspired Greek and Hebrew words, but the English reference books they use to translate them into so-called ‘literal,’ ‘plain,’ ‘everyday’ English, are anything but inspired. Since ancient Koine Greek is not the mother tongue of any living person, they must use the books with the ‘corrupt words’ of unsaved liberal lexicon writers to create their interlinears and study aids (Dan. 2:9). Since they are forced to use the very reference books used by the new version translators, their so-called English equivalencies or definitions are identical to those in the new versions and are in error.” (In Awe of Thy Word, p. 518)
In place of using the traditional Hebrew and Greek resources to better comprehend the meanings of the words God used in Scripture, Gail Riplinger recommended that KJV readers “gather insights about the subject from linguists who have already explored this vast and new scientific field of letter meanings.” The meaning of God’s letters, stated Gail, must be given their proper place, even priority, in determining the meaning of God’s words:
“God built the Bible, letter by letter. He gave each sound a sense. The meanings of each letter can be found in the Bible, in the book of Genesis... Just as God created the basic chemical elements to use a building blocks to create different things, he also created letters, with significations that they carry to create word meanings. An appendix at the end of this book details some of the central meanings of each letter.” (Awe, p. 16)
In place of Greek and Hebrew resources to help Christians determine accurate word meanings, Gail Riplinger recommended worldly books from liberal, humanistic and atheistic universities to aid them in determining letter meanings. Computer technology and English dictionaries are recommended to replace interlinear translations, lexicons and concordances as resources for Bible study.
appear instantly online when a KJV word is searched.” (In Awe of Thy Word, p. 64)
“LITERATURE CITED… Only books having an asterisk (*) are recommended for further study on this subject…”
Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants, Thomas Jefferson University Press, (*great linguistics, non-Christian world view)
Mysteries of the Alphabet, Marc-Alain Ouaknin, University of Bar-Han, Israel* (In Awe of Thy Word, pp. 1179-83)
IThe reader may be wondering who on earth interprets the Bible by deciphering its letter meanings. This arcane subject is the obsession of Jewish Kabbalists who seek “union with the Divine” using a complex system of mystical agnosticism and magical practices taught by rabbinic sages.
“Kabbalism...includes...a group of divinatory and magical practices, manipulations of the alphabet and the text of the Pentateuch, magic spells and rites. All of these elements go back to very early days—to the beginnings of Israel in Palestine, and it is these beginnings which shed most light on both scholarly Kabbalism and popular Hasidism, and, in addition, go far to illuminate the real, the abiding spiritual meaning of Judaism in all times and places.” (Introduction, The Holy Kabbalah, 2003, p. ix)
How do Gail Riplinger’s readers know that the unsaved linguists she recommended in her book are not Kabbalists? They don’t, since Gail has withheld vital information about the pagan beliefs and hidden agenda of her sources. For example, one book “recommended for further study on this subject” of letter meanings is Mysteries of the Alphabet by Marc-Alain Ouaknin, who is a Kabbalist. (see above) Rabbi Ouaknin is also cited as an authority on the letter meanings of the Tetragrammaton, the four lettered name of God (YHWH), with no disclaimer or caveat but simply introduced as “Professor Marc-Alain Ouaknin of the Center for Research and Jewish Studies in Paris and a professor at the University of Bar-Han in Israel.” Rabbi Ouaknin’s other works include Mysteries of the Kabbalah, an introduction to the Kabbalah in which Rabbi Ouaknin expressed the foundational Kabbalistic principle that God is the “Text” of the Torah.
“For Christians, the infinite deity also becomes finite through the body of Christ. For kabbalists, the incarnation is produced in the body of the Text. This statement indicates the importance of reading and study in Judaism. It has been said, ‘God is the text.’ This means that the most radical manifestation of divinity is through the text, the Book, and the letters of the alphabet.” (Ouaknin, Mysteries of the Kabbalah, pp. 381-2)
In other words, Kabbalists such as Rabbi Ouaknin believe that God “incarnated,” not as a man, Jesus Christ, but in the “letters” of the Old Testament! Moreover, says Rabbi Ouaknin, since this ‘Text-God’ is infinite (Ein-Sof), it is the work of Kabbalists and Talmudists to interpret the letters and text of Scripture so that God’s words have an infinite number of meanings:
“The ‘Text-God’ must be accorded its status of infinity; in other words, every means must be used to give it an infinite meaning. These means consist of all the rules of interpretation...especially gematria, tseruf [combining letters], and so on. The need to interpret the text as the liberation of the divine is one of the fundamental meanings of all the work of kabbalists and Talmudists... The Talmud...is a means of interpreting the text in such a way that the words it contains...can be interpreted in a plurality of ways.
“And it is this plurality which becomes freedom—of God and men!” (Mysteries of the Kabbalah, pp. 381-2)
Why would Gail Riplinger recommend the work of a Kabbalist for further study of the subject of letter meanings? Perhaps for the same reason she falsely attributed to Erasmus the Kabbalistic statement, “God is in every syllable.” (see above) The fact is that Gail Riplinger is teaching the same Kabbalistic approach to the interpretation of Scripture as Rabbi Ouaknin and other Kabbalists whose publications and ideas she promotes in her book, In Awe of Thy Word.
Gail Riplinger’s readers need to know where her unconventional approach to interpreting God’s Word will ultimately lead. According to The Zohar, the central book of Kabbalah, the letters of the Hebrew alphabet function as channels to “the Light,” which is the esoteric term for Lucifer, and the spiritual enlightenment which he offers:
The Language of The Zohar
“...the individual letters of The Zohar have special significance. In our everyday lives, we’re used to thinking of the letters of the English alphabet in purely functional terms... The letters of the Hebrew alphabet (used for both Aramaic and Hebrew) should be understood in an entirely different way. In addition to their functional importance as components of words, each Aramaic letter is also a channel to a unique form of spiritual energy.... The Aramaic alphabet is a gift of the Creator, just as The Zohar itself is a gift... Scanning the letters—just letting your eyes pass over them—opens an unlimited channel to the Light.” (The Kabbalah Centre International)
“GODS” IN THE WORDS
In Awe of Thy Word is, in essence, a primer on Kabbalah, that is, discovering the hidden meanings in the spiritually energized letters in the King James Bible. An Appendix titled “The KJV’s ABCs” is a dictionary of the 26 letters of the English alphabet and the “hidden meanings” which Gail has fathomed in each letter. To aid the reader in exploring even deeper meanings in each letter and thereby determine the meaning of the words in the KJV, Gail recommends reading the works of “computational linguists” whose “letter meanings... are shown to agree 100% with meanings ascribed to letters in Genesis.” (Awe, p. 1115) One “computational linguist” highly recommended by Gail is Margaret Magnus, another Kabbalist.
Magnus’ book, Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants, is also recommended for further study of letter meanings:
“LITERATURE CITED. The books cited here are those from which direct quotations have been noted. They represent only a tiny portion of those used in researching this book. Only books having an asterisk (*) are recommended for further study on this subject...
“Magnus, M. Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants, Kirksville, Missouri: Thomas Jefferson University Press, 1999.
(*great linguistics; non-Christian world view).” (Awe, pp. 1179, 1181)
“Non-Christian world view” hardly prepares the reader for the esoteric content of Magnus’ book whose Kabbalistic thesis is that: (1) letters and their sounds in combination are subterranean “Gods of the Word,” (2) the “Archetypes in the Consonants” are “sound gods” or living spirits which actually reside in the consonants of the English alphabet, and (3) the English language is the playground of this collection of sound gods who interact with each other and influence human affairs:
“These sounds do have the look and feel of a pack of Tarot cards. They are large and archetypal in nature. As you spend time with a sound, you see it rise from the dust and live, no less than you or I. It takes on the proportions of a god and moves with a will and destiny of its own. Yet it remains always rooted in its essence, guided by a coherency and logic wider than itself. It lives together in discord or in peace with its neighbors and they fight out their battles and engage in their love affairs within our English words. One suddenly envisions language as the playground of the sound gods... [quotes Carl Jung]...I, too, am a true believer in the autonomy of the archetype. A /t/ or an /h/ is no less than a Zeus. The consonants are not essentially physical, but they live, evolve, and influence human affairs. We overlook something if we deny that they can get up and walk around.” (Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants, pp. 65-6)
