(April 23, 2012 at 2:11 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: Many years ago, I was tuckpointing in my basement which is fairly repetitive work. Consequently, my mind wandered while working. Various topics like what to have for dinner, hoping my grout mix was right, whatever. Out of nowhere I had a very strong intuition. No visions or voices, just this very strong and deep seated insight. I just knew that the scriptures were alive in some real and important sense, particularly the Torah. Not the ink and paper, but the significance of each letter and phrase filling the text with a transcendent vitality. I was familiar with this concept from reading Swedenborg a long time ago. At that time I had dismissed his writings as fantastic mystical nonsense, but I knew, just knew, that he was on to something. I also knew that, because every word and letter was important, it was critical that I learn biblical Hebrew (which I started although progress has been slow.) Because of this, my main form of prayer is study and deep contemplation of the text. As I reflect on the scriptures, I feel a change in myself, opening to be more attentive to the operations of Providence.
Knowledge requires justification and/or demonstration. A strong feeling of certainty, while a powerful emotion, is not knowledge. Therefore, you cannot "know" the text was alive or had any significance. You just feel that it does.
