Patti Goebel wrote: >>Speaking of Babylon, the symbolic city of corrupted religion, John writes: " . . . thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." 18:23-24 <<
Dear Patti, I'm inclined to agree with you that there is more to this verse than is evident at first glance. Their occupation was not so important as the status awarded them. Consequently these merchants were viewed as "great men". No doubt admired and envied, perhaps, because they would be perceived as knowledgable; well traveled and well informed. I suspect they would have been sought out and patronized as much for their "news" as their merchandise. They would be positioned to have tremendous influence. Pretty heady stuff! .and we know where that can lead. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Lovingly, Sandra __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
