Jacob Howland

Aside from the Jews who are trying to start a Hebrew republic, and the Greeks, which are these little islands of liberty in a sea of despotism, everyone else is man-gods. I mean, the Persian emperor, the Egyptians, etc.

Aside from the Jews who are trying to start a Hebrew republic, and the Greeks, which are these little islands of liberty in a sea of despotism, everyone else is man-gods. I mean, the Persian emperor, the Egyptians, etc.

Yeah, right, right. That's a very sophisticated view of... And, you know, I mean, in, for example, Aeschylus' Persians, which is about the defeat of Xerxes' army in the Second Persian War, Xerxes can't be held to account because he's divine. Yeah, right.

Yeah, right, right. That's a very sophisticated view of... And, you know, I mean, in, for example, Aeschylus' Persians, which is about the defeat of Xerxes' army in the Second Persian War, Xerxes can't be held to account because he's divine. Yeah, right.

Yeah, right, right. That's a very sophisticated view of... And, you know, I mean, in, for example, Aeschylus' Persians, which is about the defeat of Xerxes' army in the Second Persian War, Xerxes can't be held to account because he's divine. Yeah, right.

But what's interesting about Pharaoh is that, first of all, it is the most... not only the most technically advanced, I would even call it a technological civilization. If you've been to Egypt, as I have, you see the pyramids, right? And nobody even knows how these things were made. There are blocks that are much larger than this fairly large room we're sitting in.

But what's interesting about Pharaoh is that, first of all, it is the most... not only the most technically advanced, I would even call it a technological civilization. If you've been to Egypt, as I have, you see the pyramids, right? And nobody even knows how these things were made. There are blocks that are much larger than this fairly large room we're sitting in.

But what's interesting about Pharaoh is that, first of all, it is the most... not only the most technically advanced, I would even call it a technological civilization. If you've been to Egypt, as I have, you see the pyramids, right? And nobody even knows how these things were made. There are blocks that are much larger than this fairly large room we're sitting in.

You know, they made the most amazing jewelry ever produced. And we have a bunch of it just because a bunch of it was shoved in a tiny little room, the burial site of King Tutankhamen. Who knows what the Tomb of Ramses had in it? They had these massive granite obelisks and all this stuff.

You know, they made the most amazing jewelry ever produced. And we have a bunch of it just because a bunch of it was shoved in a tiny little room, the burial site of King Tutankhamen. Who knows what the Tomb of Ramses had in it? They had these massive granite obelisks and all this stuff.

You know, they made the most amazing jewelry ever produced. And we have a bunch of it just because a bunch of it was shoved in a tiny little room, the burial site of King Tutankhamen. Who knows what the Tomb of Ramses had in it? They had these massive granite obelisks and all this stuff.

The entire society was dedicated to the elevation and the monumentalization and the memorialization of the pharaoh. So it's the exaltation of the man-god. And so what pharaoh means today is the elevation of man to a god. Now, we do this, by the way, I mean, Freud has this phrase in civilization and its discontents about how modern man is a prosthetic God, right?

The entire society was dedicated to the elevation and the monumentalization and the memorialization of the pharaoh. So it's the exaltation of the man-god. And so what pharaoh means today is the elevation of man to a god. Now, we do this, by the way, I mean, Freud has this phrase in civilization and its discontents about how modern man is a prosthetic God, right?

The entire society was dedicated to the elevation and the monumentalization and the memorialization of the pharaoh. So it's the exaltation of the man-god. And so what pharaoh means today is the elevation of man to a god. Now, we do this, by the way, I mean, Freud has this phrase in civilization and its discontents about how modern man is a prosthetic God, right?

Like we equip ourselves with all these tools and things like this. So that's a huge temptation. But the suggestion of the Bible is if you go in that direction, you're going to have a kind of totalitarian society.

Like we equip ourselves with all these tools and things like this. So that's a huge temptation. But the suggestion of the Bible is if you go in that direction, you're going to have a kind of totalitarian society.

Like we equip ourselves with all these tools and things like this. So that's a huge temptation. But the suggestion of the Bible is if you go in that direction, you're going to have a kind of totalitarian society.

Yes, exactly. But there can be lots of slaves, right? So for example, in Persia, the emperor, whether it was Xerxes or Darius or Cyrus, everyone else was known as the king's slave, including the members of his family. So you have that. Now you can do that, but the alternative then is bowing down to God. And being a slave, or if you want to put it in a softer way, a servant to God.

Yes, exactly. But there can be lots of slaves, right? So for example, in Persia, the emperor, whether it was Xerxes or Darius or Cyrus, everyone else was known as the king's slave, including the members of his family. So you have that. Now you can do that, but the alternative then is bowing down to God. And being a slave, or if you want to put it in a softer way, a servant to God.

Yes, exactly. But there can be lots of slaves, right? So for example, in Persia, the emperor, whether it was Xerxes or Darius or Cyrus, everyone else was known as the king's slave, including the members of his family. So you have that. Now you can do that, but the alternative then is bowing down to God. And being a slave, or if you want to put it in a softer way, a servant to God.