Biblical question. Honest!

RAM · Post by **RAM** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:08 pm

Virtually without knowledge of biblical text origins, I sincerely ask the following:

What is the significance of the number "40" in bible stories?
Examples:

1) Moses and his clan spent 40 years wandering through the desert after the Exodus
2) Noah spent 40 days and 40 nights in a torrential rain with a load of stinking animals (and who knows how much longer after it stopped raining. Forty more?)
3) Jesus spent 40 days in the Wilderness soul searching
4) There are always 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, but intervening Sundays must be excluded to make it work out. Tricky.
5) There may be other "40" examples

Bad (Inquiring minds want to know) Bob

PS-Interesting coincidence. Easter is determined as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox (I know it sounds pagan, but its an established custom). This year the first full moon after the Equinox is the following day (Saturday). The next day (March 23) is Easter Sunday.Bet that doesn't happen often.
Who, other than my wife, says I don't have enough to do? BB

Post by **john elder** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 4:29 pm

I don't know, Bob..

Deke

Jim Wiegner · Post by **Jim Wiegner** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:36 pm

Significance of the number 40

Obviously the authors were all Tony Stewart fans.

Now go read your bible again and look for the number 8!

Jim

Jim Wiegner · Post by **Jim Wiegner** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:16 pm

Or then again...

Maybe it is not quite so obvious.

And maybe I just can't remember stuff. Could it be that the authors new that Dario Franchitti would be driving the number 40 in 2008?

And that Dale Jr. would change to number 88?

And that Tony Stewart (number 20) is an innocent bystander here?

What is significant is that I'm losing my mind. Racing season can't come soon enough!

Jim

RAM · Post by **RAM** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:42 pm

Had a friend check with his rabbi. Even he didn't know. I figure it is a mystic number from back in history somewhere. Haven't Googled it yet. Will probably get a million hits unless I narrow it down somehow. Got to be an answer. Not coincidence.
Bad Bob

PS-Dario might just have noticed the same thing, figured it had power of some sort. Good number!

Jim Wiegner · Post by **Jim Wiegner** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 11:53 pm

Biblical question...and answer

Good evening Bob:

After just watching tonight's Daytona Bud Shootout, I offer the following for your consideration:

Add 40 days, and 40 nights, and (old) number 8, and you have the number of the winning Chevrolet driven by none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. And while I'm not sure how many times number 88 appears in the bible, it is likely to appear in the winner's circle again.

Your irreverent pal, Jim

RAM · Post by **RAM** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:30 am

Got an even better mystical explanation: Add 40 and 40, then add the years since the beginning of the Reagan administartion, subtract the number of delegates Ron Paul got in the Tennessee Primary and you get Jack Bright's age! Amazing!
Bad Bob

Jack Bright · Post by **Jack Bright** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:24 pm

Not Quite BB. It`s been so cold here and snowy, I just saw a
Mastadon walking down our street ! Think I`ll have another Brandy !

Jim Wiegner · Post by **Jim Wiegner** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:10 pm

Biblical stuff, political stuff, Mastadons, and brandy

Good afternoon friends:

Heard a great homily at mass this morning...how the devil tempted Jesus with everything, including the kitchen sink...and failed miserably.

And Bob, while I know what a fine fellow you are, and that you would never deliberately tempt readers of this site, a few of your politically flavored comments have, on occasion tempted me to shoot a flaming arrow at your keyboard. And seeing as how I promised to give up being rotten for lent, you could assist me greatly by being Good Bob for the next 41 days. Or I could just avert my eyes from your commentary, but that wouldn't be any fun.

And Jack, we're getting a bunch of snow out here too. Lots of deer around, and saw seven elk in town two nights ago, but haven't seen any mastadons...not yet anyway! And enjoy that brandy. My high school teachers made some of the best...and some pretty good wine too...the Christian Brothers.

Jim

RAM · Post by **RAM** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:24 am

Jim-You are making it too easy on me. Now I'll just take advantage of you.

Moral of the day: Never give up anything for lent. You will just try to make up for it when Easter is over! That includes sex, food, booze, and insulting your friends!

Bad Bob

PS-That Easter thingie about the full moon and the Vernal Equinox really does sound Pagan don't you think Jim?

Jim Wiegner · Post by **Jim Wiegner** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:05 pm

Giving up stuff...and other stuff

Good morning Bob:

Well, you make a point there my friend. But the way I see it, even if we only give up stuff for lent, and in my case being my normal rotten self from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, and multiply that by the remaining years granted me by our Creator, there will be that many fewer days to spend in Purgatory.

And actually the pagans had a few good ideas...and besides that, my wife just reminded me that I'm married to a born again pagan.

Enjoy your week my friend.

Jim

Jack Bright · Post by **Jack Bright** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:11 pm

Well, I know this, it took lot more than 40 days AND 40 nights to find my
40yard Wm.ShakespeareJr. model Perfect, but worth the wait.
...
PS -- Those weren`t just the ordinary Mastodons but the WOOLEY ones !

Don Champion · Post by **Don Champion** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:55 pm

Are you certain they were not mammoths? I've heard of a couple of pink ones sighted in Michigan.

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:43 pm

Ye cannot serve God and mammoth, but ye can serve mammoth after Lent. BTW, I have a small reel with "40" stamped on the bottom. Could it have belonged to St. Peter? Inquiring collectors want to know.

Jim Wiegner · Post by **Jim Wiegner** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:06 pm

Biblical stuff...and more

Jack, I don't think that you're the only one enjoying a brandy here.

And just for laughs, suppose someone did manage to nail a mammoth...pink or whatever... how would one go about preparing and serving such a critter?

And I just flew through the New Testament, and didn't find any reference to a 40 yrd reel. Might be in another version though.

Jim

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 9:17 pm

"how would one go about preparing and serving such a critter?"

Why, deep fried, of course.

-- Dr. Todd

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:02 am

Todd's right, but he omitted some important steps.

First, invite some friends over for a poker party:

Unlike the Patriots, stay on your toes to avoid a crushing da feet:

Once you have your mammoth, quick-freeze it:

Thaw in refrigerator for 40 days and nights or microwave on low setting for 6 days. Deep fry, eat, enjoy. The toughest part is the post-prandial cleanup:

If you can't get to your friendly neighborhood landfill, the leftovers can be used to build a nice ice-fishing shanty, which should offer protection at temperatures of -40 to 40 degrees.

RAM · Post by **RAM** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:48 am

You all jest concerning the proper way to prepare mammoth meat. This is a fact. Google it. About (I haven't Googled the exact date) 1906 at the International Meeting of the Geophysical Union in Moscow (could have been Petersburg, but Russia nevertheless) a recently recovered frozen mammoth was thawed, cooked, and served at the annual banquet. First such occasion since ten thousand years before. Probably had freezer burn I would guess. If you don't wrap those darn things really well they just lose flavor! But I understand that a dash of Tabasco brings back the piquancy to a reasonable degree. Best served with a robust merlot followed with enough straight vodka to make you forget the whole occasion.

Bad Bob

Jim Wiegner · Post by **Jim Wiegner** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:49 pm

Wow! You folks back east must have some really large kitchens.

And good for the Russians. The Germans surely would have ground it up for sausage. And washed it down with beer.

And can you just imagine what great doggie treats those bones would make?

And those are great pictures Steve.

Jim

Post by **Brian F.** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:19 pm

Hope this doesn't gross-out anyone too much but I would probably prefer it raw, cubed to about 1/2", hmmmmm...let's say add minced seaweed, round and green onion, some rock salt, a drop of sesame oil and a splash of Hawaiian "chili pepper water"... On second thought, that might come out a little tough...what the heck, deep fry da buggah

Jack Bright · Post by **Jack Bright** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:03 pm

To make sure it`s tender I use a crockpot, but can`t find one big enough
BB is right a good Merlot(is there a bad one ?) and what`s wrong
with Mast. sausage and a cold beer ? Another one just went through the backyard, forgot to load the cross bow, Dang it !

Post by **john elder** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:48 pm

I don't know, Bob.

Deke

Bronco · Post by **Bronco** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:34 am

If you will all study closely – Steve’s #3 photo – caption should read --

“Russian Scientists, having found a 30,000 year old woolly Mammoth – Frozen in an ancient glacier – Have reluctantly decided to sell the carcass to the highest bidder, in order to be able to continue their archaeological research”.

As a side note -- It has now been confirmed that this remarkably well preserved example of a creature long extinct -- has been purchased by the G.O.P. Party for an undisclosed sum – And frantically rushed out of cold storage to be the Republican Candidate for President.

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:11 am

Hey Brian,
You should go up to Barrow and try some Muktuk. It was all I could do to get it down but maybe with some of your ingredients in the seal oil it might be better. After all, it's just a big air breathing fish.

Jim Wiegner · Post by **Jim Wiegner** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:47 pm

Biblical stuff

Well Bob, you certainly came up with a winner here. Good for you. Great participation, and some truly thought provoking commentary.

And one of God's greatest gifts to us is our sense of humor, and thanks to all who have shared. Let us hope that The Boss is laughing with us.

Jim

Biblical question. Honest!

Biblical question. Honest!

misinformed

40 --40 -- 40

Mastadon

Biblical Mammoth Question?