Urim and Thummim

In ancient Israelite religion and culture, Urim and Thummim (] , the question is one which is effectively answered by a simple "yes" or "no" [ibid] ; a number of scholars believe that the two exceptions to this pattern, which give more complex answers, were originally also just sequences of "yes"/"no" questions, but became corrupted by later editing [ibid] .

There is no description of the form of the Urim and Thummim in the passage describing the high priest's vestments, and a number of scholars believe that the author of the passage, which textual scholars attribute to the priestly source, wasn't actually entirely aware of what they were either [Cheyne and Black, "Encyclopedia Biblica"] . Nevertheless, the passage does describe them as being "put into" the breastplate, which scholars think implies they were objects put into some sort of pouch within it, and then, while out of view, one (or one side, if the "Urim and Thummim" was a single object) was chosen by touch and withdrawn or thrown out [ibid] ; since the Urim and Thummim were put inside this pouch, they were presumably small and fairly flat, and were possibly tablets of wood or of bone [ibid] . With the view of scholars that "Urim" essentially means "guilty" and "Thummim" essentially means "innocent", this would imply that the purpose of the "Urim and Thummim" was an ordeal to confirm or deny suspected guilt; if the Urim was selected it meant guilt, while selection of the Thummim would mean innocence.

According to Islamic sources, there was a similar form of divination among the Arabs prior to the beginning of Islam [Cheyne and Black, "Encyclopedia Biblica"] . There, two arrow shafts (without heads or feathers), on one of which was written "command" and the other "prohibition" or similar, were kept in a container, and stored in the Kaaba at Mecca [ibid] ; whenever someone wished to know whether to get married, go on a journey, or to make some other similar decision, one of the Kaaba's guardians would randomly pull one of the arrow shafts out of the container, and the word written upon it was said to indicate the will of the god concerning the matter in question [ibid] . Sometimes a third, blank, arrow shaft would be used, to represent the refusal of the deity to give an answer [ibid] .

According to classical rabbinical literature, in order for the Urim and Thummim to give an answer, it was first necessary for the individual to stand facing the fully dressed high priest, and vocalise the question briefly and in a simple way, though it wasn't necessary for it to be loud enough for anyone else to hear it ["Jewish Encyclopedia"] . The Talmudic rabbis, argued that "Urim and Thummim" were words written on the sacred breastplate [Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus 28:30] ; according to someone, which is also ] Mormons believe that Smith's Urim and Thummim were functionally identical to the biblical Urim and Thummim, but there is no evidence that the latter were ever used to translate unknown texts. [There are seven references to the Urim and Thummim in the masoretic text (the basis of most English translations of the Old Testament): , , . The Septuagint version (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament) and some English translations) of Bibleverse|1|Samuel|14:41| also references them.]

References in popular culture

In accordance with the traditional view that "Urim and Thummim" should be translated as "Light and Truth", the Latin equivalent of this latter phrase — "Lux et Veritas" — has been used for several university mottoes. "Lux et Veritas" is the motto of Indiana University and the University of Montana; similarly, Northeastern University's motto is "Lux, Veritas, Virtus" (Light, Truth, Virtue). Though "Urim and Thummim" itself is emblazoned across the open book pictured on the Yale University coat of arms (a legacy of Yale College president Ezra Stiles), "Lux et Veritas" appears below on a banner.

Another incite into what is being known as the "Urim and Thummim", is a film based on the subject. A man walks into a Goodwill store and walks out with an oracle that communicates the will of God. Not a bad find for 69 cents. The documentary “Urim & Thummim” tells the true story of Todd Walker, the finder of this purported relic, and his quixotic mission to share his treasure with the world. Produced by Matthew Cavnar. andersen, kurt. studio360.org. Studio 360. 10/10/2008 . megill, miranda. www.utmovie.com. Urim and Thummim. 10/10/2008 .

The "Urim and Thummim" are also afforded some value as artifacts in some modern fiction:
*A treasure hunt for the Urim and Thummim forms the central plot of the John Bellairs novel "The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost"
*Their apparent desecration by an unknown vandal is a theme in the Arthur Conan Doyle short story "The Jew's Breastplate".
*In the Christian fiction novel "The Face of God", by Bill Myers, the pastor "Daniel Lawson" and terrorist "Ibrahim el-Magd" race to find the Urim and Thummim, as well as the twelve stones of the sacred breastplate, in order to hear God's voice.
*In the novel "The Alchemist", by Paulo Coelho, the king of Salem gives the main character Santiago two stones that the king calls "Urim and Thummim". One of the stones is white, which is said to signify "no", and the other is black, said to signify "yes"; a significance applicable when the stones are asked an appropriate question and drawn from a bag. The king himself had removed the stones from his shining golden breastplate.

The traditional rabbinical descriptions of the function of Urim and Thummim — transmitting messages by glowing — has been claimed by some proponents of paleocontact hypothesis to be evidence in support of that hypothesis.

ee also

*Cleromancy: the drawing of lots for the purpose of divination
*Divination: ascertaining information by supernatural means
*Dice: polyhedral objects used to randomize decisions
*Oracle: person or object used to obtain information via prophecy or clairvoyance
*Scrying: obtaining supernatural knowledge by means of an object

Notes and citations

External links

* [http://rchaimqoton.blogspot.com/2007/06/urim-and-thummim.html The Urim and Thummim] by [http://rchaimqoton.blogspot.com Reb Chaim HaQoton]
* [http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/daily/prayer/seer_stones_eom.htm/view.jsp?artid=52&letter=U Mormon views of Urim and Thummim and Seer Stones]
* [http://www.studylight.org/com/wen/view.cgi?book=ex&chapter=028#Ex28_30 Commentary on Exodus 28:30] by John Wesley
* [http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/ScofieldReferenceNotes/srn.cgi?book=ex&chapter=028#Ex28_30 Commentary on Exodus 28:30] by Cyrus Scofield