What is truth?

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Timeline Project

I've developed a blank timeline that we can use in our group. Below the timeline I have included several verses from throughout scripture (including the one I forgot, BTW it was Ephesians 1:4-5 not II Corinthians, go figure) to look at and determine where they belong on the timeline. I will e-mail out timelines to the class to those who are on the distribution list. It would be nice to spend a few minutes looking at this next week so if we could spent some time looking at the verses and making a determination where you think it should go on the timeline that would greatly add to the discussion.

Genesis 1:2

I. Genesis 1:2

A. Introduction

1) Illustration of Belief vs. Truth using an incomplete puzzle

How many have ever tried to put a puzzle together without having the picture on the box lid to go by? Imagine that our knowledge is represented by an incomplete 10,000 piece puzzle and we don’t have the box lid. The pieces that are present represent truth…the pieces that are absent represent beliefs. Some of us have more pieces than others, some of us are missing the same pieces (as others) but imagine a different looking piece.

We all have an incomplete picture of truth; the pieces that are missing we tend to imagine what those pieces look like, we anticipate what we think should be there. If its just one piece missing in a section of the puzzle where we have several pieces present it’s easier to postulate what the missing piece should look like and one could come relatively close to the “truth”. We can see the shape of the piece, we can see what all the other pieces around the missing piece look like, we are just missing the details. However, if there are several pieces missing in an area of the puzzle, our imagination can be significantly different from the actual pieces.

If you have ever put a puzzle together without a picture to go by sometimes the picture we have developed in our “mind’s eye” is much different than the actual finished product. Sometimes we have the actual puzzle piece in the right spot, but it doesn’t look right or it doesn’t fit what we imagined so we take it back out and go on imagining. As we grow in our relationship with Christ and His Holy Spirit continues to provide us with those puzzle pieces my hope is to replace my misconceptions with that new piece of truth rather than hold onto what my carnal mind imagines of believes in error.

A. It’s Ruin vv. 1:2a

1. Destruction of the 1^st earth age – “And the earth was without form and void ; and darkness was on the face of the deep...”

a. Was = היה hayah, Strong’s #1961 – be or become, come to pass

b. Without form = תהו tohuw, Strong’s #8414 – to lie waste; a desolation

c. Void = בהו bohuw, Strong’s #922 – to be empty, an undistinguishable ruin

d. Darkness = חשך choshek, Strong’s #2822 – misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, dark, night, obscurity

2. Jeremiah 4:23-26 – “I beheld the earth, and, lo it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld and lo there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger.”

a. A Hebrew Figure of Speech called Anaphora or Like Sentence beginning, the repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive sentences. This adds weight and emphasis to statements and arguments

b. At what other time in scripture was the earth “without form and void”? Only Genesis 1:2

c. Had “no light” similar to Genesis 1:2, “darkness was on the face of the deep”

d. What are the cities God is referring to as being broken down? The word עיר `iyr can mean a place guarded by waking or watch in the widest sense or a mere encampment

e. Without form = תהו tohuw, Strong’s #8414 – to lie waste; a desolation

f. Void = בהו bohuw, Strong’s #922 – to be empty, an undistinguishable ruin

3. Isaiah 45:18 – “ For thus saith the Lord That created the heavens; God Himself That formed the earth and made it: He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.”

a. Expressions communicate to us the fact that “The Creator” ought to be able to tell us better than ignorant man (who wasn’t even there) how He created.

b. He created – did not come about of its own devices

c. Vain = תהו tohuw, Strong’s #8414 – to lie waste; a desolation

d. Earth was not created tohuw; therefore it must have became tohuw, which confirms Genesis 1:2

e. Same word as Genesis 1:2 “without form”

f. Not told how, when, why or how long it lasted

4. Either there was a first “age” that was destroyed and left the earth without form and void or the word is inconsistent, we know the word cannot be inconsistent.

5. If indeed there was a first “age” what led to its end or destruction?

6. “The Foundation of the World” ~E.W. Bullinger Appendix 146 of the Companion Bible SEE TIMELINE ADDITIONAL NOTED

7. So what happened that caused the earth to become a wasteland? There is no concrete scripture on timing, but we do know that Satan (whose name Lucifer means morning star or light bearer) was once the most prominent of the angels and fell from grace.

8. Sun Tzu ~ “Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.”

- Should probably fix this for old Sun Tzu as follows: “Know thyself, know thy enemy, know thy savior. A thousand battles, a final victory.”

a. Ezekiel 28:12-19 - Lets see if we can try to determine what went on between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2

12. “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, ‘Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

i. Here we transition from the prince of Tyrus, who is a physical man, to the king of Tyrus, who is the spiritual power behind the man.

ii. Thou sealest up the sum = Thou art the finished pattern

13. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

i. Another clue to show that God is not speaking to the natural but the supernatural in that this king was present in Eden.

ii. Tabrets = drums

iii. Created – not begotten of man or born of woman

14. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

i. Covering cherub – covering what? Perhaps Eden, perhaps the world that then was II Peter 3:6,

ii. God established it

iii. Where is the Mountain of God? Horob, Bashan, references to Mt. Sinai, location of THE Mt. Sinai is unknown today, but many believe that Mt. Catherine is indeed Mt. Sinai.

iv. At the base of Mt. Catherine is St. Catherine’s Monestary, which houses the oldest known copies of The Achtiname of Muhammad, also known as the Covenant or (Holy) Testament (Testamentum) of Muhammad.

v. A mosque built within the monestary

vi. Codex Sinaiticus found here

15. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

i. Iniquity – no longer perfect

16. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

i. God informs Satan of his ultimate demise

ii. Notice the future tens “I WILL CAST”, “I WILL DESTROY” indicates it has not yet been done

17. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

i. He had full wisdom, but it became corrupted

18. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

19. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.’”

g. Isaiah 14:12-17

12. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

i. So we are going back to when satan fell

13. For thou hast said in thine heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

i. Here we are given the reason for his fall, or the

ii. Aligns with Ezekiel 28:15 when iniquity was found

14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.’

15. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

i. Prophetic, corresponds to Ezekiel 28:16

16. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, ‘Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake thy kingdoms;

17. That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?’”

B. The Heavens and Earth Which are Now vv. 1:2b-31

Have you ever watched a presidential address where the president comes out and gives an hour long speech. His speech is in plain English, but afterward the commentators come on and say “…well, what the president was saying was such and such and so and so…” like we are all foreigners who don’t understand English. They also say things like “well the president was sending a message to such and such leader of such and such country” Really?

See I’m not privy to the public secret messages and their meaning so this might be useful. To be honest the president probably goes back to Air Force 1 and watches these commentators, scratches his head and says “…What? That’s not what I meant.”

So over the course of thousands of years we have commentators telling us what God says and also what God meant and what messages was He sending. Does God agree?

How do we know if what we are told is true, How do we know if our traditions and understanding of scripture is correct? According to II Timothy 2:15 we should “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” It appears from this verse is that God is saying “Okay, you believe this? Show me where I said it…” Now I could be wrong, but that’s what it looks like. With that, lets tackle our next section beginning with Genesis 1:2b…

1. “… And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

A) Here as well as verse 9 leads the reader to believe that the earth was completely covered in water

B) 2 Peter 3:4-7 KJV “And saying (the scoffers from v. 3), Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world (κόσμος kosmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (ἀπόλλυμι apollymi , gamatria = 666): But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

C) 2 Peter 3:4-7 Moffatt “Asking, ‘Where is His promised advent? Since the day our fathers fell asleep, things remain exactly as they were from the beginning of creation. They willfully ignore the fact that heavens existed long ago, and an earth which God’s Word formed of water and by water. By water the then-existing world was deluged and destroyed, but the present heavens and earth are treasured up by the same word for fire, reserved for the day when the impious are doomed and destroyed.”

1) Not a reference to Noah’s flood, but the events of Genesis 1:2 as seen in II Peter 3:4 “from the beginning of creation”

Genesis 1:1

III. Genesis 1:1

A. The absolute beginning vv 1:1 – “In the Beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

1) 1^st 2 verses separate from the creation “days”?

- Fossils and remains

2) Word was in the beginning - John 1:1-5

3) Word became flesh (Jesus Christ) - John 1:14

4) Wisdom was with God in the beginning - Proverbs 8:22-31

5) Jesus Christ is made unto us wisdom - I Corinthians 1:30

6) By the word of the Lord were the heavens made – Psalm 33:6

7) Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom - Psalm 111:10

8) The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting LIGHT – Isaiah 60:19

9) In Him was life; and the life was the LIGHT of men – John 1:4

a. Christ = Light

b. Christ = God

c. God = Light

d. Christ = Word

e. Word = Wisdom

f. Word = God = True Light (John 1:9)

B. In the Beginning – TIME (When did God create?)

1) The 1^st Verse in the Bible creates the starting point on the timeline

2) So when was “In the Beginning?”

3) “The Hebrew word ‘re’shiyth’ which Moses used has a very specific sense in scripture. In the Bible the term always refers to an extended yet indeterminate duration of time – never a specific moment. It is a block of time which precedes an extended series of time periods. It is a time before time. The term does not refer to a point in time but to a period or duration of time which falls before a series of events.” - Dr. John Sailhamer; Genesis Unbound p. 38

C. God – SUBJECT

1) Elohiym – Strong’s #430 specifically used of The Supreme God in this instance, Plural of #433 Elowahh which means deity.

- Used 2,700 times in scripture

- Establishes God as Creator, connects to creation

- Indicates His relation to mankind as HIS creatures

2) First mention of God and its in the plural sense indicating the 3 parts of the Godhead

3) Different name than JHVH which the same God in “Covenant Relation”

D. Created – ACTION

a. Why did God create? For an habitation?

- Matt. 8:20 “…the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.”

- Eph. 3:17-18 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

- Eph. 2:22 “In Whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the spirit.”

- Acts 17:24 (Paul Speaking) “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.” I find it touching that Paul is quoting Stephen here.

- Acts 7:48 (Stephen Speaking) “…the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands…”

- Isaiah 66:1-2 “…The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; where is the house that ye build unto Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things hath My hand made, and all those things have been…”

1) How does God inhabit His creation?

· Jeremiah 23:24 “…Do not I fill the heaven and the earth? saith the Lord?”

· We have already established that God = Light, lets take a look at the matter contained in the universe.

· All matter regardless of form (solid, liquid, gas or plasma) consists of elements on the periodic table of elements.

· These elements are determined by how many protons are contained in the nucleus of an atom.

· Protons, neutrons and electrons consist of a charge, a form of energy

· Einstein said that energy and light are directly correlated in his theory of relativity of E = MC²

· Therefore God = Light = Energy inhabits every atom in the universe as stated in Jeremiah

· We’ll get into this later in chapter one especially the element of Carbon, the base element of life.

b. How did God create?

Proverbs 3:19 “The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; By understanding hath He established the heavens”

John 1:1 – Word = God

John 1:3 – By Him (the Word) all things were made

Therefore…Word = Jesus Christ = Wisdom

- How does man create/invent? We have to have some understanding of what we want to create, right?

Proverbs 8:22-32 “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way Before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; When there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there: When He set a compass upon the face of the depth: When He established the clouds above: When He strengthened the fountains of the deep: When He gave to the sea His decree, That the waters should not pass His commandment: When He appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; And my delights were with the sons of men. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: For blessed are they that keep my ways.”

Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist (hold together).”

- So He inhabits and “holds together” all things. We know that within an atom we have several forces in play that keep the Protons, Neutrons and Electrons from flying apart. We have electro-magnetic, centriphical, gravitational and others.

- Lets think about all of the things man has made that in our eyes its pretty amazing:

· Motor vehicles

· Jet airplanes

· Computers

· Internet

· Cell phones

· TV

· Satellite communication

· Space shuttle

· Hubble Telescope

· Virtual reality

- These are all impressive accomplishments and it took great “understanding” for man to invent these things, but as great as these man-made things are, God’s word says:

Isaiah 55:9 “For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

- So whatever man accomplishes, no matter how impressive, according to God’s Word its below the least of God’s accomplishments

- This should help us to understand the feasibility of God being the sole creator of the universe and everything in it for if man can accomplish the above which is quite substantial it’s just not on the same level as God’s ways.

E. The Heavens – SPACE (What did God create?)

1) The expanse we know as the universe

2) Notice heavens mentioned first which seems logical that it was created first

3) No indication of how long this took (or taking)

4) Psalm 19:1-6

F. The Earth – MATTER (What did God create?)

1) When God says “Earth” is He talking about this planet Earth or matter in a general term

2) The Hebrew word here can be used as both, but since it has an article “the” its likely to mean the planet earth

3) No indication of how long this took

G. The heavens and the earth – Merismos

1) Merism – A figure of speech in which the whole thing is mentioned by naming some of its parts

2) “God created the universe”

3) James Moffett Translation “This is the story of how the universe was formed. When God began to form the universe…”

H. “The Foundation of the World” ~E.W. Bullinger Appendix 146 of the Companion Bible

1) To arrive at the true meaning of this expression, we must note that there are two words translated foundation in the New Testement: (1) themelios, and (2) katabole.

2) The noun, themelios, occurs in Luke 6:48, 49; 14:29; Acts 16:26; Romans 15:20; I Corinthians 3:10-12; Ephesians 2:20; I Timothy 6:19; II Timothy 2:19; Hebrews 6:1; 11:10; Revelation 21:14, 19. It is never used of the world (kosmos) or earth (ge). The corresponding verb (themelioo) occurs in Matthew 7:25; Luke 6:48; Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 1:10 and I Peter 5:10. The verb is only once used of the earth(ge). Hebrews 1:10

3) A comparison of all these passages will show that these are proper and regular terms for the English words ‘to found’, and ‘foundation’.

4) The noun katabole, occurs in Matthew 13:35; 25:34; Luke 11:50; John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; 9:26; 11:11; I Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8; 17:8 and the corresponding verb kataballo occurs in II Corinthians 4:9; Hebrews 6:1; and Revelation 12:!0.

5) A comparison of all these passages (especially II Corinthians 4:9 and Revelation 12:10) will show the kataballo and katabole are not proper terms for founding or foundation, but the correct meaning is ‘casting down’, or ‘overthrow’.

6) Consistency, therefore, calls for the same translation in Hebrews 6:1, where instead of ‘not laying again’, the rendering should be ‘not casting down’. That is to say, the foundation already laid, of repentance, &c., was not to be cast down or overthrown, but was to be left – and progress made unto perfection.

7) Accordingly, the noun katabole, derived from, and cognate with the verb, ought to be translated ‘disruption’, or ‘ruin’.

8) The remarkable thing is that in all occurrences (except Hebrews 11:11) the word is connected with ‘the world’ (Gr. Kosmos), and therefore the expression should be rendered ‘the disruption (or ruin) of the world’, clearly referring to the condition indicated in Genesis 1:2, and described in II Peter 3:5,6. For the earth was not created tohu (Isaiah 45:18), but became so, as stated in the Hebrew of Genesis 1:2 and confirmed by II Peter 3:6, where ‘the world that then was by the word of God’ (Genesis 1:1), perished, and ‘the heavens and earth which are now, by the same word’ were created (Genesis 2:4), and are ‘kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment’ (II Peter 3:7) which shall usher in the ‘new heavens and the new earth’ of II Peter 3:13.

9) ‘The disruption of the world’ is an event forming a great dividing line in the dispensations of the ages. In Genesis 1:1 we have the founding of the world (Hebrews 1:10 …themelioo), but in Genesis 1:2 we have its overthrow.

10) This is confirmed by a further remarkable fact, that the phrase, which occurs ten times, is associated with the preposition apo = from (seven times, and with pro = before three times. The former refers to the kingdom, and is connected with the ‘counsels’ of God; the latter refers to the mystery and is connected with the ‘purpose’ of God (see John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4; I Peter 1:20).

11) Ample New Testament testimony is thus given to the profoundly significant fact recorded in Genesis 1:2, that ‘the earth became tohu and bohu’ (i.e. waste and desolate); and darkness was on the face of the deep’, before the creation of ‘the heavens and the earth which are now’ (II Peter 3:7)

I. Credibility

1) How do Christian’s lose credibility in the world?

- Let’s look at the circumstances surrounding Galileo. In February 1616, the Catholic Church condemned heliocentrism (the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around a stationary Sun at the center of the universe) as "false and contrary to Scripture", and Galileo was warned to abandon his support for it—which he promised to do. When he later defended his views in his most famous work, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, published in 1632, he was tried by the Inquisition, found "vehemently suspect of heresy," forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest.

2) Now obviously now we know that the sun is not the center of the universe, but our solar system. This however was far more accurate than the catholic churches belief that the earth was the center of the universe. We have two problems…

A) Scientists who don’t consider the Word of God when studying science and

B) Christians who don’t consider science when studying the Word of God.

3) If science and our beliefs don’t agree one or both of them have to be wrong. How we interpret scripture to determine our beliefs may in fact be erroneous, likewise assumptions that scientists make when evaluating data may be erroneous. It is just like the human nature to think that they cannot possibly be wrong. Science and God agree it’s the human interpretation of each that creates disagreement. The same thing is going on today that was going on with in 1632 and throughout history.

J. Fun with numbers – Gamatria

- A system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like. It is likely that the term derives from the order of the Greek alphabet, gamma being the third letter of the Greek alphabet (gamma + tria).

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV0hUldrYp4&feature=related

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Genesis Overview and Follow-up Questions

II. Genesis Overview
Title Meaning – Origin (from Greek Septuagint)
Author: Moses
Date Written: Between 1450 and 1400 B.C.
Time Span: The Beginning to 1606 B.C. (Death of Joseph)
Background: The first of 5 books called the Pentateuch written by Moses. This book forms the basis for all further revelation about God and His plan for human beings.
To Whom: Genesis is written specifically for the benefit of Israelites; however, the messages contained in this book is consistent with the teachings of Christ. It is quoted or referenced in the New Testament over 60 times and thus brought into the New Covenant for the benefit of all peoples.

The Introduction
“Genesis is the seed-plot of the whole Bible. It is essential to the true understanding of its every part. It is the foundation on which Divine Revelation rests; and on which it is built up. It is not only the foundation of all truth, but it enters into, and forms part of, all subsequent inspiration; and is at once the warp and woof of Holy Writ.” E.W. Bullinger

Genesis is quoted or referenced 60 times in the NT, thus thoroughly incorporated into the New Covenant:
- Matt. 19:4-6 - Marriage
- Matt. 24:37-39 – Second Advent
- Mark 7:10 – Honoring parents
- Mark 10:3-8 - Divorce
- Luke 11:49-51 – Woes
- Luke 17:26-29, 32 – Second Advent
- John 1:51 – Jacob’s Ladder
- John 7:21-23 - Circumcision
- John 8:44-56 – Father of Lies

QUESTIONS TO FOLLOW UP:
Are there multiple words for wisdom in Hebrew/Greek?
Answer: Yes, Several
Hebrew:
998 – biynah - understanding
2449 – chakam – to be wise
2451 – chokmah – from 2449, wisdom (in a good sense): skillful, wisdom, wisely ***Used in Proverbs 8:12
2454 -
3820 – leb – the heart, used very widely for feelings, the will and even the intellect
6195 – ormah – trickery or in a good sense, discretion: guile, prudence, subtility, wilily, wisdom
7919 – sakal – to be circumspect and thus intelligent: consider, expert, instruct, prosper, prudent, skill. Have good success, teach, have made to understand, wisdom, guide wittingly
7922 – sekel – from 7919, intelligence, discretion, knowledge, policy, prudence, sense, understanding, wisdom, wise
8394 – towbunah – intelligence, an argument: discretion, reason, skillfulness, understanding, wisdom
8454 – tushiyah – from an unused root to substantiate, support, ability, direct, help (in purpose) an undertaking, (intellectual) understanding: enterprise, that which is, (sound) wisdom, working
Greek:
4678 – sophia – wisdom (higher or lower, wordly or spiritual): wisdom
5428 – phronesis – mental action or activity: prudence, wisdom