Quotes & Insights from 100 Prison Meditations by Richard Wurmbrand

I have always had deep respect for the Jewish religion. As a Christian I consider the Israelites my precursors and their history is mine (my apologies to the Orthodox Jews for whom that is blasphemy). Upon reading 100 Prison Meditations I know that I must eventually get around to reading the Talmud.

The Hebrew language is magical to me. The fact that one word can have a multitude of meanings (some directly contradictory) and that the bible was originally written with absolutely no punctuation, opens a whole new box of possibilities to my conviction that the bible is an organic, mystical text with hidden powers. Meaning will change depending on where you breathe or pause whilst reading the text. To me this adds to the extra-dimensional quantum mystery that is the bible. Sound, language, song, and String Theory become increasingly interesting when I learn more about ancient Aramaic and Hebrew.

I also feel an odd sense of tingling when I speak in this language. 3 phrases that have really struck me:

"Talitha, koum!"
"Eli, eli, lama sabachthani"
"l'shanah haba'ah birushalayim"

I will not translate these phrases. They can be interpreted in different ways.

Quotes from Wurmbrand:

"The whole Bible is an inimitable symphony...Letters, syllables, and whole words could have been written in the Bible just for the splendor of the sound. Anyone whose ear is attuned will enjoy them. They cannot be translated."

"With men who remain in the sphere of words, discussions lead nowhere. Words are useful only if they lead out of the realm of mere chatting to the davar - to the reality-word."

"The atom, the nature, the individual - all are unities. Parts in a state of extreme tension achieve the miracle of oneness."

"Love is a sentiment shared by humans and superior animals. But is God merely a human sentiment? Because love was the highest thing the Greeks knew, John said 'God is love,' just as Livingstone said, 'God is unboi,' for those who knew no better."

"tachyons...Once man is able to handle them, mankind will be caught in a paradox. It will technically be possible to communicate so that answers will precede questions, which could mean the cessation of communication."

"A second is no longer defined as a fraction of time in which the earth accomplishes an orbit, but is the time that an electron near the outer edge of an atom of cesium wobbles: 9,192,631,770 times. This figure is a multiple of the sacred 7, which is the mathematical seal of God's creation."

And from the bible, this which was whispered to me personally: "for God is King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise." Sing. Make a joyful noise. Create. Embrace the power and the energy.