Dear steve9988-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting question.
Are you reading my mind? How bizarre that you would ask this question
at this very moment. I was actually reading about this same subject as
we speak and just happened over to GA and notice your question:
The phrase ?double-edged sword? dates to Biblical times and is
actually mentioned several times in the Holy Bible:
"For The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." (Hebrews
4:12-13).
"In His right hand he held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a
sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its
brilliance ... Then He placed His right hand on me and said, "Do not
be afraid. I Am The First and The Last. I Am The Living One; I was
dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever. I hold the keys of
death and Hades." (Revelation 1:16-18).
?And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith
he which hath the sharp sword with two edges." (Revelation 2:12).
In the Greek language the word ?distomos? (dis'-tom-os) used
originally in each of the scriptures above, means ?double-edged? or
?two edges?. (Gr. ????????? ). The phrase became synonymous with a
situation with two potential results, often good and bad in
opposition.
STRONG?S COMMENTARY
Swords (Old Testament Hebrew word, pronounced kheh-reb) and daggers
(New Testament Greek word pronounced makh-ahee-rah) are referred to
throughout the Bible. This analogy was frequently used by ancient
cultures to denote struggle, persecution, good vs. evil and so on. The
double-edge sword, a particularly deadly weapon, was often used to
describe the wicked (on one side) and the righteous (on the other).
The double-edged sword then is not only symbolic of a deadly weapon in
the physical sense but spiritually as well.
This quote has been erroneously attributed to Julius Caesar:
?Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the
citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a
double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows
the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the
blood boils with hate and the mind is closed, the leader will have no
need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry,
infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all their
rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what
I have done. And I am Caesar."
In truth, this is believed to have come from Shakespeare?s play
?Julius Caesar? and not the man himself. During Caesar?s time
virtually all swords were double-edged and to state it would have been
redundant. ?It is conceivable that a modern translator read a passage
attributed to Caesar and used a good deal of license to make it
relevant for the twenty-first century, but by now someone would
probably have come up with the irresponsibly translated original
passage.?
The analogy of the double-edged sword is much more likely to have come
several hundred years later when the inspired writers of the Bible
likened the weapon in a colorful way to the ironies of life. From what
CAN be known, this we know for a fact, is at the very least one of the
first verifiable usages of the phrase.
DID JULIUS CAESAR SAY IT?
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/caesarjulius/f/didcaesarsayit.htm
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any questions
about my research please post a clarification request prior to rating
the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final comments
and I look forward to working with you again in the near future. Thank
you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
THE SWORD
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/sword.htm
TWO EDGED SWORD
http://www.prophetictruth.com/two_edged_sword.htm
PERSECUTION: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
http://www.dtl.org/dtl/article/persecution.htm
SEARCH STRATEGY
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SEARCH TERMS USED:
Double-edge sword
Origin
Bible
Caesar |
