Philosopher's stone?

The correct term is philosophers' stein. After emptying several times one becomes a philosopher.

I think Neo's got it right on this one

And without doubt the drink is Bohemia beer.

Philosopher's stone? (Stein)
The Bible has an account about Joseph (son of Jacob) when he was in Pharoah's court. Part of the account refers to a silver cup from which he was said to be able to read omens.

Did Joseph, a faithful servant of Jehovah, use a special silver cup to read omens, as seems to be indicated at Genesis 44:5?

Joseph commanded one of his servants to fill his brothers' bags with food supplies, return each one's money in the mouth of his bag, and put Joseph's silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin's bag. In all of this, Joseph was representing himself as an administrator of a pagan land. He adapted himself, his actions, and his language to the character of such an administrator, as it would appear in the eyes of his unsuspecting brothers.

When Joseph confronted his brothers, he continued with his subterfuge, asking them: "Did you not know that such a man as I am can expertly read omens?" (Genesis 44:15) Thus, the cup was evidently all part of the stratagem. Joseph's use of the cup to read omens was no more real than Benjamin's theft of it.

Describing this ancient practice, Bible commentator Christopher Wordsworth says: "Sometimes the cup was filled with water, and the answer was given by means of imagery, produced by the sun on the water in the cup."

Genesis 40:8 shows how Joseph was able to interpret dreams accurately.

Thanks for the reply;

There certainly was a dynastic move of the supernatural in Egypt. God had an important part in the times of Israels sojourn there. Anakhamin(Sp) the Pharaoh to whom Moses step-mother was family, was the one only Pharaoh to change Egypt's national religion to a very simular Oneness philosophy that the Israelites embraced.

It was also the Pharaoh after the one who died in the Red Sea who saw the final dynasty tumble.

Sounds Like God moving in the realm of change.

On Mount Sinai where Moses received the ten commandments, it is reported that there was a temple where they manufactured drinkable Gold. This was the place where Aaron made the golden calf, and where Moses made the disobedient children drink the Gold they used. It all sounds a bit astounding. But if that temple did indeed process the gold, it might not so much after all.

Actually, other than the Bible's assertions, there is no evidence that the Israelites were ever in Egyptian "captivity". Though slavery was almost universal up until the 19th century, modern archeology seems to suggest that the Egyptians used "paid" skill labor for their monumental projects. Since Egypt was one of the great civilizations of the day, there may have been numerous foreigners living along the Nile, including Semitic peoples. Foreigners living in Egypt probably were not much more oppressed than the rest of the population.

Similarly, there is no record outside the Bible for the existence of Moses, or of the Plagues visited upon Pharaoh. There is no record of the Exodus, nor of a great Egyptian army being lost, miraculously drowned. The Pharaoh of the Bible isn't named. Why should anyone suppose that Ikhnaton (various spellings), circa 1370 B CE, was the biblical Pharaoh? Ikhnaton's attempt to replace the Egyptian pantheon with Aton-Re was recognized as significant at the time, yet the Bible never suggests a disruption in the official Egyptian religion.

Though many believe that what today we call Mt. Sinai is the mountain where Moses spoke directly with God, there is no evidence for that either. It might have been any of a number of other mountains in the region, if it happened at all as described. Where have you read that there was a temple built on Mt. Sinai, and "drinkable gold"? The Incas made drinkable gold to slake Pizarro's thirst for the metal, but it was a hot brew.

Alchemists began pursuing dreams of turning base metals into precious metals, and for concocting an elixir of immortality very early. One of the branches of Taoism was especially noted for their efforts after around 300 BCE, but they never succeeded. Concoctions made up with ingredients of mercury, gold, etc. were more often poisonous than healthful. Metals remained unresponsive to every effort to transform them both in Asia and Europe. Almost without exception these efforts were a sort of sympathetic magic seeking to mimic, or capture, the "essence" of one thing so as to transfer it to another. You may want to consult Needham's seminal work on Chinese science and technology.

In the modern world, using far better science, we do transform one element into another. We can make artificial diamonds that are chemically the same as natural ones. Using accelerators we can change the atomic structures of elements by breaking up the nucleus and changing the numbers of neutrons. However much we learn about the structure of the physical universe, no one even bothers with such silly notions as to produce such dross as gold.

Immortality is just as elusive. If it were ever achieved, and don't for a moment believe that it can be done, it would be the greatest disaster ever visited upon the race. It implies a world without children, without out renewal. The existing projected forever into an infinite future. How dreary! Imagine watching the endless unfolding of the universe, an endless soap opera that can never be concluded. No rest, no end ... ever. What an appalling idea.

Let me suggest that instead of pursuing the dream of a Philosopher's Stone or an elixir of immortality, that you pay greater attention to each moment that you live. Live NOW, fully in each moment. Stop and smell the roses, pay attention to the sunrise and let the future go hang.

Weren't the Egyptians known for removing any unfavorable information (history) regarding their Pharoah's and nation?

Thanks, Ash; that was very helpful. I agree, as you know, that the only immortality worth having is not that of some egoself but of the universe with which you and I both identity. Our trueselves are immortal in that sense but our egoselves are not only not immortal but non-existent right now.

Yes, the Egyptians like everyone else who create monuments for posterity did put a positive spin on everything in sight. We know for instance that the Egyptians lost some of the wars they bragged about winning. Monuments dedicated to the glory of past pharaohs tended to be defaced by their successors to one extent or another. The Egyptians seemed to have really believed that striking out mention of an undesirable person/event negated its ever happening. Even though a concerted effort was made to retouch history to eliminate the powerful Queen who was depicted as a man, those efforts largely failed. Just as retouched Stalinist photos that wiped out evidence of even famous peoples existence ultimately failed, so to Ikhnaton and his reign survived in great enough detail that we may know more about him (though his mummy has never been found) than some of the other pharaohs.

While the Egyptians spun one version of history, other empires that co-existed spun their own versions ... just like today. Extensive records and diplomatic messages have survived on clay tablets and monuments that help us understand what was going on in Southwest Asia in really ancient times. So far as I know, there is not a single record to independently corroborate the Biblical version of Moses or Exodus. It is only an assertion depending upon faith and tradition for its claims.

faith and tradition
What do you think might account for the long-standing Jewish tradition of the Passover? Is Josephus not considered to be a reliable historian? If the events never happened, why do the customs persist?

I wonder sometimes just how badly mangled our view of history is.

The only thing we can trust are rocks and fossils. Everything else could be wildly twisted stories and we would be hard pressed to disentangle the errors and spin from the truth.

However, the Israelites, unlike most others, made no attempt to overwrite their failings.

I had a math teacher that was a fossil. I believe she was trustworthy. So you may be right.

Also, CI is a fossil, I think.

Come to think, I'm getting near the fossil level myself - 2 degrees past geezer. So, you can pretty much trust me as well.

If so, he's the most traveling fossil I've ever heard of.

Perhaps he imbibes from the philosopher's stein.