IDK, the word "Liberty" on the Bell already shows the effects of epistemological warfare. In the original Hebrew (Leviticus 25:10), the word is דְּרוֹר (deror), meaning true freedom — an innate, God-given state of uncoerced being. The Greek Septuagint uses ἄφεσις (aphesis), meaning release or letting go, again not something granted by men. But when the concept passed through Rome, it became libertas — liberty — a conditional status bestowed by authority. Freedom can only be violated; liberty can be revoked. In the Biblical vision, we are born free because we are accountable directly to God, not to any earthly power. Recovering the true meaning of the Bell means recovering freedom, not merely asking for permission.
‘The inscription on the Liberty Bell comes from Leviticus 25:10:
“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
Many interpret this as a declaration of rights, of egalitarian autonomy, or of the assertion of will. But that is not what the passage means. The biblical Jubilee was not an emancipation of desire. It was a restoration of order. It marked the return of people to their rightful inheritance, the forgiveness of debts, and the recognition that land, time and justice belonged not to men, but to God. It was a statement of moral structure, not moral evolution.
The Liberty Bell, forged in this scriptural spirit, was not intended to symbolize the power of the people to invent new rights, but the responsibility of the people to conform to higher law. Its tone was meant to resonate with the conscience; not to command it, but to call it into alignment. It did not give liberty. It declared that liberty is given - by the Creator - through the moral order of creation.’
Well done!
Thank you Hugh
IDK, the word "Liberty" on the Bell already shows the effects of epistemological warfare. In the original Hebrew (Leviticus 25:10), the word is דְּרוֹר (deror), meaning true freedom — an innate, God-given state of uncoerced being. The Greek Septuagint uses ἄφεσις (aphesis), meaning release or letting go, again not something granted by men. But when the concept passed through Rome, it became libertas — liberty — a conditional status bestowed by authority. Freedom can only be violated; liberty can be revoked. In the Biblical vision, we are born free because we are accountable directly to God, not to any earthly power. Recovering the true meaning of the Bell means recovering freedom, not merely asking for permission.
From the article:
‘The inscription on the Liberty Bell comes from Leviticus 25:10:
“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
Many interpret this as a declaration of rights, of egalitarian autonomy, or of the assertion of will. But that is not what the passage means. The biblical Jubilee was not an emancipation of desire. It was a restoration of order. It marked the return of people to their rightful inheritance, the forgiveness of debts, and the recognition that land, time and justice belonged not to men, but to God. It was a statement of moral structure, not moral evolution.
The Liberty Bell, forged in this scriptural spirit, was not intended to symbolize the power of the people to invent new rights, but the responsibility of the people to conform to higher law. Its tone was meant to resonate with the conscience; not to command it, but to call it into alignment. It did not give liberty. It declared that liberty is given - by the Creator - through the moral order of creation.’