Artificial Intelligence From the Bible

The Flying Scroll:

Correlational Learning Rules for Memory formation

Zechariah 5:1-4

Note. This interpretation is partially obsolete and does not completely reflect my latest understanding of the metaphors of the book of Zechariah. I am working on an update. Please see latest news. Latest revision: May 29, 2005.

Introduction

Chapter 5 of the book of Zechariah has two main metaphors, the flying scroll and the woman in the ephah (measuring basket). As of now, I am not entirely sure of the symbolic meaning of the woman in the ephah, although I have some ideas. The meaning of the flying scroll, however, is much more obvious to me. One of the things that has not been mentioned so far regarding Joshua and his friends is this: how does learning take place? In other words, how are connections made and severed in memory?

Normally afferent axons originating from a previous layer, or from feedback, try to make as many random connections with neurons in the memory layer. This is part of a trial and error learning process. Of course, very few of the new connections will be correct. There has to be a way to weed out the bad ones and keep the good ones. In the brain, there is only one thing that matters when it comes to synaptic learning: temporal correlations. In other words, input connections are tested according to some temporal learning rule based on either simultaneity, fixed-interval contiguity, or intervals correlated over varying proportional scales. The latter is used in sequence memory learning.

Every learning rule is based on a correlation factor. In the message to the church of Smyrna (sensory cortex), we learned that the correlation factor for testing and modifying synapses is 10 to 1. This means that an input signal must contribute to the firing of its target neuron at least once in every 10 tries. Otherwise it is disconnected. The question is, what is the correlation factor for Joshua and his friends, not to mention the concurrent inputs (the exiles) that contribute to Joshua's crown? The answer to this question can be found in the flying scroll metaphor as explained below.

Interpretation (under revision)

5:1

Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll.

And behold, there was a flying scroll. The flying scroll is, of course, symbolic. A scroll is a book or parchment on which something is written, usually a law or edict. The fact that the scroll is flying probably means that it affects a huge area and that it acts very quickly.

5:2

And he said to me, What do you see? And I answered, I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.

And he said to me, What do you see? And I answered, I see a flying scroll. Again we see Zechariah engaging in conversation with the angel. I still do not know why Zechariah and the angel are having a dialog. I suspect that it is rather important.

Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits. This is a huge scroll and, obviously not a real one. But why such a large scroll? I think this may be a way of saying that the scroll covers a wide area. In addition, the scroll is twice as long as it is wide. In my opinion, this is referring to a signal correlation factor used in learning (trial and error). I originally assumed that it stood for a 2 to 1 ratio. In other words, I thought that in order for two or more inputs to be correlated they must agree at least once for every two tries. I subsequently concluded that a 2:1 ratio is much too stringent. Besides, why specify a size of 20 by 10 cubits when 2 by 1 cubits would have been much more appropriate? I now believe that the size of the scroll represents two distinct ratios, one (20 to 1) for thieves (everyone who steals) and one (10 to 1) for false witnesses (everyone who swears).

5:3

Then he said to me, This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side.

This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land. In at least one other translation, curse is translated as verdict. NetBible has this footnote: The Hebrew word translated “curse” (hl*a*, ’alah) alludes to the covenant sanctions that attend the violation of God’s covenant with Israel (cf. Deut 29:12, 14, 20-21).

Obviously the flying scroll represents some sort of penalty associated with bad behavior. But against whom? The answer is given in the same verse: against thieves and false witnesses. One should note that there are worse behaviors in society than stealing and lying. Why target only these two? This is one more indication, in my opinion, that these things are mere symbols: stealing and lying happen to be more symbolic of the hidden subject matter.

Note also that the curse covers the face of the whole land. In my opinion this means that the two learning rules symbolized by the writings on the scroll are applied everywhere within memory. The whole land or the whole earth normally symbolizes the entire brain, i.e., both the left and right hemispheres.

Surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side. The relevant metaphor here is, everyone who steals. What is this referring to? Stealing implies the existence of possessions or belongings. It also implies that someone has taken something that does not belong to him. We have already seen one passage in Zechariah's vision which has to do with possessions:

3:10
'In that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.'

This verse is referring to Joshua's friends who are sitting before him. They represent, in my opinion, concurrent inputs that arrive some time before Joshua. What is important in this context is the fact that every one of Joshua's friends have possessions, in this case, a vine and a fig tree and, by implication, everyone also has a house sitting on a parcel of land.

What I am arriving at is that stealing has to do with taking what belongs to someone else. In this context, it means that one or more of Joshua's friends may be a thief or imposter and must be purged away. The conclusion that I draw, is that a thief symbolizes an input signal that has stolen the place (i.e., connection) of another. It must be cut off. A 20 to 1 correlation factor (see above) is used to weed out these bad connections.

And everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side. A competing translation is, "everyone who swears falsely will purged away..." Yet another is "everyone who makes false promises will be cut off..."  This is most likely a metaphor for false prophets. Consider that to swear falsely is to bear false witness, i.e., to claim or to assert something which is subsequently shown to be false. As seen in the figure above, the Branch is an anticipatory mechanism. It predicts ignal (Joshua) is a predictor (or prophet): it announces the arrival of a successor signal (the Branch). The prediction can either be true or false. If it is false, the rule is applied and the predecessor connection is severed. The correlation factor used for severing bad predictors is 10 to 1.

5:4

I will make it go forth, declares the LORD of hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.

And it will spend the night within that house. Why just a night? Why not the entire day? Indeed, why spend any time at all? A night, of course, is half a day and a day is symbolic of a single cycle. Since, in the biblical metaphorical system, the day is counted from sundown to sundown, a night must represent the first half of the cycle. What this seems to imply is that bad connections are severed before the end of a cycle. The night metaphor is probably more important than it looks but I am having trouble understanding its true relevance in this context. A house is probably symbolic of a synaptic connection.

And consume it with its timber and stones. As seen in this verse, the penalty for stealing and lying is pretty severe and quick.

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