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The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha

The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha

Students, professors and general readers alike have relied upon The Oxford Annotated Bible for essential scholarship and guidance to the world of the Bible for nearly four decades. Now a new editorial board and team of contributors have completely updated this classic work. The result is a volume which maintains and extends the excellence the Annotated's users have come to expect, bringing new insights, information, and approaches to bear upon the understanding of the text of the Bible.

The new edition includes a full index to all of the study material (not just to the annotations), and one that is keyed to page numbers, not to citations. And, to make certain points in the text clearer for the reader, there are approximately 40 in-text, line drawing maps and diagrams.

With the best of the Annotated's traditional strengths, and the augmentation of new information and new approaches represented in current scholarship, the Third Edition will serve as the reader's and student's constant resource for a new century.

About the Author

Michael Coogan is Professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, and director of publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum. Carol Newsom is at Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, Georgia.

Paperback: 2180 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; College edition (January 25, 2001)

The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament Volume One
The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament Volume One The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament: Apocrypha

The most esteemed body of books left out of the Bible, the Old Testament Apocrypha is of interest to historians, religious scholars, and ordinary laypeople alike. For more than 70 years this version, edited by R.H. Charles, has been the definitive critical edition. Out of print for years, Apocryphile Press is proud to make it available once more to scholars and the curious.

Paperback: 700 pages
Publisher: Apocryphile Press (November 1, 2004)

The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two
The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two

Of all the books left out of the Bible, only the Apocrypha rivals the Pseudepigrapha in popularity and importance. This edition of the Pseudepigrapha was edited by R. H. Charles and was the definitive critical edition for over 70 years.

Paperback: 800 pages
Publisher: Apocryphile Press (November 1, 2004)

The Urantia Book
The Urantia Book The Urantia Book

Love

Love is truly contagious and eternally creative. (p. 2018) “Devote your life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world.” (p. 2047) “Love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness, the essence of the true and the beautiful.” (p. 2047) The Father’s love can become real to mortal man only by passing through that man’s personality as he in turn bestows this love upon his fellows. (p. 1289) The secret of a better civilization is bound up in the Master’s teachings of the brotherhood of man, the good will of love and mutual trust. (p. 2065)

Prayer

Prayer is not a technique of escape from conflict but rather a stimulus to growth in the very face of conflict. (p. 1002) The sincerity of any prayer is the assurance of its being heard. … (p. 1639) God answers man’s prayer by giving him an increased revelation of truth, an enhanced appreciation of beauty, and an augmented concept of goodness. (p. 1002) …Never forget that the sincere prayer of faith is a mighty force for the promotion of personal happiness, individual self-control, social harmony, moral progress, and spiritual attainment. (p. 999)

Suffering

There is a great and glorious purpose in the march of the universes through space. All of your mortal struggling is not in vain. (p. 364) Mortals only learn wisdom by experiencing tribulation. (p. 556)

Angels

The angels of all orders are distinct personalities and are highly individualized. (p. 285) Angels....are fully cognizant of your moral struggles and spiritual difficulties. They love human beings, and only good can result from your efforts to understand and love them. (p. 419)

Our Divine Destiny

If you are a willing learner, if you want to attain spirit levels and reach divine heights, if you sincerely desire to reach the eternal goal, then the divine Spirit will gently and lovingly lead you along the pathway of sonship and spiritual progress. (p. 381) …They who know that God is enthroned in the human heart are destined to become like him—immortal. (p. 1449) God is not only the determiner of destiny; he is man’s eternal destination. (p. 67)

Family

Almost everything of lasting value in civilization has its roots in the family. (p. 765) The family is man’s greatest purely human achievement. ... (p. 939)

Faith

…Faith will expand the mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the personality, augment the happiness, deepen the spirit perception, and enhance the power to love and be loved. (p. 1766) “Now, mistake not, my Father will ever respond to the faintest flicker of faith.” (p. 1733)

History/Science

The story of man’s ascent from seaweed to the lordship of earthly creation is indeed a romance of biologic struggle and mind survival. (p. 731) 2,500,000,000 years ago… Urantia was a well developed sphere about one tenth its present mass. … (p. 658) 1,000,000,000 years ago is the date of the actual beginning of Urantia [Earth] history. (p. 660) 450,000,000 years ago the transition from vegetable to animal life occurred. (p. 669) From the year A.D. 1934 back to the birth of the first two human beings is just 993,419 years. (p. 707) About five hundred thousand years ago…there were almost one-half billion primitive human beings on earth. … (p. 741) Adam and Eve arrived on Urantia, from the year A.D. 1934, 37,848 years ago. (p. 828)

From the Inside Flap

What’s Inside?

Parts I and II

God, the inhabited universes, life after death, angels and other beings, the war in heaven.

Part III

The history of the world, science and evolution, Adam and Eve, development of civilization, marriage and family, personal spiritual growth.

Part IV

The life and teachings of Jesus including the missing years. AND MUCH MORE…

Excerpts

God, …God is the source and destiny of all that is good and beautiful and true. (p. 1431) If you truly want to find God, that desire is in itself evidence that you have already found him. (p. 1440) When man goes in partnership with God, great things may, and do, happen. (p. 1467)

The Origin of Human Life, The universe is not an accident... (p. 53) The universe of universes is the work of God and the dwelling place of his diverse creatures. (p. 21) The evolutionary planets are the spheres of human origin…Urantia [Earth] is your starting point. … (p. 1225) In God, man lives, moves, and has his being. (p. 22)

The Purpose of Life, There is in the mind of God a plan which embraces every creature of all his vast domains, and this plan is an eternal purpose of boundless opportunity, unlimited progress, and endless life. (p. 365) This new gospel of the kingdom… presents a new and exalted goal of destiny, a supreme life purpose. (p. 1778)

Jesus, The religion of Jesus is the most dynamic influence ever to activate the human race. (p. 1091) What an awakening the world would experience if it could only see Jesus as he really lived on earth and know, firsthand, his life-giving teachings! (p. 2083)

Science, Science, guided by wisdom, may become man’s great social liberator. (p. 909) Mortal man is not an evolutionary accident. There is a precise system, a universal law, which determines the unfolding of the planetary life plan on the spheres of space. (p. 560)

Life after Death, God’s love is universal… He is “not willing that any should perish.” (p. 39) Your short sojourn on Urantia [Earth]…is only a single link, the very first in the long chain that is to stretch across universes and through the eternal ages. (p. 435) …Death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery. (p. 159)

About the Author

The text of The Urantia Book was provided by one or more anonymous contributors working with a small staff which provided editorial and administrative support during the book's creation. The book bears no particular credentials (from a human viewpoint), relying instead on the power and beauty of the writing itself to persuade the reader of its authenticity.

Leather Bound: 2097 pages
Publisher: Urantia Foundation; Box Lea edition (August 25, 2015)

The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation

The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation

From the Back Cover This collection of apocryphal texts supersedes the best-selling edition by M. R. James, which was originally published in 1924, and regularly reprinted. Several new texts have come to light since 1924 and the textual base for some of the apocrypha previously translated by James is now more secure, as in several cases there are recently published critical editions available. Although a modest appendix to James's edition was added in 1953, no thorough revision has previously been undertaken. In this volume, J. K. Elliott presents new translations of the texts and has provided each of them with a short introduction and bibliography directed to those who wish to pursue further the issues raised in the texts, or to consult the critical editions, other versions, or general studies. The translations are in modern English, in contrast to James's deliberate imitation of the language of the Authorized Version. The collection is designed to give readers the most important and famous of the Christian apocrypha, together with a select sample of gnostic texts. Full translations of the earliest texts are printed.

About the Author

J. K. Elliott (Editor)

Paperback: 774 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; First Paperback Edition edition (December 22, 2005)

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English

From Library Journal

This one-volume translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls joins those of Florentino Garcia Martinez (The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated, Eerdman's, 1996) and Michael Wise and others (The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, LJ 12/96) and is the latest edition of The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, first published in 1962. In a 90-page introduction, Vermes (emeritus, Jewish studies, Wolfson Coll., Oxford) briefly summarizes the 50-year history of scrolls research. He presents an overview of the sectarian community associated with the scrolls (whom he identifies as the Essenes), its history, and its beliefs. Though dubbed "complete" (the preface explains that "meaningless scraps or badly damaged manuscript sections are not inflicted on the reader"), Vermes's translation is generally the most selective of the three. This sometimes saves the reader from the possible frustration of line upon line of brackets and ellipses, but it gives a limited idea of the extent of the textual material available. However, the translation is good and has stood as the standard for many years. As with Bibles, libraries should have more than one version of the Dead Sea Scrolls.?Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hardcover: 648 pages
Publisher: Allen Lane / The Penguin Press; 1st edition (July 1, 1997)

The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library) The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

"Bentley Layton's "The Gnostic Scriptures is the one indispensable book for the understanding of Gnosis and Gnosticism. No other translations are within light-years of Layton's in eloquence, pathos, and accuracy, while no other commentaries match his as an introduction to this perpetually relevant religious stance. Layton is particularly brilliant in his appreciation of Valentinus, the central Gnostic visionary, whose "Gospel of Truth is marvelously served in this translation." --Harold Bloom, author of "The Book of J and "The Western Canon

"Bentley Layton's "The Gnostic Scriptures" is the one indispensable book for the understanding of Gnosis and Gnosticism. No other translations are within light-years of Layton's in eloquence, pathos, and accuracy, while no other commentaries match his as an introduction to this perpetually relevant religious stance. Layton is particularly brilliant in his appreciation of Valentinus, the central Gnostic visionary, whose "Gospel of Truth" is marvelously served in this translation." --Harold Bloom, author of "The Book of J" and "The Western Canon"

About the Author:

Bentley Layton was educated at Harvard University and taught for five years in Jerusalem at the Ecole biblique et archeologique francaise. He worked in Cairo with UNESCO Technical Subcommittee to reconstruct the Coptic Gnostic manuscripts of Nag Hammadi and then taught at Yale University, where he was appointed to the Goff Professorship of Religious Studies. He is the recipient of fellowships from American Council of Learned Societies, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Guggenheim Foundation and past President of the International Association of Coptic Studies.

Paperback: 337 pages
Publisher: Independently published (January 9, 2018)


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The Origin
Of
Our Belief In God

by Erik Langkjer

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    TABLE OF CONTENTS    


Introduction


How did religion originate? At the end of the 19th century different theories about this subject were put forward.

The animistic theory: at some stage of his development man came to the conclusion that he has a soul (Latin: animus) and began to honor the souls of the deceased. (E.B.Tylor, Primitive culture, 1871).

The pre-animistic theory: Primitive man thinks that life is full of impersonal holy power.

Certain places and strange objects are full of this impersonal power, which the scholars called by the Melanesian word mana. This was the beginning of religion (R.Marett, The threshold of religion, 1909). However mana is not an impersonal power, but the power of the gods and chiefs and spirits.

 Andrew Lang, The making of religion, 1898, took his material from the aboriginals in Australia. He proved that they do not honor spirits and souls, but they all have a notion of a highest being who is in heaven and watches man's keeping the moral commandments.

Pater Wilhelm Schmidt in Vienna Der Ursprung der Gottesidee, 1912-55: This belief in the highest being can be traced in all primitive cultures. It must be the earliest form of religion. The belief in many gods (polytheism) is a secondary development like weed overgrowing and covering the field with good seed.

Schmidt studied the pygmies in Africa and found a monotheism with clearly ethical features connected to the Supreme Being and the offering of first-fruits, the old sacrifice also mentioned in Gen 4 as the sacrifice of Cain and Abel, the first sacrifice in history. By comparing Red Indian belief in the GREAT SPIRIT (from North America) with Tierra del Fuego religion, and with negrito-religion in Asia and the religion of aboriginals in Australia, he proved that what he believed were the oldest layers of human culture had a monotheistic belief in a god who was good, benevolent, omnipotent, creator, ethical, eternal, omniscient, living in heaven with no relatives, no wife, no parents. The control which this Supreme Being exercises over morality in this life by punishment and rewards carries over, acc. to all ancient cultures, also in the next life. Here we must place the belief that the souls of the good deceased go to heaven after death where God now dwells.

"The time that the Supreme Being spent on earth living intimately with man shortly after He, the Boundless Good had filled His creation with goodness until it overflowed was considered to be the best of all times on this earth, according to the beliefs common to this oldest era. People looked back to this time as to a lost island of bliss with painful longing, a longing they thought was now satisfied by the existence the souls of the good experience in heaven. This reestablishes this golden age, however in heaven this time and no longer on this earth. We find glowing descriptions of this new heavenly paradise.

The Supreme Being, according to His nature and in all his activity, is not only completely free of all moral evil, He also possesses all of the moral virtues in the highest degree. He is not content merely to be man's model. Immediately after He created man, He took it upon Himself to educate man and teach him how to practice this morality. He reinforces this teaching by threatening and punishing those who do not follow His law, while promising reward to those who willingly follow His commands. He does not abandon the wicked, however, if they repent and try to improve, a point which is made by a number of early groups. Once this time of testing, is over, however, He does not hesitate to reward those who were morally good with a corresponding happy existence and the morally wicked with the kind of punishment which they have coming to them.

In all of this the Supreme Being not only manifests His supreme goodness which leads men to pinnacles of purity, strength and bliss, but also reveals His zeal to realize moral justice and beauty. In this way the Supreme Being decorates Himself with new moral virtues" (Volume VI,468-73).

An English summary of pater Wilhelm Schmidt's works is Ernest Brandewie, Wilhelm Schmidt and the Origin of the Idea of God,1983.


Literature and sources:

"One of the strangest discoveries of modern science of religion is the one initiated by the Scottish folklorist Andrew Lang, the discovery of the high gods", says the great German scholar Friedrich Heiler (Erscheinungsformen und Wesen der Religion, 1961, p.456) and he mentions a lot of titles developing Lang's theory:


Konrad T. Preuss, Glaube und Mystik im Schatten des höchsten Wesens, 1926.
Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, Das Werden des Gottesglaubens, 1926 & The living God. Basal forms of personal religion. Gifford Lectures, 1933.
Leopold v. Schröder, Arische Religion I: Der altarische Himmelsgott, das höchste gute Wesen,1923.
Raffaele Pettazzoni, Der allwissende Gott. Zur Geschichte der Gottesidee, 1960.
Geo Widengren, Der Hochgottglaube im alten Iran,1938.[1]


Polytheism, the belief in many gods, arises where different functions are split off from the high god. We meet this process in the Bible when it speaks about God, his word (Greek: Logos), his wisdom (Sofia), his Spirit, his messenger (Angelos), his Son.

Acc. to G.Dumézil, the Indo-European pantheon is split up into 3 functions: the ruling function, the war-function, the fertility-function, Les dieux Indo-Européens, 1952.

In Iran, Ahura Mazda is surrounded by his 7 Amesha Spentas. They are, as proved by Dumézil, the spiritualized substitute for the old Indo Iranian functional gods. Acc. to Widengren this is a typical example of the high god surrounded by minor gods who are different aspects of his being. Together they make up the fullness of his nature. Die Religionen Irans 1965 (pp.11f).


Important works on the Near Eastern seals are:
P.Amiet, La Glyptique mésopotamienne Archaïque, 1980.
ibd, "Glyptique susienne archaïque", RA LI,1957 pp.121-9.
ibd, "Le Symbolisme cosmique du Répertoire animalier en Mesopotamie", RA L,1956 (about the bull man as Atlas/world pillar).
A,Audin, "Les Peliers Jumeaux", AO  XVI,1948,265ff, XXI,1953,430ff.
le Breton, "A propos de cachets archaïches susiens" 1, RA  L, 1956, pp.135-9.
H.Frankfort, Cylinder Seals,1939.
L.Heuzey, "Le Sceau de Goudéa", RA V,1902, pp.129ff. ("Gilgamesh" setting up the two pillars of Hercules).
A,Moortgat, Tammuz. Der Unsterblichkeitsglaube in der altorientalischen Bildkunst, 1949.


Excavations:
M.Dunand, Fouilles de Byblos I-II, 1939,1954-8.
M.Mallowan, Nimrud and its Remains 1-2,1966.
J Mellaart's reports on excavations at Catal Hüyük in AnSt 12-14,1962-4.
P.Montet, Byblos et l´Egypt,1927.
Max von Oppenheim, Tell Halaf I-III,1943.
E.A.Speiser, Excavations at Tepe Gawra I,1935.
A.J.Tobler, Excavations at Tepe Gawra II,1950.
The Ugarit texts:
J.Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends,1978.
J.C.de Moor, An Anthology of Religious Texts from Ugarit, 1987 (underlines the importance of "spiritualistic sessions", where the spirits of the forefathers were summoned).


Hellenistic sources:

Philo of Byblos has written a History of the Phoenicians on the basis of material from a certain Sachunjaton, living before the Trojan war and serving as priest for the god Jeu.

Sa. is said to have taken his information from very old inscriptions on the "sun-pillars" in the temples, i.e. the twin-pillars representing the gate of the sun and carrying the world-order inscribed (see below). Only fragments of his work have survived in long quotations by the Christian historian Eusebios,Præperatio Evang. I, ed. by K.Mras,1956. Many scholars have dealt with Philo´s Phoenician cosmogony, theogony and sociogony, the latest (as far as I know) being I.Schiffmann, Phönizisch-Punische Mythologie und geschichtliche Überlieferung,1986,pp.10-72.

Nonnos from Panopolis (in Egypt) in his great epos, Dionysiaca, gives important information about Cadmos and the fight against the double snake of primordial totality, Typhon, Actaeon, the hunter torn by his own dogs, the god Aion, as old as the world itself, and sister to Beroe (Beiruth) 7,22ff & 41,143f. But most important is his description of the visit Dionysos pays Melqart in his old temple in Tyre, at the altar where the holy Phoenix is renewed in fire, and where also can be seen the strange flaming tree with a snake coiling around it and a bowl of the drink of immortality at the top. Here also the first attempt to sail the sea was undertaken at the command of Melqart, 40,1ff.

Lucian, De Syria Dea, a short description of the cult of Adonis in Byblos, a long description of the temple in Mabbug (Lucian: The Syrian Goddessby Attridge and Oden, 1976). In Macrobios Saturnalia I,17,66f. is an important description of an Apollo-statue in Mabbug.

Diodor of Sicily: Important information about the North African Dionysos (Baal) and the fragments of Ktesias about Semiramis and Sardanapal, and fragments of Megastenes´s description of the military campaign undertaken by Dionysos (Baal) to India (cf. Arrian, Indica 9)

Apuleius Metamorphoses VIII book has a description of Syrian ecstatics dressed as women, but also the important description of an nightly initiation into the mysteries of Isis: by following the nightly path of the sun through all elements the initiate is led through the underworld to dawn where he is standing upright on a platform as the living picture of the sun god and greeted as a god. (Apotheosis by following the path of the sun to eternal standing.) In this work we also find the beautiful fairy tale of Amor and Psyche and the love-story of Charite and Tlepolemos.

The Hellenistic Novels are built over the old patterns: The goddess seeking her lost lover or the goddess abducted and brought back and the journeys & struggles of the sun hero.

Achilles Tatius´s novel starts with a visit in the temple of Astarte, where a great painting of Europa on the bull is admired. II,14 there is a new description of the marvellous tree in Tyre surrounded by fire.

Only fragments are preserved of the oldest novel about the love between Semiramis and Ninos.

Apart from this, the oldest novel must be Chariton, Chaereas and Callirhoe.

PhotiosBibliotheca has preserved summaries of two very important Syrian novels:

"The wonders beyond Thule" by Antonios Diogenes (Bibl. 166) &

"Babyloniaca" by Iamblichos (Bibl. 94).

Only fragments are left of the novel by Lollianos, Phoenicica.

The Story of Apollonius, king of Tyre by an anonymous author is also important, as is Ephesiaca by Xenophon of Ephesus, and "Joseph and Asenath", a Jewish love-story from the Hellenistic period (M.Philonenko, Joseph et Aséneth,1968).

All the Greek novels (and Apollonios… trans. from Latin) are brought together in new translations in: Collected Ancient Greek Novels, ed. B.P.Reardon,1989.

They are all variations on the theme: the goddess of fertility and beauty taken away by the king of winter, but liberated and brought back by the sun hero or a Dioscuric pair. The same theme is worked out as the main theme of modern South Arabian fairy tales by W.Daum, Ursemitische Religion,1985.

Important aspects of the religion in Tyre is analysed by
J.Morgenstern, "The King-God among the Western Semites and the meaning of Epiphanes", VT X,1960, pp.138-97
E.A.S.Butterworth, The Tree at the navel of the Earth, 1970
in Petra by G.Dalman, Petra,1908
in Palmyra by du Mesnil du Buisson, Les tèsseres et les monnais de Palmyre,1962
in Edessa by H.J.W.Drijvers, Cults and Beliefs at Edessa,1980
in Hatra by H.Ingholt, Parthian Sculptures from Hatra, 1954
in Baalbek by Y.Hajjar, La Triade d´Heliopolis-Baalbek,I-II,1977
in Harran by D.Chwolson, Die Ssabier und der Ssabismus,I-II,1856
in Byblos by B.Soyez, Byblos et la Fête des Adonies,1977
in Tarsus by H.Böhlig, Die Geisteskultur von Tarsus,1913.

Important for his interpretation of the motifs on the coins of the Middle East area is A.B.Cook, Zeus, I-III,1914-40, for his insistence on a religious interpretation of Syrian and Assyrian ivories R.D.Barnett, The Nimrod Ivories in the British Museum, 1957.


The Syrian cult of the sun is dealt with in:
J.Tubach, Im Schatten des Sonnengottes, 1986.
F-J. Dölger, Sol Salutis, 1925.
The fight between lion and bull:
du Mesnil du Buisson, Etudes sur les Dieux Pheniciens herites par l´Empire Romain, 1970.
The Heracles pillars and the Saturn pillar: Movers, Die Phoenizier,I, 1841.


The important motif, the 'birth of the divine saviour, is dealt with by
Ed. Norden, Die Geburt des Kindes, 1924.
R.Eisler, "Das Fest des 'Geburttages der Zeit' in Nordarabien", ARW 15,1912.


The cosmogony of Philo of Byblos should be compared with the Phoenician cosmogonies preserved by the late Neoplatonic philosopher Damascios, De Principiis (ed. C.A.Ruelle, 1889) 123bis-125ter.

A cosmogony linked to the cult of Zas (Santas) is in Greece propagated by Pherecydes from the island of Syros (fragments collected & ed. by H.Schibli, 1990).


[1] To the abovementioned titles could be added: Jan de Vries, Religionshistoria i fågelperspektiv (translated from Dutch), 1961 chapter VII,F,4 on the high gods.


    TABLE OF CONTENTS    



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Disclaimer

Disclaimer:
Some material presented will contain links, quotes, ideologies, etc., the contents of which should be understood to first, in their whole, reflect the views or opinions of their editors, and second, are used in my personal research as "fair use" sources only, and not espousement one way or the other. Researching for 'truth' leads one all over the place...a piece here, a piece there. As a researcher, I hunt, gather and disassemble resources, trying to put all the pieces into a coherent and logical whole. I encourage you to do the same. And please remember, these pages are only my effort to collect all the pieces I can find and see if they properly fit into the 'reality aggregate'.

Personal Position

Personal Position:
I've come to realize that 'truth' boils down to what we 'believe' the facts we've gathered point to. We only 'know' what we've 'experienced' firsthand. Everything else - what we read, what we watch, what we hear - is what someone else's gathered facts point to and 'they' 'believe' is 'truth', so that 'truth' seems to change in direct proportion to newly gathered facts divided by applied plausibility. Though I believe there is 'truth', until someone representing the celestial realm visibly appears and presents the heavenly records of Facts And Lies In The Order They Happened, I can't know for sure exactly what "the whole truth' on any given subject is, and what applies to me applies to everyone. Until then I'll continue to ask, "what does The Urantia Book say on the subject?"
~Gail Bird Allen

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bl-theology-02
The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha
The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha

This volume combines a cultural guide to the biblical world and an annotated Bible. Its notes feature the reflections of Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish scholars.

  • Twenty-three insightful articles on aspects of the history, literary background, and culture of the biblical era.
  • A special index of people, places, and themes of the Bible.
  • 36 pages of full-color New Oxford Bible Maps, with index.

Paperback: 1860 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (March 12, 1992)

Nave's Topical Bible: A comprehensive Digest of over 20,000 Topics and Subtopics With More Than 10,000 Associated Scripture References

Nave's Topical Bible: A comprehensive Digest of over 20,000 Topics and Subtopics With More Than 10,000 Associated Scripture References Nave's Topical Bible: A comprehensive Digest of over 20,000 Topics and Subtopics With More Than 10,000 Associated Scripture References

"Nave's Topical Bible, " the best known of all topical bibles, has been a valuable Bible-study reference and a best-seller for more than 75 years. It is a comprehensive digest of over 20,000 topics and subtopics with more than 100,000 associated Scripture references. The most significant references for each topic actually include the full text of the verse cited saving the need to separately look up each verse.

Because "Nave's "groups verses by "idea" (or "topic"), it offers a better overview of relevant Scriptures than a concordance, which only lists or indexes verses according to specific words. This edition also includes the helpful Scripture index (left out of some other editions), which makes it possible for the reader studying a particular biblical text to locate every topic and grouping of Scripture in "Nave's "whenever a particular verse is included. That way, it is possible for the reader to study either all the verses related to a particular topic "or" all the topics related to a particular verse it works both ways.

For the pastor or teacher interested in saving hours of time but not willing to give their second best, and for anyone wanting to be challenged by what God has to say about a given subject, "Nave's Topical Bible" is the passport that will allow immediate and successful entry to the many points of interest."

About the Author

Orville J. Nave, A.M., D.D., LL.D., compiled this magnificient reference work while serving as a Chaplain in the United States Army. He referred to his work as "the result of fourteen years of delightful and untiring study of the Word of God."

Hardcover: 1616 pages
Publisher: Hendrickson Pub (July 1, 2002)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Super Value Series)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Super Value Series) Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Super Value Series)

Read the best of Matthew Henry's classic commentary on the Bible in one convenient book. Henry's profound spiritual insights have touched lives for over 300 years. Indexed maps and charts make this a book any pastor, student, Bible teacher, or devotional reader will treasure!

About the Author

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was a Presbyterian minister in England who began his commentary on the Bible in 1704. He completed his work up to the end of Acts before his death. Afterward, his ministerial friends completed the work from Henry's notes and writings.

Series: Super Value Series
Hardcover: 1200 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 30, 2003)

Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

Like a redwood that towers above all other trees, The Strongest Strong’s takes James Strong’s classic concordance to unprecedented heights. Reflecting thousands of research hours, custom computer technology, and an exclusive database perfected over twenty years, The Strongest Strong’s is packed with features that make it the last word in accuracy and usefulness. No other Strong’s concordance can touch it. This is no mere study tool. Destined to become a foundational resource for Bible study the world over, The Strongest Strong’s is a landmark in biblical reference works.

What Makes This Strong’s the Strongest? Rebuilding Strong’s time-honored concordance from the ground up, biblical research experts John Kohlenberger and James Swanson have achieved unprecedented accuracy and clarity. Longstanding errors have been corrected. Omissions filled in. Word studies simplified. Thoroughness and ease of use have been united and maximized.

Kohlenberger and Swanson have also added the Nave’s Topical Bible Reference System―the world’s most complete topical Bible, updated, expanded, and streamlined to meet the needs of today’s Bible user. No other edition of Strong’s or Nave’s gives you all the information combined in The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

A Stunning Array of World-Class Features

In order to experience all the advantages of The Strongest Strong’s, you’ll have to look inside. But here is a thumbnail sketch of what awaits you:

  • Computer-verified accuracy. For the first time ever, cutting-edge computer analysis provides unparalleled, pinpoint accuracy
  • Strong’s numbering system speeds you through word studies, giving you clear insights into Greek and Hebrew words
  • Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbers in the dictionary indexes give you access to the growing library of reference tools that use these numbers―another unique feature
  • The most up-to-date Hebrew and Greek dictionaries ensure precise meaning in your word studies
  • Nave’s Topical Bible Reference System supplies the complete descriptive content and references (without the Bible text) of Nave’s Topical Bible, expanded to provide a total of more than 100,000 verses indexed by subject, word, phrase, synonym, and example
  • Cross-references to places and names used in Bible translations besides the KJV
  • Word counts furnish a complete accounting of every word in the Bible
  • Fast-Tab locators help you find your place quickly and easily
  • Smythe-sewn binding opens fully, lays flat, and lasts longer
  • Words of Christ highlighted in red
  • Maps
  • Clear, easy-to-read type PLUS: Comprehensive guidance for using The Strongest Strong’s
  • Major Social Concerns of the Mosaic Covenant
  • Old Testament Sacrifices
  • Hebrew Calendar
  • Hebrew Feasts and Holy Days
  • Weights, Lengths, and Measures of the Bible
  • Kings of the Bible
  • Harmony of the Gospels
  • Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Jesus
  • Parables of Jesus
  • Miracles of Jesus
  • Chronology of the Bible

About the Author

Dr. James Strong (1822-1894) was formerly president of Troy University and professor of exegetical theology at Drew Theological Seminary.

Hardcover: 1742 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; Supesaver ed. edition (September 1, 2001)

Zondervan Pictorial Encylopedia of the Bible, Vols. 1-5
Zondervan Pictorial Encylopedia of the Bible, Vols. 1-5 The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (5 Volume Set)

From the Back Cover

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, the result of more than ten years of research and preparation, provides Bible students with a comprehensive and reliable library of information. Varying viewpoints of scholarship permit a well-rounded perspective on significant issues relating to doctrines, themes, and biblical interpretation. Well-organized and generously illustrated, this encyclopedia will become a frequently used resource and reference work because of its many helpful features: - More than 5,000 pages of vital information of Bible lands and people - More than 7,500 articles alphabetically arranged for easy reference - Hundreds of full-color and black-and-white illustrations, charts, and graphs - Thirty-two pages of full-color maps and hundreds of black-and-white outline maps for quick perspective and ready reference - Scholarly articles ranging across the entire spectrum of theological and biblical topics, backed by recent archaeological discoveries - Two hundred and thirty-eight contributors from around the world. The editors have brought to this encyclopedia the fruit of many years of study and research.

About the Author

Merrill C. Tenney was professor of theological studies and dean of the Graduate school of Theology at Wheaton College.

Hardcover: 5 volume set More than 5,000 pages
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing House; Second Printing edition (March 15, 1975)

HarperColins Bible Dictionary
HarperColins Bible Dictionary HarperCollins Bible Dictionary

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary puts the latest and most comprehensive biblical scholarship at your fingertips. Here is everything you need to know to fully understand the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament. An unparalleled resource, The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary explains every aspect of the Bible, including biblical archaeology, culture, related writings such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Bible‘s influence on Western civilization, biblical history, theological concepts, modern biblical interpretations, flora nad fauna, climate and environment, crafts and industry, the content of individual books of the bible, and more.

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary features:

  • Contributions by 193 noted experts on the Bible and the ancient Near East
  • More than 3700 entries covering the Bible from A to Z
  • Outlines for each book of the Bible
  • 590 black–and–white photographs
  • 53 color photographs
  • An updated pronunciation guide
  • 72 black–and–white maps
  • 18 color maps
  • Dozens of drawings, diagrams, and tables

About the Author

Paul J. Achtemeier is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. A widely respected authority on the Bible, he is the author or co-author of 14 books, former editor of the quarterly Interpretation, and New Testament editor of the Interpretation Biblical Commentary Series. Professor Achtemeier has also been chief executive officer and president of the Society of Biblical Literature, and president of the Catholic Biblical Association.

The Editorial Board of the revised edition of The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary includes associate editors; Roger S. Boraas, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religion, Uppsala College; Michael Fishbane, Ph.D., Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Chicago Divinity School; Pheme Perkins, Ph.D., Professor of Theology (New Testament), Boston College; and William O. Walker, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Religion, Trinity University.

The Society of Biblical Literature is a seven-thousand-member international group of experts on the Bible and related fields. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Amazon.com Review

For the maps alone, this book is worth it. Following 1,250 pages that describe and explain the people, places, terms, and events of the Bible from Aaron to Zurishaddai, the 16 spectacular maps detail the political entities and boundaries of biblical times, bringing the historic times to vivid life. A fascinating book, an impressive collection of scholarship, and a possession to cherish, the 188 contributors and five editors show what can be produced if you don't cut corners on excellence. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Hardcover: 1178 pages
Publisher: HarperOne; Rev Upd Su edition

Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary Old and New Testament

Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary Old and New Testament Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary Old and New Testament

A Nelson exclusive. Study the meaning of biblical words in the original languages-without spending years learning Greek or Hebrew. This classic reference tool has helped thousands dig deeper into the meaning of the biblical text. Explains over 6,000 key biblical words. Includes a brand new comprehensive topical index that enables you to study biblical topics more thoroughly than ever before.

Hardcover: 1184 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 2nd Edition edition (August 26, 1996)


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