Bible Wisdom: Selections from the Old & New Testament

This newly translated and paraphrased selection by John Howard Reid is now available in a prestige 120-page trade paperback edition. Buy direct from http://www.lulu.com/filmindex (you will need to scroll down past a few movie books). "Bible Wisdom for Modern Times" is also NOW AVAILABLE at Amazon and other online bookstores. Recommended price: $9.95.

We all of us have role models, and Jesus (I actually prefer to call Him by his Hebrew name, Yeshua) was no exception. Most people suppose He accepted Joseph as his earthly role model and this no doubt is true. What more natural than that a boy look up to his "father"!

But all of us also look to role models outside the home. We find them in books, magazines, movies, sporting events, and perhaps even amongst our own circle of relatives, friends, work colleagues and acquaintances.

I think a good case could be made for assuming Yeshua's role model was Tobias (or Tobit). His story (and that of his son, Toby) is told in the Old Testament book that bears his name. (In "Bible Wisdom for Modern Times", I have titled this story, "The Adventures of Toby"). The popularity of this particular tale in Yeshua's day cannot be over-estimated. It was not only (correctly, in my opinion), regarded as inspired writing and Scripture, but as a truthful account of actual events. In reality, as the inspired writer goes to great pains to make plain, it is a parable. Fiction, pure and simple. And as such, in my estimation, it rates as the greatest fictional story ever told!

That Yeshua knew the story well is plain from the fact that he used it as the basis of His own parable, "The Prodigal Son", by cleverly turning the narrative inside out -- a fact that would not have been lost on His hearers.

As for Tobias himself, what sort of a person was he? A man who always did good and what was right -- no matter what the cost. A person with Godly advice almost always on his lips (notice how often Yeshua puts many of these maxims into practice), yet at the same time he is human enough to be impatient, testy, and even momentarily despairing.

Many new books have recently surfaced that appear to augment the traditional accounts in the New Testament. Whilst it's good to have this additional New Testament information, I'm disappointed that few writers have sought to focus attention on some of the Old Testament books, labeled "Apocrypha", that have always been accepted as Biblical by Catholic and/or Orthodox believers.

I've attempted to remedy this neglect. So here are new versions of the following:

"Wisdom of Solomon" (including my favorite quotation from the whole of the Old Testament: "I prayed and the Lord God gave me understanding. I called upon God for help and the Spirit of Wisdom came to me. I esteemed Her far more than scepters and thrones. Compared to Her, I regarded riches as absolutely nothing. Nor did I count priceless gems as worthy of the slightest value, for all the world's gold is but a pinch of sand in Her sight, and even silver ranks as clay. I loved Her more than health or beauty. I preferred Her over and above the sun and the moon, for Her radiance never falters, never ceases. Everything that is good and wonderful, She freely showers upon those who love Her.")

"Jesus Ben Sirach" (What a wonderful opening! "Wisdom comes directly from the Lord God. She is -- and has always been -- His! And She lives with Him forever.")

"Baruch" ("Wisdom now shows Herself upon earth and lives among men. She is the book of the commandments of God. She is the law that endures forever. All that hold fast to Her shall come to life... Walk in the presence of Her light so that you too may be illuminated.")

"Proverbs" ("Seek out Wisdom. Praise Her and proclaim Her. She is not hard to find.")

"Manasseh" ("You, my Lord, are the God of all those who repent -- all (who) seek Your forgiveness... You will save me because of Your great mercy, and I will praise You forever all the days of my life.")

"The Visions of Ezra" ("Freely forgiving all their sins and transgressions, please extend Your limitless love to all who have firmly placed their trust in Your glory.")

SELECTIONS FROM THE ORTHODOX OLD TESTAMENT NEWLY TRANSLATED AND PARAPHRASED BY JOHN HOWARD REID

With the exception of two or three of the above books, no-one seriously questioned their authority until the Reformation in the 16th century. Since the Reformation, many Protestant Christians (though not all) have rejected all these books except "Proverbs and "Psalms" on two grounds: (1) They were not written in Hebrew and therefore did not form part of the Hebrew Bible; and (2) these books were never quoted by New Testament writers because, in the main, they were not accepted as Scriptural.

Over the centuries, the second argument could easily have been disproved simply by consulting any Catholic or Orthodox Bible where a wealth of cross-references detailing both direct quotations and allusions from these so-called "apocryphal" books could be found. However, the lie was finally given to the "no quotes" assertion in 1966 by a line-up of extremely conservative Protestant organizations: American Bible Society, British and Foreign Bible Society, National Bible Society of Scotland, Netherlands Bible Society, and Wurttemberg Bible Society. The Greek New Testament published by these bodies identifies many direct quotations from "apocryphal" books by New Testament writers, from which there can be no doubt that inspired authors like Paul, Matthew, Luke, John, James, Peter, and the authors of Hebrews and Revelations regarded "The Wisdom of Solomon", "Jesus ben Sirach", "The Psalms of Solomon", "The Adventures of Toby", "Baruch", and possibly Greek Ezra and Susanna (both are quoted by Matthew), as Scripture.

In fact, the only New Testament writers who do not make a direct quote from any of the so-called "apocryphal" books are Jude and Mark.

Answering the first argument is more complicated. "Ben Sirach", for example, was most certainly composed in Hebrew. No-one denies this. But one of the problems that faced the Protestant reformers appears to be that no Hebrew text was available to them and they distrusted the Greek translation. There is likewise a fair degree of certainty that "Psalms of Solomon". "Adventures of Toby", "The Visions of Ezra" and the older section of "Baruch" were also written in Hebrew. But as with "Sirach", no reliable Hebrew texts could be found in 16th century Europe.

Mind you, the reformers had good reason to distrust the Greek versions of the Old Testament that were current at the time, since the medieval Greek manuscripts they were using for the New Testament were also somewhat deficient (and light years away from the accurate editions available today). Yet, oddly, this latter fact does not seem to have worried them. They seem to have adopted a policy of "better a New Testament with many accidental errors and occasional editorial/copyist changes and/or intrusions than no New Testament at all!" It's a pity they didn't apply this same "live and let live" policy to the Greek books and chapters of the Old Testament that they decided to exclude.

To read the entire book, please click this link: http://www.lulu.com/filmindex then scroll down, click on the cover of BIBLE WISDOM, and finally click "Preview".

So if heaven is mighty short of rich men, what sort of people does it hold in abundance? Those who value Wisdom obviously (the Bible stresses this quality), those who are generous and kind-hearted (also stressed time and time again), and surely also those who are creative. After all, if there were no writers, there would be no Bible! And there are quite a few references in Psalms to the way God values artists and composers.

The Holy Spirit

I have before me an essay that was entered into a literary contest and sent to me to judge. Titled The Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit, the essay stopped short of its potential. The author's first point struck me as an excellent introduction, namely that "the Holy Spirit was Witness and Teamplayer during Creation as part of the 'Us' when God said, 'Let Us make man in Our own image.' (Genesis 1:26)." But that is where the author's biblical proofs of his contention stopped.

What God is reported as saying in Genesis 1:26 is correct but to me it doesn't prove the existence or presence or power of the Holy Spirit. I always assumed God was employing the royal plural. And why not?

On the other hand, there are stacks of far more unequivocal biblical texts the contestant could have used in addition. In "Wisdom of Solomon" chapter eight, we read that the Holy Spirit "is an initiate in the knowledge of God and an associate in all His works." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 23). Jesus Ben Sirach makes much the same point in chapter one when he tells us that the Lord God Himself poured the Holy Spirit out upon all his works (BIBLE WISDOM, page 64). Baruch is even plainer still. God needed the Holy Spirit "by His side when he prepared the earth for all time... when He created light and darkness." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 89). But in my opinion, the best text of all is in "The Visions of Ezra" when the Lord God says: "At the beginning of the world... I breathed the thought that brought all this into being. I Myself, using My Spirit of Wisdom and no-one else!" (BIBLE WISDOM, page 105).

The contestant's next point is also most pertinent: "The Holy Spirit is the only way holy men of God are enabled to interpret prophecy." True! But this time, no biblical proof at all is offered. Yet the inspired author of "Wisdom" writes in chapter seven: "In every generation, the Holy Spirit passes into holy souls, making them close friends of the Lord God and giving them the ability to reveal His thoughts and designs." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 22). To me, this verse rates as one of the top ten key texts in the whole Bible. Indeed, I would rank it second to "But to those who welcome Him [into their minds and hearts] and who believe in Him, He gives the authorization, the power, the ability to become God's children." (John 1:12). Wow!

But me, I'm greedy. I don't want to remain forever as a child of God. I want to become His special friend, His close friend, The sort of relationship the inspired author of "Wisdom" is thinking of in the above quote, is described in chapter three of Greek Ezra's "The Story of 3 Wise Young Men": "Most important of all, as a reward for his wisdom, the winner will sit at the king's right hand on his throne, be counted as his counselor, and be regarded by one and all as his Special Friend and Kinsman." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 29). We also read in chapter one of "The Adventures of Toby" that the author's nephew actively supported a revolt against the powers of darkness (represented by the evil King Sennacherib) and as a reward, the new king appointed him "Treasurer, Administrator, Chief Cup-bearer and Keeper of the Signet." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 43).

However, the most beautiful description of the special relationship possible between God and man is supplied in chapter eight (verses 51 et seq) of "The Visions of Ezra". [Incidentally, I don't recommend reading this book in any Bible at all. The text has come down to us in a confused and confusing form and not a single one of the official Bible translators, alas, was given any brief to try to separate the original gold from translators' dross, the inspired author's silver from copyists' clay. In the main (although by no means in every instance), I have followed the reconstruction by Nicholas de Lange (based on the pioneering work of other modern editors and commentators) in Apocrypha: Jewish Literature of the Hellenistic Age]. The Lord God is speaking. "Why do you persist, Ezra, in counting yourself amongst the godless?" He asks. "You have not failed. For you, Paradise lies open, the tree of life is planted, and a wonderful eternity of endless joy prepared. For you, the city has been made ready, and there you will dwell with all perfection, continually in My Presence and with My Spirit of Wisdom constantly at your side. From you, evil will flee, sickness be suppressed, death destroyed. All torments of mind, body and soul will leave you and totally unalloyed stores of joyous life will open to you forever." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 108).

Fortunately, my contestant is right on track with his final quote: "How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Jesus asks in Luke 11:13. True! But the essayist could well have continued with a few copious, but wholly pertinent quotes from "Wisdom of Solomon", for example (and to repeat the key verse I've already quoted): "Wisdom is a breath of the power of God, a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty. She is a reflection of His eternal light, a spotless mirror of His soul, an everlasting image of His goodness. She is a Holy Spirit of supreme intelligence... Although She is but one spirit, She is omniscient. She is the same Holy Spirit now and forever... In every generation, She passes into holy souls, making them close friends of the Lord God, and giving them the ability to reveal His thoughts and designs. The Lord God loves no-one more than the man or woman who lives with Wisdom." (BIBLE WISDOM, pages 22 and 23).

God's Purpose

Answers to Age-Old Questions

Why did God create the Universe?

As a habitation or dwelling place for Himself and man. "Lord God, in the beginning of the whole Universe, You created everything simply by Your thought. Your thought became Your word. In the first instance, You said: "Let heaven and earth exist!" and immediately they came into being through the agency of Your Holy Spirit. But both heaven and earth were dark and silent. There was no light at all. No voices. No sound. So then You created a ray of light and commanded it shine forth so that Your works could be seen... You created angels... And finally You made Adam and installed him as ruler of everything You had created [on the earth]. (BIBLE WISDOM, page 106).

"The Lord God rejoiced when He had completed the world. He rejoiced to think that now He would have company. Now He would surround Himself with the children of men." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 85).

Who does God favor?

"All who walk in Truth and Mercy." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 78). "Are you kind-hearted? Then the Lord God loves you and you enjoy instant access to His presence." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 82). People "who find pleasure in meditating on His words, day and night... You will always prosper, whatever the season: Everything you do, will assuredly succeed, for the Lord God watches over the ways of all those who love Him." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 73).

Who is happy?

Whoever loves Wisdom loves life. Those who rise early to greet Her will be filled with happiness." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 71).

How do I find Wisdom?

"I prayed and the Lord God gave me understanding. I called upon God for help and the Spirit of Wisdom came to me." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 20). "Wisdom, ever radiant and unfading, is easily encountered by those who love Her, and readily found by all who seek Her. She hastens to make Herself known to all who desire Her." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 18).

Does God answer prayers?

"The Lord God hears the prayers of all who revere Him... Yes, the Lord God grants the requests of every soul that trusts in Him." (BIBLE WISDOM, page 37).

Charity

St Paul lists the great virtues as Faith, Hope and Charity, of which Charity is the greatest. He doesn't mention Wisdom at all.

In point of fact, Paul mentions Charity only twenty times in the course of his letters. The Holy Spirit of Wisdom, on the other hand [usually abbreviated to the Holy Spirit or the Spirit], receives over a hundred references from Paul. And there are a few occasions in which Paul actually employs "Wisdom". Consider: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all Wisdom, teaching you and counseling [empowering you to counsel] each other, as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with heartfelt gratitude to God." [Colossians 3:16, translating directly from the Greek]. In my opinion, the King James translators got this one right. The RSV and many other translations are wrong. In the Greek, the phrase "in all Wisdom" (with or without the supplied capital) is placed immediately after "richly", NOT after "teaching and admonishing [in the sense of counseling rather than stricture] yourselves [or each other]." It's important to remember that Paul dictated his letters. His grammar is not perfect and sometimes his meaning can be interpreted in different ways. To arrive at the best reading, I try to imagine that I'm Paul, striding around the room impatiently and speaking loudly off the cuff. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all Wisdom." Natural! "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. In all wisdom teaching and admonishing yourselves..." Awkward! Also notice the preposition "in" and not "with". "In the Holy Spirit" not "with the Holy Spirit."

Now consider First Corinthians 2:1-7: "When I [first] came to you, brothers, I didn't come in the guise of an eloquent speaker whose words of wisdom loftily announced the testimony of God. For I resolved to speak of nothing while I was with you except of Yeshua, the Messiah, and [how] He was crucified [for us]. I was weak, fearful and trembling out of sight. My speech and my message were not studded with any wise and persuasive words of my own invention, but were simply a demonstration of the Holy Spirit's power. [I spoke to you in words the Holy Spirit gave to me] so that your faith would not rest on the eloquence of a man but on the power of God. The Holy Spirit of Wisdom has enabled me to speak not only most effectively but perfectly. [For the Holy Spirit is perfect] and His wisdom is not of this age, nor of the leaders of this age. Their supposed wisdom has been brought to naught. I speak of God through the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, a secret Wisdom, a Wisdom that has been hidden but which God ordained for our glory before time began."

"Be charitable and always give generously... If you don't neglect the poor, then God won't neglect you... Charity is a great investment. It wards off death. The Lord God will keep a charitable man alive as long as possible, for he is not only doing God's work, but his whole life becomes an offering that is highly pleasing to the Almighty." (The Adventures of Toby, page 46).

"Just as water extinguishes a blazing fire, so charity wipes out sin... Be a father to the fatherless, a husband by proxy to the widow. Then the Lord God will call you "His son" and love you as His own. He will rescue you from peril and save you from all harm." (Jesus ben Sirach, pages 70 and 71).

"Are you kind-hearted? Then the Lord God loves you and you enjoy instant access to His presence." (Psalm 145, page 82).

One of the most interesting books in the Bible is the mysterious "Visions of Ezra" (called "The Second Book of Esdras" and then abbreviated to "2 Esdras" in both the King James Bible and the Revised Standard Version). This fascinating book presents an interview with God by the prophet Ezra in which He is asked to explain many of the dilemmas that still confront men and women today. For instance, Ezra asks God how and when the end of the world will come about. God answers:

"At the beginning of the world, before the eternal gateways were raised, before the assembled winds blew, before thunder sounded or lightning flashed, before the Garden of Eden was planted and laid out with the most beautiful flowers ever seen, before the natural forces of land and sea were established, before countless armies of angels were numbered, before the sky was set up and its measures named, before Zion, my footstool, was founded, before the years were reckoned and then set in motion, before the imaginations of those who now sin became abhorrent to Me, and before I had set My seal on those who treasure purity, faith and honesty. At that time I breathed the thought that brought all this into being. I Myself, using My Spirit of Wisdom and no-one else. And so too the end will come through Me. Through Me and no-one else."

At this point, the Spirit of Wisdom interrupted. "That is all the Lord God can tell you to-night," She said. "The Almighty has heard you. He has seen the purity and holiness you have shown since youth. He says this: 'Trust in Me, and do not be afraid!' And I would add that it's not wise to give yourself over too easily to fruitless thoughts and unhealthy speculations about the end of the present age, or you may not enjoy an easy time in the age to come!"

So I prayed and fasted for another seven days. On the eighth day, my mind troubled, my soul on fire, I went to the field known as Arpad and, sitting down among the flowers, dared to address the Almighty again: "Lord God, in the beginning of the whole universe, You created everything simply by Your thought. Your thought became Your word. In the first instance, You said: 'Let heaven and earth exist!' and immediately they came into being through the agency of Your Holy Spirit.

"But both heaven and earth were dark and silent. There was no light at all. No voices. No sound. So then You created a ray of light and commanded it shine forth so that Your works could be seen.

"A vast ocean covered the entire earth, so You created angels and ordered one of them to divide the water and cause lands, hills and mountains to rise up from the depths.

"Now you raised your voice for the third time and commanded the water to separate into lakes and oceans. Then You dried out the land and brought part of it into service to be sown and cultivated. As soon as Your word was spoken, the work was done. Countless varieties of sweet-tasting fruits appeared, and flowers of inimitable color, trees and shrubs, all with their own tantalizing fragrances.

"For your fourth work, You created Time, and set the sun, the moon and the constellations in their place. You measured their brightness and arranged the stars. And You commanded them all to serve the man You were about to bring to life.

"Then You commanded the land to be inhabited by numerous animals and birds, and they appeared. And You ordered the dumb, lifeless water to produce fish and other living beings, wonders for all nations to marvel at and admire.

"You set apart two species of the largest animals You had created. One You called Leviathan, the other, Behemoth. You separated them from each other. To Leviathan and his brother whales, You gave the oceans for a home. Behemoth and the other elephants were allocated one of the areas of the dry land to live in, where the thousand mountains are. You created them to serve as food or beasts of burden for whom You wish, when You wish.

"For Your sixth act of creation, You commanded the earth to produce domestic cattle, wild beasts, reptiles, spiders and insects.

"And finally You made Adam, and installed him as ruler of everything You had created.

"Why have I recited all this to You, Lord? Because... if the world was indeed created for us, why can't we take possession of it? How much longer must we wait?"

The Lord God answered: "Imagine a vast, wide, picturesque lake, hemmed in by such high mountains that its only entrance is a fast-flowing, rock-strewn river. If anyone wants to reach the lake and admire its beauty, how can he do so unless he first sails down the river? Or imagine a rich city built on the fertile plain on top of a high mountain. This city’s gates lie open day and night; but they can only be approached by climbing a steep, narrow and extremely perilous path, made almost impassable by trees and shrubbery forever burning fiercely on one side, and a cliff with a sheer drop to deep water on the other. Now suppose a man inherits this mountain-top city. How can he even gain entry to it without continually risking his life to overcome all the dangers?

"... When Adam wilfully disobeyed my orders, what I had made was cursed. This world became like that narrow passage, full of hardship, pain and sorrow, toil and peril. But the entrance to the world to come is wide and safe; and its fruits are immortal. The joys in store..., however, can only be reached by passing through this hard, narrow and difficult life.

"But why, Ezra, are you so concerned with your own mortality?... The kingdom is heaven is at hand."

"Lord God,You have stated in Your Law that the just will inherit the kingdom of heaven, but the ungodly will perish. Therefore the just have good reason to put up with this narrow life. Happy are those who keep Your commandments..."

"Moses once said to the people, "Choose life and you will live." By which he meant My commandments. But the people ignored him... But you have not failed. For you, Paradise lies open, the tree of life is planted, and a wonderful eternity of endless joy prepared. For you, the city has been made ready and there you will dwell with all perfection, continually in My presence and with My Spirit of Wisdom constantly at your side. From you, evil will flee, sickness be suppressed, death destroyed. All torments of mind, body and soul will leave you and totally unalloyed stores of joyous life will open to you forever."

THE ABOVE IS A BRIEF, EDITED EXTRACT FROM "THE VISIONS OF EZRA" AS PRINTED IN THE BOOK, "BIBLE WISDOM FOR MODERN TIMES: SELECTIONS FROM THE ORTHODOX OLD TESTAMENT".

KING JAMES: Wherefore I prayed, and understanding was given me: I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her before sceptres and thrones, and esteemed riches nothing in comparison of her. Neither compared I unto her any precious stone, because all gold in respect of her is as a little sand, and silver shall be counted as clay before her. I loved her above health and beauty, and chose to have her instead of light: for the light that cometh from her never goeth out. All good things together came to me with her, and innumerable riches in her hands. And I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom goeth before them: and I knew not that she was the mother of them. I learned diligently, and do communicate her liberally: i do not hide her riches. For she is a treasure unto men that never faileth: which they that use become the friends of God, being commended for the gifts that come from learning. As such things as are either secret or manifest, them I know. For wisdom which is the worker of all things, taught me. For wisdom is more moving than any motion: she passeth and goeth through all things by reason of her pureness. For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her. For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness. And being but one, she can do all things: and remaining in herself, she maketh all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls, she maketh them friends of God, and prophets. For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of stars; being compared with the light, she is found before it. For after this cometh night: but vice shall not prevail against wisdom. Wisdom reacheth from one end to another mightily: and sweetly doth she order all things. I loved her, and sought her out from my youth, I desired to make her my spouse, and I was a lover of her beauty. In that she is conversant with God, she magnifieth her nobility; yea, the Lord of all things himself loved her. For she is privy to the mysteries of the knowledge of God, and a lover of his works.

REVISED STANDARD VERSION: Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepters and thrones, and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her. Neither did I liken her to any precious gem, because all gold is but a little sand in her sight, and silver will be accounted as clay before her. I loved her more than health or beauty, and I chose to have her rather than light, because her radiance never ceases. All good things came to me along with her, and in her hands uncounted wealth. I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them; but I did not know that she was their mother. I learned without guile and I impart without grudging; I do not hide her wealth, for it is an unfailing treasure for men; those who get it obtain friendship with God, commended for the gifts that come from instruction. I learned both what is secret and what is manifest, for wisdom the fashioner of all things taught me. For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. Though she is but one, she can do all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the man who lives with wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun and excels every constellation of the stars. Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail. She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well. I loved her and sought her from my youth and I desired to take her for my bride, and I became enamored of her beauty. She glorifies her noble birth by living with God, and the Lord of all loves her. For she an initiate in the knowledge of God and an associate in his works.

So I prayed, and the Lord God gave me understanding. I called upon God for help and the Spirit of Wisdom came to me. I esteemed Her far more than scepters and thrones. Compared to Her, I regarded riches as absolutely nothing. Nor did I count priceless gems as worthy of the slightest value, for all the world's gold is but a pinch of sand in Her sight, and even silver ranks as clay. I loved Her more than health and beauty. I preferred Her over and above the sun and the moon, for Her radiance never falters, never ceases.

Everything that is good and wonderful, She freely showers upon those who love Her. I rejoiced in everything She gave me, even though I didn't always recognize She was the mother of all my happiness, all my joys, all my wealth of wisdom and knowledge. But She gradually revealed Herself to me, and thus I learned of all Her favors. So I will not hide Her goodness from you. You too can share in Her boundless wealth, for She is an unfailing treasure for men and women. All who receive Her into their hearts and acknowledge Her as the author of all gifts, immediately obtain the indestructible friendship of God.

Both all that is secret and everything that's common knowledge has been revealed to me. For Wisdom, who created and fashioned every single element in the whole world, taught me. Wisdom is a breath of the power of God, a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty. She is a reflection of His eternal light, a spotless mirror of His soul, an everlasting image of His goodness. Her purity pervades and penetrates everything, yet nothing polluted or defiled gains entrance into Her. Although She is but one Spirit, She is omniscient. She is the same Holy Spirit now and forever. She is never renewed, yet She renews all creation. In every generation, She passes into holy souls, making them close, confidential friends of the Lord God, and giving them the ability to reveal His thoughts and designs.

The Lord God loves no-one more than the man or woman who lives with Wisdom. For Wisdom has more splendor than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars. If you compare Her light to that of the sun, Wisdom's radiance is far superior; for the sun always gives way to the night, but against Wisdom, evil never prevails.

Wisdom reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other. And She orders all things well. Wisdom glorifies Her noble birth by living with God; and the Lord God loves Her. Thus I too became enamored of Her beauty. I loved Her and sought Her from my youth and eagerly desired to take Her for my bride. For She is an initiate in the knowledge of God and an associate in all His works.

Here is the second handbook in my "Bible Wisdom" series. "More Bible Wisdom for Modern Times" is now available both direct from the publisher at http://www.lulu.com/filmindex (you will need to scroll right down to near the bottom of the page), and from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders and other online booksellers. The price of a beautifully printed proof copy from the publisher is $9.50 (plus postage).

The best available texts have been used to translate "Mark's Gospel" into modern English. The picture of Jesus that emerges from the recollections of Simon Peter (as recorded by John Mark) seems far from the usual stained-glass image of the Savior.

Also featured are selections from "The Didache" ("The Teaching") and the so-called "Odes of Solomon" (actually a Christian book of hymns entitled "Odes of Peace"), very probably written by a disciple of St John around the years 100-120. Also included are a couple of characteristic chapters from "The Shepherd of Hermas". All three of these books were regarded by many of the early church fathers as part of the New Testament. In fact, "Didache" and "The Shepherd" were formerly two of the most popular books in the Bible.

To round off "More Bible Wisdom" is a brief excerpt from "The Epistle of Barnabas", plus a selection of sayings and stories by Jesus, culled from a number of sources, but chiefly from the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Here is an extract from "More Bible Wisdom for Modern Times", namely Chapter Two of "Mark's Gospel":

Some time later, when Jesus returned to Simon's house at Capernaum, the word went quickly around that He was back. In no time at all, such a huge crowd gathered at the front door, there was no room to move in the street.

While Jesus stood at the front door, preaching to the crowd, four townsmen came along, carrying a stretcher on which lay a man who was paralyzed. The four men wanted to bring the paralyzed man to Jesus for a cure, but there was no way they could get through the crowd. So the men went to the back of the house, where they clambered up to the roof [using the outside staircase], taking the paralyzed man and his stretcher with them. Then [using a makeshift rope from strips of their garments] the men lowered the paralyzed man on his stretcher down to Jesus.

Shaken by their confidence in Him, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My son, all your sins are forgiven!"

Some priests were standing near-by. They thought to themselves: "Blasphemy! Who does this charlatan think he is? No man can forgive sins; only God Himself."

These thoughts were no secret from Jesus. He could read their minds. So He said to the priests, "Why do you scoff at My words, your sins are forgiven? It's easy for Me to forgive sins. Just as easy as it is for Me to say to this paralyzed man: Stand up and go home! And take that stretcher with you! So to prove to you that I do have the power to forgive sins!" As He said these words, Jesus bent over the paralyzed man. "I order you to stand up!" He shouted. "Take your stretcher and go home!"

To everyone's amazement, the man immediately stood up, took his stretcher under his arm and made a passage through the crowd. As they gave way for him, the people began to praise God. "Never in all our lives have we seen anything like this!" they cried.

When Jesus left Capernaum to go to the Sea of Galilee, the whole crowd followed Him, listening eagerly to His words of wisdom.

As He passed by the customs house, Jesus saw Matthew, the son of Alphaeus, sitting in his office. Everyone, including Simon and Andrew, James and John, hated Matthew. They regarded him as a traitor, because he collected taxes for the Romans. But Jesus said to him, "Follow me!" And straightaway Matthew jumped up from his desk and followed Him.

Some time later, Jesus and His friends were having dinner at Matthew's home. Seated at the table with Jesus were a number of traitorous tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers and other social outcasts, for there were quite a few such people among Jesus' followers.

When they saw Jesus eating a meal with these outcasts, the priests and the Scripture teachers said to Simon and John: "You can judge a man by the company he keeps. You're always saying your Master is such a fine man, yet here we find him eating with traitors and prostitutes!"

Jesus overheard their remarks and answered them: "Healthy people don't need a doctor; only those who are sick! I came to prescribe a remedy not for virtue, but for vice!"

On another occasion, when the disciples of both John, the Baptist, and the Scripture teachers were fasting in accordance with some religious edict, some busybodies came to Jesus and asked Him, "Have you no respect for our holy traditions? The followers of John the Baptist and the Scripture teachers are fasting in accordance with the Law, but yours are not!"

Jesus replied: "Are you suggesting the bridegroom's guests at a wedding feast would even dream of fasting while the bridegroom was still with them? I hope not! Refusing food at a wedding feast while the bridegroom was still present, wouldn't only be absurd, but insulting! But the time will come when the bridegroom must leave them. Then, let them fast!

"And what's more," Jesus continued, "I've given My followers brand new teachings. For them to keep up these old traditions would be like patching an old cloak with a piece of new cloth. The new patch will tear away the old cloth, leaving the cloak worse than before. Similarly, no-one pours new wine into old wine-skins. The new wine will burst the old skins and both will be lost. No! Fresh skins for new wine!"

One Sabbath day, Jesus and His disciples were walking through some corn-fields. Being hungry, they began to pick the ears of corn and eat them as they walked along. When the priests saw this, they were outraged. "Your followers are breaking the Law!" they complained to Jesus. "Our religion expressly forbids the harvesting of grain on the Sabbath day."

Jesus answered: "Harvesting grain on the Sabbath day? You must be mad! Surely you don't call the plucking and eating of a few ears of corn an offense against the Laws of the Sabbath? Have you never read what your great hero David did when he and his men were hungry and they had nothing to eat? It's all written down in the book of Samuel (which you priests pride yourselves on knowing everything about) how David went into the temple (when Ahimelech was High Priest) and ate the consecrated loaves of bread which, according to your Law, only the priests may eat! Yet, because he was hungry, David ate this bread. Not only that, he even gave some to his men! Was this an offense against the Law? Come on, answer Me!"

"And in any event," Jesus continued, "the Sabbath was made for man; not man for the Sabbath. Am I a man? Yes? Then I am master even of the Sabbath!"

Here are the NOTES I have written for "More Bible Wisdom" (extracted from the last few pages of the book) which describe the contents accurately. The only point I would make here is that my discussion of the Greek word, "epiousios", refers to the ridiculous mistranslation, "Give us this day our daily bread", which infests just about all English-language Bibles, despite the fact that St Jerome provided a correct translation way back in the fourth century.

Mark. John Mark was born into a reasonably prosperous family in Jerusalem. He and his widowed mother, Mary, were early converts to Christianity. They knew Peter well. In fact, Peter made his way to Mark's house as soon as he escaped from prison in the year 43 [Acts 12: 12-17]. Two years later, Mark and his cousin, Barnabas, joined Paul on what is known as Paul's "First Missionary Journey". When they reached the city of Perga in Pamphylia, however, Mark had a disagreement with Paul and returned to Jerusalem [Acts 13:13]. As a result, Paul refused to take Mark with him on his second journey in 50. Paul's intransigence displeased Barnabas who sided with his cousin. After exchanging sharp words with Paul, the two cousins sailed for Cyprus [Acts 15:37-39]. Paul and Mark later became reconciled. In 61, we find them together in Rome [Col: 4:10]. Mark may have settled in Rome, for in 64 he is acting as Peter's secretary and interpreter. Peter affectionately calls him his "son" [1 Peter 5:13]. As Mark's natural father had died before the youth reached maturity, a close father-son relation-ship developed between Peter and Mark. When Peter was martyred, Mark left Rome and went to Ephesus, where he was living in 67, when Paul asked Timothy to contact him and bring him back to Rome to help Paul in his ministry. However, Paul himself was martyred a few months later. It is not known for certain whether Mark left Ephesus, but there's little doubt that his gospel was published in Rome a year or two after Paul's death.

Bishop Papias of Hierapolis in the province of Phrygia tells us something about Mark's Gospel in a letter dated around 120 in which he quotes the recollection of an "old man" he identifies as John, the Elder (who signed two New Testament letters and extensively edited and added to The Gospel of John): "When Mark became Peter's interpreter, he wrote down, although by no means in full detail, much of what Peter accurately remembered about the words and works of the Lord. Peter did not intend to give a complete exposition of the Lord's ministry."

The Jesus that emerges from the uncensored and restored Mark (reconstructed from what I consider to be the best Greek texts published in that admirable compendium, The Greek New Testament, edited with scholarly thoroughness by Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Bruce M. Metzger and Allen Wikgren) is quite different from the stained-glass image presented by Matthew, Luke and John. In fact, when they quote from Mark (which they often do), both Matthew and Luke work overtime to change Mark's adjectives, even though they are the impressions of an eye-witness, namely Peter, whose veracity is beyond doubt. After all, Peter is so scrupulously honest, he even presents himself on at least four or five important occasions in a wholly unflattering light. You can't help but have a lot of respect for a man who is so quick to condemn his own failings. My hat's off to him!

As noted in the text, Mark's manuscript ends abruptly. While it is by no means uncommon in Greek literature to end a sentence with a preposition ("for" actually; I have used "of" as an indication), to conclude a whole book that way is unheard of. Two early attempts to supply a conclusion are appended. Some Greek texts use one or the other. Some use both. Most Christian churches (both Catholic and Protestant) regard only a censored version of Appendix Two as authoritative.

The Teaching [Didache]. Some scholars date the first section of the Didache (which I have here translated) as six or seven years before the publication of Mark's Gospel, namely from the year 60. Certainly, it was held as Scripture by many of the early church fathers, but was dropped from the canon around the year 400, even though, in the first section particularly, it incorporates a great deal of canonical material.

Epiousios. Jerome (340-420) correctly translates this word as "super-substantial". Commenting on the similar passage in Matthew 6:11, Jerome writes: "In the Gospel called According to the Hebrews, for 'super-substantial bread' I found mahar, which means 'of the morrow', so the sense is: Our bread of the morrow, that is, of the future, give us this day." That is still wrong, but it certainly makes more sense that the ridiculous mistranslation "daily" which afflicts nearly all English-language Bibles. A notable exception is Good News for Modern Man in which the word is simply ignored and no attempt is made to translate it at all, so that the Lord's Prayer becomes a Puritanical request to "give us today the food we need", instead of the highly generous portion Jesus actually encourages all of us to ask from our most magnanimous Father. [For a famous extract from According to the Hebrews, see #11, page 102].

The Shepherd of Hermas. A brother of Pius I, bishop of Rome, Hermas published this lengthy, rambling, long-winded, repetitious but often novel and insightful apocalypse around the year 150. Many scholars feel that Hermas jotted down the various "revelations" over a considerable period of time, even as many as fifty or sixty years. In any event, almost as soon as The Shepherd made an appearance in Rome, its Greek was translated into Latin (some say by Hermas himself) and the fame of the book spread far and wide. In fact, it proved so extremely popular, it was often regarded as Scripture. In the second and third centuries, The Shepherd actually formed part of the New Testament, following Acts. Curiously, although the book was forgotten in the East soon after the present canon of the New Testament was finally established around the beginning of the fifth century, it remained exceptionally popular in the West and was still being copied and circulated in the Middle Ages.

I personally do not regard the book as inspired, but I include a selection here not only for its novelty, good sense and practicality, but for the reason that at least one of its erroneous ideas is still current in Christian circles. I think it needs to be pointed out to those who hold that God permits only a single act of repentance in a person's lifetime, exactly where this false idea comes from. One of my former pastors, a scrupulously honest and saintly man, tried to live up to this Hermasian ideal of a sinless life that would consistently please and not grieve the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, he had a very short temper and found it difficult to suffer fools gladly. Time and again, I pointed out to him, as he was sunk in depression after one of his periodic outbursts, that Jesus Himself is recorded as losing his patience with fools and lack-wits on more than one occasion. And in any event, the purpose of the Messiah's mission was to reconcile human beings to God despite all our faults, all our sins and our failings. Scripture does not hold that this reconciliation is a once-only event in a person's life, but rather the reverse. After all, even the righteous man will fall seven times and rise again [Proverbs 24:16]. And is God any less forgiving that Jesus advises us to be? Luke 17:3-4: "If your brother wrongs you, reprimand him, and, if he says he is sorry, forgive him. If he wrongs you seven times in one day, and if seven times he returns to you and admits he is sorry for what he did, you must forgive him seven times." To which Matthew adds [18:21-22]: Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven!"

The Epistle of Barnabas. Formerly a highly regarded book, Barnabas occupied a position in the early New Testament immediately after Revelation. Originally written in Latin, the book appeared shortly after 130, and was translated into Greek about 50 years later with a long appendix (chapters 18 to 21) by a different author. Both writers are unknown, but the slighting reference to men who preach the gospel, would not likely endear Barnabas to the priestly establishment.

Fully restored and reconstructed, here for the first time in 1900 years is the GOOD NEWS as John, "the Beloved Disciple", originally wrote it. Complete with its beautiful original Foreword and equally moving Afterword, this GOOD NEWS has been freshly translated into modern English.

1. The original gospel of the Beloved Disciple is clearly identified, as are the various contributions by John, the Elder. An effort has been made to put the narrative in order, and yet at the same time incorporate all the many misplaced passages, including the original Foreword and Afterword.

2. Also identified and newly translated are the two traditional, short additions to the gospel, namely a postscript by John's disciples and an account of the woman taken in adultery, which has actually been extracted from "The Gospel According to the Hebrews".

3. The three letters by John, the Elder, incorrectly attributed to John, the Apostle, in some Bibles, are also included.

4. Also newly translated for this book, is the letter known as 1 Peter, which was certainly authorized by Peter, but which he himself plainly states was written "through Silvanus, the faithful brother [in Christ]."

5. For the first time in 1500 years, all the many quotations from Scripture have been restored to the Septuagint versions actually quoted by all the New Testament writers. In some instances, these quotations differ markedly from those traditionally printed. These traditional quotes are all incorrectly drawn from the Hebrew Bible, which was NOT the Bible used by any of the New Testament's authors. I estimate that copyists commenced to make these changes around 500 A.D. and that this desire to make the New Testament writers conform to the Hebrew Old Testament rather than the Greek Septuagint, persisted throughout the Middle Ages. While many clergymen and theologians may consider these endeavors praiseworthy, none will deny that these many changes have the effect of altering the actual words written down by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and company. In my opinion, to deliberately change their words is to either deny the Holy Spirit as the ultimate source of their inspiration or to regard the Holy Spirit's contribution as somewhat defective.

GOOD NEWS is now on sale at all good bookstores. A direct link to Amazon is provided below for your convenience. GOOD NEWS is also available direct from the publisher at http://www.lulu.com/filmindex for $9.50.