BIBLE-TALK A Christian Magazine (ALL Rights Reserved) Issue-4. (Featuring Children Gospel Singers) 10/21/2014 Joan Shortridge
Bible-Talk Joan Jessee Shortridge Copyrighted 2014: All Rights Reserved
Introduction: This magazine deals with Christianity, the Bible, and is a place for Christians to sell or advertize their works or events free, for as long as my own space remains free. To enter your ad or work, please email it to me at: rethatrohs@yahoo.com However, I can’t be responsible if someone steals, reproduces or uses it in any way. I will try to add it to my files and upload it when I do my own material. Each monthly issue will have the same outline, but hopefully different material and information.
A. Bible History-How we Got the Bible B. Biblical Facts C. Articles relating to the Bible (Featuring Kim, Greg, and Emily King, children gospel singers-Oct. issue) D. Children’s poems or stories E. Events or announcements F. Ads
A. Bible Talk-How we got the Bible (This issue gives a combination of Issue One and Two of How we Got the Bible for you to keep.) Contrary to what some folks may think, the bible did not fall out of the sky. It was a process. The Torah was given by God to Moses, a prophet, on stone, but the actual bible as we have today is a compilation of many holy writers over a long period of time that was canonized in later years by scribes. This magazine gives background on the bible, its books, and the people during the time period that it was written or canonized. The rest of this article is written in short sentences that give interesting facts about how we got the bible. The Catholic Study Bible (New American Bible) and The Holy Bible KJV were used as the main sources for this magazine. I am not Catholic, but admire their honesty in their study bible.
1. The biblical writers used three languages; Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. 2. Most of the Old Testament books were written in Hebrew. (At least 46 books) Some of Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezra were written in Aramaic.
3. The Old Testament spans nearly two thousand years of history from Abraham (1800 B.C.) to Maccabean Wars. (140 B.C.) Some writings and traditions began in 1000 B.C.
4. All 27 of the New Testament books were written in Greek. 5. Judaism chose books for its canon at the end of the first century A. D. but their basis books were already being used in their liturgies.
6. Judaism recognizes 39 books divided into three categories. A. the Law, (Pentateuch) it includes: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy B. The Prophets, C. The Writings.
7. Moses is presumed to be the author of the Pentateuch. As well as being the founder of the Israelite faith as written in the bible.
8. The Pentateuch has many traditions, laws, stories, and hymns that were added in by later generations.
9. It was finished by Ezra, who declared it sacred and refused to allow any other additions to it. These traditions were from earlier memories and fragments, though.
10.The Torah was written by three sources: The Yahwist, the Elohist, and the Deuteronmist.
11.The bible did not fall out of the sky nor was it dropped off by some angel. Many different books and thoughts were put on paper way after the facts, as the traditions were handed down.
12. For the New Testament, early church fathers read the many books, and chose the ones they thought told a true history of the life of Jesus and his apostles. There were other writings and books being read and held as sacred near the same time as these were.
13.The Old Testament has some contradictions in it, but it is probably due to the errors of scribes who copied it over the centuries. Most of these relate to writers using different names for the same people. This is typical of life, since we may know someone with two names and some people call that person by one of his names, but another uses the other name. Both are speaking about the same person.
14. The Pentateuch is called the Torah by the Jews. The books include: The law (Torah) these are: Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; and Deuteronomy. (Later Prophets): Isaiah; Jeremiah; Ezekiel; the Book of the Twelve. (The Prophets): Joshua; Judges; I Samuel; II Samuel; I Kings; II Kings. (The Writings or Wisdom Books): Psalms; Job; Proverbs; Ruth; Song of Songs; Ecclesiastes; Lamentations; Esther; Daniel; Ezra-Nehemiah; I Chronicles; II Chronicles.
15.Catholics include seven more books under the Writings and call them “Deuterocanonical.� These were written in Greek instead of Hebrew. These include: Tobit; Judith; Wisdom of Solomon; Ecclesiasticus; Baruch; and 1 and 2 Maccabees. In the New Testament, the writers slightly differ in details, but this is what would happen if several people wrote what they remembered as having happened years earlier. The bible is the best history of man that I have read, however no history is perfect, but the Word is perfect. It is believed that Genesis came from two sources: the J (Yahwist) and P (Priestly) Sources. J stories are older than the P ones.
16.There are other records of the creation that are not in the bible. These are similar to the bible. My thinking about them is this: There was one truth of creation. These myths were started after the nations were scattered during the tower of Babel or when first families like Cain left the place near Eden. They made their own towns or cities, and told their own story of creation, keeping some of the truth, but adding other things to be different than their neighbors. As time went on everyone just believed that was the way it really happened. These myths are: The Myth of Baal (chief god of Ugarit); The Myth of Etana; The Myth of Adapa; Gilgamesh; and Eekiel 28, 11-19. All are older than Genesis and have similar words.
17.The Myth of Baal: He is the father of gods and rules heaven and earth from the source of two rivers. (Catholic Study Bible)Other myths of Baal make him the son of El, chief god of the Canaanites. Some Hebrews worshipped local gods called Baal and their children names that ended in Baal such as Ishbaal, the son of Saul. In later text it was changed to Ishbosheth. As Baal became less popular the Hebrews called Satan Baalzebub like the god of Beelzebub, the Philistine god of Ekron. (Myths Encyclopedia-ar-be)
18.The Myth of Etana: An eagle eats the young of a serpent. This serpent and the gods capture the eagle and hold him in a pit. Etana is childish and desires to eat the plant of birth, so the sun god promises to help him do so. (Catholic Study Bible) The encyclopedia says Etana was a Sumerian king of the city of Kish who reigned after the flood, and who also went to heaven and consolidated all of the foreign countries.
19.(I think that he was indeed a king of Sumerian, and after he died, the people made his memory into a god. In fact, I think this is how all of the false gods got started.)
20.The Myth of Adapa: Adapa, the first man is a fisherman. The south wind hinders his fishing so he breaks its wings. The gods are angry over this and summon him to heaven. He is warned not to accept the god Anu’s offer of the bread and water of life when he gets there. He is told that it is really the bread and water of death. So Adapa listens and refuses the bread and water, which turns out to be the real bread and water of life. So, he loses the chance for immortality for all humans.
21.The Myth of Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh searches for the gift of immortality. Gilgamesh and his friend cut down the sacred trees in the forest of the gods. Gilgamesh is given another chance for immortality if he can hold on to the plant of rejuvenation, but he loses the plant to a serpent. He remains a mortal.
22.Now, let’s go on with How we Got the Bible: Exodus continues where Genesis leaves off. Scholars go by Egypt to date it. Who were the kings of Egypt at this time and what was going on there? If Joseph traditions are associated the Hyksos Invasion of Egypt, then the date would be around 1270 B.C. If the temple was built around 900 B. C. then it would happen in 1440. Most scholars chose the Joseph traditions and think Ramesses II was the pharaoh of Egypt at this time. Scrolls.
23.Most of Leviticus is believed to come from the priestly (P) source. It depends on a combination of laws and narrative.
24.Numbers got its name from the census taken of the Hebrew people in the following year, after Moses led them from Egypt. Numbers is placed as happening between Exodus and Leviticus. It depends of Leviticus and is a combination of laws and narratives.
25.Deuteronomy means “the second law.” It is the repletion of the law that was proclaimed on Mount Sinai. The events of this book took place in the plains of Moab between the end of their wanderings in the desert and their crossing over the Jordan River. Deuteronomy is believed to be written around the seventh century B.C., instead of during the time of Moses. Josiah’s law book was found in 622 B.C. just at the time he was already preaching for reform. Many of its ideas were like the northern kingdom of Israel which was destroyed in 722 B.C. nearly a hundred years earlier. Deuteronomy is believed to be written around the seventh century B.C., instead of during the time of Moses. Josiah’s law book was found in 622 B.C. just at the time he was already preaching for reform. Many of its ideas were like the northern kingdom of Israel which was destroyed in 722 B.C. nearly a hundred years earlier.
26.Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings are Deuteronomistic History books. These all continue the story of Genesis and ends in 2 Kings. These were put together and edited subsequent to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. These were already in the form of traditions before this, though. It was probably in written form during the rule of Josiah, king of Judah. (d. 609 B.C.) Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings are Deuteronomistic History books. These all continue the story of Genesis and ends in 2 Kings. These were put together and edited subsequent to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. These were already in the form of traditions before this, though. It was probably in written form during the rule of Josiah, king of Judah. (d. 609 B.C.)
27.The Book of Joshua was composed from sagas, or stories that were already in existence 28.The Book of Judges came from unrelated stories concerned with actions of local heroes. These were collected and put in the context of Holy War, meaning God fought for and with the heroes. The Deuteronomistic writers weave a repetitive framework of Judges from these stories. The Book of Judges got its name from the heroes in its stories because these men ruled Israel.
29.The Book of Ruth is an artistically tell tale of a woman of the common people. It is believed that it was about a real person and contained truth. The Books of 1 and 2 Samuel tells about Samuel, Saul, and David. These are told from collected stories.
1 and 2 Kings gives the history from the time of Solomon through the destruction of both the northern and southern kingdoms (961B.C.-561 B.C.). The books were edited and reedited before reaching their final form.
30.The Books of Kings were histories from the birth of Samuel to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.
31.The Books of Chronicles recorded history from the reign of Saul to the return from exile. 32.The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Chronicles gave insight into the community Jewish life during the restoration, after they return from the exile.
33.The two Books of Samuel are basically a history about Samuel, Saul, and David. 34.The Book of Isaiah The Book of Job was about a man named Job, a ruler from the land of UZ, who was pious and righteous.
35.Psalms is by different authors. Some are pre-exile (before 587) but others are post-exile (after 539) Seventy-three are attributed to King David.
36.The Book of Proverbs is an anthology of didactic poetry once known as the Book of Wisdom in the Roman Missal and called “Wisdom” by early Christians.
37.
The Book of Sirach (Ecclesiaticus) was written by a sage in Jerusalem named Jesus, son of Eleazar, who was the son of Sirach. It was written in Hebrew between 200 and 275 B.C. (1-39) was chiefly composed by Isaiah and some disciples (24-27, 23-24, and 34-35) who came years after him. Some, called the Deutero-Isaiah were attributed to an anonymous poet in the end of the Babylonian exile. Others (56-66) were contributed from a later period by disciples.
38.The Book of Jeremiah was written by Jeremiah who was born in 650 B. C. His father was a priest from Anathoth, near Jerusalem and during the time of Josiah’s rule.
39.The Book of Baruch was written partly by Baruch and partly by a later pious Jew during the Babylon captivity.
40.The Book of Ezekiel was written by him in Babylon during his captivity. He predicted that Jerusalem will again be destroyed. It was destroyed in 587 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar.
41.The Book of Daniel was by an unknown author about a hero, Daniel, around 167-164 B.C. when a great persecution was happening by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
42.The Book of Hosea by Hosea says he began his prophecy in (786-746) during the rule of Jeroboam II. Hosea was from the Northern tribe. His wife, Gomer, was an adulterous.
43.The Book of Joel was completed in 400 B.C. during a powerful locust’s invasion of Judah. 44.The Book of Amos was by Amos, a Sheppard of Tekoa, in Judah in 786-746 B. C. He talks against the prosperous northern kingdom.
45.The Book of Obadiah was by an unknown author in the fifth century B.C. and was against Edom. (Edomites)
46.The Book of Jonah was in the fifth century (post-exile period.) 47.The Book of Nahum was written just before Nineveh fell in 612 B.C. 48.The Book of Malachi is by an anonymous writer before Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in 455 B. C. He spoke against the priest and rulers.
49.Some churches include other books besides these. They are: Tobit, Judith, 1&2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiastics, Baruch, and some additions to Daniel and Esther.
50.Tobit was a story about a Jew from Northern Israel who was transported to Nineveh in 721 B.C.
51.Judith was written to relate God’s deliverance through a woman. It was written in the late first century or the end of the second century B.C. by an unknown author.
52.There are four books of the Maccabees. The two Books of Maccabees are by independent authors in the second century B.C. The first book was probably written by an unknown Jew around 100 B.C. No church accepts the fourth book as inspired. None of them are in the Hebrew or Protestant bibles. The first two books are part of the Roman Catholic bible. The third one is included in Eastern Christianity.
53.1 Chronicles is part of a larger work which includes Chronicles, Nehemiah, and Ezra. These tell the history from Adam to the restoration of the Jerusalem temple. (The restoration lasted from 587 to 539B.C.) In Christian bibles the last chapter of the Old Testament is Malachi, but in the Jewish bible it is 2nd Chronicles. 1 Chronicles tells the story from the accession of Solomon the time David becomes king. It is taken from stories also.
54.Ezra and Nehemiah are narrative accounts of the post-exile period. Originally these were in one book, and the Jews still don’t have its own title in the Jewish books. Most of the
book is in Hebrew but 4, 7-6, 18 are in Aramaic because the author cites a few Persian documents relating to the restoration of Judah and Aramaic was the common language. It was the language of the common people until Arabic replaced it in the seventh century A. D. Aramaic was the language in which Jesus conversed with the people. In the twentieth century the Hebrew language was reborn and became the language of the common people. However, the Book of Nehemiah is the words of Nehemiah himself.
55.The Book of Judith is not a historical work. It is just a book that tells how God rescues Israel by the hand of a woman, Judith. The name is probably not a real proper name but instead represents all women.
56.Esther has some editions that were in the Greek version which aren’t in the Hebrew version. Catholics accept all editions, but the Protestant church doesn’t. These were debated in the Catholic Church until the Council of Trent where they were voted to be included. The Feast of Purim began because of Israel being delivered through the obedience of Judith. This feast is not mentioned in the bible except Mordecal’s Day is spoken of in 2 Mc. 15, 36. Some question which came first in reality, the feast day or the event.
57.1 Maccabees (Not in the Protestant Bibles) Maccabees means “hammer” and was a nickname given to Judas, a leader in the Jewish revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes (165161 B.C.) of the Seleucid dynasty. After this victorious revolt the Maccabees ruled as a independent nation of Judah from 135 to 67 B.C. There are four books of which none are in the Protestant or Jewish bibles. Catholics include two of the four, while also third Maccabees have status in Eastern Christianity. None of these accepts the fourth book. The first three books are narratives that give real history. Alexander wanted to take the best of Greece and the near Eastern countries and put them together, but he died before he accomplished this. After his death some Jews resisted hellenization (Greek way of life) but others accepted it. After Alexander’s death the Mesopotamian empire fell to one of his generals, Seleucus. The Ptolemies and Seleucids fought over Judah and Israel until it fell to the Seleucids in 200 B.C. Jews were allowed to practice their religion for awhile until Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes took over the government because of divisions in the Jewish community. He sided with the hellenizers and forbade the other Jews to practice their religion. Hanukkah, the Feast of the Dedication begun during the rule of Maccabee. It represented the rededication of the Second Temple during the Maccabean revolt. Antiochus polluted the altar of the temple. Some think this was the horrible abomination of Daniel 9:27. Josephus calls this festival “the feast of lights.” It might be interesting to note that Maccabee ordered prayers and sacrifices for those who died in battle. In 2 Maccabees, Judas Maccabee dreams that Jeremiah is praying for the Jews and
Jerusalem. Catholics sometimes use this to support the intercession of the saints in human life.
58.The Wisdom books include: Job, Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; The Song of Songs; Wisdom; and Sirach.
59.Job is dated by some to be during the seventh century B.C. but others choose the postexilic dating (sixth-fifth century B.C.) It definitely appears before the third century when “Satan” appears as a proper name.
60.Psalms or the Psalter is a collection of books which end with a hymn of praise. Our present Psalms was composed of earlier collections. Several psalms are attributed to David, especially in the first book of psalms. Several psalms in the second and third books are ascribed to two guilds of temple singers, Korah and Asaph, during the time of the Second Temple. The fifth book is made of the Hallelujah collection. The name of God is different in the books. Yahweh is used in the first, fourth, and the fifth collections. The name Elohim is used in the second and third books. Scholars think that Elohim was substituted by a post exilic editor in order to show reverence to the name Yahweh by avoiding saying it. There are three categories of psalms. They are: hymns; laments; and thanksgivings. Several psalms are Royal Psalms which pertain to the King or anointed one. Christian traditions apply these to Jesus. Wisdom Poems were used during liturgical celebrations. Some psalms were used during a pilgrimage or around Jerusalem and the temple. Others were after the style of prophetic speech. Still others give historical recounting of the feats of God. The New Testament quotes several of the psalms. They are; 2; 22; 69; 110; and 118.
61.The Proverbs is largely attributed to Solomon, but some scholars think some of them were compiled during the time of Hezekiah’s reforms and Solomon’s name put on them to give them more authority.
62.The Song of Songs is a collection of love poems and never even mentions God nor has any theology. Most are attributed to Solomon, but there is no way to know if he did write them. Some think that the two lovers in the poems are some bride and groom, but others think they are two lovers like others that existed in ancient Egypt. Others interpret these allegorically, saying it is Jesus talking to his bride of God talking to Israel. Still others say it was originally a liturgical reenactment of a drama that takes place in nature each spring, or the reinterpretation of Canaanite cultic practices. Origen of Christianity said it is a wedding poem between Solomon and one of his brides. A large group of Alexandrian Jews
translated its original religious traditions from Hebrew into Greek. These were Hellenized Jews. This Greek version was popular during the first century of the Christian era.
63.The Wisdom Book claimed Solomon as the writer of it. It did have its origin in a Jewish community of Alexandria. The author knew well the history of the Exodus. He was also well versed in Hellenistic philosophy and science. Scholars date this book during the first century B.C. The book originated in Greek but is a Jewish work, using Midrash rather than allegory. The author used the style of Greek culture to demonstrate the excellence of the Jewish faith.
64.Sirach was written sometime after 32 B.C. and says its translator is the grandson of the Ben Sira. He translated his grandfather’s teachings. Ben Sira seemed to be more like the Sadducees than the Pharisees, meaning he didn’t believe in the resurrection from the dead. The Pharisees rejected his work as canonical. A scroll of Sirach was discovered at Qumran, showing some Jewish groups used it. Some church theologians such as Cyprian (third century) and Jerome (fourth century A.D.) attest to Christian use of the book. Catholics use parts of it as lectionary readings.
65.The main prophetic book of the Old Testament seems to be Isaiah. The name means, “The Lord saves.” It carries a tradition across three periods of Israel’s history. These are: the reigns of Kings Ahaz and Hezekiah to preserve the Davidic dynasty and the holy city Jerusalem (735-687 B. C.); the destruction of the dynasty and exile, (589-687 B.C.); and the endeavor to sustain hope during the early postexilic age (537-500 B. C.)First Isaiah names the Davidic kings of Jerusalem and counts Assyria as the major threat to their nation. Second Isaiah considers Jerusalem as a religious symbol and never mentions political details, but speaks about Persian Cyrus and the Babylonians. Third Isaiah seldom mentions local or international politics. The editor who put all these together kept unity within them. The book includes salvation for the Gentile nations. Isaiah preached between 740 and 687 B.C. but Jerusalem and the Davidic kings rejected his reforming ideas. King Ahaz betrayed the nation to save the throne; Judah was a vassal of Assyria; King Hezekiah (715-687 B.C.) revolted against Assyria, contrary to Isaiah’s advice. His disciples span the collapse of Assyria in 612 B.C. the Babylonian empire (612-539 B. C.) and the emergence of the Persian Empire. Cyrus the Great of this empire allowed the exiled people to return to their home lands in 537 B.C. Within the next seventy-five years the book of Isaiah took shape (535-460). First Isaiah was married to a prophetess and they had two sons, Shearjashub and Mather shala hash baz. They most likely lived in the city. Second Isaiah favored the wilderness instead of the Jerusalem Temple and gave hints of universal salvation. He preached of mountains falling and valleys being lifted up. Third Isaiah liked the role of the
Jerusalem Temple and opened its doors to the world. Messianic, an English word derived from the Hebrew word, meshiah, the anointed one, applies only to kings; later to priests, who were anointed with oil; and only at the end of the Old Testament in the Dead Sea Scrolls and New Testament, was it applied to Gods mediators in the salvation of Israel. (Page 301 of the Catholic Study Bible) The word, “virgin” can translate the Hebrew almah, even if the latter has a more generic sense of a young woman of marriageable age.
66.The Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew and Western Christianity, their book is longer than the Greek version. The book had long stages of development. Chapters 1-6 were during the reign of King Josiah. (640-609 B.C.) Chapters 7-20 took place during the rule of Jehoiakim (609-597) Chapters 21-33 took place in the reign of Zedekiah (597-587 B.C.) (Chap. 30, 33 are from an earlier time.) Chapters 34-45 are during the fall and last days of Jerusalem. (587-583 B.C.) Chapters 46-51 give the oracles against the Nations. Chapter 52 is a historical appendix. Some of Jeremiah is from his own sermons. Two long sections, Chapters 26-29; 34-45 are attributed to his secretary, Baruch. The first record of Jeremiah’s preaching is dated December, 604 B.C. However, a year earlier he dictated a scroll, but King Jehoiakim burned it column by column. His book was first assembled in Egypt where he died. The book in Hebrew was lost and survived only in Greek.
67.Lamentations is a book written by an eye-witness to the fall of Jerusalem. It contains very interesting poetic words from someone who actually lived through the fall of a great city. If you can find and read the book, you may be able to put yourself in his shoes on how you might feel if your city or country was just completely destroyed, and one day it may be. According to him, some women boiled and ate their own children. How horrible. May the United States never come to this because of her many sins?
68.The Book of Baruch was written by the secretary to Jeremiah. The earliest form was in Greek, but is also in Hebrew. The book gives prayers of those in exile and captive by Babylon. He warns the Jews not to worship the false statues and idols. He speaks of women bringing the offerings to them; and of shaven men with their heads uncovered wailing to these un-gods.
69.Ezekiel’s ministry extended from July 593 B.C. to April 571 B.C. After this his disciples and editors further adapted prophesy to bring it up to date with later political changes in the world. When his book opens he is already in exile in a place called Tel Abib on the banks of the river Chebar, a canal running south from the capital city of Babylon. Ezekiel was married and born of a priestly family.
70.The Minor Prophets include the Book of Daniel. It has three parts: Chapters 1-6 consists of stories of Daniel and his three companions as heroes. Chapters 7-12 are made up of revelations told by Daniel in the first person. Chapters 13-14 have short stories not found in the Hebrew text. The first chapters are the oldest and composed during the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria in 168-64 B.C. The additions were put in probably before the beginning of the Christian era. The stories in the first six chapters are fictional, even though they mention historical names and places. Belshazar is presented as king of Babylon and son of Nebuchadnezzar but in reality, he was the son of Nabonidus a later king and he served as deputy ruler in Babylon, but was never king. The fiery furnace story and the lion’s den story, according to the Catholic Study Bible, are not realistic stories but, rather are told to portray a message. The Jewish apocalypses are written by pseudonymous writers, that is, the real authors wrote under the names of famous people to give their words more authority. The Catholic Bible also states that these predictions were written after they had occurred, and done so to make people believe that they were God’s work because they were so accurate. Christians today consider these works as deceptive and do not write like this today.
71.The Twelve Minor Prophets’ Books span over 300 years. Amos, Hosea, and Micah, was active in the eight century B.C. Hosea was a northern prophet, while Micah was southern. Amos was southern but prophesied in the north.
72.Zephaniah is dated during the time of King Josiah (640-609 B.C.) Nahum told of the fall of Nineveh in 612 B. C., and Habakkuk prophesied when the Babylonians were advancing westward (805-597 B. C.)
73.Haggai and Zechariah helped build the Jerusalem Temple in 520 B.C. so only 1-8 of The Book of Zechariah can be his actual work.
74.Joel, Jonah, Obadiah and Malachi, and the latter part of Zechariah are of the postexillic period. Malachi may have been written the fifth century B.C. Jonah and the second part of Zechariah was possibly as early as the fifth century or as late as 330 B.C. Most of these are short poetic oracles, but Jonah is a short story.
75.Hosea began his career around 750 B.C. He was married to Gomer, an adulterous. 76.Joel was written around 400 B.C. 77.Amos came from the village of Tekoa in the northern kingdom of Judah.. His oracles were transmitted orally and collected in book form much later.
78.The Book of Obadiah is the shortest prophecy in the Old Testament. Nothing is known of the author except that his prophecy is against Edom and written probably in the fifth century B.C. Edom was the home for the Edomites (Esau).
79.The Book of Jonah was probably written in the fifth century B.C. The Catholic Study Bible doesn’t think that Jonah being swallowed by a whale was actually a true story in any sense. (However, I do think it was about a real person and a real whale, and if not a whale, something equally as terrifying created by God, solely for the purpose to teach Jonah a lesson. If this wasn’t real, how can we be sure that any other biblical miracle was real, including the virgin birth and Jesus walking on water? These seem as unrealistic as Jonah’s whale.)
80.The Book of Micah was written before or during the time of Hezekiah’s reform, because Hezekiah was impressed by his preaching and did a reform over it. Micah came from a village of Moresheth in the foothills.
81.The oracles of Nahum deal with the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. 82.The prophecy of the Book of Habakkuk is from the years 605-597 and in between Babylonian victory at Carchemish and Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Judah. This culminated in the capture of Jerusalem.
83.Zephaniah prophesied earlier than Nahum and Habakkuk in the reign of Josiah (640-609). It came also right before the work of Jeremiah because he seemed to be influenced by this work.
84.Haggai was in the year 520 B.C. two decades after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile. It was also in the second year of Darius (520 B. C.). Samaritans had stopped the building of the temple, but when Darius came to power, he allowed it to continue, and much of Haggai’s message is to encourage there-building of the temple.
85.Zechariah’s Book of prophecy was in 520 B.C. in the same year that Haggai received his prophetic call. The book was written by more than one unknown author. It was written to encourage those who were re-building the temple, especially Joshua and Zerubbabel.
86.The Book of Malachi was written before Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem (455 B.C.). The name Malachi was not the author’s real name but was made from the Hebrew expression “My Messenger.”The author gives a picture of life in Jerusalem between the times of Haggai and the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah.
87.Conclusion: Moses wrote the first five books of the law, gave them to the Levite priest to safe-guard. The first section of Psalms (1-72) was probably written by David and sang in the temple services. The others were composed by different people. Ezra and his assembly of holy men canonized the Old Testament. That is, they chose, from all of those circulating around, the ones that finally became the Old Testament. Many of the books were canonized again by the Men of Hezekiah. Some believe that Isaiah had a hand in canonizing the bible, as well as Daniel, Josiah, Jeremiah, and Ezra, who edited most of it.
88.All Christians use at least 27 books of the New Testament. Roman Catholic and Orthodox use 46 Old Testament books and the Orthodox uses some extra ones. Protestants and Judaism use 39 books. From a Roman Catholic perspective, George J. Reid (Catholic Encyclopedia) provides a useful summary. The idea that a complete or clear cut canon of the New Testament existed from apostolic times has no foundation in history. The New Testament Canon, and the Old, is the result of a development stimulated by disputes both within and without the Church, and which did not reach its final term [in Roman Catholic circles] until the dogmatic definition of the [Tridentate Council 13 December, 1545.]
89.Early Christians used an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. It had 46 books.
90.Some Protestants use the seven “Apocryphal” books in a special section of their bibles. 91.The New American Bible uses the” “Deuterocanonical” books in their Old Testament Canon.
92.The New Testament began with oral traditions. These traditions were gradually written down by the evangelist. Q Source is a collection of the sayings of Jesus.
93.Some scholars think Mathew and Luke read Mark’s gospel and the Q source, and used these to write his own.
94.Paul’s letters, along with some others, were written down almost immediately and are the earliest of the New Testament.
95.The Letter to the Thessalonians was written by Paul in A.D. 50 or 51. Some scholars think The Second Letter to the Thessalonians is a “pseudepigraph” (written in Paul’s name to give it more authority. Anyway, it was written after the First Letter to the Thessalonians.)
96.His first letter to the Corinthians was written from Corinth in 51 A.D.
97.Paul’s Letter to the Galatians was written from Ephesus to Celts who had invaded Western and Central Asia. Some say it was Paul who wrote it, but others disagree, thinking it to have been his secretary who wrote it or a later disciple.
98.The Second Corinthians was written by Paul in 54 A.D. or 55 A.D. A.D. 57.Acts was written by Luke, a physician.
99. Paul wrote Romans, along with his other letters, from Corinth in Greece-(56-58 A.D.) 100. Some think he wrote The Letter to the Colossians while in a Roman prison or one in Caesares or Ephesus.
101. Paul’s First Letter to Timothy was probably written by the Pauline School and is earlier than the second letter.
102. Paul’s Letter to Timothy was written from Macedonia in A.D. 63-67. Scholars disagree on whether it is Paul’s writing. Some say it is the work of a later complier from traditions of Paul.
103. Paul’s Letter to Crete was written to people on the island of Crete, a place that Paul had not been to. Titus was to a gentile audience and written after First Timothy, but before The Second Timothy.
104. Hebrews was probably written before 70 A.D. 105. Mark was written in A.D. 70 Tradition gives (John)Mark as the author of Mark, written before 70 A.D. but some scholars say the true author is an unknown Hellenistic Jewish Christian, perhaps from Syria. He was a cousin to Barnabas. His audience was mostly gentiles. Papias who lived around 135 A.D. was an early church father. He said that Mark was Peter’s interrupter. Other scholars believe it to be written by Mark himself.
106. Mathew was written in 80-90 A.D. by an unknown author, but some scholars say that it was not written by the apostle, Mathew; yet other affirm that it was. Anyway, the author got his material from Mark and Luke. It was called the “Q” source. He probably wrote from Antioch, the capitol of a Roman Province in Syria, a city of both Gentiles and Jews, but predominant Gentile Christian Jews.
107. John was written in 90-100 A.D either from Ephesus or Syria (Antioch) or Alexandria. Tradition gives John, the son of Zebedee, as the author, although some modern scholars disagree with this because of the lack of evidence to support it.
108. Acts was written by Luke, a physician. Luke also wrote The Book of Luke. He was a Syrian from Antioch, and was mentioned in the bible. He used mostly Mark’s gospel and was not a first generation Christian. He knew about the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, so his work is dated by scholars in 80-90 A.D.
109. James was written in Greek and was most likely written by a Hellenistic writer or James of Jerusalem. Some scholars assign James to A.D. 90-100.
110. The First and a Second Letters of John was probably written at the end of the first century by John the apostle or the Johannie group.
111. The Letter of Jude was possibly written by a relative of Jesus. It is believed that Jude quoted from two apocryphal Jewish works: The Assumption of Moses and the Book of Enoch. Others say Jude was written in 80 A.D, but earlier than Second Peter. This Jude is believed to mean a relative of Jesus of Hellenistic culture. The two Books of Peter are believed to be by unknown authors using Peter’s name, although early Christians believed them to be Peter’s while he was in Rome. Others say he was never in Rome.
112. Many modern scholars believe that First Peter was written by a cultivated Greek who alluded to the Greek Septuagint. Others say it was written by Peter’s secretary, Silvanus.
113. Some scholars think the Second Peter was a pseudonymous work who spoke for the dead to give his writing more esteem. He quoted Paul’s letters and Jude’s. He was probably a Christian Jew. Others say it was Peter’s work or his secretary’s work.
114. First John writing was probably by the real apostle John and done in the end of the first century, but Second John was most likely from one of his disciples at Ephesus during the end of the first century.
115. Revelation, in its present form, is believed to have been written at the end of the reign of Domitian (81-96 A.D.) Domitian was a persecutor of Christians.
116. All of the New Testament is believed by Christians to be the inspired word of Jesus and given by holy men who had a special connection to God.
117. Jesus was believed to have been crucified in 30 A.D. 118. Tradition believes that Peter and Paul were killed in Rome during the persecution of Nero around 67 A.D. Paul was beheaded, while Peter was crucified upside down. He did not wish to be crucified in the same way as Jesus was because he felt unworthy. Others say that Peter was never in Rome.
119. The apostle John was boiled alive. 120. There is no original manuscript of any biblical book. 121. The earliest written manuscript is the Dead Sea Scrolls, from the first century and found in 1948.
122. Fragments of materials of the Old Testament and the New Testament were on parchment from the early second century A.D.
123. Ancient biblical texts were not in the exact format as they are today. 124. Other books that aid bible study are: The Ugarit text, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The New Testament
125. The English word gospel means good news. It translates the Greek word euangelion. It was Mark who first used the term “gospel” to a book that told the story of Jesus.
126. Some scholars don’t think the man who wrote the Book of Mathew was the apostle Mathew that walked and talked in person with Jesus because this gospel is based in part on the gospel of Mark. However, the book may be written from traditions of Mathew. Some of this author’s work is based also on materials found in Luke or Q meaning from traditions, oral and written from the source Luke used. This Mathew author knew of the destruction of Jerusalem, making his writing post A.D. 70, and later than the Mark gospel, which is dated as being shortly after A. D. 70. It is also believed that Mathew’s Book was written from Antioch, the capital of a Roman province in Syria. The original church of Mathew was Jewish Christian, but had now become gentile Christians predominant.
127. The Book of Mark, although it is thought by some to be anonymous, has been assigned to Mark, perhaps meaning John Mark, a guy who had Jesus at his mother’s house in Jerusalem where Christians assembled. This Mark was a cousin to Barnabas. He also went with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary trip. Papias (ca. A.D. 135) said that Mark was Paul’s interpreter. This gospel of Mark was written shortly before 70 A.D. and taken from many oral traditions, parables, and stories of Jesus. His gospel was probably Gentile as it seems unfamiliar with Jewish customs. Because of this, some modern scholars say the author may have been some unknown Hellenistic Jewish Christian from Syria just before A.D. 70.
128. The Gospel of Luke follows a tradition from the second century on that the author of it was Luke, a Syrian from Antioch. This same man was mentioned in the New Testament in
Col 4, 14; Phlm 24; and 1 Tim 4, 11. The writing itself makes it clear that Luke was not part of the first generation of Christian disciples, but was dependent upon the traditions he had received from those who were eyewitnesses or ministers of the word. By his work, one can tell that Luke was literate to the Old Testament traditions according to the Greek versions and the Hellenistic Greek versions. Some think that he used Mark and Luke traditions for his sources, but others say that he used only Mark’s sources. The gospel of Luke is dated as 80-90 A. D and is believed to be written by a non-Palestinian and was to a Gentile audience.
129. The Gospel according to John was most likely written in the 90’s of the first century. Critics refuse to believe that this gospel as it is written now was written by one author since Chapter 21 seems to have been written after the gospel was completed. The latter writing has a Greek style and different from the rest of the work. There seems to be an independent hymn in the work. There also some inconsistencies in the work, having two endings in the upper room. These inconsistencies are believed to be because of subsequent editing and homogeneous materials were added to the original shorter version of the book. Regardless, the book is believed by some to be written from traditions of some eye-witness to the sayings of Jesus, but not by John, the son of Zebedee. This author does try to show that women are not inferior to men y giving high roles the women played around the story of Jesus such as at the resurrection. The final editing and form that it is presently in was probably done in 90-100 A.D. Some say it was composed in Antioch or Alexandria, but others say Ephesus.
130. The Act of the Apostles is the second volume of Luke’s work. By the end of Paul’s ministry, a companion of Luke’s, the church, except in Palestine, was made up of mostly Gentiles. The Acts was probably written around the same time as the first volume by Luke, meaning 80-90 A. D.
131. The New Testament Letters were mostly real letters written in the style of the ancient world, but modified to suit the purposes of the Christian writers. Fourteen of the twentyone letters are attributed to Paul, the apostle. Hebrews does not claim to be Paul’s, thus leaving only thirteen to Paul. Scholars believe that some of these were written by Paul’s disciples. The genuine letters that were written by Paul are earlier in date than any of the written gospels. The other letters belong, most likely, to the second and third Christian generations instead of the first generation.
132. The Letter to the Romans was probably written between A. D. 56 and 58 either from Greece or Corinth. The Letter to the Romans is not addressed to anyone in particular nor does it say who wrote it.
133. The First Letter to the Corinthians was written by Paul in the year A. D. 56 from Ephesus. Some scholars say parts of it are from other original letters by Paul. This letter list Paul as the Greeter and is sending it to the church of God in Corinth. The end of the chapter confirms that it is written by Paul’s own hand.
134. The Second Letter to the Corinthians is thought by scholars to be several letters over a span of time incorporated together into one. Others regard it as a single letter. The date for this letter is A. D. 57 in Macedonia. This letter’s greeting says it is from Paul and Timothy and is written to the church of God in Corinth. The end of the letter says that Paul (I am) writing it while away from them.
135. The Letter to the Galatians was written around A.D.54 or 55 to Paul’s Celtic converts who invaded western and central Asia in the third century B.C... He probably wrote it from Ephesus. However, if he wrote it to the Galatians of the South instead of to the North, it would have been written probably in B.C. 48-50. Some think he was warning against the Jewish Christians who were trying to get them, the pagan converts, to keep the Jewish law, including circumcision. This letter is addressed from the greeting of Paul and the brothers with him, to the churches of Galatia. He ends the letter by using the word I a lot.
136. The Letter to the Ephesians is addressed to Christians Ephesians where Paul labored for over two years before. Some consider this letter to be a “circular” letter, that is, it was sent to several places at once. Others think it is the letter referred to in Colossians 4:16 as “to the Laodiceans.” Some scholars doubt that it was even written Paul. It may have been the letter written by a secretary at Paul’s direction or by some later disciple who wanted to develop Paul’s doctrine to suit the situation at the later date around A.D. 80-100. The letter mentions Paul as the greeter and is to the holy ones in Ephesus. It has no salutation, but does mention the word I several times near its end.
137. The Letter to the Philippians is written to Christians in northeastern Greece. It was a Roman town with a Greek population and a few Jews. This letter was written while Paul was in some prison. Some think it was in Ephesus around A. D. 55. Modern views are that he was in prison in Caesarea on the coast of Palestine in A.D. 57 or 58, and this is where the letter was written from. Other scholars think the letter that we have today was written from parts of three letters by Paul to the Philippians. Parts of the letter are an appreciation for help sent through Epaphroditus. The letter is addressed as being from Paul and Timothy and to the Christians in Philippi. It ends with greetings from others who are with him, but no names are used. (If he was in prison while writing this, these others mentioned, including Timothy, must have been in prison with him.)
138. The Letter to the Colossians was written from Paul and Timothy and was to the holy ones and faithful brothers in Colossae. Colossae was in the Lycus Valley in Asia Minor, east of Ephesus. This church had been founded by Epaphras of Colossae. It was written while Paul was in prison somewhere. It ends by saying that this greeting is by Paul’s own hand.
139. The First Letter to the Thessalonians was probably written around A.D. 51. After Paul parted from Barnabas on his second missionary journey, he took Silvanus with him. Soon after this, he took Timothy with him. This letter is a greeting from Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians. (Notice that this time is says church and not churches.) The letter ends by using the word I adjure you….
140. The Second Letter to the Thessalonians is now thought to be a pseudepigraph, that is, it is a letter that is written in Paul’s name to maintain apostolic traditions and give it authority, and was actually written during the last two decades of the first century. The greeting is, once again, from Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. It ends by saying that the letter was written by Paul’s own hand. (As I said about the miracles of Jonah and Daniel, if all of the bible books aren’t authentic, then how do we know any of them are? I would rather think that they all are or they shouldn’t have been put in it. Also, I really personally can’t see Peter and Paul both using the same secretary, Silvanus, as Peter and Paul didn’t travel much in the same circles.)
141. The First Letter to Timothy is written to false teachers stressing “knowledge” It was written from Macedonia instructing Timothy, who was of mixed Jewish and Gentile parentage. Timothy is the administrator of the Ephesian community. After the nineteenth century questions and doubt began by scholars who began questioning whether Paul wrote this letter or not. Most scholars are now convinced that he couldn’t have written it because of the vocabulary and style, the concept of church organization or the theological thoughts found in it. Other scholars disagree with this and say that it is Paul’s letter. Still others say they are Paul’s thoughts but written by a secretary. Another group says they are the work of a complier who put the words together based on Pauline traditions and include fragments of actual writings of Paul. If the letter is Paul’s, it is dated as being written after first Roman imprisonment and before his execution under Nero. If not, their date may be as late as the early second century. The greeting is from Paul and to Timothy. It ends with more instruction, but no salutation from Paul.
142. The Second Letter to Timothy was also written late in Paul’s career. Paul is a prisoner in Rome when he wrote this letter to the younger Timothy. It hints that Timothy may be in Ephesus. It seems that most Christians do not run to Paul’s aid while he is in prison. Paul warns Timothy to protect the community from false teachers. Paul tells Timothy that
everyone in Asia has deserted him, except Onesiphorus. Paul tells him to avoid foolish debates about the word of God. He also says that he left Trophimus sick at Miletus. (Here is one example of someone who wasn’t healed not even by an apostle, so all people are not healed.) The letter sends greetings from Paul to Timothy and Paul even calls Timothy his dear child. (In the Lord) In Paul’s final greeting, he states that most of his Christian friends deserted him, including Demas, Crescens, and even Titus. Luke was the only one to remain with Paul. Poor Paul says that no one came to his defense at his first hearing. The ending of the letter makes it certain that the same one, Paul, writes throughout the letter.
143. The Letter to Titus is usually placed by scholars as being written between 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. (This sounds right because in 2 Timothy, Titus had forsaken Paul. Yet, others like to place this letter after 2 Timothy. (If it is after 2 Timothy, why are there so many still with Paul? After all, Paul claims they all have forsaken him.)
144. Titus is in Crete when Paul sends him the letter. Titus was to appoint presbyters in every town, and it gives the qualifications that the candidate must have. Paul talks against the Christian Jews in Crete who are telling others they are unclean. He says that to the clean, all things are clean. At the end of his letter he warns Titus to avoid foolish arguments about the law. He tells him that he is sending Artemas and Tychicus to him. Paul states that he plans to spend the winter at Nicopolis, and for Titus to send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey soon, and give them what supplies they need. Paul says that all who are with me send you greeting, suggesting that it is Paul writing the letter.
145. The Letter to Philemon was written by Paul while he was in prison, perhaps in Rome between A. D. 61-63. It is about a slave, Onesimus, who has run away from his master, and perhaps guilty of theft to. Paul sends him back to his master and asks him to be lenient on him and accept him as a brother in Christ. There is one named Onesimus who some have connected with a bishop of Ephesus whom Ignatius of Antioch mentions. However, most scholars don’t see any real evidence that they are the same person. The greeting of this letter says it is from Paul and Timothy and is to: Philemon, their coworker; to Apphia, their sister; and to Archippus, their beloved soldier; and to the church in their house. Paul states that he (Paul) is now an old man, and he calls Onesimus his child, and says he has become Onesimus’ father during his imprisonment. Paul says that he is writing this letter by his own hand. At the end of this letter he mentions some more friends who send greetings. Their names are: Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, all Paul’s co-workers. In 2 Timothy Demas is one of those who forsake Paul. Either, he came back to Paul or this letter was before he left.
146. The Letter to the Hebrews was around as early as the second century and was believed to be directed to the Jewish Christians. The author is unknown, but some say it is connected to Timothy and Paul or their assistants. In the end of the second century the church of Alexandria in Egypt accepted this letter to be one of Paul’s. This was contested in the West into the fourth century, but was later accepted in the sixteenth century. Now, modern scholars think that it was not even written by Paul. Other suggested authors include: Barnabas; Apollos; or Priscilla and Aquila. (Wouldn’t it be a nice surprise if it were written with the help of a woman?) A good number of experts think that the letter was written before the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in A. D. 70 or preceded the expulsion of the Jews from Rome in A. D. 49. There is not even a greeting as there are in Paul’s other letters. It ends by saying that Timothy has been set free, and that this author will come with Timothy when he comes to whoever the letter is to. It also says that those from Italy send their greetings, too. It says to greet all of their leaders and greet their holy ones. (Could these holy ones mean the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem?) Seven other letters are known to the Catholic Church as the “Catholic” letters, meaning they are addressed or intended to the universe, world, rather than to local congregations. The ancient church was reluctant to include these letters in the canon, with exception to 1 Peter and 1 John because they questioned whether they were written by the apostolic group. By the end of the fourth or early fifth centuries these were willingly accepted into the canon, that is, all but in the Syriac.
147. The Letter to James, some say, can’t be written by one of the twelve apostles because he is not identified as such. He may have been the brother to the Lord named James, who was also the leader of the Jerusalem community at that time. He was mentioned by Paul as being one of the “pillars.” The Jewish historian, Josephus, says that this James was stoned to death by Jews under the high priest Ananus in A. D. 62. This letter is written in excellent Greek style, indicating that it is the work of a skilled Hellenistic writer. If James of Jerusalem did write it, the actual words must have been written by a secretary. Some think it must have been written before A. D. 70, while others argue that it is pseudonymous work of a later period. The author doesn’t mention his eye-witness to Christ as one would expect a real apostle to do. For these and other reasons, some have placed it between A. D. 90-100. The greeting is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, and is to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. James, in the end of his letter, tells the readers to confess their faults one to another, and to pray for one another. (He doesn’t say to confess your sins only to a priest or pope, but to one another, brothers and sisters in Christ.) He also tells the readers to bring the sinners back to the Lord, if at all possible.
148. The First Letter of Peter was regarded as having been written by Peter, the apostle, from the time of Irenaeus of the late second century. This was because he was believed to have been martyred at Rome during the persecution of Nero between A. D. 64-67. It reference Babylon, a secret word for Rome at that time. However, some modern scholars disagree with it being the actual writing of Peter, but rather chose to believe it to be a work of a later Christian writer. Their reasons are: The writing style of it is in a cultivated Greek, something a Galilean fisherman would not be able to do, and its use of the Greek Septuagint translation when citing the Old Testament. Also, it has similarity in thought and expression to the Pauline literature. It also alludes to the wide-spread persecutions of the Christians, which never even occurred until the reign of Domitian (A. D. 81-96). Other scholars believe that it was written by a secretary named Silvanus, who often gave literary expressions to their thoughts by using their own styles and language. (My opinion is this. I don’t think the real Peter ever used the same secretary as Paul used, and Paul’s secretary had the same name, Silvanus. Here is why. Peter didn’t get along that well with Paul, and I don’t think that they ever became good friends, but just tolerated one another. It was unlikely that Peter would address his letter to the Gentile churches of Asia Minor while Paul still lived.) If this is true, then the letter’s date of composition would be after both Peter and Paul had died, after 70 A. D. and before 90 A. D. So, some scholars suggest that the author was a disciple of Peter’s, perhaps in Rome, but others don’t think that Peter was ever in Rome. The greeting of this letter does give Peter as the author and is addressed to the chosen ones of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. However, lots of times writers used famous names to give their work more authority. The ending states that the author (I) writes the letter through Silvanus. It also says that the chosen one from Babylon (Rome to some) sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son. (I personally don’t see Mark running around with both Peter and Paul, and I can’t see Peter calling him son. This sounds more like some of Paul’s followers.)
149. The Second Letter of Peter met with great resistance as belonging in the canon of the New Testament. Origen accepted both letters of Peter as canonical, but he states that other didn’t. Origen wrote in the early third century. It was excluded from the canon by some churches as late as the fifth century. Eventually it was accepted universally. Many modern scholars think that the work is a pseudonymous writing. These say that it was written later than any work of the New Testament and date its composition to the first or second quarter of the second century. Their reasons are these: The author refers to the apostles as “our ancestors”, meaning the real apostles belonged to a previous generation that is now dead. Second Peter depends upon the Book of Jude. The Letter is probably written by a Christian Jew of the dispersion because of the evident Jewish heritage. It is in the literary style of the Greek of the Hellenistic period. It seems to be written also just
before Gnosticism became full blown. The greeting says that it is from Symeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. It does give details that the apostles did such as being at the transfixion on the mountain. He also brags on Paul and all of his letters.
150. The First Letter of John may have been written toward the end of the first century and after the fourth gospel. Early tradition believed it to be the work of John the apostle. Both works of John are probably of the same school of Johannine Christianity. There isn’t a real greeting, but the prologue talks as though the writer was an eye-witness to the true word of life. He doesn’t say who he is in the conclusion either, but the whole work is about love for God and your fellow-man.
151. The Second Letter of John says that the writer is the Presbyter. It is believed by some to be written by the apostle John, but others think it was written by his disciple or scribe or a disciple of scribe of another apostle. It was probably written from Ephesus at the end of the first century. The letter is addressed from the Presbyter to the chosen Lady and to her children. Some believe this lady to represent a church or Christian community. The letter ends with greetings from the Lady’s chosen sister’s children.
152. The Third Letter of John is addressed to someone named Gaius and deals with missionary work. It ends with the Presbyter promising to say more when they meet face to face.
153. The Letter of Jude is attributed to be Jude, the brother of James. However, scholars think that because he is not identified as an apostle, he can’t be one of the twelve apostles. It is probably the other Jude who is mentioned in the gospels among the relatives of Jesus. It has some similarities with 2 Peter and some think that one borrowed from the other. Most scholars believe that Jude is the earlier of the two because he quotes from the Assumption of Moses and from the Book of Enoch, two apocryphal Jewish works. Today, some scholars name Jude as a pseudonymous work that dates from the end of the first century of later. These say it is because the writer refers to the apostles as if they belong to an age that has already passed. Also, the doctrine of faith would not have been established in the day of the apostles. This writer shows a competent style of Hellenistic Greek. The book greets with saying it is Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother to James. It doesn’t really have a name given in the salutation.
154. The Revelation to John is sometimes called the Apocalypse and is written in symbolic language, a characteristic of literature that was popular from 200 B.C. to A. D. 200.
155. The symbols are borrowed from the Old Testament, especially the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah. The author does not identify himself as an apostle but only as John
who was exiled to an island of Patmos. Patmos was a rocky place of a Roman penal colony. He has been identified as the apostle John by several early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Justin, Clement, Tertullian, Hippolytus, and Cyprian. Other church fathers denied this. These included: Denis of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzen, Cyril of Jerusalem, and John Chrysostom.
156. The style of the book in its present form was not likely to be that of the John of the fourth gospel, so say scholars. Its present form was more likely written at the end of the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81-96). It greets with informing that it is the revelation of Jesus, which God gave him, to give to his servant John, and seems to be especially to the seven churches that are in Asia, although much of it runs over into being, “universally.” It ends by saying that the work really is the words of Jesus, but through the mouth of John.
157. Who chose the books to put in the bible? There were many other books circulating among people during this time. The Jewish scribes canonized the Old Testament into one big book. The New Testament was made in the same manner. The Church Fathers (earliest orthodox ministers) in the era right after the Apostles. These chosen books told the same thing in different areas of the known world. Some of these early writers say that they actually knew the apostles or were disciples of theirs. Choosing the bible books was a long process. Holy men got together, went over the books that had been nominated by other holy men, and then chose which books had merit and which did not. The chosen books had to be writings that were not only correct but believable. Some of the present books almost didn’t make it into the canon. One such book was Revelations. Another was Hebrews. By 500 A.D. the New Testament became a closed canon, and remained so until the Protestant Reformation in the 1500’s when Martin Luther rejected the apocrypha as sacred for the Old Testament. In the New Testament, some books were also questioned by him. These were: Hebrews, Jude, James, and Revelations. These received a secondary status. However, in the 1900’s this though shifted and all 27 documents were universally adopted. First and second century church fathers writings were used in considering which books to include in the canon. The late second and third century fathers debated and influenced what was finally included. Finally, in 367 AD. Anthanasius of Alexandria Egypt sent an Easter letter stating which ones were or were not to be accepted, and the same 27 that is used today were chosen. The source for, How We got the Bible, is taken from The Catholic Study Bible, New American Bible, translated from the original languages with Critical Use of the Source 1-Ancient Sources, copyright 1990 by Oxford University Press, Inc. 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016. General Editor, Associate Editor, New Testament-Donald Senior
Associate Editor, New Testament-Mary Ann Getty Associate Editor, Old Testament-Carroll, Stuhlmueller Associate Editor, Old Testament-John J. Collins
Other Editors and Contributors- Dianne Bergant; Lawrence Boadt; Daniel J. Harrington; Leslie J. Hoppe; Luke Timothy Johnson; Philip J. King; Pheme Perkins; Eileen Schuller; and Pauline A. Viviano. Source 2-is from the NKJV, Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN.copyright-1982. Photographs by Glena Jessee-King and Joan Shortridge
Please watch for more information on how we got the Bible in the next issue of BibleTalk on October 21, 2014, if Lord be willing.
B. Bible Facts 1. Joseph ordered his father Jacob to be embalmed. It took 40 days to embalm someone in those days. (Gen. 50: 2-7) He was buried in the land of Canaan. 2. Joseph was one hundred and ten when he died. He was buried in Egypt, but he made his family promise to one day take his bones to be buried with his father. (Gen. 50: 24-26) 3. Both of Moses’ parents were from the loins of Levi. (Exodus 2:1-3) 4. Moses’ wife was named Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, in the land of Midian. She bore him a son named Gershom. (Exodus 2:15-22) 5. Moses said that he was not a good speaker. God told him, “Who gives one man speech and makes another one deaf and dumb? Is it not I the Lord? (Exodus 4:11)He also said that Aaron would be as God
to Moses. (Exodus 4: 16) He told Moses that he had made him a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron was his prophet. (Ex. 7:1) 6. Moses’ father, Amram, married his aunt Jochebed. Amram lived one hundred thirty-seven years. He had Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. (Ex. 6:20) (Amram married his father’s sister. The Greek and Latin bible versions call her his cousin.) 7. Some bible commentary’s say that most of the plagues that Moses did were already similar to natural phenomena of the country, but were greatly intensified. (The Catholic Study Bible is one of those bibles.) 8. The seven plagues that Moses put on the Egyptians were: (1.) Turning water into blood; (2.) thousands of frogs; (3.)having gnats to pester them; (4.)flies; (5.) the pestilence; (6.) The boils; (7.) Hail (Ex. Chapters 7-9) 9. The sins unto death, which is if you commit these, you shall be put to death (Old Testament only). (1.) Striking someone so that he dies, after scheming to do so. (2.) Kidnappers (3.)Cursing a mother or a father (Many people have forgotten this one.) (4.) Letting an animal kill another person, if you know it has done so before. (5.) If you kill a thief in daylight, you will have bloodguilt, which is also worthy of death. (6.) You shall not let a sorceress live. (7.) Lying with animals. (8.) Sacrificing to other gods. (9.) Working on the seventh day (Ex. Chapters 21, 22, 35) (10.) Giving your offspring as sacrifices to Molech is worthy of death. (11.) Committing adultery with a neighbor’s wife. Both shall die. (12.) Lying with a father’s wife or a daughter-in-law. (13.) Lying with a male as with a woman or viceversa. (14.) Marrying a woman and her mother. These are to be burned.) (15.) Acting as a medium or fortune teller (16.) Committing fornication, if your father is a priest. (Lev. Chapter 21) (So, how many of the above rules have you broken? In those days, I’d say that a great number of humans would have died because of those rules.
Therefore, before you judge someone too harshly for his or her sin, look in the list and see if you have ever done any of them. Death is death, so no matter which sin it is; one death sin is just as bad as another.) 10. (The following are little known sins, but not sins unto death.) (1.) Don’t pick your garden or vineyard bare; leave some for the animals, the poor, and the alien. (2.) Do not lie or speak falsely to one another. (3.) Don’t withhold the wages of the laborer overnight. (4.) Don’t curse the deaf, or cause the blind to stumble. (5.) Be honest in judgment (6.) Do not spread slander (7.) Help someone, if his life is in danger. (7.) Don’t hold hatred in your heart against your brother. (8.) Hold no grudges or seek revenge against your fellow countrymen. (9.) Love your neighbor as yourself (10.) Do not breed any of your domestic animals with others of a different breed. (11.) Do not sow your field with two different kinds of seeds. (12.) Do not wear a garment woven with two different kinds of thread. (13.) When you come to a land and plant a tree, don’t eat of the fruit for three years. The fourth year’s fruit belongs to the priest. You may eat it the fifth year. (14.) Don’t eat meat with the blood still in it. (15.) Don’t clip your hair at the temples, nor trim the edges of the beard. (I have known Christians who skip this, but certainly preach on the one that says for a woman not to put on a man’s garment. How’s that for fairness?) (16.) Do not tattoo yourselves. (17) Stand up in the presence of the aged. (How many does this?) Don’t go to mediums or fortune tellers. (This would include reading horoscopes.) (18.) If an alien lives with you, treat him as you do your own people. (19.) Have just weights and measures. (20.) A priest may not attend the funeral of anyone except for his mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or maiden sister. The head priest cannot attend the funeral even for his closest kin. The priest cannot bare the crown of his head, shave the edges of his beard, nor lacerate his body. A priest may not marry a divorced woman, a prostitute, or a widow. He can only marry a
virgin. (How many pastors today have broken these rules?) (21.) None of these may offer the food for God: (Probably means they can’t minister at the altar) the blind, lame, disfigured, crippled, humpbacked, weak person, has eczema, ringworm or hernia. No laymen may eat of it. A priest’s daughter may, if she is a virgin living there, but if she is widowed or divorced, and has no children, but returns to his house, she may eat. (Lev. Chapters twenty-one and twenty-two.) 11.God’s holy feast include: (1.) Passover (2.)New Year’s Day (3.) The Day of Atonement (4.)The Feast of Booths (Lev. Chapters twentythree and twenty four. (Others were added later on.) 12.To find out the names from the 12 tribes who were Moses’ assistants look in (Numbers 1: 5-15.) 13.Levites had to first be purified to be ministers before God’s altar. They had to be sprinkled with water for remission, shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. Then bring a young bull and a cereal offering for the Lord. (Num. 8: 7-10) He had to be at least 25 years old and not over 50 years old. (Num. 8: 23-25) 14.God had Moses make two trumpets of beaten silver to call the assembly of Israelites together. These were to be blow at war, at the festivals and new moons. (Num.9: 1-10) 15. The seventy elders were devout men chosen by Moses to speak to God with him. God took some of Moses’ spirit and put it on these seventy, and they prophesied. Two other men, of this list, but who were of these but who had not gone with the others, began to prophesy, and some of the people wanted to stop them, but Moses said that he wished that everyone could do this as well as he. 16.C.
BIBLICAL ARTICLES
Children Gospel Singers Who would you rather your children imitate-saints or celebrities? Some people seem to get upset when Catholics speak of the saints. However, being a Christian but not a Catholic, I would much rather that my children be like the saints as for them to be like the celebrities. My children are welcome to speak or read about them. I would love to see pictures of the martyrs upon their bedroom walls, instead of pictures of movie stars or ball players. We should all brag on all children who sing in church, or do a good deed, or refuse to do something morally wrong. By doing this, we let our own children understand that it is good to do what is right. Make the Christian walk popular and desired, if you want your children to imitate that instead of something evil. The world certainly does not care to spend money to make their stars attractive or desired by the young people. Church folks should do the same thing. Make the House of God desirable by the children, but do this without compromising your principles and godly values. Would you rather your child come home from play talking about God and the bible or would you be happier if the child spoke of witches, movie stars, sports heroes, or rock singers? Sometimes, I think that we parents are so worldly that we would rather our children be involved with worldly activities rather than church ones. Shame on us! If you hear of a child singer who is devoting their time in church, take your child to hear this one, and brag on the other child. Choose church people for your child’s role models. This article is about some children, who sing gospel music in churches, and other places, too: Lynn, Danielle, Elizabeth and Greg are siblings. Their father, Anthony King, is a minister of God. Both of their grand-parents, Ronald and Glena JesseeKing are also ministers. These children were in church from their birth onward. They began to sing before they entered kinder garden at school. Lynn and play instruments, also. The four of
them have entered and won several talent shows. Lynn is now 22 years old; Elizabeth is now 15; Emily is now 17; And Michael is now 12. They have a CD on UTUBE. Their parents and grand-parents have CD’s for sale. Their grand-father can just about play any instrument very well. The children’s father plays the piano. The children are doing this nicely, too.
Figure Glena King, the children's grand-mother, singing
Figure -Ronald King, their grand-father singing and playing a guitar
Figure -Anthony King, their father
Figure -Elizabeth King, playing the guitar
Figure -Elizabeth King, singing
Elizabeth plays the guitar, drums, and piano.
Figure -Elizabeth, Danielle, and Michael King, singing in church.
Danielle sings in a gospel choir, as well as in a swing choir. She is captain of a cheer-leader squad. She also is on the track team. She loves painting and art. This child managed to stay within the lines of art work by the time she was two years old.
Figure -Elizabeth and Danielle King hugging, when younger
Figure -Elizabeth, Michael, and Danielle King
Figure -Lynn, Elizabeth, Danielle, and Michael King (earlier years)
Lynn, the oldest of the four children, began singing at the age of 3. She had a recording made by the time she was 10. She is a great singer, has great timing, is good with carrying a tune, and manages to have fair tones. Lynn won the competition in her county’s 4-H competition at age 9. She also paints and draws. She has done modeling for two wedding magazines. Lynn, now a young adult, will consider modeling or singing jobs, such as for weddings, birth days, or celebrations (She won’t do adult themes such as wearing bikinis, doing suggestive poses, or popping out of cakes.) Lynn is very modest and religious.
Lynn King
Lynn King
Figure -Michael King
Michael King plays the guitar some, and sings a lot. He was in a choir by the time he was two. He has also played football and baseball. Michael is a great little singer.
D. Children’s Poems or Stories
Figure -The ghost trying to run the boy out of his chair
TO SCARE A GHOST by Joan Shortridge, author
John, a small boy, Sat quietly in his chair, When along came a ghost, And said, “Move away from here.”
John argued, “I’m a big tot, Don’t tell me what to do.” Ghost said, “Say your alphabet, Or I will have to eat you.”
Ghost waved his arms,
And, flew over the place. He said, “I eat little boys, Just to feed my face.”
John rubbed his head, “Please don’t eat me, I know what they are, A B and ------um- -C.”
Ghost growled, “What is, Next, you’d better tell me. The scared little boy said, “It is D E F and perhaps G.
The hateful ghost, Gave him a hungry look, Taking out a big pot, Saying, “A boy I will cook.”
John knew what to say, Raising his one tiny arm, He replied, “HIJ and K.”
Ghost ordered, “What’s next?” John replied, “LMNO and P” Ghost sat down and promised, “Miss and you will be dinner for me.”
John kicked the old ghost, Then, he said, “It’s QRST. Ghost moved from Moe’s chair, John continued, “UVWXY and Z.”
Ghost ordered, “Say your numbers, Start with 1 and go on to 10.” The lad held up his fingers, “1, 2, 3, and 5.” In a gruff voice, Ghost shouted, “Try again.”
John ran around the room, He chanted, “6, 7, 8, and 10. Please don’t eat me, Mr. Ghost, Because I am much too thin.”
Ghost chased the little lad, Because he forgot the number nine, “Stand still so I can eat you, Fair and square, you are now mine.”
John kicked the ghost with his heel, And quickly rushed to the door, Saying, “So long, mean old ghost, This kid is gone for evermore.”
John dashed from the ghost, But a rabbit frightened the lad, Saying, “Who are you running from?” “A Ghost,” John replied, “And Boy is he bad!”
John went to the creek. He saw fishes swimming by, Mr. Fish said, “Hey, Little Boy, Tell me, why do you cry?”
Ducks, Spider, and Frog, came to hear, John told them, “I feel scared and so alone.
You see, I was sitting quietly in my own chair, Along came Ghost and ran me off from home.”
Spider begged, “Take me to your room, Let me become your favorite pet, I’ll weave my invisible web, And catch that mean old ghost yet.”
Duck quacked, “It must be me. Let me live in your yard. When Ghost comes around, I will peck him very hard.”
“Ribbit!” cried Frog, sticking out his tongue, “Let it be me, for I am the smart one. The ghost will stay far away, When he finds out what I have done.”
John said down and cried, He didn’t know what to do,
Rabbit said, “Don’t trust them, It is I who will protect you.”
John glanced up and saw a raccoon, Trying to catch poor Mr. Fish, He whispered, “I hope he gets away.” Fish escaped, after John had made his wish.
Mrs. Owl hovered by the lad, Here are the words that she said, “I will hoot in Mr. Ghost’s ear, And he will wish that he was dead.”
All of the animals came home with John. They looked under the bed and in the closet to, But every time they turned their backs Ghost threatened John, “I will get you.”
Bear climbed into John’s bed, And when Ghost came around, Bear huffed and puffed, And he blew the ghost down.
Ghost revived and flew outside, Duck pecked his ugly head, Owl hooted and tooted in his ear, Ghost wished that he was dead.
Frog hopped on Ghost’s sore body. Using long teeth, Rabbit bite him hard, But the thing that finally did him in, Was a spider web hanging in the yard?
The little boy was happy, Sitting in his own big chair, The ghost never did return, Or said, “Move away from here.” THE END (What numbers did the little boy leave out when counting?) Stories are wanted from you, also. My email: rethatrohs@yahoo.com ) Here are some eBooks that you may buy. (Angels and a Lazy Rabbit Poetry Book (ISBN-1468911937), which can be purchased from booktango.com for less than five dollars.
Below is one chapter from my eBook,
little John’s Angels by Joan Shortridge. It can
be purchased from Book Country at bookcountry.com ISBN 9781463003395
CH. 2- CH.2-THE VET
Mrs. Short took Baby inside and handed her to the assistant. However, John had to drag Rambo, who stalled on the grass and mumbled in a low growl, “I have to relieve myself.” “You just want to smell where other dogs have been. Now, hurry up, do your business, and get ready for those shots,” John advised, with sternness in his voice. He paused for breath, before ordering the naughty dog, “Hurry up. We don’t have all day.” Rambo stopped and smelled the grass as John dragged him to the door. John scolded, “I told you no funny business.” He opened the door with one hand, and shoved the dog inside the building. “Get up there and take your shot.” He walked the dog to the desk, and told the receptionist, “Get his shots up to date, and cut his nails.” “Oh, no,” Rambo objected. “My nails are fine.” Holding up one paw, he shoved it in the lady’s face and barked, “See, they aren’t even long.” Frightened because of his bark, the startled lady jumped back, and replied, “Well, the doctor will be right with you, Rambo. As you know, he’s helping Baby right now.” The lady talked to Rambo, but she looked at John while speaking. “She has already taken her shots.” This lady already knew this family of animals and humans well because they came here often. Baby’s high shriek came from the back room, so Rambo knew that she was having her nails cut at that very moment. He looked at the receptionist and remarked, “She always screams. I don’t, but I hate having those shots.” He looked grudgingly at John and added, “I wish you had to take the awful shots. I also wish you could understand my words.” The receptionist knew that Rambo was trying to say something to her, but she failed to understand his words. She smiled to John and wrote Rambo’s name in the book, as she told Mrs.
Short, “It won’t be long now.”She pointed to some empty seats in the waiting room and watched Mrs. Short, John, and Rambo go to the seats and sit down. John pulled Rambo to a chair and sat down. He whispered in the dog’s ear, “I do understand every word you say, so watch yourself.” He looked around at the other people and pets. All the other dogs were small, unchained, and sat peaceably on their master’s laps. John admired the affection each animal received from their masters. He wondered why animals were treated so well. It seemed to him that parents fussed at their kids more than masters did at their animals. He wished he could understand what they were saying to their pets. Perhaps, he could ask the angel to help him understand all animals. That would really be great. He had no sooner thought it than Joshua appeared in his hand. He looked at the tiny visible creature in his hand and wondered if the others could see him. Joshua said, “No, they can’t see me, only you can. I will make it so you can understand all animals, but be careful about telling others that you understand animals or they may lock you up in a Looney bin.” This small form of life waved his hand over John’s head. “Understand all animals,” he said, and disappeared. The front door opened, and in walked a huge red-headed man leading his chained, boxer dog. This dog resembled Rambo some, but was not as large as Rambo was. The man sat down, and held on to the boxer’s chain.
Rambo had always hated large dogs ever since he had once been attacked by one when he was a pup and before the Shorts had gotten him. He jerked his chain from John’s hand and dashed at the other boxer. John heard Rambo tell the other dog, “Who said you could come in here?” Rambo asked the other pet in his dog language. Rambo never took his eyes off of the other dog, as he growled and snarled toward him. The boxer barked, “I did. Now, you had better lay off.” John retrieved Rambo by his chain. “Get over here,” he demanded, pulling the dog back to his own chair. He lowered his own eyes to escape the stern gaze he was getting from the mean looking red-headed guy. Mrs. Short apologized to Rex’s owner. “Sorry for his behavior. He hates big dogs.” She scolded Rambo, “Behave yourself or you will have to go home, not get your shots, and not take the vacation with the rest of us.” When the receptionist called Rambo’s name, Mrs. Short stood to take him to the doctor’s room. She glanced at John, warning him not to leave the office while she took Rambo in the doctor’s office to receive his dreaded shots. As she was leaving with Rambo, the dog looked back at Rex, and threatened him in dog language, so that none of the adults understood what the threat was, but they knew that it was definitely a threat.
Instead of waiting in the waiting room, John got off his chair and followed his mother and Rambo to the vet’s office where he was just finishing up with Baby. Inside the doctor’s office, the doctor handed Baby to Mrs. Short, and took Rambo’s chain in his hand. He pulled the dog to the table, and spoke softly to him. “It will be fine, Rambo. I will use a small needle this time.” Mrs. Short commented to the dog, “You should have taken shots in my grand-parents day. Their needles were big, and they did hurt. These don’t even have a prick.” She watched silently while the middle-aged doctor took a finger length needle from among his tools. Rambo sat on the table and behaved himself, while the doctor got the needle ready for use. When the veterinarian approached him with caution, to give the shot, Rambo grunted and twitched a little, but he survived the ordeal fairly well. Baby squirmed in Mrs. Short’s arms. She wanted to have a front-arm view of Rambo receiving the shot. “Wait until he does your nail, “Baby teased him. “You will cry.” John had heard and understood what Baby had told the vet. He decided that it would be amazing to be able to understand animals. He looked at Rambo to see what he was going to say back to Baby. Rambo gave her a mean look. “No, I won’t. You are such a coward, Baby. I am tough.” Sure enough, Rambo remained sturdy, while the doctor administered the nail trimming. Rambo grinned, despite the fear he felt and John sensed that he felt it. Looking at Mrs. Short,
Rambo said, “I hope the vacation will be worth all this pain.” He laughed, and told Baby, “Haw, haw, I didn’t cry like you do.” When she frowned at him, he lowered his big brown eyes. However, John discovered that manicures these days were easy. The vet drew a line on the part of the nail that he wanted to cut. The new tool never even touched Rambo’s nails. The vet rubbed some oil on each marked nail tip, waited a few seconds, and then the end of the nail just fell off. Then, the vet smoothed the remaining part of the nail with a gentle cloth. The doctor told Mrs. Short, “I need to check him for worms.” He turned his back toward the huge dog and reached for a glove to put on his hand. Turning to face the dog, he put the glove on and smiled at Rambo. Rambo whined, and barked at the vet. John understood the dog’s words of, “No, you don’t stick anything there. I draw the line right now. No more probing.” Rambo jerked loose, and ran toward the door, as John chased after him. John read the dog’s thoughts. He had gone through the shot ordeal, but he wasn’t taking this other probing either lying down or sitting up. As he ran, he barked to John, “I’m out of here, Duh.” “You’ll be sorry,” Baby yelled after him. She wriggled about, trying to free Mrs. Short’s arm from around her. John looked back toward Baby and understood what she was thinking. Her thoughts were, if I could get down, I would go after the stubborn dog and beg him to return to the office. I don’t want anything to mess up my chance of going on the vacation.
Mrs. Short reached for Rambo’s chain and missed it, so Rambo got away from her. Mrs. Short, still yelling for Rambo and with Baby in her arms, stopped at the desk and paid the bill. Rambo pushed open the front door and dived through it and into the warm air. John went through the same door and called for Rambo to return to him. Instead, of heeding his call, the ignorant dog kept on running toward the woods that could be seen from the vet’s parking lot. John finally caught up with Rambo and trotted beside him. “Where do you think you are going?” He asked the dog. Somewhere to hide, so they won’t make me take the terrible checkup,” Rambo complained, looking up at John with his big sad brown eyes. John thought for a second. He hated going to doctors too and especially to dentist. He remembered that his grand-parents lived in this vicinity. “Come with me, and I’ll show you how to round up cows. My grandparents live through the woods there on a big farm. They have lots of space for us to run and play. Besides, there are many other animals there.” Rambo shook his head. “ I just want to hide outside but close by the vet. After he closes his office, I will go to the van. This way, I will not be probed at.” He hid behind someone’s parked car. Shivering, he hunched there. “We will run to the farm and beat Mom home,” John promised. He nudged the big dog. “Don’t be such a coward, Dog.” “My name is Rambo,” the dog told John. Rambo found this decision difficult to make, but against his better judgment, he listened to John and agreed to hide out at the farm. He was certain
that he would regret doing this, but what the heck? A dog only lived once, he decided. He might as well enjoy his life. Mrs. Short, holding Baby, came outside, and yelled for Rambo to return to the van. However, the useless dog went on with Rex down the road. Mrs. Short screamed to John, “Keep after them, Son. I will follow you all in the van.” She had no idea that now John was urging for Rambo to hide out at the farm with him. She reached the van and was putting Baby in the van, when the small dog darted from her arms and ran to catch up with Rex and Rambo. Mrs. Short threw her hands in the air and simply gave up. John, Rambo, and now Baby, ran into the woods and were no longer visible to Mrs. Short. They all laughed, thinking they had outsmarted her. They forgot for the moment about their vacation and what Mr. Short would have to say about this. Baby was slower than Rambo and John, so she slowed down their pace some. John and Rambo both loved Baby and neither of them wanted anything bad to happen to her, so they walked slowly enough for her tiny legs to keep up with theirs. Mrs. Short got in the van and followed the outline of the woods. This time she never glided the car in the air but drove on the highway and behind Red’s car. She figured she would be able to latch onto the dogs quicker this way. The dogs and John had a head start, so they kept ahead of her vehicle. Finally, Baby and John caught up with Rambo and as he had tired and slowed down to catch his breath. John told Baby, “Sit down and rest a minute.”
“Good idea,” Baby agreed. She squatted and rested. Rambo rested also. As soon as they felt refreshed, Rambo started running again. He pushed his ahead of the others, so he could beat them to the farm. John ordered Rambo, “Wait on us. The farm belongs to my family, and not you, Rambo.” Rambo ran on, and yelled, “I will wait on you when I see the farm in sight.” John yelled, “The vet comes to their farm when a cow, when a donkey or horse gets ill. They have a sheep dog named Rex. He helps round up cows.” Rambo was disappointed with the way John was acting, but he paused, allowing Baby and John time to catch up. He said to Baby, “You were thoughtful to come with us. Now, we will probably get caught before we get to see the farm animals.” Baby dragged her tiny feet as hard as she could, so as to keep up with the bigger dog. She grunted, “We had better go back or we won’t get to go on the vacation. Mom and Dad will be mad at us.” She always called them her parents. John asked Baby, Do you want to see a milk cow, a horse, and a pig or not? They are not like the city animals. These get dirty sometimes.” He picked Baby up and carried her. The kid walked along side of Rambo. “I do,” Baby admitted. “Come on. It will be fine with them. I am out voted, anyway. I will go see the other animals. I have never seen anything but a rabbit, dogs, and cats.”
John got up with them, but he lagged behind a little. He wanted them to succeed. Besides, this was his chance to visit the farm. He loved coming to this farm and being with his grandparents. Why, they spoiled him more than his parents did. John, grinned and commented, “I saw a baby angel this morning. He is going to look after us from now on. I have to relate to him my adventures with the good adult angel. If he likes us, he will become our regular guardian angel. He also fixed it so I can understand your language.” The other dogs did not believe John about the angel, though. They laughed. However, Baby decided to give him the benefit of a doubt. She would wait and see before being too harsh about it. John put Baby down on the ground. He journeyed on with the tired animals. They ran over brush, crossed hills, fell in ditches, and went between tall trees. The forest was alive with chirping birds and hooting owls. There were noises everywhere. Rambo ran into a dangling tree limb. When he looked up he saw a long black snake, staring into his frightened eyes. “Heaven have mercy!” he barked, and jerked away from the startled snake. “What is that thing?” Baby demanded, tilting her little cute white head. She was really shaking now. She always had been a trembler, but now even more so. She ran closer to John and begged for him to pick her up, which he did. “A snake,” John told Baby. “I saw one before when I came to spend a week-end with my grand-parents. Snakes were all over the place. These are different than the ones in the zoos and
parks. These might bite. They have not been programmed to like other animals and humans, nor has their poisons been removed like the ones in the zoo.” “Will it hurt us?” Baby innocently asked. Now, she felt safe in John’s squinty but strong arms. He would protect her from the strange snakes as well as from other frightening creatures that they might venture upon. “If you get close to it, it might wrap around you and squeeze the life out of you, or, I suppose, it could swallow a squinty dog like you, but I can kill it. There are other snakes that are poison. If one of them bites you, you will die without help,” John told the animals. “I do not like these woods,” Baby complained. “Tell me, John, which snakes are poison?” John laughed, slobbered, and informed the ignorant dog, “Rattle snakes are poison, and so are copperheads. Pythons aren’t, but they are huge. They can swallow a small animal whole. There aren’t any here, unless someone has turned loose a pet one.” Suddenly, a big deer bounded right passed them. Rambo ran after it, despite all the yelling and warnings from the others. He ran on, disregarding their demands that he return to them for their own protection. Rambo made leaps and bounds alongside the deer’ John, holding Baby in his arms, stopped and watched Rambo playing with the big creature. Baby wanted to get in on the chase, John knew but she was afraid to. Baby wondered if this wild deer was just another kind of dog. “Will the deer bite Rambo?” she asked of John.
“No,” John told the little dog. “They are nice animals and don’t bother anything that I know about. Folks used to hunt, kill and eat them for food. It became illegal in the year three thousand. Having satisfied her curiosity, he ordered Rambo, “Get back here. We have to get to the farm before it gets dark. I want to help round up the cows for their evening feeding. You can help Rex and I do it, if you aren’t too scared.” Obediently, Rambo left the deer and returned to John and Baby. He was not afraid of John or desired to obey him, but he figured, that he had better get on to the farm before it got dark, and then they would rush back home to the Shorts. He desired to be gone only long enough for the veterinarian’s office to close for the day. Baby asked Rambo about the deer. “What kind of display was the deer doing with you? This one could really run and jump. Why, it ran even faster than I have ever seen you do.” Rambo laughed, “He was nice.” The little group trudged on. They passed several tree climbing squirrels, an opossum, and a groundhog. John explained what these animals were to Rambo and Baby. They stopped to look at plants, of which John pretended to be an expert. “This is a May Apple plant,” he told them, looking at a certain plant. “Over there is a Lady’s Slipper. Did you know that humans dig plants and sell them for good money, especially ginseng?” “No, I did not know this,” Baby admitted. “Aren’t they alive? Do they feel pain?” Baby considered all other living things to be her friend with rights of their own. Often she had wondered why humans hate poor helpless plants.
“Let’s look for ginseng and make money on it,” John suggested, changing the subject. The boy was so greedy that he always looked for ways to get something for nothing. “We don’t have time,” Rambo scoffed. He knew that it would be dark soon and they would be needed to help Rex to bring the cows into the barn where they would be milked and be safe from fury of the elements. He told John, “Remember, you said we needed to help with the cows, but now when you stand t make a dollar, you don’t seem to care about it.” “Yes, I do, John objected. “Let’s look for ginseng. It sells high.” Baby wanted to hunt the ginseng too for she had never knew any dogs who had needed to help make the cows go home. What was wrong with these cows anyway that they needed help getting to the barn? John explained how to recognize the valuable plant. They scrounged over the woods, until they each had dug up a pound of it. John carried it in his pockets, but Rambo and Baby dug up a root each and carried it between their teeth, which were no easy task. Finally, Rambo and Baby decided to bury theirs in the woods, and they planned to return for it after they had visited at the farm. Each one buried his or her root in a secret spot. However, John kept his in his pocket. By now, it was getting late. John hoped that Grand-father Short would not be mad at him, because he was late to help with the cows. He tried to keep his cool, though, as he led the animals safely through the woods. At last, they came to the edge of the woods. There lay the huge farm. It was mostly cleared and fenced. Several cows, one mule, and one horse were eating grass in the pasture. Near the
house stood an old barn, with its red roof and planked sides. It was not real big, but it accommodated the cow, horse, and a bunch of chickens and roosters. There were also a few pigs. The old farmhouse sat amidst the green land. Its chimney had a faded red color, and leaned slightly, giving it an antique look. The rest of the house was pretty solid. It was white, with black shutters that matched the gray roof. In the drive-way sat a wagon, an old farm truck. John’s kindly old grand-parents stood by the truck. They quietly watched as the animals and John walked out of the woods, and silently approached the field, but they said nothing. Grand-mother Short, the wife to Old Farmer, was named Sally. Grand-father was Ted. Sally was already trying to round up the cows. She barked like a dog, swatted her apron in the air, and ran around in circles, trying to get them to listen to her dog sounds and to head toward the barn. Their dog, Rex usually did most of the work, but she was so comical that he just stood there and barked at her. “Isn’t this place beautiful?” John asked. He beamed with pride. He was proud to show off his grandparents and their farm. One summer he had lived at the farm all summer long, and had enjoyed every minute of it. “It sure is,” Rambo nodded, and the Baby agreed with him, when he said, “I love it. Can I move in here for the summer?” Rex saw John and his dog friends coming from the woods and toward them. He ran to John and asked, “Will you help me round up those crazy cows?”
E. Events Brother Delmoe Jessee has appointments to minister at New Melody Church of (Fairview) Duffield, Va. every third Sunday of each month. This country church makes everyone welcome and allows you to sing and testify during service (when the spirit inspires you to do so) without having scheduled appointments. Everyone is welcome to attend. Services at: Headquarters for Second Chance Ministries on Sunday morning only at 10:45-12:45 and is located at 265 Craig Street Christiansburg, Virginia 24073. Email me your scheduled services at rethatrohs@yahoo.com
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15. A Journey with Gnome 16. Loving an alien Hybrid (ISBN2940150392137) is now available at nookpress.com of Barnes and Nobel. In progress: Haunted House, by Joan Shortridge; also Seven Years of Insanity by Mark King and Glena Jessee-King. Your ad can go among the ads if you email the ad to: rethatrohs@yahoo.com (Please watch for the November issue around the 21st of October, 2014) Thank you. THE END
(In progress now at West Bow Publishing-this is not the final picture version, though.)
(This is the back of “Seven Years of Insanity” print book.)