Bible Books

[Ninhursag]

Hello ..

I Hope Someone Can Give Me Some Good Book Recommandations ..

I Love Reading About The Bible Whether It Is From A Historical, Alternative, Religious etc. Point Of View (Different Interpretations Of It) ..

Can Anybody Suggest Some Good Reads Of The Sort? Or Documentaries If You Know Of Any ..

Thanks in Advance

[Abramelin]

I think you will like this one:

THE GOSPEL OF NACHASH

Marie Brennan

http://www.clockworkphoenix.com/nachash.htm

[Eldorado]

If you like a laugh... browse this site...

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/index.htm

[Ninhursag]

Awesome Thanks To The Both Of You ..

If Anyone Else Has Other Suggestions It Would Be Much Appreciated

[Roddy]

Try these authors :

L. Michael White - Scripting Jesus

Elaine Pagels

Bart Ehrman

A. N. Wilson - Jesus

[Ninhursag]

Try these authors :

L. Michael White - Scripting Jesus

Elaine Pagels

Bart Ehrman

A. N. Wilson - Jesus

Ohhhhh Awesome!! Thank You Very Much, Those Authors Are Real Gold Mines On The Subject! Cheers

[Abramelin]

The Nag Hammadi Library

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html

[Roddy]

Here's another one I read when I was in Australia which I thought was good. Maybe hard to find though -

Ian Jones - Joshua, the man they called Jesus.

[Ninhursag]

Thank You All Very Much

[Abramelin]

Toledoth Yeshu

http://www.essene.com/History&Essenes/toled.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledot_Yeshu

[Ninhursag]

Toledoth Yeshu

http://www.essene.co...senes/toled.htm

http://en.wikipedia....i/Toledot_Yeshu

Oh Dear .. Good Thing You Provided The Wiki Link, Otherwise I'd Be Huh

Totally Entertaining Tho Thanks!

[Abramelin]

Oh Dear .. Good Thing You Provided The Wiki Link, Otherwise I'd Be Huh

Totally Entertaining Tho Thanks!

That's me: I provide information, but I also provide a link to criticism and opposing opinions.

That way you can make up your own mind.

But you wanted alternative views on the Bible and its history, and I will give you exactly that.

And I am not done yet, lol.

.

[buckskin scout]

Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan (Library Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies) by John Day

[Abramelin]

Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan (Library Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies) by John Day

And you can read it online (or most of it):

http://books.google.nl/books?id=y-gfwlltlRwC&pg=PA3&hl=nl&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Abramelin]

The Black Book (of the Yezidis)

In the beginning The Invisible One brought forth from its own precious soul a white pearl.

And It created a bird upon whose back It placed the pearl, and there Hedwelt for forty thousand years.

Then on the first day, Sunday, It created an angel called Izrael.

He is Archangel over all the Angels, he who is Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel.

He is the first to be, and to know that He is; for the One can know nothing.

On each of the other Days of the week the One brought forth Angels to serve Melek Taus.

After this, the Invisible One retreated into Itself, and acted no more; but Melek Taus was left to act.

Seeing the barrenness of the ether, He created the form of the seven heavens, the earth,sun and moon.

He created mankind, animals, birds and beasts in the pockets of his cloak.

Then He brought man up from the pearl accompanied by angels.

He gave a great shout before the pearl, after which it split into four pieces.

He made water flow from its inside, and that water became the sea.

After that He created a ship in which He rode thirty thousand years,

After which Melek Taus came and lived among men in the city of Lâlish,

Where His temple remains to this day.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2080602/Yezidi-Black-Book

Kitab al-Jilwa, The Book of Revelation

The Yezidis have two sacred books, the Kitab al-Jilwa, the “Book of Revelation,” written by Sheikh Adi, and the Mishefa Reş, the “Black Book,” which is said by scholars to have been written in the 11th-12th centuries but, claim the Yezidis, has existed since Tawsi Melek, the Peacock Angel, first set foot upon Earth. The Kitab al-Jilwa describes Tawsi Melek and his special relationship with the Yezidis and those who worship him in other faiths. The Mishefa Reş delineates the creation of the universe and the Seven Great Angels, as well as the creation of the Yezidis and the laws they must follow.

CHAPTER I

I was, am now, and shall have no end. I exercise dominion over all creatures and over the affairs of all who are under the protection of my image. I am ever present to help all who trust in me and call upon me in time of need. There is no place in the universe that knows not my presence. I participate in all the affairs which those who are without call evil because their nature is not such as they approve. Every age has its own manager, who directs affairs according to my decrees.

Here, from the same site, a bit different version of the Black Book:

Mishefa Re, The Black Book

n the beginning God created the White Pearl out of his most precious essence. He also created a bird named Angar. He placed the White Pearl on the back of the bird, and dwelt on it for forty thousand years. On the first day, Sunday, God created Melek Anzazl, and he is Ts-Melek,

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CDEQIDAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwebcache.googleusercontent.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dcache%3A72WPvfxcTGEJ%3Awww.yeziditruth.org%2Fyezidi_scriptures%2B%26cd%3D2%26hl%3Dnl%26ct%3Dclnk%26client%3Dfirefox-a&ei=Das8UNePO-bI0QW2nYCoBA&usg=AFQjCNF6CDbUR4a1YhmSKG-LTs3yV0t92w

[Ninhursag]

Pure Perfection!! Oh Man I Don't Know Where To Start But All Of That Will Definitely Keep Me Busy For Months

Thanks And Keep Them Coming

[Abramelin]

You're welcome Ninhursag !

And another one....

This one I also have, but in a Dutch translation. But if you can lay your hands on a copy, don't hesitate, buy it.

Patrick Tilley : Mission (the Dutch edition is called "Het Nieuwste Testament", or "The Newest Testament")

http://www.patrick-t...ssion/index.php

From a review:

On the night of Easter Saturday 1981 a naked corpse is brought in to the mortuary of a New York hospital.

The dead man, apparently the victim of a brutal East Side alleyway murder, is horribly bruised and mutilated.

In his early 30s, lean, swarthy, bearded, with shoulder-length hair, he has a stab wound just under his left rib cage, dreadful lacerations on his back, wounds on his wrists and feet, and a battered head.

Was he a dope-pusher, perhaps, or the victim of a particularly vicious Mafia gangland killing?

Perhaps. But then his teeth have no fillings, his feet have never worn shoes, and stuck in his scalp are three dark spikes that look like inch-long nails but that turn out to be thorns - thorns identified by a botanist as having been cut from a Middle Eastern, prickly shrub within the previous two weeks.

Examining the body in the hospital mortuary, the Jewish lady doctor and her wealthy 35-year-old Jewish lawyer love, Leo Resnick, are baffled when the corpse, undoubtedly dead, begins to show signs of life and then suddenly disappears while their backs are briefly turned.

Neither of them is a practising Jew and certainly has no belief in the Christian Son of God. But the lawyer, trained in logic and reason, finds himself apprehensively but inescapably returning to the absurd, incredible, yet only possible judgement of the evidence:

'Somehow, at the instant of the purported Resurrection, the body of the man known as Jesus had been transported forward through time and had materialised for at least 75 minutes in Manhattan on Easter Saturday of the 81st year of the 20th century.'

Why on the night of Easter Saturday when the Resurrection is said to have happened on Easter Sunday? Because Jerusalem is seven hours ahead of New York: in Israel it is already Sunday morning.

http://www.patrick-t...day_express.php

.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Abramelin

[Abramelin]

The next one I once lent to a neighbour, but she never returned it to me, like the cellphone she stole from me...

Jeremy Leven

Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler J.S.P.S.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan,_His_Psychotherapy_and_Cure_by_the_Unfortunate_Dr._Kassler,_J.S.P.S.

http://books.google.nl/books?id=OoRnO_g9hvcC&pg=PA156&lpg=PA156&dq=Satan:+His+Psychotherapy+and+Cure+by+the+Unfortunate+Dr.+Kassler+J.S.P.S&source=bl&ots=qIOBihtzD4&sig=sKTlaQJxFhZ8VncRobOdxffS1_8&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=UPk8UNzTH-K-0QX0_oGQDw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Satan%3A%20His%20Psychotherapy%20and%20Cure%20by%20the%20Unfortunate%20Dr.%20Kassler%20J.S.P.S&f=false

It's very well written and often hilarious.

[Ninhursag]

You're welcome Ninhursag !

And another one....

This one I also have, but in a Dutch translation. But if you can lay your hands on a copy, don't hesitate, buy it.

Patrick Tilley : Mission (the Dutch edition is called "Het Nieuwste Testament", or "The Newest Testament")

http://www.patrick-t...ssion/index.php

From a review:

On the night of Easter Saturday 1981 a naked corpse is brought in to the mortuary of a New York hospital.

The dead man, apparently the victim of a brutal East Side alleyway murder, is horribly bruised and mutilated.

In his early 30s, lean, swarthy, bearded, with shoulder-length hair, he has a stab wound just under his left rib cage, dreadful lacerations on his back, wounds on his wrists and feet, and a battered head.

Was he a dope-pusher, perhaps, or the victim of a particularly vicious Mafia gangland killing?

Perhaps. But then his teeth have no fillings, his feet have never worn shoes, and stuck in his scalp are three dark spikes that look like inch-long nails but that turn out to be thorns - thorns identified by a botanist as having been cut from a Middle Eastern, prickly shrub within the previous two weeks.

Examining the body in the hospital mortuary, the Jewish lady doctor and her wealthy 35-year-old Jewish lawyer love, Leo Resnick, are baffled when the corpse, undoubtedly dead, begins to show signs of life and then suddenly disappears while their backs are briefly turned.

Neither of them is a practising Jew and certainly has no belief in the Christian Son of God. But the lawyer, trained in logic and reason, finds himself apprehensively but inescapably returning to the absurd, incredible, yet only possible judgement of the evidence:

'Somehow, at the instant of the purported Resurrection, the body of the man known as Jesus had been transported forward through time and had materialised for at least 75 minutes in Manhattan on Easter Saturday of the 81st year of the 20th century.'

Why on the night of Easter Saturday when the Resurrection is said to have happened on Easter Sunday? Because Jerusalem is seven hours ahead of New York: in Israel it is already Sunday morning.

http://www.patrick-t...day_express.php

.

This Is A Novel If I Read Correctly, Right?? I'm Interested More In The "Real Thing" .. I Think I Haven't Read Fiction In Years And Frankly I Don't Miss It ..

[Ninhursag]

The next one I once lent to a neighbour, but she never returned it to me, like the cellphone she stole from me...

Jeremy Leven

Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler J.S.P.S.

http://en.wikipedia....ssler,_J.S.P.S.

http://books.google....J.S.P.S&f=false

It's very well written and often hilarious.

This One Sounds More Interesting .. I Might Give It A Try Someday

Thanks!

[Abramelin]

I still have the next one:

The Secret Adam:A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis - Elisabeth S. Drower (1960)

http://egnu93.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/the_secret_adam_drower.pdf

A whole online handbook:

THE GNOSTIC HANDBOOK

http://www.themasonictrowel.com/ebooks/gnostic/gnostic.pdf

[Eldorado]

This Is A Novel If I Read Correctly, Right?? I'm Interested More In The "Real Thing" .. I Think I Haven't Read Fiction In Years And Frankly I Don't Miss It ..

Should you ever stray back to fiction, ma'am may I suggest the following.

"The greatest serial killer novel ever written, period.

By Reason of Insanity was also the first such effort, setting the template for writers like Thomas Harris, John Sanford and Steve Thayer. It’s a big, thick book centering on a hideously abused child who grows into a misogynistic psychopath and inspires a nation-wide manhunt. There’s also a determined reporter, an expert on mass murder who becomes obsessed with taking the psycho down...and who comes to identify a little too closely with the object of his hunt.

As that synopsis indicates, this novel established the conventions of the serial killer thriller, and while certain aspects seem dated (like the fact that the term "serial killer" is never mentioned), it retains much of its considerable power. Back in 1979 the level of sex and violence presented herein was unprecedented, and the nastiness remains strong and impacting."

http://www.fright.com/edge/by_reason___.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Stevens

Apologies for straying off topic.

[Abramelin]

LOL, let me stray back on topic. Interesting read, btw.

Thinking about it, I've noticed I read quite a lot of 'alternative interpretations' of the Bible/Jesus/God and so on.

Here's another one I read many years ago (online):

JESUS

http://www.abacom.com/~jkrause/jesus.html

[Abramelin]

Seola (1878)

Author: Smith, J. Gregory, Mrs., 1818-1905

http://archive.org/details/seolaxxx00smitiala

http://archive.org/stream/seolaxxx00smitiala#page/n8/mode/1up

Seola is an antediluvian novel published in 1878, written by Ann Eliza Smith. The publishers of the novel are Boston: Lee and Shepard, New York: Charles T. Dillingham.

The majority of the novel purports to be a translation of an ancient scroll diary written by a woman named Seola, who is identified as the wife of Japheth. The Book of Genesis indicates that Noah had three sons named Ham, Shem and Japheth. In the appendix section of the novel, Ann Smith describes how she was inspired to write the fantasy. She writes:

"Seola is a fantasy, revealed to the writer while listening to the performance of an extraordinary musical composition. It was sudden and unforeseen as the landscape which sometimes appears to a benighted traveller, for one instant only, illumined by the lightning's flash.

It does not therefore pretend to be either history or theology, but yet the theory upon which the story is founded is in strict accordance with the sacred writings of the Hebrews and traditions of other ancient nations."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seola

Few pages from the book:

http://ia700308.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/23/items/seolaxxx00smitiala/seolaxxx00smitiala_jp2.zip&file=seolaxxx00smitiala_jp2/seolaxxx00smitiala_0165.jp2&scale=3&rotate=0

http://ia700308.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/23/items/seolaxxx00smitiala/seolaxxx00smitiala_jp2.zip&file=seolaxxx00smitiala_jp2/seolaxxx00smitiala_0197.jp2&scale=3&rotate=0

http://ia700308.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/23/items/seolaxxx00smitiala/seolaxxx00smitiala_jp2.zip&file=seolaxxx00smitiala_jp2/seolaxxx00smitiala_0198.jp2&scale=3&rotate=0

[+Paranoid Android]

You're welcome Ninhursag !

And another one....

This one I also have, but in a Dutch translation. But if you can lay your hands on a copy, don't hesitate, buy it.

Patrick Tilley : Mission (the Dutch edition is called "Het Nieuwste Testament", or "The Newest Testament")

http://www.patrick-t...ssion/index.php

Sounds somewhat in similar vein to Kel Richards' "Case of the Vanishing Corpse", it's about a P.I. named Ben Bartholomew who is hired to solve the ultimate "Locked Room" mystery - a corpse has vanished, the corpse of one Jesus Davidson (line of David?), and only Ben Bartholomew can get to the bottom of it. It is fiction, but it's based on the biblical account of the resurrection, but with a modern twist, fast cars and guns, Mafia underworld and back-alley beat-downs. It's a fun read, if you're into that sort of thing.

Personally, I've never found much interest in "alternate readings" of the Bible. I'm all for scholarly understanding, even academic reading (as opposed to theological - theological reading assumes an inerrant "word of God" Bible; academia does not). But most "alternative theories" amount to nothing more than a conspiracy theory from what I've seen.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Paranoid Android