I was researching this while writing a course on Kabbalah for ULC Seminar. One thing I learned during my research is that the Hebrew Bible is very different from the Old Testament in the Christian Bible. I have since ordered this Bible, but cannot comment on it as I have not yet received it. I ordered the translation of the oldest Bible, which is the Dead Sea Scrolls Bible. But when I searched for the oldest Christian New Testament, I found many confusing books.
The Wycliffe Bible is apparently the oldest printed New Testament. This was followed by a couple of others, then the King James version. I think Wycliffe went to prison for printing this Bible for the masses because it was believed at the time that ordinary people could not understand the Bible without an intermediary priest. Now, I have read the King James Bible and while some sections are beautiful, others are just plain confusing. The other confusing thing about the New Testament is that it contradicts itself.
I’m not a Christian, not a Jew, but a Wiccan (I’m not a Satanist. That’s a completely different religion), but I respect all religions, I have a Ph.D. in Divinity, and I’ve studied many religions. I have no problem with Jesus Christ. But I don’t think many pastors convey the message of Jesus. For example, Mega-Churches keep popping up, all with a different translation of the Bible. Now, how many millions of dollars went into building that church that could have reached out to the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the disenfranchised, the oppressed women, etc. I think it’s an oxymoron. I recently picked up a NIV New Testament and started flipping through it (I’ve read the New Testament so I know it well) and started underlining the parts where the women were healed. At one point, Jesus is in the house of Simon the Leper (in Matthew) and a woman enters with an alabaster vase full of perfume that she pours on Jesus’ head. In other words, she anointed him. The apostles are horrified, feeling that the perfume could have been sold and given to the poor. Jesus rebukes them saying that she has anointed him for her death and every time he tells this story, she will be remembered.
It’s her? How many times have we heard this story in church? I never heard of it, until I read about it in the Bible. Clearly, Jesus wanted people to know what she had done, but we never heard about it. In fact, I rarely hear about women in the Bible. What about the Samaritan woman at the well whom Jesus told about her life and that she might have living water? It was unusual for a Jew to talk to a Samaritan, let alone a woman. He ran to his town, told what had happened and asked if this could be the Messiah. She was the first witness to the messianic role of Christ. But have we heard of it?
A good New Testament to obtain is The Message Bible. The OT Bible is much like other Christian Bibles, but the author recites the Beatitudes beautifully. He puts it in simple language and it all makes sense.
Then there are those cult Bibles. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses have their own Bible. I have read parts of it and I have to admit that it is harsh and strange. What about the Book of Mormon? I have tried, at least three times, to read that. It is written like the King James Bible, but it tries too hard to be like the King James Bible. The words just don’t flow.
There are many sects of Christians who believe that the Earth is 6,000 years old. Despite the astronomical evidence, this is pretty clear. 700 years ago, a kabbalistic mystic said that the earth was 16 billion years old. Long before science got there. He did this through much Kabbalah study and meditation. What is interesting is that the Cabal also confirms the Big Bang Theory. That’s too much to go into right now, but I hope to write a future article about it.
Paganism is like an umbrella: there are Wiccans, Heathens, Druids, Eclectic Pagans, Fae, and many more. Christianity is also an umbrella: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Catholics, Mormons, and then non-denominational churches. Paganism does not have a “bible.” We have a Rede Wiccan, which most follow, we have a triple law (what you take out comes back to you three times over, which really tends to discourage black magic). And do not harm anyone, as I wish, so be it is common language at the end of a spell. Wiccans do not harm living things. They heal, work to improve communication, work in interfaith ministries, etc. Very similar to Christian’s. But I never understood the need for so many Bibles. It’s like everyone has their own interpretation of it and since so much has been translated and interpreted, how much of it is still real?
There is a Gnostic Bible, which I encourage people to read, because it gives a completely different perspective of what Christianity would have been like if Gnostic writings had been included. By the way, the Gnostic Christians were branded as heretics and went into hiding. The writings were discovered at Nag Hammadi.
I hope that when I have my Hebrew Bible I can write about their differences and include something more about Kabbalah. But I hope I’ve given you something to think about. By the way, Wycliffe’s New Testament is available on Kindle, either free or for .99. The first one on the list costs over $100.
I look forward to writing more about this in the future.
