The Bible and Beyond

Judith Marie Judy

Description

Judith Marie Judy explores how the Bible came to be, drawing readers in by sharing her own recollections while connecting the times and events of long ago.
This easy-to-read biblical reference highlights times before, during, and after God’s revelations became written words. Key topics include ancient civilizations, Hebrew Bible, Jewish revolts against Rome, Roman world of Jesus, New Testament, and related interests beyond the Bible. The book concludes with a brief review of current countries linked to the Holy Land. Glossaries, timelines, maps, and an index assist the reader. The author’s intent is to unravel the somewhat bewildering and overwhelming information of the Bible.
“The Bible and Beyond: A Connection to Related Media is a guide for understanding the Bible that simply cannot get enough praise. Author Judith Marie Judy is not a preacher or ideologist of a specific way to interpret the Bible. [The book] is an excellent reference that isn’t aimed at scholars but at everyone who wants a deeper connection and understanding of the Bible.”
— The Moving Words LLC, Santa Maria, CA 93455
http://themovingwords.com/category/the-moving-words-review
“Judith Marie Judy presents a sourcebook of the history, geography, and politics that surrounded and influenced Judaism and Christianity through their development over three millennia. . . . Judy’s breezy, conversation style carries readers effortlessly through the book. . . . Her personal reflections opening each chapter help give flesh to all the history and theology she’s researched, providing a tenderness that runs through this book that makes it different from other resource books. . . . Judy’s book has much heart.”
— BlueInk Review

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Philosophie et théologie
• Religión
• Jews
• Judaism
• Christianity
• Holy Land
• History
• Bible

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 12 février 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781664201866
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE BIBLE AND BEYOND
 
A Connection to Related Media
 
 
 
JUDITH MARIE JUDY
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2020 Judith Marie Judy.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Interior Image Credit: Judith Marie Judy
 
Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-0187-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-0188-0 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-0186-6 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020914934
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 04/25/2022
Also by Judith Marie Judy under J. Marie Judy
Life on Torrez Road A Northern New Mexico Family History
This book is dedicated to all who seek.
CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
PART ONE THE BIBLE
SECTION ONE HEBREWS—ISRAELITES
Chapter 1 Background (Hebrews—Israelites)
Reflections Faraway Places
Ancient Civilizations
Mesopotamia, Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, Assyria, Elam, Media, Levant, Canaan, Hittites, Philistines, Phoenicia, Arameans, Amorites, Egypt, Jordan
Language Development
Source—Hebrew Bible
Torah (Law), Yahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomic, Priestly, Redactor, Nevi’im (Prophets), Kethuvim (Writings)
Chapter 2 The Hebrew Bible
Reflections Bible
Hebrew Bible—A Review
Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), Kethuvim (Writings)
Books of the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament
Early Hebrew Lineage
SECTION TWO SPANNING OLD AND NEW
Chapter 3 Background (Spanning Old and New)
Reflections Four Hundred Years
Condensed Timeline
Lands and People
Samaritans, Galilee, Persia, Zoroastrianism, Parthians, Greece, Hellenistic Culture, Hellenistic Philosophers, Rome, Jews in Diaspora
Related Writings
Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, Flavius Josephus (37-100 CE)—Jewish Historian, Mishnah and Talmud, Kabbalah—Ancient Jewish Mysticism
Chapter 4 Judaism
Reflections Moving Forward
Need for Change
Priests, Synagogues and Rabbis, Sabbath, Sanhedrin, Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, Essenes and Dead Sea Scrolls, Maccabees and Hasmoneans, Zealots
Chapter 5 Roman Rule
Reflections Long Lasting Influence
Judea Under Rome
Heirs to Herod’s Kingdom
Jewish Revolts Against Rome
SECTION THREE CHRISTIANS
Chapter 6 Background (Christians)
Reflections Cherished Years
Terms Linking Faiths
Roman World of Jesus
People of the New Faith
Jesus, John the Baptist, Jesus’ Disciples, The Marys, Paul (Saul)
Chapter 7 A Church Survives
Reflections Controversy
Related Vocabulary
Early Centuries CE
First Century, Second Century, Third Century, Fourth Century, Looking Forward
Rejected Beliefs
Jewish Christians, Gnosticism Nag Hammadi Discovery, Valentinians, Sethians, Carpocratians and the Secret Gospel of Mark, Mary Magdala The Gospel, Judas The Gospel
Chapter 8 The New Testament
Reflections New Testament Revisited
Source—New Testament
Gospels, Letters/Epistles, Documents
New Testament—A Review
Books of the New Testament
PART TWO BEYOND THE BIBLE
SECTION FOUR MOVING ONWARD
Chapter 9 Biblical Translations
Reflections Bibles for All
Words Become a Bible
Jewish Translations
Christian Translations
Chapter 10 Expanded Christianity
Reflections Discord
Continued Heresy
Manichaens, Massalians, Paulicians, Bogomils, Cathars
Crossroads
East—West Schism, Crusades, Knights Templars, Inquisition, Martin Luther, Protestant Reformation, Reform in England, Council of Trent
Chapter 11 Biblical Lands Past-Present
Reflections Changes
The Promised Land
Israel/Palestine, Galilee
Regional Ties
Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Iran
In Conclusion
End Notes
Maps of Biblical Lands
Times of Interest—Ancient to Modern
Glossary
Works Cited
Acknowledgements
About the Author
A Final Word
PREFACE
An author, writing before I was born, began his book with a proclamation indicating that there exists, from the beginning of time, a universal instinct leading toward a consciousness of a Divine Source. Every race or tribe, in some way, has worshiped and honored this Source—God—as named by some. The author went on to suggest that if there were no God, there would be no searching for God. That was the first time I saw in print that believing and searching for God gave evidence that God IS . Then, early in the twenty-first century from a book by Bruce Feiler, I saw the following quote, “There is a common psyche in the world in which humans lunge for the Divine. That is God’s imprint left on us, which all religious people feel.” In part, the revelation of holding that same undeniable belief, as presented by the two authors, spurred me on to write this book.
For a decade, I enjoyed readings of a biblical nature but still lacked a concise reference for connecting times and events of those long-ago years. Plus, questions arose regarding vocabulary and terms. Once again, I found myself putting down a book because the wording left me wondering and the ancient time frame, with changes in territorial names, puzzled me. I realized a compilation of my notes into one easy to use resource was long overdue. What an undertaking!
Covering the long years of biblical times, some repetition seems necessary as details often overlap into other chapters. A Glossary covers the entire book plus related terms. Timelines present dates in a precise format and Maps provide a look at the physical placement of a few countries represented. Also, an Index helps in locating specific subjects. As a self-taught biblical student, I found these kinds of additions helpful.
My intent to withhold personal beliefs and opinions from the major text of this book has not been a total success. It seems basic life principles become a part of any endeavor. I include some personal thoughts in the form of Reflections at the beginning of each chapter and elsewhere in the book; they are in italicized print . Too, I think by inserting my memories, others will be inclined to recall their feelings regarding the various topics. Becoming personally involved deepens the meaning of everything we do.
More and more, it seems, I’m asked about the difference between religious and spiritual. I reply: Spiritual is the awareness of God within. It is a personal relationship with God. A knowingness that through every aspect of life, guidance and comfort are God’s gift to humankind forever and forever. Some define God as Divine Source or Light or Force or Spirit . It is the thought that matters. Religious is the intellectual knowledge and following the exact teachings of a specific church, often called doctrine. Religious people can also be spiritual just as spiritual people can be religious.
This book is not an academic text nor is it an attempt to prove or persuade others of any religious or spiritual matters. It is a gift from my heart to those curious readers wanting a connection from biblical times to related media through the twenty-first century. My hope is that others will find this resource useful in unraveling the somewhat bewildering and overwhelming information of the Bible and ongoing interests.
INTRODUCTION
The Hebrew Bible covers God’s relationship to humankind before the birth of Jesus. The New Testament tells of Jesus and the ensuing Christian religion. Christians combined their Scriptures with the Hebrew Bible into one book called the Bible, giving the name Old Testament to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament to their own Scriptures. In the process, Christians changed the placement of some books as shown in the Hebrew Bible. At times, the term Christian Bible is used to cover the combined Christian Old and New Testament. The Bible covers thousands and thousands of years. The following information is included to assist readers in approaching this book: The Bible and Beyond . . ..
The inspirational offering of the Bible and the desire for a history of humankinds’ connection with God continue to be compelling forces for millions around the world. Biblical material dating back to Antiquity is daunting to many wanting to relate those older times with today’s expanse of knowledge. Measurement of time, complexity of words, and the source of data, need to be considered in reading biblical material. Examples of thes