BIBLE CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE LESSON-SERMON*November 27, 2005

For CSDirectory.com

Compiled by C. Norman Wood, Burke, VA 22015 703-898-8818, woodcn@aol.com

SUBJECT: Ancient and Modern Necromancy, alias Mesmerism and Hypnotism,Denounced

ALL SECTIONS: Evil: Serpent, Devil, Beelzebub, Satan, Dragon

Serpent

“SERPENT (ophis, in Greek; nacash, in Hebrew). Subtlety; a lie; theopposite of Truth, named error; the first statement of mythology and idolatry; the belief in more than oneGod; animal magnetism; the first lie of limitation; finity; the first claim that there is an opposite of Spirit,or good, termed matter, or evil; the first delusion that error exists as fact; the first claim that sin,sickness, and death are the realities of life. The first audible claim that God was not omnipotent andthat there was another power, named evil, which was as real and eternal as God, good.” (S&H 594:1)

“Serpents are mentioned often in the Bible, and a number of names are used for them.”(Interpreter’s Dictionary) A serpent is a reptile, and in the Bible another name for snake; asymbol for evil and Satan.

“In the ancient world, there was general respect for, revulsion at, and fear of serpents,most being assumed to be poisonous and therefore dangerous. The serpent thus came to beunderstood symboliclly with both positive and negative connotations. In some ancient cultures,the serpent was associated with deity and was depicted in statues and paintings with variousgods and goddesses. Serpents also played various roles in ancient mythological stories….Some even linked the serpent with the process of healing, as in the case of the Greek godAsclepius. In Canaanite religion, which the early Hebrew people encountered upon theirarrival in the area, the serpent was associated with the fertility worship of Baal, his consortAstarte…being depicted with a serpent.” (HarperCollins)

“Against this general background, one is not surprised to find many references toserpents in biblical writings.” (Ibid)

“Judaism does not see in the Genesis story the “Fall of Man.” (Complete BibleHandbook)

Devil

“DEVIL. Evil; a lie; error; neither corporeality nor mind; the oppositeof Truth; a belief in sin, sickness, and death; animal magnetism orhypnotism; the lust of the flesh, which saith: ‘I am life and intelligence in matter. There is morethan one mind, for I am mind, —

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a wicked mind, self-made or created by a tribal god and put into theopposite of mind, termed matter, thence to reproduce a mortal universe,including man, not after the image and likeness of Spirit, but after itsown image.’" (S&H 584:17)

The devil is “the personal dimension of that which opposes God’s purposes in Hisworld.” (Holman Dictionary) He is portrayed as a slanderer, the arch-enemy of man's spiritualinterest in Job, Zechariah, and Revelation. The devil is called also "the accuser of the brethen"in Revelation.

In Leviticus, the word "devil" is the translation of the Hebrew sair, meaning a "goat" or"satyr,” alluding to the wood-demons, the objects of idolatrous worship among the heathen.

In Deuteronomy and Psalms it is the translation of Hebrew shed , meaning lord, andidol, regarded by the Jews as a "demon," as the word is rendered in the Revised Version.

In the narratives of the Gospels regarding the "casting out of devils" a different Greekword (daimon) is used. In the time of our Lord there were frequent cases of demoniacalpossession in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Beelzebub/Baal-zebub/Gr. Beelzebul[Bee el’zi buhb]

The Phoenician god at Ekron consulted by King Ahaziah, and worshipped by thePhilistines.

“The original form and meaning of the term are unclear. Originally, it may have meant‘lord of the lofty abode’; then, because this god was considered by the Hebrews to be anunworthy rival to Yahweh, it may have been revised to ‘lord of the flies.’ Later, it was alteredeven further to Beel-zabul, meaning ‘lord of dung.’ In the intertestamental period, whennumerous names were used to designate the leader of the forces of evil, one of the namesselected was Baal-zebub.” (HarperCollins Dictionary)

Beelzebub is a name given to Satan, and is found only in the New Testament. In theGospels, Jesus denies that he casts out demons by “Beelzebub the chief of the devils.”

Satan[Say’tuhn] (“adversary, accuser”)

When used as a proper name, the Hebrew word so rendered has the article "theadversary" (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). In the New Testament it is used as interchangeable withDiabolos, or the devil, and is so used more than thirty times.

He is also called "the dragon," "the old serpent" (Rev 12:9; 20:2); "the prince of thisworld" (John 12:31; 14:30); "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2:2); "the god of this world"(II Cor 4:4); "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2). The distinctpersonality of Satan and his activity among men are thus obviously recognized. He tempted

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our Lord in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11). He is "Beelzebub, the prince of the devils" (12:24).He is "the constant enemy of God, of Christ, of the divine kingdom, of the followers of Christ,and of all truth; full of falsehood and all malice, and exciting and seducing to evil in everypossible way." His power is very great in the world. He is a "roaring lion, seeking whom hemay devour" (1 Pet 5:8). Men are said to be "taken captive by him" (II Tim 2:26). Christiansare warned against his "devices" (II Cor 2:11), and called on to "resist" him (James 4:7). Christredeems his people from "him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14).Satan has the "power of death," not as lord, but simply as executioner.

Dragon

“RED DRAGON. Error; fear; inflammation; sensuality; subtlety;animal magnetism; envy; revenge.” (S&H 593: 7)

The dragon is “a reptilian monster well known in the mythology and iconography of theancient Near east.” (HarperCollins Dictionary)

In the New Testament the word "dragon" is found only in the 12th chapter of Revelation,and is there used metaphorically of "Satan."

Greenwood, Samuel, “The Divine Source of Healing,” Christian Science Journal (December1910), p. 568.

--The easy assertion that Christian Science healing results from the use of what is termedhypnotic influence, willpower, or mental suggestion, is but the attempt of this erring "mind" tojustify itself.

• Only the power of good can cast out evil.---Using a belief in hypnotic power, although with the best

intent, is in reality praying to Beelzebub to cast out itself.• It seems almost superfluous at this day to say that such is not the prayer of the

Christian Scientist.---He declares the truth, and demonstrates it to the degree

of his understanding, but no more thinks of suggesting the spiritual facts of being than ofsuggesting the existence of Deity.

H., J.R., “Handling of the Serpent,” Christian Science Sentinel (16 May 1903), p. 583.

--Throughout the entire Scriptures the serpent is used as a symbol of all that is wrong inhuman consciousness, and the command has always been to handle this serpent of deceptionwith the understanding of Truth, and finally destroy it in all its forms.

• When we reach that stage in our growth of experience set forth in Revelation we willnot only have handled the serpent of suggestions and deceptions, but we will then be able tosee that old dragon, the devil, cast out of our consciousness.--Moses was commanded to handle this serpent and did so, yet until he handled it fear ruledhim and would have carried him into all forms of error.

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--The serpent unhandled is the fallen state of man, a state where life is believed to be inmatter, and man to be mortal, subject to all the claims of sorrow, sickness, and death-a stafflikened unto "a reed shaken by the wind."

Hough, Rev. A.J., “The Devil,” POEM, Christian Science Journal (August 1883), p. 4.

Men don't believe in a devil now, as their fathers used to do;They've forced the door of the broadest creed to let His Majesty

through.There isn't a print of his cloven foot or a fiery dart from his bowTo be found in earth or air to-day, for the world has voted so.

But who is it mixing the fatal draught that palsies heart and brain,And loads the bier of each passing year with ten hundred thousand

slain?Who blights the bloom of the land to-day with the fiery breath of Hell,If the Devil isn't and never was? Won't somebody rise and tell?….

Kenworthy, Mrs. May, “The Dragon,” Christian Science Sentinel (7 March 1903), p. 431.

--we know in Christian Science that the "Great Red Dragon" is the type of the sum-total of evilof these latter days, and that God is all, and God is Love.

• In the proportion that we apprehend this glorious truth, our fear becomes less, andwith the understanding of Love, we uncover, dissect, and destroy-reduce to nothingness- eachclaim of evil, be it sin, sickness, or fear of death.--Material personality or mortal man is the only support the dragon, or evil, ever had or ever willhave, and this counterfeit man is not God's man, and when we can separate personality fromany and all of evil's claims, the work of destroying the error is more readily accomplished; then,and not until then, can we be true followers of the Christ and be obedient to our Master, JesusChrist, who bade his followers heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and thuspreach the Gospel.

Reynolds, Lucy Hays, “Satan Falls,” Christian Science ournal (March 1954), p. 135.

--Many years ago, according to an account in the tenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, the mostspiritually powerful man who ever lived, even Christ Jesus, appointed seventy of his studentsto go on a very important mission in preparing the way for his work in other places.--Through Christian Science it is learned that Satan, or devil, is never a person, but is made upof the counterfeit forces of human will, bestial ferocity, and the murderous instincts of thecarnal mind, or animal magnetism.

• Satan is the serpent that has deceived the human race throughout the ages, as in theallegorical portrayal of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, where the belief that good andevil could mingle was instituted to deceive and dominate mankind.

RESPONSIVE READING: Moses’ Call, and Sign Attesting His Commission (Ex 3: 1,7,10; 4:1-4)

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“Moses worked as a shepherd while living with his father-in-law, a life and occupationquite different from the privilege and prestige associated with his life in Pharaoh’s court.”(MacArthur Commentary)

Moses[M_’zez] (Egyp. “extraction, a son”/Heb. “drawn from the water”)

“MOSES. A corporeal mortal; moral courage; a type of moral law and thedemonstration thereof; the proof that, without the gospel, — the union of justice andaffection, — there is something spiritually lacking, since justice demands penaltiesunder the law.” (S&H 592: 11)

TIME LINE: 1526-1406 BC (some say @1300 BC)Kings of Egypt: Thutmose 1529-1517

Thutmose II 1517-1504Thutmose III 1504-1453

Queen Hatshepshut1504-1483Amenhotep II1453-1426

First Passover @1446Exodus/Wilderness Wanderings @1446Ten Commandments

Thutmose IV 1426-1416Amenhotep III 1416-1377

JacobLevi

GershonLibniShimi

KohathAmran (father)=Jochebed (mother)

Miriam (sister)Aaron (brother) =Elisheba (tribe of Judah)

NadabAbihuEleazar=(daughter of Putiel)

PhinehasIthamar

Moses = Zipporah (wife/Jethro’sdaughter)

Gershorn (son)Jonathan

Eliezer (son)= Tharbis (Ethiopian wife)

Izhar

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HebronUzziel

MerariMahaliMushi

Jochebed (Amran’s aunt and wife)(11 other sons/Dinah)

Moses was the first and preeminent Hebrew leader, who led the people in their exodusout of Egypt to the threshold of the promised land; and he was a lawgiver and the archetypicalprophet. He is the most majestic figure in the Old Testament. His role was so central that thePentateuch was called the Five Books of Moses, and the code of religious laws, the Law ofMoses. For all his greatness, Moses never loses his humaneness, displaying anger,frustration, and lack of self-confidence in addition to his leadership abilities, humility, andperseverance.

FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE

Moses was born in Egypt to Hebrew slave parents in exile during dangerous times, andwe come to know him first as an infant when the king of Egypt decreed that all infant malesshould be killed. Moses was hidden among a river’s edge when Pharaoh’s daughter came tobathe, saw the basket with the baby, and had pity on this baby boy. Miriam, Moses’ sister,was nearby and suggested a Hebrew nurse to suckle the child. When Pharaoh’s daughteragreed, Jochebed, Moses’ mother, was surreptitiously selected to be that nurse. The boy thengrew up at the royal court but, through his mother, remained aware of his Hebrew origin.

YOUTH AND YOUNG MANHOOD

Slew an Egyptian. Later, he had to flee Egypt when he killed an Egyptian who wasflogging an Israelite slave.

He Flees to Midian [present day Saudi Arabia, just east of the Gulf of Aquba]. Hejoined a nomadic shepherd, Jethro, and subsequently, married his daughter, Zipporah.

40 YEARS IN MIDIAN

AT THE BURNING BUSH: Called to Leadership

Moving deep into the desert in search of pasture for his father-in-law’s flocks,Moses came to the mountain of Horeb (or Sinai). He turned aside to examine a strangesight: a bush that was burning without being consumed. God’s voice came out of the bushdemanding him to halt and remove his shoes as he was on holy ground. Moses was told thathe had been chosen to lead his brethren out of their oppression, and bring them to thePromised Land. Moses shrank from this task, saying: “Who am I, that I should go untoPharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Ex 3:11). Slowly hisreaction changed from curiosity to awe as he realized that he was in God’s presence.

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MAKES FOUR EXCUSES

Moses was reluctant to accept the task of bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and gave aseries of excuses for which God provided retorts.

Personal Unfitness.Moses shrank from this task, saying, “Who am I, that I

should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Ex3: 11)

Fears Unbelief of the People.To reassure him the name of the Lord (“Jehovah”) was

revealed to Moses and he was given certain magic signs to impress Pharaoh and theIsraelites: turning his staff into a snake, making a hand white with leprosy, and turning waterinto blood.

Lack of Eloquence.Still reluctant, Moses pointed out that “I am slow of

speech, and of a slow tongue.” (Ex 4: 10)Request Some Other Leader Be Sent.

The Lord became impatient with him, and replied that hisbrother Aaron could be his spokesman.

THE RETURN TO EGYPT

As an adult, Moses was sent to lead the people out of Egypt, and there is no questionthat he was a successful leader. He took a mixed multitude and under his guidance they wereshaped into a national entity. Moses led the people from encampment to encampment anddirected them when conflicts with other nations arose. Like most leaders, he was subjected tocomplaints and grumbling and even rebellions, and he was called upon to provide solutions toproblems and psychological encouragement. Moses served as the link between the Israelitesand God; he interceded with God on behalf of the people.

THE TEN PLAGUES SENT

The Passover. Each year Jews commemorate the Exodus in the seven-day springfestival of Passover, as enjoined in Exodus 10. They eat “matzot” (flat cakes of unleavenedbread) to recall the haste with which their ancestors departed. At the “Seder” or ceremonialmeal, bitter herbs are the symbol of the bondage in Egypt, and a roasted shank-bonerepresents the paschal lamb eaten that fateful night.

THE EXODUS

He later returned to Egypt to demand that Pharaoh “let my people go.” His parting ofthe Red Sea to bring the people out, his wandering in the wilderness, the handing down of theTen Commandments, and his continued march to the Promised Land consumed the remainderof his life.

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“On the wilderness journey for the Israelites’ benefit….His raised hands ensuredvictory over the Amalekites (Ex 17:11-12).” (HarperCollins Dictionary)

AT MOUNT SINAI [almost at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula]

“On Mt. Sinai Moses receives God’s moral, civil, and ceremonial laws, as well as thepattern for the tabernacle to be built in the wilderness.” (Nelson’s Complete Book of BibleMaps & Charts) “The cluster of material now attached to the revelation at Mount Sinai isdiverse in date, structure, and content. Its literary connections are largely with the PriestlyPentateuchal material, including Exod. 25-31; 35-40; Leviticus; Num. 1-10:28, speakinggenerally.” (Interpreter’s Dictionary)

The Divine Appearance on the Mount: “There is a strict hierarchy of personnel: Mosesat the apex of the Mountain, with Aaron in attendance (the status of the priesthood as a wholeis recognized in 19:22…), while the people have to be rigorously excluded at the base of themountain. The elders interposing as representatives of the people (19:7…) may belong to thesame scenario.” (Eerdmans Commentary)

The Decalogue Given: “When the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai, Moses went up ontothe mountain for 40 days (Ex 24:18). The Lord appeared in a terrific storm—‘thunderings andlightenings, and a thick cloud’ (Ex 19:18). Out of this momentous encounter came thecovenant between the Lord and Israel, including the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-17).” (WhoWas Who in the Bible)

The Divine Presence Restored: Moses intercedes, and receives in reply the graciousassurance that God will go with them. Without that assurance he would desire to go no fartherbut to remain at Sinai, where they already had the evidence of his presence and power. Betterthe Sinai wilderness with God, than the land flowing with milk and honey without him.

SINAI TO KADESH-BARNEA [southwestern border of Israel]

Ambition of Aaron and Miriam. “Aaron and Miriam started speaking against Moses, ofwhom they had become jealous. The Lord was angry at this attack, and Miriam was strickenwith leprosy. Moses prayed that she be forgiven, and she recovered after seven days ofisolation in the desert outside the camp. Oddly enough Aaron was not punished—perhapsbecause of his priestly role.” (Who’s Who in the Old Testament)

AT KADESH-BARNEA

The Israelites resumed their journey northward, and came to rest at Kadesh-barnea, agreen and well-watered oasis some fifty miles south of Beersheba. They were now nearingthe southern rim of Canaan [Israel], but it was for them unknown country.

Spies Report. Moses decided to send into it a scouting party of twelve picked men, onefrom each tribe to “see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong orweak, whether they are few or many” (Num 13: 18)—also, whether the inhabitants lived infortified towns or in tents and whether the soil was fertile.

FORTY YEARS WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS

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Rebellion of the People. The leadership of Moses and Aaron was challenged by arevolt—all the more serious because it started with their own tribe of Levi, which was dedicatedto priestly duties.

Aaron’s Atonement. Moses felt the need of some act to bolster the status of Aaron andthe priests. He collected and placed in the Tabernacle a stave from each of the tribes, with theLevites represented by Aaron’s own rod. When they were taken out and shown to the peoplenext morning, it was seen that Aaron’s stave had spouted with blossom and borne almonds.

AT KADESH THE SECOND TIME

Death of MiriamThe People Murmur Because of Thirst: The Children of Israel now settled down for

some decades to the life of nomad shepherds and cattle-herders roaming the wilderness ofZin, with their base at the oasis.

Moses’ Sin

LAST DAYS

Moses’ Farewell Address and Blessings: In three farewell addresses, recorded in theBook of Deuteronomy, Moses recalled for the Israelites the story of their wandering; expandedtheir religious and legal code; and instructed them about their coming settlement in Canaan.

Ascends Mount Nebo [west of Ammon, Jordan]: Ironically, although Moses mustcertainly be judged successful in his mission, he himself was not permitted to partake of thissuccess; he was not granted the privilege of entering the promised land but was given adistant view of the Promised Land from Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is oppositeJericho [eastern West Bank] across the Jordan. At his death, he was a hundred and twentyyears old.

THE LAW OF MOSES

The Mosaic code goes far beyond religious observance in the narrow sense. It dealswith political, social, and family affairs in a progressive spirit well in advance of its period.

Jethro[Jeth’roh] (‘his excellence” or “gain”)

TIME LINE: 13th century BC

Jethro (Reuel)Zipporah = Moses

Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law. He was a priest, and leader of a Midianite tribe knownas Kenites, who lived in the Sinai desert.

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When Moses fled from Egypt after killing Pharoah’s overseer, he lived with Jethro forforty years, married his daughter Zipporah, and tended his sheep.

Years later, when Moses was again in the Sinai desert, leading the Children of Israel,his father-in-law came to visit him at the Rephidim camp. Jethro advised Moses to appointjudges to whom he would teach the laws and delegate some of the work, leaving only thedifficult cases for himself.

H., O.F., “Preparation,” Christian Science Journal (October 1898), p. 464.

--For forty years [Moses] was in Pharaoh's house, becoming "learned in all the wisdom of theEgyptians;" then came forty years of service to Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,until the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush, commanding him to go anddeliver his people from Egyptian bondage.

• At this time he learned obedience by casting his rod upon the ground as bidden, andby again taking it up as bidden, when he saw it as a serpent before him, and then finding it astaff to lean upon.

---In obedience to the voice of Truth, he saw hishand white with the dread leprosy by the simple act of putting it in his bosom, and again madewhole through another similar act of obedience.

“Needed: a New Moses,” Christian Science Monitor (21 May 1992), p. 21.

--When the children of Israel were oppressed in Egypt, God, divine Love, raised up Moses tofree them from subjection and inequity.

• Moses’ declaration of God’s message has echoed down the centuries: “Let my peoplego.”

---Are you willing to let the Moses in you be called into action?--Moses did not find God’s charge to him easy.

• But his innate spirituality made him conscious of God’s law.---He felt the compelling power of divine law within.---He came to know God as the great lawmaker.

• This made him incapable of ignoring injustice.

Williams, Katherine H., “Out of Egypt,” POEM, Christian Science Sentinel (7 August 1948),p. 1412.

Still the cloudy, fiery visionMoves before our lifted gaze,And the world and its derision,Its allure, its dusty praise,Never dim this present wonder,Only bid our hearts to prayThat Mount Sinai’s tenfold thunderKeep our footsteps in the way.

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Woollings, Charlotte, “The Rod and the Serpent,” Christian Science Sentinel (24 December1921), p. 260.

--We read in the fourth chapter of Exodus that when Moses held a material rod in hishand—which was apparently a symbol of spiritual power—God bade him cast it on the ground,and the rod became a serpent.

• As the Bible is an inspired history of progressive understanding of the one God, it is ofsmall moment to us, in our present day endeavor to reach the Horeb height, whether mortalsever saw a material rod turned into a serpent, but it is of immense importance to learn thelesson such a narrative conveys to us here and now.

---All periods are alike to God.• He that made an everlasting covenant with His people, made it for all eternity, and it

can never end.---To every student of Christian Science, therefore, the help and teaching

afforded by the well-known and loved Biblical incidents are of practical, hourly utility.

SECTION I: The Temptation by the Serpent, and the Interrogation of Adam (Gen 3: 1-5,9-14)

“Central elements in the Yahwist’s presentation of the human tragedy are the relatedideas of the forbidden knowledge and the loss of immortality.” (Peake Commentary)

“This chapter describes how ‘by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin’(Rom 5:12).” (Dummelow Commentary)

“The serpent, a manifestation of Satan, appears for the first time before the Fall of man.”(MacArthur Commentary) In verse 9, the question “Where are you? “was God’s way ofbringing man to explain why he was hiding, rather than expressing ignorance about man’slocation.” (Ibid)

“the woman”/Eve[_v] (Heb. “life’)

“EVE. A beginning; mortality; that which does not last forever; afinite belief concerning life, substance, and intelligence in matter; error; the belief that the human raceoriginated materially instead of spiritually, — that man started first from dust, second from a rib, andthird from an egg.” (S&H 585: 23)

Adam = EveCain

EnochAbelSeth

Enosh(other sons?)(other daughters?)

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Eve was the name given by Adam to the first human woman “because she was themother of all living,” both because Eve is, through her sons, the female ancestor of the entirehuman race and because the name sounds similar to the Hebrew word for “living being.” Thewordplay is probably etymologically incorrect, and later rabbinical tradition proposed aconnection with the Aramaic word for “serpent.” The actual linguistic derivation of the nameremains uncertain. She was created to be a help meet for him. Scholars speculate whethermythological images such as Earth Mother or Mother Goddess lie behind the figure.

The account in Genesis, chapter 2, says that Eve was formed of a rib of Adam while heslept. Their relationship is set forth in an allegory in which they were placed in the Garden ofEden [Iraq], and to test their obedience, they were forbidden to touch or taste the fruit of oneparticular tree. “Before her creation, Satan, who like Eve had been created a holy being, led arebellion against the Creator and was cast from his high estate.” (All the Women of the Bible)The serpent led Eve to question the goodness of God and then to eat the forbidden fruit. Sheafterward persuaded Adam to eat, who thus shared her guilt. The result was the fall of mortalman and the origin of the mortal sin.

“Although Eve is linked with the beginnings of sin in the earliest mentions of her outsidethe Hebrew Bible—in the Jewish noncanonical Book of Sirach, as well as in the NewTestament and in other early Jewish and Christian works—she is not called a sinner in theGenesis 2-3 account.” (Women in Scripture)

Eve was the mother of Cain, Abel, and Seth, and possibly other sons and daughters.

“Jewish and Christian traditions postdating the Hebrew Bible and a long history ofWestern scholarship have viewed woman’s creation in Genesis 2 as secondary andderivative—evidence of her lower status.” (Women’s Commentary)

“The apostle Paul referred to Eve twice. By saying “the serpent deceived Eve by hiscraftiness,” Paul gave an example of how easily a person can be led into temptation and sin,with disastrous consequences.” (Who Was Who in the Bible)

Adam[_d’_m] (“ruddy,” “earth,” or “one made or produced”)

“ADAM. Error; a falsity; the belief in ‘original sin,’ sickness, anddeath; evil; the opposite of good, — of God and His creation; a curse; a belief in intelligent matter,finiteness, and mortality; "dust to dust;" red sandstone; nothingness; the first god of mythology; notGod's man, who represents the one God and is His own image and likeness; the opposite of Spirit andHis creations; that which is not the image and likeness of good, but a material belief, opposed to theone Mind, or Spirit; a so-called finite mind, producing other minds, thus making ‘gods many and lordsmany’ (I Corinthians viii. 5); a product of nothing as the mimicry of something; an unreality as opposedto the great reality of spiritual existence and creation; a so-called man, whose origin, substance, andmind are found to be the antipode of God, or Spirit; an inverted image of Spirit; the image and likenessof what God has not created, namely, matter, sin, sickness, and death; the opposer of Truth, termederror; Life's counterfeit, which ultimates in death; the opposite of Love, called hate; the usurper of

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Spirit's creation, called self-creative matter; immortality's opposite, mortality; that of which wisdom saith,‘Thou shalt surely die.’

The name Adam represents the false supposition that Life is not eternal, but has beginning andend; that the infinite enters the finite, that intelligence passes into non-intelligence, and that Soul dwellsin material sense; that immortal Mind results in matter, and matter in mortal mind; that the one God andcreator entered what He created, and then disappeared in the atheism of matter.” (S&H 579: 15-27next page)

“In the second chapter of Genesis there is a different account of the Creation, more vividand detailed.” (Who’s Who in the Bible) Adam was the name of the first mortal man, and ofmankind collectively; he was placed in the Garden of Eden [Iraq]. The second chapter ofGenesis says that he was created of the dust of the earth. The man Adam was placed in agarden, which the Lord God had planted “eastward in Eden,” for the purpose of dressing it andkeeping it. “Yahweh forms Eve from the rib of the sleeping man.” (Interpreter’s Dictionary)

They were permitted to eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden but one, which wascalled “the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” because it was the test of their obedience. Byit they would believe in both good and evil. “Judaism does not see in the Genesis story the‘Fall of man.’” (Complete Bible Handbook)

“The Tree of Life, or the Cosmic Tree, is a symbol common in many ancient religions”(Ibid). By the subtlety of the serpent the woman who was given to be with Adam was beguiledinto a violation of the one command which had been imposed upon them. She took of the fruitof the forbidden tree and gave it to her husband. The propriety of its name was immediatelyshown in the results which followed: self-consciousness was the first result of sin; their eyeswere opened and they knew that they were naked. Lest they eat also of the tree of life, as thestory goes, and become immortal, Adam and Eve were driven forth from Eden and their returnwas barred by cherubim and a flaming sword.

The Bible states that the Garden was “in Eden in the east” and the river that flowed fromit parted into four: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. This would place Eden somewherein Mesopotamia—the ancient Babylonia and the modern Iraq. “Paradeisos” is a Persian wordmeaning “park,” hence the English “Paradise.

After the expulsion, Adam and Eve had three sons—Cain and Abel, and much later,after Abel’s murder, Seth. In the New Testament, Adam is used as a proper name, clearlyreferring to material man’s ancestral parents and the introduction of sin into human experience.

Adam is stated to have lived 930 years.

Emmons, Myra, “Woman,” Christian Science Journal (February 1924), p. 554.

--Since the spiritual idea of God—woman—does not contain “a single element of error,” it isreadily seen how remote this idea is from Eve, who is wholly an Adamic or material concept.

• Almost everyone will admit this, as the ages have credited Eve with being the sourceof error.

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---Poets and artists have striven, and are striving, to exalt Eve; religions haveendeavored to ennoble and protect her; but as Eve has never been the real woman, all effortsto convert her into an object of worship have been defeated.--In the true account of God’s spiritual creation, woman was not made to be “an help meet” forman.

• That was part of the Adam-dream.---God is the origin of spiritual man.---He made man perfect and complete, fully endowed as the image and likeness

of Elohim.

Piele, Felite Henson, “’Where art thou?,’” Christian Science Sentinel (25 Jun 1960), p. 1112.

--In the allegory of Adam, given in the Bible, we find that Adam is pictured as so taken up withevil, or mortal mind, and its appearing that he was afraid and tried to hide himself from God’sarresting question, “Where art thou?” (Gen 3:9).--Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health (pp.307,308): “Above error's awful din, blackness,and chaos, the voice of Truth still calls: ‘Adam, where art thou? Consciousness, where artthou? Art thou dwelling in the belief that mind is in matter, and that evil is mind, or art thou inthe living faith that there is and can be butone God, and keeping His commandment?’”--One of the important things we learn to do in the study of Christian Science is to distinguishbetween divine Mind and mortal mind.

• Mrs. Eddy uses Mind as a definitive terms for God and capitalizes it whenever it isused to designate Him.

---Man is the reflection of Mind and has no other Mind.--Mrs. Eddy has introduced the term “mortal mind” to designate the origin of all erroneousconcepts.

Price, Naomi (CSB and Associate Editor), “God’s grace reverses Adam’s disgrace,”EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel (30 July 1979), p. 1338.

--Nothing is more precious to humanity than the grace of God.• Divine grace is the action of the bright shining of God’s abundant, impartial love for his

creation.--The Bible allegory of Adam typifies the unreal history of mortal man.

• It describes the destiny of the false image of man as existent in matter instead of inGod, Spirit.

---This mythological dream image of man as a sinning, corporeal being inevitablydeteriorates and finds itself shut out of heaven, or harmony.

• Mortals sink, in their dream, to a sorrowful level of degradation at which they arereduced to eating, as it were, the unsavory husks of matter—as the young man of ChristJesus’ parable of the prodigal son was tempted to do.

WAGERS, RALPH E. (CSB, Lecturer, Associate Editor, President, and Normal ClassTeacher), “’The fruit forbidden,’” EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel (6 July 1963), p.1163.

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--“The forbidden fruit of knowledge, against which wisdom warns man, is the testimony oferror, declaring existence to be at the mercy of death, and good and evil to be capable ofcommingling.” (S&H 481)--The first mention of death in the Bible is in connection with the eating of “the tree of theknowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:17).

• This is what the talking serpent encouraged Adam and Eve to do contrary to thedemand of divine wisdom.

---Throughout the Bible the serpent is presented as the enemy of mankind, theagent of sin, through whose influence mankind disobeys the divine law and brings itself undercondemnation and penalty, the ultimate being death.--The proscribed tree typified what Christian Science calls mortal mind, referred to in the Bibleas Satan, the source of mankind’s supposedly corrupt nature and the suppositional opposite ofimmortal Mind, God.--The belief that there are forces and energies of matter which are both creative anddestructive is the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” which we are warned notto eat.

SECTION II: Cain Slays Abel (Gen 4: 1,2,8-14)

“This is a story about Cain: his brother Abel’s role is entirely passive.” (OxfordCommentary)

Cain[Kane] (Heb. “metalworker”)

Adam = EveCain = WifeAbelSeth

Enosh(others?)

Cain was the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the brother of Abel (Gen 4:1-25). Hewas a farmer whose offering God rejected in favor of the firstlings brought by his brother, Abel.In anger, Cain killed Abel and subsequently denied knowledge of his whereabouts. Aspunishment, Cain’s land was denied fertility and Cain was condemned to a life of wandering inexile. He dwelt in land of Nod, east of Eden, and bore a son, Enoch.

“…the cause of Cain’s evil nature is frequently explored, with a tendency to identify Cainas the son of either Satan, the wicked angel Sammael (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan), or theserpent in Eden.” (Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible)

Abel[_’bel] (“breath, vapor, transitoriness”)

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“ABEL. Watchfulness; self-offering; surrendering to thecreator the early fruits of experience.” (S&H 579: 8)

Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve (Gen 4:1-16), and was murdered by hisbrother, Cain. “No data can be educed for an identifiable historical person, so he must bereckoned as a character in the one isolated narrative.” (HarperCollins Dictionary)

He was a shepherd. He brought to the Lord an offering “of the firstlings (the bestquality) of his flock.” In Matthew, Jesus speaks of Abel as the first martyr, and the earlyChristian church continued that appellation. The traditional site of his murder and his graveare near Damascus.

Brookins, Mary, “The Brother’s Keeper,” Christian Science Journal (March 1905), p. 745.

--The false sense of man; physical and material is the Cain thought that slays the innocentbrother, and then when asked to give an account of its victim, denies all knowledge of him andindignantly asks: "Am I my brother's keeper?"--Am I then my brother's keeper?

• No and yes.---I am not my brother's keeper to the extent of

one single anxious thought as to his safety, his sustenance, his standing or advancement inScience, for divine Love is his Father and Mother, and is ever minded of his highest good andabundantly able to achieve it.

---I am his keeper to the extent that I mustdisarm and disown all sense of reality in the evil he may appear to express.

“Brotherhood and Civil War,” Christian Science Monitor (23 August 1991), p. 21.

--Civil war is particularly awful because it is, in essence, a nation fighting with itself—brotheragainst brother.

• But we can find an answer to this challenge in what Mary Baker Eddy, the Discovererand Founder of Christian Science, has to say about the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, twobrothers.

---She writes of the fatal outcome of their conflict in Science and Health with Keyto the Scriptures.

• She says succinctly, “The erroneous belief that life, substance, andintelligence can be material ruptures the life and brotherhood of man at the very outset.”--We can defeat this aspect of war, brother against brother, as we recognize that man isspiritual and that in reality all of us have only one Father, God.

• This spiritual brotherhood brings us together as one spiritual family, whether we areaddressing conflict in our families, our own country, or between nations.

McCandless, Ethel M., “’Where is Abel thy brother?’,” Christian Science Journal (June1943), p. 314.

--In the Scriptural story of Cain and Abel, each brought an offering to the Lord.

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--Mrs. Eddy placed watchfulness first in her definition of Abel.• She had learned that humility, self-offering, and love need the protection of wise

watchfulness.--The need for intelligent watchfulness is imperative today.--True watchfulness turns the light on one’s own consciousness instead of on that of one’sbrother.--Prayerful watchfulness is needed that one may instantly detect and reverse the suggestionsof jealousy, by knowing that there is no mortal mind or minds through which jealousy canoperate to misrepresent and distort our brother’s motive and work.--The need for the Abel qualities—watchfulness and selflessness—is apparent to every sincereworker.

Wiggins, Florence Roe, “A Lesson from Cain,” POEM, Christian Science Journal (March1968), p. 145.

The story of Cain! Its message and lesson await us.“Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering.”What hours of labor went into his gift!What dreams of the future!What pride of achievement!And, seemingly, all for nought,For unto Cain and his offering the Lord “had not respect.”

Yes, the story of Cain seems a tale of frustration,Of jealousy, anger, and toil unrequited.But let us read on:“Why art thou wroth…Why is thy countenance fallen?If thou doest well,Shalt thou not be accepted?”

The lesson from Cain?Prayerful study reveals it.“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?”The promise implied renews hope, inspiration,Heals pride and resentment,Brings joy and fruition.The promises of God fill the corridors of time;Prayer opens thought-doors to receive them.

SECTION III: Moses’ Outstretched Arms Appeal to God for Victory (Ex 17: 8-12, 14)

“Amalek was a nomadic people dwelling in the wilderness to the south of Canaan. Allreferences to them…are fiercely hostile….The strangest feature of the story is the connectionbetween the position of Moses’ arms and the fortunes of the battle.” (Oxford Commentary)

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Amalek[Am’uh lek]

TIME LINE: @1500-1000 BC

EsauEliphaz = wife (a Horite)

Amalek

“Shortly after the Exodus, the Amalekites attacked Israel, but Israel succeeded inrepulsing the attack. The enmity created is reflected in the bloodthirsty declaration ‘I will blotout the name of Amalek….The Lord’s war against Amalek is from generation to generation’ (Ex17:14,16)

The Amalekites raided the Israelites in the days of the judges. Later, King Saul made aconcerted effort to destroy Amalek, following the prophet Samuel’s call for the ban, but enoughAmalekites survived to destroy David’s city of Ziklag. Nevertheless, after Ziklag the Amalekitesceased to trouble Israel. I Chronicles 4:42,43 depicts the tribe of Simeon as eradicating theremnant of Amalek, fulfilling God’s earlier promise.” (Who Was Who in the Bible)

Moses

(See RESPONSIVE READING)

Joshua[Josh’_ uh] (“Jehovah is salvation”)

His name appears in the various forms of Hoshea, Oshea, Jehoshua, Jeshua, andJesus.

TIME LINE: 13th century BC

JosephAsenath

MenassehEphraim

flNun (father)

Joshua

Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim. He is first mentioned in the narratives of theevents following the Exodus, where he appears as “Moses’ assistant.” Facts about his life flowthrough the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua.

He was born in Egypt during the period of slavery and traveled with Moses from Egypt.“He first appears in Ex. 17:8-13, where Moses appoints him to lead the battle againstAmalek, which he does successfully.” (HarperCollins Dictionary) His most famous battle as

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a military leader was at the liberation of Jericho [East-central West Bank], and that without abow and arrow being launched. He was one of the twelve who surveyed the Promised Land(Canaan [Israel]), and only one of two who gave a positive report.

The Book of Joshua reflects the periods of his life:The preparation for conquest (chapters 1-5:12)The conquest of Canaan (chapters 5:13-12)The settlement of Canaan (chapters 13-22)His farewell address (chapters 23, 24)

“At Moses’ death Joshua was chosen as his successor (Josh 1:1,2). He led theIsraelites to conquer the land (Joshua 1-2) supervised the division of the territory among the 12tribes, and led the people to renew their covenant with God (Joshua 13-22).” (Who Was Whoin the Bible)

“Joshua died and was buried at Timnath-serah, his personal estate in the territory of thetribe of Ephraim to which he belonged.” (Who’s Who in the Old Testament) His characteristicswere faithfulness, consecration, single-mindedness, reverence, courage, obedience, anddecision.

Aaron[Air’uhn] (“mountaineer; mountain of strength”)

Aaron was the brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Hebrew nation. Verylittle is known about Aaron’s early life, other than his marriage to Elisheba, daughter ofAmminadad, who bore him four sons. He was of the priestly tribe of Levi, and Elisheba was ofthe tribe of Judah. He was younger than his sister Miriam, but three years older than Moses.“His first two sons perished when they offered sacrifices with fire that God had not commandedthem to make (Lev 10:1,2; 16:1,2).” (Holman Bible Dictionary)

When the Lord ordered Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites leaveEgypt, Moses pleaded that he was not a good speaker. The Lord told him that Aaron, hisbrother, would serve as his spokesman because he was a good speaker.

Aaron went into the wilderness and met Moses. The two brothers embraced, and Mosesrepeated the Lord’s commandments. They then sent for the Israelite elders. Aaron informedthem that the Lord was about to release them from their slavery, and convinced them byperforming magic signs.

Moses and Aaron appeared before Pharaoh, and at first asked for permission for theIsraelites to journey into the wilderness to hold a feast to their God. Pharaoh refused, andincreased the burden of the Hebrew slaves, who then blamed the brothers for these newhardships. Once again they appeared before Pharaoh to urge their plea. To impress Pharaohwith a miracle, Aaron threw down his rod and it turned into a serpent. Pharaoh sent for hissorcerers who performed the same feat but Aaron’s “serpent” swallowed their rods.

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“After their dramatic crossing of the Red (or Reed) Sea, the Israelites were attackedin the desert by fierce Amalekite nomads. All day Moses sat on a hill-top while Aaronand Hur stood on either side of him and held up his hands grasping the sacred rod,until the attackers were repulsed.” (Who’s Who in the Old Testament)

Twenty years after this, when the children of Israel were encamped in the wilderness ofParan [NE Sinai], Korah, Dathan, and Abiram conspired against Aaron and his sons; a fearfuljudgment from God fell upon them, and they were destroyed, and the next day thousands ofthe people also perished by a fierce pestilence, the ravages of which were only stayed by theinterposition of Aaron.

“Through anointing by Moses (Ex 29:7); Lev 8:5-12) Aaron became ‘the priest’ (Ex31:10; 35:19; 38:21; Lev 13:2; Num 18:28). (Interpreter’s Dictionary) The special vestments hewore were those worn by pre-exilic monarchs (Ex 28:1-38); such seems certainly to be thecase with the breastplate (Ex 28: 15-30) and the turban and its gold plate (Ex 28: 36-38). “Thepriest was an important figure in Israelite religion, a member of a specific family.” (CompleteBible Handbook) The special role of the priesthood, and the details of Temple worship, wereelaborated in the P (priestly) Document in the post-exilic period, in about the 4th century BC. Itis mainly from this late source that these themes were injected into the Books of Exodus,Leviticus, and Numbers. Aaron’s importance as the founder of the priesthood and the first highpriest was thereby magnified in retrospect.

Aaron was implicated in the sin of his brother at Meribah (Num 20:8-13), and on thataccount was not permitted to enter the Promised Land.

Before the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land, they reached Mount Hor, nearthe southern end of the Red Sea. The Lord told Moses to take Aaron up the mountain,together with his son Eleazar. Aaron’s vestments were placed upon Eleazar, who succeededhim as high priest. Aaron then died, at the age of one-hundred and twenty-three.(The main part of the story of Aaron is told in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.)

Hur[Her] (“a hole, as of a viper, etc.”)

JudahflHur

UriBezaleel

Easton’s Dictionary says that Hur was the husband of Miriam, Moses' sister (Ex 17:10-12). This is not substantiated by the Exodus 17 reference, and no other Bible Dictionarysuggests that.

He and Aaron were in charge of the people when Moses was absent on Sinai (Ex24:14). He was probably of the tribe of Judah, and grandfather of Bezaleel (Ex 31:2; 35:30;I Chron 2:19).

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Dunn, John Randall (CSB, Lecturer, and Editor), “The Task of Aaron and Hur,” EDITORIAL,Christian Science Sentinel (6 May 1944), p. 738.

--An arresting word picture is drawn in the seventeenth chapter of Exodus.--Moses, his brother Aaron, and a friend named Hur view the battle [with the Amalekites] froma hilltop.

• Says the Scripture, “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israelprevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.”

---When from sheer weariness Moses seemed unable to continue, we are toldthat Aaron on one side and Hur on the other “stayed his hands…until the going down of thesun.”

• And the enemy was put to flight.--The mere act of Moses in lifting his arms heavenward could certainly bring no superhumanpower to his followers.

• This gesture but outwardly pictured a mighty reaching out to omnipotent Mind, andreliance on a strength, force, and guidance apart from matter.

Hartshorne, Lionel A., “Hur,” POEM, Christian Science Journal (July 1951), p. 360.

Moses prayed, with hands uplifted,Aaron and Hur stood beside,

When Israel fought in the wilderness,By Amalekites defied.

The Bible speaks often of AaronStanding with Moses alone,

But except for this simple storyVery little of Hur is known.

The record is brief, but revealsThe trend of a loyal life:

Hur stood his leader when needed,Upholding his hands in the strife.

Is the battle today uncertain?Do evil forces assail?

The example of Hur reminds usWhere to stand, that we may prevail.

Leishman, Thomas L., “Joshua: Moses’ Minister,” THE CONTINUITY OF THE BIBLE,Christian Science Journal (March 1966), p. 148.

--Next to Moses himself, the outstanding leader of the Israelites during the long years of trialand wandering in the wilderness was Joshua, alternatively described as Oshea and asJehoshua (see Num 13:8,16).

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--We are first introduced to the military prowess of Joshua in Exodus (17:9-14), when Israelwas faced by an attack headed by the Amalekites, and Joshua was called upon to rally theHebrew forces and lead a counterattack against their foes.--Still more significant was Joshua’s role as Moses’ “minister,” his servant, his right-hand man,who worked with him on various occasions.--The stability of Joshua, together with the fact that he was in no way tempted to succumb toidolatry despite his youth, is clearly indicated…where we read explicitly that Moses’ “servantJoshua,…a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”

Seeley, Vernita, “Hold Up Their Hands,” Christian Science Journal (June 1953), p. 304.

--In spite of possible human mistakes, human pride, latent false desire for personal or nationalpower and prestige, errors in judgment or such frailties, the reaching for God’s hand to guide itin its affairs of state gives any people power for good, sure correction, vision, balance, a senseof spiritual security, a state of consciousness to be admired and respected, notunderestimated.--When Moses was under the extreme pressure of extreme responsibility his faithful friends“stayed up his hands” (Ex 17:12), meaning symbolically that they supported him spiritually.

• Our heads of state need our sympathetic co-operation, our prayers; they need us tohold up their hands in prayerful spiritual support, knowing that no evil can come nigh them orimpel them in even the smallest way.

---Are we alert, ready, willing to work thus and pray unselfishly and unceasingly?

Struss, Hans, “Israel and Amalek,” Christian Science Sentinel (20 March 1937), p. 566.

--In the seventeenth chapter of Exodus…we read about the battle of Israel against Amalek.• Joshua was put in command, and Moses purposed to “stand in the top of the hill with

the rod of God in [his] hand.”---Father on it is reported that “when Moses held up his hand….Israel prevailed:

and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.”--The holding up of Moses’ hands, significant of prayer and of spiritual exaltation, marked thesuccess of Israel.

• When there was a lowering of his hands, symbolic of the admission of the reality ofmatter, and probably fear, Amalek prevailed.

---In order to ensure ultimate victory, Aaron and Hur “stayed up” the hands ofMoses.

• Is this not a clear indication that they likewise had to lift their thoughts in prayer andspiritual devoutness?--The soldier of God triumphs through the all-power of God, good, and thus the war of Israelwith Amalek ends with the victory of Israel.

SECTION V: The Sending Out, and Return of, the Seventy (Luke 10: 1-3, 17-19)

“other seventy”

TIME LINE: The Year of Opposition (Jesus’ 3rd year of ministry), Nov-Dec 29 AD near Perea

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“Luke alone has the mission of the seventy—or is it seventy-two? The MS evidence isfairly divided and it is not easy to conclude what Luke actually wrote. Both numbers are linkedto the two OT episodes that might be reflected in Luke’s story” (Oxford Commentary) “Thesource of the account, however, is Q’s account of the mission of the 12.” (Interpreter’s OneVolume Commentary) Genesis 10 has a list of seventy nations of the world; Numbers 11speaks of Moses choosing seventy elders upon whom a portion of the spirit that was upon himwould rest. Luke was obviously influenced by these two episodes.

The twelve disciples tried to “forbid” others to exercise ministry (Luke 9:52-56), andquarreled over who will be the greatest (9:46-48). “Despite these ecclesiasticalmisunderstandings and quarrels, Jesus chooses and appoints seventy others and sends themout to “cure the sick…and say, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’ (10:9;see v.11).”(Eerdmans Commentary) That they were sent “before his face into every city and place,whither he himself would come” suggests the situation of the world-wide church as it preachedand witnessed in anticipation of the return of Christ.

Duckett, Evelyn M.S., “Treading on Serpents,” Christian Science Sentinel (11 June 1966), p.1018.

--Christ Jesus gave this unconditional promise to his followers: Behold, I give unto you powerto tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall byany means hurt you.”

• If this promise is strictly confined to its literal meaning, it might be thought to have alimited application today, for serpents and scorpions do not usually constitute a major hazardin modern life.

---When, however, it is extended to cover the figurative meaning of any hurtful orvenomous mental influence, then its range is wide indeed.--Christian Science explains that anyone who understands and claims the power which Jesuspromised to his disciples in every age can mentally tread on such serpents and so proveliterally that nothing can hurt him, either physically or mentally.

Luther, Ruth H., “’Nothing shall be any means hurt you,’” Christian Science Sentinel (5September 1964), p. 1551.

--Christian Science, elucidating the teachings of the Bible, acquaints us with the fact that wehave the God-given right to demonstrate immunity from the so-called ills of the flesh, to riseabove the testimony of the material senses, and to claim the glorious freedom of a perfect childof God.

• Christ Jesus gave the message to his followers (Luke 10:19): “Behold, I give unto youpower to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothingshall by any means hurt you.”--To the extent that we recognize, through our understanding of Christian Science, the healingpossibilities of spiritualized thought and endeavor to conform to the way of Life, truth, andLove, we find that we have the ability as well as the capability of exercising this divinely

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bestowed dominion of complete power over the enemy, the false belief that existence is at anytime separated from perfection.

The Basis of Christian Hospitality and Its Reward (II John 1: 1,3,8)

“Some think that [‘the elect lady and her children’] refers metaphorically to a particularlocal church, while ‘her children’ refers to members of the congregation.” (MacArthurCommentary)

“the elect lady and her children”

“Behind all the debate about the addressee of 2 John lies the implicit dilemma posed bya letter in the canon of the New Testament explicitly written to a woman as the head of achurch. Such a letter could conceivably be understood to contradict the position of othercanonical writings, such as 1 Tim 2:11, forbidding women to have authority over men, acontradiction avoided if the Kyria of 2 John is understood metaphorically.” (Women inScripture)

Johnston, Mrs. Julia M. (CSB and Normal Class Teacher), “God’s Elect,” Christian ScienceJournal (July 1933), p. 203.

--In the salvation of the human race from false beliefs the Christ does not war with error anymore than light contends with darkness.

• The Christ outshines sorcery.• The Christ is at once the manifestation of God and “the divine message from God to

men” (Science and Health, p. 332), the divine agency displacing in human consciousness allsense of anything unlike God.

---In every situation there is the presence of divine Principle acting through itstrue idea, the Christ, wholly able in divine Science to end erroneous suggestions at their veryinception in human consciousness, before they can seem to be manifest in overt act.

• The Christ is revealing the truth that, scientifically speaking, human thought,individually or collectively, politically or ethically, in a nation or nations, is embraced by divinityand not by materialism.

Moore, Elise L. (CSB and Lecturer; Nashville, TN, and Tucson, AZ), “Women as ‘elect ofGod,’” Christian Science Journal (October 1998), p. 11.

--In the New Testament, the elect refers to those who acknowledge Christ, Truth, as themessage of salvation from sin, disease, and death.

• The concept of the elect is associated with the coming of angel messages of God togather and protect those who remain faithful.

---Sometimes the presumption in interpreting Scripture is that men are more electthan women, even though John specifically refers to “the elect lady and her children.”--The elect of God are actually His spiritual ideas.

• The divine order is established; the ideas of God express the divine nature of Father-Mother.

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---This spiritual truth frees men and women from human hierarchy and prepareseach one to preach, to heal, and to practice Truth as the elect of God.

SECTION VI: The “woman clothed with the sun,” and Michael and the Dragon (Rev 12: 1-10)

“This is the first of seven signs in the last half of Revelation.” (MacArthur Commentary)The woman is “not an actual woman, but a symbolic representation of Israel, pictured in theOT as the wife of God.” (Ibid)

“a woman clothed with the sun”

“The persecution which the Church had already suffered, and which was about to burstforth again, is the great fact which underlies the whole ‘Revelation.’” (Dummelow)

“The woman in labor, clothed with the sun constitutes a central female presence inRevelation, though mention of her is brief.” (Women in Scripture) “The first great enemy ofChrist’s Church, the cause of all the hostility against her, is Satan. Christ suffered his enmity,but passed through it triumphantly. Stan is already conquered in principle, though for a shorttime the Christian Church experiences his malignity.” (Dummelow)

“The Church of both the Old Testament and the New Testament covenants, is shownunder the figure of a woman, clothed with heavenly glory from whom the Messiah is about tocome. She is opposed by the devil pictured as a dragon, red with blood of the saints.” (Ibid)

Michael[M_’kay-uhl] (Heb. “who is like God?”)

Michael is the title given to one of the chief archangels. “In apocalyptic literature he isIsrael’s patron angel, the guardian angel of the Jews, who fights for Israel against the angels ofother nations.” (Oxford Guide to People & Places) He disputed with Satan about the body ofMoses. He is also represented as warning against "that old serpent, called the Devil, andSatan, which deceiveth the whole world"

His role grows in the last centuries BC and he is named as the chief adversary of thedevil in the War Scroll of the Qumran community and in the books of Jude and Revelation.

Fichter, A.B., “Casting Down the Accuser,” Christian Science Journal (January 1913), p.591.

--Many have been comforted by the reassuring and oft-quoted words from Revelation, “And Iheard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom ofour God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, whichaccused them before our God day and night.”

• Surely there is no more eagerly expected or more joyfully accepted statement than thismessage, announcing to the tortured sense with the tone of conviction, “Now is comesalvation, and strength.”

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---Those who have experienced the benediction of healing in Christian Sciencecan never forget the peace that passeth all understanding, which was theirs as the result ofconsecrated activity of thought, the prayer of the righteous man.

• So impressive is this experience that when the door is once opened no man can shutit, and in the grateful heart the desire is born for more of light, for the gain of understanding, toreach if possible that height of spiritual apprehension which enables one to become atransparency for the light of Truth

Ker Seymer, Miss Violet (CSB, Lecturer, and Associate Editor), “Michael and the Dragon,”EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel (17 September 1032), p. 50.

--In revealing the supremacy of God, infinite good, Christian Science necessarily exposes theimposture called evil.

• Thereby it lifts the crushing burdens so long borne by mankind, burdens of needlessfear, despair, disease, sin, unhappiness.

---With divinely guided footsteps, Mrs. Eddy threaded her way through the deepsymbolism of the Bible.

• “Michael's characteristic is spiritual strength. He leads the hosts of heavenagainst the power of sin, Satan, and fights the holy wars.” (S&H 566: 30-1)--Christian Science initiates one into the saving art of true thinking derived from God, absoluteTruth, in which there is no fear and nothing to be feared.--Evil, masquerading as creative and sentient matter, is the imposture which mortals in generalboth worship and fear, and the result takes form in sickness, sinfulness, limitation, death.--In three masterly verses (Rev 12: 10-12) the Revelator shows the impotence of the attemptsof evil to withstand the might of Spirit.

Morrison, Miss Margaret (CS, Lecturer, and Associate Editor), “’Now is come salvation,’”EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel (4 November 1944), p. 1778.

--“ And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and thekingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ.”

• What was it that enabled St. John to hear this clear voice of divine Mind declaring withauthority the presence of salvation, of the kingdom of God and His Christ?

---Was it not that in that vision on the Isle of Patmos he saw the coming ofChristian Science, which in its exactness was to explain, rationalize, and make possible ofdemonstration by all mankind the words and works of his friend and Master, Christ Jesus?

• Of that great Master, the Discoverer and Founder ofChristian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, says in “Miscellaneous Writings” (p. 192), “Luminous withthe light of divine Science, his words reveal the great Principle of a full salvation.”

---In the light of understanding vision John saw this full salvation as “a newheaven and a new earth” in which was no physicality, no sin or sorrow, pain or tears, nomaterial life and no death.

Mullany, Margaret Mary St. John, “Johnny and the Great Red Dragon,” OF SPECIALINTEREST TO CHILDREN, Christian Science Sentinel (14 January 1961), p. 59.

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--[Grandmother] said that in the last book of the Bible, called Revelation, error is pictured as “agreat red dragon.”--Opening the Bible she read: “there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a greatred dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads…. Andthere was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragonfought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, whichdeceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out withhim.” (Rev 12: 3,7-10)--“The dragon sounds very fierce, but he is nothing, really,” said Johnny.--“Right again,” said Granny, smiling.

• “You see the dragon is just an illustration, such as Jesus used when he wanted toexplain the truth to his disciples.

---Neither the dragon nor error is real at all, but the Bible wants to show us thatthe dragon seemed important because people believed its lies.”--Then she explained that the dragon or error is a little like a balloon.

• The more air one puffs into the balloon, the fatter and the bigger it grows.--“And so,” ended Granny, “all God’s children reflect God’s spiritual power, and this power isalways present with us to show us that the dragon, or error, is really nothing.”

*The weekly Bible Lessons are made up of selections from the King James Version of theBible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures byMary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science.