Esoteric Bible

[RiverSnake]

I have noticed as of late that words and sections from the Bible really have a lot of depth and power behind them, so I have decided to pick up a copy. However, I was wondering what English versions are best for esoteric study? Any esoteric Christians or Gnostics in the house? Your insights would be much appreciated.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[Chang]

I don't know which would be the best vrsion of the Bible for esoteric study but you may find this of some use.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Esoteric-Bible-Dictionary-Anonymous/dp/1564599132

[Seeker of Wisdom]

Here's an esoteric analysis of The Song of Songs: http://www.meditationexpert.com/comparative-religion/c_Song_of_Songs.html

[Jeff]

Much is lost in all of the english translations of the Bible. But, the King James Version is my favorite.

 

Regards.

[Protector]

http://www.biblegateway.com/ has over 100 versions and 50 languages available online for free

PLUS it has a search function

 

*winks to the camera*

[RiverSnake]

I don't know which would be the best vrsion of the Bible for esoteric study but you may find this of some use.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Esoteric-Bible-Dictionary-Anonymous/dp/1564599132

Cool thanks for the link Chang. Looks like an interesting book, even though I am always a bit suspicious of esoteric interpretations. I enjoy more feeling into the words myself.

 

 

 

Here's an esoteric analysis of The Song of Songs: http://www.meditationexpert.com/comparative-religion/c_Song_of_Songs.html

Geez, that's some pretty deep stuff. You know anything about the Dead Sea scrolls? I imagine they are stuffed full of Esotericism.

 

Much is lost in all of the english translations of the Bible. But, the King James Version is my favorite.

 

Regards.

 

Thanks Jeff, I may just go down to the library and pick me up a copy. I agree I think much is lost translation but perhaps maybe the original intent may still be with the words.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[Jeff]

 

 

 

Thanks Jeff, I may just go down to the library and pick me up a copy. I agree I think much is lost translation but perhaps maybe the original intent may still be with the words.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

 

Just remember that in the gospels, the word "repent" is a mistranslation of the word "return".

 

Not "repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand", but "Return, for the kingdom of God is at hand".

 

Also, I would suggest focusing on the spoken words of Jesus in the Gospels. I would also add the the Gospel of Thomas.

 

The Bible has it all for those with the eyes to see, and ears to listen.

[Cheshire Cat]

I have noticed as of late that words and sections from the Bible really have a lot of depth and power behind them, so I have decided to pick up a copy. However, I was wondering what English versions are best for esoteric study? Any esoteric Christians or Gnostics in the house? Your insights would be much appreciated.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

 

I looked deeply inside the bible for years and I came to the conclusion that most of the high meaning and power that we find, is inside us... we just project it outside in any important source.

Edited July 22, 2013 by DAO rain TAO

[taiwabbit]

Not sure if I fit the definition on esoteric, but certainly fall into the territory of Christian mysticism as related to seeking the presence.

As one person already mentioned, there are several translations. Some are closer to word for word, while others are kind of sentence for sentence while others are just outright paraphrase. I like word for word. The three that fit that bill really well are King James, New King James, and NASB. If you are jumping in fairly cold turkey you might go with the NASB as it is the closest to modern day language. I like the NKJV.

 

Maybe even more importantly, you might want to look at the books of Psalms and John no matter what version that you obtain. Some refer to John as “John the mystic”. If you like seek the esoteric, read that book and pay particular attention to when references are made to the time of day being either daylight or nightfall. There are deeper meanings behind those as they pertain to context and deeper meaning…

[RiverSnake]

 

I looked deeply inside the bible for years and I came to the conclusion that most of the high meaning and power that we find, is inside us... we just project it outside in any important source.

Indeed, I agree. For me its like reading good poetry, but with Esoteric truths thrown into the mix. It's a way to connect to high level practitioners and be inspired and uplifted by there essence. The depth and power comes from the practitioners whom empowered and consecrated the words.

 

Not sure if I fit the definition on esoteric, but certainly fall into the territory of Christian mysticism as related to seeking the presence.

As one person already mentioned, there are several translations. Some are closer to word for word, while others are kind of sentence for sentence while others are just outright paraphrase. I like word for word. The three that fit that bill really well are King James, New King James, and NASB. If you are jumping in fairly cold turkey you might go with the NASB as it is the closest to modern day language. I like the NKJV.

 

Maybe even more importantly, you might want to look at the books of Psalms and John no matter what version that you obtain. Some refer to John as John the mystic. If you like seek the esoteric, read that book and pay particular attention to when references are made to the time of day being either daylight or nightfall. There are deeper meanings behind those as they pertain to context and deeper meaning

Thanks taiwabbit. I think I may go get both the NKJW and the NASB. Psalms and John sound cool as well

 

My 2 cents, Peace

Edited July 22, 2013 by OldChi

[Creation]

The three that fit that bill really well are King James, New King James, and NASB. If you are jumping in fairly cold turkey you might go with the NASB as it is the closest to modern day language. I like the NKJV.

 

Maybe even more importantly, you might want to look at the books of Psalms and John no matter what version that you obtain. Some refer to John as “John the mystic”.

When I was researching Bible translations, the two most highly recommended for their merits as translations were NASB and NRSV. KJV was incredible as a translation in it's day, and it's amazing as a piece of literature in it's impact on the English language (much like King James' contemporary Shakespeare), but there are better choices for today IMO. As for NKJV, that translation smells of fundamentalist influence to me.

 

In terms of mystical parts of the Bible, I have come to believe that the prophetic books are as much or more about internal spiritual transformation than they are about the "End Times". Revalation, Zechariah, and Daniel are the books to read for that. The famous visions of God's throne in Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6 are are the source of a tremendous amount of Jewish mysticism. I also always found the epistles written by the apostles to have a lot of hidden mystical content, especially 1 John (not the same as the Gospel of John, for those who didn't know).

[NotVoid]

You mentioned the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The following links might be of interest as well:

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English [Paperback]

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dead-Sea-Scrolls-Bible/dp/0060600640

(Has English translations of the portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls that relate directly to the old testament books).

 

Books on the entire Dead Sea Scrolls collection:

http://www.gnosis.org/library/dss/dss_bookstore.htm

 

Some general info on the Dead Sea Scrolls:

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

Edited July 22, 2013 by NotVoid

[RiverSnake]

.

You mentioned the Dead Sea Scrolls. The following links might be of interest as well: The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English [Paperback] http://www.amazon.com/The-Dead-Sea-Scrolls-Bible/dp/0060600640(Has English translations of the portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls that relate directly to the old testament books).Books on the entire Dead Sea Scrolls collection:http://www.gnosis.org/library/dss/dss_bookstore.htmSome general info on the Dead Sea Scrolls:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls

Thanks Notvoid.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[Zhongyongdaoist]

I have noticed as of late that words and sections from the Bible really have a lot of depth and power behind them, so I have decided to pick up a copy. However, I was wondering what English versions are best for esoteric study? Any esoteric Christians or Gnostics in the house? Your insights would be much appreciated.

My 2 cents, Peace

 

As a person who spent many hours pondering the Zohar, the Aesch Mezareph and other esoteric works ostensibly based on the Bible, I came to a conclusion similar to, but not exactly the same as:

 

I looked deeply inside the bible for years and I came to the conclusion that most of the high meaning and power that we find, is inside us... we just project it outside in any important source.

 

That much was being read into the Bible and much taken out of it, but little read out of it.

 

Granting that there is much of interest and also inspirational value there, there remains the interesting question of whose Bible, because as a prime example, the Roman Catholic Bible includes books, usually referred to as the Apocrypha, which were excised from Protestant versions and the Coptic Bible, as I recall, even includes more of these texts such as the books attributed to Enoch.

 

That the "Old Testament" is a "cut and paste" job assembled from several texts by different authors writing in different periods for different purposes, still comes as news to most people, though it has been know to Bible scholars for about two hundreds years. A good introduction to this is Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Elliot Friedman. After one reads this it is hard to view the Bible as the real source for something like Qabalah, though a lot of effort has gone into making look like it is. In many ways the same can be said of the "New Testament" as a composite work, much gone over and for sometimes conflicting purposes.

 

As a suggestion which you might find interesting for the surviving "Great Granddaddy" of Biblical Esotericism, you might look into Philo of Alexandria, whose voluminous writings survive intact and are available in various versions, including as I recall, a Loeb Classical Library version.

 

All that said I will go back to echoing your original post "words and sections from the Bible really have a lot of depth and power behind them" and add that for a work so varied in its origins, I find that there is an odd coherence to it, for which I have no explanation beyond the concept of "emergence", an idea as nebulous as it is fascinating.