INTRODUCTION TO
THE FORGOTTEN BOOKS OF EDEN
By WILLIAM N. GUTHRIE, D.D.
Rector of St. Mark's-in-the-Bouwerie.
Introduction
AN American Indian's Song is his very own.
No other man can sing it without his explicit permission. It
is impregnate with his aura. It is not in our sense,
however, property. It is believed to invest magically the
singer with the mood whence it proceeded, and must,
therefore, merge in some way the performer's identity with
that of the originator's. To sing another's song is an
invasion of his personality, a sort of spiritual piracy
involving sacrilege.
When last year in Arcady and Andritzena, I
induced primitive shepherds to sing and play for me lustily
all sorts of occasional songs and rituals, they refused to
do a burial chant, most positively. For to perform one would
surely cause a death in the house.
A little reflection on these two paragraphs
may perhaps, make the reader realize that authorship was
once a thing of great hazards. If one had something great
and new to say, and wanted it to circulate widely, one would
naturally prefer anonymity.
Indeed, by the Hebrews a story was popularly
presumed to have its hero for its author. Moses wrote the
account of his own death. Deuteronomy was of course, his own
work, although obviously intended to alter the traditional
religion. Jonah wrote the little novel about himself. David
was the author of the Psalms because reported to have
instituted the first temple choir, and as a lad to have
played the harp soothing the nerves of King Saul. When an
author for the book of Job was wanted, though the whole
discussion of the work proves it was written to refute the
Wisdom literature which by tradition began with the Proverbs
of Solomon, Moses was chosen as a suitable author!
So for centuries among the Jews, writers
sought to shelter themselves behind the names of the great
dead. In this they were guilty of no fraud. They imagined
what Solomon or Enoch would say, or sing, upon a particular
theme under given circumstances. It was not really they
themselves, but their Solomon, their Enoch, Solomon or Enoch
in them, who uttered the new prophesies or temple praises.
Thus arose that body of literature, called
by modern scholars, "Pseudepigrapha," that is, writings
erroneously, unhistorically, and yet sincerely, ascribed to
heroic figures summed from the vasty deep by a self-denying
imagination, eager to alter man's belief and custom, to
interpret his hope and sorrow, without personal gain or
fame, and also, may one add, without the deterrent of
persecution to arrest free utterance!
Now it is a foolish modern prejudice against
an ancient piece of literature that its author veiled his
person in this fashion. The only question is: Was the
writing of inherent value? Did it exercise influence?
It is not too much to say that no modern can
intelligently understand the New Testament, unless he is
acquainted with the so-called "Apocrypha," and with the
"Pseudepigrapha" as well. The very words of Jesus were in
many instances, suggested by sayings current in his day,
more or less as unconscious quotations from the Testaments
of the 12 Patriarchs.
The figure of the Messiah which Jesus
adapted to his creative purpose, cannot be imagined by a
modern without a perusal of the book of Enoch which is its
classic and most entrancing glorification. Without the Odes
and Songs of Solomon the atmosphere breathed by the earliest
church cannot be divined.
Hitherto access to this literature has been
confined to technical scholars. Its assembly would require
special information and considerable expenditure. With this
enterprise of the Alpha House, Inc., it becomes democratic
property. We shall have a more intelligent clergy and laity,
when this volume has taken its place in every library, and
is familiarly brought into every discussion of the historic
Christ and of His times.
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*
Apocrypha -
(from the Greek word απόκρυφα meaning "those having been hidden
away") are texts of uncertain authenticity or writings where the
authorship is questioned. These texts may have been used in some
churches by were never considered as part of the Bible
**
Pseudepigrapha
= (from Greek pseudes = "false", "epigraphe" = "inscription")
are texts falsely attributed to biblical
characters or times. These books were never part of the Bible & were
never considered as scripture by the church at any time despite
being published under such titles of "The Lost Books of the Bible"
or "The Hidden Gospels". The church has always known about them &
they were never "Hidden" & could be read at any University or
college. There is no deep dark secret here, just publishers trying
to make a buck with interesting book titles.
***
Noncanonical
Literature = Never part of the Canon or Bible. |