Da Vinci Books

published Joshua Books 2006

THE GIFT OF AN OLD BIBLE

There was a time when to question the literal truth of the Bible was heretical and that is exactly what my earlier book did. The publication of ‘The Bible Fraud’ and ‘The Crucifixion of the Truth, provoked a powerful reponse, not least a vigorous correspondence from all over the world. Christians distinguished themselves by the bitterness of their attacks and, amid insults and accolades, groups and individuals sent in new research material in the form of old manuscripts, rare books, and ancient church decrees. Rabbinic sources provided fresh data, as did researchers and translators of medieval texts, and access to private archival libraries was offered. Of great help was the availability of an original version of Diderot’s Encyclopedia, a volume that Pope Clement XIII ordered destroyed immediately after it’s publication in 1759. A monastery in Cumbria, England, supplied documentation relating to the origin of the first Gospel, and a disillusioned ex-priest revealed the church’s innermost system of accounting for the twofold nature of the Gospels. Much of that material is discussed in later chapters.

Central to the argument presented in this book is the content of an old Bible gifted to me by a lady in England. This Bible is quite special, for proudly written in bold capital letters in the descriptive section in it’s front pages is the word FIRST. This Bible was published in 1563 at Rheims in France and is the FIRST English-language copy of the Vulgate ever produced. The Introductory pages carry a history of its translation, and the names and circumstances of the priests involved in its publication. Its existence PRECEDES (reviewer’s emphasis) later Vulgates that received major structural changes under that papal command of Pope Sixtus V in 1588 and nine subsequent revisions thereafter. This Bible differs GREATLY (reviewer’s emphasis) from today’s edition and carries information about Jesus and St Paul that is excluded from modern versions.

The following chapters demonstrate the effect of that evidence on our understandings of Christian origins and the significance of the deletions are explained. In summary, the modern-day Vulgate is a widely different Bible to that published in 1563 and understanding the nature of the changes is especially important for those who believe the Bible is the word of God.

That availability of the FIRST Vulgate has made it possible to develop a new story about the circumstances surrounding the birth and emergence of the Christian religion and moves the debate on the origin of the New Testament into new territory.

To be continued…chapter one preview 8th March 2007