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Publishers of Inspirational Books
MIND, BODY & SPIRIT, CRAFTS & PRACTICAL GUIDES
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Subjects, Themes and Images of the Bible
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New Thematic Index
Even without a copy of the Bible itself, this book makes a fascinating browse, ensuring a more open, understanding approach to the inspired writings of its many authors. As the editor and biblical scholar Dominic Breeze points out, inspiration - the divine guidance that proves to have been totally appropriate to its own time and place - is the intangible quality conveyed to the reader; the quality that has given the various and varied books of the Bible their timeless authority as a divine source of guidance through the ages.
ISBN 9781907091186 Price £27.50 HARDBACK
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Also available in shortened form as a paperback
The Biblical Companion:
ISBN 9781907091032 Price £15.00
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Introduction
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Subjects, Themes and Images of the Bible covers both the Old and New Testaments in more than one translation, and is intended chiefly for the interested lay-person, and in particular for the writer and speech-maker looking for a useful quotation. It is neither a commentary nor a criticism of the Bible itself, which is certainly the most important set of ancient books ever assembled.
To be fully understood, the Bible should be treated as one book with many styles and read as a whole like any other book, progressing smoothly from the Creation to the Apocalypse, and we would not wish to compromise its wholeness by analysing, let alone fragmenting its spiritual message. But reading the entire Bible in this way may seem a formidable (not to say boring) task, and it is our hope that this approach, by way of subjects and themes, may offer the reader an easy "way in" via some special interest or intriguing reference.
Many of the references will be found to refer to imagery rather than hard fact. Over-literal interpretation in the past has frequently caused misunderstandings when devotion shades into credulity. No-one would claim, for instance, to be descended from the "Good Samaritan" whom everybody knows to be a fictitious character in one of the parables related by Jesus; but in the books of the Old Testament ancient parables have become entangled with historical record, and occasionally folk tales with a moral have become incorporated and thereby gained a measure of divine authority. The gruesome story of a gang of little boys mauled by bears for teasing Elisha (in the Second Book of Kings) could have come straight out of some 800BC precursor of Grimm's Household Tales.
At the risk of over-stating the obvious, it may be pointed out that the Bible is well packed with ancient history interspersed with parables and moral stories, and rich in symbols, allegories, analogies, metaphors and similes. This is inevitable, for it represents mankind's relationship with the divine, and spirituality, being non-material, cannot be expressed in material terms. For example, no-one would suppose the Bible to be a farming textbook, and yet our "Farming" section is substantial. Even prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel were close enough to the land for farming metaphors to come readily to their lips. Such references are all included here, and as such they form a valid picture of the rural scene and everyday concerns of those ancient people.
The case is similar with the category "Buildings", in which Ezekiel's purely visionary but extraordinarily detailed description of the temple of the New Jerusalem is given equal status to the historically real temple of Solomon. But this is how the Bible as a whole works: because its individual descriptions originate some from outward and others from inward perception, the general structure can be seen as a fine balance of inner and outer. Inspired writing and all religious inspiration use the outward, material imagery to portray that which is inward and non-material. Kings of the earth may always have ruled the land and the physical body, but the kingdom of heaven is within.
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Categories
Accessories 1
Affliction 2
Age 18
Altars 3
Angelic visitations 27
Armies 45
Animals 4
Atonement 32
Battles 45
Behaviour 21
Birds 4
Birth 7
Blessings 5
Buildings 6
Burial 10
Ceremonies 9
Childhood 7
Cloth, Clothes 8
Coins 48
Compensation 29
Covenants 24
Crystals 25
Culture 9
Curses 5
Customs 9
Death 10
Divination 11
Divinity 12
Dreams 13
Drink 16
Exile 26
Exports 41
Farming 14
Festivals 15
Fishing 22
Food 16
Geographical features 17
Gods 23
Grooming 1
Harness 42
Health 18
Heavens 19
Hell 19
Herbs 16
Holy places 3
Hope 32
Household 20
Human characteristics 21
Hunting 22
Idols, images 23
Imports 41
Industry 40
Infancy 7
Insects 4
Jewels 25
Judges 34
Killing 44
Kings 34
Laws 24
Lawgivers 34
Longevity 18
Marriage 37
Malice 43
MaMeasures 48
Metals 25
Migrations 26
Miracles 27
Monuments 3
Mourning 10
Music 28
Massacres 44
Numbers, significant 38
Oaths 24
Parables 12
Passions 21
Paths 33
Penalties 29
Plants 30
Pledges 24
Precious stones 25
Priests, prophets 31
Professions 40
Punishments 29
Repentance 32
Retribution 29
Rivers 46
Roads 33
Rulers, 34
Sacrifice 35
Servitude 36
Sex 37
Shelters 6
Shipwreck 42
Society 21
Spices 16
Suffering 2
Tools 39
Trades 40
Trading 41
Transport 42
Treasure 25
Tribute 36
Trickery 43
Vehicles, vessels 42
Violence 44
Visions 13
Wars 45
Water 46
Ways 33
Weapons 39
Weather 47
Weights 48
Wells 46
Witchcraft 11
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37 SEX AND MARRIAGE
NEW TESTAMENT
adulterers and adulteresses LJ4
and sinful generations Mk8
adultery, who marries a divorced woman commits Mw5
defiles the man Mk7
do not commit L18; PR2
eyes full of LPS2
free of the law of PR7
if a man divorce his wife he commits Mw19
in his heart, he has already committed Mw5
none who are guilty of PCF6
they were told, do not commit Mw5
thou shalt not commit Mw19; PR13; LJ2
who marries another commits Mk10; L16
woman caught in the act of J8
allure through lusts of the flesh LPS2
barren, Elizabeth was L1
happy are the L23
woman, rejoice PG4
body's desires, obedience to the PR6
breast that never fed a child, happy the L23
bride and bridegroom, voice of the Rev18
bridegroom Mw9; Mk2; L5
to whom the bride belongs J3
went out to meet the Mw25
bridegroom's voice, hears the J3
brother's wife, you have no right to your Mk6
carouse in broad daylight LPS2
celibacy, I have no instructions on PCF2
celibate woman cares for the Lord's business PCF7
chaste virgin, present you as a PCS11
chastity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven Mw19
conceive, Sarah received strength to LH11
conceived a child by the Holy Spirit Mw1
a son in her old age, Elizabeth L1
concubine, Abraham's PG4
concupiscence, evil PCo3
in the lust of ThF4
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29 PENALTIES, PUNISHMENTS AND
COMPENSATION
confined to Jerusalem KF2
contention, water of Nu5
death penalty by hanging Nu25; De21; Jos8, 10; Est2, 7
by stoning, offences calling for De13ff
for Achan and his family Jos7
for blasphemy Le24
for breaking the sabbath Nu15
for calling up spirits Le20
for daughters of Achan Jos7
for disobedient sons De21
for giving children to Molech Le20
for losing virginity before marriage De22
for misdemeanours De22
for sons of Achan Jos7
for worshipping other gods De17
for adultery De22
for approaching the tabernacle Nu1
for breaking house arrest KF2
for collecting sticks on the sabbath Nu15
for dreamers De22
for entering the king's presence unbidden Est4
for failing to foretell Nebuchadnezzar's dream D2
for kidnap De24
for losing virginity De22
for miscreants in general De13
for murder Nu35
for one's own sin only De24
for prophesying against the city Je26
for prophets in general De13
for rape De22
for working on the sabbath Nu15
for worshipping Baal-peor Nu25
for worshipping other gods De17
on all the wise men of Babylon D2
offences calling for Ex21ff; Le20; Nu35
this man must be put to Je38
disobeying the king's edict, penalty for Ez6
dungeon Is24; Je37; La3; Z9
lost to sight in a Is42
where they lie in darkness Is42
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27 MIRACLES AND ANGELIC VISITATIONS
fed the five thousand Mw14, 16; Mk6; L9; J6
the four thousand Mw15f; Mk8
fetters unfastened, found their A16
Gabriel, Archangel L1
garment, young man clothed in a long white Mk16
garments, two men in dazzling L24
gift of God, stir into flame the PTS1
gifts of the Holy Spirit PCF12, 14; PCS6
God's gift, not a reward PE2
guardian angel, it must be his A12
angels in heaven, they have their Mw18
Holy Ghost, all were filled with the A4
and wisdom, seven men full of the A6
being sent forth by the A13
came upon them, and they spake with tongues A19
fell on them A11
filled with the A2
gifts of the LH2; LJF2
have ye received the A19
he shall be filled with the L1
he which baptizeth with the J1
him that blasphemeth agianst the L12
holy men spake as they were moved by the LPS1
is come upon you A1
it is not ye that speak, but the Mk13
Jesus being full of the L4
love of God is shed in our hearts by the PR5
Paul, filled with the A13
Peter, filled with the A4
saved us by the renewing of the Tt3
sent down from heaven LPF1
shall teach you what you ought to say L12
the disciples were filled with joy, and with the A13
they received the A8
thus saith the A21
was upon Simeon L2
which dwelleth in us PTS1
with joy of the ThF1
Holy Spirit, a share in the LH6
all were filled with the A2; A4
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13 DREAMS AND IMAGES
OLD TESTAMENT
angel in Zechariah's vision Z1ff
apparition loomed before me Job4
augury, prophets offer them worthless Je14
barrel in Zechariah's vision, a great Z5
beacon in the darkness Ps112
beast with ten horns in Daniel's vision D7
behemoth Job40
chariots of fire KS2, 6
city of truth, vision of Jerusalem Z8
cloud, a pillar of De31
filling the house of the Lord KF8
cockatrice Is11, 14, 59; Je8
comet, arise from Israel Nu24
court for owls Is34
in Daniel's vision D7
crown in Zechariah's vision Z6
day darkened into night Am5
demon of the night So3
diviners, do not be deceived by Je29
dragon Job30; Ps6, 74, 91; Is13, 27, 34f,
43, 51; Je9, 14, 49, Je51; E29; Mi1;
that is in the sea Ps74; Is27
dream at daybreak Ps97
fade as a Is29
I have had a Je23
let him tell his Je23
of a barley loaf Ju7
of a gold image, Nebuchadnezzar's D2
of a great tree, Nebuchadnezzar's D4
of bread Gen40
of cows Gen41
of Gideon's attack Ju7
of grapes Gen40
of kine Gen41
of sheaves Gen37
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23 IDOLS, GODS AND IMAGES
burnt their children in the fire, Sepharvites KS17
their sons as whole-offerings to Baal Je19
calf gods Ho8, 10, 13
of Beth-aven Ho10
image Ho13
molten Ps106
calves, cast image of KS17
golden Ex32; CS13
images of CS11, 13
Jehu maintained KS10
Canaanite gods, Ashtaroth Ju2, 10; SF7, 12
carved figures shall be scattered, her Mi1
images Ps78; Je10
burnt offerings before Ho11
shall not make De5
carves an idol, a curse on he who De27
cast image made with 200 pieces of silver Ju17
chariots of the sun, he burnt KS23
Chemosh, Moabite god KF11
children, you sacrificed my E16
Chiun and Moloch, your images Am5
clay, feet of D2
Cuthites, idols of the KS17
Dagon, broken SF5
Philistine god Ju16; SF5
temple of CF10ff
demons, foreign Ps106
hill-shrines of the KS23; CS11
sacrificed to foreign De32
they consort with Ju5
desecrated the hill-shrines KS23
drink-offerings, idolatrous E20
to other gods Je7, 32
Ekron, Baal-zebub god of KS1
ephod, Micah made an Ju17ff
of Gideon, set up to be worshipped Ju8
evil spirit sent to Abimelech Ju9
false gods, give up SF12
may abandon loyalty, men who worship Jon2
of Noph E30
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14 FARMING
OLD TESTAMENT
acres, vineyard of five Is5
asses, Job owned five hundred Job1
latterly Job owned a thousand Job42
set in charge of CF27
barley Ex9; KF4; CF11; CS32; Job31;
Is28; Je41; E4, 13. E45, Ho3; Jo1.
harvest Ru1ff; SS21
land of De8
barn Job39; Ps144; Pro3; Joe1; Hg2
floor KS6
storage CS32
basket for another's grapes De23
of first fruits De26
beans E4
blasting, plant disease Ps105; Am4; Hg2
blight, black and red Am4; Hg2
curse of De28
breeding, selective Gen31
briars Mi7; Na1
broadcast sowing Is28
budding, vine Is18
buffalo, domestic E39; Am5
bull Is10; Je50; E39, 43, 45
bullock Is34, 65; Je50; E39, 43
fatted Is5; Je46
unaccustomed to the yoke Je31
bulls, herd of Ps22
bushels, ten of seed shall return only a peck Is5
calf Is11, 27; E1; Am6; Mi6
stall-fed Je46
unbroken to the yoke Je31
calves released from a stall Ma4
stalled SF6
camel pasture E25
camels, in charge of CF27
Job owned 3000 Job1
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Dreamstairway, Unit C18, Maws Craft Centre, Jackfield, Telford, TF8 7LS. England
Contact : Raymond Foster at : raymond@dreamstairway.co.uk Tel : 01746 861330
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