Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning (1913) (Edinburgh Lecture) [Paperback]

T. Troward (Author)

Book Description

Series: Edinburgh Lecture | Publication Date: February 18, 2006

1913. What I propose is that we shall reread the Bible on the supposition that Jesus and these other speakers really meant what they said. I hope that by helping, in however small a measure, to elucidate them, it will show the reasonableness of great truths which those who reject them as unreasonable discredit to their own incalculable loss. Contents: The Creation, Fall; Israel; Mission of Moses and Jesus; Building of the Temple; Sacred Name; The Devil; Law of Liberty; Teaching of Jesus; Forgiveness of Sin; Divine Giving; Spirit of Antichrist.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Kessinger Publishing reprints over 1,500 similar titles all available through Amazon.com. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Book Jungle (February 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594621357
• ISBN-13: 978-1594621352
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,976,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Launching Point, March 8, 2000

By 

Vincent Simmons (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning (Paperback)

Having been raised from a traditional, fundametalist viewpoint, I found this title extremely enlightening and thought provoking. I have always felt, intuitively, that there was more to the Biblical accounts than just the surface explanation. A work as great and inspired as the Bible must lend itself to multiple interpretations/applications to withstand the changing tides of time. Troward presents an excellent launching pad to a deeper meaning, and he is not without support. See Galatians 4:24. I highly recommend "Bible Mystery Bible Meaning" to any seriously reflective individual.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Text Explaining More Than Expected, August 6, 2005

By 

Barbara Rose (BornToInspire.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning (Paperback)

While reading this phenomenal text that was originally copyrighted in 1913, I looked up (as to the heavens) and thanked the author, Thomas Troward for this contribution not only to my own spiritual development, but to the fantastic meaning and understanding that any student of spiritual text will find to be extraordinarily enlightening.

There is so much meaning in this book. So much that conveys what both Moses and Jesus taught. The meaning behind their words, and the meaning in our present day lives.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone from any religion, as this book truly and clearly explains the "mystery" behind the "meaning" of the words in the bible.

This is a serious book, that requires a dedicated mind, that is, a mind in love with the process of Truth and spiritual enlightenment.

I would also really recommend this book to any ACIM (A Course in Miracles) student. It is an engaging, mind opening read, and after reading this book, I can say with all sincerity that you may walk away with a great deal more understanding of the meaning of the words that the Bible tries to convey than before you first picked it up.

I have many books at the top of my list, and this is now one of them.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece of Metaphysics, February 8, 2008

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning (Hardcover)

This insightful work by the author of The Creative Process in the Individual is a rich elaboration on his Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science. Troward viewed the whole Bible as a commentary on the words "man is the image and likeness of God" and pursues this thread throughout. He also considered it as the book of emancipation of mankind for deliverance from sickness, sorrow, poverty, uncertainty and limitation.

The Bible is not just a collection of fables or incomprehensible dogmas but a statement of universal laws. In chapter 1, The Creation, it is emphasized that God is One and man is made in His likeness. The creation narrative is explained as Spirit working on Itself - the Spirit of God upon the waters or psychic stuff of the cosmos, when the laws were set in motion, like the law of cause and effect. The Fall looks at the allegory of the two trees in the garden of the soul. The tree of life is the perception of spirit and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is mankind's habit of seeing 2 powers, i.e. considering evil as a subject of knowledge.

The deluge is explained as psychic forces that overwhelmed mankind because of rampant occultism. Many ages later the Patriarchs appeared; this is a transition from allegory to history. Troward analyses the three syllables of the name Israel, with reference to Egyptian and Mesopotamian religion. These others had part of the truth but it was not in balance. The three elements of the name Israel represent three modes of one life, symbolizing wholeness. In the chapter The Mission of Moses, he explores the holy name I AM and its significance, that of Being in the Absolute. Moses' task was to build a nation based on the recognition of the principle of the One, the people of the I AM. This nation was to be the custodians of truth until the coming of Jesus Christ through whom all nations would come to the light. See also The Irrevocable Calling by Daniel Juster in this regard.

Chapter 5, The Mission of Jesus, considers the metaphor of the shepherd and the stone and the concepts of sacrifice and covenant. The universal cannot act on the plane of the particular except by becoming individualized upon that plane. Christ's was a voluntary sacrifice; he is the foundation and crowning stone and also the rock of our salvation. The next chapter covers the meaning and symbolism of Solomon's Temple with its two pillars called Yachin and Boaz, whilst chapter 7 examines the Name of the Lord as a source of strength and protection. The name is explored in its 4 Hebrew syllables Yod, Hey, Waw, Hey, letter by letter to derive at the logical meaning. The name of the first woman, Hawa in Hebrew, derives from the second syllable. In this chapter the author points out how Jesus used this verb and considers the meaning of the creation of the cosmos by the divine word.

Chapter 8, The Devil, looks at the negative disintegrating force as a manifestation of the integrating power operating at a lower level. The negative power has its root in our denial of the affirmative. This section also deals with the law of attraction and the nature of disembodied spirits. The antidote to all these things is the right conception of God as the one and only Originating Power. The law of liberty is discussed next; the law of the Bible is the law of human individuality. We are individual centers for the expression of Spirit. To be ourselves, expressing life by the creative power of thought is the law of liberty that leads to perfect social harmony.

In the Teaching of Jesus, Troward provides a connected idea of the general scope and purpose of the Master's teachings, by referring inter alia to the parables of the prodigal son and the talents. He explains that the law is not vindictive but causal, and reminds the reader of the words of Jesus in John 16: "The Father himself loves you". In short, the gist of it is: "You are a conscious individual expression of the One Universal Spirit; recognizing this truth will set you free; you must believe that That which is infinite finds a centre in you." I was struck by the similarity of Geza Vermes' conclusions in his book The Authentic Gospel of Jesus.

Chapters 11 and 12 are about sin and forgiveness. Sin is a statement of the law of correspondence, but Spirit desires to forgive. An essential quality of Spirit's self-recognition in its relation to the human race is its ability and willingness to forgive and heal. Further interesting topics in these chapters include the reasons why Jesus said "your sins are forgiven" in some of his healing miracles, as well as thoughts on specters, hauntings and ghosts. Chapter 13 deals with Divine Giving, the desire of God to give to us in fullness and why one must cultivate receptivity. In order to receive, the individual has to become an expectant receiver. The Bible is filled with promises and by the law of creative power God provides in a multitude of wonderful ways.

The last chapter is titled The Spirit of Antichrist. Denial of God is the opposite of the principle of Sonship. Referring to St Paul in Thessalonians and Daniel 11 & 12, Troward explains God as the originating spirit Animus Dei and the Anima Mundi as the eternal feminine, receptive subconscious mind or the soul of nature through which He operates. The Anima Mundi is amenable to suggestion, and therein lies the danger. A certain class of people with a powerful leader will shape the neutral Anima to their own thought and volition in a principle of self-deification. Those with God in their hearts will also work so that Anima Mundi is knocked out of the equation, leaving only the opposing forces. And the greatest of that is Divine Personality, our Everlasting Father. This scenario is frightening but also comforting and reassuring. I have found Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning to be a most illuminating and thought-provoking work.