Metaphysical Bible Dictionary (Charles Fillmore Reference Library) (Hardcover)

~ Charles Fillmore (Author)

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Product Description

This one-of-a-kind volume presents the esoteric meanings of names and people, places, key words, and phrases found in the Bible. The ideas presented in this Bible reference book are based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and are presented in a cross- denominational format.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 706 pages
• Publisher: Unity Books (Unity School of Christianity) (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871590670
• ISBN-13: 978-0871590671
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #156,182 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Reference, July 26, 2002

By	James M. Sheffield (Sedona, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Metaphysical Bible Dictionary

Charles Fillmore's books in my library include the "Metaphysical Bible Dictionary," "Atom Smashing Power of Mind," "Teach Us to Pray," and "The Revealing Word." Before the time of Anthony Robbins, Zig Zigler, Napoleon Hill or other motivational facilitators, Fillmore's words excited my imagination and stirred my soul. Let's not discuss how long ago that was.

Does a vein of independence in religious thought run through the American psyche? Our freedom sparks revelations and spiritual enlightenment. I have not made a major study of the development of various religious sects, but reviewing this book made me look up some of the folks living during the 19th century who took religious and philosophical theories and pursued them to their metaphysical ends, the nature of ultimate reality.

Is there a certain liberalism in American religion, pulling away from the restrictions of the European models, both catholic and protestant? Without researching more than ten minutes, I found nearly a dozen founders of spiritual groups. I cannot say they influenced each other, since everyone walked a lone path. Just think of these names, all within a hundred years of each other: William Miller (Adventist), Phineas Quimby (New Thought), Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science), Joseph Smith (Mormon), Charles Fillmore (Unity), Charles Russell (Jehovah's Witness), Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (Transcendentalism), Helena Blavatsky (Theosophy), and I am sure I have not done justice to many others. What was going on?

Regarding the Dictionary itself, except where the etymology has become lost, the definitions have been traced back to their prototypical root ideas. This nontraditional feature gives us greater clarity for a profound understanding of the Scriptures. Charles Fillmore explained that proper names in Hebrew derive from abstract ideas with connotations that may be good or bad. The MBD explains this in the preface using the example of the word, "Cain." The root means "centralized power or accumulation." So it could mean benign rulership, lawful possession, or it could stand for despotism and extreme selfishness. Both the Hebrew and Egyptian tongues have been a source of confusion. (See Rosemary Clark's "Sacred Tradition in Ancient Egypt.") The idea in the Dictionary is to clarify as much as possible, even offering alternative meanings and spellings. It does not claim to be the final authority, but a stepping stone to a higher realm of spiritual consciousness, toward attainment of the mind "which was also in Christ Jesus."

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The full light of Truth is available only to ..., January 1, 2000

By	"pageh" (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This beloved classic is of inestimable value in helping the Truth student interpret what we read. It belongs with the great dictionaries as a superb reference book. It is particularly helpful when we non-clerics are called upon to articulate our views on ideas such as: Baptism, Christ, Consciousness, Angel, Resurrection, Sin, Sabbath, Satan, Disciple, and Time. "The full light of Truth is available only to the one who constantly directs all the forces of his being in perfect harmony with the trend of his highest aspirations."

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only for creative, fearless thinkers, May 20, 2004

By A Customer

Response to 1984 nonsense comments:
Charles Fillmore's Metaphysical Bible Dictionary is one man's attempt to expand his own spiritually. Many others have found it to be a very good starting place from which to interact with God or Spirit He never intended it to be static, and it hasn't been. Those with open minds and hearts who have encountered it have seen it as an aid along the path to greater understanding of their personal relationship with God.
Those who spend so much time criticizing others' beliefs cannot possibly have time to develop any of their own, which leads me to believe they must be "followers" of someone's words. Most organized religions sprang from the dissatisfaction of an individual with the status quo, and their search soon became someone else's dogma.
As for Truth with a capital T, it is merely Fillmore's attempt to differentiate what he came to view as God's truth versus the twisted truths of man. Every organixed religion considers their truth as God's truth with a capital T. However, some are accepting of others' views and some are not. Obviously, the religious affiliation of the "reader from San Francisco" does not.
If you want a place to begin to dig deeper into the possibilities that await you in the scriptures through the experience of someone else, the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary is a great platform from which to catch a train that can take you away from the insecurities, fears, and small mindedness of those like the reader from S.F.