Bible Studies

Unique Christian Gift Ideas for Living a New Age Lifestyle!

Information

Gifts for the Soul

Two treasured symbols of devotion come together in this reverent figure! Lushly detailed carvings and weathered-granite finish create a museum-quality work of inspirational art that promises to lift your spirits.

Bible Studies

Angel Figurines

Paralleled Gospels

Cherubs

The Song of Mark

Gift Ideas

Christian Decor

Celebrate the life and times of the 'Man from Galilee' and all the heritage and splendor associated with Christianity's most popular figures.

Resources

Unique and Affordable New Age Gifts for Living a New Age Lifestyle

Beagle-Land. Find Petcare Products for Your Beagle Dog Pet

The Synoptic Gospels

We are told as Christians that the Synoptic Gospels, that is to say the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree; yet a careful study will show many inconsistencies and descrepencies some of them by stark contrast while others are subtle differences. For example: John's fourth gospel is the only version that mentions Jesus being pierced in the side with a spear. And although many biblical accounts, whether in story form or in movies depicts Jesus carrying his own cross Mark's Gospel and Matthew's version of it are the only two gospels that tells us that another, a man named Simon the Cyrenian or Simon the Cyrene carried his cross (Mk 15:21; Mt 27:32).

Historical Truth

One of the reasons Christianity is such a fascinating topic is because so much has been lost to history; to time; to wars, and yes, to cover-ups propaganda and descreption. In days long past the only people who were prevy to seeing, reading or interpreting codexes or scrolls were the elite among us---theologians and scholars, for example or those with a higher education. They were able to attend the most predigous universities of Europe. Status and wealth often being the prequisite for attending such academic body. You were either born into nobility or were advanced into it by those at the top. It was who you knew and not necessarily what you know that mattered. Of course, this is still true today but not to the degree that it was centuries ago.

Those at the top were the kings and queens of Europe along with the reigning pope and bishops. All this in turn led to a power grab, and that led to an insatiable desire for more power and more wealth---and yes, at the expense of the people. We do suppose to control rather than to uplift. The dark ages were dark not because of any lack of sunlight but rather because an elite inner circle sought to keep the ordinary person in the dark by keeping knowledge and the truth from them. Simply put, all of this was controlled by a central government or central church and in many instances by a combination of both.

If your father were not a man of importance and means, you not only did not attend a university, you were never taught how to read or write. You were, as it were, ignorant. You were uneducated. In the 14th century all of that began to change with the advent of Chinese paper diffusion as well as the advent of the Guttenberg press. Handwritten manuscripts continued to be produced, but the two modes of communication had a direct influence on the other. Paper replaced expensive parchment and the block press replaced the dependence on the scholar.

"Within fifty or sixty years of the invention of the printing press, the entire classical canon had been reprinted and widely promulgated throughout Europe." (wikipedia). Many believe that this brought about the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and by degree, the 'democratization of knowledge'. Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia tells us that, “Professionals are no longer needed for the bare purpose of the mass distribution of information and the shaping of opinion." We could say that there was an explosion of knowledge that ran throughout all of Europe and elsewhere.

Eventually we are brought to mass produced books created by and written by authorities and experts in their chosen field; professional writers, journalist, etc. You needed credentials in order to publish a work. Not so with the advent of the Internet. We can not only read and absorb vast amounts of knowledge we can share that knowledge with others---and yes, without being born into nobility or wealth. We no longer need a college degree to be knowledable, for example. Now, just about anyone can express their opinions thereby sharing their knowledge with thousands of people, all achieved with help of a computer, an Internet connection a mouse and a keyboard. I am such a person and if you are too, you may enjoy browsing this web site devoted to biblical studies, a search for 'historical truth' and for uncovering the truth about the life and times of 'historical Jesus'.

In our attempt to piece the biblical story together we are often forced to accept church doctrine as if it is the only truth.

Those that do accept church doctrine are often governed by their sense of faith and belief. They are inclined to worship and to adoration and not necessarily to reason. Now I am not saying that Christians are lacking in intelligence or that they are without reason---far be it from me to even suggest that, I being a Christian myself. But what I am saying is that for many, questioning either Church or the Bible is akin to heresy; they being taught their whole lives that to question is to show a lack of respect. For them it is enough to attend church and to accept what is placed before them. For them, religion takes precedence of fact. They function from their heart and not necessarily from their head---a very noble act, by the way. Hence, they are in fact, true believers. Although they are devout Christians they are not necessarily interested in uncovering the 'historical truth'.

For those who prefer the latter, the study of Christianity belongs to history as well as to faith. This is an important distinction because it allows us to go outside of the church and to seek out historians, scholars and archaeologist rather than to be stifled by church authorities and theologians only. We are not limited to the bible only, for example; but may expand our 'search for God' by incorporating the many works of others whether they be Christian or Jew; religious or spiritual; believers or non-believers alike. We can, dare I say it, expand our search by taking in the opinions of family, friends, and yes Internet dwellers as well. Simply put, by making our search a personal one, we can begin to have a personal relationship with God. We do our own study and arrive at our own conclusions.

For those who prefer searching for the 'historical Jesus' it would seem then that our job as lay-people is not just to piece the narrative together as if it is one seamless story but to isolate the inconsistencies no matter how subtle they may be. By highlighting those, instead of being blind followers we become free thinkers in our own right. In other words by following the beat of our own drummer we can begin to interpret rather than to accept blindly. And as the master has told us, "For those who can see, seeing let them see; and for those who can hear, hearing let them hear." And what pray tell are we to see and hear but the truth---and truth is rooted in fact!

Primary Focus

The primary focus of this web site will be on the New Testament and on Christianity and how it came to be. I write, not as a fundamentalist would but as an individual person interested in learning the truth about the life and times of the man we call Jesus. If you have an inquisitive mind like me, you may enjoy this site and what I add to it. If you are not like me, then I ask you to think outside of the box and/or to open your mind to the possibilities presented here. I especially ask this, if and when you read 'The Song of Mark', my paraphrase of Mark's Gospel which you will not find anyplace on the Internet except it be authored by me and under the name of K.L.M Kathel.

Before I begin let me make one point perfectly clear: It is not and never has been my intention to convert anyone no matter what their religious affiliation may be. And although I have arrived at my own conclusions, my sole purpose in writing is merely to present my interpretations and opinions to you. Accept what you will, always seeking guidance from above, and reject what you must!

Bible Studies

Return to Top of Page

Parallel Bibles

Through the years I've been worrking on creating several parallel bible studies arranged in column format. Although they will depict the traditional biblical text, these comparative tables should not to be construed as a fundamentalist work. Rather, I display them so that the inquisitive reader can make comparisons and see where biblical narration differs one to the other. My intent is to show the 'Priority of Mark' and of his Gospel. Hence, in many of these tables you will find Mark's Gospel displayed first. In so doing, one can see where the synoptic gospels contradict one another. We can also see where latter-day additions were made.