A Must Read: The Entire Works of Flavius Josephus

 Well, I have been reading the most interesting stuff every evening before bed this week. I have heard about this for years but never thought to check it out until recently:

That is Flavius Josephus. Thank you, Wikipedia. I am only just now getting into the first book I found on my library's app. It's a work that is split into several sections. 

That, my friends, is just the contents for one book of twenty. If you are interested in reading it and don't have a library app for your phone, here is a link to the entire set courtesy of Project Gutenberg, bless them. What's nice is that the contents are composed of links so you can jump through the work easier.

Because I only had the barest awareness of Flavius Josephus and his writings, I went over to Got Questions to get a quick rundown before I started reading. Got Questions is fairly reliable for highlighting any warnings about books and other sources of information. I highly recommend using that site or discussing with a trusted fellow Christian before venturing into unknown territory (churches, study sources, etc) of learning. Be discerning, always.

Of course, I am only on the first book (BOOK I. Containing The Interval Of Three Thousand Eight Hundred And Thirty-Three Years. — From The Creation To The Death Of Isaac) and when I started reading, I immediately recognized that he is re-telling the books of the Torah. He starts with "in the beginning" and gives Moses credit for authorship of the original telling. And let me identify Flavius correctly with this from an Amazon book search I did:

Titus Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100), born Joseph ben Matityahu, was a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer.

And, yeah, I did have to go look up the definition of "hagiographer" (a writer of the lives of the saints). Learn a little something every day...

Now, what is so beautiful about this is that so many people try to downplay the historical reality of most people mentioned in the Bible - like Moses, or Noah, etc - but Flavius is a verified person and he is recounting his Jewish history. This is the way most cultures pass along their history, like griots, sharing stories of their "roots" and genealogy.  

I wish that this is a work that had been included in my high school education. There is so much history given in such detail and it's a much more interesting read than the textbooks my schools used. At the very least, these works should be used by parents in teaching their children. This is, after all, our history - Judeo-Christian history and I was never even aware of its existence until I was in my late 20s.

There is too much content for me to even start discussing this huge work but I did want to share the links. Amazon has copies in all kinds of formats - electronic, audio, paper, etc - and I plan to get at least a paperback copy so that I can make notes in the margins. 

Now I have to get back to reading. Between this and the Bible, I am "booked up" for years.

Peace

--Free

**BOOKS** The Origin of Evil (by Chuck Missler)

 Most people -especially non-Christians - might imagine Bible study to be boring and just a read-and-discuss kind of exercise. I guess that might be true of a lot of Bible studies but not the ones led by Chuck Missler - or any Koinonia Institute teachers.

I recently signed up at Koinonia Institute for Bible classes but have not enrolled in any of the courses yet. Taking a course is a bit of a commitment because, although most are self-paced, there is class participation and quizzes, etc.   I want to wait until my brain is feeling steady before I start. In the meantime, I listen to and watch some of the many books and video courses offered by those from Koinonia. (At the end of this post, I will link to some of the videos and suggest ways to access the books for free through library resources.)

I am currently listening to the audiobook of "The Origin of Evil" by Missler.  It's a 2-hour listen but I like to slow down the playback and backtrack over certain parts. Reading the book would be easier but my online library only has the audiobook format. If you don't have library access, you can get it at Amazon in various formats.

This is the synopsis shown:

The best way for me to tell you why I recommend this book is to share some of the notes I jotted down for further study:

• Gabriel is the messenger angel. He is the announcer of news about the Messiah. (Find & list examples of this.)
• Michael is the warrior angel. At war on behalf of God's people. In Daniel 10, when Gabriel was trying to get a message to the fasting Daniel, something was blocking his way. Michael came to his aid. 
• How important was the 21-day fast Daniel completed? Where else does "21" show up in this scenario?
• Michael and Gabriel are the only 2 (of God's) angels with names and specific jobs. 
• Fallen angels & demons are not the same things. (follow up on this.)
• The war is not between God and Satan; the war is between Satan and us.
• The Gap Theory:
• When were the angels created? and
• When did Satan fall?
• Read about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan after his fast. Pay attention to details:
• Does Satan (for now) have power over the earthly kingdoms? He is (for now) the Prince of this world. Principalities & "rulers of darkness" - think about this. Study what it means: powers, principalities...
• Notice how Jesus responds to every temptation with the Word of God (we should learn to do the same.)
• Satan departed from Jesus "for a season". Study that.

Those were my easy notes. I had some hard ones to do with physics. For example, in making a point, Missler points out that "there is a limit to smallness". He went into the physics of it and I had to consult with the science nerds of the Christian community on Reddit. One user helped tremendously and I think I sort of get the concept now.

What I love about these kinds of studies is that I am reminded that the Bible is an endless well of information - in every area. I think I have learned more about science, biology, astronomy, and philosophy in a year of Bible study than in all other my years alive.

Should you feel inclined to check out more, here are some of the links I promised:

• Koinonia House's YouTube channel 
• The NarrowPathMatt714 YouTube channel's list of KH videos is easier for me to sort through when doing a study on a particular book of the Bible. For example, if I am in Genesis and stop at a particular point, I can find my way back easier here.
• My favorite study from Missler is Learn the Bible in 24 Hours. This one never gets old. I also have the book from Amazon. 

This should get you started. And a word of advice when listening to Missler: his mind moves fast so he talks fast. I always slow down the speed on audiobooks and videos just so I can keep up. On YouTube, you can do this by opening the Settings wheel and selecting Playback Speed. Also, I suggest using captions whenever they are available.

I hope this is useful and God bless.

Peace

--Free

**Pop Culture Echo** Only Here On Earth

I'm going to occasionally do these Pop Culture Echo posts (don't you love that term) when ruminating about how my Christian self relates to, well, the pop culture world we live in. I so often don't pay as much attention to I should to the music, art, writing, and other media that surrounds me. I am trying to be better about that and keep a record of my commentary on things. This is the first post. 

The song "My Way" is iconic. It's become a pop culture echo. We hear it in movies, ads, and whenever someone is feeling very Sinatra during Karaoke. I heard a snippet of it recently near the end of some movie I'd fallen asleep on and I have been thinking about it ever since.

I think that we hear "My Way" and swell up with a sense of accomplishment. We can reassure ourselves with the lyrics when we have hit a rough patch in life. It's a melodic pat on the back, a comforting and worldly "there there" to soothe our egos after a battle with some failure or hard-won triumph. But it is very worldly and should mean nothing to my Christian self.

The lyrics are shown at the bottom of the post, and you can see what I mean about the worldly and self-reliant attitude of the words. Most harrowing, in my opinion, is that the song is talking about the end of someone's life. Maybe that's why it's kind of a ballad for the recently deceased. When I was younger, I thought it was a song I would have liked sung at my own funeral. Now I see the words and realize the sentiments expressed are the antithesis of what I want for a eulogy.

If you are someone who has given your life to Christ, go take a look at that song and see if it has anything to do with your faith. Only here on earth does my way - or yours - mean anything that counts.

So, take a look at the lyrics and the next time you hear this song, pay close attention to what it's telling you. If you think about it, in a movie about the fall of angels, I could totally see Lucifer singing this song with glee.

Here are the lyrics with my emphasis added in places and my commentary in italics bold:

My Way

(by Paul Anka)

And now, the end is near

And so I face the final curtain

My friends, I'll say it clear

I'll state my case of which I'm certain (How certain are you? You've done things YOUR way but are about to meet God)

I've lived a life that's full

I traveled each and every highway (narrow is the way, according to the Bible)

But more, much more than this

I did it my way (I tried things 'my way' for years & it didn't give me peace)

Regrets, I've had a few

But then again, too few to mention

I did what I had to do (What did you have to do & what has it gained you?)

And saw it through without exemption

I planned each chartered course

Each careful step along the byway

But more, much more than this

I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew

When I bit off more than I could chew

But through it all, when there was doubt

I ate it up and spit it out

I faced it all and I stood tall

And did it my way

I've loved, laughed and cried

I've had my fill, my share of loosing

And now, as tears subside

I find it all so amusing

To think I did all that

And may I say, not in a shy way

Oh no, no, not me

I did it my way

For what is a man, what has he got (without God, there is nothing worth having)

If not himself then he has not 

To say all the things he truly feels

And not the words of one who kneels (There it is: pride of self)

The record shows, I took the blows

But I did it my way (And, now you are about to step out of this life and face....Who?)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Claude Francois / Gilles Thibaut / Jacques Revaux / Paul Anka

My Way lyrics © Warner Chappell Music France, Jeune Musique Editions, BMG Rights Management, Concord Music Publishing LLC, Suisa

No thanks, my friend. If I have to close my eyes for the last time on this life, I don't want to open them to look upon God and tell Him how proud I am to have done it my way. As a matter of fact, I could do that. I could stand in judgment on my own record - of sin and guilt - or I could stand there with the spotless record of the Messiah who shed his blood for me.

Peace

--Free