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Frequently, in these pages I have spoken of the Bible, citing a few excerpts and referring to certain quotes from well-known personages. Now I would like to touch upon my conception of the Bible, tell you what I think of it, what I understand of that enormous book about which so much is spoken.
What is the Bible?
It is a collection made up of seventy-eight selections, subdivided into four parts: The Pentateuch, made up of five books, of which Genesis; the Historical books, including at least twelve books; the Poetic and Sapiential books and the Prophetic books making up the rest of the Bible; including the New Testament and Revelation.
Now that we know that, what the Bible is, what exactly does it say?
Everything in the Bible is about Man=s Conscience. Consciousness that created the Universe, the Earth and all it contains; It gave Man a set of Laws and let him go strolling, learning and becoming conscious of what he is.
The Bible is a half-allegorical, half-historical narrative. However, let us understand that all history is also allegorical. The book was written by men who were more interested in what was going on than in the meaning of what was happening. AThe accounts@ aim solely and uniquely to >teach us psychology and metaphysics or spiritual life so that we may live as we should@ (Y)
AAllegories and parables are used so that each of us receive and learn according to the degree of our spiritual development. So that the teachings be efficient, those parables must be interpreted in their spiritual sense@.
The Genesis for example, shows us the power of God=s creative thought. God has created and made us in His image and His resemblance. We can create our physical, mental and spiritual environment. God created man with power over his body and his circumstances:
1:26: AY be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and have dominion over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky and all animals that move on the Earth.@
The Bible insists on the fact that man must have mastery over his body and his circumstances. AProduce and multiply@: That means growing in knowledge and spiritual power, to open oneself to new ideas.
To open oneself to new ideas is to create them to satisfy our natural curiosity, explore our World, understand it, in truth; and understand our true nature, which is spiritual.
That is what the Bible is all about. All reported adventures of the Bible are depicted to show us what man is capable of, as much in good as in evil. Man may decide for himself what his life will be. If he decides on harmony, he will live with harmony within himself, and it will be manifested outside. If he opts for evil he will have to submit to the consequences.
The Bible can be a bedtime reading book. If we read it with the eyes of the soul, its truths will reveal themselves to us in their true light. But if we read it textually, seeing in the reported facts a true story and not an allegoric one, we shall not understand our responsibility and we will not know it is really about our history as spiritual entities. I repeat: AWe don=t have a soul, we are souls.@
The Bible teaches us how to regain our divinity and our power as spiritual individuals. The Old Testament shows us the Road travelled to bring us to the threshold of a new transformation that will change our perception of the nature of God and of ourselves.
To explain that, I would like to recall a few passages and one or two stories, at least in part. First, one about Jacob.
Genesis XXVI: I: 26. That child was born while holding on to Esaü his brother, by the ankle; that is why we named him AJacob@. His given name, in Aramaic, means, Awho holds on to the heel@. In Hebrew, it means: The AIllumination through the unveiling of the soul@. Jacob lived and had many adventures.
Genesis XXXII: 32 He dreamed he fought with an Aangel of God@, and won. The angel told him that because he had resisted, his name would be changed and men would, from then on, call him AIsrael.@
What really happened during that fight?
During that memorable night, Jacob had an inner fight. He had to choose between human nature and spiritual life. Because Jacob won, the Aangel of God@ named him AIsrael@, which in Aramaic, means: AWho hooks on to God@.
Jacob=s fight means that, Ahuman nature has been found worthy of retrieving its divinity.
Take the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis IV: 1-3). Abel means, AIdealized soul and human nature@; Cain means, ABody and human materialistic desires@. So Cain kills Abel: The lesson to be remembered is a warning: If we are not careful, human nature and materialism may kill our spiritual nature. When the Bible speaks of the Sun, it speaks of Love; the Moon is Faith and the Stars are Knowledge.
Does the Bible talk about reincarnation?
Most people will say ANo@ because the Catholic Church has forbidden that teaching in the seventh century of our era (at Constantinople under Justinien). The early Christians knew of the concept. It is mentioned in the Bible. I read a few references alluding to it and another in the New Testament. Let us look at two short passages:
First Book of Samuel: II: 6-7: AIt is Yahweh who makes us live or die, who sends us down into Gehenna and brings us back up, who loves and rises.
Everything in the Bible is about Man and his long trek towards Consciousness.
Who then can go to the level of the dead and come back? Certainly not a corpse! But a soul can.
2- Another passage from the Book says: In front of the doors of the Temple, a beggar was asking for alms. The apostle Peter accompanying Jesus that day asked the Master Aif it was the beggar=s fault being poor and blind, or if it was his parents@. Jesus answered that it was neither his fault nor that of his parents, but so the glory of God is manifested. Peter=s question presupposed the idea of reincarnation for, how can we be born blind through one=s own fault if we have not lived before? Peter=s question also presupposed that the concept was more or less known for if we reap what we sow; being born blind cannot be our parents= fault, but ours. God asked Abraham to kill his son. Who is God? Who is the son? God is our spiritual nature, our soul, asking whether we are prepared to sacrifice our illusions and our human desires (our sons). What did Jesus mean when He said: AMy Father and I are One@? When we obey our spiritual nature we become wise enough to try to become one with creative powers, with Consciousness, with God.
I could go on and on about what reading the Bible has taught me, but I also want to discuss the other book included in the Bible, the Apocalypse.
This book reveals all the dimensions of man, the way to master oneself, to become AChrist=, to go up to heaven and sit at the right of the Father. We will make an appointment for the next question.
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