100 Bible Topics: Made Plain and Simple is a 256 page Bible reference book containing illustrations, pictures and footnotes. It differs from other Bible reference works because it picks up where others leave off. The reader is reminded that the Bible was written about real living people who loved, lived, planned and hoped much as we do today. This book seeks to transform a limited view of those people from a coloring book sketch to a fully colored picture of who they were and how they lived from cradle to grave. In a way, this is a reference book that looks into the human interest side of history. For instance, the first chapter addresses the probable height, weight, and physical appearance of Jesus. Another chapter speaks of how the citizens of the capital city of Jerusalem looked down their noses at their country cousins from the Galilee. Remembering that Jesus was from the Galilee, the book considers the evidence for Jesus to have had a heavy accent and why He used so many agricultural and rural examples in His parables. In a similar vein, the book explains why Jesus was virtually unknown in His own time and why His crucifixion was so unusual and unlawful. This heavily researched book is unique because it does more than just state the facts. It lays out what was going on behind the Bible scenes. The book helps to make sense of the puzzling statements many passages of Scripture contain. For example, the chapter on human tattooing puts the mystery number 666 in an entirely different light. Revealed is the reason why so many people were forcibly tattooed by the state and why the first Christian emperor finally outlawed the practice.
Topics range all the way from
controversial to fascinating, taboo to incredibly informational,
unresolved issues to frauds and forgeries--and finally the book
is a really large treasure trove of Bible background information
written in
an easy to read and interesting manner.
Chapters include explanations of daily living such as food, travel,
money, how people proved their identify, mummies, the daily diet
of the pyramid builders, and even the Roman pony express--just
to name a few!
Table of Contents
Jesus
1. Jesus....................................................................................................11
2. Jesus, Almost Unknown Outside the Bible.................................................17
3. Jesus and His Mega-Predictions................................................................19
4. Jesus, Jews and Their Kosher Foods..........................................................22
5. Jesus' Country Accent.............................................................................24
6. Jesus' Crucifixion, an Unusual Execution....................................................26
Just Plain Interesting Topics
7. Fascinating Bible Topics..........................................................................28
8. Egyptian Trash Heap Treasures..................................................................32
9. Amazing Find in a Monastery Wastebasket..................................................36
10. The Roman Pony Express.......................................................................38
11. The Pyramids, Bread and Beer.....................................................
.. ........40
12. Which Came First?......................................................................
.........42
13. Israelite Prenuptial Agreement, 420 B.C.............................................
.......44
14. Dining at a Rich Man's Table............................................................
......47
15. The Great Travel Scandal, Times Change, People Don't ...............................49
16. The One Word They Would Not, Could Not Say...............................
........52
17. Married in Heaven?..............................................................................
..53
18. Slime Pits, Pillar Monks, and Jelly Rolls.................................................
.56
19. The First Rain and Rainbow.....................................................................58
20. Is That Really in the Bible?...................................................................
..60
Controversial Topics
21. Real Evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus...................................................62
22. Superstitious Christian Relic Collectors......................................................65
23. The "Special" Food of John the Baptist..................................................
....68
24. Is Hell Just Outside of Jerusalem?...........................................................
..70
25. Snake Handling and Poison Drinking....................................................
... 72
Fascinating Topics
26. Ancient Identity Verification.....................................................................74
27. Surprising Facts About Angels.................................................................
76
28. Hidden Treasure Scroll...........................................................................
.78
29. Jeremiah's Prediction and Jesus' DNA.......................................................
.80
30. The Pharoah Ahead of His Time?.............................................................
82
TabooTopics
31. Marriage as Evidence of Creation?............................................................84
32. Family as Evidence of Creation?..............................................................86
33. Salt, Coal, and Oil as Evidences of Intelligent Design?................................88
Incredible Informational Topics
34. Why the Cyrus Clay Cylinder is Important..............................................91
35. Why Asia Minor is Important Today......................................................93
36. Where is Paradise?...............................................................................95
37. The Odd Origin of the Word "Bible".......................................................97
38. The New Testament as a Movie Set........................................................98
39. The Egyptian Connection.....................................................................100
40. How Did They Decide Which Books to Include the Bible?........................103
41. Books Left Out of the Bible? Yes, Indeed!...............................................105
42. Which Bible Version Should You Use?..................................................108
43. The Confusion About Bible Money........................................................112
44. Why Italics Are Used in the King James Bible.........................................115
45. How The Ancients Manufactured Manuscripts..........................................117
46. Keeping Bible Time Is Not as Simple as You Think................................119
47. The Origin of the Seven Day Week.......................................................121
48. Double Bible Dates are Very Important..................................................124
49. Splitting History in Two....................................................................125
50. The Promised Land is Not the Garden of Eden........................................127
Unresolved Topics
51. There Really Are Lost Books Mentioned in the Bible.............................130
52. The Mystery of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.........................................132
53. Still Unsolved and Unexplained Bible Mysteries....................................134
54. The Reasoning Behind the Hidden Meanings in Bible Texts....................136
55. Common Sense About The Mark of the Beast........................................138
56. Straight Talk About The Man Whose Number is 666..............................139
57. Human Branding and Tattooing...........................................................141
58. Straight Talk About The Book of Revelation..........................................143
59. Strange Connection Between Judas and Barabbas.....................................148
60. Jews Ask, Whose Bible Is It Anyway?...................................................150
61. The Missing Q Documents...................................................................152
62. Mary's Invisible Husband.....................................................................154
63. Jewish Mass Suicide--Or a Hoax?..........................................................156
64. The Unexplainable Origin of the Devil....................................................162
65. Unanswered Questions About Joseph in Egypt.........................................165
Frauds and Forgeries
66. The Farce of Lady Di and the Bible Codes................................................171
67. A Forgery in the Bible...........................................................................173
68. The Monk Who Changed the Bible..........................................................174
69. How Numbers Can Be Misused in the Bible..............................................176
Bible Background Topics
70. Secrets to Conducting a Small Group Discussions.......................................179
71. Why It's Difficult to Read and Understand Luke..........................................185
72. How Not to Study the Bible....................................................................187
73. Why "In Context" Is Important to You......................................................190
74. Taking the "Boring" Our of Bible Reading.................................................192
75. No One Wants to Be a Pharisee...............................................................195
76. Being a Sadducee Is Not for Me...............................................................197
77. Why Jesus Went Down to Egypt.............................................................199
78. Why the Manger Wasn't Where You Think...............................................201
79. Funeral Customs in Bible Times.............................................................203
80. Visiting the Catacombs (graveyards) Underneath Rome................................206
81. Hellenism Is Not About Hellfire!.............................................................209
82. How a Mistranslation Put Horns On Moses..............................................211
83. Why We Can Trust the Accuracy of the Bible..........................................213
84. Not Weird, Just Odd and Unusual.........................................................216
Jewish Topics
85. The Scattering of the Jews....................................................................219
86. The Sad Story Behind Acts Chapter Two ..............................................222
87. The Bloody Saga of Who Rules Jerusalem..............................................224
88. The Once Mighty Jewish Temple-State..................................................227
89. The 1st and 2nd Jewish Temples, Wonders of the World..........................229
90. The First Portable Church....................................................................231
91. Mezuzahs and Phylacteries ..................................................................236
92. Jewish Tax Collectors Were Like the Nazis............................................239
Christian Topics
93.Christian Symbols and Crosses..............................................................241
94. Paul, Evangelist of the Gentiles.............................................................243
95. The Beginnings of the Christian Church.................................................244
96. Early Christian Churches......................................................................246
97. Underground Cities Used by Christians...........................................
......247
98. The Wonderful Legacy of Christian Hospitals..........................................248
99. The Johnites......................................................................................251
100. Why Jesus Enlarged the Reminder Service ...........................................253
Climbing the Wrong Mountain..................................................................255