On
reading the Introduction to John in Dummelow’s One Volume Bible Commentary,
I came across Basilides Version1
of John 1:9 “There was the true light which lighteth every man coming into the
world.” The slight change from the King James Version hit me with the idea
that all the babies coming into the world (our family is contributing well this
year!) come equipped with their own light.
Did not Jesus teach “in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10)? We all
have our own light, direct from the Source of light, God, and we can never lose
that light; it is never dim; it is never obliterated.
I
am always amused by Mrs. Eddy’s statement in Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures about light and darkness: “When one appears, the other disappears” (p.
281:5). How can darkness appear where there is light?
At
our Wednesday
Evening Meeting this week, where the topic was Government, the sentence
that stood out to me was: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light” (Isa. 9:2). I first related this to
our upcoming elections, but then I thought of Syria and it was a promise about
that awful conflict too. This morning I see that it has relevance much closer
to home for me.
It
seems there is a big question mark among Bible scholars on the matter of the
authorship of all the writings we attribute to John, i.e. the Gospel of John, I, II, and III John and Revelation.
I would like to know what Mrs. Eddy’s inspiration told her about it. A Bible scholar, who was also a thorough
student of Eddy’s writings, stated that revelation is higher than
scholarship. He said he would trust her
inspired interpretation above what scholars are currently saying.
So
I must turn to her writings. I find that
she definitely attributes John’s third Epistle (III John) to him when she states, “The Apostle John says: “There is
no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear….”” (III John 4:18).
And
her chapter The Apocalypse (S&H p.558) begins “St. John…”. Surely only the Apostle would be designated
“Saint.” And in Miscellaneous
Writings we find “The divinity of St. John’s Gospel….” (Mis. p.292:2).
I
have always had the impression that Mrs. Eddy classifies all these books as the
work of the Apostle John. I am
satisfied.
Here
are some passages which refer to John, the Apostle John, or St. John ,from the
writings of Mary Baker Eddy.
·
S&H 410:17-20 – “The Apostle John says: “There is
no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear…. He that feareth is not
made perfect in Love.”
·
S&H 558:1 – St. John writes, in the tenth chapter
of his book of Revelation: --
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with
a cloud: and a rainbow was on his head, and his face was as it were the sun,
and his feet as pillars of fire, and he had in his hand a little book open: and
he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth.
·
Miscellaneous Writings292:2
- The divinity of St. John’s Gospel brings to view overwhelming tides of
revelation, and its spirit is baptismal, he chronicles this teaching, “A new
commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another.”
Joyce Voysey
Ed. 1 Basilides was an early Gnostic
religious teacher in Alexandria, Egypt who taught from 117–138 AD, and claimed
to have inherited his teachings from Matthew. He was a pupil of either
Menander, or an interpreter of Peter named Glaucias. Wikipedia
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