Writing between 1936 and 1944

I must admit that I always thought Thomas L. Leishman’s writing style was a bit dry. I’ve changed my mind. His articles are thorough, succinct, and engaging. 

I’ve gone back to the archives (of the Christian Science periodicals) and discovered that he first started contributing in 1936 with a brief article titled “The Greek of the New Testament”. Fourteen articles appeared over the next 8 years.

Here’s a list of those articles, written, perhaps not coincidentally, during the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler in Germany, when surely millions of people were turning to their Bibles for comfort, guidance and support –

1.      April 1936 – The Greek of the New Testament

2.      October 1938 – The Geographical Background of the Bible

3.      July 1940 – Preparation for the Gospel in the Graeco-Roman World

4.      September 1941 – Luke, and the book of Acts

5.      October 1941 – Means of Travel in New Testament Times

6.      November 1941 – The Background of Paul’s Letters

7.      December 1941 – Paul’s Earliest Epistles

8.      January 1942 – Paul’s Letters to the Galatians and to the Romans

9.      March 1942 – Letters of Paul’s First Roman Captivity

10.  April 1942 – The Distribution and Grouping of Paul’s Letters

11.  May 1942 – Paul’s Pastoral Epistles

12.  December 1942 – Dress in New Testament Times

13.   June 1944 – Women who aided the Pauline Ministry

 

From #1 I learned that the Greek of the New Testament was not the style used by “such classic authors as Euripides or Plato” but “was simply the … graphic, homely speech of everyday life”.

#2 suggests that “some knowledge of the physical features of the land of the Bible aids us in appreciating the vividness of the teachings”.

#3 indicates that Paul was well aware of the “elements of truth to be found in the religion or philosophy of his audience” in Athens, citing Ephimenides, Aratus, Virgil and Plato. Paul knew how to communicate to his listeners.

Of interest in #4 is a explanation from Bible scholar Alexander Cruden (1699–1770), who compiled the famous Cruden’s Concordance to the Bible, that “the beloved physician” (Col. 4: 14) probably means that Luke was a “healer of the mind” a  “comforter”.

#5 tells us that most New Testament people walked a lot. In “the East walking is considered no hardship”, says Mr. Leishman.

#6 is of particular interest to us this month. Leishman explains that Paul’s writings “may be justly regarded as representing the urgent correspondence of an exceedingly active missionary”.  [Note that more recent scholarship indicates that the only writings considered to be authentic to Paul are Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, I Thessalonians, and Philemon.]

#7 helps us glimpse the situation on the ground with the church in Thessalonica. Leishman says that the “letter … provides clear evidence of the dangerous situation which prompted it”.

#8 explains that “Paul’s letters to the Galatians and to the Romans … both deal with the basic subject of the relation between Judaism and Christianity” and that “salvation awaits all mankind”.

#9 reminds us that Paul continued supporting his friends even while in semi-captivity, awaiting trial. See Acts 28: 30.

In article #10, Leishman quotes Eusebius, “that great Christian historian of the fourth century” who wrote that “Paul … who surpassed them all in vigour of expression and in richness of thought, committed to writing no more than the briefest epistles”. Here we learn that Paul’s letters were undoubtedly copied and passed around.

#11 gives us a picture of the early church, and in particular, of workers like Timothy and Titus.

Who hasn’t wondered what people were wearing in different periods of history. #12 gives a vivid account of the garments worn by John the Baptist and Jesus. We learn here about the difference between the “cloke” of Matthew 5: 40 (similar to a modern-day coat) and “cloke” of II Timothy 4: 13 (a circular travelling cape).

In #13, we are reminded of valuable early Christian women such as Lydia and Priscilla who featured in Paul’s ministry.

Each of the articles (all from The Christian Science Journal) are less than a page long! And yet packed with information that will help us read the Bible more understandingly.

Finally, an article title “Opportunity versus Time” was written for the July 13, 1940 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. It engages the reader at the outset with this sentence:

“In our busy world, there is perhaps no cry more insistent, no excuse more prevalent, than this, that the individual does not have sufficient time for constructive thinking or activity.”

Readers will be delighted to read on where Leishman shares Jesus’ parable of the labourers who all wanted to work and leaped at the opportunity to do so – and who all received a penny a day, no matter when and how long they worked.

Thank you, Mr. Leishman.

Julie Swannell