Sword in the Fire

This was originally published for the Anglican journal Forward in Christ The Bible - The Director’s Cut           There are a group of books of the Bible with an image problem.  It is as if some budget conscious movie editor kept cutting for the right length and content, leaving the scraps on the cutting room floor.  Then along comes the offended director, collecting each scrap together, compiling them for the curious, calling it the “director’s cut” for rabid fans.  These extra books are commonly known as the Apocrypha, and while not considered canonical by many Christians they are profitable and should not be ignored.               Many Bibles today do not have these books, and the ones that do have placed them in an appendix between the Testaments.  The English Bible Tradition originally contained these books, and from 1549 onwards the lectionary attached to the Book of Common Prayer contained l...

When Ancient Faith Radio interviewed me about my new book, I was asked about my favorites books in this mysterious group of Biblical writings.  I mentioned two, Sirach and the Maccabees.   My reason for choosing Maccabees is because it is action-packed.  There is fighting, intrigue, and heroism.  Men, women, and children are sacrificing their lives for their faith in God.  Maybe it's a man-thing but it is hard for me not to picture Chuck Norris when reading about the exploits of Judas Maccabeus.   In an off-hand comment, I mentioned my surprise that these books have never been made into a movie.  I didn't know he was an AFR fan, but Mel must have heard the interview.   Entertainment Weekly reported that Mel has decided to make a movie on the Maccabees. While Mel has had his problems lately, I welcome a movie.  No doubt, it will be violent and not for the kiddies , but these are stories that need to be known and told on a larger...

Later this year, I have a book coming out on the "Apocryphal"or "Deutero-Canonical" books that are part of the Septuagint or Greek Old Testament, but were removed from the Protestant Old Testament. They are not really lost books. In fact, if you find a book about the "lost books" it is either marketing or books that were never included in any official canon. Here's the potential cover art: What do you think of the art? What about the title? Any thoughts?