The Patriarchs

"The Patriarchs" by J. G. Bellett. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

The promise of land and progeny to the patriarchs-Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-is a central, recurring feature of the Pentateuch. From the beginning of the story of Abraham to the last moment of Moses's life, this promise forms the guiding theological statement for each narrative. Yet literary and historical inquiries ascribe the promise texts to a variety of sources, layers, and redactions, raising questions about how the promise functioned in its original manifestations and how it can be used to understand the formation of the Pentateuch as a whole. Joel S. Baden reexamines the patriarchal promise in its historical and contemporaneous contexts, evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of both final-form and literary-historical approaches to the promise. He pays close attention to the methodologies employed in both documentary and non-documentary analyses and aims to bring source-critical analysis of the promise to bear on the understanding of the canonical text for contemporary readers. The Promise to the Patriarchs addresses the question of how the literary-historical perspective can illuminate and even deepen the theological meaning of the Pentateuch, particularly of the promise at the heart of this central biblical corpus.

Reproduction of the original: Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets by S. Baring-Gould

Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing--that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return--to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees. But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain--lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last? Jill Eileen Smith thrilled readers with The Wives of King David series. Now she brings to life the strong and celebrated wives of the patriarchs, beginning with the beautiful and inscrutable Sarai.

INTRODUCTION This is an in depth commentary on the forty Transmission Gathas of the Patriarchs of Ch’an by a Western Yogi. The author sets out to ascertain what is was that the ancient Indian and Chinese sages transmitted. He attempts to intuit and explain how it was done, and how the recipients of the transmission were prepared for the thunderbolt of sudden enlightenment. The scriptures state that what was transmitted was the Mind, or Mind-Dharma, but that this was no ordinary mind. It was pure Mind, Mind itself, stripped to the utmost nakedness or clearness. This mind was said to be the Buddha, or the Wisdom of SupremeEnlightenment. The Patriarch Bodhidharma says in his famous dialougue with Emperor Wu “ The Dharma is like an empty space, as vast as the cosmos, with nothing holy therein. “ (1) Although the author has a certain degree of learning in the scriptures and sacred texts of ancient India, China, Tibet, Persia, Greece, and Egypt, he is a practicing Yogi and by no means a scholar, or a Linguist. Most of his commentary is based on his inner experiences, which result from his practice of advanced Yoga, But not on academia or book learning. Narayana expounds in his commentary pure intuitions, arising from an innerrealization, attained by means of Yoga and by the grace of God. His commentary is in no capacity scholarly or linguistic analysis, nor is it an interpretation of theological axioms or religious dogma. (The Yogi never wants any of his work turned into religious dogma or a religion of any kind.)