Over 120 Years to Cross a Continent/Allure of the Outback

Today the modern city of Adelaide remains the afternoon departure point for The Ghan's continental crossing. Leaving behind suburbia, the twin locomotives and some 40 carriages wind their way through rolling wheat fields to Port Augusta, nearly 190 miles to the north. Here the scenery changes dramatically into a hostile landscape of sand, saltbrush, and scrub  that stretches the horizon.

Beyond Port Augusta, The Ghan travels on a new, all-weather track that lies up to 150 miles or so west of the old flood-prone line.  Night settles over the desert, and the passengers sleep as the train glides past salt lakes that are bone dry from much of the year but shimmer in the moonlight after rain.  Countless stars fill the clear night sky. Absent, however,  is the clickety-clack of yesteryear, for the rails are seamless,welded into one continuous length in order to reduce maintenance.

At dawn, the desert near Alice Sprints glows read and gold under the rising sun.  "The scene is awe-inspiring," said one passenger. "Even in the train I could sense the power of the sun. It burst over an endless, rolling desert landscape so broad, so colorful, so dreadful in its emptiness that it was overwhelming.  This is a humbling place."

From Outback to Tropics

Following an afternoon stopover in Alice Springs, The Ghan continues on to the town of Katherine and then to its northern terminus, tropical Darwin.  Cocooned inside air-conditioned carriages ,  "passengers on The Ghan enjoy luxury on wheels," says Larry Ierace, train manager.  Looking out their windows, they can only imagine the perils and hardships experience by the early pioneers. 

Besides fostering trade and providing one of the great railways journeys of the world, The Ghan has brought another serving of the modern world into the heart of the outback.  A 19-year-old Aboriginal girl who witnessed the train's inaugural journey in February 2004 said:  "I've never seen a train before in my life. It's beautiful." 

The Legend Behind the Name

The Ghan is an abbreviation for the nickname The Afghan Express.  How the train came to be named after the Afghan  camelmen is uncertain. Nevertheless, the designation calls to mind those hardy immigrants who helped open up the Australia outback. Collectively called Afghans, many in fact, came from such diverse places as Baluchistan, Egypt, Northern India, Pakistan Persia, and Turkey.

Their camels became the vehicles of the outback, obediently kneeling or rising to the command "Hooshta!" Camel trains of up to 70 beasts hauled people and freight at a steady pace of about 4 miles and hour.  When rail and road transport made camel trains obsolete, the Afghans turned their animals loose.   Today, the descendants of those camels-numbering into the hundreds of thousands-roam wild in central Australia.

Next time: Can Prisoners Be REFORMED? -Prisoners in Crisis

From the Awake! magazine 

Over 120 Years to Cross a Continent/ A Long Pause

After 13 years of backbreaking labor, when the rail head was about 290 miles from Alice Springs, funds ran out.  "The sheer scale of such an undertaking . . . simply overwhelmed the colony." says Australian Geographic.  In 1911, the whole town-some 200 people at the time-turned out to celebrate.  The locals marveled at the dining car, but the feature that stirred the most interest was the elegant bathroom.  In those days, to have a bathtub on a train was a novelty and a luxury. Alice Springs remained the railway's northern terminus until 1997.  In that year the state and federal governments agreed to complete the long-awaited Alice Springs-to-Darwin rail extension. Work commenced in 2001. 

Huge automated machines laid the $1.3 billion,  (about $1 billion, U.S.) track at a rate of a mile a day, crossing at least  90 new flood proof bridges along the way.   Billed as "the biggest infrastructure project in Australia," the 880-mile line was completed under budget and ahead of schedule in October 2003.   

Next time: Over 120 Years to Cross a Continent/Allure of the Outback

From the Awake! magazine 

Over 120 Years to Cross a Continent/Blistering Heat, Sandstorms, and Flash Floods

 Despite the obstacles, the citizens of Adelaide were undeterred. In 1878 they started work on the line at Port Augusta.  Using only hand tools, horses, and camels, 900 railway workers pushed the line north along Aboriginal trails through the Flinders Ranges.  This route took advantage of the only water holes in the region, for steam trains need water to operate.

The first 60 miles of track took two and a half years to lay. Summer temperatures sometimes climbed to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  In this dry heat, fingernails cracked, ink dried on pen nibs before it could be put to paper, and rail lines buckled.  Train derailments were common. After sandstorms, workers had to clear sand drifts from miles of track, some drifts being up to six feet deep.  Often, the workers stood helpless as more storms undid their work.

Then came the rains. Within minutes,  bleached riverbeds became raging torrents that twisted rail lines, swept away months of work, and stranded trains with their passengers.  One engine driver shot wild goats in order to feed the travelers. Many years later, food was dropped to a stranded train by parachute.

  Following the rains, desert plants sprang to life and beckoned  waves of locusts. During one plague, the tracks became so greasy with  squashed insects that an additional  locomotive was needed to push from the rear. Plagues of rats presented yet another problem.  The rodents devoured anything they considered edible-camp supplies, canvas, animal harnesses, and even boots. A lonely cemetery lies among the track-a reminder of a typhoid outbreak and testimony to the unsanitary conditions of camp life in the early stages of the project.  

For entertainment, train crews were not averse to the odd practical joke. Once when the Alice Springs area was experiencing a rabbit plague, crew members smuggled rabbits aboard The Ghan.  The next morning when passengers opened their cabin doors to go to breakfast, they stepped into corridors that were "alive with bewildered bunnies," says the book The Ghan-From Adelaide to Alice.  On another trip, someone let a joey,a young kangaroo, loose in the sleeping cars.  

Aborigines who lived in remote areas sometimes approached the line as the rain passed. From a safe distance, they saw people inside.  Understandably, the Aborigines were at first wary, if not afraid. In fact, some thought that "a giant devil-snake" had swallowed the passengers alive! 

Next time: Over 120 Years to Cross a Continent/ A Long Pause

From the Awake!  magazine 

Over 120 Years to Cross the Continent

ON February 3, 2004,  a train almost three quarters of a mile long eased into Darwin Railways Station in Australia's sparsely populated Norther Territory.  Thousands of people were on hand to celebrate its arrival. Dubbed The Ghan, the train had just completed its inaugural 1, 850 mile, two-day south-to-north crossing of the continent.

More than 2,000 camera-laden spectators had gathered along the rail line, so the train had to slow down as it approached the city of Darwin.  As a  result, it arrived about 30 minutes late.  But no one complained.  The nation had been waiting for over a century already. Traversing one of the driest, hottest, and loneliest regions on earth, the line from Adelaide to Darwin had taken 126 years to complete.

The Need for a Railway

In the late 1870's, the tiny colony of Adelaide,  at the eastern end of a wide bay called the Great Australian Bight, had dreams of opening up economic  development  in the region and establishing a better traded route to the far north.  The United States had competed its transcontinental railroad in 1869.  Thinking on a similar scale, Adelaide's citizens hoped to build a railway linking their colony to Port Darwin, as Darwin was then called.  This steel highway would not only open up the interior but also dramatically  cut travel time to Asia and Europe.

The concept appeared simple, but the railway would need to cross a brutal mosaic of rocky hills and mountain ranges, dense scrub, and sandy and stony deserts-part of which turned into a quagmire or raging torrents after rain. Explorer John Stuart had finally crossed this hard terrain on his third attempt in 1862. But along the way, both he and his partner nearly died from lack of food and water.  

Next time: Over 120 Years to Cross a Continent/Blistering Heat, Sandstorms, and Flash Floods 

From the Awake! magazine 

Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dated?/Treasure From a Rubbish Heap

In 1920 the John Rylands Library of Manchester, England, acquired a pile of pyruses  newly unearthed in an ancient Egyptian rubbish heap.  While examining the items, which included letters, receipts, and census documents, scholar Colin Roberts saw a fragment inscribed with text he recognized-a few verses from John chapter 18.  It was the earliest Christian Greek text identified up to that time. 

The fragment came to be known as the John Rylands Papyrus 457, internationally designated as P52 .  Penned in Greek uncials, it has been dated to the early second century-within just a few decades of the original writing of the Gospel of John! Significantly, the text agrees almost exactly with that found in  much later manuscripts. 

Ancient but Accurate!

In his book The Bible and Archaeology, British critic Sir Frederic Kenyon wrote concerning the Christian Greek Scriptures:  "Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established."  Similarly, regarding the integrity of the Hebrew Scriptures, scholar William H. Green stated:  "It may be safely said that no other work of antiquity has been so accurately transmitted." 

Those observations call to mind the words of the apostle Peter:  "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like a blossom of grass; the grass becomes withered, and the flower falls off, but the say of Jehovah endures forever." -1 Peter 1:24, 25. 

Next time: Over 120 Years to Cross a Continent

From the Awake! magazine 

Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dated?/Dating Key Greek Bible Manuscripts

The Alexandrine Manuscript (Codex Alexandrinus), now held in the British Library, was the first of the major Bible manuscripts made available to scholars.  It contains most of the Bible and is written in Greek uncials on vellum, a fine grade of parchment.  This codex has been dated to the early fifth century C.E., largely because of the changes that occurred in uncial writing between the fifth and sixth centuries, as exemplified in a dated document called the Dioscorides of  Vienna.

A second major manuscript made available to scholars is the Sinaitic Manuscript (Codex Sinaiticus), acquired by Tischendorf at St. Catherine's monastery. Penned in Greek uncials on parchment, it contains p;art of the Hebrew Scriptures from the Greek Septuagint version as well as all of the Christians Greek Scriptures.  Of this codex, 43 leaves at the British Library in London; and portions of 3 leaves  in St.Petersburg Russia.  The manuscript has been dated to the latter part of the fourth century C.E. This date is supported by marginal tables in the Gospels known to have been devised by fourth-century historian Eusebius Caesarea.

A third important work is the Vatican Manuscript No. 1209 (Codex Vaticanus), which originally contained the entire Bible in Greek.   This codex appeared in the Vatican Library catalog for the first time in 1475.  Written in Greek uncials on 759 leaves of fine parchments, or vellum, the codes contains much of the Bible, with the exception of most of Genesis, part of the Psalms, and portions of the Christian Greek Scriptures.  

Scholars have assigned the manuscript to the early fourth century C.E. How did they arrive at this date?   The writing is similar to that of the Sinaitic Manuscript, also of the fourth century.  The Vaticanus, though, is generally regarded as being a little older. Among other things, for example, it lacks the cross references of the Eusebian canons.

Next time: Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dated?/Treasure From a Rubbish Heap

From the Awake! magazine 

Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dated?/Clues From Handwriting

Paleographers divide ancient Greek handwriting into two basic categories-book hand, which is elegant and formal, and cursive, a form of running, or flowing, writing used in nonliterary documents.  Greek scribes  also used various styles of letters, which can be categorized as capitals, uncials (a form of capitals), cursives, and minuscules.  One form of book hand, uncial writing, was used from the fourth century B.C.E. till the eighth or ninth century C.E. Minuscule writing, a small form of book hand, was employed from the 8th or 9th century C.E. till the middle of the 15th century, when printing by means of movable type began in Europe. Minuscule script could be written more rapidly and compactly, which saved both time and parchment. 

Paleographers have their preferred methods of dating manuscripts. Generally speaking, they first take an overall look a the script-a wide angle view, as it were-and they they examine it more closely. analyzing individual letters.  Because it usually took a long time for significant changes to occur in the general style of handwriting, a close examination of  the script, while useful, provides only a broad indication of the time of writing. 

Thankfully, there are other ways to narrow down the date.  These include identifying and dating the introduction of certain handwriting practices.  For instance, in Greek texts after the year 900 C.E., scribes began to increase the use of ligatures (two or more characters joined together).  Scribes also began to use  infralinear writing (the writing of certain Greek letters below the line) as well as pronunciation aids called breathing marks.

A person's handwriting tends to remain constant throughout his life. Therefore, texts often cannot  be dated to within 50 years.  What is more, scribs sometimes used earlier manuscripts as models, making the copy seem older than it is. Despite the man challenges, however, dates have been assigned to a number of important Bible manuscripts. 

Next time: Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dated?/Dating Key Greek Bible Manuscripts

From the Awake! magazine 

Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dated?/How Manuscripts Are Dated

Imagine that you are cleaning the attic of an old house and find a handwritten, undated letter yellowed by time. 'How old is it?'  you wonder?  Then you spot another old letter. The general style, handwriting, punctuation, and other features resemble that of the first letter.  but much to your delight, the second letter has a date on it. Although you are  unable to determine the year that the first letter was written, you may now have a useful clue for estimating the general time period of the undated one.  

Most ancient scribes did not mark their copies of Bible manuscripts with the date of completion.  To determine an approximate date, scholars compare the texts with other works, including ancient non-Biblical documents for which dates are known, drawing inferences from handwriting, punctuation, abbreviations, and so on.  However, several hundred dated manuscripts have been identified.  Handwritten in Greek, they range from about 510 C.E. to 1593 C.E.

Dating the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah

The first Dead Sea Scroll of the Bible book of Isaiah, discovered in 1947, was written on leather in a pre-Masoretic Hebrew script. It has been dated to the end of the second century B.C.E. How did scholars arrive at that date?   They compared the writing with other Hebrew texts and inscriptions and assigned it a paleographic date between 125 B.C.E. and 100 B.C.E. Carbon-14 dating of the scroll provided additional evidence. 

Amazingly, a comparison of the Dead Sea Scrolls with the Masoretic text, prepared many centuries later  by scribes called Masoretes, show no doctrinal change.  Many of the differences simply involve spelling and grammar. Also noteworthy, the Tetragrammaton-the four Hebrew consonants making up the divine name Jehovah-appears consistently in the Isaiah scroll. 

Next time: Ancient Manuscripts How Are  They Dated?/ Clues From Handwriting

From the Awake! magazine 

Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dated?

IN 1844, Bible scholar Konstantin von Tischendorf visited St.Catherine's monastery, located at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt.  Combing through its libraries, he came upon some notable parchments.  Being  a student of paleography, Tischendorf recognized the parchments as leaves from the Septuagint,  A Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, or "Old Testament."  I had seen nothing that could be judged as of greater antiquity than these Sinaitic pages," he wrote. 

Forming part of what later became known as the Sinaitic Manuscript (Codex Sinaiticus), the parchments have been dated to the fourth century C.E. The Sinaitic is just one of the thousand of ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures that make up a truly vast reservoir for scholars to study. 

The Development o the Greek Paleography

A Benedictine monk, Bernard de Monfaucon (1655-1741), laid the foundation for the systematic study of Greek manuscripts.   Later, other scholars added their contributions.  Tischendorf took up the enormous  task of compiling a list of the oldest Greek manuscripts of the Bible in the libraries of Europe.  He also made several trips to the Middle East, studied hundreds of documents, and published his findings. 

In the 20th century, additional tools became available to paleographers.  One is the Marcel Richard list of some 900 catalogs that describe  55,000 manuscripts, Biblical and non-Biblical, belonging to 820 libraries or private owners.  This vast amount of information assists translators and also helps paleographers to date manuscripts more accurately.

Next time: Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dates?/How Manuscripts Are Dated

From the Awake! magazine  

THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Does God Forgive Serious Sins?

God Is Not All-Forgiving

There are some people whose sins God does not forgive. Wrote Paul:  "If we practice sin  willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of [condemnatory] judgment."  (Hebrews 10:26:27)  The words "practice sin willfully"  suggests deeply ingrained badness, a truly wicked heart.

Judas Iscariot developed such a heart.  "It would have been finer for him if that man had not been born," said Jesus. (Matthew 26:24, 25)  And concerning certain religious leaders of his day, Jesus said:  "You are from your father the Devil . . .when he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie."  (John 8:44) Like Satan, those men were bad to the core.  They were not sorry for what they had done but became even more hardened in their wicked ways.  True, because of imperfection and weakness, even genuine Christians sin, sometimes seriously.  but their failings do not reflect and entrenched evil disposition. -Galatians 6:1. 

Merciful to the Last

It is not only the sin but also the attitude of the sinner that Jehovah  notes.  (Isaiah 1:16-19)  Reflect for a moment on the two evildoers impaled alongside Jesus.  Both had evidently committed serious crimes, for one of them men admitted:  "We are receiving in full what we deserve for the things we did; but this man [Jesus] did nothing out of the way."  The evildoer's words indicate that he knew something about Jesus.  And that knowledge likely contributed  to a wholesome change in his attitude.  This is indicated   by what he said next, this time imploring Jesus:  "Remember me when you get into your kingdom."  How did Christ respond to that heartfelt entreaty?  "Truly, I tell you today," he said,  "You will be with me in Paradise." -Luke 23:41-43. 

Think about that:  Jesus' final statements as ta human included an expression of mercy toward a man who had admitted to deserving the death penalty. How encouraging that is!  We can be sure, then, that both Jesus Christ and his Father, Jehovah, will show compassion toward all those who manifest true repentance, regardless of their past deeds. -Romans 4:7. 

Next time: Ancient Manuscripts How Are They Dated?

From the Awake! magazine 

THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Does God Forgive Serious Sins?

Three Steps to Gaining God's Mercy

"I was shown mercy, because I was ignorant and acted with a lack of faith,"  wrote Paul.  (1 Timothy 1:13)  His frank expression brings us the first step required for gaining God's forgiveness-lifting the veil of ignorance by getting an accurate knowledge of Jehovah and his standards as outlined in the Bible.  (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) To be sure, we cannot please our  Creator if we do no know him well.  "This means everlasting life," said Jesus in prayer to his Father,  "their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ. -John 17:3.

When honesthearted ones gain that knowledge, they deeply regret their past wrongs and are moved to express heartfelt repentance. That is the second step toward gaining God's forgiveness. Says Acts 3:19:  "Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out." 

That verse also mentions the third step-turning around. To turn around means to abandon one's old ways and attitudes and to adopt God's standards and viewpoints.  (Acts 26:20) Simply put, a person shows by his new way of life that he really means it when he says to God," I am sorry."

Next time:  THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Does God Forgive Serious Sins?/God Is Not All-Forgiving

From the Awake! magazine 

THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Does God Forgive Serious Sins

MERCY is one of God's foremost qualities.  (Psalm 86:15) How extensive is his mercy?  A psalmist wrote: "If errors were what you watch, O Jah, O Jehovah, who could stand?  For there is the true forgiveness with you, in order you may be feared."  (Psalm 130:3, 4)  Another passage reads:  "As far off  as the sunrise is from the sunset, so far from us he has put our transgression. As a father shows mercy to his sons.  Jehovah has shown mercy to those fearing him.  For he himself knows the formation of us, remembering that we are dust." -Psalm 103:12-14.

Clearly, Jehovah's mercy is complete and unstinting, and it takes into account our limitations and imperfections-that we are "dust."  Consider some Bible example that reveal the extent of God's mercy.  

The apostle Peter denied Christ three times.  (Mark 14:66-72)  While an unbeliever, the apostle Paul persecuted Christ's followers.  When certain ones of these were to be executed, Paul voted against them.  He even approved of the murder of one of them.  (Acts 8:1, 3; 9:1, 2, 11; 26:10, 11; Galatians 1:13)  Before becoming Christians, certain members of the congregation in Corinth  had been drunkards, extortioners, and thieves.  ( 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Yet, all these came to enjoy divine favor.  Why did God forgive them?  

Next time: THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Does God Forgive Serious Sins?/Three Steps to Gaining God's Mercy

From the Awake! magazine 

YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?

An Interchange

While grandparents can offer you their wisdom and love, they can also benefit from your youthful energy and companionship.  How so? Well, there are likely a number of ways in which you can be of help and support to your grandparents. Oftentimes, their physical strength is fading. Or they may be battling ill health.  No doubt they would be encouraged if helped them with shopping and household chores.

Many grandparents are widows or widowers and feel lonely at times.  By taking such an active interest in them, you can do much to help them to combat feelings of loneliness and to maintain their zest for life. Doing so is one way to follow the Bible command that you "keep paying a due compensation to [your] grandparents, for this is acceptable in God's sight." -1 Timothy 5:4. 

No doubt about it, drawing close to your grandparents can enrich your life-as well as theirs!  Maybe you have not been close to them up till now. Perhaps you want to change that but are not sure where to start. It may be that your grandparents live far away or that your parents are no longer together and this has distracted you from your grandparents.   A future article will offer some practical suggestions on how you might deal with such situations. 

Next time:THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Does God Forgive Serious Sins?

From the Awake! magazine

YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?

A Special Bond of love

Your relationship with your grandparent may also be free of some of the tensions  that youths sometimes experience with their  parents.  Why might this be so?  For one thing, grandparents often enjoy a special bond with their grandchildren.  The Bible says:  "Old men are proud of their grandchildren." -Proverbs 17:6, Today's English Version. 

Remember, too, that it is your parents-not your grandparents-who must bear the heavy responsibility of raising you "in discipline and mental-regulating of Jehovah."  (Ephesians 6:4) Because their role is less demanding, your grandparents are usually not encumbered by the responsibilities and pressures of the daily care of the family.  Because they may be relatively free of such stresses, it may be easier for them to respond to your needs or to pay attention to you. Seventeen-year-old Tom recalls the attention he got from his grandparents.  They would send him "little gifts for getting good report cards"; they even paid for his piano lessons. 

Of course, not all grandparents are able to provide such gifts, but they may still demonstrate their interest in you, perhaps by offering you praise and encouragement or by giving you a hearing ear from time to time.  This can forge deep bonds of friendship between you. Damaris says regarding her grandmother:  "She makes me feel at ease, and I can go to her and talk to her at any time because she is always willing to listen-even if I am not making sense at the time." A youth named Jonatas similarly enjoys freeness of speech  and the opportunity to talk about serious subjects with his grandparents.

Next time: YOUNG PEOPLE ASK .  .  . Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?/An Interchange

From the Awake!  magazine 

YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?

Conclusion of A  Source of Wisdom and Advice

Alexandria had a similar experience when her family moved and she had to change schools.   "My new teacher was hard and occasionally lost her temper," Alexandria said.  Adjusting to her new school was therefore difficult for Alexandria. However, her grandmother proved to be an ally.  She helped Alexandria to adjust by encouraging  a more positive outlook toward the situation.  "Now I like school and my teacher," says Alexandria.

A young man in Brazil, name Rafael reflects on the help that his grandparents gave him when he received some supplementary education after high school:  "They gave me much counsel about association and how to resist problems with drugs." Rafael now serves as a  full-time evangelizer. 

In her book Grandparenting in a Changing World, Edna LeShan relates her own experience as a grandparent.  She writes:  "My granddaugther called me one day and said,  'Grandma, I need help with peer pressure.' Some of her classmates were trying to get her to date boys, some of whom were calling her on the phone." As a result of her granddaughter's request for help, the grandmother was able to offer advice that provided needed assistance.  You may similarly find that a brief conversation with a loving grandparent can be a source of real moral support.

Grandparents are often particularly helpful during times of family crisis, such as illness or death. After young Lacy lost her father  to a serious illness, her grandmother helped her cope.  "We have bonded even more than before," says Lacy. 

Next time: YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?/A Special Bond of Love

From the Awake! magazine 

YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?

A Source of Wisdom and Advice

Many young people have discovered that grandparents can serve as a shelter during the stormy years of youth.  Seventeen magazine observed:  "With decades of experience in living, they are often more helpful in dealing with problems than friends your age, who are struggling with the same concerns you are.  You and your peers are in the throes of your first life transitions; your grandparents have weathered many such passages.   They are often wise as well as smart."  This advice merely echoes what the Bible said centuries ago, namely:  "Gray-headedness is a crown of beauty when it is found int he way of righteousness." -Proverbs 16:31.  

True, your grandparents may have grown up in a world quite different from the one in which you live now. But you can be sure that at one time or another, they  have felt  the very same feelings that you are struggling with now. While you may still be relatively inexperienced in handling such feelings, your grandparents have had a lifetime in which to come to terms with them.  (Proverbs 1:4)  "Is there not wisdom among the aged  and understanding in the length of days?"  asked the righteous man Job.  (Job 12:12)  Yes, and for that reason grandparents can often be a real asset when a youth needs some balanced advice, encouragement, or support.

Young Damaris's grandmother, for example, lived with Damaris and her mother in the same urban apartment.  "When my mother and I had trouble communicating," Damaris recalled, "Grandmom helped us work things out. She would show me a different way of looking at things." 

Next time: YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?/ Conclusion of A Source of Wisdom and Advice

From the Awake! magazine 

YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?

When my mother and I had trouble communicating, Grandma helped us to work things out." -Damaris.

"THROUGHOUT history, grandparents have been the key to my family harmony and continuity."  So writes Dr. Arthur Kornhaber in his book Grandparent Power!  He adds:  "As teachers, supporters of parents, historians,  nurturers, consultants, and even entertainers, their psychological, social, and spiritual functions were of paramount importance. I wondered how our society had possibly come to dismiss this powerful, multifaceted grandparent role." 

In bygone days, grandparents were a foundation stone of family life, particularly among worshipers of Jehovah God.  The Bible commanded the Israelites  to respect and esteem older ones.   (Leviticus 19:32) Grandparents were considered especially worthy of honor. -1 Timothy 5:4. 

Sad to say, times have changed. Long distances often separate families, and many  youths have little contact with their grandparents. Attitudes  have also changed.  In many parts of the world, older ones-including relatives -are no longer treated with due respect.  (2 Timothy 3:1-3) What used to be called a generation gap now seems more like a chasm. Many youths think of their grandparents as old and out of touch.  They cannot imagine that these older ones could possibly understand the pressures and problems youths face today.

If that is the way you feel, be prepared to think again!  For their is great value in getting to know your grandparents-especially if they are God-fearing. And if you have not got to know them, you may very well be missing out.  How so?

Next time:  YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?/A Source of Wisdom and Advice

From the Awake! magazine 

THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Are Dreams Messages From God?

What About Today?

Yes, God did communicate with some people through dreams. But the Bible indicates that this was quite rare. Dreams were  never the principal form of divine communication. There were many faithful servants of God who never received messages from God in dreams. God's use of dreams to communicate with man can be compared to His parting the Red Sea. We know that he did it once, but that is certainly not his usual way of dealing with his people. -Exodus 14:21

The apostle Paul acknowledged that in his day God's spirit was operating on his servants in many extraordinary ways.  Paul said:  "To one there is given through spirit speech of wisdom, to another speech of knowledge according to the same spirit, to anther faith by the same spirit, to another gifts of healings by that one spirit, to yet another operations of powerful works, to another prophesying, to another discernment of inspired utterances, to another different tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues."  (1 Corinthians 12:8-10) Although divinely inspired dreams are not specifically mentioned, a number of Christians evidently received divinely inspired dreams as one of the gifts of the spirit in fulfillment of Joel 2:28. -Acts 16:9, 10. 

However, the apostle said regarding these special gifts:  "Whether they are gifts of prophesying, they will be done away with; whether they are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will be done away."  (1 Corinthians 13:8) Evidently included among the gifts that would be "done away with"  were the various forms of divine communication. After the death of the apostles, God ceased to impart these special gifts to his servants. 

Today experts are still trying to understand the process of dreaming and whether it has a practical function.  The Bible sheds no light on such issues. However, to those who insist on seeking divine communications in their dreams, the Bible does provide a warning. At Zechariah 10:2, it states:  "The practicers of divination , . . .valueless dreams are what they keep speaking." God also warns against looking for omens. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)  In light of these warnings, Christians today do not expect to receive divine guidance in their dreams. Rather, they view dreams simply as something experienced in sleep.   

Next time: YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .Why Should I Get to Know My Grandparents?

From the Awake! magazine 

THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Are Dreams Messages From God?/Dreams From God

In the Bible, God-inspired dreams were always induced for a specific reason. True, at times the dreamer could not immediately understand the meaning of the dream.  In many cases, however, the "Revealer of secrets" himself provided the explanation so that there would be no doubt as to the meaning of the dream.  (Daniel 2:28, 29; Amos 3:7) Dreams from God did not have the vague illogic that often characterizes normal dreams.  

At times, dreams were used by God to protect key individuals in the outworking of his purpose.  The recipients of such dreams were not necessarily  servants of God.  For example, the astrologers who visited the young child Jesus did not return to see murderous Herod as he had requested. Why? They received a warning in a dream.  (Matthew 2:7-12) This gave Jesus' adoptive father, Joseph, enough time to flee Egypt with his family, in response to  the direction that he too had received in a dream.   This saved the life of young Jesus. -Matthew 2:13, 15. 

Centuries earlier, an Egyptian pharaoh had dreams of seven healthy ears of grain and seven fat-fleshed cows contrasted with seven sickly ears of grain and seven emaciated cows.  Joseph, with divine help, interpreted the dreams correctly: Egypt would enjoy seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine.  Knowing this in advance allowed the Egyptians to prepare and stockpile food.  This proved instrumental in preserving the descendants of Abraham and in bringing them to Egypt. -Genesis, chapter 41; 45:5-8. 

Kind Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon likewise had a dream. It foretold the rise and fall of the future world powers that would have a direct impact on God's people.  (Daniel 2:31-43) Later, he had another dream that predicted his personal fall into madness and subsequent recovery.  This prophetic dream had a larger fulfillment, pinpointing the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom, through which God would accomplish his will. -Daniel 4:10-37. 

Next time: THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Are Dreams Messages From God?/What About Today? 

From the Awake! magazine   

THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Are Dreams Messages From God?

REPORTEDLY, inventor Elias Howe's idea for the design for the sewing machine was based on a dream.  The composer Mozart said that many of the themes for his music came to him in dreams.  The chemist Friedrich August  Kekule von Stradonitz likewise claimed  to have discovered the shape of the benzene molecule in  a dream. Such occurrences are hardly unique.  Throughout history many cultures have attributed dreams to be the supernatural.  Some believe that the dreaming and waking worlds are equally real. 

The Bible contains several accounts in which dreams are described as an important source of information-a form of divine communication. (Judges 7:13, 14; 1 Kings 3:5) For example, God communicated with Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph in dreams.  (Genesis 28:10-19; 31:10-13; 37:5-11)  Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar received prophetic dreams from God.  (Daniel 2:1, 28-45) So might there be good reason to believe that even today some dreams are messages from God?  

Next time: THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Are Dreams Messages From God?/Dreams From God 

From the Awake! magazine 

CITIES Why in Crisis? - What Future for Cities?

A Change in Management

Effecting such sweeping change is clearly beyond the capability of humans. So attempts to solve the problems of today's cities-no matter how well-intentioned they are-will ultimately fail.   Students of the Bible do not despair, however, for they see today's urban difficulties  are just one more example of man's inability to manage our planet properly.  (Amen! to that)  Today's sprawling, chaotic cities dramatically underscore the words of the Bible at Jeremiah 10:23:  "To earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step."  Man's attempts to rule himself have resulted in misery on a grand scale-problems that are simply magnified in our cities. 

City dwellers the world over can thus take comfort in the Bible promise recorded at Revelation 11:18:  that God  will "bring to ruin those ruining the earth." (note: and that is not just the ecological problems etc.  That is  government and others who are corrupt, immoral, greedy, dispassionate etc.)  Far from being negative, this points to a positive future for mankind.  It promises that God will take over  the management of our planet by means of a government, or Kingdom.  (Daniel 2:44)  No longer will millions live in unmanageable poverty, deprived of proper housing and basic sanitation, deprived of dignity, or deprived of hope.  Under the rule of God's government, people will enjoy material prosperity, vibrant health, and fine housing. -Isaiah 33:24; 65:21-23. 

This new world is the only realistic solution to the problems of today's cities.

Next time: THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT - Are Dreams Messages From God? 

From the Awake! magazine  

CITIES Why in Crisis? -What Future for Cities?

What Future for Cities?

Many observers believe that technology notwithstanding, cities offer services and advantages that will continue to draw people.  Whatever the future may hold, today's cities are in trouble now!  And no solution is in sight for the massive problems of housing and sanitation for the growing millions of urban poor.  Nor has anyone come close to finding a means to eliminate crime, environmental decay, or urban pollution.

Some would argue that governments should simply funnel more money into their cities.  But given the track record that many governments have in managing their assets, is it realistic to think that solving problems of cities is as simple as writing out a check?  Decades ago the book The Death and Life of Great American Cities said; "There is a wistful myth that if only  we had enough money to spend . . . , we could wipe out all of our slums . . .  (Note:  If landlords cared enough to put money into these buildings instead of their pockets, maybe things would be better; and if governments were not run by Satan who makes them corrupt and greedy and immoral,  and dispassionate, maybe then  this world would not be in the shape it is in.) But look what we have built with the first several billions: Low-income projects that had become worse centers of delinquency, vandalism, and general social hopelessness than the slums they were suppose to replace.  "These words continue to ring true.

But if the money is not the solution, what is?  We must remember that cities are made up of people, not just buildings and streets. So in the final analysis, it is people  who must change if city life is to improve.  "The best economy of a city is the care and culture of men." says Lewis Mumford in The City in History. And if drug abuse, prostitution, pollution, environmental decay, social inequality, vandalism, graffiti, and the like are to be eliminated, more is required than an increased police presence or a fresh coat of paint. People must be helped to make dramatic changes in their thinking and behavior. 

 Note: That would help, but it still would not solve the whole problem. Some people were not brought up to care for property values or to take care of something in order for it to stay in good living conditions. If some of the people were not taught manners, how is anyone suppose to know to take care of property?  

Next time: CITIES Why in Crisis? What Future for Cities?/A Change in Management

From the Awake! magazine 

CITIES Why in Crisis? -What Future for Cities?

Death of the City?

Cities may have just begun to feel the forces of change spawned by new technologies.  As the Internet grows in popularity as a way to shop and carry on business, this could have dramatic results.  The new technologies have already made it easier for some businesses to relocate outside cities-drawing many workers with them.  

As shopping and working online become mainstream, people may feel less inclined to travel to crowded business districts  The book Cities in Civilization suggests:  "We might foresee some routine workers, especially part-time workers, working entirely from home or neighborhood workstations, . . . thus reducing the overall volume of traffic."  Architect Moshe Safdie likewise speculates;  "In this new  environment, we might have a universal scattering of millions of villages, giving individuals locally the comforts of village-scale life and electronically the cultural richness of great historic cities." 

Next time: CITIES Why in Crisis? -What Future for Cities?/What Future for Cities? 

From the Awake! magazine 

CITIES Why in Crisis?-What FUTURE for Cities?

"TO LOOK at our cities is to see into our future." So said Ismail Serageldin of the World Bank.  But from what we have seen thus far, that future does not look bright.

Commendably, serious efforts are being made to improve life in many urban areas.  New York City recently completed a refurbishment of Times Square in Manhattan.  Previously, it was notorious for its pornography establishments, drug culture, and crime.  New retail outlets and theaters now line the streets, luring visitors by the thousands.    Naples, Italy, "a brilliant, cultivated city that once ranked with London and Paris," according to National Geographic magazine, suffered devastation during World War II. Naples became a virtual symbol of crime and chaos.  However, when the city was selected as the cite for a 1994 political conference, it enjoyed  rebirth of sorts with a major renovation of the city's center. 

Of course, having safer, cleaner cities comes at a price.  Increased safety often means an increased police presence.  Another cost might be privacy.  Some public areas are under the constant surveillance of TV cameras and plainclothes officers.  As you walk through a park and pass by fountains, sculptures, or flower beds, you may unwittingly pass by security checkpoints.

Sometimes improvements also come at a high cost to the poor. Consider what some call gentrification-the process by which higher-income families take over formerly poor neighborhoods.  Gentrification results from a  changing economy-a "shift from manufacturing to services, from reliance on mid-level skills to automation."  (Gentrification of the City, edited by Neil Smith and Peter Williams) as blue-collar jobs become obsolete and the demand for professional and technical  workers grows, the demand for convenient middle-class housing also grows. Rather than commute to the suburbs, many highly  paid professionals prefer to refurbish homes in relatively run-down neighborhoods. 

Naturally, this results in substantial neighborhood improvement.  But as neighborhoods improve, prices go up.  The poor often find themselves unable to afford to live in the neighborhoods where they have worked and lived for years!  

Next time: CITIES Why in Crisis?-What FUTURE for Cities?/Death of the City?

From the Awake! magazine 

CITIES Why in Crisis?/Conclusion of Big-City Problems in Western Lands

New York is hardly the only city that has difficulty providing needed services. Actually, a number of large cities have proved to be vulnerable to disruption from a wide range of causes.  In February 1998, Auckland, New Zealand, was crippled for over two weeks by a devastating power failure. Inhabitants of Melbourne, Australia, went without hot water for 13 days when gas supplies were shut off because of an industrial accident at a production plant.

Then there is the problems shared by virtually all cities-traffic jams. Architect Moshe Safdie says: "A fundamental conflict-a misfit-exists between the scale of cities and the transportation systems that serve them. . . . Older cities have had to adapt their down-towns to traffic volumes unimagined at at the time they were built." According to the New York Times, in cities such as Cairo, Bankok, and Sao Paulo, traffic jams are "the rule."

In spite of all these problems, there seems to be no letup in the ongoing move to the cities.As an article in the UNESCO Courier put it.,  "rightly or wrongly, the city seems to offer progress and freedom, a vision of opportunity, an irresistible lure."  But just what does the future hold for the big cities of the world?  Are there any realistic solutions to their problems?

Next time: CITIES Why in Crisis?/What FUTURE for Cities?

From the Awake! magazine  

CITIES Why in Crisis?/Big-City Problems in Western Lands

The situation in Western lands may be somewhat less dire, yet an urban crisis still exists.  For example, the book The Crisis of America's Cities says:  "American cities today are marked by violence of extraordinary proportions. . . . The prevalence of violence in American cities is so severe that medical journals have begun devoting significant space to it as one of the major public health issues of our day."  Of course, violence is a plague in  many major cities throughout the world.  

The deterioration of  city life is one reason why many cities have become unattractive to employers. Says the book The Human Face of the Urban Environment:  "Businesses have moved  to the suburbs  or overseas, shutting down plants, leaving them behind 'brown fields'-empty buildings or contaminated lots, with toxic materials buried in the ground, totally unfit  for development."  As a result, many cities find poor people concentrated in areas "in which environmental problems are too easily ignored-where sewage systems break down; where water purification is inadequate; where vermin infest garbage-filled lots and invade dwellings; where little children eat lead paint from the walls in deteriorating apartment buildings . . . where no one seems to care."  In such an environment, crime, violence, and despair flourish.

In addition, Western cities are having difficulty providing basic services. Back in 1981, authors Pat Choate and Susan Walter wrote a book with the dramatic title America in Ruins- The Decaying Infrastructure. In that they stated: "America's public facilities are wearing out faster than they are being replaced.   "The authors expressed great alarm over the number of rusting bridges, deteriorating roads, and crumbling sewage systems in major cities.  

Twenty years later, cities such as New York still have ailing infrastructures. An article in New York Magazine described the massive Third Water Tunnel project. It has done on now for some 30 years and is called the biggest infrastructure project in the Western Hemisphere.  It involves an expenditure of some five billion dollars.  When finished, the tunnel will deliver one billion gallons of fresh water a day to New York City.  "But for all this prodigious digging,"says the writer,  "the tunnel is only meant to supplement the existing pipes , enabling them to be repaired  for the first time in the beginning of the century."  According to an article in The New York Times, repairing the rest of the city's crumbling infrastructure-its subways, its water mains, its roads, its bridges-will cost an estimated 90 billion dollars.   

Note: Now this is why things should not be put off for years; if something needs fixed, then fix it! instead of putting it in their pockets. It is the politician's responsibility to make sure that things get taken care of.  But the greed seems to take over. 

Next time: CITIES Why in Crisis?/Conclusion of Big-City Problems in Western Lands

From the Awake! magazine  

CITIES Why in Crisis?

Other Grim Realities

Poverty can lead to crime. In one South American city noted  for its innovative modern architecture, crime has become so rampant that the city is rapidly becoming a landscape of iron railings.  From the richest to the poorest, citizens are erecting fences to protect their property and privacy. In effect, they live in cages.  Some even put up the railings before their house is finished.

Large populations also strain a city's  ability to provide such basics as water and sanitation. It is estimated that in one Asian city, 500,000 public toilets are needed. Yet, a recent survey indicated that only 200 working toilets could be found! 

Not to be overlooked either is the devastating effect overpopulation often has on the local environment. Nearby farmlands disappear as city boundaries expand.  Former United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization chief Federico Mayor says:   "Cities consume enormous amounts of energy, exhaust water supplies, and devour food and materials. . . . Their physical environment is worn out because it can no longer provide the input or absorb the output." 

Note: When God said to Adam to procreate  and fill the earth. He meant for them and all of us to have some common sense and only produce the amount of children that they could afford to provide food, housing, clothes, and  medication. Has anyone ever heard of birth control?  God did not mean for us to overpopulate. He thought we would have enough sense to limit ourselves to the amount of children that we could afford.   The public should not have to provide for children whose parents who don't have the sense to know when to quit having children, that includes the ones who are not married and having children when God intended for all of us to be married, then have children. If people don't want to get married, then they are suppose to stay celebate and not procreate-have sex at all.  No one uses any common sense anymore, if they ever did. Just being truthful. 

Next time:  CITIES Why in Crisis?/Big-City Problems in Western Lands 

From the Awake! magazine 

CITIES Why in Crisis?

Unfulfilled Dreams

In modern times, cities continue to offer many of the same advantages.  Little wonder, then, that they continue to attract millions-especially in lands where life in the rurals  has become unbearably difficult.   However, for many people who migrate to cities, the dreams of a better life go unfulfilled.  (Note:  No, the greener on the other side)  The book Vital Signs 1998 says:   "According  to a recent study by the Population Council, the quality of life in many urban  centers of the developing world is poorer today than in rural areas."  Why is this so?

Henry G. Cisneros writes in The Human Face of the Urban Environment:  "When poor people become concentrated in precisely defined geographic areas, their problems grow exponentially. . . . The increasing concentration of poor, mostly minority people has been accompanied by soaring unemployment, increased  and prolonged welfare dependency, profuse public health problems, and, most startling, rising crime."  The book Mega-city Growth and the Future similarly observes;  "The massive inflow of people often leads to high levels of unemployment and underemployment because the market for labor may be unable to absorb the expanding number of job seekers."

The growing number of street children is heartrending evidence o the deep poverty that exists in the cities of the developing world.  According to some estimates, there are as many  as 30 million street children worldwide!  Says the book Mega-city Growth and the Future;  "Poverty and other problems have eroded   family ties so that the street children have been forced to fend for themselves."  Such children often eke out a miserable existence by scavenging, begging, or doing menial work at local markets.

Next time:  CITIES Why in Crisis?/Other Grim Realities

From the Awake! magazine

CITIES Why in Crisis?

"Come on!  Let us build ourselves a city and also a tower with its top in the heavens, . . . for fear we may be scattered over all the surface of the earth." -Genesis 11:4. 

THESE words, spoken over 4,000 years ago, heralded the building of the great city of Babel. 

Babel, later called Babylon, was located on the once fertile plains of Shinar in Mesopotamia.  Contrary to popular opinion, though, it as the not the first city of Bible record.  Cities actually got their start before the Flood of Noah's day.  The murderer Cain founded the first one on record.  (Genesis 4:17)  This city, called Enoch, was probably little more than a fortified settlement or village.  Babel, on the other hand, was a great city-a prominent center of false worship that featured a spectacular religious tower. However, Babel and its infamous tower stood in utter defiance of God.   (Genesis 9:7) So according to the Bible, God intervened and confused the language of the builders, putting an end to their ambitious, religious scheme.  God "scattered them from there all over the surface of the earth," says Genesis 11:5-9. 

Not surprisingly, this led to the spread of cities. After all, cities afforded protection from enemy attack. Cities provided locations where farmers could store and distribute their produce.  The advent of the marketplace also allowed many  city dwellers to pursue livelihoods other than farming.  Says the Rise of Cities:  "Once freed from the constraints of a hand-to-mouth existence, city dwellers could turn their hands to a plethora of specialized trades:  basketry, carpentry, and stone working-whatever the market could hold."

Cities served as an efficient distribution center for such goods.  Consider the bible account of a severe famine in Egypt.  The prime minister, Joseph, found it expedient to settle the people in cities.  Why?  Evidently  because  this made for a more efficient distribution of the remaining food supplies. -Genesis 47:21. 

Cities also enhanced communication and interaction between people at a time when transport was slow and limited.  This, in turn, accelerated the rate of social and cultural change. Cities became centers of innovation and promoted technological development. As new ideas  flowed freely, innovation in scientific, religious, and philosophical  thought emerged. 

Next time: CITIES Why in Crisis?/Unfulfilled Dreams

From the Awake! magazine 

Cities Why in Crisis? -"EXPLODING CITIES"

"Humanity is on the move as never before, and most of those who leave home seeking a better life head for a city." 

SO SAID the publication Foreign Affairs in the introduction to an article entitled "The Exploding Cities of the Developing World."  According the that article, many people have been "lured by the bright lights, or driven from the countryside by political and economic turmoil, population pressures, and ecological breakdown." 

Just how fast are cities growing?  Some estimate that people are flocking to cities at the staggering rate of more than a million a week! In developing lands more than 200 cities now have populations that pass the million mark.  Some 20 have reached the ten million mark! And no slowdown is in sight. Take, for example, the city of Lagos, Nigeria. According to a report  by Worldwatch Institute, "by 2015, Lagos may be home to nearly 25 million people, rising in rank from the world's thirteenth largest city to the third largest." 

Many experts feel that this does not bode well for the future. Frederico Mayor, former director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, warns that by the year 2035, "three thousand million more people will be living in the urban settlements that exist today."  To care for this staggering population,  "we shall have to build a thousand cities  of three million inhabitants in the next forty years, twenty-five a year."

Experts also say that  rapidly expanding city  populations are having a devastating effect on cities around the world.  And that includes cities in the prosperous industrialized world. Just what problems are cities facing, and what impact may this have on you? Are any solutions in sight? The following articles  explore these critical issues. 

Next time:CITIES Why in Crisis?

From the Awake! magazine 

THE BIBLE - A STORY FOR SURVIVAL

WHY THE BIBLE HAS SURVIVED 

The Bible has survived. As a result, you can obtain and read a copy of it today.  And when you choose a good translation of the Scriptures, you can be certain that you are reading a dependable copy of the original writings.  But why has the Bible endured despite natural decay, fierce opposition, and deliberate tampering with its message, often with its astounding accounts of survival?  What is so special about that book? 

Many students of the Bible have come to the same conclusion as the apostle Paul, who wrote:  "All Scripture is inspired of God."  (2 Timothy 3:16) They believe  that the Bible has survived  because it is the unique Word of God and because  God has preserved it until today.  Faizal, quoted in the opening  article  of this series, eventually decided to investigate those claims for himself by studying the Bible.  What he discovered surprised him. He soon learned that many of the teachings that are prevalent in Christendom are not found in the Bible.  Furthermore, he was touched by God's purpose for the earth as revealed in His Word.

"I am now convinced that the Bible that I have is a gift from God," he says.  "After all, if God  can make the universe, wouldn't he have the power to give us a book and preserve it for us?  To say otherwise would be to limit God's power.   To limit the power of the Almighty-who am I to do that?" -Isaiah 40:8. 

This series of articles has discussed the preservation of the Bible.  But how can you be sure that the Bible is really  "the word of God"  and not just a collection of myths and legends?  ( 1 Thessalonians 2:13)  Watch the short video How Can We Be Sure the Bible is True? at www.jw.org. (Click the Search button, and enter the title) 

Next time: Cities Why in Crisis? - "EXPLODING CITIES" 

From The Watchtower magazine 

THE BIBLE - A STORY FOR SURVIVAL

THE BIBLE SURVIVED ATTEMPTS TO ALTER ITS MESSAGE

HOW THE BIBLE SURVIVED: First, although some Bible copyists were careless or even deceitful, many others were highly skilled and meticulous. Between the sixth and tenth centuries C.E., the Masoretes copied the Hebrew Scriptures and produced what is known as the Masoretic text.  They reportedly  counted the words and the letters to verify that no mistakes crept in. Where they suspected errors in the master text they were using, they noted these in margin.  The Masoretes refused to tamper with the Bible text.  "Interfering with it purposely," wrote Professor Moshe Goshen-Gottstein, "would have been for them the worst crime possible."

Second the sheer volume of manuscripts today actually helps Bible scholars to spot errors.  For example, religious leaders taught for centuries that their Latin versions contained the authentic Bible text.  Yet, at 1 John 5:7, they had inserted spurious words referred to earlier in this articles.  The error even crept into the influential English King James Version!  But when other  manuscripts  were discovered what did they reveal?  Bruce Metzger wrote:  "The passage [at 1 John 5:7] is absent from the manuscripts of all ancient versions (Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Arabic, Slavonic), except the Latin." As a result, revised editions of the King James Version and Other Bibles have removed the erroneous phrase.   

Do older manuscripts prove that the Bible's message has been preserved?  When the Dead Sea Scrolls  were found in 1947, scholars could at last compare the Hebrew Masoretic text to what appeared in the Bible scrolls that had been written more than a thousand years earlier.   A member of the editorial team of the Dead Sea Scrolls concluded that  one scroll "provides irrefutable proof that the transmission of the Biblical text through a period of more than one thousand years by the hands of the Jewish copyists has been extremely faithful and careful."

The Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland, features a collection of papyri that represents nearly every book of the Christian Greek Scriptures, including  manuscripts dating from the second century C.E.-only about 100 years  after the Bible was completed.   "Although the Papryi supply a wealth of new information on textual detail,"  The Anchor Bible Dictionary observes "they also demonstrate remarkable stability in the transmission history of the Biblical Text." 

THE RESULT: Rather than corrupting the Bible text, the age and multitude of Bible manuscripts have actually improve it.  "No other ancient book has anything like such early and plentiful testimony to its text," wrote Sir Frederic Kenyon about the Christian Greek Scriptures, "and no unbiased scholar would deny that the text has come down to us is substantially sound." And regarding the Hebrew Scriptures, scholar Henry Green stated: "It may be safely said that no other work of antiquity has been so accurately transmitted." 

Next time: THE BIBLE - A STORY OF SURVIVAL/WHY THE BIBLE HAS SURVIVED 

From The Watchtower magazine 

THE BIBLE-A STORY OF SURVIVAL

THE BIBLE SURVIVED ATTEMPTS TO ALTER ITS MESSAGE

THE THREAT:  External threats such as decay and opposition have not destroyed the Bible. Yet, some copyists and translators have attempted to alter the Bible's message.  At times, they have tried to make the Bible conform to their doctrines rather than conform their doctrines to the Bible.  Consider some examples:  

* Place of worship:  Between the fourth and second centuries B.C.e, the writers of the Samaritan Pentateuch inserted after Exodus 20:17 the words "in Aargaareezem. And there you shall build an altar."  The Samaritans thus hoped to make the Scriptures support their construction of a temple on "Aargaareezem," or Mount Gerizim.

* Trinity doctrine:  Less than 300 years after the Bible was completed, a Trinitarian writer added to  1 John 5:7 the words "in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." That statement did not appear in the original text.  "From the sixth century onwards," notes Bible scholar Bruce Metzger, those words were "found more and more frequently in manuscripts of the Old Latin and of the [Latin]Vulgate."

* Divine name:  Citing a Jewish superstition as their authority, many Bible translators decided to remove the divine nae from the Scriptures.  They replace that name with titles such as "God" or "Lord," expressions applied in the Bible not only to the Creator but also to men, objects of false worship, and even   the Devil. -John 10:34, 35; 1 Corinthians 8:5, 6; 2 Corinthians 4:4.

Next time: THE BIBLE - A STORY FOR SURVIVAL/Conclusion of THE BIBLE SURVIVED ATTEMPTS TO ALTER ITS MESSAGE 

From The Watchtower magazine