Hey, It’s Only a Story
A Layman’s Search for Understanding of Early Christianity
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This is a non-religious history book. I neither make nor deny any claim of miracle occurrences such as virgin birth or resurrection. This is strictly a who, what, where and when account of the early days and years of Christianity. Miracles are not necessary to make the story absolutely fascinating to a 20th century reader. Almost everything we know about the history of those early biblical figures and the events that were recorded of the times come from the early Jewish bible which was written over a fifty year period from about 500 BCE to 450 BCE while the Jews were in captivity in Babylonia. Thus, right from the start, we must recognize that the stories told in the bible were OLD by the time they were recorded. Who knows how many changes were made over time by how many authors to put their slant on events. Add to this the inaccuracies of ongoing translations to other languages, plus political changes made by kings, rabbis and popes and what we have is a series of stories which may or may not be accurate, if in fact and story "written" 4,000 years ago could possible be accurate. Thus, when we read of people hundreds of years old, or the sea being parted, or Jonah being swallower by a whale...hey, it's a story! Millions of people over thousands of years have read these same stories and found meaning for their lives. .
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About the Book
Almost everything we read about the history of early Christianity comes from the Jewish Bible, composed during their captivity in Babylonia from about 500 to 450 BCE. Thus, right from the start, the information is old, and, after centuries of changes by rabbis, popes, and kings—not to mention translation errors—there is no way we can tell whether what we read is accurate, if anything written that many years ago can be said to be accurate. Thus the reason for the title of this book: Hey, It’s Only a Story!
The book contains short summary biographies of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, and Paul—the major figures in the history of Christianity—and includes some of the mystifying incidents in their lives. It is not a religious text but rather a who, what, when, and where story of their influences on history. If you had doubts about some of these stories, you should find some answers here.
Also included are two sections about what life was like in those early days—how people communicated, how they kept time, and how they conducted their commerce. A short list of definitions of words and objects is part of this section.
F
inally, the last chapter is a timeline, placing in context events that took place from the time of the Garden of Eden to the landing on the moon.
The book is short on purpose...the author has heard enough long sermons!
About the Author
Hamilton Bowman graduated from Yale University as an engineer, but his qualification to write a book on Christian history comes from his lifetime as an active Episcopalian. After his retirement, he dedicated a considerable amount of time trying to understand the inconsistencies and contradictions of Christian history that he had been exposed to during his life in the church. He and his wife, Ann, live in Duxbury, a small village on Massachusetts Bay, south of Boston.