THE PREFACE

Jude Mon 06 May 2013, 01:54

In the name of God most Gracious, ever Merciful!

The Beloved and I

Volume 3: Ruth to Chronicles

Thomas McElwain

New Jubilees Version of Sacred Scripture in Verse With Verse Commentaries

Revised Edition

Adams & McElwain Publishers

Copyright © 2007 Adams & McElwain Publishers and Thomas McElwain

First published in two volumes, The Beloved and I 2005, and Led of the Beloved, 2006.

Second edition, 2010

Third and revised edition, 2012

All rights reserved.

No part of this verse commentary on the sacred Scriptures may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system,
in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by

Adams & McElwain Publishers
Puijonrinne 7
70200 Kuopio, Finland

ThomasGMcElwain@gmail.com
www.lulu.com

Cover photo by Anna Maria McElwain

Contents

Preface
Ruth
First Samuel
Second Samuel
First Kings
Second Kings
First Chronicles
Second Chronicles

PREFACE

The New Jubilees Version is introduced more generally in the Preface to the first volume. The textual sources are given there in some detail. Aside from the printed volumes mentioned there, the Online Bible was used in preparing translation notes. As work was done from the beginning on the entire corpus, that list of sources is still valid. Nevertheless, since then the compare function on E-Sword by Rick Myers has been utilized during the process of translation. The later work also differs from the earlier in having practically no reference to the Ethiopic canon. The books of Maccabees here follow the LXX tradition.

The first volume is labelled Tawrat or Torah, and consists of the five books of Moses, Enoch, Jubilees, Joshua and Judges. These are the canonical books that have reference to Moses, either directly or by implication, but represent a tradition that does not acknowledge David, being set in an earlier time. The Torah presents the fundaments of faith and a detailed exposition of divine law. Divine law is defined and implemented in the patriarchal system, the prophetic system, and the system of judges. At the same time the enigmatic figure of Ali is presented in three Mosaic passages and reflected in the first book of Samuel.

With the book of Ruth the reader is introduced to the figure of David. Thus the from this point on recognize the kingship of David and are presented in terms of divinely appointed kingship. These two factors distinguish the later Scriptures from those presented to this point. Thirdly, instead of focusing on the defining of divine law, there is a focus on divinely appointed royal authority in the line of David on one hand, and in grappling with issues of authority where the line of David does not apply on the other.

As the Tawrat introduces the figure of Ali, the Zabur introduces the figure of Hamda or Muhammad. The reference in Psalm 106:24 is most clearly to be seen as a proper name, and that being the case, it is possible to interpret a number of other more ambiguous texts to refer to a proper name as well. It is thus possible to see the Tawrat as prophetic of the figure of Ali and the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures as prophetic of the figure of Muhammad. While not every individual has the faith to believe in prophecy as such, the cognate words of Ali and Muhammad in Hebrew are left untranslated where the literal meaning of the words is not clearly intended. The cognate character of the terms is a fact, no matter what one believes about their implications.

While the Torah and associated writings are largely legal in nature, the Davidic writings, if they may be broadly so called, converge on the issue of how to apply divine law in practice, under circumstances of worldly government. There are several levels of earthly government that form the parameters of these writings. The highest is the Davidic regime. This is followed by the good kings of Judah. The Northern Kingdom presents the case of a departure from Davidic rule, but one that is potentially acceptable. Bad kings are found in both regimes. The books deal with lower levels of authority: the situation of living as captives in a foreign land, under the Babylonians and Medo-Persians, and of living as vassals of the Hellenistic and later Roman rulers in and about Jerusalem. Taken altogether, the writings describe the entire gamut of circumstances under which the individual must weigh the issues and determine how to obey God and how to relate to the government. So the writings present situations, choices, values and strategies of abiding significance. The sonnet commentaries of the author illuminate the varied views of the world as faced by one making the Decalogue the rule of life and the reflector of contemplation of Reality.

Most of the attention this work has attracted in the first volume (The books of Moses) has been positive. Most readers understand it to be a work of literary art, and not specifically a work of scholarship or apologetics for any particular religious tradition. It certainly takes stands on theological issues, but it often balances that by commenting from a diversity of human concerns. One person cannot encapsulate the entirety of human spirituality, but I attempt to go beyond my own experience to express with empathy the concerns of others as well. While this work is extremely personal, it is the hope of the author that others will benefit by it.

The bold and boisterous books of Moses now
Are set and done, creation’s story, how
The serpent Watcher deceived holy pair,
And how their sons taught fratricide beware;
The story of the ark and Flood warns all
To follow the divine appointed’s call;
The family of Abraham well told
In narrative of faith and action bold
Come down to Moses who rose on the mount
To hear the words that sprang up from the fount
Of Your wisdom, Beloved. The golden walls
Of inner temple follows on the stalls
Of sacrifices spent at hand of judges,
And priests and Levites where the minstrel budges.

And now the minstrel budges. Books of Moses
And Joshua who followed his as chose is,
And all the judges who kept to the path
That Moses showed the people beyond wrath,
End with the word of blessedness, the peak
Of eloquence from which I turn to seek
The words of David, David, sire and sweet,
Who surpasses the lordly Moses’ feet.
The books of revelation that appear
To shed light on my David and the dear
Words that he spoke in faith and song to You
Are now the object of my loving view.
Beloved, I sing in David’s tunes and rise
Up from the ashes to take hold the prize.

Beloved, as Moses in the wilderness
Built temple of gold and of blood to dress,
And brought the curtains of white linen round
To veil the sight of glory on the ground,
So David too would build a temple sound
And filled with sacrifice and glory found.
Indeed You will have him to build with voice
Of Psalm instead of blood of goats and choice
Lambs from the flock. The spires of song upraise
To make grander cathedrals for Your praise.
The twitterings of Psalm upon the field
Where lie the sheep well pastured beneath shield
Of arching temple of the sky above
Raise on the harp, Beloved, a song of love.

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