Dr Simon Reads...

Dr. Simon Reads Appendix N: John Bellairs This is a new series that will feature sporadically, in which I explore classic fantasy and science fiction works. You will either know what I mean by “Appendix N”, or you will have no clue. In the original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide, Gary Gygax provided a large number of appendices, from random smells to reputed magical properties of herbs and gemstones. Appendix N was a bibliography of works that inspired him. Back in 1982 when I first got hold of this book, there were only a couple of items on there that I’d read, and only a few other authors that I’d even heard of. Many years later, after ,much reading, I returned to Appendix N expecting to have added greatly to the works on there that I’d read; but actually, there were still very few. Many of the authors were obscure or out of print authors of, for want of a better expression, golden age pulp; the kind that feature in Amazing Stories and the like

Concluding Thoughts Welcome to the penultimate instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now: The End Over the past year I’ve posted chapter by chapter summaries and discussions of the King James Version of the Bible on pretty much a daily basis. As mentioned in the introductory post, I chose the KJV in part because I knew that a lot of common idioms came from there, and also because, having read the New English Version of the NT, I find the language in the modern versions rather flat and uninteresting. That meant that at times I encountered sections that were all but impenetrable, but then that’s a risk I knew going in. Besides, the website I was using had verse-by-ver

Revelation 21-22 And They All Lived Happily Ever After, in Trump Tower. Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now:   Revelation 21 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The “ bride ” of the Lamb, mentioned last time, turns out to be a “ New Jerusalem ”, which could be interpreted as some kind of allegory; however John is very detailed in describing it as an actual city. Three gates on each side (which offers the question, why does the city need walls if only good people are allowed to live there and “ the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, a

Revelation 16-20 God is Good for Meting out Wanton Destruction. Because the Angels Said So. Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now: Revelation 16 “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” Last time we had dragons and beasts walking around making people worship them rather than God, despite God sending various plagues, or “woes” upon them. We ended with seven angels being sent out with seven flasks o’ plague to release, and in this chapter they do just that. The “plagues” are, in order, “ a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which

Revelation 11-15 Fear and Loathing on the Apocalypse Trail. Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now: Revelation 11 “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” Last time, God unleashed a plague of metal locusts with gorgeous hair, and twenty million manticore-riders who had been hiding in the Euphrates River. Now things get weird. We were somewhere around Jerusalem on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. John is given a measuring stick and told to measure the temple, b

Revelation 6-10 Eating Books, Falling Stars, Trumpeting Angels, Locusts With Bounce and Shine, and Killing People Better. Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now: Revelation 6 “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.” Last time, in Revelation, the Lamb (aka thinly disguised metaphor for Christ) was about to open the seven seals (seven again) on a book by the throne of God, being the only entity that can do this. The first four release the four horsemen of the apocalypse, where we get another one of those instances that what you think you kn

Revelation 1-5 Jesus gives John a vision. Which just happens to align with John’s political message to the churches. Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now: Revelation 1 “ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” It’s been a long old slog, but here I am at the final book at last. I suspect that like Genesis this is one of those books that people think they know the most about but may well turn out to not be like the many artistic interpretations over the years. I’ve not been particularly looking forward to it, with all the prophecies of many-headed bea

Jude 1 Jude Gets His Wrath On. Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now: Jude 1 “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:” Here we are, another short book, written by Jude, brother of James. Perhaps we can assume an actual blood relationship rather than being a “brother” in the metaphorical sense, because why highlight James otherwise? Jude writes to some unknown recipients on a theme similar to John, namely the presence of “ ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God ”. Jude really wa

3 John 1 Gaius gets a performance appraisal. Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now: 3 John 1 “The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.” This short letter is from John to someone called Gaius, who is apparently a fairly new convert because John tells of how he was overjoyed that Gaius “ walkest in the truth ”. Gaius does faithfully what he does to brethren and strangers, whatever it is that he does, which John is vague about. He is, however, charitable and it would seem sets a good example to possible converts, at least that’s how I read “ whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do w

2 John 1 The Antichrist – more like a “Nigerian Prince” than Damien from The Omen. Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP And now: 2 John 1 “The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth” There are now a short series of single-chapter books, which will be a nice breeze through the remaining new testament until Revelations. This letter is written to an “ elect lady ” and in it John covers much the same ground as he did in 1 John – that only those who Christian properly are proper Christians. The ways of a proper Christian, according to John here, are that “ th