The King James Version of the Holy Bible and "Science and Health With Key To The Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy Comprise The Pastor for her Church

[RV Roseville]

A copy of  the KJV, along with a copy of Science and Health,  

was placed in the cornerstone of The Mother Church extension

in 1904. That ceremonial action designated the KJV and 

Science and Health with Key To The Scriptures by Mary

Baker Eddy as  Pastor of her Church and its branches.

Mrs. Eddy certainly studied other Bible versions.  However, they

were not placed in the cornerstone. And I doubt that she would

agree to her followers digging up the cornerstone for her church 

and placing other versions, let alone versions she had never

seen placed there.  

In an article by Ralph Byron Copper C.S., "Mary

Baker Eddy's Supreme Regard For The King James

Version Of The Bible",  he refers to an archival accession

number from The Mary Baker Eddy Library to view a 

complete document that addresses the issue of Mrs. Eddy's 

choice of the King James Version.  The number is 

617-450-7218.  Copper reminds us in his article that

two chapters in our textbook are "inextricably linked,

verse-by verse with the specific translated words of

the King James Version".  He reminds us also that there are

over five hundred passages from the King James Bible

quoted in "Science and Health".  Copper writes, "Virtually

every page of "Science and Health" is filled with indirect

references, allusions, and metaphors drawn straight from

the KJV".  In his article he tells us further that, "The

interrelation of these two books, in wording and meaning

forms a bond that cannot be safely or successfully

severed".  And I would agree and ask how could they?

Together those two *specific* books form the Pastor for

Mary Baker Eddy's Church.  

     I will cite one whole paragraph that is crucial to this issue.

It indicates that if we want to be members of Mary Baker 

Eddy's Church and not some other, we need to take heed.

Mr. Copper writes:

"Less than three years after Mrs. Eddy's passing, her student

Annie Knott  (who had been chosen by Mrs. Eddy to serve 

concurrently as an Editor and as a member of the Bible Lesson

Committee, and who would later become the first female 

Director of The Mother Church) wrote in the "Christian Science

Sentinel": "Many years ago Mrs. Eddy decided that the Authorized

Version of the Bible, known as the King James Version, should

be used at all our services, because it expressed the truth with

sufficient clearness, to enable every earnest student to demonstrate

its power." (Sentinel, April 12, 1913, Vol. 15, p. 631)."

Finally Mr. Copper tells us that "Over decades different Boards

of Directors (including Directors who were taught by, or who 

worked with, Mrs. Eddy  - such as Adam Dickey, James Neal,

[said by Mrs. Eddy to be the finest healer], William Rathvon,

Annie Knott, George Wendell Adams, William McKenzie)

repeatedly issued statements upholding our Leader's expressed

choice."  He closes his article advising that he is giving statements,

some of which I have now shared here, of "historical truth", and

he tells us that "These statements of historical truth affirm for

all time that the dual pastor of Mary Baker Eddy's Church is

invested to speak with one inspired voice - concordant in both

its wording and meaning".

Ralph Byron Copper, C.S., is in the public practice of Christian 

Science.  He has given many talks on Christian Science 

including at Arden Wood, in San Francisco, CA. and at Longyear 

in Chestnut Hill, Ma.   

A document from The Mary Baker Eddy Library shows Mary Baker Eddy's

strong wording that she wishes no other Bible version be used in

conjunction with her textbook, although we do know that she appreciated

some other versions for her own study.  Yet it was the King James Version

that she reached out to and healed her when she had her wonderful 

healing in 1866.  Here is a copy of the document.

RE: Wiggins ltr, Copper , etc.

Accession: L02166

Date Created: 1885/XX/XX

Author: MARY BAKER EDDY

Recipient: JAMES HENRY WIGGIN 

 ______________________________

 

Dear Mr. Wiggin,

 

I am astonished that when so much depends on my getting out this book at an 

earlier period than this, --- and have sent word to you by Mr. Frye1 twice that

I would have no new version, or any one, but the accepted St James version,

2 that you have in inserted another than the one I had placed in my copy. 

Now this must come out, and it involves a loss to me in consuming time that you 

seem ignorant of, notwithstanding all I have entreated on this score.  The expense

I shall not assume and the delay I can scarcely endure.

Yours truly

MBG Eddy

 

 

N.B.

My notes on Genesis were upon from the above scriptural version.  It 

changes the uniformity to go off on another one.

* * * *end paste of copy * * * 

In Christian Science only God is referred to with 

capital letters otherwise if Jesus is so referenced it confuses

the issue as to whether Jesus is God - a view which orthodox

Christianity endorses in contrast to the Christian Science

view that Jesus is God's son and the "highest human corporeal

concept of the divine idea" S&H, p.59:16.  The use of capital

letters for pronouns of course is perfectly fine regardless

of who is being referenced when they are used as the

first word in a sentence, since all sentences begin with capital

letters.

Recently citations in C. S. church services from the Responsive

Reading included a citation from the NKJV which used capital

pronouns that referred to Christ Jesus.  The following

is a comparison of the citation in question including its lead in 

citation followed by what Dummelow's One Volume Bible Commentary

explanation - first the KJV and then the New King James Version that was

used in the May 19-25 Bible Lesson.

KJV  Phil 3:20, 21,

20  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also

we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ;

21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned

like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby

he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

---------------- now the NKJV

20  For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also

eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

21  who will transform our lowly body that it may be 

conformed to *His* glorious body, according to the 

working by which *He* is able even to subdue all things

to *Himself*.

( I did put stars around those pronouns in question)

Dummelow's Bible Commentary gives the following:

From the on line edition 

		Philippians 3 - Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible One of 70+ Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, once the most popular commentary, is favored by Christians of many denominations
		View on www.studylight.org	Preview by Yahoo

 

 " 20, 21. Against the earthly is set the heavenly mind and walk, described by a word

appealing to the Philippian civic consciousness (see Intro., and cp. Philippians 1:27):

our citizenship (AV 'conversation')is in heaven! (cp. Revelation 21:2). As the distant

Philippian 'colonus' belonged to Rome, so the Christian sojourning on earth is a citizen

of heaven; his home lies 'where Christ is' (Colossians 3:1-3; Ephesians 2:19; 2 Corinthians 5:1-9; 

Hebrews 11:13-16; Matthew 6:21; John 14:2-3). From this region, ours already by affinity, 

we await a Saviour (see 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 15:23)..

who will refashion the body of our humiliation ('vile body,' AV, is a mistranslation), that it may

be conformable to the body of his glory. The Gk. adjective rendered 'conformable' appeared in

Romans 8:29;—'conformed to the image of God's Son': conformity of bodily state completes conformity 

of character. Upon this metamorphosis, see 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17.

The Apostle keenly felt the 'humiliation' of man's mortal state: see 2 Corinthians 4:7 to 2 Corinthians 5:5.

 The idea of 'the body of glory' was given him by the form of heavenly splendour in which he had seen 

the Lord Jesus on the Damascus road: cp. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, also Revelation 1:13-17.

This transformation of the saints will be the supreme act of that mighty working in which Jesus

displays His power, as Lord of God's kingdom, to subjugate all things unto Himself: cp. Philippians 2:10-11 

and Matthew 28:18. The human body is, from first to last, the object of His miracles

Read 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 this connexion."  

Thus, according to Dummelow's Commentary those pronouns with

capital letters in the verse in question, 21, refer to Jesus, as Paul 

is recalling how he beheld Jesus on the road to Damascus.  The

use of capitalized pronouns in this case is not appropriate to a

Christian Science church service and obscures and confuses what

Christian Science teaches concerning the identity of Jesus' as

God's son and not as God, Himself.  This is another instance showing

that only the King James Version belong in Christian Science church

services and a plea to not rend the Pastor.

Paula

  

 

 

[RV Roseville]

Click on "trimmed content' to view the entire post.  

[Jeffrey Needle]

My goodness, did Mrs. Eddy REALLY call it the "St. James Bible" or is
this a typo?

[RV Roseville]

  I'm guessing she was a little emotional about what he was doing inserting various translations

 and that was what she called it in her letter to Wiggin.  Of course she meant the King James Version.  

[Jeffrey Needle]

Thanks. I assumed as much.

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[RV Roseville]

A little further light on this.  I was told by someone who stated with great conviction that in Mrs. Eddy;s

day, The King James Version was simply referred to as "The Bible", or "The Authorized Version".

Indeed I recently was looking at a very old copy of The New Testament.  Its passages sounded

like the KJV, however, when I looked in the front to confirm, it only said, "Authorized Version."

I feel fairly certain based on this further evidence that if one dug out The Bible placed in

both cornerstones of the original Mother Church and then the Extension, that it would then be

established without question that The Pastor for the Christian Science churches is The KJV and

"Science and Health With Key To The Scriptures", by Mary Baker Eddy.   Certainly the textbook

references Scripture specifically from the KJV and all Bible citations leading textbook chapters 

come from the KJV.  We have word that Mrs. Eddy referred to the KJV as "our common version"

and 'the authorized version", and her thoughts regarding other translations.   The latest word from

Boston I understand that when confronted with the error of a recent Bible Lesson presenting Jesus 

in an incorrect light is that the Lesson Committee will be more alert, and I believe they are reconsidering

in the future the use of translations that up front state that their view of Jesus is not compatible with

Christian Science teaching.

Paula    

> the-science-of-celestial-be...@googlegroups.com.