a most unusual visitor registered for a Christadelphian “Learn to Read the Bible Effectively” seminar and has been attending ever since. He is the teacher or “rabbi” of a surviving group of the sect mentioned in John 3:25, Mark 2:18 and Acts 19:1-3 — “John’s Disciples.”
Before the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, when the Jewish Christians (“Nazarenes”) fled to Pella in the Decapolis, John’s Disciples went even further, into Parthian lands, now Iraq. They took with them precious scrolls very similar to the Dead Sea scrolls found at Qumran and of similar age.
As a sect, they survived in northern Iraq for over nineteen centuries, until Saddam Hussein sought to destroy them. Many were massacred. Taking their old scrolls with them, they escaped on foot to Amman in Jordan. They became homeless refugees in a world that had long forgotten that they existed, little imagining that “John’s Disciples” could ever have survived to modern times.
Now known as Mandaeans, they still speak Syriac or Aramaic, the ancient mother-tongue of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. One of them saw an advertisement for a Bible Seminar organized by the Christadelphians, and decided to attend.
We found him an absolutely fascinating individual, with a unique perspective on ancient times and with many interesting folk memories of biblical personalities handed down from ages past by sages and holy men. He claims that Israeli spies are hunting him to steal the ancient scroll which is his most treasured possession.
We checked his story with Edwin Yamauchi, the leading authority on the Mandaeans, and he confirmed it in every particular The Editors.] doesn’t appear to be as robust elsewhere as it is in Canada. But it will spread and it is like a rolling stone that, if left unchecked, will cause serious trouble in the brotherhood.
What to do?
It seems to me that it is the responsibility of each brother and sister to make it known that they will not be spoon-fed by anyone! We are each individually accountable to God and we jealously guard the gift that He has given us to “search as for hidden treasure” the secret things of our God.
Prophecy in many ways is a mystery to many brothers and sisters because of the heavy use of symbolism in books like Daniel and Revelation. The brethren who promote the “traditional” views of our pioneers give many of us comfort that it has all been worked out (we don’t need to worry ourselves about such a complex matter) and if we can’t trust Dr. Thomas and Robert Roberts, who can we trust! Consequently, when brethren today find that the Scriptures speak to them in a different way, they are condemned as injecting confusion into the brotherhood and causing our “simpler” members to be unsettled and lose faith. I find this to be a specious argument, because, of all denominations in Christendom, Christadelphians are among the most knowledgeable Bible students in the world! Sure, there are those among us who are not as cerebral as others, but the Truth is simple and interpretations that require huge amounts of non-Bible based historical information should be challenged if for no other reason than they cannot be understood using the Bible alone. Massive amounts of historical detail fill the works of continuous-historical books and very few of us are equipped to properly assess their veracity.
Attempts recently by those highly regarded in the Brotherhood (Harry Whittaker, Alfred Norris, Peter Watkins, Duncan Heaster, to mention just a few) have attempted to search for a more Bible-based understanding of Revelation and some outstanding thinking has emerged. Tragically, these attempts to assist our understanding have been met with uncharitable resistance and the very reputation of these brethren has been slandered in the process.
Brothers and Sisters — what are we afraid of? Do we actually believe that exploring the Bible to better understand the most significant prophecy it contains is heresy? Some of these brethren (myself included) have actually been accused of being Catholic Jesuits infiltrating the brotherhood to spread false doctrine — simply because we see a lot of Revelation as having particular relevance to the last days in which we live!!! Can you imagine that kind of slander actually being voiced in the Ecclesia of God?
A stop must be put to this and spirituality must be restored where fanaticism has emerged.
We cannot allow our precious brotherhood to become a cult — like the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses. We cannot allow our wonderful heritage of literature to become our version of the Book of Mormon or the Watchtower Magazine. The only book that deserves that kind of sacred place in our community is the Bible!
This is an appeal brothers and sisters, to call us together in Christ, to promote Bible study and let God speak to us through His Word!
Don’t be afraid of Bible classes that delve deeply to comprehend the mighty hand of God! These are the last days and we need each other! We need to exhort one another all the more as we see the Day approaching!!!
May God be with us in these trying times and continue to prepare us for the return of Jesus, His Beloved Son and our Saviour.
In the precious name of our Messiah, your Brother in the one hope, Al Hussey, Welland, Ontario
Please see this month’s editorial for our comments.
Rosh or Chief Prince?
Dear Bro. Don,
I had the opportunity to read Tidings of May, 2000, and your I feel the structure of the Hebrew means Magog is a people, not the name of a country. The Hebrew reads “of the land of the Magog” similar to the idea, “of the land of the Englishmen.”
Also, the Hebrew for rosh indicates it is not part of a series of countries but modifies the word for “prince” and thus the passage means “chief prince.”
With love in Christ.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One