h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

She was an impish little girl, with a sparkle in her eyes. She was wearing a blue and yellow daisy-print dress and standing up in the booth seat beside her mother. The meal was only a secondary consideration; the hanging banner that acted as a partition between the booths was the focus of her attention. You could gauge what thoughts must be coursing through her mind, because her expression changed and capered across her face. It was almost as if a light bulb came on. In actuality, it was just her straight red hair tied up in a fountain spray atop the crown of her head.

One tiny-fingered hand reached out to tentatively touch the banner. It was everything she expected, and more. Her hazel eyes opened ever wider and a grin of delight spread across her features as she realized her action made the banner move. First cautiously, then more and more deliberately, she pushed and tugged at the suspended divider. With one hand gripping the back of the bench seat, she used her other hand to bat the banner frenetically, her compactly framed body bobbing up and down at the knees.

Just as parental instinct awoke to rein in their daughter, one corner of the banner slipped from its hook on the overhead beam. The material swung outward and down, seeming to wrap itself around the little girl’s head and shoulders in a silky embrace. For a breathless moment, a large cloth sheet wriggled and shuddered in the booth with muffled surprise. Then a portion of the material slid away from an astonished face and hitched across her shoulder like a fancy toga. Wisely, and with great aplomb, she looked into the face of her father, who was practically aghast, and said, “Daddy…fix it?”

From consternation, through realization, past resignation, and on to a look of tender love and care, her father’s face flooded with emotion. He reached out, took the corner of the banner, and placed it back on its hook. You could tell he’d done this sort of thing a number of times before, and already knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d be called upon for many years yet to come.


B4theanecdotefadesfrommemory

The joys of having children

Your story is a marvel!
Do you think you would still remember it if you hadn't recorded it?
Lena the o

What a beautiful memory.

thank you for sharing it.

AlsoRan1

What a beautiful memory.

thank you for sharing it.

AlsoRan1

Lena and AR1,
You are quite welcome. It pleases me to see that you've enjoyed this little vignette, and perhaps you will take the memory with you as you go. Do I think I would have remembered it without having transcribed it? Yes, and no. Yes, I would have had the gist of it, but no, the details would have been blurred. I suppose that's why many people understand the value of keeping a journal; to put events down on paper so they always remain 'fresh', even when dusted off and viewed generations later. I believe it's also what drives journalists to do what they do. Without that kind of dedication to capture a moment in time in a 'verbal snapshot', the moment is lost to the void.

In large part, I also believe it's why this on-line community has blossomed and stayed strong. It gives us a chance to interact with some immediacy, and it offers us the chance to go back and review what we've shared. I can't tell you the number of times I've gone back over particular threads because they held some special charm for me.

If this little piece delighted you, perhaps you'd be blessed to check into the small smattering of haiku I've posted to the...um..., of all places. When BBC hosted the GetWriting community, I generated several other longer poems, as well as an 'alternate ending' to DNA's HHGTTG stories. Have a laugh; have a cry. Some of it might just move you to pick up your pen and add another memory for the posterity of your own circle of family and friends. That's always a good thing.

B4igetback2thenoveliamsupposed2bewriting

Excuse me for being a forgetful host, please. When I mentioned the haiku, other poetry, and the short story, I didn’t bother to include links to them. Here they are:

Haiku for the Season and sundry Poems - A2436310

“Still Mostly Harmless” (HHGTTG Alternate Ending) - A2745399

There’s also an Edited Guide Entry for a game called Zonk! that you’d probably enjoy. - A1006516

Better? I hope so. Now you can move directly to “GO” and collect $200.

B4ifindmorelinks2keepyoubusyreading

Dear B4theyreadallihavewritten!
It's so thoughtful of you . I love Haiku and currently have some free time for a friend's poetry due to a nasty bug which is terrorising this city. I make my students laugh by saying how happy I am to stay away from school.
Ah, and thanks for the money - cancelling lessons means I'll run out of it
I've done some ing and am looking forward to your entry about Jesus Christ. How is it going?
Lena the o

Lots of research material at hand, but nothing written, other than an outline. I want to know where I'm headed with the info, then I'll tackle the text. Obviously it will require a lot of cross-referencing between all four gospel records, as well as pointing out the areas where they don't line up. That, however, simply shows the different viewpoint each of the writers had when trying to record what he knew of Jesus' life, his works, and what it his accomplishments meant to mankind. It'll be a fair piece of work, yet enjoyable to share what I know and what else I find. Wish me luck.

B4theReturncatchesmeoffguard

Dear B4iknowasiamknown
I wish you , and
Which translation of the gospels are you using?
Lena

Always use the King James Version. It comes closest to a straight translation of the original manuscripts. The scholars assigned to do the work even had the integrity to annotate (by using italics) the text they added (for what they considered clarity and understanding). This, at least, lets you know if the words on the page were or were not in the original text. That can actually change the meaning or understanding of a passage.

To glean the most from God's Word when doing scriptural research, adhere to these principles:

Know that ALL scripture interprets itself:
1. In the verse:
a. Right where it is written.
b. A word or words may be interpreted according to biblical usage (the 'sense' of the word by how its used).
c. The words must be in harmony with the verse as well as with *all* the scriptures relating to the subject.
d. Scripture build-up; narrative development.
2. In the context (it must make sense with the surrounding text).
3. Used before.

Biblical truths we must adhere to:
1. Get "to whom" correct--who was the text addressed to (Judeans, Gentiles, believers, those who don't); what administration (in God's timetable of the world).
2. Difficult verse must be understood in light of the 'clear' verses on the subject.
3. Interpretation and application are always with respect "to whom" it is addressed.

Seven steps to biblical research accuracy:
1. The individual word must be understood.
2. The words must fit in the verse.
3. The verse must fit with the immediate context.
4. The immediate context must flow with the remote context.
5. The words must be understood in light of “to whom” it is written.
6. The words must be understood in light of Orientalisms, customs, and mannerisms.
7. The words must be understood in light of figures of speech.

Reading for understanding, ask yourself:
1. What is the verse saying?
2. What is it *not* saying?
3. What is the opposite of what it is saying?
4. What is unusual about the way in which it is said?
5. What did it mean to the first-century believers?
6. What does it mean to believers today?

There are many books available through libraries, book stores, and commercial venues that don’t focus on any particular religious affiliation, but rather on the integrity of God’s Word, and those are the resources one should seek out to aid in the research. Books like interlinear Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic texts that show the original language in direct correlation to the translation into one’s native language. Couple those with concordances and lexicons for each of those three languages, and you can get a better understanding of the full meaning of the words used in scripture. There are books that help us understand the manners and customs of the Middle-Eastern cultures prevalent at the time of Christ, and how their traditions affected the phrases they used to communicate with each other. There are reference books about figures of speech, as well as the significance of numbers used to represent spiritual ideas throughout the scriptures. There are even works that detail the “story in the stars” about the coming Messiah and his impact upon the world.

It’s a fun methodology to glean the utmost from biblical writings, because God ensured it would be preserved in a way to make it easy for even the common man to understand. Yes, the bible is a complex, multi-faceted record of man’s relationship to God, his creator. Yet, that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult or onerous for us to learn God’s heart and will for us. He designed his Word to fit neatly into our brains, our thoughts. As we hold fast to that sure knowledge of him, our heavenly father, and think / speak / do those things he would prefer us to do, we can’t but help see the magnificent impact of his love unfold in our lives and those around us. He will surely bless us in every category of our lives.

B4itakeup2muchroomonthispage

Dear B4youanswergetsomerest
It was a great privilege to get an insight into a 's method .
Still, are you sure there are no new English translations worthy of note?
successful in linguistic terms?
There are some trustworthy modern Russian translations- bits and pieces, of course, not the whole Scriptures, but I must admit reading them is a great experience.

PS I now know what MO stands for

It's only 12:30pm here, shortly after noon, on a blustery snowy day. We're staying indoors, not even traveling the few short miles to our music lessons today. I called the instructor to let her know well in advance that I would not drag my daughter, her harp, me, and my guitar across the slick roadways. We agreed together to postpone until next weekend, when the weather should be better.

Do I think any other translations into more common English are of merit? Of course there are! Each of the newer versions, with more common language, can help to ease the reading. They present the Word of God to a wider audience. They still contain enough information for anyone who seeks God to find salvation. That's a wonderful thing! However, as I mentioned, the KJV is the only one that is most closely tied to the original texts, and has the integrity to distinguish the words or phrases added by the translators (in italics), so the reader knows those don't hold as much scriptural validity. Just as we know that the punctuation, chapter and verse divisions, were all added by the translators for what they considered ease of reading and of reference.

There are quite a number of places in the bible that, if one puts stock in punctuation, or chapter divisions, or italicized words, the meaning of the passage seems to contradict other scriptural passages. Not so! The Word of God has integrity, it fits like a hand in a glove, it comes together with an almost mathematical precsion and accuracy. If there are any contradictory parts, it is either in our understanding (of figures of speech, of translation), or there has been an error in the translation (transcribing of the original manuscripts).

With diligent effort and research, you can reconcile those errors. There have been enough works published to show which sections of scripture are 'accepted' by all translators and which translators found enough evidence to suggest and alternate rendering. These are commonly available, not apocryphal writings, nor are they necessarily slanted a particular religious view. If anything, the best works step aside from 'traditional' sectarianism and focus on the Word of God in its basic form. In other words, those researchers who try to reach up to the level of God's understanding, rather than trying to pull the Word down to the level of man with his fallacies and shortcomings.

Do I use other versions? As a comparison study, to aid in my fuller understanding. There are good "parallel" bibles that have 2, 4, 6 different versions spread across two open pages that allow the reader to compare and enhance their knowledge of God's matchless Word. Do I put as much stock in them as the KJV? No. For all the reasons above. I depend heavily on the KJV, and the external resources that have referenced to it, to keep me on track with my studies. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is based upon the KJV, so is Young's Concordance. With so much material pointing back to the KJV, it makes my research more in-depth, variegated, accurate.

There's also the side-effect of my learning more of the Greek language and how that speeds up my comprehension of the original "transliterated" texts. I'm working on getting a handle on Hebrew and Aramaic, but those are a littel tougher, trying to remember how every little jot or tittle can affect the 'sense' of their words. Given time, and by building your own desire to understand, you could gain fluency in all these things. Keep moving forward with your studies.

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

B4istartawholeteachingseminarhere

Oh, one other thing, weirdo07. My wife suggested I mention several other excellent bible resources. She wanted me to list the Amplified Bible, the Companion Bible, and the Lamsa Bible.

The Amplified Bible, as envisioned by the Lockman Foundation, and published by Zondervan in 1958, was designed to clarify the biblical texts with more 'synonymous' content and greater cross-referenced information. Meanings of words are expanded for their full import, italics are used for passages not in the original manuscripts (like the KJV), it includes introductions and outlines for each of the books, there is a reference system built into the text, and it contains a bibliography of all original sources.

The Companion Bible is a new edition of the 'authorized' KJV, published by Kregel in 1922. It has a wealth of explanatory notations that give a fuller study of the scriptures, built around the margins of the bible text. It incorporates a system of outlines that highlights the "patterns" of the way scripture was written, pointing out correlations and corrsponding ideas with recurring themes in the text. It also adds 198 appendices of research material by the incomparable E W Bullinger, who has shed light on many aspects of the scriptures. This is the consummate 'study bible' for anyone serious to learn more.

The Lamsa Bible, published by Holman in 1933, comes from the 'authorized' bible of the Church of the East, traslated from the Aramaic Peshitta texts by George M Lamsa. The term Peshitta means straight, simple, sincere, and true, i.e. the original. It is distinguished from other Aramaic translations after the 5th century AD, and the divisions of the churches, in that it holds onto the apocryphal texts. It does not contain certain passages from 2 Peter, John, Jude, and Revelation, as the compiled scriptures were set before the discovery of those books. The Lamsa text has been protected and handed down in its original form from the 1st century until now.

B4ifindsomeotherreferences2add2thelist

Good morning B4yourealiseImnotascholar
The seminar seems to be in full swing, I hope I haven't missed anything due to the time difference .
I'm grateful to both you and A. for giving me so much of your time.
I hope you really enjoyed it !
I admire your dedication and thoroughness of you research .
However, I can't help having a guilty feeling of someone who inadvertently gives people the wrong impression and finds them spending so much time and effort explaining things which may prove to be of no or little use to the listener.
I'm a person of very little brain, just as much, I suppose, as had
the character to whom these words belong, but, unlike him, who , being, after all, a toy, had all the time to himself,
I'm a horribly overloaded with responsibility
working mother of five young children.
Not a totally incomprehensible situation, is it?
If you don't mind, I'll drop by at your seminars with no homework done and sit at the back of the class. Ple-ease!
I am incredibly lucky to have known a remarkable scholar here, a philologist, translator and wonderful poet himself, who would telephone a friend at about midnight and start reading excerpts from the New Testament in Aramaic to the baffled listener, who couldn't, of course, understand a word of what they heard. However, even if you didn't understand the meaning, you could catch the rhythm, which is very powerful, entirely poetical, different from the language of KJB or our 19th century Bible. He was at home in ancient Greek and Latin, knew ancient Hebrew and Aramaic. I love his translations of the Psalms, in which he was able to convey the power of original Hebrew texts. He also wrote beautiful and profound poetry. There may be some German translations, I'll try to find them for you.
I suppose I am writing this as a tribute to him. Sadly, he died three years ago.

Scholor or not, it seems to me you have a heart to learn God's Word.

As you find time and inclination, if you have questions about certain passages of scripture, just ask. I'll do my utmost to provide answers that are easily digested.

Jeremiah 15:16
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Ezekiel 3:3
And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

Psalm 119:97-104
O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Through these few verses I'm sure you can see how God's Word is the best thing for us to 'consume' in our lives. The allegory of eating it speaks volumes to us. By taking it in, we find it pleasant to deal with. There are scriptures that tell us that, once we have it inside (in our thoughts), it nourishes us. The Word also builds us up and makes us strong in our hearts and minds, even as proper food would strengthen our bodies.

Luke 4:1-4
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

John 4:31-34
In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

1 Timothy 4:6-7
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

B4Uturninfortheeveningwhileiseedaylight

Dear B4youdieofhungerfilledwithGod'sWordalone
Let me offer y'all some pancakes
(no smiley for pancakes).
It's the last day of Maslenitsa, people are making pancakes and putting on some weight B4 Lent starts and robs them of any extra weight they have.
are best served with caviar ...
but are as good with honey .
That reminds me

Psalm 19(18)7-10
<...>
the ordinances of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether,
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.

There's a beautiful tradition here: on the last Sunday before Lent (that's today) people ask each other for forgiveness.