Article November 23, 2009 Issue

MARY BAKER EDDY AND THE HOLY BIBLE

BY ROBERT T. WARNECK

It is very likely that the first thing Mary Baker Eddy ever heard read to her, from her earliest days, even as an infant, was the Holy Bible. It was a constant presence in her home. She grew up in a Puritan household where Bible study was a daily occurrence and Bible readings accompanied every morning, midday, and evening meal. When Mary was a child, Mary's grandmother, Maryann Baker, even used the Scriptures to teach her how to read.

The Holy Bible became Mary's daily companion as she grew into adulthood. And it wasn't duty that made it so; rather, it was love for the Bible's message about God's omnipotent love and care for man and its lessons about how to trust Him understandingly and practically.

The first half of Mrs. Eddy's life was filled with constant trials and tribulations. Chronic ill health plagued her and often left her bedridden for long periods of time. While she was investigating practically every known healing method of her day, the Bible was her rock upon which she leaned when those methods failed to produce a permanent cure.