Science and Health is full of quotations from and allusions to the Scriptures. Its intimate connection with the Bible in the author's thought and teaching is never in doubt. But there is one section of this textbook that is so directly related to the Bible that it is called the Key to the Scriptures. It is found on pages 499 to 599.

Mary Baker Eddy began working on portions of this section prior to the first publication of Science and Health in 1875, but not until the sixth edition of the book (1883) was the Key to the Scriptures included as a separate section. At that time it included only the Glossary. Three years later, in the textbook's sixteenth edition, Key to the Scriptures assumed a fuller form.

The first of three chapters in this section is entitled "Genesis," but this simple description does not reveal the earth-shaking ideas it contains. Here, Mrs. Eddy explores the first four chapters of the Bible, challenging the beliefs that men and women are made from matter and that "original sin" is the inevitable lot of us all. She addresses the murderous act of Cain, declaring, "The erroneous belief that life, substance, and intelligence can be material ruptures the life and brotherhood of man at the very outset" (p. 541).

The timeliness of this message is brought home today as nations struggle for peace in the Middle East—facing numerous ruptures of trust and a material history full of grudges and past injuries.

A chapter titled "The Apocalypse" follows "Genesis." It also examines a specific portion of the Bible—the book of Revelation. Instead of speaking of the "end times" as a period of disaster and strife, however, the author directs thought toward the Bible's promise of "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1). She explains, "This testimony of Holy Writ sustains the fact in Science, that the heavens and earth to one human consciousness, that consciousness which God bestows, are spiritual, while to another, the unillumined human mind, the vision is material" (p. 573).

The last chapter in this intensely Biblical section of Science and Health is the Glossary. In it, various terms have been given specific spiritual interpretations. Mrs. Eddy writes, "In Christian Science we learn that the substitution of the spiritual for the material definition of a word often elucidates the meaning of the inspired writer. On this account this chapter is added" (p. 579).

Over 100 terms are presented, including baptism, Christ, Church, death, heaven, man, resurrection, salvation, time, wine, and Zion. Biblical figures such as Adam, Eve, Dan, Jacob, and Joseph are also interpreted. The list includes, as well, references to ears, eyes, heart, intelligence.

How are these terms practical in our lives today? Here's an illustration. Day is described as "the irradiance of Life; light, the spiritual idea of Truth and Love" (p. 584). As you prepare for your day, this encourages you to accept only that which is irradiated by Life, only that which comes from Truth and Love. By the same token, if the day is going badly, you can turn back to this idea and put the day on a sounder, more spiritual footing.

The explanation of Children, like many of these terms, gives both the spiritual and the human or, in some cases, mortal view. Thus, seen from a spiritual standpoint, children are "the spiritual thoughts and representatives of Life, Truth, and Love" (p. 582). The mistaken, or false, sense of children follows: "Sensual and mortal beliefs; counterfeits of creation, whose better originals are God's thoughts, not in embryo, but in maturity ..." (p. 583).

Anyone who has had to deal with fretful children would probably agree that they could indeed be seen as the "counterfeits" of divine Love's perfect creation—but we shouldn't stop there! Rather, the goal is to perceive their true, spiritual nature and to reject the fretful and mortal as no part of their being. One term that is very helpful in this effort is fan, which Mrs. Eddy defines as a "separator of fable from fact; that which gives action to thought" (p. 586).

Through a careful study of the Glossary, one can gain both insight and inspiration regarding Scriptural events and ideas. Many people have actually been healed simply by studying one or more of these nuggets of truth.

The section of Science and Health that makes up the Key to the Scriptures is only one hundred pages long, but it has been a valuable resource for thinkers ever since its first appearance, and it will continue to be a powerful guide in the future.