Article November 3, 1997 Issue

Exploring the Key to the Scriptures

Rosalie E. Dunbar

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).

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
Resurrection
November 3, 1997
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit