Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (Original Title: Science and Health, With Key to the Scriptures ) was written by Mary Baker Eddy in 1875. It is the textbook of Christian Science, and together with the Bible, the pastor of the Church of Christ, Scientist. In 1912 it appeared in German edition. The German translators were Helmuth von Moltke and Dorothy, the parents of the German resistance fighter, Helmuth James Graf von Moltke. The current, newly translated edition is from 1998.

Structure and Formation

The book was written from notes that Eddy made ​​while studying the Bible. The occasion was a healing experience in 1866. The first edition appeared in 1875. The book learned to Baker Eddy's death in 1910, a large number of revisions (ten fundamental revisions ).

The book consists of 18 chapters. The last chapter, " Fruits of Science and Health ," contains 100 pages healings that were previously published in Christian Science magazines. The three chapters are located in front exegetical with a more biblical explanatory and form the " Key to the Scriptures ".

As in all translations of the English original, the German edition is bilingual, with original and translation are positioned on opposite sides.

Matter of concern

Science and Health contains the presentation of the teaching of Christian Science. From the perspective of this church is this in a consistent metaphysical view of Christianity, in which sin, sickness, and death, of an absolute spiritual perspective of view, have no rights or fundamental reality; according to the teachings is to bring as the absolute good, and of man and woman as created in His spiritual image and likeness of nature, healing in the human experience a spiritualized conception of God.

A key message of the author, which can be equally seen as Eddy's justification for the importance of this book lies in its finding that the denial of the possibility of Christian healing Christianity just robbed the item was to him divine power and made to that what Eddy describes as amazing and unparalleled success in the first century.

Relation to the Bible

From the Church of Christ, Scientist, the importance of the interaction between the Bible and Science and Health is emphasized. Followers of the Christian Science movement, read about the week a same all over the world Bible Lesson sermon, which consists of mostly six sections of passages from the Holy Scriptures and the textbook which are alternately read in the Sunday service by two readers and the basis of the weekly individual studies are. Here, however, is the " inspired word " of Scripture and not the literal interpretation of evangelical Protestants the basis of Christian Science.

Themes of the book - a synopsis

(Terms in uppercase letters correspond to the capital letters in the works for Eddy synonyms for God )

The book speaks loudly introduction directly to the "honest seekers after TRUTH " and tried in the consequence of the particular power of silent prayer to give the necessary expression, if only because in the book Eddy's conviction is clear that a spiritual era had dawned. Theological issues are spiritualized it represented conceptually new, but according to Eddy always based on the spiritual teachings of the Bible.

This becomes noticeable in the practical approach in which the reconciliation is awarded as oneness with God a current urgency, because this oneness of man with God is seen as a spiritual fact, which is the basis for the Christian healing of sin, sickness and death. Ethics and morality are seen as inalienable rights and duties, and as a social cement.

Determined spirituality has nothing to do with spiritualism, according to Eddy hypnotism or what they specifically makes in relevant chapters on the subject, as consistent spirituality often suffers from conceptual blurring. The nature of mental illness and the mental nature of the remedy is certainly the most challenging thesis of this book. Eddy's remarks describe, often in unstructured form the relationship between diagnosis and disease and the " step -by-step " nature of spiritual growth, which is based on the recognition of the spirituality of creation and nature.

This book is possibly one of the first books so vehemently emphasizes the fatherhood and motherhood of God, to make this idea follow the idea that man exists as an image [image ] in the Divine Mind. Eddy tried the biblical basis for scientific evidence and spirituality emphasizes continuously through all the chapters that spiritual healing does not happen by blind faith, but based on the grace and love of God, which is again and again as the LOVE, according to 1 John 4, described.

The method of mental health treatment is finally symbolized in the form of an allegory of a trial, as well as in specific practice-oriented sections, such as the integration of Eddy's elementary teachings of metaphysics in the form of 24 questions and answers. The explanations can be found in the so-called beliefs of Christian Science to their theological statements.

The second part of the book contains the key to the Scriptures, explanations of the first chapter of Genesis, discussion of Darwinism and thoughts on the 12th chapter of Revelation, which open into a spiritual perspective of the 23rd Psalm.

Furthermore, in the second part of a glossary containing a dictionary with 125 metaphysically designed biblical expressions, as well as an appendix with 100 nits of healing Tell healings of all kinds, which returns Eddy on applying the Christian Science shown in the book.