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Pasa Graphe' Theopneustos Kai Ophelimos (Greek) is one of the most often-repeated passages from the Scriptures, ie, the Bible. The passage appears in the heading of our Facebook page. But what does it say to us in our various tongues? Well, for those of us who speak English, this passage is a bold testimony from the pen of one Paul, a first-century scholar from the Isrealite tribe of Benjamin. It is also a statement steeped in the thelogy of the Biblical narratives. So, Paul wrote to a young ethnic Jew named Timotheus: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable......"
At the time Paul wrote those words, there was not yet a codex known as the "New Testament." The scrolls of papyrus on which were written the Scriptures are what we call today the "Old Testament." In its immediate and limited interpretation, Paul is saying that the messages in the Old Testament are inspired by God. That being so, who is the man who would say that the record of the flood in Noah's day was simply an allegory, and not an historical account?

Esther

The book of Esther tells one of the most dramatic stories in all the Bible. It took place in Persia, somewhere between 485 and 465 B.C.

The Persian king was Xerxes I, a proud and arrogant man. He's best known in history for his disastrous attempt to conquer Greece. Xerxes led an army of about two million men straight into defeat.

As the story begins, his queen is Vashti. But she offends the king and is deposed. The new queen is Esther, who quickly becomes the center of the story. In a series of dramatic episodes, Esther saves her Jewish people from certain genocide.

There's something curious about the book of Esther. The name of God is never mentioned in the book. This has troubled some scholars. But really, God isn't left out of the story. The name of God might be missing from the story, but the hand of God is clearly seen.