|
It needs to recognized that Mary Baker Eddy has structured all of her major works to be in conformity with a basic 4x4 matrix that has 16 elements. One might call this a foursquare matrix. Mary Baker Eddy's adaptation of a foursquare matrix, that she related all of her major works to, evidently is a conscientious step of identifying her work with the biblical city foursquare that the Apostle John beheld as 'descending' from God out of heaven. (Revelation 21). In John's vision, this step marks the final step in the unfolding end of all evil by means of scientific development. In Biblical times, a foursquare matrix would have been recognized as a scientific construct. To some degree it is still so considered. Mary Baker Eddy evidently regarded her work in this light, both in term of it being a scientific construct of the highest order, and in terms of it being a spiritual revelation from God, the Comforter that was promised by Christ Jesus. In this context Mary Baker Eddy has related eleven major structures to this basic foursquare matrix that St John had introduced. What has any of that got to do with the Bible lessons, you may ask? A great deal, I would say. If one maps all of the 16 textbook chapters to the matrix foursquare, as they are evidently designed to be associated, the applicable cardinal point that a chapter pertains to, and the applicable river of development in which a chapter is located provide a very rich background for that textbook chapter, and of course for the citation within the lesson which references that chapter. Nor is the Christian Science textbook the only structure that Mary Baker Eddy has created in a manner, to be related to the matrix. The verses and illustrations in Christ and Christmas can be mapped to the foursquare matrix in the same manner, and the Lord's Prayer likewise, so that for each textbook citation the spiritual background becomes tremendously enriched. (see example) Click here for the detailed mapping of the various parts that pertain profoundly to the Bible lessons. Another, slightly different association, has also been found highly useful, which is the association of the 26 Recapitulation questions, with the 26 parts of the first definition for the name Adam in the Glossary of the textbook. Actually, there are only 24 sets of questions and answers contained in the chapter, Recapitulation. However, two of these are dual questions. This provision enables the correlation of the 26 lesson topics and the 26 definitions for the name Adam, to the chapter Recapitulation. I
find this provision useful as it enables one to consider the definitions
for the name Adam as specific statements of denial that Mark Baker Eddy
has evidently recognized to stand in denial of the spiritual aspects which
the Recapitulation questions address. (see
illustration)
|
