Bøker av Glyn Thomas

The advent of printing in the 15th Century allowed common usage of the Bible, establishing its authority as the sole record of ancient history without competition from other sources for over 4 centuries. It was only in the 19th Century that we rediscovered how to understand ancient cuneiform and hieroglyphic texts from the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilisations. Gradually, translations of ancient original texts dating back up to 5000 years, far earlier than any fragments of the Old Testament, revealed the muddled record of history contained in the Bible. This is hardly surprising as Hebrew writing emerged only to 1000BC, when adopting the Phoenician alphabet. Perhaps surprisingly, even texts from the Monarchical period (1000BC to 597BC) generally appear to have been written, or at least heavily redacted, hundreds of years after the events recorded. Indeed, the bulk of the Old Testament scripture uses language and references clearly dating authorship to the time of the Exile (597BC to 538BC) or later.When the priests in Babylon tried to craft the national foundation story from ancient oral traditions, they only had a hazy understanding of history and lacked any method of verification. In the Bible, the Exodus follows slavery under the Egyptians, but research for this book points to an Expulsion, followed later, by slavery under Egyptian rule.

From an early age, the author has been fascinated by the origins of humanity and the solutions offered by religious beliefs concerning our existence beyond death. Understanding the Bible is critical for Christians, whilst incorporation (as the Old Testament) of the Jewish Torah, the Prophets and the Writings brings a common root with Judaism and also many commonalities with Islam. This book should be fascinating to all 'Peoples of the Book', addressing many questions that arise in the minds of readers of the original Jewish holy scrolls. I have looked at many statements in the Torah and felt puzzled by clear misstatements, and many assertions which cannot be explained - even by invoking miracles. The awesome knowledge we have gained revealing the structure and evolution of the universe proves it was designed by an intelligent entity (aka God). I suggest this knowledge makes it impossible to reconcile the intellect of God as revealed to us, the character of Yahweh as recorded in the Torah and the character of Jesus shown by the Gospels. The coming decade may answer one of our greatest questions - the multiple missions planned to land on Mars may detect lyfe and critically whether its operating system is DNA or something else.At a minimum, I hope it provokes deep thought and further study! For information and maps on this series: truthpublications.co.uk

This book brings together an international group of authors to discuss the outdoor environmental education (OEE) theory and practice that educators can use to support teaching and learning in higher education. The book contents are organised around a recently established list of threshold concepts that can be used to describe the knowledge and skills that university students would develop if they complete a major in outdoor education.  There are six key sections:  the theoretical foundations and philosophies of OEE; the pedagogical approaches and issues involved in teaching OEE; the ways in which OEE is a social, cultural and environmental endeavour; how outdoor educators can advocate for social justice; key approaches to safety management; and the need for on-going professional practice. The threshold concepts that form the premise of the book describe outdoor educators as creating opportunities for experiential learning using pedagogies that align their programme's purpose and practice. Outdoor educators are place-responsive, and see their work as a social, cultural and environmental endeavour. They advocate for social and environmental justice, and they understand and apply safety principles and routinely engage in reflective practice. This book will provide clarity and direction for emerging and established outdoor educators around the world and will also be relevant to students and professionals working in related fields such as environmental education, adventure therapy, and outdoor recreation.

The Roman church was a highly effective censor. All early Christian texts were believed eliminated until a few hidden caches were discovered. Early Christian beliefs were changed to be more marketable to enhance political control.