Certainly, I think of them as a framework on how to read the Bible. By that I mean having that foreknowledge really illuminates passages that would have been otherwise confusing.
I never claimed either thing. Foreknowledge is definitely the wrong word. Clearer understanding is what I meant. Books like Enoch, Hermetical texts, lost gospels shed light to some hard to understand concepts in the Bible. Having that information before reading is helpful. I can't tell you how many times I've read the Bible, but, I do clearly remember reading it after I had read the others. I find them very interesting. I am not however seeking to be a Rosecrucian, Mason or the like. Finding people of that same mindset remains lost.
Certainly, I think of them as a framework on how to read the Bible. By that I mean having that foreknowledge really illuminates passages that would have been otherwise confusing.
Yes, the knowledge can corrupt a person. One of the many reasons I find it hard to have a decent conversation with the like minded on the subject.
I never claimed either thing. Foreknowledge is definitely the wrong word. Clearer understanding is what I meant. Books like Enoch, Hermetical texts, lost gospels shed light to some hard to understand concepts in the Bible. Having that information before reading is helpful. I can't tell you how many times I've read the Bible, but, I do clearly remember reading it after I had read the others. I find them very interesting. I am not however seeking to be a Rosecrucian, Mason or the like. Finding people of that same mindset remains lost.