PINE PLAINS, N.Y., July 1, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Most theologians and Christian clergy believe the Bible is the direct word of God. Tradition stipulates that the Bible be taken literally, suggesting that Jesus actually turned water into wine, gave a blind man vision and a crippled man the ability to walk again. Author and Episcopalian priest Carter J. Gregory sees the Bible from a different angle. His new book, The Fourth Watch of the Night: A Mystical View of Scripture (now available through AuthorHouse), takes a another look at the word of God.
Gregory's new approach differs in his interpretive position. Rather than taking the words and situations described in the Bible at face value, he looks at them as symbols. In his opinion, this "positive assertion" expresses the power of "mystical experience," which he defines as "the opening of an inner eye or an awakening" that allows a person to see the truth. Through an examination of the four Gospels and the story of a 1949 exorcism in St. Louis, Gregory attempts to open readers' eyes to the truth.
He begins by disputing the fact that the Gospels are historical biographies of Jesus' life. Instead, Gregory believes they offer symbols, such as in the Gospel of Mark, where Mark lays out a literary pattern that involves cycles of recurrent material and the use of numerology. Gregory also disputes the existence of the devil, yet finds meaning in the symbols. In his view, the devil is the manifestation of some ancient predator.
"It is fear of predation that governed their primitive responses and stamped upon them and their genes a fear of the enemy, real or imagined; and that gave rise to religion. To be 'possessed by the devil' today means that a person has reverted back to an atavistic condition in which he believes he is threatened by predation," Gregory states.
A fresh look at the meanings of the Bible and the Christian faith, The Fourth Watch of the Night is a radical yet perspective-altering jaunt into theological interpretation and faith.
Gregory is a psychotherapist and priest. He is presently a chaplain working for the State of New York Office of Mental Health and as a clinician at the Kingston City Hospital in Kingston, N.Y. The Fourth Watch of the Night is his first book.
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