Publisher's Synopsis
Newsflash: The world of Irish Dancing was recently thrown into turmoil after the discovery of a book entitled Irish Dancing: Part Two - What to do with your arms. The book was found in a locked box in the basement of Marsh's Library in Dublin, which contains many rare books and manuscripts. The librarian who made the discovery is on long-term compassionate leave. Ok, I have embellished an old joke, which woke me at 3 am one morning! Why was it on my mind? Because I recently watched a TV programme that mentioned the Book of Enoch, which resurrected some thoughts about the debate about possible missing books of the Bible. I am sure the librarian, fictitious as they may be, isn't the only one to have second thoughts about such issues. NB It is important to note that the contents of the many versions I have in my office are not in question in terms of them being the Word of God, which I wholly accept, even though do not wholly understand - BUT - see note below regarding these versions/translations. Yet there has always been a nagging doubt about whether the scriptures we have are the only ones that have ever existed, and why are there so many different versions? Why are there so many accounts of books that are missing, or have been lost, or deliberately omitted from what we call The Holy Bible, even though some are mentioned in the Holy Bible? Who made the decision to include or leave out the various documents that existed at the time of the now accepted format of the Bible, and why? What are the other books or manuscripts that could have been included but were not? Why do some Bibles include the Apocrypha? Thus, the title The Holey Bible, as I and no doubt others have often wondered if there are any gaps, or anything missing from the standard versions we find in abundance.
