.....is an interesting book to read.

 A novel about Egyptology versus foundations of the three major religions - Judaism, Islam and Christianity 


Written by Jackie Ferris and was published only a few weeks ago.

ISBN978-1-78830-313-2

Printed in Great Britain

Published by: Olympia Publishers
60 Cannon Street
London
 EC4N 6NP



Dirk

Dirk,

did some research on the internet
https://olympiapublishers.com/authors/jackie-ferris/
As I see it on the first sight the author seems a bit...seeking for words ...
But perhaps with that title he will earn some money, when even in Amazon...
https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Reapers-Jackie-Ferris-ebook/dp/B07PXLBZZL


No not in my opinion Echnaton but more Zoroastrianism. I did already in the time research on the old BBC as I was struck by the similarities with what I was learnt 7 years old in a Belgian nunschool and Zoroastrianism...
But I will discuss it on the religion board...
As a remember list I publish here the links about it...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_deities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism

And perhaps only an American military, but he seems better than Jackie Ferris
http://www.sullivan-county.com/main.htm
http://www.sullivan-county.com/news/mine/jud_zor.htm
And a discussion seemingly among academici:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_you_think_Zoroastrianism_influenced_Judaism


Kind regards from Paul.

Thank you for your comments, Paul, as you know Zoroastrianism is a much younger religion founded at least seven hundred years after Nefertiti's reign in Ancient Egypt but it did follow her idea about a single god yet it has nothing to do with my novel about The Ghost Reapers because it is a much later religion

Nonetheless, if you do read my book I would be very grateful to hear your comments

Kind regards

Dr Jackie Ferris

I would also love to hear from anyone else as I do think the book might stimulate discussion

Thank you

Dr Jackie Ferris

jacqcurious wrote:

Thank you for your comments, Paul, as you know Zoroastrianism is a much younger religion founded at least seven hundred years after Nefertiti's reign in Ancient Egypt but it did follow her idea about a single god yet it has nothing to do with my novel about The Ghost Reapers because it is a much later religion

Nonetheless, if you do read my book I would be very grateful to hear your comments

Kind regards

Dr Jackie Ferris

Dr Jackie Ferris,

excuses for the rather denigrating comment about the title of your book
"But perhaps with that title he will earn some money, when even in Amazon..."

"As I see it on the first sight the author seems a bit...seeking for words"
I was seeking for the right words as I was confused by all what I read...
For instance are you a co-author in this book?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40584012-galileo-s-theme-park
http://constellationbook.cf/lisa-timpf.html


Jackie, but while we have the author here now, why not discuss the subject overhere?  I have not that much time, every day some three hours for the historyboards, as I although retired, have still a full day occupation.
I started to read the book on Amazon, but only the first chapters are available and they are like a novel not yet approaching the subject. I will look to buy the book on the local bookshop (as an oldie I can not yet pay via the internet)


For a start: the roots of Zoroastrianism seems to be earlier, some say late second millenium BC
Even the BBC says 3500 years ago
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/

And here they mention:
https://www.asiangeo.com/heritage/lighting-the-way-of-faith/
From the site:
There is no consensus amongst scholars as to when exactly he lived, but the respected philologist Mary Boyce, who was until her death in 2006 the foremost authority on Zoroastrianism, suggests he may have been born as early as 1,700 BC.
Certainly, Zoroastrianism was already long-established when it became a significant religion of the Medes in the 8th century BC, and the official religion of the Achaemenid Empire 200 years later.

As I see it now those monotheïst ones started a bit all around the same centuries? Nefertite, Zoroastrinanism, Judaism?
Have a look to the Exodus thread, where Tim of Aclea speaks also of that time of the Mozes time...
But as I see it,  the cult of the Sun, was not that ethical as the Ahura Mazda one and the God of Israël one?

Kind regards from Paul.

I think the fascinating thing about the past is that there is no consensus in history about anything. Also to confuse monotheism with a single root is perhaps misleading at best. Most scholars place the beginning of Zorastranism as starting in Iran with Zoroaster who was a prophet and taught self-realization of the Divine. Some linguistic and social interpretations' date him to the second millennium BCE but other scholars date him to the 7th or 6th century BCE. IIf he was around in the second millennium BCE to date, he has no links to Nefertiti or Aten who believed in an entirely different religion but none of this has anything to do with my book The Ghost Reapers is about trying to reap the historical ghosts of the past which have been denied to us by our current version of history and in my view although naturally, that is bias, has nothing to do with a catchy title for Amazon. I was published by Olympia in London not Amazon and I am a female, not a male.  I would love you to actually read the book as I feel we would have some good conversations.

Best wishes and hopefully good reading

Dr Jackie ferris

Hi Jacqecurious,

I don't think anyone was inferring that your book was vanity publishing - just that somebody had looked at it on the Amazon website which does sell books published by other publishers as well as its own published books.  I wouldn't even necessarily condemn a person even if they did self-publish on Amazon because a good thing about the internet is that it does provide platforms for people to find an alternative way to get their wares to market than by relying on the big guns (not necessarily just writers).  I only know the skeleton of Egyptian history.  In the past I have liked some books that I later found out were not strictly speaking true to history (and by the way I'm not saying that your book is inaccurate as I say I haven't sufficient knowledge of the period and I haven't read the book).  By the way, there is nothing wrong with having a "catchy" title for a novel.  Thinking of a recently finished fantasy series I think A Game of Thrones is obviously a much better title than A Lot of Different People fight for a Throne (I know it would be very unlikely that the second title which I just made up would ever be used).  Books can be enjoyed in different ways of course both in the gaining knowledge sort of way, the "good read" sort of way and myriad combinations of the two.  As I say, I don't know your book so am unqualified to judge it but I commend you for following your desire to write a book, getting it published and being brave enough to put yourself "out there" for criticism one way or another.

Edit" than by relying'... not 'that by relying'.

I love a good critique I think that is how we grow and I do hope you read the book - it is a novel but is fact based on fiction or fiction based on fact? In this changing world as in the past it is often hard to know.

I'll echo Lir's commendations for having had the guts to put a book out there - especially one that examines received historical narratives concerning religion. It's one of my biggest bug-bears from an historical point of view how much that topic in particular presents mythical tropes as history which not only are meant to brook no gainsay or inquiry beyond that which they claim as fact, but in fact tend to attract some rather virulent (and often violent) "defenders" of these tropes, all of which makes true historical research complicated, to put it mildly.

The book is a bit pricey for me to purchase purely to critique it - though I'll keep an eye out for it (I see that Tanum, one of the big booksellers here in Norway, have it in stock). If it examines the possibility of a female character applied to an over-arching deity then I'm definitely interested in seeing where you went with this theory - I've been interested in years in the "Brigid" deity and how it was worshipped long before it was ever bundled into that terrible "Celtic" cultural concoction, none of which has much historical relevance anyway before 150 years ago. In my view there has never been a truly "monotheistic" assembly of religious beliefs, no matter how widely or how officially any religion may have been purported to promote one. People have always had a habit of creating pantheons, even if they assume one deity "on top" and assign demi-deity, angelic, saintly, or other spiritually exalted status to the lesser players in the pantheon of choice. It is far more interesting to accept that as said and then examine the top dogs in every instance, and the further you go back in human history the less male that top dog has been in so many cultures that it must have some significance regarding how humans interpreted their natural world - in fact for way, way longer than the male versions of more recent civilisation have enjoyed, no matter how much present day trope defenders may now claim.

I might be way off the mark - in which case I apologise - but belatedly welcome to the board!

Now I'm intrigued

The only kindling I've ever done in my life has always only led to a nice fire to sit beside (with a good book). However I'll see can I make an exception in this case!

It could be as illuminating as a real fire but perhaps not as warm!

jacqcurious wrote:

I think the fascinating thing about the past is that there is no consensus in history about anything. Also to confuse monotheism with a single root is perhaps misleading at best. Most scholars place the beginning of Zorastranism as starting in Iran with Zoroaster who was a prophet and taught self-realization of the Divine. Some linguistic and social interpretations' date him to the second millennium BCE but other scholars date him to the 7th or 6th century BCE. IIf he was around in the second millennium BCE to date, he has no links to Nefertiti or Aten who believed in an entirely different religion but none of this has anything to do with my book The Ghost Reapers is about trying to reap the historical ghosts of the past which have been denied to us by our current version of history and in my view although naturally, that is bias, has nothing to do with a catchy title for Amazon. I was published by Olympia in London not Amazon and I am a female, not a male.  I would love you to actually read the book as I feel we would have some good conversations.

Best wishes and hopefully good reading

Dr Jackie ferris

Jackie,

excuses for the delay and thank you for the reply. I want now first and for all try to answer on your message.
Male or female or any intermediate stage of it, seem not to count on this forum, but only the expressed thoughts, again in my opinion. It is as if we have it in our "constitution"...

"If he was around in the second millennium BCE to date, he has no links to Nefertiti or Aten who believed in an entirely different religion"
Yes from what I read the last weeks, that is right as the Sun cult seems to be something others as the ethical wise Ahura Mazda

"but none of this has anything to do with my book The Ghost Reapers is about trying to reap the historical ghosts of the past which have been denied to us by our current version of history and in my view although naturally, that is bias,"
Jackie, perhaps nordmann will have your book earlier than I and we will have more clarity, but in the meantime can't you explain what  "the historical gods of the past" are, and why they are denied to us by our current version of history? Or is that a metaphor for the core of your book?

I read the whole evening entries on Google to answer to the three replies of Tim of Aclea today, which refer to the historic founding and time of Zoroastrianism, Judaism and perhaps the time also of the Cult of the Sun of Echnaton, but that seems not to be the subject of your book as I now read it of your book "The Ghost Reapers"?

BTW, as I like good written novels, the first pages that I read on "Amazon", were as I want to read a good novel...

Kind regards from Paul.

The ancient Egyptian, Christian, Hebrew, and Islam gods are historical gods of the past our past is denied to us because of the version of history that we have which is why it's time to reap the harvest of the ghosts - the ghosts that lurk behind this historical version

I will be very interested to have your thoughts once you read the book I think what is really important is a dialogue about alternative versions and to test out their validity through discussion

best regards

Jackie

jacqcurious wrote:

The ancient Egyptian, Christian, Hebrew, and Islam gods are historical gods of the past our past is denied to us because of the version of history that we have which is why it's time to reap the harvest of the ghosts - the ghosts that lurk behind this historical version

I will be very interested to have your thoughts once you read the book I think what is really important is a dialogue about alternative versions and to test out their validity through discussion

best regards

Jackie

Jackie,

as I already said, even in retirment, nearly a full time job, household, looking for the partner, still real estate for hire, and if I am not at dinner outside, 3 to 4 hours on the boards, mostly overhere. I bet that even a GG with his animals (if he has still the menagerie (oops, that are wild animals I see now...)) has more time than I have?...or a retired? Vizzer with his family?...

As I see it now it will have to wait till I buy the book and have read it...it can be that nordmann is earlier than me...

Kind regards from Paul.

I wish I had one to send you as I really look forward to your comments but the past has been there a long time so waiting won't hurt although what that real past is - is the big question

Jave a nice weekend

Jackie, I don't have a Kindle though I have something similar - an Elonex - which is kind of like a poor woman's Kindle, though I've never really got to grips with it.  I used to veritably devour books but I have slowed down (I'm getting 'up there' in years).  At the moment I want to try and locate a book called Lost Christianities which I believe (simplifying) deals with some of the versions of the Gospels which were not included in the New Testament as we know it today.  It doesn't necessarily mean* that I would agree with the abandoned gospels but it would be interesting to read about them.

*I'm Catholic though most people contributing to the board are not religious at all.

I'm a Catholic too