Aesop Revisited: Ancient Lessons with a Biblical Perspective

Young people and adults! Remember the great lessons from Aesop's classic fables? Always wanted to read them? Here is a new take on an old favorite. Enjoy hours of fun and learning with 120 fables adapted to Biblical stories, with beautiful full-color watercolor illustrations for each revisited fable. A special appendix gives morals in relation to Solomon's Proverbs.The stories in this volume are set in the same order and with the exact same "morals" as in Fables of Aesop (copyright 1925, by Albert Whitman & Company), based on the works of Jean de La Fontaine (France) and Samuel Croxall (England). Each has been rewritten using a Biblical example. Some Bible stories are repeated when they can be used to teach a different moral. Many Biblical records are not mentioned at all. Of course, the most commonly noted characters are Jesus Christ, his apostles, Pharisees, Moses, Samuel, Saul, and David. Many stories come from the historical records in the Bible books of Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. Specific stories like Esther, Daniel and his friends, Nehemiah, and Joshua are also used in the narrative.The content of the stories ranges from innocent subjects to more mature themes like greed, pride, sexual immorality, murder, and hatred. Many Bible stories, especially from the Old Testament, are violent in nature-but carry important lessons on real-life problems. This book can be used for small children, but some stories may be too difficult for their tender hearts. Most stories are appropriate for teens and adults of all ages.The illustrations are added to give a "feel" for the events described in each story. They are not designed to be factual or an exact representation of the Biblical narrative. Hopefully, they will add perspective to each story and help them become more "alive" to the reader. Each illustration is based on a line from the story that gives an important lesson to be learned.Since so many of these "morals" are similar to the maxims found in the Book of Proverbs, an appendix is added to show similarities between these two literary works. Many of the Proverbs were written by Solomon, the son of David, and ruler of the united kingdom of Judah and Israel. His life is well documented both in the Bible and secular history. But who was the author of the more than one-hundred Fables in this book? Aesop was a Greek. Aristotle (a Greek writer from the 4th century B.C.) says that Aesop was born around 600 B.C. in the vicinity of Thrace. Phaedrus (a Roman writer from the first century A.D.) said Aesop was born in Phrygia, or modern Turkey. The great Greek historian Herodotus (5th century B.C.) gives a biography of Aesop: a slave in Samos, later freed, and meeting an untimely end in Delphi. Plutarch confirmed this incident six centuries later.Whatever the details of Aesop's life, his work is a masterpiece. A collection of Aesop's fables was put together by Demetrius of Phalerum in the third century B.C., amounting to ten volumes. Phaedrus (noted above) translated the fables into Latin, as did his Syrian contemporary Babrius, putting them into poetic verse. Since that time, the fables of Aesop have had many stories added from other cultures. Jean de La Fontaine and Samuel Croxall are only two of many who developed this "animal story" genre to point out human foibles and virtues.Finally, let me remind the reader that this volume is unique in that it points out age-old morals by using the fountainhead of truth-the Bible. It is my firm conviction that all in the Bible is true, even if misunderstood or mistranslated from the original revelation given. It may take the reader a diligent effort to gain a scope and understanding of the scriptures, but the labor is well worth the joy of an intimate relationship with the Father. May this volume add to that understanding and joy.