Tim McLay

I began some of the work that I ultimately published about the meaning of the resurrection of the saints in Matthew 27:51b-53 as far back as my graduting papaer for my BA. Eventually, I finished my PhD on the Old Greek and Theodotion Versions of Daniel at Durham University (England) in 1994. My publications, including The Use of the Septuagint in New Yestament Research, reflect my specific research in the Greek versions of Daniel and Septuagint (LXX) studies more generally, but also their importance for understanding the origins of Christianity and the New Testament. This area has been neglected because of unsubstantiated biases of many theologians.

Too many scholars and books ltry to link the New Testament to the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) without understanding or explaining how the Greek versions as well as other non-biblical writings provide a better background to bridge the link between the two. The vast majority, if not ALL, of the specific citations of what we now refer to as the Old Testament (or Hebrew Scriptures) in the New Testament are based in the Greek versions. The New Testament writers read their sacred writings in Greek and not Hebrew or Aramiac. Students and learners (and lots of scholars!) are filled with questions about the significant differences betwen the Old and the Testaments because of the attempt or assumption of a direct link between the Hebrew of the

Old Testament and the Greek in the New Testament when that is clearly not the case.

I have recenly self-published an Introduction to the Bble in order to address this issue in greater detail. I have separate chapters introducing the Greek Jewish Scriptures of the Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the extra-Biblical literature called the Pseudepigrapha so that learners (and a good many TEACHERS!) can better understand the relationship betwen the Old and the New. Most introuctions to the Old and New Testament or the Bible don't have more than a paragraph on these crucail areas. Some don't even have a sentence. Some of the material may challenge what you have been told to believe, but I would suggest, "the unexamined faith is not worth believing."

I am a firm advocate that anyone can learn anythng. It isn't about your IQ or having a special physical feature These things may help, but there are lots of people who are 6'9" in this world besides Lebron James, but there is only one Lebron. You know what. He worked and still works his butt off. It is a matter of dedicated time and practice. You can do it, Whatever it is. Elton John has stubby, short fingers and is amazing playing the piano. People have aspired to and achieved great things from humble beginnings due to their perseverence. In some cases, there is luck involved, but in every case they worked hard to accomplish their goal. We only see the celebration of their triumph after 10, 15 or even 20 years of their hard labour.

I have always liked to sing and started going to Karaoke in May of 2025. I heard other people who could really sing. Personally, I don't like to give polite applause, let alone receive it. I think most people want to do well when they sing or lots of other things. People enjoy(ed) that I sing a lot of rock songs but guess what? I got better. I got a lot better. I'm still learning, but now I can sing out like a real singer. I'm writing a novel about Fear, titled 2030, which is a different beast than my academic publications. When i'm finished I think I'd like to finally learn how to play guitar. What do you want to do or learn? Why not just do it?