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Books and eBooks by the Director

Analytical-Literal Translation of the Old Testament

Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament

Additional ALT: New Testament Books

How Were the Books of the Bible Chosen?

Sex and the Bible

Bible Study

Bible Versions and Translation

    The following books are by Gary F. Zeolla, the director of Darkness to Light Christian Ministry. These books are available in a variety of hardcopy and eBook formats. Click on the title link for further details, available formats, and purchasing information.

    Note: I have several additional books available, but they are health and fitness-related or politics related. The health/ fitness books are described on the books section of my Fitness for One and All Web site. The political books are described on the books section of my Biblical and Constitutional Politics website.

Analytical-Literal Translation of the Old Testament

    The Analytical-Literal Translation  of the Old Testament (ALT: OT) is available in five volumes. Most Old Testaments are based on the Hebrew text. But this Old Testament is based on the Greek Septuagint (LXX). The LXX is a third century B.C. Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The importance of the LXX is that it was THE Bible of the early Church. The purpose of the ALT: OT is to provide a translation of the Greek Septuagint that will enable the reader to come as close to the Greek text as possible without having to be proficient in Greek.


Analytical-Literal Translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint) - Volume One - The Torah

This first volume contains the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). These five books are foundational to the rest of the Bible, the Jewish and Christian religions, and God’s plan of redemption.

 


Analytical-Literal Translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint) - Volume Two - The Historical Books

This second volume contains the Historical Books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1Samuel, 2Samuel, 1Kings, 2Kings, 1Chronicles, 2Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther). These books present the LORD's providence in the history of the ancient Israelite nation.

 


Analytical-Literal Translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint) - Volume Three - The Poetic Books

This third volume contains the Poetic Books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon). These books contain praises to the LORD, honest expressions of personal struggles, wisdom sayings, and a romantic story.

 


Analytical-Literal Translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint) - Volume Four - The Prophetic Books

This fourth volume contains the Prophetic Books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi). In these books, the LORD, speaking through His prophets, denounces Israel, Judah, and surrounding nations for their sins. These warnings are applicable to us today, as the USA and other nations are now engaging in similar sins. But there is also much uplifting material in these books, with the prophets expressing strong faith in the LORD in the face of hardships.


Analytical-Literal Translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint) - Volume Five - The Apocryphal/ Deuterocanonical Books

This fifth and final volume of the ALT: OT contains the “extra” books found in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles as compared to Jewish and Protestant Bibles. There is much debate on whether these books are inspired by God or not. Only by reading them in a literal translation can you make a decision on this controversial issue. These books were written from 200 B. C. to 50 A.D. Therefore, whether inspired or not, they provide insight into Jewish history and thought shortly before and during the time of New Testament events and thus provide important background to the New Testament.


Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament

The Analytical-Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (ALT) is the only New Testament that is a literal translation of the second edition of the Byzantine Majority Greek Text, brings out nuances of the Greek text, and includes study aids within the text. It promotes understanding of what the New Testament writers originally wrote. No other English translation gets as close to the original text as the ALT. It is truly the ideal version for the serious student of the Bible.


  Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Third Edition (ALT3)

The ALT is the ideal version for studying the New Testament. It is being presented to the English-speaking Christian public in hopes it will enrich understanding of the Holy Bible, the most important book ever written.

The “Regular” paperback and hardback versions of the Third Edition (ALT3) are printed on 8-1/2”x11” pages in double columns using Times New Roman 10-point font. This print size should be readable by most people with average eyesight. However, three specialty versions are available with different page and font sizes. Follow the above link for details.


Additional ALT: New Testament Books

The following books are related to ALT3. The first includes translations of books that would be considered to be an “appendix” to the New Testament. The second is a different version of ALT3. The final two are study aids for the ALT.


  Analytical-Literal Translation  of the Apostolic Fathers: Volume Seven of the ALT (ALT: APF)

      This final volume of the ALT contains the writings of Church leaders of the late first to early second centuries (c. 80-150 AD). Some of these books were seriously considered for inclusion in the canon of the New Testament. They were ultimately rejected for the canon, but all of these books were popular in the early centuries of the Church. They provide insight into the mindset of the early Church immediately after the apostles and give background to the New Testament.


  Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Devotional Version (ALTD)

The main difference between ALTD and ALT3 is that in the ALTD the "analytical" information is footnoted, while in ALT3 such information is included within brackets within the text. That makes the information readily available, but it makes the text awkward to read and to quote from. By putting this information in footnotes, ALTD is a much easier to read and to quote from version.


  Companion Volume to the ALT

This Companion Volume to the Analytical-Literal Translation (ALT: CV) provides aids in understanding the translations seen in the Analytical-Literal Translation  of the New Testament (ALT). It includes a glossary for important words in the ALT, an-eight part "Grammatical Renderings" section to explain the unique translations in the ALT, along with other background information to the ALT.


  Complete Concordance to the ALT New Testament

This volume indexes every occurrence of most words in the Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament. Only minor words are omitted, like: the, a, of, etc. Sufficient context is provided for the reader to recognize the verse or to get the gist of it.

 


How Were the Books of the Bible Chosen?

      Christians claim the Bible is the Word of God, that it is the final authority in all matters relating to Christian faith and practice, and that it is absolutely reliable in all that it teaches. But to put such confidence in the Bible requires that the correct books are in the Bible. But is there? Why are the 66 books in the Bible in the Bible, and why were other books that could have been included not included? This three-volume set answers these and many related questions.

      PRICE DROP! The price for each of these three books has been dropped, so that each Kindle eBook now only costs $2.99. That means, you can purchase all three books for less than $10.00. See How Were the Books of the Bible Chosen? (3 book series). The cost of the other formats has also been dropped accordingly. Follow the links below for those other formats.

Why Are These Books in the Bible and Not Others?: Volume One - A Translator’s Perspective on the Canon of the Old Testament

This Volume One of a three volume set studies the books included in the Old Testament (OT) and considers other books that could have been included in it but were not. Each of the 39 books in the OT are reviewed in detail, and it is explained why they were included in the OT. Then the debate about the “extra” books found in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles as compared to Protestant and Jewish Bibles is addressed. Lastly, other books that some wonder why they are not included in the OT are discussed. It is explained why these books were rejected.


Why Are These Books in the Bible and Not Others? - Volume Two - A Translator’s Perspective on the Canon of the New Testament

In this Volume Two of a three-volume set, each of the 27 books included in the New Testament are reviewed in detail. Who wrote them and when, their theology, and other pertinent background information are discussed to explain why they were included in the New Testament. Arguments against the traditional viewpoints on these books are addressed and refuted.

 


Why Are These Books in the Bible and Not Others?: Volume Three - The Apostolic Fathers and the New Testament Apocrypha

This Volume Three of a three volume set covers books not included in the New Testament. These books include the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, who were Church leaders and writers of the late first to mid-second centuries, along with “apocryphal” books, both orthodox and Gnostic. Among these apocryphal books are some that have received much publicity of late and from which many people derive their ideas of early Christian history.


Sex and the Bible

These three books look in-depth at what the Bible has to say on sexual types of relationships and related issues. By this is meant: dating, premarital sex, marriage, divorce, remarriage, marital sex, extramarital sex, homosexuality, transsexualism, abortion, and birth control.

 

All three books go through the Scriptures systematically, looking at relevant passages of Scripture in order. The passages are written out, with commentary afterwards.

 

The first book is an introduction to the various subjects, quoting the most relevant Scriptures, with only short commentary. The next two books are much more detailed, with many more Scripture passages quoted and much more detailed commentary.

All three of these books were updated in 2023. The text is mostly the same, except to update the covers and appendixes and to correct a few minor typos. Also, an Epilogue was added to the final book.


The Bible and Sexual Relationships Issues

In this book, explanations and interpretations are provided for each quoted Bible passage to aid the reader in understanding the Scriptures. However, the emphasis is on the Scriptures themselves. This format will enable the reader to draw conclusions about what the Bible as a whole has to teach on these personal and very relevant issues.


  God’s Sex Plan: Volume One: What the Old Testament Teaches About Human Sexuality

Does God have a sex plan? By that is meant, did God design the human race to function best by following a specific plan for how human beings are to interact sexually and to reproduce? What happens when this plan is followed, and when it is not followed? Are different varieties of sexual behaviors just as legitimate as God’s original sex plan?


God’s Sex Plan: Volume Two: What the New Testament Teaches About Human Sexuality

Many issues are discussed in this set that are related to sex, including but not limited to: monogamy, marital sex, polygamy, incest, homo-sexuality, premarital sex (fornication), extramarital sex (adultery), celibacy, transsexualism, reproduction, infertility, contraception, abortion, sexual harassment and assault, masturbation, pornography, gender roles, and school and other mass shootings (yes, those are related to this topic).


Bible Study

  The LORD Has It Under Control: What the Bible Teaches About the Sovereignty of God

This book is for the person struggling in life and for the person struggling with how God sovereignly works in people’s lives. It goes through the Bible more or less in order. Along the way, I relate examples of how I believe the sovereignty of God has been operating in my life, in hopes that my experiences will help the reader to apply the principles to your life. It also addresses the question of the relationship of God’s sovereignty to the human will or volition.


 

Click for a larger image  Scripture Workbook: For Personal Bible Study and Teaching the Bible: Second Edition

This book contains forty individual “Scripture Studies.” It is divided into two volumes. Volume I covers the essential doctrines of the Christian faith.  It is these doctrines that separate the true Christian faith from cultic and other deviations. Volume II of this book then covers controversial theologies, cults, and ethics.


 

  Scripture Workbook: For Personal Bible Study and Teaching the Bible: Edition 1.1

This book contains twenty-two individual “Scripture Studies.” Each study focuses on one general area of study. These studies enable individuals to do in-depth, topical studies of the Bible. They are also invaluable to the Bible study teacher preparing lessons for Sunday School or a home Bible study.

 


Bible Versions and Translation

Click for a larger image  Differences Between Bible Versions: Third Edition

Why do Bible versions differ? Why does the same verse read differently in different versions? Why do some versions contain words, phrases, and even entire verses that other versions omit? Which Bible versions are the most reliable? These and many other questions are answered in this book. Forty versions of the Bible are compared and evaluated.


New World Translation: A Reliable Bible Version? Edition 2.1

The NWT is the Bible of Jehovah's Witnesses. This review evaluates the NWT by looking at select passages from Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. The standards I use are the same standards that I use in my book Differences Between Bible Versions. Simply put, does the translation faithfully and accurately render the Greek text into English?

 


    Most of the reviews of these books on Amazon are positive. But there are a few negative reviews. For this author’s responses to those negative reviews, see the two-part article Responses to Negative Reviews of My Christian Books on Amazon. See also 3½ Years of Extensive Writing for further details on some of the books.

   

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