Brownstone
Page 35
The next fact, to my enlightened surprise, is the human rib. In my book, the evil mad scientist, Emmerich Koenig, babbles on in his tirade about the miracle of regeneration of the rib before he brutally murders his own son. He’s not wrong when he says it’s the only bone not only capable of healing, but of complete spontaneous regeneration. The rib can be removed from the periosteum and be used in many bone-grafting surgeries and, if the periosteum is left intact, it will grow back. Let alone this fascinating fact, what I find more fascinating is the story of Eve’s birth in Genesis: And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. I could speculate for days on this apparent coincidence of regeneration, but I think I’ll save that for future books.
The ancient organization in the story I named the Bene Elohim is pure fiction. Or is it? The Hebrew definition of the word Bene has several meanings. One of those definitions is a member of a guild, order or class.10 Another definition of Bene is child or grandchild. So, Bene Elohim (Elohim defined as God) or Sons of God. This was another core idea for the story. The Sons of God are mentioned in the Bible a few times. It says that the Sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and they took wives of all they chose and those daughters of men bore the Sons of God, mighty men of renown. Sound vaguely familiar?
There are stories out there of Watcher Angels that were left here on earth in its beginning to see to things. Were the Watchers the Bene Elohim, the Sons of God? Did they exist? The Bible says it’s so in Genesis 6:4: There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the Sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Were the Bene Elohim, or Sons of God, an ancient organization hell-bent on changing the human race? Probably not.
I hope this chapter has shed some light on the facts and cast the shadows of fiction in a more open light. All I can say is that there were definitely giants in the earth in those days.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, any errors found in this book are solely and completely my fault and I take full responsibility. That being said…I’d like to thank my partner, Paul Melendez, for, without his unconditional love and support, this book would not have been possible. His keen eye for editing has been paramount in the polishing of this work of fiction and I am ever grateful. Julie Larson, the first reader, and first professional editorial pass-through, has been invaluable in the writing of Brownstone. Her medical advice during the torture scene and crazy I-can’t-believe-you-found-those-mistakes editing were such an integral part of the book I don’t know what I’d have done without her…Trash Panda—you’re the best! Don Phillips, your constant push, and support throughout the years have made my journey a helluva lot easier. I don’t know how I’d get through each day without your words of encouragement, thank you. BIG THANKS out to New York Times Bestselling author, Rebecca Cantrell, for giving me my very first cover blurb. You helped me all along the way and my appreciation is never-ending. We authors help one another…it is the part of this career I treasure most. And to my first readers, Elizabeth “Lilbit” Enright, Marion Zugibe Somarelli, Melissa Crandall Twardos, Stephanie Crandall Walcott, Kelly Aschoff Murphy, Stephine Ann Mathis, Jason Dennison and many, many more, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and cannot wait to send you the next book. Lastly…thank you, to Ironclad Bindings, for making this all possible.
Notes
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dating_the_Bible
2. http://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/lilith/index.html
3. http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/lilith/
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4Q510-511
5. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+34%3A14&version=DARBY
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_of_Sirach
7. http://www.diggingwithdarren.com/blog/2011/01/24/new-text-of-ben-sira-found-among-cairo-geniza-fragments/
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Schechter
9. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/18662#/summary
10. http://creationwiki.org/Bene_Elohim