In my previous update, I explained the new titles and provided cover art for my two “divine council worldview” books. What follows are the Table of Contents for each, at least how they stand now. I don’t expect much rewording.
The initial draft of what I’d been calling my “Myth book” had less than thirty chapters. Many were egregiously long (hey, it was just a brain dump back then). You’ll note that the new arrangement has 42 chapters, grouped thematically. It also has short summaries and previews and an epilogue. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll blog (i.e., provide) the first three chapters as they stand before final line/copy edit. But here’s the TOC for The Unseen Realm:
First Things
1 Reading Your Bible Again-for the First Time
2 Rules of EngagementThe Households of God
3 God’s Entourage
4 God Alone
5 As in Heaven, So on Earth
6 Gardens and Mountains
7 Eden–Like No Place on Earth
8 Only God is Perfect
9 Peril and Providence
Summary and PreviewDivine Transgressions
10 Appearances Can be Deceiving
11 Like the Most High?
12 Divine Transgression
13 The Bad Seed
14 Divine Allotment
15 Cosmic Geography
Summary and PreviewYahweh and His Portion
16 Abraham’s Word
17 Yahweh Visible and Invisible
18 What’s in a Name?
19 Who is like Yahweh?
20 Retooling the Template
21 God’s Law, God’s Council
22 Realm Distinction
Summary and PreviewConquest and Failure
23 Giant Problems
24 The Place of the Serpent
25 Holy War
Summary and PreviewThus Says the Lord
26 Mountains and Valleys
27 Standing Before the Council
28 Divine Misdirection
29 The Rider on the Clouds
30 Prepare to Die
Summary and PreviewThe Kingdom Already
31 Who Will Go For Us?
32 Pre-Eminent Domain
33 A Beneficial Death
34 Infiltration
35 Sons of God, Seed of Abraham
36 Lower Than the Elohim
37 Disloyal Opposition
38 Choosing Sides
Summary and PreviewThe Kingdom Not Yet
39 The Final Verdict
40 The Foe from the North
41 Mount of Assembly
42 Describing the IndescribableEpilogue
The Table of Contents for the (non-academic) trade book, Supernatural, are substantially shorter.
1 So You Say You Believe the Bible?
2 The Invisible Realm: God and the Gods
3 Once and Future Kings
4 Divine Rebellions
5 Cosmic Geography
6 Word, Name, and Angel
7 Rules of Engagement
8 Sacred space
9 Holy War
10 Hidden in Plain Sight
11 Supernatural Intent
12 The Cloud Rider
13 The Great Reversal
14 The Unseen War
15 Not of This World
16 Ruling Over Angels
The Unseen Realm is about 110,000 words (not including footnotes). Supernatural is on pace to be about 30,000. As I noted in my earlier update, the trade book is designed to present only the core ideas as plainly as possible, without documentation of any kind. It’s been a challenge, too. It’s hard to just turn off my brain on this stuff. But I have to do that to avoid overwhelming that audience.
The Unseen Realm manuscript is done (awaiting final edit). I am on pace to finish the Supernatural manuscript next week.
All that and The Portent (the sequel to my first novel/thriller, The Facade) is supposed to ship shortly after July 4. It’s nice to finally feel like progress is being made on all these fronts.
Stay tuned.
I would love to take a look and provide feedback on that front if it would be helpful. Looking forward to both of these!
Yay!
I’m geeking out!
Which of these 2 books would you say the myth book was most comparable to on an academic level?
Unseen Realm – it *is* the old Myth book with added material (and some things removed for a follow-up). It has a lot more footnotes in it than the old draft, too.
Can’t wait, maybe I’ll break in and steal copy from the publisher ninja style to get a copy sooner. 😀 Do you recommend getting both books or is the academic one good enough?
I’m going to be asking pastors and those who have some sort of teaching / small group role in churches to also get Supernatural (or I’ll send out copies – again, stay tuned for posts about that) so I can get feedback on whether they think “the average churchgoer” can digest the material.
Looking forward to both of these books. I teach, so I am interested in the supernatural one. How to present this type of information is always a concern for me. As you infer, it can be difficult for the “average church goer” to digest.
for sure – stay tuned!
You’ve got me wanting both.
good!
stay tuned!
In the urban dictionary vernacular of my pre-teen and teenage girls….I am Totes excited for these books yo.
It’s been a long wait but that has not diminished my interest or fervor for all things MSH/DC/Facade/Portent. Pumped.
Loved this – funny! (I have three daughters, so I have a functional knowledge – but not fluency – of this dialect).
I’m so excited, I’ve been waiting on the myth book to come out for quite a while now!
Getting close.
Dr. Heiser will both books be released thru Kindle as well? Or can we expect a delay.
I’m told that print and Kindle (and other digital) will be simultaneous.
Hopefully, we will have time to read them and share them before the end of the world as we know it 🙂
Let me guess – Blitz and company have re-calculated the blood moons?! A new Mayan calendar adjustment?
I’m really looking forward Michael for the books coming out. I believe we need a great shaking. It’s time for the unseen realm being revealed and understood as fact not as entertainment.
no doubt some shaking will happen.
Honestly, when I was finished with the Facade I said to myself I know this story is fiction but this is the way it truly is. Wow can’t wait to read part 2!
thanks – did you post a review on Amazon?
I look forward to reading/reviewing this on my blog! Perhaps I’ve missed it, but have you revealed the publisher yet?
The publisher is Lexham Press (http://lexhampress.com/), which is one of the new (two yrs. old) print imprints of my employer, Logos Bible Software. It removes the danger of a publisher filtering the content. Management here is all in on my stuff. They’ve read it, get it, and want people to read it. Logos has deep connections within the Christian publishing world by virtue of what we do, so we’re also getting expert help from outsiders who believe in the content. Makes it sound like a special-op, but it sort of fits.
We share the same mystifying reality that is 3 daughters. I can’t hear myself think half the time Mike, how in the world can you maintain websites and write novels?? Anyway, looking forward to the new books. Gonna re-purchase The Facade when I buy The Portent because the new cover is awesome and I need consistency in my MSH library.
made me chuckle – thanks!
Read the first few chapters of both; excellent! Im thinking UR for leaders/teachers and SN for the small groups. Bring the shaking, we need these truths as a family (hopefully church leaders will practice some emotional intelligence;) Any chance to completely review the UR?
That’s sort of the thinking (your division). On reviewing, stay tuned (subscribe here or follow me on Twitter @msheiser). Once manuscripts are available, I’ll be posting about that.
Please direct me to your research on “nachash”. I found an old link to something you wrote but cannot find the article. What I did read was very interesting and I’d like to learn more.
http://www.michaelsheiser.com/MHeiserChapter5Nachash.pdf
That’s now part of the Unseen Realm book (see the posts on that on the Naked Bible blog). I can’t reproduce that content here any longer because of the book contract. Unseen Realm will be out in Fe-March 2015.
I was reading through the old PaleoBabble site doing some research and came across a post that was not discussed and merely stated “Stay Tuned.” The subject matter I was most interested was in regarded to the authors posted questions: Why is the flying serpent the creator God in so many mythologies?
Was this answered at any point? If so, would someone be willing to provide the link?
I was recently introduced the a series of videos called: More plausible points for serpent race. Saga A – D. I was hoping this site might provide some insight on the above question.
Stay tuned was in regard to future news about the book. I don’t think the nagas is/are evidence for a “serpent race” (nor do I think the Bible is). See the links below:
http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/on-the-reptilians-and-the-persistence-of-myth
http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-ancient-aliens-s06e23-faces-of-the-gods-special-edition-and-s07e01-the-reptilians
http://www.jasoncolavito.com/uploads/3/7/5/9/3759274/colavito_-_ancient_atom_bombs.pdf
Hi, do you have a reader for the Unseen Realm? I wish I could also have access to the materials covered in the book.
BTW, do you have a page on the for bibliography for biblical theology and interpretation. I would like to ramp up my biblical knowledge. 😀
The publisher is handling “pre-reads”; I don’t understand the second question.
Dr Heiser, will The Unseen Realm contain material on the Leviathan?
no; I removed that for the second book.
Been geeking out and shamelessly plugging away:
http://benstanhope.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-unseen-realm-easily-coolest.html
loved it! My favorite line:
“Heiser isn’t a mega church pastor, self-help shaman or “’merica prophecies” eisegete …”
still chuckling!
They canceled the orders in that window. You’ll have to order it again when it pre-pubs again.
I got the audiobook first because it’s a convenient way for me to ingest information. My initial reaction was: where are we going with this? Then by the end of Part 2: Wow, I need to get the printed book (which I ended up doing because my wife got interested (hooked). Been chewing the cud and searching the scriptures ever since. Will be getting Supernatural as well!
Thanks!