many instances biblical incarnations were given and, in this volume, became a primary source of information. All extracts from the readings are verbatim quotes.
Cayce said the source of his information came from the knowledge and memory stored in the subconscious mind of the individual for whom the reading was given. If this is correct, and his descriptions of past lives accurate, the Life readings are as close as we can come to actual “eye-witness” accounts. These readings are a unique and fascinating record of the thoughts, the emotions, and the effects of circumstance upon the consciousness of individuals who were present when the Old Testament history was being lived.
Almost all the readings which Cayce gave show the influence of the Bible, yet few readings were devoted exclusively to Scripture.
The “364 series” (those readings beginning with the number “364”) contains 12 discourses devoted to the history of Atlantis and the symbology of Genesis. The 281 series contains 65 discourses dealing with healing prayer and a study of the Revelation of St. John. The 5749 series was obtained by Tom Sugrue for his philosophy chapter in There Is a River, and contains some of the best exposition of the Cayce philosophy paralleled with Christian theology and the tenets of other religious beliefs. The 262 series of 130 discourses deals with the principles of spiritual growth, and forms the basis of the “A Search for God” ecumenical study group program of the Association for Research & Enlightenment, Inc.
These series contain the best material for interpreting a clairvoyant’s view of the great themes and questions which are raised in Scripture, such as the nature of God and His relationships to Man; the purpose for life in the earth, and why Man loves and why he suffers; Good and Evil, Karma and Grace, Free Will and Predestination.
The second source of Edgar Cayce’s interpretations of the Bible is the record kept in his Tuesday Night Bible Class which he conducted during the last four years of his life.
Edgar Cayce was born and raised in a Fundamentalist tradition. In the early days, his career as a psychic offered him no major theological difficulties. He was able to diagnose physical ailments, and the people recovered when his recommendations were applied. His strange gift seemed to be simply a manifestation of God’s Love.
But as his work continued and his fame grew, requests began coming in from a variety of people in widely scattered environments, and concepts such as reincarnation and astrology began appearing in his discourses.
Cayce, who never recalled a word he spoke in trance, was troubled by the presence of these unorthodox concepts. For a long time he debated if he should continue giving readings. Yet the conflict was finally resolved. “No one seemed to be getting hurt,” he observed, “and the readings are still doing good.” Thus, God’s Love was still working in mysterious ways its wonders to perform. And it caused Edgar Cayce to think, to study the readings, and to discuss them with those who were close to him. As Cayce matured and developed, his unconscious statements became fully integrated into his conscious philosophy.
Although a lifelong Bible class teacher, his Tuesday Night class, coming at the end of his life, represents some of his most developed perceptions.
The Bible was not studied as a history or past fact. The lives of the Bible characters and the conditions which surrounded them were studied as relative conditions, stages of development, or planes of consciousness which were applicable in the present. Not only were the great accomplishments studied, but also the faults and failures, in order to make the Bible characters more real and understandable.
The main objective of the study was to gain a better concept of the Bible and its personal relationship to each individual, and to determine which truths were applicable in daily life.
No claim is made that the Bible class quotes reflect the actual words spoken by Edgar Cayce. Indeed, what was recorded was often the consensus of opinion following a group discussion over which Cayce presided. In presenting these quotes, I have felt free to edit and rework the material in order to present it as succinctly as possible.
It was Edgar Cayce’s intention to review all the material upon completion of the study and make any necessary additions or changes before allowing publication. He died before the study reached its conclusion. Thus, the Bible notes have never been widely circulated.
Edgar Cayce taught a Bible class almost all his life. The notes that appear in this preface and the appendix come from a yearlong series of talks (Jan 4, 1939-Jan 2, 1940) requested by members of the original A Search for God study group. The request to Mr. Cayce was to compare lessons emerging from the study group readings (the 262 series) that were dedicated to spiritual development with the wisdom he found in his much loved Bible. He agreed, stating his purpose would be to make the truths practical for the group and for all those who seek to apply them. They are meant for us, as well.
Gladys Davis, Edgar Cayce’s lifelong secretary, recorded each of the talks in this series. Rather than being verbatim, like the trance readings were, these transcriptions preserve the ideas and wisdom he shared, and also give us the flavor of the man as a conscious and enlightened teacher.
(Note: some editorial liberties have been taken with the existing notes for a fuller, more organic presentation of the insights and spiritual philosophy he expressed. RWK.)
A Way of Looking at the Scripture—and Seeing Ourselves in It
(Notes from Edgar Cayce’s Bible Class)
The story of the Bible all through is the story of a human body. Each character then representing some characteristic of a body—each phase of an existence or consciousness is depicted in some one or another character and so on so the whole thing is our own selves depicted for us in the lives of others.
Let us not think of the characters, in our study of the Bible, as merely historical figures, but rather as individuals who passed through an experience not unlike our own.
Through the Old Testament characters we may see the individual developing through various stages to reach the perfection which Christ represents in our lives. We see ourselves in such characters evolving from purely materialistic through the mental into the spiritual life as shown in Christ—in whom we may completely know ourselves to be what we are and what we shall be, by His grace.
When we measure the Old Testament characters by the standard of the Christ, we see many faults and shortcomings; but we must remember that they were only developing toward the Christ Consciousness, just as we are today, and they did not have the Christ Pattern fully outlined for them as we have now.
Their lives were also of a very complex nature, as is ours today. An example is in the parable of Lazarus and Dives (Luke 16:19-25) When the leper Lazarus died, he went to Abraham’s bosom. We can’t conceive of this being literal. It must be a consciousness or an experience through which the individual soul passes. Abraham represents faith. We must have faith, but faith must be part of our experience before we know we have faith. Similarly we find that other characters represent various portions of our own development, characteristics, we might say, that are within our own natures.
Unless we as individuals can experience that which is written in the Bible is ourselves, we cannot say we believe what is says.
From Genesis to The Revelation—an Overview
For students of the Edgar Cayce readings,
