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BIBLICAL REFERENCES in CROSSWORDS
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CHUCK'S CROSSWORD COLUMN
by Chuck Schnebel

In preparing this column I began with the idea of using Literary References but quickly discovered that topic would have to be broken down into several columns (fiction and fiction writers, theater and playwrights, poets and poetry). Then I hit upon the notion of often-used Biblical References, which turned out to be a bit more manageable. As I investigated the subject I was surprised to find that nearly all of the frequently used Biblical references can be found in Genesis, the first book in the Judeao-Christian Scriptures. At any rate, here is what I found out about the words they like to use that are to be found in The Holy Bible... most specifically, the Book of Genesis.

As might expected, most popular of all is

EDEN... There certainly are very few crossword composers who are unimpressed by the idea of an "idyllic garden"; an "earthly paradise" or that "perfect place". The New York Times has seen fit to label it a place of ideal bliss and complete happiness...which is Webster's definition for their clue which was "Elysium". Since there is seldom a day that goes by without one puzzle or another including the word, I could probably go on with a dozen more clues for it and still not run out. For a scholarly investigation into the possibility of an historical Eden, Click Here. For an insight into Eden as a horticultural inspiration, Click Here. To read an account of its possible geographical location and to see an enlargement of the picture above, Click Here.

ADAM and EVE... Equally popular with the cluemeisters are the residents of Eden, Adam and Eve. The engraving by artist Albrecht Durer shown here is possibly the most famous depiction of this couple and for more about this picture, Click Here for a page of information about the artist and the engraving, as well as the opportunity for viewing an enlargement of the picture. ADAM is presented to us in puzzles as everything from "first man" and "earliest forefather" to "man with a spare rib", not to mention the "namer of birds and animals". In Mark Twain's version of the story, he has Eve naming everything while Adam refers to all varieties of birds as 'flyers.' "First lady" is an often-used clue for the often-used word EVE, but I've also seen "mother of us all" and "apple offerer" along the way. Of course, let's be alert to the fact that "time of anticipation" and "night before" are also valid clues for EVE. For the ancient historian Josephus' account of creation and the story of Adam and Eve in Eden, click on the high-lighted ADAM and EVE at the start of this paragraph.

CAIN and ABEL... The clues for CAIN are usually fairly generic, often along the lines of "Genesis son" or "Genesis character." The answers might just as easily be Adam or Abel, or Seth -- Adam and Eve's third son. Or it could even be Enos or Noah, who came along much later. The cluemeisters might be trying to make the answer more difficult by being vague, but I prefer the puzzle maker who gave us a staight-forward "Abel slayer" for Cain. The clues for ABELaren't much of an improvement when they list "Seth's brother" which could be for either CAIN or ABEL. I've seen the clue "world's first murder victim" which is more specific. The New York Times avoids the whole thing by offering "United steelworkers leader, I. W. _ _ _ _" for ABEL. Once again, applying your "mouse" to high-lighted names will give you additional information.

SETH and ENOS...SETH, as mentioned above, was Adam and Eve's third son, born after the murder of Abel, and he is most often clued as "third son of Adam and Eve" or, once again, "Genesis character." He was the father of Enos, whose name is composed of letters dearly loved by puzzle makers, and, consequently, you'll find for ENOS such clues as "son of Seth", "Seth's son", and "Eve's grandson".

NOAH... Once again we are given "Genesis character" and "Genesis man" as clues, but at least there are also "ark captain" and "father of Shem, Ham and Japheth" in a more specific vein. Clicking on the high-lighted word NOAH takes you to a translation of Flavius Josephus' (the Jewish historian, 37-95? A.D.) account of the Great Flood and of Noah and his kindred being saved from drowning. A more recent account of NOAH's life and times from Easton's Bible Dictionary will be found by clicking HERE.

ESAU...Clues tend to alternate between "Jacob's brother" and "Jacob's twin", but this lack of diversity in clues for the name have in no way kept it from being one of the more popular words used in crossword puzzles. The New York Times also informs us that ESAU is a "1997 Philip Kerr best selling mystery". Naturally, you can buy the Kerr book from Amazon or Barnes & Noble on the internet, but for Josephus' complete history on the subject of Jacob and Esau just Click Here. Click on the high-lighted name at the beginning of this paragraph for still another version of Esau's story.

MOSES, the story of the "Hebrew lawgiver" of the Ten Commandments, and the "Red Sea parter" who led the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, has often been told, most recently in the animated film, PRINCE OF EGYPT. Click on the high-lighted words for more information, and click on the photo of Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses to go to a website telling us of that famous materpiece.

Also from the Book of Genesis is the story of ELI, a good three-letter word for Crossword Puzzlers, and most often associated with the prophet Samuel, as "Samuel's teacher". Click here for the famous dialogue between Samuel and Eli or click on the highlighted name for information about ELI and his sons as they relate to the prophet Samuel.

MENE, the famous "writing-on-the-wall word" is occasionally used in puzzles. It is from the 5th chapter of the Book of Daniel and recounts the event at Belshazzar's Feast when a mysterious hand wrote the words "mene mene tekel upharsin" on the wall, interpreted to mean, "your kingdom has been weighed in the balances, found wanting, and is about to be divided." Click here to both read and hear (if you have Real Player) the account of Belshazzar, Daniel, and the handwriting on the wall.

Finally, although there's a Biblical character named GIDEON, when the word is sought for a puzzle, the clue is usually something like "hotel Bible". To find out about Gideon in the Bible, click on his high-lighted name above. For an online explanation of The Gideons International service which has been responsible for supplying bibles to hotel rooms for over 100 years, you can click here .

Anything else you want to know about crosswords? You should be able to learn about it through one or another of Ray Hamel's crossword puzzle links. If you haven't looked into his link page recently, I think you might be in for a big surprise. He's rearranged the page to list daily, weekly and monthly internet puzzle links up front followed by the dozens (or is it now hundreds) of other crossword links.

RAY HAMEL'S LIST OF CROSSWORD PUZZLE LINKS

With all the crossword puzzles on the internet, I've included a link to an interactive design that is relatively "user friendly" (Java-powered browser required). It's Timothy Parker's Universal Crossword which is syndicated in many of the major newspapers in the U.S. Just click on the logo below for the puzzle of the day.

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