PROOF by Ted D. Berner Delves into Genesis 6:4

"In The Beginning God created the heaven and the earth." This was probably the most famous opening sentence in any book ever written, Ty Larson thought. He read on, most of the next few verses echoed familiarity from the first time he'd read the Bible back in high school. Then, all of a sudden, there is was... a few short sentences in Genesis chapter six that were going to change his life forever:

And it came to past, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the songs of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they have children to them, the same became might men which were of old, men of renown....

"Well Father, I must admit that I haven't read the Bible for some time now, but I began to read it again the other day and I cam across something that was rather puzzling..." Ty open the Bible he'd brought with him. "I was only a few pages into it, and here in Genesis, chapter six, where it says--"
Before he could finish, Father Mac interrupted, "And you were wondering about the Sons of God?..."

"Oh! Deacon, it's you," Ty explained in surprise. "I'm sorry, did I forget something?"
The look on the deacon's face was stern. "The book of Enoch!"
Ty was at a loss for words and utterly puzzled. The deacon kept a firm grasp on Ty's jacket as he repeated himself, "The book of Enoch! In there you will find the names of the ones you seek."
"Names? Of the Sethites and Cainites?" Ty was more than a little confused now.
"No!" the deacon demanded, almost seeming upset. "This is one thing Father Mac and I disagree on. Read the book of Enoch!" The deacon let go of the jacket and disappeared down the stairs, as silently as he had come.
Ty stood there frozen, wondering what the hell had just happened. The Book of Enoch? He remembered just reading about Enoch in Genesis, but there were only a few sentences at most, and he didn't remember any such book in the Bible...

~~~

Ty Larson had taken an archaeology class as the best option for finishing his degree. In considering what his paper was to be about, he had come across Genesis 6 and, the words had sunk in, so much so, that he became puzzled over the words' meaning. He had been raised to believe the Bible was fact, sooo?

Who were these giants? Who were the sons of God that took human wives? His degree was in Criminal Justice, yet this class in archaeology, taught by an excellent Professor Eisenberg, had gained his full attention. The assignment was an end-of-the-semester paper regarding Biblical links to the ancient megalithic structures scattered across the globe. And the student writing the best paper would travel with Professor Eisenberg on his next trip!

I greatly enjoyed how Ty, being the main character, began his research, so that readers feel as if they are on the same search, including having no idea what that search would lead to. Ty began with the Priest at the church he had once attended to learn more about Genesis 6. He didn't learn too much new information, until a deacon at the church, who knew why he was there, stopped him and told him he disagreed with the common interpretation and referred, actually almost demanded, that he investigate the Book of Enoch to learn what he wanted to know... I must say that there was enough in Berner's book to make me interested enough to buy that book which was, for whatever reason, not included in today's Bible...

Remembering Enoch from the Bible, Ty first refreshed his memory of those passages. For instance, in Hebrews 11:5, he read: By faith Enoch was translated that he did not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Ty thought how confusing the Bible could be and realized how people could spend so much time studying it, but the little he'd read so far, made it sound like Enoch must've been very important...

...The first few paragraphs talked about who Enoch was: the seventh from Adam and the great grandfather of Noah.
Ty realized with a sense of awe just how long ago the events he was contemplating had taken place...If seemed the deeper he delved into this, the more muddled everything became...The first few chapters of Enoch seemed to be a vision that revealed, among other things, an impending destruction of life on earth: "all shall be afraid, and the Watchers be terrified." This was the first he'd heard of the Watchers. Who were they? Ty read on, then he came to something that sound very familiar: It happened after the sons of men had multiplied in those days, that daughters were born to them, elegant and beautiful. And when the angels, the sons of heaven, beheld them, they became enamored of them, saying to each other. Come, let us select for ourselves wives from the progeny of men, and let us beget children.
He was stunned. This seemed to reiterate what he'd just read in Genesis, almost verbatim. The Sons of God taking daughters of men, and having children?
...It took Ty a second to digest what he was reading. This sounded incredible! It was definitely not the view Father Mac held. This was, literally, angels procreating with human women and producing children...giants, no less--just as the few short sentences in Genesis had so briefly mentioned. Why had this not been elaborated on in the Bible?...

~~~

I was soon totally hooked into Ty's investigation and, already, was seeing the potential connection between giants occupying earth and the megalithic structures. Ty was moving toward the hypothesis that would begin his class paper!

At the same time, readers will be able to pick up clues that Ty's activities was stirring interest beyond his classroom. Fortunately, Ty had discussed his research with his father, who was a CIA Agent, who Ty planned to follow after finishing his degree. Soon people started following Ty, and his father had arranged to have Ty guarded...What was being discovered had warranted more interest than first realized...

Amazingly, what Berner presents from his research sounds logical, even within this fictional novel, even if I was sad to see the turn that moved the story into an entirely different and later part of history. That was mainly because I had read more about the connection discovered later when they were working to discover who was creating danger for Ty.

On the other hand, as the book ended, I was totally in tune with the "why," the "what," and the "how" that resulted in the unique cover to the book. There is reference to a possible sequel; however, I felt that his novel easily stands on its own even if another book is planned. Although I admit to curiosity about what might come...

I was attracted to the book because of the title and Biblical reference. Historical scholars, I believe, will be intrigued with the connective research traced from the beginning of time into our recent past. For those, like me, who enjoy Alternative History stories, this just might be a must-read for you. It certainly pulls in new material: one Bible reference, plus a few others and satisfactorily proposes an alternative history for some of the mysteries that still exist in today's world...

I found the continuity of the research, the investigation, and the presentation to be comparable to scientific investigations that routinely go on across the world. The author points out that none of the material presented was "imagined" by him but came from already documented legends, folklore and non-character related individuals. His work to merge all of these earlier known "facts or fiction" into an exciting adventure into our past, is impressive in my opinion. And certainly worthy of your consideration!

GABixlerReviews

Ted Berner grew up in the Mountains of Montana where he and his wife currently live on a ranch with several four-legged furry friends. Besides raising horses and Bernese Mountain Dogs, Berner is also an airline pilot and spends a few hours each week traveling around the country at thirty-five thousand feet.

Ted started his writing career in 2010 when he became fascinated with a mysterious civilization that is only briefly mentioned in the Bible. The topic of the Nephilim, the giants from the Bible, is such an intriguing subject that Berner has been a guest speaker on several shows, including Caravan to Midnight with John B. Wells and Late Night in the Midlands with Michael Vara.