The Bible in the Wall

By Dennis Gundersen

"The Bible in the Wall" is the true story of a man who repeatedly rejects the gift of a Bible, which God, in turn, repeatedly brings back across his path. The story is set in the beautiful Swiss Alps and northern Italy, in the 1800s. Surviving intact despite a destructive fire, this Bible, disdainfully cast off three times, becomes the tool used by God to transform the man's life. Children will learn the wonder of the gift of God's Word from this story.

This volume also contains "The Harvest Home", a reminder to children about our duty to be thankful for God's many gifts.

This volume is one of eleven titles in the "Children's Character-Building Collection", our popular reprints of 19th-century Christian books for young children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grace & Truth Books
• Release date: Nov 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781930133648

Book preview

The Bible in the Wall

Author Unknown

Translated from the German by H.J.D.

Grace & Truth Books

Sand Springs, Oklahoma

The stories in this volume were originally published in the 19th century. This Grace & Truth Books reprint, in which spelling, grammar, and formatting changes have been made, is copyright © 2013 by Grace & Truth Books. All rights reserved, with the exception of brief quotations. For consent to reproduce these materials, please contact the publisher.

ISBN # 978-1-58339-053-5

e-ISBN # 9781-930133-648

First printings, l800s (date unknown)

Second printing, Triangle Press, 1993

Third printing, Grace & Truth Books, 2003

Fourth printing, Grace & Truth Books, 2010

e-Book edition, Grace & Truth Books, 2013

Cover art by Caffy Whitney

Cover layout by Ben Gundersen

e-Book conversion by Digital Puritan Press

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Table of Contents

The Bible in the Wall

Chapter 1 - Antonio and His Bible

Chapter 2 - The Wild South Wind

Chapter 3 - The Fire

Chapter 4 - Finding the Bible

Chapter 5 - Giovanni and the Priest

Chapter 6 - The Bible Stall

Chapter 7 - Antonio in the Hospital

Chapter 8 - Conclusion

The Bible (Poem)

The Harvest Home

A Hymn of Praise

The Bible in the Wall

Chapter One

ANTONIO AND HIS BIBLE

In the beginning of the summer in 1856 a young bricklayer named Antonio, who was full of life and fun, left his home in the Swiss Canton of Tessin (on today’s maps it is called Tecino) to look for work. The young man packed his tools and clothes into a bundle, which he carried on a stick over his shoulder. He hiked over the mountains to German Switzerland.

As he walked along the mountainous trail, he met a lady. She spoke to him and gave him an Italian Bible. She begged him to read the Book because it was the Word of God. She said it pointed out the way to everlasting life.

Antonio took the gift hesitatingly. He didn’t thank her, but he did push it into his bundle as he went on his way. Some troubling thoughts entered into his mind. His village priest had often warned him of the dangers in Protestant countries. The priest told Antonio and his friends not to read the soul-destroying books of the heretics.

During this time in history much distrust took place among the various religions. Most people of that part of the world had long belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. A Roman Catholic priest named Martin Luther had come to understand the doctrines of the Bible differently from his church. Martin Luther began to protest against the teaching of the Catholic Church; therefore, the Roman Catholic Church called Luther and his followers protesters. We call those churches who follow the teaching of Martin Luther, Protestants, even today.

Most of the priests he knew had warned Antonio against the Bible. They told Antonio the Bible was very dangerous for the unlearned, and that reading the Bible had deceived even Martin Luther, a Catholic