Frank
Ely Gabelein(1899-1983) was Arno’s youngest son. He was two years old
when Arno and Scofield met and ten when the Scofield Bible was published.
Frank’s childhood memories of his father and his home life were taped
in a series of interviews by researcher David Rausch at his home near
Arlington, Virginia in 1979. The interviews provide key insights into
the history of the Scofield Bible because young Frank was running around
the house while his father was typing the notes. He was an eye witness.
The Gaebelein’s lived in Mt. Vernon, New York known today as upper Harlem. At the time it was heavily populated by Yiddish speaking German and Russian Jewish immigrants. The Jews largely moved out of this section by 1920. The Broadway play Fiddler on the Roof was a whimsical look back at an era now almost forgotten.
Frank remembers his father would leave early each morning to take the train to Grand Central Station and go to the office of his magazine Our Hope on 2nd Street. His large one room office was filled with books and magazines and desks for him and his secretary.6
At home his father spent most of his time on the typewriter in his study. He was absorbed with his work and his mother avoided disturbing him. Scofield was a frequent visitor and there was a family joke that Scofield liked to go to theaters. Yiddish matinees were popular at the turn of the century.7
The author of the Scofield Bible was listed as Dr. C.I. Scofield, D.D., however Frank stated that Scofield never attended a university or a seminary.8 His father had written a History of the Scofield Bible in 1939 which led to the impression that Scofield worked closely with seven editors in the preparation of the book.9
But, Frank later wrote in A History of the Scofield Bible(1959) that the reference bible was largely the work of one man. The implication was that the one man was Scofield.10 However, in the interview with Rausch in 1979 he stated that his father had “definitely” been responsible for the prophetic portion of the reference bible. 11 The “one man” was his father.12
Frank’s confession came shortly before he died. He had nothing to lose and was proud of what his father had accomplished. Since then researchers have confirmed his story. The seven editors with impressive credentials had nothing to do with the writing or editing of the Scofield Bible. Scofield was incapable of doing it himself. Arno had done the notes. King James did the bible.
This revelation opened a Pandora’s box of new mysteries. Why did two of the most respected Christians of the 20th century create the illusion that a man of dubious character, and spurious credentials wrote their reference bible? Next Page
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6. Ibid., pp.203,4.
7. Ibid., p. 205.
8. Frank E. Gaebelein, The Story of the Scofield Reference Bible 1909-1959.
(Oxford University Press, New York, 1959), p. 11.
9. Arno C. Gaebelein, The History of the Scofield Reference Bible. (Living
Words Foundation, Spokane, WA.), p 59.
10. Story of the Scofield Reference Bible, p. 7.
11. Arno C. Gaebelein (Rausch), p. 245.
12. Ibid., p.73.