How to Read the Bible
A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $34.29
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Mel Foster
-
By:
-
James L. Kugel
About this listen
The story of Adam and Eve, it turns out, was not originally about the "Fall of Man",l but about the move from a primitive, hunter-gatherer society to a settled, agricultural one.
As for the stories of Cain and Abel, Abraham and Sarah, and Jacob and Esau, these narratives were not, at their origin, about individual people at all but, rather, explanations of some feature of Israelite society as it existed centuries after these figures were said to have lived. And whatever the original Ten Commandments might have been, scholars are quite sure they were different from the ones we have today.
Such findings pose a serious problem for adherents of traditional, Bible-based faiths. Hiding from the discoveries of modern scholars seems dishonest, but accepting them means undermining much of the Bible's reliability and authority as the word of God. What to do?
In his search for a solution, Kugel leads the listener back to a group of ancient biblical interpreters who flourished at the end of the biblical period. Far from naïve, these interpreters consciously set out to depart from the original meaning of the Bible''s various stories, laws, and prophecies - and they, Kugel argues, hold the key to solving the dilemma of reading the Bible today.
How to Read the Bible is, quite simply, the best, most original book about the Bible in decades. Clear, often funny, but deeply serious in its purpose, this is a book for Christians and Jews, believers and secularists alike.
©2008 James L. Kugel (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
-
-
Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
-
Who Wrote the Bible?
- By: Richard Friedman
- Narrated by: Julian Smith, Richard Friedman
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, the prophet Moses was regarded as the sole author of the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch. According to tradition, Moses was divinely directed to write down foundational events in the history of the world: the creation of humans, the worldwide flood, the laws as they were handed down at Mt. Sinai, and the cycle of Israel’s enslavement and liberation from Egypt. However, these stories—and their frequent discrepancies—provoke questions.
-
-
An Excellent Book that is Written and Narrated Exceptionally Well!
- By Crazgod on 09-09-22
By: Richard Friedman
-
The Exodus
- By: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Narrated by: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biblical scholars, Egyptologists, archaeologists, historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, and filmmakers are drawn to the mystery of the exodus. Unable to find physical evidence until now, many archaeologists and scholars claim this mass migration is just a story, not history. Others oppose this conclusion, defending the biblical account.
-
-
It started well......
- By kboy2008 on 04-21-20
-
A History of the Bible
- The Story of the World's Most Influential Book
- By: John Barton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 21 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be listened to in its historical context - from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries....
-
-
Engaging and comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 07-29-19
By: John Barton
-
The Bible Unearthed
- Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts
- By: Neil Asher Silberman, Israel Finkelstein
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors. They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible - the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon’s vast empire - reflect the world of the later authors.
-
-
Quite Eye Opening
- By K. Walker on 10-11-22
By: Neil Asher Silberman, and others
-
The Bible with and Without Jesus
- How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently
- By: Amy-Jill Levine, Marc Zvi Brettler
- Narrated by: Marni Penning
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Esteemed Bible scholars and teachers Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler take readers on a guided tour of the most popular Hebrew Bible passages quoted in the New Testament to show what the texts meant in their original contexts and then how Jews and Christians, over time, understood those same texts. By understanding the depth and variety by which these passages have been, and can be, understood, The Bible With and Without Jesus does more than enhance our religious understandings, it helps us to see the Bible as a source of inspiration for any and all listeners.
-
-
Decent read
- By Jeff on 06-26-23
By: Amy-Jill Levine, and others
-
The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
-
-
Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
-
Who Wrote the Bible?
- By: Richard Friedman
- Narrated by: Julian Smith, Richard Friedman
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, the prophet Moses was regarded as the sole author of the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch. According to tradition, Moses was divinely directed to write down foundational events in the history of the world: the creation of humans, the worldwide flood, the laws as they were handed down at Mt. Sinai, and the cycle of Israel’s enslavement and liberation from Egypt. However, these stories—and their frequent discrepancies—provoke questions.
-
-
An Excellent Book that is Written and Narrated Exceptionally Well!
- By Crazgod on 09-09-22
By: Richard Friedman
-
The Exodus
- By: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Narrated by: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biblical scholars, Egyptologists, archaeologists, historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, and filmmakers are drawn to the mystery of the exodus. Unable to find physical evidence until now, many archaeologists and scholars claim this mass migration is just a story, not history. Others oppose this conclusion, defending the biblical account.
-
-
It started well......
- By kboy2008 on 04-21-20
-
A History of the Bible
- The Story of the World's Most Influential Book
- By: John Barton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 21 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be listened to in its historical context - from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries....
-
-
Engaging and comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 07-29-19
By: John Barton
-
The Bible Unearthed
- Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts
- By: Neil Asher Silberman, Israel Finkelstein
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors. They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible - the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon’s vast empire - reflect the world of the later authors.
-
-
Quite Eye Opening
- By K. Walker on 10-11-22
By: Neil Asher Silberman, and others
-
The Bible with and Without Jesus
- How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently
- By: Amy-Jill Levine, Marc Zvi Brettler
- Narrated by: Marni Penning
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Esteemed Bible scholars and teachers Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler take readers on a guided tour of the most popular Hebrew Bible passages quoted in the New Testament to show what the texts meant in their original contexts and then how Jews and Christians, over time, understood those same texts. By understanding the depth and variety by which these passages have been, and can be, understood, The Bible With and Without Jesus does more than enhance our religious understandings, it helps us to see the Bible as a source of inspiration for any and all listeners.
-
-
Decent read
- By Jeff on 06-26-23
By: Amy-Jill Levine, and others
-
The Oxford History of the Biblical World
- By: Michael D. Coogan - editor
- Narrated by: Scott R. Pollak
- Length: 26 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than a century, archaeologists have been unearthing the tombs, temples, texts, and artifacts of the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world. Using new approaches, contemporary scholars have begun to synthesize this material with the biblical traditions. The Oxford History of the Biblical World incorporates the best of this scholarship, and in chronologically ordered chapters presents the listener with an integrated study of the history, art, architecture, languages, literatures, and religion of biblical Israel and early Judaism and Christianity in their larger cultural contexts.
-
-
Lots of Information
- By Gordon Hayes on 07-29-24
-
A New Testament Biblical Theology
- The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New
- By: G. K. Beale
- Narrated by: William Sarris
- Length: 44 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this comprehensive exposition, a leading New Testament scholar explores the unfolding theological unity of the entire Bible from the vantage point of the New Testament. G. K. Beale, coeditor of the award-winning Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, examines how the New Testament storyline relates to and develops the Old Testament storyline. Beale argues that every major concept of the New Testament is a development of a concept from the Old and is to be understood as a facet of the inauguration of the latter-day new creation and kingdom.
-
-
Great book on theology!
- By Carlos S. on 12-25-23
By: G. K. Beale
-
Paul
- A Biography
- By: N. T. Wright
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this definitive biography, renowned Bible scholar, Anglican bishop, and best-selling author N. T. Wright offers a radical look at the apostle Paul, illuminating the humanity and remarkable achievements of this intellectual who invented Christian theology - transforming a faith and changing the world. For centuries, Paul, the apostle who "saw the light on the Road to Damascus" and made a miraculous conversion from zealous Pharisee persecutor to devoted follower of Christ, has been one of the church's most widely cited saints.
-
-
Different type of writing for Wright is helpful
- By Adam Shields on 04-25-18
By: N. T. Wright
-
The Bible Tells Me So
- Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It
- By: Peter Enns
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Trained as an evangelical Bible scholar, Peter Enns loved the Scriptures and shared his devotion by teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary. But the further he studied the Bible, the more he found himself confronted by questions that could neither be answered within the rigid framework of his religious instruction nor be accepted among the conservative evangelical community.
-
-
Popular level look at how we understand scripture
- By Adam Shields on 04-21-15
By: Peter Enns
-
How the Bible Actually Works
- In Which I Explain How An Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom Rather Than Answers—and Why That’s Great News
- By: Peter Enns
- Narrated by: Peter Enns
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How the Bible Actually Works makes clear that there is no one right way to read or listen to the Bible. Moving us beyond the damaging idea that “being right” is the most important measure of faith, Enns’ freeing approach to Bible study helps us to instead focus on pursuing enlightenment and building our relationship with God - which is exactly what the Bible was designed to do.
-
-
The subtitle matters
- By Adam Shields on 03-08-19
By: Peter Enns
-
Jesus, Interrupted
- Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Picking up where Bible expert Bart Ehrman's New York Times best seller, Misquoting Jesus, left off, Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches...and it's not what most people think. This is the book that pastors, educators, and anyone interested in the Bible have been waiting for, a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we face when attempting to reconstruct the life and message of Jesus.
-
-
Take a college course in New Testament in a book
- By R. Reed on 04-09-09
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Paul and Jesus
- How the Apostle Transformed Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Historians know virtually nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. During this time the man we know as the apostle Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have - the letters of Paul - as well as other early Christian sources, historian and scholar James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity.
-
-
Paul or Jesus?
- By James on 01-29-13
By: James D. Tabor
-
Exodus for Normal People: A Guide to the Story-and History-of the Second Book of the Bible
- The Bible for Normal People, Book 1
- By: Peter Enns
- Narrated by: Peter Enns
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Behind the scenes of movies like The Ten Commandments, The Prince of Egypt, or Exodus: Gods and Kings is a complicated, and at times, messy biblical story. In this short guide to the book of Exodus, Biblical scholar Peter Enns doesn't just break down the story for the average person to understand but takes us behind the story - to the history and traditions that led us to the story as we have it today. By asking the important questions, and taking us along Moses's and the Israelite journey, Enns brings the best in biblical scholarship to us everyday people.
-
-
Filled with shallow identity politics
- By dubrob on 07-23-24
By: Peter Enns
-
Mere Christianity
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most popular and beloved introductions to the concept of faith ever written, Mere Christianity has sold millions of copies worldwide. This audiobook brings together C. S. Lewis' legendary radio broadcasts during the war years, in which he set out simply to "explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times."
-
-
Clear Christianity
- By Andrew on 07-17-17
By: C. S. Lewis
-
How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
-
-
Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Misquoting Jesus
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When world-class biblical scholar Bart Ehrman first began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of mistakes and intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman tells the story behind the mistakes and changes that ancient scribes made to the New Testament and shows the great impact they had upon the Bible we use today.
-
-
Understanding Manuscripts
- By KaHef on 11-22-06
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
How to Read the Bible Book by Book
- A Guided Tour
- By: Douglas Stuart, Gordon D. D. Fee
- Narrated by: Trevor Thompson
- Length: 20 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reading the Bible doesn't need to be a difficult journey through strange and bewildering territory. How to Read the Bible Book by Book walks you through the Scriptures like an experienced tour guide, helping you understand each of its 66 books. For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its message and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.
By: Douglas Stuart, and others
Related to this topic
-
The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
-
-
Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
-
Don't Know Much about the Bible
- Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned
- By: Kenneth C. Davis
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Lorna Raver
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bringing to life the world of the Old and New Testaments, the acclaimed creator of the bestselling Don’t Know Much About® series transforms dry, difficult reading into colorful and realistic accounts. Relying on new research and improved translations, Kenneth C. Davis uncovers some amazing questions and contradictions about what the Bible really says: Jericho’s walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line; Moses never parted the Red Sea; There was a Jesus, but he wasn’t born on Christmas and he probably wasn't an only child....
-
-
decent survey of the topic
- By bookouri on 02-02-14
By: Kenneth C. Davis
-
The Bible's Cutting Room Floor
- The Holy Scriptures Missing from Your Bible
- By: Joel M. Hoffman
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor, acclaimed author and translator Dr. Joel M. Hoffman gives us the stories and other texts that didn’t make it into the Bible even though they offer penetrating insight into the Bible and its teachings. The Book of Genesis tells us about Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden, but not their saga after they get kicked out or the lessons they have for us about good and evil.
-
-
Good content, rather poor presentation by narrator
- By J_T on 12-28-16
By: Joel M. Hoffman
-
God
- A Biography
- By: Jack Miles
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 19 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What sort of "person" is God? Is it possible to approach him not as an object of religious reverence, but as the protagonist of the world's greatest book--as a character who possesses all the depths, contradictions, and abiguities of a Hamlet? In this "brilliant, audacious book" ( Chicago Tribune), a former Jesuit marshalls a vast array of learning and knowledge of the Hebrew Bible to illuminate God--and man--with a sense of discovery and wonder.
-
-
God of flaws - Less human due to his humanity
- By Jacobus on 01-27-15
By: Jack Miles
-
The Exodus
- By: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Narrated by: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biblical scholars, Egyptologists, archaeologists, historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, and filmmakers are drawn to the mystery of the exodus. Unable to find physical evidence until now, many archaeologists and scholars claim this mass migration is just a story, not history. Others oppose this conclusion, defending the biblical account.
-
-
It started well......
- By kboy2008 on 04-21-20
-
How God Became God
- What Scholars Are Really Saying About God and the Bible
- By: Richard M. Smoley
- Narrated by: Richard M. Smoley
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This epic, thrilling journey through Bible scholarship and ancient religion shows how much of Scripture is historically false - yet the ancient writings also resound with theologies that crisscrossed the primeval world and that direct us today toward a deep, authentic inner experience of the truly sacred.
-
-
Just Okay.
- By Thom on 10-28-21
-
The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
-
-
Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
-
Don't Know Much about the Bible
- Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned
- By: Kenneth C. Davis
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Lorna Raver
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bringing to life the world of the Old and New Testaments, the acclaimed creator of the bestselling Don’t Know Much About® series transforms dry, difficult reading into colorful and realistic accounts. Relying on new research and improved translations, Kenneth C. Davis uncovers some amazing questions and contradictions about what the Bible really says: Jericho’s walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line; Moses never parted the Red Sea; There was a Jesus, but he wasn’t born on Christmas and he probably wasn't an only child....
-
-
decent survey of the topic
- By bookouri on 02-02-14
By: Kenneth C. Davis
-
The Bible's Cutting Room Floor
- The Holy Scriptures Missing from Your Bible
- By: Joel M. Hoffman
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor, acclaimed author and translator Dr. Joel M. Hoffman gives us the stories and other texts that didn’t make it into the Bible even though they offer penetrating insight into the Bible and its teachings. The Book of Genesis tells us about Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden, but not their saga after they get kicked out or the lessons they have for us about good and evil.
-
-
Good content, rather poor presentation by narrator
- By J_T on 12-28-16
By: Joel M. Hoffman
-
God
- A Biography
- By: Jack Miles
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 19 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What sort of "person" is God? Is it possible to approach him not as an object of religious reverence, but as the protagonist of the world's greatest book--as a character who possesses all the depths, contradictions, and abiguities of a Hamlet? In this "brilliant, audacious book" ( Chicago Tribune), a former Jesuit marshalls a vast array of learning and knowledge of the Hebrew Bible to illuminate God--and man--with a sense of discovery and wonder.
-
-
God of flaws - Less human due to his humanity
- By Jacobus on 01-27-15
By: Jack Miles
-
The Exodus
- By: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Narrated by: Richard Elliott Friedman
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biblical scholars, Egyptologists, archaeologists, historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, and filmmakers are drawn to the mystery of the exodus. Unable to find physical evidence until now, many archaeologists and scholars claim this mass migration is just a story, not history. Others oppose this conclusion, defending the biblical account.
-
-
It started well......
- By kboy2008 on 04-21-20
-
How God Became God
- What Scholars Are Really Saying About God and the Bible
- By: Richard M. Smoley
- Narrated by: Richard M. Smoley
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This epic, thrilling journey through Bible scholarship and ancient religion shows how much of Scripture is historically false - yet the ancient writings also resound with theologies that crisscrossed the primeval world and that direct us today toward a deep, authentic inner experience of the truly sacred.
-
-
Just Okay.
- By Thom on 10-28-21
-
The Lost Gospel
- Decoding the Ancient Text That Reveals Jesus' Marriage to Mary the Magdalene
- By: Simcha Jacobovici, Barrie Wilson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Waiting to be rediscovered in the British Library is an ancient manuscript of the early Church, copied by an anonymous monk. The manuscript is at least 1,450 years old, possibly dating to the first century, Jesus' lifetime. And now, The Lost Gospel provides the first-ever translation from Syriac into English of this unique document that tells the inside story of Jesus' social, family, and political life. The Lost Gospel takes listeners on an unparalleled historical adventure through a paradigm-shifting manuscript.
-
-
Very well-crafted but uses lot of sketchy material
- By Leifen on 01-09-18
By: Simcha Jacobovici, and others
-
The Jesus Dynasty
- A New Historical Investigation of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: James D. Tabor
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on a careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent archaeological discoveries, The Jesus Dynasty offers a bold new interpretation of the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity. The story is surprising, controversial, and exciting as only a long-lost history can be when it is at last recovered.
-
-
Provocative book
- By Dan on 08-27-06
By: James D. Tabor
-
Christ
- A Crisis in the Life of God
- By: Jack Miles
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jack Miles's book is a provocative and revisionary look at the life of Jesus, in which many of the most well-worn truths about Christ are recontextualized and revisited. It does not look for the historical Jesus, but takes the Gospels as the sole source about his life.
-
-
Missed a lot of stuff
- By Wintertao on 01-08-21
By: Jack Miles
-
Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy
- A Journey into a New Christianity Through the Doorway of Matthew's Gospel
- By: John Shelby Spong
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A man who has consciously and deliberately walked the path of Christ, John Shelby Spong has lived his entire life inside the Christian Church. In this profound and considered work, he offers a radical new way to look at the gospels today as he shows just how deeply Jewish the Christian Gospels are and how much they reflect the Jewish scriptures, history, and patterns of worship.
-
-
understanding the jewish thoughts in the Gospels
- By John on 08-30-18
-
Understanding the Bible
- By: John R. W. Stott
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Understanding the Bible will provide you with a foundational comprehension of the entirety of Scripture with a focus on broadening your vision of Jesus Christ.
-
-
Excellent exposition of the Christian faith
- By GW on 02-25-12
By: John R. W. Stott
-
Understanding the Koran
- A Quick Christian Guide to the Muslim Holy Book
- By: Mateen Elass
- Narrated by: Don Reed
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A quick non-technical introduction to the Koran designed to help Christians understand a hidden book revered by 1.3 billion Muslims, covering the background on its writing, a summary of its contents, a perspective on how it’s used and viewed by Muslims, a comparison of differences and similarities to the Bible, and some suggestions on how it should and should not be used in conversations with Muslims.
-
-
Favors Christianity
- By Dianne on 12-18-15
By: Mateen Elass
-
James, the Brother of Jesus
- The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls
- By: Robert Eisenman
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 43 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
James was a vegetarian, wore only linen clothing, bathed daily at dawn in cold water, and was a life-long Nazirite. In this profound and provocative work of scholarly detection, eminent biblical scholar Robert Eisenman introduces a startling theory about the identity of James - the brother of Jesus - who was almost entirely marginalized in the New Testament.
-
-
Regretable. Hard to follow. Repetitive.
- By Jimi on 08-18-17
By: Robert Eisenman
-
Primitive Mythology
- The Masks of God Series, Volume I
- By: Joseph Campbell, David Kudler - editor
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of such acclaimed books as The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth discusses the primitive roots of mythology, examining them in light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology.
-
-
Epic speculation into the origins of our mythic consciousness
- By BGZ on 01-10-19
By: Joseph Campbell, and others
-
Simply Jesus
- A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters
- By: N. T. Wright
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Jesus - the Jesus we might discover if we really looked,” explains Wright, “is larger, more disturbing, more urgent than we had ever imagined. We have successfully managed to hide behind other questions and to avoid the huge, world-shaking challenge of Jesus’s central claim and achievement. It is we, the churches, who have been the real reductionists. We have reduced the kingdom of God to private piety; the victory of the cross to comfort for the conscience; Easter itself to a happy, escapist ending after a sad, dark tale. Piety, conscience, and ultimate happiness are important...."
-
-
A must read for today's church
- By Joey A. on 03-17-12
By: N. T. Wright
-
The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume 2
- By: Joshua Bowen
- Narrated by: Seth Andrews
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Following up on the first volume, The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume 2 takes up the challenge of providing a clear and useful guide to those wanting a better understanding of the Old Testament, including its cultural and historical background, as well as discussions on contentious topics like violence and genocide, and whether the Exodus was a real historical event. Volume two also covers the narrative of the Old Testament, from the conquest to the divided monarchy, and a brief history of Egypt to help situate the biblical text within agreed historical events.
-
-
Excellent critical approach to the Bible
- By Jacob Kilgore on 01-07-24
By: Joshua Bowen
-
How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
-
-
Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Desire of the Everlasting Hills
- The World Before and After Jesus
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: Brian F. O'Byrne
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled.
-
-
Desire Delivers
- By David on 04-18-03
By: Thomas Cahill
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
-
-
Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
-
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, Fourth Edition
- By: Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart
- Narrated by: Henry O. Arnold
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Understanding the Bible isn't for the few, the gifted, the scholarly. The Bible is accessible. It's meant to be comprehended by everyone from armchair listeners to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions and help you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your 21st-century life. More than three quarters of a million people have turned to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth to inform their understanding of the Bible.
-
-
Recipe on how to read the Holy Bible
- By Tim on 05-05-18
By: Gordon D. Fee, and others
-
How to Read the Bible Book by Book
- A Guided Tour
- By: Douglas Stuart, Gordon D. D. Fee
- Narrated by: Trevor Thompson
- Length: 20 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reading the Bible doesn't need to be a difficult journey through strange and bewildering territory. How to Read the Bible Book by Book walks you through the Scriptures like an experienced tour guide, helping you understand each of its 66 books. For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its message and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.
By: Douglas Stuart, and others
-
A History of the Bible
- The Story of the World's Most Influential Book
- By: John Barton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 21 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be listened to in its historical context - from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries....
-
-
Engaging and comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 07-29-19
By: John Barton
-
Who Wrote the Bible?
- By: Richard Friedman
- Narrated by: Julian Smith, Richard Friedman
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, the prophet Moses was regarded as the sole author of the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch. According to tradition, Moses was divinely directed to write down foundational events in the history of the world: the creation of humans, the worldwide flood, the laws as they were handed down at Mt. Sinai, and the cycle of Israel’s enslavement and liberation from Egypt. However, these stories—and their frequent discrepancies—provoke questions.
-
-
An Excellent Book that is Written and Narrated Exceptionally Well!
- By Crazgod on 09-09-22
By: Richard Friedman
-
The Making of the Bible
- From the First Fragments to Sacred Scripture
- By: Konrad Schmid, Jens Schröter, Peter Lewis - translator
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Bible as we know it today is best understood as a process, one that begins in the tenth century BCE. In this revelatory account, a world-renowned scholar of Hebrew scripture joins a foremost authority on the New Testament to write a new biography of the Book of Books, reconstructing Jewish and Christian scriptural histories, as well as the underappreciated contest between them, from which the Bible arose. The Making of the Bible is the most comprehensive history yet told of the world's best-known literature, revealing its buried lessons and secrets.
-
-
Blathering away....
- By C.Maddy on 05-24-23
By: Konrad Schmid, and others
-
The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
-
-
Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
-
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, Fourth Edition
- By: Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart
- Narrated by: Henry O. Arnold
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Understanding the Bible isn't for the few, the gifted, the scholarly. The Bible is accessible. It's meant to be comprehended by everyone from armchair listeners to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions and help you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your 21st-century life. More than three quarters of a million people have turned to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth to inform their understanding of the Bible.
-
-
Recipe on how to read the Holy Bible
- By Tim on 05-05-18
By: Gordon D. Fee, and others
-
How to Read the Bible Book by Book
- A Guided Tour
- By: Douglas Stuart, Gordon D. D. Fee
- Narrated by: Trevor Thompson
- Length: 20 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reading the Bible doesn't need to be a difficult journey through strange and bewildering territory. How to Read the Bible Book by Book walks you through the Scriptures like an experienced tour guide, helping you understand each of its 66 books. For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its message and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.
By: Douglas Stuart, and others
-
A History of the Bible
- The Story of the World's Most Influential Book
- By: John Barton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 21 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be listened to in its historical context - from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries....
-
-
Engaging and comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 07-29-19
By: John Barton
-
Who Wrote the Bible?
- By: Richard Friedman
- Narrated by: Julian Smith, Richard Friedman
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, the prophet Moses was regarded as the sole author of the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch. According to tradition, Moses was divinely directed to write down foundational events in the history of the world: the creation of humans, the worldwide flood, the laws as they were handed down at Mt. Sinai, and the cycle of Israel’s enslavement and liberation from Egypt. However, these stories—and their frequent discrepancies—provoke questions.
-
-
An Excellent Book that is Written and Narrated Exceptionally Well!
- By Crazgod on 09-09-22
By: Richard Friedman
-
The Making of the Bible
- From the First Fragments to Sacred Scripture
- By: Konrad Schmid, Jens Schröter, Peter Lewis - translator
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Bible as we know it today is best understood as a process, one that begins in the tenth century BCE. In this revelatory account, a world-renowned scholar of Hebrew scripture joins a foremost authority on the New Testament to write a new biography of the Book of Books, reconstructing Jewish and Christian scriptural histories, as well as the underappreciated contest between them, from which the Bible arose. The Making of the Bible is the most comprehensive history yet told of the world's best-known literature, revealing its buried lessons and secrets.
-
-
Blathering away....
- By C.Maddy on 05-24-23
By: Konrad Schmid, and others
What listeners say about How to Read the Bible
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joshua J. Wood
- 05-15-16
This was a fantastic book
I'm not religious, and yet this is a work of breathtakingly good writing and fascinating scholarship, which simultaneously seeks to elucidate the Old Testament from the perspectives of both the ancient Jewish interpreters and the modern school of higher criticism, i.e. The attempt by, it seems mostly, late 19th and 20th century German scholars to understand the bible as a historical document written by humans with human concerns. The result is stunning, and worth listening to irrespective of one's own religious leanings.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- cool
- 07-09-22
very interesting thoughts on Bible
loved it had to really concentrate on parts asmi listened but to me it is a good start to really study the bible
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shan
- 04-22-19
Starts at Chapter 10 if downloaded to single part.
This book starts at chapter 10 but there is a resolution. It has to be downloaded in multiple parts to have it in order.
1.Go to "My Library" and left-swipe the title to "Delete from this device."
2. Go to "Home" then "Settings" then "Dowload by Parts" and choose "Multi-part."
3. Go back to "My Library" and click download.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
- DrLT
- 09-18-17
What a Great Book!
This book walks through the Bible (Hebrew Bible/OT), laying out the text and the stories with traditional understandings, and then he discusses how modern biblical scholarship sheds light on or reinterprets them. Kugel always keeps an eye on the implications for believers, both Christian and Jewish, and his last two chapters are a meditation on the bigger meaning of scripture and religion in the world. So much to think about here! And the author is clearly a person of great scholarly depth but also great Faith.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ash
- 03-30-23
A wonderfully thorough view of the Bible
I am a Liberal Jew. This book was a wonderful education I didn’t get as a child. It opened up the idea that I already had begun, that the study of Talmud is still important and has value.
Overall though, Kugel does a fantastic job showing both interpretation of the past and modern scholarship of much of the Hebrew Bible and while he is an Orthodox Jew, he came across very balanced and gave such an informative view on history, scholarship and interpretation.
If you can, get the unabridged. Not sure what was not in it, but I very much enjoyed all 60 some chapters.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Anonymous User
- 04-01-11
bible reading with head and heart
is the bible an important book ?
is it even the word of God ?
is it even significant literature ?
is it full of mistakes ?
does it apply to our modern daily lives ?
does it tell a coherent useful story ?
kugel tries to answer these questions
his style is both erudite and approachable
his university students are a fortunate group
one faction reads "from" the bible
they want to learn and believe and live better lives
for them it is an ancient and true compass
one faction reads "about" the bible
their knowledge is exhaustive and precise
but they deny any possibility of supernatural meaning
it is amazing to me how little these 2 groups overlap
kugel tries to have a foot in both factions
his background makes him more than qualified to try
the bible does matter and it is more than literature
evangelicals should not fear scholarly examination
scholars should not fear transcendent belief
there is stubbornness on both sides
kugel's thoughtful style wears both sides down
he shows how to read the bible with head and heart
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A great book...after fixing download!
Before buying the Kindle version to study, I checked out the hardcover from the library. The Kindle version is a good and faithful version.
However, the chapters in the Audible version did NOT match the book. I sought solutions but only saw complaints on the internet (that is, no solutions).
Part of me wants to detail my (mis)adventures at Customer Service. However, Judy (the Audible rep) eventually found a solution IF YOU ARE USING IOS. (Apple):
1. Go to "My Library" and left-swipe the title to "Delete from this device."
2. Go to "Home" then "Settings" then "Dowload by Parts" and choose "Multi-part." (Click okay when you get the warning about syncing.)
3. Go back to "My Library" and click download. (You will need to click all parts...but don't panic...because you won't have as many parts as chapters.)
FINALLY: Enjoy your Audible book with the chapters in the right order!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Noah
- 10-17-10
A faith-building scholarly work
The narrator is very dull but don't let that stop you! The author makes up for the unemotional reading by having written in a well organized and interesting manner all sorts of Biblical insights which will challenge everything you ever knew about the Bible. The scope of this book is enormous!
You will learn Biblical archeology, ancient language interpretation, historical motivations for writing and many theories about the creation, organization and re editing of Holy Scripture.
As a Christian my faith in Christ was strengthened even while the Bibles contradictions and misinterpretations were brought to light. I always read the Bible thinking that this or that didn't make sense or add up. Now I have a greater understanding of Holy Scripture as well as a renewed faith in the sovereignty of God and His ability to use an imperfect collection of writings and transform them into His inspired word.
Seriously, this book was fantastic!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jacobus
- 12-06-15
The results of modern Biblical Scholarship
Professor emeritus James L. Kugel has brought together A LOT of information about how the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament/ Jewish Tanach) was interpreted through the ages. He argues that modern Biblical scholarship has eroded the traditional ways in which the Bible has been read for centuries.
Book by book he introduces his listeners to how new insights from scholarship has changed the way the Bible is interpreted. He ends of seeking a way to reconscile the synagoge and the church's way of reading the Bible with that of scholars and ends off with a rather depressing conculsion that the two ways of reading is irreconcilable. He argues that the mistake that reformers like Luther made was to "canonize" only the text of the Bible and not the INTERPRETATION that came along with it. THis lead to a lot of problems in reading the Bible. For one, what if it is discovered that the old ways of reading this sacred text(s) was not what it actually meant. Should one try to return to the original author's meaning? What is the original meaning if a text have been adjusted and reworked through the centuries?
Though these questions and the arguments that go with it is important, I found that the tremendous overview Kugel gave of the Hebrew Bible and the state of current scholarship is the strength of the book.
He gives an overview of creation narratives from the Ancient Near East, the Gilgamesh epic and its relation to Genesis, the problem of the 10 plagues not being 10 plagues everywhere, David the dubious king, the way scholar's understand the Lord as changing from a tribal deity to a universal deity which has also influenced the way he was depicted. He touches on Ugaritic, an ancient language close to Hebrew in which we find texts about the gods of Canaan. He discusses the historical probability/ improbability of a Moses. He discusses the text of Jeremia and Isaiah and how it differs from the Septuagint text (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). He speaks about the Song of Songs. Should it be read as ordinary love poetry or the love between God and his people?
In the end the listener is empowered to understand the various issues that the rise of modern biblical scholarship has brought about. He argues that one cannot turn back after knowing what you know.
I think this is an important book worth listening to. Mel Foster did a fair reading of the text,
This book comes recommended to those that are interested in getting an informed overview of scholarly insight into the text of the bible. It is not everybody's cup of tea, especially if you venerate the text of the Bible within a very concervative environment.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- D. Ofallon
- 09-05-13
Great
Eye opening book; full of insights compiled through the centuries. A must read for believers and non-believers, Christians or Jews
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!