The Bible Book

April 15, 2018

This new addition to the "Big Ideas" series deploys bold graphics, maps, charts, and photographs, presenting key biblical stories accessibly, with their cultural background and spiritual significance. The seven scholar contributors acknowledge various points of view (e.g., both natural and symbolic explanations of the burning bush) but generally hew to a conservative Christian interpretation. Islam, a religion of the Book, is touched on occasionally. The work acknowledges the importance of the Bible to Judaism, but the Christian-centric lens appears early on: the introduction describes the entire Old Testament as a response to the Fall, "culminating in the New Testament." The authors use the Protestant canon and order, as well as the Protestant (not the Roman Catholic) version of the Ten Commandments. The New International Version Bible quotation in the Sodom story explicitly refers to sex; a comment that Sodom is "traditionally" about homosexuality overshadows one sentence citing the city's other grievous sins. A directory briefly summarizes additional stories (some problematic to modern readers, including Noah's curse of Ham, Jephthah's sacrifice of his daughter, and Solomon's murder of his half brother). The language is clear and simple, explaining terms such as theodicy when necessary. VERDICT An informative and engaging introduction to the Bible for general readers.--Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly of St. George's Sch., Newport, RI

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