The Bible

DNA testing suggests that the Jews and the Arab Palestinians are more or less the same people. The friends of Mr Sharon and the friends of Mr Arafat have very similar DNA. The people shooting at each other on the West Bank have probably got common ancestors. Did God really tell one particular tribe that it could steal another tribe's land? I doubt it. When I dip into the Koran or the Bible or the Holy books of the Hindus, I often find bits that make sense. But I tend to the belief that none of these books is necessarily perfect. Mark's gospel, for example, has mistakes in geography. The Bible is perhaps like the curate's egg. Some ...  Read the complete review

I know that a lot of readers find the subject of the Bible a little uncomfortable and question, in their disbelief of God, the relevance of a book like this in their lives, and that many readers may also question my right to review such a book. I am not going to review in the traditional way, i.e. contents, length, price, etc., too much at all. For me, the importance of telling people a little more about how I believe it can enhance their lives, is far more important. You could ask yourself if I am significant enough a writer to be able to write a review about such a great book, and here I would argue that the Bible was written for everyone, and without going ...  Read the complete review

This book is truly is one of the most beautifully written books of all time. I should actually say that it is one of the most beautifully TRANSLATED books, because it has been through so many different languages... so many meanings to get lost or rearranged... so many meanings to be read into it by the party-line of the translator's ruling authority. The most gifted, brilliant human writers in all of history have worked dilligently in translating all of the pieces that comprise the "holy bible". There's not nearly as much "divinely inspired" writing going on today as there was, say, 3000 years ago. The reason for this? What ...  Read the complete review

What we call ‘the Bible’ is a collection of books or writings which vary slightly depending on which tradition one belongs to. The Christian Bible may be considered under three headings: the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Apocrypha. The term Old Testament is now considered by many people to be a rather politically incorrect description and it is often now named the Hebrew Bible. When the writings were collected to make up what we now call the Bible there were two versions of the Scriptures available – the books collected in the Hebrew Canon and those in the Greek (the Septuagint). The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew ...  Read the complete review

The Bible is a very difficult subject to write about. Its text that has shaped the western world, if not the world as a whole, it's a book that contains subjects as big as creation and as small as a single kiss. It is a book that documents the rise and fall of empires and armies and the lives of ordinary people; it is a book that covers thousands of years in its scope and the most famous last hours of anyone in history. It is a book that has created the basis for one of the most powerful religious institutions in history and yet is regarded as the most personal individual message. In short it is an enigma. So how do you discuss such a book, where do you begin? I will ...  Read the complete review