Book Description

The Bible in History. A study of the history, folklore, and occasionally even the mathematics underlying the Bible. A sort of dictionary of scholarly material you likely won’t find elsewhere. Dedicated to Elizabeth Rosenberg, Patricia Rosenberg, and Catie Jo Pidel. Please understand that this is not a Biblical commentary. Also, while I try very hard to avoid actual theological discussions, the work is very much based on "external evidence" -- the manuscripts of the Bible, the evidence of other historical records, the findings of science, the folklore about the Bible. Some of this can be offensive to some, particularly those who try to find exact literal truth in the Bible. I hope you will accept it (or else not read it :-) in that light. If you are still interested, there is a lot of historical background about the Bible here -- not always direct links to the Bible, but the context of the nations among whom the Israelites lived. There is no Biblical mention of (say) Nabopolassar of Babylon, but his actions would deeply influence Judean history. Knowing even a little of that history can help understand the Bible. Also, where there are variant readings in the manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament, I note it. This may mean that we are uncertain what the Bible says -- and hence what it means. I try either to recover the original meaning or, in some cases, to assess the meanings of both readings. And then there are the tidbits of science and folklore and anything else I can think of.... The result is a grab bag. Some parts may be useful, some may not. The idea is to browse and see what strikes your fancy. With luck, you'll understand more about the Bible after doing so.