A very important contribution to history

I realize some who have never read anything about the historicity of the Bible may hear some words they have never encountered before. That said if you have read Armstrong before or historical discussions on the Bible this book was not difficult to follow.

The most important aspect of this book is in reality the comprehensive linear layout which is without doubt a very important historical contribution from Armstrong. I have not found a single source text that lays out the evolution of the various contents of the spiritual documents for the Hebrews and the Christians from antiquity to today. Most history type books such as the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary present slices of the Bible but even that set of book doesn't take a reader all the way through the Bible to illuminate how it came together presented side by side by with the major historical factors.

Further the book is so very compact and therefore can be reviewed quickly and so enables the reader to see the trajectory for the evolving spiritual thinking. This vista which Armstrong reveals to us the laymen reader is virtually unparalleled in the history of those that have written these histories in the past. Personally I wish it had been longer so that even more details could have been exposed.

Finally I must confess that I am an Armstrong Fan to the core and therefore I admit I have some bias in what I read/listen to from this very insightful writer and researcher.

25 people found this helpful

Stay clear...unless you are a biblical scholar

I was interested in this book because I wanted to learn more about how the Bible came to be. Since the subtitle pens it is a 'biography', I thought (silly me) that it would be an engaging account of the history of the book. Instead, this was a dry, almost clinical, account of the minutia of ancient Biblical history. The author, Karen Armstrong, seems to take delight in throwing verbose grammar at the reader, to the point that it obscures the message. If I wasn't driving while listening to this book I would want a dictionary to go along with it. The narrator does not help things, as she reads this book like a scientific research paper: dry--no, make that arid. I would only recommend this book if you are already a Biblical scholar; Armstrong goes into such rapid fire detail about such a vast expanse of history that it is impossible to follow the thread of the book unless you have a good grounding in the subject matter already. There must be a better, more engaging narrative out there on how the Bible came to be.

22 people found this helpful

Great Listen

This book was very thought provoking, but you should already know something about Bible history to get the most out of this listen, it is not an entry level book.

15 people found this helpful

Poor Adaptation - Not "Down to Earth"

I found the narrator to be extremely hard to understand and that she read the book way too fast. and even when I did understand her, the language used in the book was not language used by everyday readers. I got the impression that the author was more interested in showing off her language skills than trying to write a book that could be understood by us common folk.

6 people found this helpful

Brisk and informative

In its general scope, this book resembles John Barton’s recent History of the Bible. Both are readable and richly detailed. But where Barton’s book adopts a more analytical tone, Armstrong focuses on the story: she has a flair for compressed dramatic narrative. Her first chapter in particular gives a fast-moving account that combines the history of the early Hebrews with the story of how the scriptures came to be.

Some of the details are surprising, but the account is engaging and persuasive. Her description of the context and reasoning that led from Torah to Talmud is fascinating. A particularly effective section traces the effect of the Enlightenment on Bible study for both Jewish and Christians, and the counter-currents of Hasidism, Christian fundamentalism, and the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. (That last is, as Armstrong correctly points out, a relatively new development.) In the wake of these changes, yeshivas and Christian Bible colleges began spreading; Zionism paradoxically joined hands with an antisemitic form of Christianity that sees the state of Israel as a key moment leading to the Rapture and the Tribulation.

There is an ongoing struggle, she says, between faith in the Book and the “nihilistic ruthlessness at the heart of modern culture.” Human beings have finally developed the technology to bring about the Apocalypse so many fundamentalists expect.

I wouldn't suggest this as an alternative to Barton’s book, which is fuller and more carefully reasoned. But it could jump-start someone’s interest in the subject.

Josephine Bailey gives a lively reading of the book.

5 people found this helpful

Expanded my perspective and compassion

Any additional comments?

Having grown up in a secular household which merely went through the motions of Christian holidays, I have only exposed myself to the Bible in small ways over the years, reading passages here and there and treating it like any other sacred text - a book that has more significance for other people than myself.

I assumed that the Bible had a rich and complex history, but I was not prepared for what I read in this book, and I emerged from it with a new perspective, and perhaps most importantly, a new found compassion and respect for Christianity.

Modern Christianity's focus on the literal interpretation of the Bible as a historical, factual document has always been one of my main reasons for avoiding that faith and its most ardent followers.

I did not know that the literal interpretation was a relatively recent phenomenon, and read with great interest the passages about mystical and allegorical traditions and how they changed over time. I have found inspiration in Bible stories - as allegories - over the years, and was pleased to read that some still consider the text useful to that end.

5 people found this helpful

Do you wish your computer could read you a book

Written by Karen Armstrong. Narrated by a robot.

I found this books good points came in how it covered the evolving context of religious beliefs to changes in relation to history and textual criticism. The author also draws connection to the controversies between scholarship and biblical literalists and different sects themselves.

You'll like the book. That is if you can handle hours of monotone speaking.

PS Although it doesnt come in audio form James Kugel, in my opinion, is still the best on covering, in well annotated detail, the old vs new understandings of the bible in his book "how to read the bible"

5 people found this helpful

Is Josephine Bailey a computer?

Any additional comments?

Perhaps an interesting book, but the narration was awful. I find it hard to believe it was not computer generated.

4 people found this helpful

Not entirely what I expected

This turned out to be quite an interesting listen, but has bitten off more than it could chew.

The narrator did an 'acceptable' job, but had difficulty with some pronunciation. This always frustrates me as a listener, and takes me out of the moment.

The author tells the story of a book that has been created and changed over a period of 5,000 years. She talks about the influences on the book, and drifts into post-scriptural writings such as the Talmud. Strangely, having chosen to do this Ms Armstrong limited her examination to Christianity and Judaism; failing to even mention Islam or any of the other more recent 'off-shoots' such as the Book of Mormon.

Having said this, she does provide a picture of how the Bible, and its use and interpretation, have changed over time. This ranges from a discussion of the development and place of Kabbalah in Judaism, to the Reformation and Enlightenment changes in attitudes, to modern 'fundamentalism' in both Judaism and Christianity.

The book ends by criticising the violence and mysogyny that the Bible has been used to defend, and encourages inter-faith dialogue (finally including Islam) to work through differences in a non-aggressive process of mutual understanding.

In summary, a worthwhile listen for Christians and atheists, but could do with a great deal more depth.

3 people found this helpful

Good Stuff

This is the 7th book that I've read by Armstrong. It happens to be my least favorite so far, but her genius is evident and consistent. Most of her work stands firmly on its own, but "The Bible: a Biography" is best understood collectively with the whole of her publications. There is simply too much to cover and this book is shorter than most of her other stuff by a third. That said I understand lower ratings by people who aren't familiar with her. It's both too detailed and yet too brief. My advice is to first read any of her other work before you tackle this one. You will find some of that connective tissue in place that will help you navigate the details and connect the dots to a larger, global perspective.

2 people found this helpful