These are the two books in the Bible named after women. There’s an obvious message here (whether or not the titles were themselves inspired by God): Not only men are worthy in God’s eyes. The eponymous women are admirable in many ways, including their being bold and brave and smart, but it’s interesting that both … [Read more…]
This post will try to distill from each minor prophet’s book what he says God wants us to do or not do. This unsubtle approach can be taken with any book of the Bible, but seems particularly appropriate for these fellows, who were by and large pretty straightforward in what they wanted to communicate and … [Read more…]
This is another fine translation by Professor Alter, about whom I wrote on this site in posts of his Psalms and Wisdom books translations. With regard to I and II Samuel, he thinks they shared a common author, who was a genius and who gives an unflinching portrait of a complex David (ruthless, shrewd, self-possessed). … [Read more…]
I have an (also favorable) post on this author’s translation of the Psalms, the relevant part of which post reads: The secondary title is “A Translation with Commentary,” and that’s what it is: You read the translated psalm, and then the author’s footnotes explicate the psalm and also explain some of his translation decisions. The … [Read more…]
The author is a former Cambridge professor of mathematical physics and a Fellow of the Royal Society, as well as an ordained priest and member of the General Synod of the Church of England. The book is pretty dense in spots, and he does not believe that Scripture is inerrant (8, 119), but it’s worthwhile. … [Read more…]
The author is a journalist (U.S. News & World Report, PBS) and a Christian (apparently Protestant, see page 3). The book has a 1999 copyright and no index. The only part of the book I just skimmed was part V, “The Bible Code and Prophecy,” since of course that is silly (I wonder if the … [Read more…]
This book takes the usual Lee Strobel approach — which I find very persuasive — of him interviewing a series of experts, in this case to refute the various, most prominent objections to Christianity lately, namely that it was copied from pagan religions, that the early church tampered with texts or rejected texts that were … [Read more…]
This is a nicely written distillation of the Roman mindset, drawing on a variety of classical works by the author of The Greek Way (which I think is more famous). The “Roman way” versus the “Greek way” is pretty much what you would expect: the brilliant but sleazy Greeks versus the solid but unimaginative Romans. There’s … [Read more…]
This was an unusual book for me: It was not about apologetics or history or theology or prayer, but about how to evangelize directly to people. Something related that occurred to me as I read the book is that my own faith story is unusual in that it is almost entirely book, rather than person, … [Read more…]
I’ve noted elsewhere on this site other books by this author, all very good including this one. He’s conservative and traditional but not a believer in inerrancy. The book is a summary and critique of the “Third Search,” which includes mostly (but not exclusively) the Jesus Seminar. The author is always evenhanded and fair, but … [Read more…]