History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses (P.S.)

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Geography 101-Old Testament Style
A Magic Carpet Ride Through The Bible
Absolutely fascinating!
Absolutely Beautiful
I felt the absence of studied Christians and Muslims...

Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses (P.S.)
Bruce Feiler
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060838639
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Amazon.com

Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses is the story of Bruce Feiler's 10,000-mile trek from Mount Ararat to Mount Nebo, undertaken for reasons he did not understand at the outset and accompanied by a companion who was very nearly a stranger. In the book's first chapter, in characteristically understated style, Feiler suggests a viable parallel to his journey:

Abraham was not originally the man he became. He was not an Israelite, he was not a Jew. He was not even a believer in God--at least initially. He was a traveler, called by some voice not entirely clear that said: Go, head to this land, walk along this route, and trust what you will find.

Feiler, a fifth-generation American Jew from the South, had felt no particular attachment to the Holy Land. Yet during his journey, Feiler's previously abstract faith grew more grounded. ("I began to feel a certain pull from the landscape.... It was a feeling of gravity. A feeling that I wanted to take off all my clothes and lie facedown in the soil.") Feiler's attentiveness, intelligence, and adventurousness enliven every page of this book. And the lessons he learned about the relationship between place and the spirit will be useful for readers of every religious tradition that finds its origins in the Bible. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Feeling disconnected from the religious community he had known as a child, Bruce Feiler set out on a perilous, 10,000–mile journey across the Middle East to discover the roots of the Bible. Traveling through three continents, five countries, and four war zones, Feiler is the first person ever to complete such a journey. Camping in the desert, crossing the Red Sea, climbing Mt. Sinai, and interviewing bedouin and pilgrims alike, Feiler attempts to answer the question: Is the Bible just an abstraction, some book gathering dust, or is it a living, breathing entity with relevance to contemporary life? Along with prominent Israeli archaeologist Avner Goren, Feiler treks though Turkey, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, the Sinai, and Jordan visiting the actual places where some of history's most famous events took place, from the mountain where Noah's ark landed (Feiler meets a man who claims to have found the ark) to the site of the legendary burning bush. He visits the desert outpost in Turkey where Abraham first heard the words of God and sleeps (illegally) on the summit where Moses overlooked the Promised Land. In each place, he gathers the latest archaeological research about the site and sits down to read the stories in their natural surroundings. With vivid, lively prose, he explores how geography affects the larger narrative of the Bible and ultimately realizes how much these places––and his experience––have affected his faith.

Customer Reviews:

Geography 101-Old Testament Style.......2007-09-22

First my background, 18 years of Catholic school education; mostly all the New Testament. If you are looking for an interpretation of the Bible this book is not for you. Feiler describes the land which Moses traveled through leaving Egypt and finding the Promised Land. His description of the locations are awesome. The travel through Sinai, the desert, St. Catherines Monastary, the people he meets along the way. The people he meets I feel add so much to the book. There are many different views on what this land represents and Feiler seems to have found people with different views but at days end everyone seems to be on the same page. I throughly enjoyed this book and I find my self picking it up and re-reading different section.

One of the sections I found most interesting is on page 404, Feiler meets a man who is both a pastor and archaeologist. This man's view is the Bible has divine activity behind it but does not believe every detail is true (it can't be) but the details are not important but the lessons it teach are important. The family he meets in Jordan (with the land rover), that man's point of view very interesting. Who would not love to visit this part of the world, Petra, Mount Sinai, etc. Many referneces are made to TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and his love of the desert but you can't possess it, Lawrence had to leave so did Feiler. The book has made me do further research other things, time lines, people mentioned, etc. Very interesting book for people who enjoy religion and that part of the world.

A Magic Carpet Ride Through The Bible.......2007-06-13

"Walking The Bible" takes the reader on a magic carpet ride through the lands in which the Pentateuch was acted out. Following his own quest, Author Bruce Feiler tries to identify the places at which the Patriarchs of Israel and their successors down to Moses struggled to follow the guidance of God through their journeys of life. Although a Jew primarily interested in the Books of Moses, he frequently includes references to the places and events of significance in or to the life of Jesus.

Feiler approaches the topic through many avenues. He tries to identify the places, understand the world of Biblical times and learn about the Bible from the people who live on the land, both those drawn there by their interest in the Bible and those who naturally follow the ways of life lived by the Patriarchs. Throughout this journey, Feiler gradually absorbs the truth of the Bible, rather than directly learning them.

Along his journey his companion, Avner, a renowned Israeli archeologist, points out significant points and explains the subtleties which facilitate Feiler's understanding of what he is seeing. Throughout their travels through Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Egypt and Jordan, Feiler and Avner stop and read the portions of the Bible pertaining to the areas being visited.

Throughout the trip, Feiler engages people along the way in discussions about what the Bible means to them and how it affects their lives. Much of the book consists of his own thinking and philosophizing about what it all means. The author is obviously on a search for something which he finds in the land, the people, but most of all, in himself.

I found this book to be fascinating. As a Christian, it helped me gain a greater understanding of the stories of the Old Testament. While it helped clear up some questions, it opened up new ones, like, "How is it that the three great Monotheistic religions all arose out of the same desert area of the Middle East?' That one will take some reflection.

Absolutely fascinating!.......2007-05-22

I couldn't stop reading this book. Bruce Feiler makes it seem as though the reader is there every step of the way. The history is fascinating, the writing is intriguing, the journey is amazing.

Absolutely Beautiful.......2006-11-15

Bruce Feiler writes in a way that pulls you into the story, takes you along the journey of the patriarchs, Joseph, and Moses. He questions a lot of tradition and applies it to himself and all the people he meets along the way. His guide seems to know a great wealth and only adds understanding to the story - a pure joy to read.
I have been waiting for a book that describes the Bible in a realistic sense. After all, these humans are just humans. Maybe a little significant in the least, but just people nonetheless. Too bad Feiler hasn't written for other parts of the Bible! Highly recommended for all scholars and readers of the Pentateuch.

I felt the absence of studied Christians and Muslims..........2006-11-05

Feiler is an American Jew and a journalist who, fascinated by the land involved in the Pentateuch (the first part of the Hebrew Bible), undertakes a months-long trek from Turkey to Jordan (Mount Nebo, where Moses was shown the promised land) at times in the company of a learned Israeli archeologist. He admits that he is not `religious' (in the heavy zealous sort of way) but that he feels a pull to the land of the biblical personages, Moses, Abraham, and Jacob, for example. His trip takes him through the Middle Eastern countries of the bible and he examines for the reading the various aspects of the geography he is exploring and the relationship the geography has with the legends, stories, and archeology of the biblical period.

Although I was keen to read this book, having lived in Jordan, I was a little disappointed with the uneven nature with which Feiler dealt with various people depending on their own religions. It was clever that the Jews he interacted with were generally intellectually religious - basing their faith on study and scientific knowledge (like the archeologist) whereas the Christians and Muslims with whom he interacted were identified as sometimes zealous but without any intellectual base - simple people. He was careful not to mock them but I very much felt the absence of studied Christians and Muslims.

Although his travelogue is quite interesting and some of the historical information he provided was quite thought provoking, the book simply did not move me. It was more like reading someone's diary and since I have seen many of the places he describes, I found that our reactions and experiences were different enough so as to leave me hesitant to `buy-in' to his view of an issue or a place.

Lastly, while a good book for the general American public who is unaware of the rich history of the lands he traveled, I agree whole-heartedly with the reviewer who wrote, "(Feiler) also can't resist flashing an 'Admire Me' sign every time he's been 'enlightened' -- and these breakthroughs occur with rather exhausting frequency."

The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land

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The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land
STERN
Manufacturer: Carta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0132762889

Book Description

This four volume hardcover set covers over 400 archaeological sites in Israel, Jordan, and Sinai. Written by 180 leading archaeologists, The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land is an essential reference tool for archaeologists, historians, Bible scholars, and explorers. Arranged alphabetically by site name, the volumes cover all periods of human settlement in the Holy Land from the Stone Age to modern times.

The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography

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Worth reading, but a bit dry

The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography
Yohanan Aharoni
Manufacturer: Westminster John Knox Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0664242669

Customer Reviews:

Worth reading, but a bit dry.......2007-07-20

I enjoyed the book but not as much as I had hoped. It is filled with so many superflous details, that at times I was lost waiting for the author to reach his point of deliever the information I was looking for. If someone is looking for an indepth book on the history and geography of Israel and the surrounding region, then this is a great read. However, if basic information concerning the geography of Isreal (especially during the first century) is what you are after, then pass on this one.

The Land: Place As Gift, Promise, and Challenge in Biblical Faith (Overtures to Biblical Theology)

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enthralling
possibly Brueggemann's best work
Discovering New Dimensions of the Biblical Text

The Land: Place As Gift, Promise, and Challenge in Biblical Faith (Overtures to Biblical Theology)
Walter Brueggemann
Manufacturer: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
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ASIN: 0800634624

Book Description

The land was one of the most vibrant symbols for the people of ancient Israel. In the land—gift, promise, and challenge—was found the physical source of Israel's fertility and life, and a place for the gathering of the hopes of the covenant people. In this careful treatment, Walter Brueggemann follows the development of his theme through the major blocks of Israel's traditions. The book provides a point of entrance both to the theology of the Old Testament and to aspects of the New Testament—even as it illuminates crucial issues of the contemporary scene. In this fully revised version, Brueggemann provides new insights, as well as updating the discussion, notes, and bibliography.

Customer Reviews:

enthralling.......2006-05-09

In The Land, Walter Brueggemann consistently pushes one point: that "The Bible ... is primarily concerned with the issue of being displaced and yearning for a place" (2). Through the stories it tells about the relationship between Israel and the land, the Bible is concerned with laying out a vision of how and how not to be in the land. This book is loaded with pathos, reminding us of how the Bible witnesses to God's intense longing for his creation to live into the vibrant, harmonious relationships for which he destined it. Brueggemann well articulates the Bible's ideal of the Land as an avenue through which grace intervenes upon the fallen state of creation.

Right relationship with the land begins with Yahweh's call to the land, for the means of acquisition is definitive for the character of the interaction with the land once occupation takes place. This shows up of course in the Abraham narrative, but is echoed throughout the text as the people of God are continually called to leave the land of their own establishment (which is slavery), embrace exile/wilderness, and receive that land which is Yahweh's gift. It is obedience and trust in this word from Yahweh that enables one to receive land as it was created to be given. Any other means of land acquisition is deemed illegitimate by Torah.

Brueggemann goes on to describe right relationship with the land once occupation has occurred. In fact, I shouldn't use the word "occupation," for it implies a sort of living that Brueggemann's reading of the text adamantly opposes - one that views the land as a thing to be used and abused if necessary. Even "use" gets it wrong, for that would imply that the land belonged to Israel, which it certainly does not. The land is Yahweh's, and it is a gift in a peculiar sense, namely that there has been no transfer in ownership. Rather, the gift is the permission he gives to live there. The gift is the fruitfulness he brings from it. The gift is a safety that wasn't earned, a city that was built by another, protected by another. The gift is an existence in which need not be defended or fought for. Remaining in the land is not a matter of defense or alliance, but of obedience to Torah. And it is this life of obedience that is true liberty. More than simply not being subject to oppressors, "Exodus is about freedom ... in the good land under the good word of promise" (27).

Yet it is in the Land that the Israelites face the greatest temptation: to believe that their lives can be blessed by the work of their own hands. Always in the wilderness,Israel was forced into dependency, trust, and hope in Yahweh as the sole provider for them. To counter this are the institutes of Torah, a memory giving definition to the community in a way that affirms their peculiar identity as a people whose very existence is a gift. It is a bulwark against a belief that better management1, denial of justice to the poor, etc., will lead to productivity. The only true fruitfulness comes by obedience to Torah.

On the one hand, Brueggemann holds out the vision of Deuteronomy as one that "clings to a better vision of Israel, believing that in the land, fithful people can resist the temptation to be too secure, and can maintain the buoyancy of the covenant" (56). On the other, he also makes clear that the text seems doubtful as to whether these people will actually do so. And of course, Israel is a miserable failure at living in obedience to Torah. They are characterized by such mistrust and insistence on working to provide for their own security that Yahweeh must boot them out of the land, back into wilderness/exile, and start his people back on a process of looking landward.

I find myself in agreement with nearly all of the larger points of Brueggemann's. Although I found myself at times flabbergasted at some of his smaller points (c.f. the unexplained/clarified/warrented import of covenantal theology on p. 45, which interestingly isn't developed in his N.T. Chapter), I found myself greatly provoked in my thinking, even in disagreement. The one exception to this was the "Blessed are the Meek" chapter. One is certainly able to discern the idea of land/exile in Christ's death/resurrection, but Brueggemann's clever, and even apt connections between certain N.T. themes with the Land left me wishing he would have more fully addressed the most conspicuous feature of the N.T. in regards to the land, namely it's lack of references to it. Does Christ now function as the land?; are Gentiles going to inherit any land?; etc? Brueggemann doesen't want to take his observation that "Yahweh transforms the question so that bread-talk has the dimansion of God-talk..." (38) to existentialist ends, so what happened to the land in the N.T.? This book leaves me full of questions, definitely a sign of its value.

possibly Brueggemann's best work.......2006-03-08

Though this may be the best of Walter Brueggemann's many books, it is not a work for the faint of heart. Brueggemann's prose sometimes seems to overtake his meaning. One wonders at times-Brueggemann himself might say-whether there is a surfeit of meaning in this text that eludes immediate penetration, or simply a surplus of words.

At least that's how I often feel upon first reading. A virtue of Brueggemann's work is that it invites one back for a second reading and even more. This, I find, is often the moment when one's efforts to capture his line of thought pay off. Because there is a notable homiletic note in much of Brueggemann's prose, he proclaims more often than he explains. The most important observation I can make for a first-time reader of Brueggemann is that one needs to count on reading him more than once.

Always, the gems that Brueggemann scatters across the terrain are well worth the labor. His assays in search of the reflection Israel has applied to her sacred texts demonstrate his commitment to the Bible as theological material. One rarely departs a chapter empty-handed, though one sometimes leaves exhausted.

An extended preface to the second edition (pp. xi - xxiii) establishes an apologia for what the author considers his methodological naiveté in the first edition. Brueggemann provides a useful sketch of the state of Old Testament theology when he first wrote on the land. Perhaps his most important observation was that the discipline had only recently begun to turn from the `mighty acts of God' pattern of thought often associated with G. Ernest Wright, Harvard's late and eminent Old Testament scholar. A recognition that this intellectual movement-characterized by a search for Israel's distinctives-sometimes played upon false antitheses (myth/history, space/time) was making it possible for scholars to recover the biblical motif of creation and, so, for Brueggemann to speak about the biblical theme of land, even if in not so sophisticated a fashion as he believes is possible some years hence.

Brueggemann finds in the land a central organizing motif for Old Testament theology, offering as it does the chance to move beyond existentialist interpretation-individual decisions are important but too, well, individual-and those interpretations abbreviated by the label `mighty acts of God' (`Land as Promise and as Problem', pp. 1-13). The latter notice a serious biblical concern, but fail to take into account the concrete longing for place and the power to hold on to it that runs through the biblical witness. We meet Israel in its wanderings in and out of land. This people certainly knows land as a promise, for it is so often without it. It also knows the problem of keeping it-by purity rather than by power, in Brueggemann's construction-during its monarchic time as a landed nation. In this first of a dozen chapters, Brueggemann makes an important distinction between space and place. Space is essentially empty and often refers to the liberties that allow one to create for oneself an identity with maximum liberties. By contrast, place is storied space. It is intensively concrete, social, and shot through with remembered events and people.

Brueggemann's second chapter (`To the Land I Will Show You', pp. 15-25) finds in Genesis two stories about land in contraposition: chs 1-11, people `fully rooted in land living towards expulsion and loss of land' and chs 12-50, Abraham and his family `not having land but being on the way toward it and living in confident expectation of it'. The hinge is the well-known word of promise at 12.1.

`You Lacked Nothing' (ch. 3, pp. 27-41) is in my judgment the book's finest chapter. Brueggemann sees that `wilderness is the historical form of chaos' His exploration of Israel's well-processes memory of the wilderness landedness must be quoted: `His glory is known, his presence discerned, and his sovereignty acknowledged in his capacity to transform this situation from emptiness to satiation, from death to life, from hunger to bread and meat. He acted decisively to make for landless Israel an environment as rich and nourishing as a landed people had ever known. Yahweh is transformer of situations. The surprise is that landlessness can become nourishing.' Those charged with teaching or preaching Israel's Scripture will linger with profit over this chapter, which achieves an almost throbbing density as it explores two Torah texts of wilderness remembrance, of scarcity and provision when there is no land to be held.

In `Reflections at the Boundary' (ch. 4, pp. 43-65), Brueggemann takes up the listening pause at the boundary (in history and symbol, the river Jordan). At that moment-the tradition communicates it to us in the book of Deuteronomy-Israel is reminded that she lives by grace and that the gift of enlandment that she is about to receive is also just that: a gift. As she was satisfied in the desert, though precariously, now Israel must undergo a radical identify shift as she becomes the possessor of a land that is capable of satisfying in sturdier, more calculable ways.

In this context, Brueggemann can affirm what a prior generation of Old Testament scholars would have considered outlandish: that Yahweh, too, is a fertility god. He is not only that, but he is that as he promises that Israel's satiety in the new land will endure the seasons and cycles of nature if she remains obedient to its giver. Israel is reminded that she will manage the land as temptation only if she employs her sole resource of memory. The land is also a responsibility, for it can be kept only by keeping Torah in it. Finally, the land is a threat because there are always Canaanites in it.

Brueggemann does not like kings. His writing becomes most acidic when speaking of kings and the things kings do, perhaps because his is acutely conscious of how badly royal misbehavior wastes Israel's promise. In `One from among Your Brethren' (ch. 5, pp. 67-85), the author explores the different kind of land management-different, that is, in contrast to `the nations'-that was to take place under the kingly successors to the rather idiosyncratic judges that `governed' Israel's premonarchical league. Speaking of Deuteronomy's reluctant (?) profile of future kings, Brueggemann is poignant and insightful: `The contrast is clear and sharp: a brother, not a foreigner. The issue is not pure blood or tribal connection but that the land must be managed by someone nurtured in the understandings and memories of Israel. If the land is not to be wrongly handled, the king must remember barrenness and birth, slavery and freedom, hunger and manna, and above all the speeches at the boundary.' Solomon, who appears not to have remembered very well, is (again!) Brueggemann's arch-villain, having removed by all available royal prerogatives the `if' of obedience from the charter of kings.

Ch. 6 (`Because Your Forgot Me', pp. 85-100) stresses the urgent complementarity of prophets and kings. The prophet accompanies kings as a component part of the insistence that Israel's kings should not rule as the monarchs of other nations do. Prophets enforce, or at least press the claims for, Torah obedience by kings who must manage land and all its trappings. Brueggemann concedes too much to his own enthusiasm for the subject when he claims that the `language of resurrection is used' to announce the rise of prophets and prophecy, but his interlocking of prophecy and monarchy seems to this reviewer to be spot on.

Torah and prophet are the king's only hope to ward off amnesia. But kings forget, and divorce comes. Here, at least, Yahwistic religion is not like the cyclical rhythm of fertility cults. With Yahweh, divorce can occur and it does.

Brueggemann's language in chapter 7 (`The Push Toward Landlessness-and Beyond', pp. 101-122) is powerful enough momentarily to evoke in the reader the terror of a king who needs to deal with the next crisis when he finds himself faced down by a prophet who has the time-or perhaps in biblical terms, the calling-to `think unthinkable thoughts and speak unspeakable words' about the `drift and destiny of the community'. Jeremiah is the most poignant of land-poets, arguing-in vain, in the short term-for an alternative model of kingship, approximated by Josiah, that requires a `Mosaic effort at Davidic power'.

After exile becomes a fact, `Jeremiah announces the central scandal of the Bible, that radical loss and discontinuity do happen and are the source of real newness.' That few people might intuit that such is the Bible's `central scandal' is in part what makes Brueggemann a compelling biblical theologian as well as an able exegete. He has a nose for subterranean tectonic plates. A little later, this: `The Bible never denies that there is landlessness or that it is deathly. But it rejects every suggestion that landlessness is finally the will of Yahweh. Exiles, like the old sojourners, live in this hope and for this plan that outdistances all reasonable hypotheses about history.'

In chapter eight (`None to Comfort', pp. 123-141), the author listens in as the likes of Jeremiah confront his self-deceived contemporaries about the radical discontinuities of Israel's `second story': the journey from life with the land to existence without it. A flood of literature pours out of this second history as Israel copes with the `no of God' (cf. Lamentations) and gropes toward life by Yahweh's promise rather than by a possessed land. Then Ezekiel's roughish language dares to speak of an exiled God (banished with his Israel) and then of a Joshua-like conquest (again, God with his Israel) of a recovered land. Alongside these thickly interpretive voices, that of the Priestly writers is also heard: `not just the action of desperate people collecting historical data. It is an artistic statement designed to give a sense of serenity, order, and coherence. It is constructed with remarkable intentionality.' Thus does Brueggemann rescue P from the appearance of mere antiquarian interests, a salvaging that profoundly needs the attention of 21st-century readers separated from such literature by a very wide chasm of tastes, preferences, and deftness with the protean language of symbol. Finally, the author surveys Second Isaiah's convergence of traditions in the interest of land-rescue.

It must require enormous discipline for Brueggemann's to domesticate his quasi-liberal (the quasi is extremely important) instincts sufficiently to discover sympathy for Ezra and Nehemiah (chapter nine 'Jealous for Jerusalem", pp. 143-156). That he does so is to his credit, for he can see the dangerously 'careful' and covenant-constructing work of these reformers and land-recoverers as something other than shallow legalism: 'It is not our intent to confine the reconstruction under Ezra to a concern for the land. However, such a consideration invites us to understand the movement in a fresh way. The work of Ezra is often seen as a legalistic cultic sectarianism, and no doubt it has that dimension. But the data can be differently understood if we consider the powerful memory of land-loss through syncretism and the passion for covenant as a way to survive in history.' With Solomon and Ahab's internationalistic syncretism as a precedent for land-loss, it is not difficult to understand why an Ezra might have risked a kind of social tyranny in order to avoid that 'other'' extreme.

In this chapter, the author adeptly helps his reader understand why Hellenism-as a distinct type of a universalism not so distant from what today we call 'globalization'-might have represented an insidious threat not so much to Judaism per se as to a kind of Ezra-shaped Judaism that saw in Hellenistic values the seeds of a particularistic Judaism's demise. As an extreme reaction, Apocalyptic would return the most particularist and radical strains of Judaism, sick beyond limits with 'world-weariness' (P. Hanson's term, quoted here by Brueggemann). Thus, whether Jerusalem was experienced as possession or hope, emerged a particular and not very persuadable jealousy for Zion.

Brueggemann ventures some daring polarities in chapter ten (`Blessed are the Meek', pp. 157-172), beginning by seeing the `movement around Jesus' as an alternative to the dominant `scribalism' of the Judaism of his time. Further, `grasping with courage' is counterpoised to `waiting in confidence for the gift', a binomial that the author uses to envisage Jesus' message as a kind of return by the dispossessed to a species of landedness. What is more, the Western Wall and Masada stand in for opposite modern Israeli stances, with some lamentation of Masada's role in what Brueggemann sees as that nation's unwarranted militarism.

Even Jesus' crucifixion is brought into the orbit of this motif, it being a landlessness par excellence. If Brueggemann outpaces his texts here, it must be conceded that he has at least cast a helpful light on the fact of land concerns in the New Testament, even as he wrestles with the complexities they inevitably present.

In chapter eleven ('Land: Fertility and Justice', pp. 173-196), Brueggemann turns to the nature of humankind as an earthly and covenant-keeping creature, playing on the well-known 'adam/'adamah relationship. He finds implications in several directions: 'The mystery of an adequate relationship with a woman (which we do not often realize) is to hold so loyally as to preclude promiscuity, but to hold so freely as to respect her rights. It is the same with the land. They mystery of faithfulness is to hold the land loyally so as not to reduce it to a commodity, but to hold so freely as to honor its rights as partner and not as possession'.

The author finds the American economic context as a large violation of this principle of covenant-keeping landholding. Some of Brueggemann's deliberations in this respect are properly thought-provoking, though few of them approach the kinds of socio-economic hardheadedness that might produce a workable alternative. Such is the paradox of this man's writing: he is at his most helpful when he is not concrete, for seminality is the stuff of his prose. Yet just here is he at his most frustrating, for it is not clear that he is competent at moving from critique to proposal. This is far from a fatal flaw, but it is a limitation that frequent returnees to Brueggemann's work-like this reviewer-must come eventually to appreciate and to embrace with the requisite sympathy. Though Brueggemann brings to social critique a profoundly theological voice, he prefers 'inversion' where 'reshaping' might have been achievable. Yahweh is, for him, a socialist in a world where socialisms have manifestly not proven to be exemplary providers of opportunity or functionally covenantal society. One must wonder whether the kinds of oppressive management that Brueggemann decries are more often features of command (by whomever) economies or of those driven by the myriad individual, family, and otherwise collective decisions that we abbreviate as 'the market'. History, it seems to me, places the burden of proof upon those who support the other, particularly on those who do so without having lived in one of them.

Economic calculation is, for Brueggemann, a chief among sins rather than a productive feature of worldly stewardship. Yet those whose preferences-or, dare we say, calculations-run in more market-oriented directions ought not to do without Brueggemann's covenantal critique of their social vision. Capitalism with no soul, it has sometimes been observed, is a dark and empty promise. Brueggemann knows this, even if he must in the end stand with the rest of us who know little.

Characteristically, Brueggemann's wrap-ups leave one hungry for more. 'Concluding Hermeneutical Reflections' (pp. 197-208) keeps the pace. It is difficult to explain the academy's lack of attention to the concept of land in the biblical literature, though the intellectual history of a culture that has for some time accelerated in the direction of the individual accumulates some mileage towards providing an answer. By any account, Walter Brueggemann has moved us closer to a remedy for that deficiency, stating-with his characteristic risk of overstatement-that the land may well be the Bible's most central concept. Even if he is wrong, the decision to read this peerless contribution to biblical theology is bound to be right.

Discovering New Dimensions of the Biblical Text.......2003-11-30

Almost always bibliographies for rural ministry include Brueggemann's "The Land." After reading the book, I don't understand why. Brueggemann's observations appear applicable to urban and suburban as well as rural ministries. (Granted, I read an earlier edition of the book. Perhaps, a later edition would clear my confusion.) Brueggemann's insight is in biblical theology, not a particular subset of Christian ministry.

Brueggemann uses "the land" as a category of interpretation from Genesis to the ends of the New Testament. Granted, the scope of the book is ambitious, but Brueggemann does a commendable job. I was particularly intrigued in seeing connections between the land as gift, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and Paul's teaching on grace. Brueggemann's method helps us overcome blind spots in traditional interpretation. Nonetheless, I would not suggest jettisoning more familiar ways of looking at Scripture in favor of "the land." As one who reads the Old Testament through the New, I would have appreciated more emphasis on Christology, Soteriology and their relation to the land. Still, there is plenty of food for thought.

Book Description

The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands integrates the geography of Bible lands with the teachings of the Bible. Its one hundred thousand words provide useful commentary for more than ninety detailed maps of Palestine, the Mediterranean, the Near East, the Sinai, and Turkey. Learn of God's protection and guidance by following Israel's forty-year sojourn in the wilderness. Appreciate the results of the Great Commission to 'teach all nations' by seeing the scope of Paul's three missionary journeys. Dr. Barry Beitzel has blended the topographical and historical in multi-colored maps that accurately reflect evangelical Christianity. Pages of timeless information aid in sermon preparation and in personal Bible study. The Moody Atlas is an invaluable asset to Sunday school teachers and to seminary and Bible college students. Text and unique maps make this one of the most useful and accurate atlases available today.

Customer Reviews:

informative and helpful.......2006-03-02

The maps and charts in this altas are fabulous. The historical and geographical explanations are vey informative.

Extremely Detailed- Not a Quick Overview.......2005-09-07

I'm a graduate student and bought the book for a class at the seminary that I attend. Even as a graduate student, the books' geography is way too detailed for a quick survey of the land. But, if you are looking for a very detailed, informative Atlas, then this is the book to buy.

Clear and Accurate.......2000-01-16

This is my choice for a Bible atlas. The text and maps are clear and accurate. The map citation index and Scripture index are complete. The time line and color photos help to make this an interesting atlas. For Bible teachers, a complete set of matching overhead transparencies is available. My Bible college students have voted this their #1 choice.

Average customer rating:

Excellent
There's a bit of a famine in the book
Preaching God's Book God's Way!!!
A Must for All Pastors...
Tonic to the Times

Famine in the Land
Steven Lawson
Manufacturer: Moody Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0802411215

Book Description

Steven Lawson understands how important it is to feed God's people from His Word. He's concerned that what started as a genuine attempt to attract a broader hearing by moving away from Scripture, has grown into a crisis in the church. He is convinced that we must return to expository preaching, 'the man of God opening the Word of God and expounding its truths so that the voice of God may be heard, the glory of God seen, and the will of God obeyed.' Lawson calls the church back to Scripture...to restore its commitment to let God's own words speak.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent .......2007-06-30

"The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the Church, it is the greatest need of the world also." So said Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the famous expositor of Westminster Chapel. And so begins this book, a passionate call for a fresh generation of preachers from Steve Lawson, who is himself a gifted expositor of the Word.

With the conviction that a preacher is meant to become a mouthpiece for the text of Scripture, this book wonderfully models expository preaching, even as it teaches it. Chapter One, "Feast or Famine? The Priority of Biblical Preaching," is an exposition of Acts 2:42-47, which unfolds the primacy, pattern, purity, passion, and potency of the apostolic teaching in the early church. Chapter Two, "The Need of the Hour: The Power of Biblical Preaching," expounds Jonah 3. It is a rousing study of "of one man (Jonah), equipped with one message (God's), committed to one method (preaching), who effected great spiritual change" (p. 58). The author examines the call to preach, along with the character and consequences of true preaching, highlighting its courageous, compelling, confrontational, and compassionate dimensions, as seen in the life of Jonah.

Chapter Three, "Bring the Book! The Pattern of Biblical Preaching," is a study based on Ezra 7:1-10 and Nehemiah 8:1-18. This chapter unfolds the preacher's preparation of the word in study, his personalization of the word in obedience, and his proclamation of the word in preaching. Finally, in Chapter Four, "No Higher Calling: The Passion of Biblical Preaching," an exposition of 1 Timothy 4:13-16 is given. This chapter includes a brief look at Calvin and his "Reformation of Exposition" (p. 110-112), in the course of Lawson's unfolding of the pursuit, pattern, perseverance, pains, and preoccupation of biblical preaching.

The author's contagious love for the Word, extensive study of preaching itself (dozens of excellent quotations on preaching are sprinkled throughout the book), and obvious zest for homiletics and the artistry of preaching make this an exciting and encouraging book for preachers which will serve to stoke the fire in many a discouraged preacher's heart. I greatly enjoyed it and recommend it to other pastors and preachers.

There's a bit of a famine in the book.......2007-05-26

Some time ago I preached a message based on the prophet Micaiah's experience with the King of Israel in I Kings 22 wherein this monarch, in attempting to bring King Jehoshaphat into a military alliance against a common enemy, held a great banquet wherein the false prophets (all 400 of them) were summoned to give their "advice" in going to war. In one accord they all agreed that such a venture could not help but know success. King Jehoshaphat however, insisted on having the prophecy of one more prophet, and so Micaiah was summoned though the King of Israel was against it knowing that this man would prophecy only the truth.

On a number of occasions over the past few years I have been placed in Micaiah's position though never to bring forth truth against error, but simply as one that takes a different point of view. I do that not for controversy's sake, but because I sense that something in the very able opinion of others is perhaps lacking.

As a pastor seeking our Sovereign Lord's direction back into full time pastoral ministry, I am ever on the outlook for books that will bring me encouragement in the essential matter of expository preaching. This is a discipline that is sorely lacking in the pulpit of our present day. Hence when I came across our brother Lawson's book and read the reviews here on Amazon, I very much looked forward to having it as a valuable contribution to my modest library. I received the book within a few days of ordering it.

My first thought, given that it was a hard back, was that it was quite short. In fact it was even shorter than I had first imagined. It's listed at 128 pages but when the blank pages are eliminated, and the mountainous footnotes are taken away, there are but 89 pages of script left. Further, the font size is unusually large for a book that measures barely six by eight inches.

Brother Challies (a fellow Canuck whom I respect very much) mentioned above that there are a great many quotes in the book. Indeed true, in fact, there are so many quotes that the author's actual contribution is greatly minimized. Hardly a page goes by that there are one and sometimes more quotes of a great many authors. Of course what all these are saying is very true, but one is left from time to time wondering what the author of this book actually has to say for his original material is actually at a bare minimum.

The one area that did rather bother me, however, was his use of Jonah as an example of a compelling preacher of the Word. Like many preachers, I have preached through the book of Jonah on more than one occasion, and I hardly find him a heightened sample of, in our author's words, a "courageous, compelling, confrontational, compassionate" preacher. In the first place he did everything in his power to avoid following the divine directive that he was given. That cost him. Then when he did make it to Ninevah, the message he delivered was as brief as he could make it, and somehow I've always gotten the feeling from the text that he delivered it as quickly as possible to get the whole thing behind him. I see very little courage in the man; his compelling message was that of Almighty God; his confrontation was as brief as possible; and as for compassionate, well I'm certain that chapter four, verse one tells it better than anything else, for when at the message the city repented of its evil and God turned from destroying them, we read: "...it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry". This is compassion??

What Jonah best teaches is the absolutely sovereignty of God, not the effective preaching of a reluctant servant.

Now, please do not think that I am attempting to put our brother down for his attempt to bring forth a much needed book on a subject that we as preachers need to hear more about. I would say rather that I am just disappointed in having very little to read of what this dear brother is saying, for he, on a personal level really has very little to say.

In Christ,
J.D.

Preaching God's Book God's Way!!!.......2007-05-05

Steve Lawson is a good communicator, whether in person or print, so his book Famine in the Land (FTL) was an easy read.

To begin, I was captured by the title as I could not agree more that there is a famine in our land of the Word of God in American churches just as in Amos' day.

The thesis of the book is that God alone determines "the place expository preaching should have in the church today, as well as define[s] how the Word is to be preached"; therefore, his goal is "to fortify the allegiance of all who proclaim the Word of God" so that the modern pulpit might be "restored to her former glory" (19).

Growing up in Southern California's seeker church environment and taking in the philosophy of ministry uncritically pandering to the people's felt needs made sense. It was years later that I realized "God's work must be done God's way if it is to know God's blessing" (26).

I was so used to man-centered ministry that I am so grateful for books like FTL because I need a more biblical philosophy of ministry and preaching.

I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Lawson that with the state of the church as it is "the crying need of the hour is for divine power to be restored to evangelical pulpits" (57).

This book really challenged me. I am so aware of my weaknesses and inadequacies, but this book has inspired me to be one of the few who Dr. Lawson calls the strongest man with the strongest message for the strongest ministries.

Today, when ambiguity and compromise are more of the accepted norm, FTL has helped me to remember that I have to constantly choose between faithfulness and popularity as I try to do my part to add the living water of God's Word to our dry and dusty spiritual land.

A Must for All Pastors..........2007-01-20

This book is a must have for every preacher, in all places, for all times. Steven Lawson has emerged as a pastor that is known for one thing: Passionate Expository Preaching. This book I was expecting to be a mirror of Dr. Lawson's message at the Shepherd's Conference titled, "Bring the Book." But what I found was that this book was an expansion of that sermon and not one could replace the other. I did enjoy the book more, I believe, because I heard Lawson's sermon on the topic first, as I could hear the passion that Lawson preached while reading his words.

The book exposits The Priority, Power, Pattern and Passion of Biblical preaching. Lawson accomplishes this through the story of Jonah, Ezra, Paul and Timothy focusing on the passages in the book of Jonah, Ezra 7:10, Nehemiah 8:1-8 and 1 Timothy 4:13-16. Lawson is very clear and I don' t know if it was because I did hear his sermon but it seemed as though the admonishing and exhorting teachings were leaping from the pages to my mind in how I could change the way I teach and preach. This book along with the sermon, "Bring the Book," should be given to every preacher whether seasoned or new to the ministry.

Tonic to the Times.......2005-05-01

Famine in the Land opens with a quote from the great preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones. "The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the Church, it is the greatest need of the world also." Author Steven Lawson continues, "If the doctor's diagnosis is correct, and this writer believes it is, then a return to preaching - true preaching, biblical preaching, expository preaching - is the greatest need in this critical hour. If a reformation is to come to the church, it must be preceded by a reformation of the pulpit. As the pulpit goes, so goes the church" (page 17). What follows is four chapters which are, appropriately, expository in nature and which examine the priority, power, pattern and passion of expository preaching.

The book is divided into four sections. In the first, the author writes about the priority of biblical preaching, using verses from Acts 2 as his text. He teaches that God's church must be done in God's way in order to thrive and survive in the way the Lord intends. He then goes on to show the priority Jesus and his apostles placed on biblical preaching. The second chapter examines the power of biblical preaching, and examines Jonah and his preaching to the city of Nineveh. He teaches that solid preaching needs to be courageous, compelling, confrontational and compassionate in order to conform to the biblical model. The third chapter, which examines the pattern of biblical preaching, looks back to Ezra as he read and explained the Law to the people of Jerusalem. Lawson writes about the necessary preparation for delivering an expository message and provides a call to preachers to become true teachers of the Word. The final chapter looks at Paul's words to Timothy found in 1 Timothy 4:13-16 and speaks of the passion of biblical preaching. The author shows the pattern of reading, applying and teaching the Word and also speaks of the importance of perseverance in the ministry.

The book is laced with effective illustrations, and even better, with multitudes of wonderful quotes about preaching. A personal favorite is found on page 64. "Unfortunately much of contemporary preaching seems out of balance, having become too much like what someone described as 'a mild mannered man standing before mild-mannered people urging them to become more mild-mannered.'" It is followed by words spoken by Philips Brokks. "If you are afraid of men and a slave to their opinion, go and do something else. God and make shoes to fit them. Go even and paint pictures which you know are bad, but which suit their bad taste. But do not keep on all your life preaching sermons which say not what God sent you to declare, but what they have you to say. Be courageous" (page 64,65).

The only addition I might have made to this book was a section on how the listener is to prepare to hear an expository sermon. There are many books describing how an expositor is to prepare and deliver such a sermon, but few include wisdom directed at the layperson. However, I acknowledge that such a section would have been outside the scope of this book which is directed primarily at pastors.

This is one of the best and most accessible books I have read on this topic. Any believer, and pastors especially, will benefit from reading it. While more and more churches are watering down their messages in order to conform to the times, it is increasingly important that pastors follow the biblical model of preaching. This book will provide biblical guidance to help correct this "famine in the land."

Israel: A Biblical Tour of the Holy Land

Average customer rating:

israel
Excellent overview of Bible History, whether you go or not

Israel: A Biblical Tour of the Holy Land
Neal W. May
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1577781538

Customer Reviews:

israel.......2007-02-26

I teach an adult Sunday School class and like to make the history come alive. This book really does that. It adds an appreciation for the idea that the places in the Bible are real. It covers the Holy Land nicely as it is today, but adds a lot of Biblical history - why is the area meaningful. At the same time, it is highly readable. The only drawback that I find, is a lack of maps. But that is a personal preference, since I used to teach geography. Also, if you are looking for lots of pictures, this is not the book for you.

Joyce the librarian

Excellent overview of Bible History, whether you go or not.......2000-09-04

I was looking for a good overview of Biblical History in preparation for a visit to the Meditterranean when I chanced upon this book. Wow. Clear and concise, readable, and linked to the geography and sites still present.

Amazon.com

Bruce Feiler's latest book combines now familiar elements into his own peculiar, delightful alchemy. Any particular page may be found effortlessly weaving together strands of theology, biblical exegesis, physical exploration, history and personal reflection as Feiler continues his journey of discovery, looking at the common roots of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The Middle East has become a more dangerous place since the writing of his first book in this vein, Walking the Bible. But Feiler is impelled to answer his continued call, even when a flak jacket is necessary. He explores tunnels under Jerusalem. Goes to where David may have slain Goliath. Even looks for the Garden of Eden in Iraq while acknowledging that "the garden would never be found." It is this externalization of searches typically only made in the heart that fascinates us and brings power to Feiler's narrative. In one of the more compelling sections of the book, a meditation on Jonah, Feiler makes a persuasive argument that "God cares only that you conduct yourself in a moral way… And what might come across as preaching in another context is instead organic; Feiler's ideas seem to grow as much out of his travel and present-day experience as they do from Scripture and history. Of particular interest is his writing on King Cyrus II. He travels to Persepolis, in modern-day Iran, and finds an ancient precedent for religious tolerance in this king who helped the Jews build the Second Temple. Feiler provokes us to reflect that if the Bible itself can sing the praises of a king who accepted the various religions of those he ruled, perhaps there is hope we can find room for more tolerance in our own time. Highly recommended.--Ed Dobeas

Book Description

At a time when America debates its values and the world braces for religious war, Bruce Feiler, author of the New York Times bestsellers Walking the Bible and Abraham, travels ten thousand miles through the heart of the Middle East—Israel, Iraq, and Iran—and examines the question: Is religion tearing us apart ... or can it bring us together?

Where God Was Born combines the adventure of a wartime chronicle, the excitement of an archaeological detective story, and the insight of personal spiritual exploration. Taking readers to biblical sites not seen by Westerners for decades, Feiler's journey uncovers little-known details about the common roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and affirms the importance of the Bible in today's world.

In his intimate, accessible style, Feiler invites readers on a never-in-a-lifetime experience:

Israel Feiler takes a perilous helicopter dive over Jerusalem, treks through secret underground tunnels, and locates the spot where David toppled Goliath.

Iraq After being airlifted into Baghdad, Feiler visits the Garden of Eden and the birthplace of Abraham, and makes a life-threatening trip to the rivers of Babylon.

Iran Feiler explores the home of the Bible's first messiah and uncovers the secret burial place of Queen Esther.

In Where God Was Born, Feiler discovers that at the birth of Western religion, all faiths drew from one another and were open to coexistence. Feiler's bold realization is that the Bible argues for interfaith harmony. It cannot be ceded to one side in the debate over values. Feiler urges moderates to take back the Bible and use its powerful voice as a beacon of shared ideals.

In his most ambitious work to date, Bruce Feiler has written a brave, uplifting story that stirs the deepest chords of our time. Where God Was Born offers a rare, universal vision of God that can inspire different faiths to an allegiance of hope.

Download Description

At a time when America debates its values and the world braces for religious war, Bruce Feiler, author of the New York Times bestsellers Walking the Bible and Abraham, travels ten thousand miles through the heart of the Middle East -- Israel, Iraq, and Iran -- and examines the question: Is religion tearing us apart ... or can it bring us together?

Where God Was Born combines the adventure of a wartime chronicle, the excitement of an archaeological detective story, and the insight of personal spiritual exploration. Taking readers to biblical sites not seen by Westerners for decades, Feiler's journey uncovers little-known details about the common roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and affirms the importance of the Bible in today's world.

In his intimate, accessible style, Feiler invites readers on a never-in-a-lifetime experience:

Israel Feiler takes a perilous helicopter dive over Jerusalem, treks through secret underground tunnels, and locates the spot where David toppled Goliath.

Iraq After being airlifted into Baghdad, Feiler visits the Garden of Eden and the birthplace of Abraham, and makes a life-threatening trip to the rivers of Babylon.

Iran Feiler explores the home of the Bible's first messiah and uncovers the secret burial place of Queen Esther.

In Where God Was Born, Feiler discovers that at the birth of Western religion, all faiths drew from one another and were open to coexistence. Feiler's bold realization is that the Bible argues for interfaith harmony. It cannot be ceded to one side in the debate over values. Feiler urges moderates to take back the Bible and use its powerful voice as a beacon of shared ideals.

In his most ambitious work to date, Bruce Feiler has written a brave, uplifting story that stirs the deepest chords of our time. Where God Was Born offers a rare, universal vision of God that can inspire different faiths to an allegiance of hope.

Customer Reviews:

Great physical & spiritual walk, but in the end reverts to the secular.......2007-06-27

Bruce does an amazing job of making the Bible and its lands and history real. While he doesn't fall prey to the all too often use of analysis to subtley, but irrevovably trash religion and God, he does in the end lean to the secular, all the while proclaiming his Jewishness. Despite his spiritual longings, he seems to think Judaism is flexible and what you make of it--rather than a pilgrimage to find ultimate truth--a concept he runs from. In the end it seems his greatest joy is that no matter where he goes, he effectively has a built in network of cultural chums to hang with. In short his Jewishness feels more ethnic than religious--a conclusion that I can only hope he did not intend.

A greater criticism is that all too often he sees "fundamentalism", regardless of the faith as a level, morally regrettable and destructive playing field. There is no sense of disproportion. Christian fundamentals are seen in the same light as Muslim, ignoring that even disagreeable Christians don't coerce their flocks into repression and worse, weapons of terror and death.

Still the book is highly readable, providing insights and a deeper understanding that I simply didn't expect. So despite my misgivings, my greater disappointment is that Bruce is unlikely to continue this journey into the foundations of Christianity. I can only hope I find another author of his caliber to do the same for my faith.

where god was born.......2007-03-23

Very much second best to his earlier book, walking the bible. seems like the author thought he had to write another book on the same topic, which is too bad.

If You Want to Understand the Bible.......2007-01-10

Very informative. The Lord has blessed Bruce Feiler. I've read his other books Walking the Bible, and Abraham, and it was difficult to put them down.

Illuminating History.......2006-08-10

Enlarged my understanding of Biblical history and provided background for todays problems in that part of the country. Everyone needs to read.

Sign of our times.......2006-07-15

Today, our culture scoffs at believing the Bible, as a result it is not at all fashionable to actually read it. So, unsurprisingly, it is a sign of our times that this book's many mistakes would go unnoticed by the vast majority.

Feiler's book is an engrossing travelogue. He takes us to many of the sites referenced in the Bible and helps make them come alive with his narrative. However, even as a newcomer to Bible study, I caught several errors just in the first few chapters.

Had this book been written 50 years ago, I think even the most secular editor would have sent the book back for a rewrite. How can we take Feiler's points seriously, when he can't get even the basic facts straight?

Faith Lessons on the Promised Land (Church Vol. 1) Participant's Guide

Average customer rating:

Not exactly
Excellent series for group study!!!

Faith Lessons on the Promised Land (Church Vol. 1) Participant's Guide
Ray Vander Laan
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 031067896X

Book Description

Filmed on location in Israel by Focus on the Family Films, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God's Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible's fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals keen insights into Scripture's significance for modern believers. These illuminating "faith lessons" afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The completely new Faith Lessons curriculum takes your small group on a round trip to ancient times, places, and customs, and back again. This lively, interactive journey is more than fascinating - it's faith -inspiring and life-changing. This brand-new Participant's Guide carefully and plainly helps you turn the lessons you learn from the past into real-life applications that impact the way you live your faith. You'll find space for note-taking, topics for discussion, and questions for reflection, as well as maps, photos, sidebars, and other study tools to help you better grasp each faith lesson. You'll also find Action Points for translating each lesson into practical ways to make a unique, important difference in the world around you. The carefully organized format makes it easy for youth to gain tremendous benefits from the following sessions: Standing at the Crossroads, Wet Feet, First Fruits, Confronting Evil, Iron of Culture.

Customer Reviews:

Not exactly.......2007-01-10

This item was advertized as not new but had mroe writing in it that rendered it not usable for the purpose for which I had purchased it. The material presented in it is great and useful but this book could not be used by a student as intended.

Excellent series for group study!!!.......2001-07-24

Our small church (20 - 30 who regularly attend church) had 12 participants in adult Sunday School when we did this series. This was the first adult Sunday School curriculem we had used in 10 years, and is still the favorite of all that we've done since. It can be used with new Christians, or those who have done years of Bible study. Even my eight-year-old wanted to watch the videos (available from Focus on the Family) with us(although some videos are not appropriate for children). The videos are excellent. The Leaders' Guide is awesome. Wonderful insights into God's love and our response from little-known parts of the Bible, made relevent by modern-day archeaology. I would recommend this series whole-heartedly to any church or group wanting to study the Bible.

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