Asimov wrote about everything that interested him. His view of this famous book is enlightening. ( )

I can't imagine any lay person understanding the Bible without having read this or something similar. Understanding historical context is essential. An enjoyable and easy read when taken chunks at a time. Indeed I would recommend this over the New Testament itself, and aside from the exquisite poetry, over the Old Testament as well. And you can learn a lot of Levantine history from this. ( )

I had heard that Isaac Asimov was prolific, but I had not realized that he went into Biblical Study. Imagine my surprise when I saw a copy of this. I mean, it's Isaac Asimov, I have to see what he says about the Bible.

So Asimov goes through the Bible and discusses all of the major talking points. Have you ever wondered what a Sadducee was? So did I until I read this book. Where exactly is Jericho as related to Jerusalem? This book has multiple maps that show you just that. Along the way, we are treated to Secular History that has been verified by other records and not just the Bible. So that part alone makes it fascinating. I especially liked the parts that covered verifiable Jewish and Early Christian History. Those parts were excellent. The rest of the Bible seems to be made up of old Folk Legends and stories borrowed extensively during the Exile Period. For instance, there are numerous references to Marduk and Ishtar and other gods of the Babylonian Pantheon.

The Pentateuch and other parts make for pretty dry reading, but trying to estimate the relative dates and authors of certain books must be pretty hard. In any case, I really enjoyed this book. ( )

A very good analysis of one of the most famous books in history from a rational, secular perspective, taking the time to correct events and fit the ones that existed within a more accurate historical chronology. Some information is slightly out of date due to recent archaeological discoveries, but there is still very much to be learned from here. ( )

A good beginning introduction to the Bible, more focused on discussing the stories of the Bible than detailing all the scholarship, though there is a good bit of the scholarhip discussed. Asimov is always a good solid writer, and it is a pleasure to read him, as always. ( )