book read by author on CD

Continuing the “saga” he started in Walking the Bible, Bruce sets out to explore the Fertile Crescent and nearby areas, especially Iran, to work out what the second half of the Hebrew Bible discussed—the rise of monotheism and the development of Judaism. He also continues to try to discover ways that the 3 Abrahamic Faiths can learn to live together. This book is a wonderful mix of ancient history and current events that sometimes threatened to overwhelm me (I’m must do something about my lack of geographic and political knowledge) but kept me enthralled, educated me in many areas, and gave me much food for thought about my own faith beliefs and how I live them out. The chapters about Iraq and Iran were particularly meaningful to me because until I read this I knew virtually nothing about these areas except what I’ve been reading in the headlines. One thing that struck me—and Bruce points this out near the end of the book—the Biblical stories about these areas tell of many, almost constant wars as the Jews were moving into and living in the Promised Land as they came up against societies who did not share the value system they felt they were getting from God; it seems that in these 20th and 21st Century times once again there seems to be almost constant conflict brought about by differing views about God and how we should serve Him. Is it a vain hope that we can ever get along? According to Bruce the only thing that can save our religions is religion—the moderates need to be more proactive and not allow the fundamentalists destroy any possibility of being able to accommodate each other and learn from each other. Although he puts it differently, Bruce seems to believe as I do that no one religion or faith has a “lock” on The Truth—we all have aspects of Truth but not a final answer. We need each other to come closer to knowing what God would have us all do. ( )

http://storyjunkie.livejournal.com/34...

On first impression this is a more serious sort of travelogue. Traveling around Jerusalem these days should never be taken lightly, and soon the narrative devices of a mystery told in the first person begin appearing.

The solution is more elusive than a mere "Who done it", as Feiler is searching for a religious identity that doesn't hold an obligation to hate, or to accept that things must remain as divisive as they are. The mystery is how to reconcile this need with the narrative that the faiths of Abraham were given: the Torah, the Bible, the Koran.

In the first section there is a treatment of the bloody history of Jerusalem that doesn't let that history detract from Feiler's search. There is focus on King David, as a figure others have rallied to. There is an unflinching look at the metaphorical, historical and spiritual truths contained in the text of the Bible (as that is the collection Feiler is using here for the most part). He is asking the hard questions, and trying to find answers, and taking the reader with him.

His writing style is more fire-side storyteller than professor, for which I am personally grateful. Details of his surroundings, and his companions, forays into his personal history and the associations he's making between the past and the present are all presented in a conversational format. Reading this so far has been like listening to someone knowledgeable and wise enough to know that they still seek answers talk about something deeply meaningful to them. Just because it's meaningful doesn't mean they examine it any less closely or critically than if it was merely another interesting puzzle. ( )

Though the beginning was a bit difficult to get into, I loved this book. At first, I was a bit daunted by the task that the author had chosen for himself: to retrace the steps of the Old Testament (his first book deals with the Torah). His approach was personal and historical, intertwining personal Biblical interpretation with archeological and Rabbinical proofs. At times, I was skeptical, but by the end I think that the meaning of the book is not to educate about historical and Biblical fact, but rather to inspire. The novel inspired me mostly to just pick up the Bible again and reengage in the journey for myself, but not to travel to the Middle East. ( )

In stacks, haven't read yet.