Asimov's Guide to the Bible: The Old and New Testaments

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 show more 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. show less

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.

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 Some information is slightly out of date due to recent archaeological discoveries, but there is still very much to be learned from here.

Asimov was a prolific writer, but as he admits, not a Bible scholar. He largely parrots the liberal view of the Bible advocated by form critics in the mid 20th century. This book can be a valuable synopsis of Bible history, but must be read with discernment or it will leave the reader with more confusion than understanding.

If you want a history of the information found in the bible, this is a great reference. If you are looking for a theological perspective however, Asimov doesn’t even try to go there. This book can explain where things are, why certain practices were done, and what the meanings behind some of the most important biblical events were. A good enough reference for understanding the bible in its historical context.

Although best known for his science fiction books and short stories and his factual science essays, Asimov was a polymath who dabbled in many areas. Although he was brought up in a Jewish family, as an adult he was a firm atheist, so he approaches the Bible as a historical novel, not as holy scripture. Asimov explains how the stories came to be written and attempts to sort out fact from fiction.

Although the book is somewhat dated, since there have been a number of advances in biblical scholarship since it was published, it provides a clear explanation of the Bible for anyone who is interested in the Bible's historical underpinnings.