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Exploring the Basics of the Bible (Exploring)

Exploring the Basics of the Bible (Exploring)

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A Confused and only somewhat helpful text
Review: I held back on giving only one star since there is helpful material here. The real faults I find with this book, however, are the poor organization, confused - and confusing - terminology, excessive attention given to minor topics (to the neglect of more important ones) and even outright misunderstanding of the Word of God.

The last charge is the most serious, so I will start with that. BTW, I am only halfway through teaching from this book, so my examples will all come from the first half of the book.

1. Misunderstanding the Word. In his treatment of Moses (near the beginning of chapter two), he maintains that God used him because of his many skills and of his Egyptian training. After cataloguing all of Moses' selling points, Harris sums up with "All this training and inborn ability was used in later years when God made him the leader of the nation ... the people's poet,"... etc."What a chosen vessel was Moses! What a man of God!"

But what is God's (and Moses' assessment)? 40 years as a somebody, 40 years as a nobody, 40 years as a man of God. But what made him that man of God? Contrary to Harris' claim, it was Moses' willingness to lay aside his native advantages (Heb. 11:24- 26) and to be taught anew by the God he only first knew in Sinai (Ex. 3 and 4). Comparing 1st Cor. 1:26- 29 with 2nd Cor. 4:17 should show what Moses' real qualifications were. It is a grave error on the part of Harris to imply that innate ability is more valuable in Christian workers than a willingness to having a renewed mind (Romans 12:1-2). Paul, for instance, counted both his strengths and weaknesses as "dung" in the course of his new life (Phil 3).

2. Poor organization. In his first chapter (Revelation and Inspiration) he treats revelation in a decidedly offhand and sketchy way, mentioning only special and general revelation (as in nature and Romans 1). He makes no mention of the working of revelation toward the Christian, that opening of the eyes that the Holy Spirit grants to all believers as they read the Bible. Thisis a serious omission in a Bible-teaching text, especially an introductory one.

3. Confused terminology. According to him, "koine" is another term for a family of manuscripts, i.e. Textus Receptus. If Koine should be mentioned at all in an introductory Bible course it should refer to the Biblical Greek of that name. A similar confusion is in his use of "Didache": In chapter 3 it is distinct from the "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" (giving separate dates or each). In chapter 5 they are (rightly) shown to be the same writing.

Much more could be written of this book. I had promised to teach the book as part of our church's institute. I will still plod away with this text, using it where I can, but largely supplanting it in places with more helpful notes and outlines. I understand that Dr. Harris was quite a scholar, much more than I am. Yet, apparently, scholarship has it's limitations and liabilities.

I would not recommend this as a beginning text for Bible students.

Or for continuing students.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Much deeper than "Basic"!
Review: This is an extremely difficult book to follow and read. I thought by the title of the book, it would give me a basic understanding to help in teaching Sunday School. This book is much better for people who already know alot about the Bible and its history.


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