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Summary: A review of the Bible
Review: The purpose of this review is to help those interested in spiritual literature decide if the Bible is something they would like to read. I am going to review the Bible as if it were any other spiritual book and one that may be totally unfamiliar to a seeker. I will leave aside the question of inspiration and origin as I am only interested in commenting on its value as a text for someone seeking growth.The Bible is a very uneven but very valuable spiritual text. At its worst, it contains a book (Numbers) which is little more than a (surely inaccurate) census list and can be easily skipped. At its best (the Gospels, some of the Psalms, etc.), it contains literature that belongs with the greatest spiritual literature ever written. Since the Bible is actually a collection of books rather than one book, quality and value varies widely. The earlier Old Testament historical books can be fascinating reading from a dramatic perspective as they contain many characters that are still recognizable types today. They may not be very interesting to someone looking for spiritual enlightenment, however, as the God portrayed there seems to be a primitive revelation of a somewhat crude God concerned with military success and other issues that most modern people consider to be beneath God. This state of affairs continues for several hundred pages until the Book Of Job, which is an interesting and thoughtful discussion about injustice in the world. Here begin the Wisdom books in the Bible and each of them is well worth reading as the questions they raise are still relevant. The Book of Psalms is another very high point in the Bible. It contains some of the best prayers you will ever read and is full of great passages. A few of the Psalms deal unpleasantly with revenge, but most are full of inspiring and profoundly moving thoughts. Proverbs consists of some very folksy sayings that can entertain and enlighten. The rest of the Old Testament consists of writings by prophets and while most of it is not of interest to the first time reader of the Bible, there are many magnificent passages (especially in Isaiah) which stand out as milestones in religious writing. These are usually set within long historical passages which will probably bore most readers. By reading headings, one can find the "good stuff". Next comes the New Testament. There are four Gospels, each of which is fast paced and dense with valuable sayings, stories, parables, etc. There is more substance per chapter in the Gospels than in any other part of the bible. Read Luke and John especially as these are the most valuable for seekers. The Gospels are not to be missed. I found nothing in them which was not of interest from some vantage point - and they read very well even today. It is clear from them that Jesus was a very great teacher - and perhaps more. If you think you know what Jesus is about because of second hand information from a church or parents, find out for yourself as you may be very surprised at what you find there. Jesus, as portrayed in the Bible, is not as easy to categorize as many groups would like Him to be. If you studied nothing in the Bible but the Gospels, you would have a great deal to study and learn from just from those small books. The Gospels are followed by Acts - a short history of what happened after the story of the Gospels end. This is followed by various letters by early church leaders, some of which retain great interest for today while others could be left to be read for a much later time if one were to go deeply into christianity. The final book is Revelation - which because of its murky symbolism, is anything but one. I found nothing of interest in this one and can easily see why unstable types have projected their own paranoid fantasies onto this hodgepodge of numerology and apocalyptic imagery. It simply isn't worth reading as it is so unclear that not even the most confident commentators can agree on what it is supposed to mean. Skip it. All in all, the Bible is a very big, uneven book but one that has enough magnificent and profoundly invaluable spiritual material to make it well worth your time and study.
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Summary: Not very good quality production...narration good
Review: This must have been produced a long time ago...the quality of production and sound is less than acceptable. There are other dramatized versions. The one I like is the NIV Dramatized both on cassette and CD narrated by Stephen Johnston. It is produced by World Publishing. I recommend that. CDs really make the Bible accessable because you can go to chapter and verse easier. God Bless!
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