This visual resource provides Christians of all ages with a quick overview of Bible stories and key teachings, giving readers a solid foundation of biblical understanding for participating in the life of their church.
One man’s quest to find the oldest Bible scrolls in the world and uncover the story of the brilliant, doomed antiquarian accused of forging them. In the summer of 1883, Moses Wilhelm Shapira—archaeological treasure hunter and inveterate social climber—showed up unannounced in London claiming to have discovered the oldest copy of the Bible in the world. But before the museum could pony up his £1 million asking price for the scrolls—which discovery called into question the divine authorship of the scriptures—Shapira’s nemesis, the French archaeologist Charles Clermont-Ganneau, denounced the manuscripts, turning the public against him. Distraught over this humiliating public rebuke, Shapira fled to the Netherlands and committed suicide. Then, in 1947 the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Noting the similarities between these and Shapira’s scrolls, scholars made efforts to re-examine Shapira’s case, but it was too late: the primary piece of evidence, the parchment scrolls themselves had mysteriously vanished. Tigay, journalist and son of a renowned Biblical scholar, was galvanized by this peculiar story and this indecipherable man, and became determined to find the scrolls. He sets out on a quest that takes him to Australia, England, Holland, Germany where he meets Shapira’s still aggrieved descendants and Jerusalem where Shapira is still referred to in the present tense as a “Naughty boy”. He wades into museum storerooms, musty English attics, and even the Jordanian gorge where the scrolls were said to have been found all in a tireless effort to uncover the truth about the scrolls and about Shapira, himself. At once historical drama and modern-day mystery, The Lost Book of Moses explores the nineteenth-century disappearance of Shapira’s scrolls and Tigay's globetrotting hunt for the ancient manuscript. As it follows Tigay’s trail to the truth, the book brings to light a flamboyant, romantic, devious, and ultimately tragic personality in a story that vibrates with the suspense of a classic detective tale.
James Kugel’s essential introduction and companion to the Bible combines modern scholarship with the wisdom of ancient interpreters for the entire Hebrew Bible. As soon as it appeared, How to Read the Bible was recognized as a masterwork, “awesome, thrilling” (The New York Times), “wonderfully interesting, extremely well presented” (The Washington Post), and “a tour de force...a stunning narrative” (Publishers Weekly). Now, this classic remains the clearest, most inviting and readable guide to the Hebrew Bible around—and a profound meditation on the effect that modern biblical scholarship has had on traditional belief. Moving chapter by chapter, Harvard professor James Kugel covers the Bible’s most significant stories—the Creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and his wives, Moses and the exodus, David’s mighty kingdom, plus the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets, and on to the Babylonian conquest and the eventual return to Zion. Throughout, Kugel contrasts the way modern scholars understand these events with the way Christians and Jews have traditionally understood them. The latter is not, Kugel shows, a naïve reading; rather, it is the product of a school of sophisticated interpreters who flourished toward the end of the biblical period. These highly ideological readers sought to put their own spin on texts that had been around for centuries, utterly transforming them in the process. Their interpretations became what the Bible meant for centuries and centuries—until modern scholarship came along. The question that this book ultimately asks is: What now? As one reviewer wrote, Kugel’s answer provides “a contemporary model of how to read Sacred Scripture amidst the oppositional pulls of modern scholarship and tradition.”
The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.
God has provided a way for all people, not just scholars, to know that the Bible is the Word of God. John Piper has devoted his life to showing us that the glory of God is object of the soul’s happiness. Now, his burden in this book is to demonstrate that this same glory is the ground of the mind’s certainty. God’s peculiar glory shines through his Word. The Spirit of God enlightens the eyes of our hearts. And in one self-authenticating sight, our minds are sure and our hearts are satisfied. Justified certainty and solid joy meet in the peculiar glory of God.
For millennia, people have used the Bible as a touchstone on important social and political questions, and rightly so. But many use the Bible simply as a weapon to wield against opponents in a variety of debates--without knowing what the Bible actually says about the issue in question. In The Bible Now, two respected biblical scholars, Richard Elliott Friedman and Shawna Dolansky, tell us carefully what the Hebrew Bible says or does not say about a wide range of issues--including homosexuality, abortion, women's status, capital punishment, and the environment. In fascinating passages that shed new light on some of today's most passionate disputes, the authors reveal how the Bible is frequently misunderstood, misquoted, mistranslated, and misused. For instance, those who quote the Bible in condemning homosexuality often cite the story of Sodom, and those who favor homosexuality point to David's lament over the death of Jonathan. But as the authors show, neither passage is clearly about homosexuality, and these texts do not offer solid footing on which to make an argument. Readers learn that female homosexuality is not prohibited--only male homosexuality. And on the subject of abortion, the Bible is practically silent, with one extraordinary exception. The Bible has inspired people to do great good but has also been used by people to do great harm, so it is vitally important for us to pay attention to it--and to get it right. The Bible Now shows us how we can--and cannot--use this ancient source of wisdom to address our most current and pressing issues.
An ilustrated companion guide to the Bible provides insight, time lines, chapter outlines, and context, staying close to the text and offering running commentaries and descriptions.
This is the ultimate 30-day guide to understanding the Bible and gaining inspiration from the Bible to apply to your own life. The inspirational aspect is what makes this reference book a Guidepots book. A well-organized, helpful overview of each book of the Bible pulls together interesting historical information-aided by informational sidebars, timelines and call-outs. In addition the reader will also enjoy Guidepots' trademark inspirational takeaway for each section.
Brian Tracy said, "This book gives you a proven strategy to write and sell an excellent book on any business subject you know and care about." Todd Sattersten, co-author of "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time," said, "No one tells you how hard it is to write a business book. Luckily, Derek's 'Bible' makes it easier-much easier." Literary agents, publishers, Fortune 500 consultants-they've all had rave reviews for "The Business Book Bible," the only full-length, in-depth book on how to put together a great thought leadership book. There are plenty of writing guides out there for memoirs, general business communication, crime thrillers, or romance novels. But until now, there's never been anywhere would-be business authors could turn to for help. That's unfortunate because business books present a completely different set of challenges. For example: - How do you connect with your readers so they trust you and your advice? - How do you artfully point to your products and services without coming off like a late-night infomercial? - How do you keep your reader engaged throughout the book, especially if your material is--shall we say--less than thrilling? No other writing guide can teach you what you need to know...and do you really want to learn the hard way? With writing your book, you want to get it right the first time. Written by a business ghostwriter, "The Business Book Bible" covers everything you need to know, from framing your authority to picking the perfect title, plus: - Figuring out how long your book should be - Winning the battle of writer's block - Nailing down your real reader (and what to do when they're different than your ideal client) - Giving away the secret sauce - The unforgivable sin in writing - Looking like a pro (and not a rank amateur) - Acting like a publisher (even if you have one) ....and much, much more. You'll learn how to follow the same 5-step process the author uses to write and ghostwrite multiple books a year. You'll see how to keep your book focused and how to cut the unnecessary material. You'll discover multiple methods of getting your ideas out of your head--and most of them don't even involve writing! John Spence, voted one of the top 100 business thought leaders in America, said, "As the author of five business books, I sure wish I had read this one earlier in my career. It's would've saved me a lot of time, headache, stress, and money." Here's a startling example of just one of the great tips and tricks contained in the book: you don't start writing a book by actually writing the book. One of the biggest mistakes first-time authors make is sitting down at their computer, expecting to start with the first word of chapter one, and then write all the way through to "The End." If only it were that easy! Amateurs try to get it perfect right from the start. The pros know that writing is a process. You start by getting all your ideas out of head and onto paper first. You'll have a jumbled mess that looks like a new jigsaw puzzle. You have to sift and sort through it to find the material worth using. Then and only then can you start piecing the puzzle together. It's a painstaking, time-consuming process-but one that's well worth it. Peter Economy, "The Management Guy" at Inc. said, "Derek Lewis's 'The Business Book Bible' is by far the most comprehensive book I have ever seen on the nuts and bolts of writing a business book. If you're planning to write a business book, then you would do well to read this book first." Start writing your book by reading this one!"