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Don't Know Much About the Bible: Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned | 
 enlarge | Author: Kenneth C. Davis
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Rating:  140 reviews
Sales Rank: 24680
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 560
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0380728397
Dewey Decimal Number: 220.61
EAN: 9780380728398
ASIN: 0380728397
Publication Date: September 1, 1999
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Amazon.com Review
The Bible, author Kenneth Davis explains, fits that definition of a "classic" offered by Mark Twain: a book that people praise and don't read. But this entertaining historical study will likely compel listeners to reach for their dusty copies of the world's most-owned but least-understood anthology once again. And not simply because the author reminds us of the drama and intrigue, the tales of rape, impaling, and ethnic cleansing routinely found in its pages. Davis paints the larger historical context in which the Bible was written, providing a sense of the culture and environment in which the familiar stories came to life. Calling on new research and scholarship into the Bible's composition, he provides fascinating background to dimly remembered stories that gives them renewed impact. Using a series of easy-to-follow questions and answers, he offers explanations about when and by whom the Bible was written; how the stories of other traditions influenced the Judeo-Christian teachings; where the Garden of Eden might have been located; why an earthquake may have played a part in the "walls tumbling down" at Jericho; why Jesus may not have said everything we think he did, and much more. He also points out that mistranslations from the original Hebrew have made their way into modern versions of the Bible, explaining where and how they occurred. Conceding that his program will anger some, as it challenges many cherished but mistaken assumptions about the Bible, Davis also hopes that listeners recognize that Christian belief and uncovering the truth are not at odds in this program, but rather that learning and wisdom, even when they reach unsettling conclusions, can ultimately complement faith. (Running time: six hours, four cassettes) --Uma Kukathas
Product Description
With wit, wisdom, and an extraordinary talent for turning dry, difficult reading into colorful and realistic accounts, the creator of the bestselling Don't Know Much About, series now brings the world of the Old and New testaments to life as no one else can in the bestseller Don't Know Much About The Bible. Relying on new research and improved translations, Davis uncovers some amazing questions and contradictions about what the Bible really says. Jericho's walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line. Moses never parted the Red Sea. There was a Jesus, but he wasn't born on Christmas and he probably wasn't an only child. Davis brings readers up-to-date on findings gleaned from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Gnostic Gospels that prompt serious scholars to ask such serious questions as: Who wrote the Bible? Did Jesus say everything we were taught he did? Did he say more? By examining the Bible historically, Davis entertains and amazes, provides a much better understanding of the subject, and offers much more fun learning about it. With wit, wisdom, and an extraordinary talent for turning dry, difficult reading into colorful and realistic accounts, the creator of the bestselling DON'T KNOW ABOUT series now brings the world of the Old and New testaments to life as no one else can in the bestseller Don't Know Much About The Bible.Relying on new research and improved translations, Davis uncovers some amazing questions and contradictions about what the Bible really says. Jericho's walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line. Moses never parted the Red Sea. There was a Jesus, but he wasn't born on Christmas and he probably wasn't an only child.Davis brings readers up-to-date on findings gleaned from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Gnostic Gospels that prompt serious scholars to ask such serious questions as: Who wrote the Bible? Did Jesus say everything we were taught he did? Did he say more? By examining the Bible historically, Davis entertains and amazes, provides a much better understanding of the subject, and offers much more fun learning about it.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 135 more reviews...
 Excellent and interesting read for both the casual and dedicated November 29, 2008
I happened across this book a couple years back at the local bookstore, and the title intrigued me, so I snapped it up. Fantastic read; I read it nonstop from cover to cover. I just unearthed it again recently, and did the same thing all over again. It's not quite a "secular" look at the Bible and the stories in the Old Testament, but the author clearly leaves some of the interpretation of scripture to the readers- rightly so, I think. No need to prostetylize, especially when the author's background experience is informational works on other subjects (Don't Know Much about American History, for instance). I would reommend this book to anyone, even the non-religious; the Bible is still a beautiful book.
Outstanding review and narrative on the bible September 30, 2008
This is a very good read, full of amazing facts that many Christians are simply unaware of. For example, there are TWO versions of Creation in Genesis, not one.
For example, Jesus never met St Paul; he died before Paul's conversion.
For example, Jesus had 3 brothers and a sister. He had an Uncle Cleopas.
For example, Jesus did not ride a dinosaur around Galilee; dinosaurs are not mentioned in the bible at all.
Read it, enjoy it, live it!
 Deserved less than one star May 4, 2008
3 out of 12 found this review helpful
Davis has the right title for this book. Except the title is more adaptable for himself than the readers. From reading his book I can see that he obviously doesn't know much about the Bible. As other readers have stated, I am not one of those close-minded conservatives who won't hear opposing arguments. This book is just downright amusing and angering. I'm not a monk or a priest & I haven't read the whole Bible, but I have plenty of knowledge and even a normal churchgoer has enough knowledge to be able to knock down Davis' so-called truths regarding the Bible. He presents a one-sided argument that is meant to discredit the Word of God. Like saying that the Four Gospels are contradictary. The 4 Gospels are like watching the same news story on 4 different channels. It's the same story told from different angles by 4 different people. Police can question a group of witnesses who saw the same crime but they will all recall it a different way. This book is great for anyone who wants an excuse for not believing in God. Davis presents what he thinks are inconsistencies and you wonder if he even took the time to read the verses he's writing about. For example, he tries to discredit Noah's Ark by saying the Bible says it rained for 40 days & 40 nights and that water covered the earth for 150 days. Is that your argument? Of course if it rained for 40 days & 40 nights then the water wouldn't evaporate the second the rain stopped. It would still be covering the earth, DUH! Davis is more content in calling truth the Greek myths, ancient folklore, Egyptian fairy tales, etc. This is nothing more than a work of blasphemy. Davis is an obvious nonbeliever and he doesn't even have enough of an argument to debate with. He basically calls Christians people who believe in God (yeah Davis doesn't know WHICH God) because Christians blindly believe what our ancestors did & believing in God is better than the alternatives because we might as well believe in something while we're down here. Oh yeah sure. And belief in God has been going on for how long? So how come this "myth" has outlasted any other?
 Eye-Opening -- But I Doubted his Arguments and Questioned his Agenda April 16, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Kenneth C. Davis's "Don't Know Much About the Bible: Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned" is an interesting popular history/theological discourse on the Biblical stories many of us don't know or don't remember. Davis, the author of other books in the "Don't Know Much About" series, has written an interesting and entertaining book, but, while I did learn something about the Bible reading this book, I have little faith that Davis's views on many of these subjects are correct.
Davis tells many of the Biblical stories in blunt, revealing language. He enjoys shocking the reader and bringing out the unsavory portions of the Biblical stories - the sex, the murder, the intrigue - that many people don't realize are there. He gives the historical context of Israel and tries to explain the role of many of the Biblical stories to the early Jews. Davis also recounts and explains the recurring themes of the Old Testament and helps tie together the stories and morals in ways that short Biblical readings every Sunday don't or can't do. This is where the book is the strongest.
However, although I am not in any way a Biblical scholar (else I probably wouldn't have been reading this book), there was enough in the book that made me mistrust too many of Davis's perspectives and his factual statements about the history of the Bible. Davis presents his perspective as the "truth" about the Bible, but two particular nuggets made me doubt his perspective:
-Davis wrote that "most scholars agree" that the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) were written by four authors: J, E, D, and P. This is the "documentary hypothesis." However, some basic research reveals that the documentary hypothesis began to lose favor by most scholars in the 1960s and now is only one of several competing hypotheses behind the authorship of the Pentateuch.
-During the Proverbs discussion, Davis quoted: "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die" (Proverbs 23:13). He said that equating discipline with beating is a bad idea and that it turns morality upside down. Then he went on to say, ""In an era of commonplace child abuse, even hinting that the Bible condones such behavior is a grievous mistake." That method of "analysis" - condemning a Biblical proverb because of a perceived modern problem - is completely out of place in a supposedly-historical treatment of the Bible and made me doubt Davis's entire approach.
Davis's book is interesting, eye-opening, and thought-provoking. Ultimately, though, I doubted Davis's arguments and questioned his agenda. Still, this book may spark interest in the Bible and provide a loose framework, however flawed, for further learning about this book that so many of us know, but few know well.
 The Author Doesn't Believe the Bible is God's Word February 29, 2008
2 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book is filled with interesting information, and regardless of any claims the author makes, he truly doesn't believe the Bible is God's Word. He always gives the benefit of the doubt to the scientific information that refutes the Bible stories. He never considers that God can provide information to the authors of the Bible that may be true, even if it doesn't appear true to science. Basically, he considers the Bible a very interesting series of mythical books.
It's an interesting read, but I admit, I would have appreciated a balanced point of view. He really mocks the point of view that believes the Bible is the inerrant word of God. He may know a lot about Bible stories, but he doesn't know the most important thing, that it is the very word of God. If you don't believe the most basic claim of Biblical books, that this IS God's Word, then I don't understand why you would take the time to study it. Without faith, it's just folly and that is what the author presents the Bible as: folly.
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