Bible

Oct 30 2011

Stories from the Bible illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

As longtime readers know, I am fascinated by fairy tales, folktales, myths and classic stories.  Combine these with great illustrations and quality packaging and I can’t resist.

Award winning illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger’s career seemingly lies at this very intersection.  So I am always on lookout for her books when I browse used bookstores or library sales. And I have been able to find some amazing books for just a few dollars.

My first children’s book illustrated by Zwerger was The Selfish Giant which I loved.  Since stumbling on that volume I have become more fascinated and enamored with this artist and her work adding more of her books to my collection. Over the next few days I will be sharing my thoughts on these great books

The first book I came across after Selfish Giant was Stories from the Bible a beautiful combination of excerpts from the King James Bible and Zwerger’s illustrations.  But as the School Library Journal notes, this is not really a book likely to appeal to children:

These excerpts, taken verbatim from the King James Version of the Bible, are divided into six groups. The Old Testament sections include stories of the Beginning, the Fathers and Mothers of Israel, the Deliverance out of Egypt, King David, Psalms, and the words of the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. The New Testament sections are the birth of Jesus and the beginning of His works, Jesus’s words about His mission, experiences with Jesus, the message of Jesus, the Passion and Resurrection, and “Unto the Ends of the World” (Acts and Revelations). Coverage of Genesis, Exodus, and Jesus’s life and teachings is passable, although there are substantial gaps. The other selections are very limited. The work is imaginatively illustrated with occasional full-page paintings, usually but not always associated with the accompanying text, and a number of decorative vignettes. Often they have an almost surreal quality. In the scene of Moses in the bulrushes, Pharaoh’s daughter watches from a distant riverbank and is accompanied by jackal- and falcon-headed Egyptian gods. The principals may be dressed in modern clothing or carrying suitcases. Colors are muted and the artistic styles vary from meticulously detailed to abstract. The perspectives are sometimes dramatically skewed. With its use of the elevated King James language, its very selective choice of material, and its sophisticated paintings (some illustrations are not readily comprehensible), this title is more a coffee-table art book than a collection of Bible stories for youngsters. There are many anthologies available with friendlier language and more accessible pictures for children.

I agree that the book is more coffee table art book than children’s Bible, but that within that framework it is a beautiful book.  And this doesn’t mean you can’t read it with you children.

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By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , , , ,

Oct 20 2011

Revelation for Everyone by N.T. Wright

As I mentioned in my review of Mercury Falls, I have been reading the final volume in N.T. Wright’s New Testament for Everyone series, Revelation for Everyone.  Here is a a description of this series:

N. T. Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to include in them his own translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions.

I had previously read the volumes on Romans for a Bible study we did at church and found it very useful. For a variety of reasons, I recently developed an interest in the Book of Revelation and, as luck would have it, this volume was being released this month.  And through the fine folks at NetGalley I was even able to get an ARC for my Kindle. I tried to read at least a chapter a day and so get through it relatively quickly.

It was an enjoyable and insightful look at this most complex and potentially confusing of books in the Bible.

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By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 3 • Tags: , , , , ,

Sep 19 2010

Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis by John R. Coats

When it first came in the mail I didn’t think I would read Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis. It is written by a man who has lost his faith – who no longer sees the Bible as the Word of God but rather a sort of literary touchstone or psychological tool to understand yourself better.  Here is Publishers Weekly:

An entertaining narrative voice, personal reflections from the author’s life and insightful interpretations combine to produce this accessible and lively new addition to Genesis scholarship. Coats, a former parish priest and management consultant, cogently applies source theory—the hypothesis that four separate documents went into the first five books of the Bible—to familiar stories whose ethical and spiritual DNA seeps through Western culture. Through his approach, the author makes complex biblical scholarship comprehensible, while challenging the reader to examine the actual text. Asserting that biblical characters are rather relentless in their mirroring, Coats uses second-person hooks (Imagine yourself as the first human being) to invite readers to use their own perspective to interpret the text. Cheeky chapter headings entice and inform; First, about the ark, which is most definitely not a boat begins his analysis of Noah and the flood. While cultural references from Maimonides to Mae West spice up the narrative, Coats’s exploration of how his own history and self-understanding inform his interpretations makes the most compelling reading. His reflections on his own aging and his analysis of the stories of Noah and Abraham prove compelling and thought provoking.

This is not usually the sort of book I read.  But having read the introduction I was interested enough to push on. And in the end I found it an interesting read despite disagreeing with his fundamental assumptions in many ways.

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By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 1 • Tags: , , , , , ,

Aug 1 2010

In the Mail: Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis

Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis by John R Coats

Publishers Weekly

An entertaining narrative voice, personal reflections from the author’s life and insightful interpretations combine to produce this accessible and lively new addition to Genesis scholarship. Coats, a former parish priest and management consultant, cogently applies source theory—the hypothesis that four separate documents went into the first five books of the Bible—to familiar stories whose ethical and spiritual DNA seeps through Western culture. Through his approach, the author makes complex biblical scholarship comprehensible, while challenging the reader to examine the actual text. Asserting that biblical characters are rather relentless in their mirroring, Coats uses second-person hooks (Imagine yourself as the first human being) to invite readers to use their own perspective to interpret the text. Cheeky chapter headings entice and inform; First, about the ark, which is most definitely not a boat begins his analysis of Noah and the flood. While cultural references from Maimonides to Mae West spice up the narrative, Coats’s exploration of how his own history and self-understanding inform his interpretations makes the most compelling reading. His reflections on his own aging and his analysis of the stories of Noah and Abraham prove compelling and thought provoking.
I have actually read a few chapters of this one – it got lost in the In the Mail queue – and it looks interesting despite my many disagreements with the author’s fundamental approach to faith and religion. I wanted to make you aware of it since it might be some time before I get around to a review

By Kevin Holtsberry • In The Mail • 0 • Tags: , , , , ,

May 19 2010

Radical by David Platt

Cover of "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith...

Cover via Amazon

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

I will confess I have always been a little defensive about books that approach economics or American society and faith. Far too often, from my perspective, these books easily move from relevant spiritual issues into garden variety leftist critiques of capitalism, etc. In this way they turn me off from the message by delving into politics – and usually poorly at that.

Radical by David Platt may seem to be headed toward this territory. After all, the subtitle is Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Title and subtitle would seem to indicate  that this book comes from the less talked – and fretted – about religious left.

But Platt takes no such turn and as a result it is a much stronger book. Don’t get me wrong. Platt doesn’t get into conservative politics or economics either. He plays it straight and sticks to his Biblical and spiritual points without getting sidetracked into politics or economics.

Here is a quote from the publishers blurb:

In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple–then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a “successful” suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

My thoughts below.

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By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

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