NewThe Bible
Journey Through Creation, Covenant, and Redemption
by VariousScriptureHistoryPoetryProphecy
Originally in Hebrew1400 BC
66 chapters3,091 pages56h read
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About This Book
What kind of book opens with the creation of the universe and closes with its unmaking? The Bible begins in darkness — "Let there be light" — and never lets go. Here is the great flood that drowned a world and the ark that saved it. Here is Moses parting the Red Sea, David slaying Goliath with a stone, Solomon building a temple of impossible splendor only to watch wisdom slip through his fingers. Here are lovers in a garden singing the most erotic poetry of the ancient world. Here is Job, stripped of everything, demanding answers from God — and getting them. The prophets rage against injustice. The psalms swing between ecstasy and despair, sometimes in the same verse. Then comes Jesus — born in a stable, executed on a cross, and what happened next split history in two. Paul's letters crackle with urgency, written from prison cells to communities tearing themselves apart. And at the end, Revelation: a fever dream of angels, beasts, and a new heaven descending like a bride. No other book has been so fought over, so banned, so beloved, so misquoted, or so world-shaping. Sixty-six books. Forty-plus authors. Over a thousand years of writing. One relentless question: what does God want from us?
Characters
View all 1001 charactersPlaces and Terms in this Book
Jerusalem— City ruled by Adoni-Zedek, later capital of Israel.
Egypt— Land where Joseph rose to power and where Israelites later settled.
LORD— The personal name of God revealed to Israel, often rendered as Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel.
Israel— Patriarch also called Jacob; father of the twelve tribes of Israel, the chosen people of God.
Babylon— An ancient city and empire in Mesopotamia, associated with Nimrod's kingdom and symbolic of corrupt idolatrous power opposed to God.
Holy Spirit— God’s presence and power active in the world and believers.
Vocabulary
covenant— A solemn agreement or promise between God and humans.
righteousness— The quality of being morally right or justifiable; in biblical context, often denotes being in right standing with God.
altar— A structure upon which offerings and sacrifices are made to God.
shekel— Ancient unit of weight and currency.
idol— An image or object worshiped as a god.
faith— Trust in God.