Vol. 1 by Isaac Asimov (1971-08-01) - The Old Testament

Understand first, unlike Asimov, I am a true believer. As such I feel it is incumbent to gain a true understanding of just exactly what it is God wants of us and for us.
This means that as I read any given passage of the Holy Bible that I not get myself caught into the trap of so many other believers - in other words,, I will not say to others that such and such is true simply because, "...it says so in the Bible."
I am frequently annoyed that so many Christians don't understand Jesus's purpose. He wanted us to understand and live to the intent of God's Commandments and not to simply follow the letter of the word with ceremonies in precisely this way or that.
I found Asimov's treatise to give me a terrific understanding and especially appreciate his explanation of the meaning of names for various people and places.
Asimov makes a very good point to many of us who falsely believed the first Jews were slaves building the pyramids in Egypt. He does so without malice but with a matter-of-fact discussion of the fact that the structures were not once mentioned in the Bible.
He also enlightens us as to precisely where in Egypt Moses and his followers lived and, perhaps most crucially, explains the simultaneous transfer of the first Philistines to roughly the same region as Moses's followers and the fact that at that time neither group seems to have been antagonistic towards one another.
Only later, as each group grew in population and as the various outside intruders dissipated (Hyksos, Hittites, Egyptians) did the two come to despise each other.
Asimov also especially provides a good insight into several New Testament stories that seem to have been rehashed Old Testament stories.
It is natural for many to disagree with me. I respect those of you who do. My point is that my belief and faith depends not on miracles or the words of the Bible. It depends on my belief in the goodness of mankind. It depends on my belief in forgiveness of sins that came when He sacrificed Himself on the cross. It depends on all of us seeking His truth so we can do His will. THAT depends on us searching all avenues to find TRUTH. Asimov has done a terrific job!
He remains my favorite writer. I only have some 410 books of his yet to read!

I used to have a paper back version of this wonderful Asimov book but a friend talked me out of it. So I ordered this hard bound copy, it arrived very fast and in very good shape and I will keep this one. I am really pleased with the seller and the condition of the book.

Without a doubt one of the better bible reviews I have ever read but he ignores a few key passages. Such as leviticus 25 in which it is stated all peoples will some day be the slaves of the jews and that all slaves should be purchased from the gentiles. It's a good thing I disagree with all human-fabricated religious or I might be offended. All in all I highly recommend this book for those wanting a better understanding of the jewish and christian fantasy worlds.

I am very pleased with this book. The pages were a little yellow, but this was a used book. The pages were all intact and not marked or torn. This is a book I will definitly use! As my spelling shows I am dyslexic. I wish the store had spell check for written reviews!

I appreciate all the maps. They are simple but applicable to what the text is about. There are so many references to towns and places in the bible that getting a better mind picture of where they are has greatly enriched my understanding. I am reading the bible all the way through again and I'm reading Asimov's guide along with it. I was curious and read up on Asimov and was amazed that he was an atheist. He treats the bible more as a historical record.

My first exposure to Isaac Asimov was in the Super-Valu grocery store on Upper Lonsdale in 1971, when I was 12. I was accompanying my aunt Jackie on the weekly grocery shopping for our household (budget: $20), and while we were awaiting our turn to pass through the checkout I was perusing the single rotating stand of paperbacks for sale. One book leaped to my eye: The Universe by a guy called Isaac Asimov (what a cool name! I thought). Subtitled From Flat Earth to Quasar, it was a nonfiction work about the history of astronomy, and had a gorgeous magenta-and-violet cover featuring a photo of the Horsehead Nebula in deep space. I knew I had to have this book. Problem: it was 95 cents, and I had no money of my own. So I begged Jackie to buy it for me. She was reluctant to spend 5% of our grocery money on my book, so I earnestly and urgently assured her that it was no frivolous purchase but that it was a worthwhile book and that my interest in it was genuine and intense. She was a soft touch in reality, so to my joy she put the book on the conveyor belt with the packaged cube steak and canned lima beans. Yahoo!

As soon as we got home I whipped over to the sofa (“chesterfield” as we called it) and started reading. I was immediately engrossed. Expecting the early parts of the book, about ancient astronomy, to be a chore to read before I got to the cool recent stuff, I was surprised to find that Asimov made the story of astronomical discovery interesting right from the start. On that hot summer afternoon I sat in the dim recess of our living room, reading and reading. In the next few days, when I went on a boating vacation up the coast with a friend’s family, I took the book with me and read it in every spare moment.

At that age I didn’t think about Asimov’s qualities as a writer, I just knew that he wrote about really cool stuff. A few years later, at about age 16, I made my first purchase of a nonfiction book with my own money when I saw his Life and Energy in a bookstore (price: $1.25). This was a work on biochemistry, which was outside my main interest area of space science and physics, but I knew that Asimov would present it in a cool way.

It was only years later, when I reread these books, and I had chosen the path of writing for myself, that I came to assess and appreciate Asimov specifically as a writer. And to this day he represents, for me, the gold standard of expository writing. (I’m less happy with his science fiction, which I find to be a bit flat and, well, expository.) He is a natural teacher, able to arouse and then satisfy one’s curiosity, and to do so with clear, fluent, and seemingly effortless prose. He makes writing seem easy.

I knew that Asimov had written many books on different subjects, but I was still taken by surprise when, while visiting the New Westminster Public Library maybe 8 years ago, I saw, on their reference shelves, the two big hardback volumes of Asimov’s Guide to the Bible. And, now working on an epic of my own about the events leading up to the action of the New Testament, I again had occasion to think, Wow! Cool!

I whipped out one of these volumes and quickly saw that it was just what I would hope for and expect in a work by Asimov: a clear, smooth-flowing examination of both testaments of the Bible, book by book, with plenty of accompanying maps. At some later time I made an online search for these books and found that they were available in paperback; I did not hesitate to buy a used set.

I’m glad I did. As ever, Asimov turns his clear, objective, common-sense eye to the matter at hand. He looks at the content of the Bible not from a theological point of view, but rather as an explicator of the places, persons, institutions, and terms used in it.

In the New Testament volume the largest chapter is on the book of Matthew. It contains about 82 subsections, the first of which is “The New Testament”, where Asimov matter-of-factly sets out the mission of the New Testament as a whole and contrasts it with that of the Old Testament. In his words, “The central theme of the Bible, in Jewish eyes, is the contract or covenant entered into between God and the Jewish people. The first mention of this covenant is God’s promise to give Canaan to the descendants of Abraham.” This is followed by an extract from Gen 15:18, in which the Lord makes this promise to Abram. The book is liberally salted with verses from the Bible as Asimov makes his points, often drawing attention to connections and allusions between the different books. In this subsection Asimov describes how the vision of the writers of the Old Testament books evolves to the point where Jeremiah envisions “a triumphant day when God would make a new start, so to speak, with his people; wipe the slate clean and begin again”–with an extract from Jer 31:31 provided as evidence. Asimov then says simply that “The followers of Jesus came early to believe that in the teachings of Jesus was to be found exactly this new covenant; a new contract between God and man, replacing the old one with Israel that dated back to Sinai and even beyond that to Abraham.”

Other subsections include examinations of who Matthew is; who the people are in the given genealogy of Jesus; where the term Holy Ghost comes from; what King of the Jews means; where and what Nazareth is; and much else. In general, Asimov sets out to answer, as much and as well as he can, your question, as you point to some element in the Bible, “What’s that?” And he does a darned good job.

These volumes are more like a reference work than the other Asimov books I mentioned, which have, incredibly, a strong quality of narrative flow. Asimov’s Guide to the Bible is not arranged around a central question, and this makes it a little less exciting to read. He’s not providing any theory about the Bible, and although he is candid about the difficulties it can present to the modern rational person, he is in no way a skeptic or debunker. And while he can’t avoid doing some interpretation, his mission is mainly factual.

I was a bit disappointed to discover that all those maps are actually in many cases just the same map, reproduced again and again to save the reader the inconvenience of flipping back to find it. Having a few more, different, and detailed maps would have made me feel I was getting more of an in-depth treatment.

But this is an excellent popular companion to the Bible. My favorite aspect is probably the many connections that Asimov makes between the different books and verses of both testaments. He doesn’t name his sources, but they must have been many. He gives the same impression of complete, effortless, encyclopedic command over the content of the Bible that he does over astronomy, biochemistry, and so many other topics. The real measure of his accomplishment is the clarity of his writing, which stands as a paragon to all who would write expository prose.

Isaac Asimov's 1295 page commentary provides the reader with a stimulating review of the history and legends that contributed to the biblical narrative. His point of view, though secular, is far from cynical--and actually quite reverent. Although I have conducted my own fairly active study of Bible for over 40 years, including reading Biblical passages in the original Hebrew and Greek, there are many observations in this book that had not yet come to my attention.

One particularly interesting discussion of Asimov's is that of the legendary background behind the Samson and Delilah story (pp.248-253). Asimov sees this story as the reworking of a solar myth "common in the ancient times in which the life of the hero reflects the course of the sun through the heavens." He notes that the name Samson in Hebrew is "Shimshon" which is similar to the Hebrew word for sun: "shemesh." The name Delilah, in turn, is derived from the Hebrew word for night: "lilah." Therefore, this is the tale of the night depriving the setting sun of its rays--with the rays of the sun corresponding to Samson's famous hair. I should also observe, however, that the index was not helpful in finding the story of Sampson, as it only directed me to p.800 and the New Testament book of Matthew!

Asimov's New Testament discussion is as interesting as that of the Old Testament. He weighs in on the side of Jesus being an actual historical figure rather than merely a character of legend. Asimov considers the Gospel accounts of Jesus to be sufficiently free from gross historical inaccuracies that it would be more than just legend. I should note that his opinion differs from that of some modern scholars, especially Robert Eisenman as discussed in his books James the Brother of Jesus: The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls and The New Testament Code: The Cup of the Lord, the Damascus Covenant, and the Blood of Christ.

As a final note I also recommend The Abingdon Bible Commentary for readers interested in the Bible.

Isaac Asimov may be best known for his extensive science fiction works, but he also wrote on many other subjects that drew his interest, and fortunately for us the Bible drew his interest. His commentaries analyze almost everything in the Bible that merits further attention, asking questions, re-evaluating meanings, discussing the context from many angles including historical, linguistic, archeological, and other scientific views. If you want a history of Alexander and the four generals that divided his empire or have questions on any "unsolved mysteries" from the Bible like the Star of Bethlehem or why various apochrypha (books like Enoch that were left out of the official Bible) were disputed, Asimov covers such topics. He does so in great detail, requiring two separate books on the Old and New Testaments of the Bible - but I am reviewing the pair as one because they go hand in hand and most readers interested in one will also want the other.

One item that really got my attention was his theory on Noah's Flood. On pages 40-42 of his Old Testament commentary, Asimov discusses the possibility that it was not all from rain: "There may have been a sudden rise in the water level of the Persian Gulf... It has occurred to me recently that a possible explanation for such an invasion of the sea would be the unlucky strike of a large meteorite in the nearly landlocked Persian Gulf..." He points out Genesis 7:11 notes that "'the fountains of the great deep [were] broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.' A tidal wave plus rain, in other words." Later he suggests: "The tradition that the ark came to rest in Ararat some six hundred miles northwest of Sumeria again speaks in favor of the tidal-wave theory of the Flood. Ordinary river flooding would sweep floating objects downstream - southeastward into the Persian Gulf. A huge tidal wave would sweep them upstream - northwestward towards Ararat." My copy of Asimov's book is from 1968. In 2006, the Holocene Impact Working Group announced their findings on Burckle Crater, a huge impact crater about 18 miles in diameter at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. They believe a huge meteorite or small comet crashed into the ocean approximately 4900 years ago, creating mega-tsunamis. When I read about that impact, I remembered what Asimov had written....

In his New Testament commentary, I found his section on Christmas quite informative. One easy way to tell that no one celebrated the birth of Jesus in late December until centuries had passed by is that all Hebrew holidays are based on a lunar calendar. This is why Passover, Hanukkah, and even Easter don't have a fixed date on our modern (solar) calendar. Roman holidays made use of the solar calendar used by Rome. Of course the Romans already had a holiday (several, actually) around the winter solstice in December, and as Christianity grew in numbers they simply claimed these holidays for Christ. "The mere fact that Christmas is celebrated on December 25 every year and that the date never varies on our calendar is enough to show that it was not established as a religious festival until after A.D. 300." (p. 272)

Countless Bible commentaries have been written by religious scholars. Asimov was not religious, just a very broadly educated, highly intelligent man who offers us a sensible, in-depth analysis of the entire Bible. I found it informative as a young man reading it long ago, and I found it useful when I read it again more recently, taking many notes while researching my own books on End Times prophecy: End Times and 2019: The End of the Mayan Calendar and the Countdown to Judgment Day and Antichrist 2016-2019: Mystery Babylon, Barack Obama & the Islamic Caliphate

A monumental work of 1293 pages by the author of some 500 books (for goodness sake, where did he find the time? especially before Google).

I have reached page 515 and am astonished by the detail, supported or contradicted by Babylonian, Persian and Egyptian sources. An amazing and informative secular work, taking no sides other than reminding us that in 'Let There Be Light!' the universe was filled with light before a single star was created.

As a chronicle of Jewish history, the Old Testament .seems to lose its way a little after Chronicles, as Judaism develops and the industry of priests and prophets begin to colour history to suit their agendas (as Asimov says of the "Chronicler" of The Chronicles, he doesn't invent events so much as exaggerate them - Judean defeats are solely because their king strayed from the path, victories because he adhered to it. Israel is almost completely ignored by the Chronicler because they were ungodly. Enough said.)

The bad news is that Asimov conclusively shows David didn't kill Goliath . News we don't want to know! a great story killed off, and only one of several. The Book of Esther proves to be pure fiction, as is the Book of Job (who is revealed as a whiner instead of steadfast. Interestingly, Satan in Job is a servant of God, rather than an adversary, which enables Asimov to place when it was written). Never mind, the book ihas fascinating new information, with insights into the various empires, and the remarkable Persian king, Cyrus.

Asimov, not one to skip detail, is at pains to trace "begat" lineage to Adam and Jacob. Persevere beyond this and you will be astonished -and a lot smarter).

I am still 250 pages from the New Testament, which I await with great expectation. Then I have to get through Asimov's 1,200-page guide to Shakespeare. If I should live that long.

Asimov is known for his amazing output on a vast number of subjects. Like his Guide To Shakespeare which I found to be extremely helpful digging into one of my favorite writers, his Guide To The Bible achieves the same. There is no attempt to sell you on any particular viewpoint (i.e. faith or particular brand of Christianity or Judaism ), just what Asimov found when he researched the text. Since this is my approach to study, especially when it comes to ancient mythology & such , I really appreciated this book. I wish he had lived long enough to tackle Gilgamesh or Beowulf, but no one lives forever. I also appreciate Asimov's wit & humor. To thouse of you who have not yet realized this, yes, there is humor in the Bible. Since I have read this book at least 4 or 5 times, I can also say with a fair amount of certainty that it is a source you can return to many times, both to learn or to just enjoy a good long read.

If you have an interest in understanding the historical background, religious and political motives, fulfilled and unfulfilled prophecies, and vague allusions concerning the events and characters which fill the Bible; this secular review contains a wealth of knowledge as well as being entertaining.

Each book of the Jewish Bible and New Testament are covered as well as several non-canonical books. The evolution of contemporary Judaism and Christianity thought can be traced through the mythical stories of genesis, the Yawists of ancient Israel, the influence of Babylonian, Persian, and Greek beliefs as well as the Babylonian exile and Roman persecutions which inspired biblical apocalyptic writings. Great watershed events such as the invasion and conquest of Canaan by the Hebrew tribes, the establishment of the Davidic dynasty by Samuel, the splitting of the Israel/Judah confederacy due to Solomon's policies in building the first temple, the conquest of Israel by the Assyrians, the conquest of Judah and destruction of the first temple by the Babylonians, the return from the Babylonian exile and construction of the second temple, the destruction of the second temple by the Romans, the life and crucifixion of Jesus, and the establishment of the Christian religion through Paul's efforts are all covered in this 1200+ page tome.

Asimov's book reads like a historical novel which is more readable and easier to understand than reading the bible cold. After reading through this book, I feel confident in engaging my Christian and Jewish friends in discussions about the bible and in most cases, am more knowledgeable about their holy book than they are.

Isaac Asimov was widely considered the best science writer of the 20th century, because of his outstanding ability to make his subject matter interesting and understandable to the layman. This book gives the reader the historical background of the writing of the Bible and of the events recounted therein. Knowing this background material makes the Bible more readable and more understandable. Having been written by Isaac Asimov, the Guide is so interesting that you may have difficulty putting it down, but it is also a valuable reference work, to be kept handy whenever you read from the Bible.

This is not a scholarly work of biblical criticism, nor does it attempt or pretend to be. If you are looking for such, look to books by such as:
Marcus Borg (e.g. Reading the Bible Again For the First Time ),
John Dominic Crossan (e.g. Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography),
Michael Goulder (e.g. St. Paul Versus St. Peter: A Tale of Two Missions),
Burton Mack (e.g. The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q and Christian Origins), snd
John Shelby Spong (e.g. Liberating the Gospels). THIS IS A MUST READ before reading (or rereading) any of the gospels.
These are all excellent books, well worth reading, but they don't give the reader the background Asimov does.(nor are they to be faulted because they don't, any more than Asimov's guide should be faulted for not being serious biblical criticism).

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Isaac Asimov was a literary giant, and his science fiction is among the very best. So you won't be too surprised when you find that he turned his considerable intellect to the Bible with equal acumen, and the result is a reference book which belongs in the library of any biblical scholar. Asimov digs through the Old and New Testaments and supplements the text with explanations, diagrams, and cross references which bring the sometimes obscure biblical stories to new life. True, at times he can be pedantic and will drone on for pages about the source of a river, or the evolution of a city, but by-and-large he is spot on and his excursions, even when long, are always informative. My only regret is that Asimov did not revisit this book before his death. In the renewed attention paid to non-traditional interpretations of the New Testament, his opinions would have been enormously enlightening. Nonetheless, he left us a true classic. If I could chose only one book about the bible, this would be it.

I love Asimov's writings. His Science Fiction has helped create the genre. His History works are always insightful.
I also love the Bible, and knowing old Issac is an Athiest I bought this book with a degree of trepidation.
My trepidation was unfounded. Asimov treats the Bible with respect and understanding. He recognises many of the Old Testament Prophecies about Jesus (another point that concerned me, knowing of Asimov's Jewish heritage).
He puts the Bible into its wider historical perspective.
This isn't the first book I will refer to to understand a part of the Bible, but it is one to which I will often refer.

Asimov is one of the most rounded intellectuals in our century. It is amazing how much he knows about the bible given all his other pursuits. In fact, because he knows so much, this book is all the more useful, for he approaches the subject of biblical exegesis from a very broad standpoint. He will tell you the background to various practices, customs and events in the bible and the etymology of many English names and words in the bible. Furthermore, Asimov had a Hebrew education as a child and so he explores the meaning of the original Hebrew throughout the book.

One thing you should not expect is a very thorough commentary on the bible. He totally does not try to achieve that. He will disucss some issues, those that he and most readers have interest in but, but not all. If he were to cover everything, then the book would have been ten times as big and would probably become too technical to be a pleasurable read.

When it comes to religion Asimov tries to dodge the sticky points. He will give the benefit of the doubt to any religious tenet that is not soundly disproved by history and archaeology but from between the lines it is quite evident that he views all religious doctrines as phoney. Also, like many other scholars, he considers many biblical personalities and the events surrounding them as eponymous, that is represnting the later history of the eponym's descendants.

This book covers what Asimov calls in the introduction the "secular aspects" of the bible. As a result the book pays little attention to the spiritual meaning of the bible, and I wouldn't advise buying this if that is your main interest.
However, whether you are Christian or not, Asimov does an excellent job of placing the events of the bible in a historical context. There are dozens of maps, which I found invaluable--for example he provides a sequence of maps that cover from 1 Samuel through 2 Kings that show the changing boundaries of Israel and Judah from the reign of Saul through David and Solomon and onwards. He also provides a chronology of important events in biblical times, covering primarily biblical events but also other historical events.
Although Asimov was not a Christian, there is little here that can be construed as a direct attack on Christianity, unless you feel that a secular approach to the bible is already an attack. Occasionally his approach highlights points which an atheist will be happy to see, such as the fact that the later gospels ascribe more miracles to Christ than the earlier ones do, or the fact that the gospel of John has many inconsistencies with the other three. For the most part, however, Asimov sidesteps the question of Christian truth.
The book is now thirty years old, and as a result does not contain the latest scholarship. However, it is not intended as a scholarly work: instead it's a very readable presentation of a great deal of the fascinating background to the most influential book in Western civilization.

Isaac Asimov normally writes science fiction or about science. So, why would he have written a whole book about the Bible? Especially when you factor in that Asimov was an avowed atheist. The short answer has to do with two things, 1. He wrote about whatever caught his interest, and 2. the Bible is read by a lot of people who think that it gives them then answers to all questions, including questions having to do with science.
Basically, Asimov was trying to show that the bible was written with certain ideas in mind. It does not answer all the questions of the world, like some right wing ideologs like to think it does.
His commentary on the bible also goes to show what a lot of things really meant. Like Shakespeare, the bible can be a little difficult to grasp in the beginning. Certain words have different meanings than they do in general use. Place names are sometimes different today, then when the various books of the bible were written. Asimov goes a long to explaining a lot of those things.

The most remarkable thing about this book is that although Asimov was an atheist, he apparently wrote this book from a neutral point of view. He lays out the facts about the origins of the Bible, and lets the reader make his own conclusions. If you're a Christian, you should find this exploration of the historical origins of your religion to be fascinating, and it won't threaten your faith.

Asimov is as wonderfully eloquent and lightly witty as ever. This book is like reading with him commenting at my side, and I quite enjoy it. However, the material is dated and recent scholarship has revealed a great deal about ancient times. I wish heartily we had Mr. Asimov's take on the latest revelations and minutiae.

The content entirely of this book is exexcellent for a non-religious view of the Bible. If you want to learn the history of the development of the Bible and the views of the most renowned Biblical scholars you can do much worse than reading this book. Better yet read this book and the Bible side by side.

First, let me say that I normally love Isaac Asimov. He is a great writer, and excels at writing about technical subjects at a popular level. I was reading two of his popular science books last week (good reads, even 50 years after publication.) In that realm, he is completely in his element.

Unfortunately, he also tended to write a LOT (over 460 books!), and no-one bats 1000. This is one of his rare misses.

We can understand the problem by remembering that his Ph.D. was in chemistry, and, while he had a great deal of knowledge in the hard sciences as a whole, he had no training at all in religion, theology, Hebrew, Greek or literary analysis. Because of this he tends in this book to rely on the research of others. The problem with this is that he has no basis for discerning which biblical scholars of his day were solid and learned, and which were merely popular among the people who shared his anti-supernatural worldview.

The result is uneven and disappointing. While there are sparks of wit and insight here and there, one gets the impression the author does not "get" nor even like the subject matter. Since the book is advertised as some sort of guide on the meaning of the Bible, or what the Bible teaches, its author should show that he understands the nature of the biblical genres, the flow of the biblical narrative (including its theological meaning) and some familiarity with modern biblical scholarship. Unfortunately, Asimov completely misses the first two, and on the third relies on certain theories of textual composition developed in the late 1800's in Europe (without interacting with the pushback against these in the middle part of the 20th century). Quite frankly, there are also a large number of factual errors, and an even greater number of highly debated and questionable interpretations that are presented as simple fact.

One can certainly understand the publisher's desire to attach Asimov's name to a book like this. And many people who love Asimov but know little of the Bible will give this work great reviews. But that doesn't change the fact that this is an almost 50 year old work of biblical interpretation and speculation from a man who had no training in the subject matter. I don't mean to be harsh, but to be accurate, and let the potential buyer understand what he or she is buying.

If you feel you must own the complete Asimov canon, feel free to pick up a copy. If you want to really understand what the Bible is about, just read it yourself; It's not that hard (people have been reading it for centuries). And the notes and book introductions of a study bible (especially the NIV Study Bible by Zondervan) give great insights into the meaning of this ancient book.

Asimov presents the Bible in a manner not often done; with historical insight.

Think about it, to enjoy any great work, from the Divine Comedy to Less than Zero one has to understand the social / political environment the author was exposed to at the time of writing.

The book is written from a secular perspective, so if you are looking for someone to beat the drum for your believe system, look elsewhere. That isn't to say that this book is not written for the faithful. Asimov does a good job of presenting the historical facts, and when delving into speculation, either his own of that of biblical scholars, he is sure to mention it.

Reading this book will only enhance your biblical knowledge by giving you a better understanding of the Bible. Use it as a reference to formulate your own beliefs.

I will say that I have fended off quite a few born again Christians who felt the need to align me with their belief system by using some of the facts and insight this book has given me.

A favorite science and science fiction writer shares some intriguing theories on stories found in the Bible. In so doing, he makes no secret that he is agnostic yet does not totally discount that God may indeed have used natural forces to carry out his plan. Without rejecting God outright Mr. Asimov's work offers some intriguing theories of natural explanations of various miracles. They are, of course, not the only explanations of how those events occurred and there is still plenty that could not be explained but, nonetheless, it is a fascinating and entertaining read from a great communicator.

Isaac Asimov was a true Renaissance man. He came to have an encyclopedic knowledge of seemingly everything worth knowing. He made his name as a science fiction writer, but his inquiring mind delved into all areas. In this work he turns his attention to the Bible, and the results are wonderful. His treatment is neither superficial nor hypertechnical; and his point of view should offend neither believer nor atheist. Many have written with greater learning on the subject, but few have made learning such great fun.

Asimov brings his erudition to bear on the world's best-selling book. Two volumes distill the scholarship of hundreds of Bible historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists, leaving a readable and understandable, concise, and relatively complete summary of the realities of the Bible. Appealing as a reference or as general reading, and despite its secular frame of reference, no anti-religious bias can be detected. Excellent.

Asimov's book is a good reference book for anyone reading the bible. As I read it in tandem with the bible, it kick-starts my critical thinking skills, and teaches me history. It reminds me that there are more versions of history than just (ancient) Israel's version.

Many people have stated the late Asimov's beliefs and have indicated that this may have played a part in the slant of this book. The late Asimov was a human and there fore had many beliefs and ideas, none of which play a role in this book. He simply goes through the books of the bible and states as many factual comments as he feels comfortable with (certain about). The late Asimov was a scientist first and that is the beauty of this book... it is an unbiased view of the bible.
While there are so many questions that I would have liked to be answered, I understand that by their very nature it was not his place to answer them. He stayed away from philosophy and dealt with the nuts and bolts. It is a good read for any bible scholar of any religion because of this manner of writing.
I gave it a three leaning to a four because I rather like people taking shots at the big picture and without that Asimov's Guide to the Bible is little more than a reference book full of interesting notes and historical comments.
If you want something more inspiring and challenging check out Frank Sheed's Theology for beginners.

I love Asimov's writings. His Science Fiction has helped create the genre. His History works are always insightful.
I also love the Bible, and knowing old Issac is an Athiest I bought this book with a degree of trepidation.
My trepidation was unfounded. Asimov treats the Bible with respect and understanding. He recognises many of the Old Testament Prophecies about Jesus (another point that concerned me, knowing of Asimov's Jewish heritage).
He puts the Bible into its wider historical perspective.
This isn't the first book I will refer to to understand a part of the Bible, but it is one to which I will often refer.

This book is an excellent read if you are looking to learn more about the background of names, places, and events described in the Bible from a secular-historical standpoint. It doesn't pretend to be a work of original scholarship. It is what it's titled: a 'Guide' to the Old and New Testaments. Asimov emphasizes chronology and context, which gives the reader the sense that the things depicted as occurring in the various books of the Bible aren't just a collection of disconnected and discordant events. It is an extremely interesting history book in and of itself, and I learned more from it than from any other book about the Bible I've read of narrower topical scope. This was an ambitious project even for Isaac to attempt to tackle, and the range of his 'general overview' is as informative and fascinating as anything else he ever wrote.

The amount of research that must have gone into this work is astounding. Paragraph after paragraph makes one stop and think, reading passages in the Bible that correspond to what Asimov has said, referring to other sources to see what THEY say. A mind expanding book, stimulating and informative... I've learned something new every time I opened it.

I have been waiting for months, contacting majors book sellers, like Powel Book stores-I live in Portland-Metro area-but to no avail..Someone told me that the store should get it for me..So it was a great surprise that in just some mouse clicks they got the book from a Colorado Spring Goodwill store.Fantastic and amazing!!..I highly recommend the store to those looking for rare items...Thank you.Mario Saenz

It's a classic for anyone interested in the truth to find in the bible. Although it is yellowed with age around the corner it's in admirable condition for it's age. Not to mention the fact it was kept in an attic for 20 some odd years. Complete with original cover. No visible marks or scratches.

over the past few years i've begun to critically evaluate my faith and position on christianity. as part of this "quest", i wanted to read a secular history of the bible to help me understand the historical context that the books of the bible were written in. this book fit the bill perfectly and was an interesting and entertaining read to boot. it took me a while to read (in small chunks), but i feel i have a much deeper understanding on the bible now.
that said, asimov is an avowed atheist, and there is a clear bias against christianity. but that's fine- i don't mind having my beliefs challenged, and his points are food for thought.
if i have any complaints, it's that asimov rarely cited his sources, and i would have liked to read some of those books as well.

Asimov's book gives a very good secular view of the Bible and puts the events occuring in the Bible into historical perspective. It also provides an understanding of the the structure of the Bible, e.g., what is considered canonical (by Jews, Catholics, Protestants), who likely wrote what (although the scholarship may be dated), what was occuring in history when the various books were written, etc. Consider this a book for Bible 101 to teach basic Bible literacy.

This book really reflects the true class of Isaak Asimov . I bought the book because i wanted to have his insight and perspective on many Bible issues and was not disappointed . Asimov not only informs but also explains (from his point of view) what scriptures mean . A must buy for Bible issues readers.

The Great Asimov's writer's talant plus academic accuracy.

Both atheists and believers find what they are looking for.

Asimov analyses how and why different chapters of the Bible

are written, and the possible reason for differencies.

I feel so sorry I did not have more time to read it 2-3 times,

in parallel with the bible itself.

This is one of the best books ever on biblical studies, including the Old and the New testaments. It's written in clear simple language and covers just about everything you can think of, including some things you wouldn't think of. If anything, I'd like to see the book expanded. Asimoz skips over some chapters where I wish he had spent more time. And his traditional view of the bible seems outdated nowadays. But if you're looking for a place to get started, Azimov is a must.

Very interesting read. Asimov is one of my favorite authors and it is always a pleasure getting my hands on one of his books. A must read for anyone that is interested in the historical context of the Bible.

I learned more about the middle east in this one volume than I learned in four years of high school.
This is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the origins of philosophy in the area. Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a good update into philosphy and the more modern Arab world and thus is a great companion volume.
I recommend both books to anyone with at least a 10th grade education.

A perfect show of the historicity of certain subjects of the bible, and the obserdity of others! This has true merit and evidence, and would be good to use as a reference for further books on the bible or christianity! I love its secular humanist taiste, and its illustration for the bible's literary beauty.

My only critique of this wonderful resource is that often I wish to look up a topic and discover Isaac did not think to write about it. But when he covers the topic it is bound to be interesting. As always his explanations flow and never become boring.

This book presents all aspects of the biblical hostory vs. fictional ideals. It also presents the examples of how dangerous it can be to perform analog interpretations of the bible without consideration for the current events at the times of the authors of the bible. Clearly an eyeopener of historical proportions to any bible or history student. Even so the scientific community can learn how valuable accuracy in documentation is after reading this book.

So far I have read only one chapter, but what I can tell about it is that it has a marvelous historical perspective. I admire Asimov's excellent abilities to present his historical crossreferenced point of view providing a fresh look to sometimes doctrinal and dogmatic preconceived ideas. For me this book has this eye openning effect and mixed with other Asimov's books about ancient history does really provide the reader with a better vantage point for Humanity and the development of mankind.

I am a great admirer of the Late Doctor Asimov. The man had an incredible talent for clear, effective writing, and incredible ideas. Usually I find his non fiction to be atleast as effective and as inspiring as his non fiction. However, this is not the case with his Guide to the Bible.
Don't get me wrong... Asimov achieved everything he set up to do. he exploars the 'real' espects of the bible.
However, that is not what I find interesting in the bible. to tell you the truth, I don't care about the origin of every name, and about the places in which each event took place(Asimov does not, in my opinion, stresses enough the fictious nature of the Bible). I'm more interested in the moral and ethical points of the bible, and in its history.
In the book, there are some interesting ancedotes and facets about that. However, those are hidden between pages on pages describing the places and names, etc.
If that's what you're interested in, this is the perfect book for you. I, alas, was disappointed.

This book can be only described with one word. AMAZING!

The insight and knowledge of the late Isaac Asimov is shown here with such an amazing simplicity. He can explain the mystery of life in laymen's terms with extreme ease.

This book, while vast and detailed, is a must have for all the people that have that itch to understand all the mysteries of the bible and only find books that only confuses them more.

..Well not really but an engrossing non-theologian's guide to the Bible at any rate. Tracing the history of civilisation and laying both the mythology and the theology bare in Asimov's clear and precise style, this is a great student/adult reference book written by one of the century's greatest explainers.

In this remarkable tome, isaac asimov provides a truly fine synopsis of the so-called "holy bible". Asimov correctly treats the bible as the work of primitive people, and not the divine word of a peevish sky god. he uses his profound knowledge of history and science to put the various books of the bible into proper perspective. religious fundamentalists capable of rational thought would benefit most from this book, as it exposes the bible as a hodge-podge of myths, fables and historical propaganda. if bible reading is ever made mandatory in american public schools again, this is the book that should be read!

Asimov provides an excellent backdrop of historical data and literary criticism in this guide to the Bible. The book is fascinating, addictive, easy to read, and fun. I highly recommend it. As for those religious fanatics who slam it for it's heresies, I say unto you, "wake up!" Faith is for fools. Forget all the myths and magic and use this book to explore WHO wrote the Bible and WHY they wrote the things they wrote. God had nothing to do with it! However, in defense of those Bible thumpers, I will say this: whenever I read a "scholarly" academic book like this and discover that there are no footnotes or bibliography, I get very annoyed. Still, it's a good read.

Response to the ANONYMOUS critic from October 14,
Your short entry spoke volumes, but not about Dr Asimov's book. It said nothing specific about that at all. Instead, it gave a pretty clear description of you and the type of person you are, or appear to be.

So, his work is "pure drivel", is it? All of it? All 1300 pages? Perhaps you should remind yourself of what other reviewers had to say - if you bothered reading them in the first place - most of whom appear to have given it a five star rating. That in itself doesn't prove its worth, of course, but your little snort of disapproval does look rather feeble and small-minded alongside the reviews of other, more reasoned, more articulate reviewers.
But if you're going to make a criticism, a constructive criticism, at least have the b***s, if not the courtesy, to identify yourself and back your criticism up with evidence or at least the semblance of an argument. As it stands, it represents the kind of empty, sweeping statement that all cowardly armchair critics make, and one to which few other people could attach any importance.
No book is perfect. But having read most of Dr Asimov's Guide and studied much of the second volume in depth, in conjunction with the RSV, I cannot agree with your whitewash. What serious reader could? You don't specify your objections.
Admittedly, in a book of this length there is more room for flaws - though I have to say, I've not noticed any. But even if there were too many flaws to count, you should at least make the effort to single some out.
How can such a work be dismissed so cavalierly, though? 1300 pages dismissed in six vacuous lines. I'd be hard pushed to criticise so much as a sentence, as Asimov's credentials are all too obvious to me, yet you slam the whole book. At least that's the impression you give. I'm sure - I hope - you weren't in actuality slamming the entire work, commas and semi-colons included. As if that were possible! I'd like to think you weren't that rash or irresponsible or dishonest or lazy.
Yet, the impression you give is either of someone who hasn't read much of the book, but who doesn't like the little they have read, or of someone who has read it, or most of it, finds it all too unpalatable, if not threatening, but who cannot articulate a proper response, who cannot mount a challenge because they haven't the intellect, the vocabulary, or the nerve, with which to do so. Or they can't be bothered.

But just what are your qualifications? You sneer and you dismiss, but have you the credentials? Are you saying you are more of an authority on the Bible than Asimov? I certainly can't claim to be! Though, I've read enough of both the Bible and Asimov, as well as numerous other works, to know that he isn't talking "drivel". So have you, I suspect. As, if it were genuinely drivel, from beginning to end - every paragraph, sentence, phrase - I don't think you'd have bothered commenting at all, do you?
No, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognise the undoubted scholarship in Asimov's work. However, if you are as much of an authority as he, or even if you aren't, shouldn't you articulate a more mature and precise criticism - one that we, your readers, could learn from? If you know better than Asimov, fine. But explain yourself. Elaborate. I'm sure we're all very interested in what you have to say.
I can only finish by saying that I have learned a great, great deal from reading this book, historically, philosophically, and in numerous other ways, and recognise the unassuming wisdom of the man. He was an atheist, so this, his legacy to us, comes with no strings attached. He doesn't preach, he doesn't patronise, he just tells you what he has found, his conclusions based on those findings, and let's you make up your own mind. And all in the easiest, most accessible of prose. Few books of this length can be such an easy read, despite its heavy subject matter.
In stark contrast, your few pathetic lines, Anonymous of October 14, taught me nothing. I have learned nothing from YOUR drivel, whoever you are.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone, religious or not. The Bible has so dominated our culture over such a long period that we owe it to ourselves to at least think about what we're being asked to believe, even if we can't devote the time or energy to the task that Dr Asimov undoubtedly did. And he clearly did sacrifice a great deal, much more than our critic from October 14!
[PS: I'd be interested to read what other people think of Mr/Ms Anonymous's effort - if it can be called that - regardless of whether they have read Asimov's book or not. Indeed, what did those of you who haven't read the book draw from his/her comments? Did you find them helpful?]

This book was a big undertaking. But the book says that all the information was derived from "commonly available" books in libraries and encyclopedias. I've seen a few encyclopedias and I'm sure they conflict on many points (dates events occured, which Pharoe Joseph served under etc). I corresponded with Asimov's heirs at Boston U and they told me I was on my own when it came to research.

This book is worst piece of information or concoction by a man that I hold in the same acclaim that I have for Newton ,Carl Sagan , or Neil D. Tyson . There is no mention the books of the bible or scriptures . I was expecting a similar work like his Chronology Of Science And Discovery .

I read Mr. Asimov's book many years ago, and I remember thinking when I finished it that Mr. Asimov had never really read the bible! He seems to have missed what it is really about. Yes, Mr. Asimov was a very brilliant man, maybe one of the most brilliant of the 20th century. Perhaps the author was so taken with his own brilliance that there just was not any room left inside him to consider the transcendence represented by the bible. Mr.Asimov has gone to his reward, of course, and what I say will have no effect whatsoever on him personally. It has no meaning to him any more what anyone on Earth thinks of his work. I do think my perspective is one not otherwise shown in the sample commentaries I have read on this site, however, so I offer it for what it is worth.

Asimov mostly gives pretty standard skeptic views of the Biblical texts.

He commits all of the typical errors of such skeptics. For example, he gives an analysis of the resurrection of Jesus as an event that rests on the witness of a few women. Never mind that the texts of those accounts are contradictory and contradictory between the Gospels, and the one quoted by Asimov is actually missing from the earliest manuscripts.

A true analysis would never draw historical conclusions from passages that are unlikely to have been part of the original texts. Any research at all would have avoided such a gaff. Heck, my own study Bible points out that these passages are missing from the earliest manuscripts.

Furthermore, Asimov's guide treats the Bible as a single book. And yet the Bible is a collection of books written over at least 800 years by 60 or more authors. Heck, even what books should be included are not universally understood across various groups of Christians. Catholics include 7 more books that western protestants. See [...]

Wouldn't you think that Asimov might have discussed this fact? Should he not have presented what we understand to be historically factual, and what we understand to be mythical? Shouldn't his analysis include the observation that even the earliest Christian Writers, such as Saint Augustine doubted the literal interpretations of Genesis? Or that the oldest books of the collection include Job, a book with four chapters of God lecturing Job that he knows nothing about how the creation of the world was accomplished? Such insights are completely missing from this "guide".

And to be fair, many, many groups have used these texts for various purposes. The very first Christians refused to join any army or police force, based on the pacifist readings of such texts as the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapter 5. The very first Baptists martyrs died demanding not just religious freedom for their own churches, but religious freedom for Muslims, Jews, and heretics (the common term in the 1600's for atheists). And of course we have fundamentalism using the texts to oppose abortion, homosexuality, and evolution. Does Asimov's guide give us insight into how some groups see religious freedom in the texts? No. Does he explain the roots of fundamentalism in the texts? No. Does he explain the pacifist and peace movements that arise from these texts? No.

A General Guide to the Bible ought to do some of this. Should discuss how the texts have impacted history. Should explain how the texts impact the present. If you really want to understand the Bible in context, this book is useless.

So what will you get if you read this "guide"? You will get the off the cuff observations of a cynical skeptic who (it seems) went out and bought a Bible, and dashed off many various common, unoriginal skeptic views to a few chosen passages into a very readable and engaging book.

What you will not get is a researched, objective, fair, or insightful analysis of a library of religious and non religious texts that have done more to shape western thought, philosophy, and culture than any other collection of writings. You will not get any discussion about how these texts have been understood historically. You will not get any discussion about how these texts have driven various institutions such as the Catholic Church, the Protestant denominations, the Greek Orthodox Church, State Churches, etc. You will not get the arguments for and against religious freedom, as found in these texts. Or those over creationism. Or over concepts like the trinity, or baptism, or communion.

Really, you just won't get much.

I recieved this book for Christmas. It was a pleasant surprise because I am a fan of Asimov's spectacular Robot Series. However, when I opened the book and began to read his hypothesis on books such as Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Genesis, Exodus, etc... I found his opinions to be rather anti-Semitic. Here are some points I have to make against the book:
1. Asimov regards many prophetic books as pure hogwash. I don't down him for this as some do not believe in prophecy. However, he puts forward the conclusion that Daniel and other books were simply political rhetoric of the time disguised as historical record. In other words, Daniel and his associates did not exist. They were concocted by some political activist who had a bone to pick with foreign rulers. I found this highly unlikely because Daniel and other books at the time of Christ were held in the highest regard as books and words given directly from God. You don't take a book that was obviously political, wait fifty years and then give it to the public as the Word of God. Either the Jews were incredibly stupid or they were a nation of liars willing to believe that political activists were really Prophets. If anyone truthfully analyzes the kind of mind that would have to take something like Uncle Tom's Cabin and a hundred years later, find it and believe every word was inspired by God, they will see the absurdity of this claim. These books could not have fooled 99% of the Jewish population for hundreds of years. Nations and people groups just don't believe that kind of stuff if its rigged for so long.
2. Christ is portrayed as a conniving politician. Now some don't believe Jesus was perfect or that he resurrected. Thats fine. But I highly doubt that a man like Jesus could have been the kind of person Asimov makes him out to be and then have his disciples change the records and preach a "Gospel" none of them believed. They died horrible and gruesome deaths for this man. Extra biblical sources confirm it. Why would they run off and "capitalize" on a man they revered and who obviously did not rise from the dead. This is the most unlikely psychological scenario possible. Ask anyone who knows the human psyche and they will tell you how unlikely this is.
3. Once again I return to what Asimov belives is false Jewish history. He maintains that the stories of Jewish wandering in the desert, Sinai, Egypt, etc... is all a bunch of myth scrambled with some real history. This might be concievable if not for three facts. 1. The Jewish people kept an unbelievably close record on these stories. They had scribes who spent years copying them to perfection so that the sort of thing Asimov believes happened DID NOT HAPPEN! 2. If Asimov is correct, these stories have been tainted beyond all hope of recovery. The "spectacular" angles of this history are littered throughout. If you throw out the miraculous you throw out nearly everything. 3. These books do not bear any of the marks of "tampering". Once one scribe decided to tamper with something and things became a free for all, it would have resulted in a mixed bag of stuff no one would have believed. As it stands the Bible is very readable and the style of writing for each book maintains itself throughout that book.
There are hundred of copies of the Bible that have been found by archaelogists. Only two copies of Homer's Iliad were ever recovered and that is considered "Bible", pardon the pun, by many historians. And by the way, all those copies of the Bible are virtually identical. They been analyzed in great detail. Therefore, I would wager that Asimov went into this with what I call "a fixed idea" of what he would find. Too bad he missed the mark.
Read the Robot Series. Forget this book unless you already believe everything Isaac Asimov is going to say.