Bibles Bible Studies Books

The Young's Analytical Concordance is a wonderful addition to Young's Literal Translation Bible. You will find multiple Scriptures for each word you research and much other valuable information. It is something all serious students of the Word of God will want to have. In my opinion is better than any of the others. Its an addition to your library you won't want to leave out.

The print is small, but the quality is good. My favorite feature of this concordance is that it immediately fine-tunes the subtle differences of meaning that an English word used in the King James Bible has. Different verses with the same word do not always imply the same message.

For example, the word "careful" is subdivided in six more precise meanings with each verse using this word into the category that it's most suited for. Words can have synonymous meanings, but only one word can give the precise definition needed for complete understanding. In this case, trembling fear isn't the same thing as being mindful; just like becoming distracted isn't quite the same thing as being anxious.

This concordance is based on the KJV. But it is very unique in its design. Rather than just listing the verses that contain a particular English word, this concordance breaks up the entries according to what Hebrew or Greek word the English word is translating. So, for instance, if you look up "Love" the entries are broken up into five parts for the noun and into seven parts for the verb.

Looking further at the entry for "Love," Young first gives a basic translation of the Hebrew or Greek word, then the actual Hebrew or Greek word in Hebrew or Greek letters, then the Hebrew or Greek word transliterated into English letters, then comes the partial verses.

The definitions Young gives are an attempt to bring out shades of meaning between the different Hebrew and Greek words translated by the same English word. So for "agapao" he gives simply "to love" but for "phileo" he gives "to be a friend."

In the back of the book are indexes of Hebrew and Greek words (with transliterated letters) indicating the differing ways they are translated and thus listed in the main concordance.

So this concordance will enable you to study how different Hebrew and Greek words are translated by the same English word and how different English words are used to translate the same Hebrew or Greek words. And this study will show you that the KJV used quite many different words for the same words going both ways.

In fact, one purpose of Young's Literal Translation of the Bible (as seen in its Introduction) was to reduce this number of differing translations as much as possible as compared to the KJV. I used YLT as the starting text for my Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Third Edition. In my ALT, I also tried to be as consistent in my translations as possible.

The name for my ALT came in part from using YLT as the starting text and from using this concordance as one of the resources I consulted while working on the ALT. And this concordance was helpful in my translation work, especially in terms of trying to be consistent in my translations.

So I would highly recommend this concordance, especially if you use the KJV. But if you use a different version, it is also helpful to have a concordance based on that version. That is why I came out with a Complete Concordance to the Analytical-Literal Translation: Second Edition for users of my version.

This is a great concordance, but I don't think it works as well for concordance-surfing as the Strongs. Or maybe I'm just not used to surfing this particular concordance yet.

Concordance Surfing: (sorry, the reference seems obvious but it may be that someone doesn't know how to do this and that would be a pity!)

Open the book and start thumbing through, until a word jumps out at you. Any language will work, so don't be surprised if you start at a Hebrew or Greek word. Begin running the references as they interest you, stopping and looking up the verses in context of the chapter or just to get an overview of how the word is used and what how it was originally translated. Take a look at the root word, and the underlying picture that the root creates. Let your "intuition" (vanilla name for the Holy Spirit) lead you from one reference to the next, one word or concept to the next until the subject opens up into 'way more than the sum of its parts.

Similar to dictionary surfing, it gives the same effect on an expanded level. Works for "un-believers" just as well as believers -- you'd be amazed. A gift of a concordance and a KJV to a seriously depressed, washed-out intellectual accompanied by the most subtle hint that it's an awesome surf and a suggestion to start with a word that makes them mad even -- may be enough to give them a whole new lease on life (double meaning totally intended). They may even move out of their mother's basement in record time. No kidding.

Works really well even accompanied by drug use. Has been known to be more effective in checking drug use in even serious cases than griping and guilt-tripping. Works best when accompanied by secret intercession. Only secret intercession, though. Start mouthing off about it and you will sabotage any good intentions you call yourself having.

I have used Young's Analytical Concordance for 50 years and it is by far the best tool to study the Bible I have found.

I knew that this bible would be a little heavy because it is hardback, but I didn't know that it was going to be this much. It wasn't easy to follow along. I had difficulty knowing how to use it. I had no problems though once I had been taught. I learned & caught on rather quickly. This is my first King James Version Amplified/Parallel Bible. I got a hardback bible because they tend to be more durable & also last longer.

I knew both translations and knew what I was buying. The look and layout is excellent and exactly like the discriptions. I am very happy with this purchase.

This bible is an excellent study bible. The amplified version offers a clarity without taking away from the kjv text! There is also companion scriptures that accompany the amplified verses. Great bible!!!

I love this Bible. KJV/Amplified Parallel Bible I have several different versions of the Bible, and this is my favorite. When I study the Bible I first read it in the KJV, then in the Amplified version. They run side by side, which makes it easy. It then becomes clear as to what I am studing. It is a big help in Bible class each week, as it helps in my understanding of what is being taught. This will be my Bible that has all the markings, and writtings in it, that speak to me the most. You can not go wrong in getting, or giving this Bible.

I wish the bible was soft cover, and I wish it had a reference concordance in the middle of the pages. Also, I wish the Amplified side had headings for the various sections of chapters (i.e. Jesus' prayer for the disciples, or the parable of the 10 virgins...)

Other that that, it is a good purchase - it is good to have an Amplified Bible regardless if you are serious about understanding ane learning the Word.)

It's not too bad for a novus ordo book pretending to be Catholic. Rather limited but I find it useful sometimes in writing my sermons.

This is an interesting book. It is very useful to give one a better understanding of his faith. The book helps a person to be able to defend the crucial doctrines of the Catholic Church.

By no means is this a thorough treatment of the scriptural basis for Roman Catholic doctrine. But, neither was it intended to be so. It does provide a handy quick-reference for reminding you of key passages in this long-standing debate. Books such as this make me a little uneasy in that they may imply an acceptance of the Sola Scriptura (Bible alone) premise - conceding the entire debate to the dubious doctrines of one side in that debate. In no way should one make that mistake - Mr. Madrid is not attempting to accept the Sola Scriptura premise but is simply providing the evidence one might need to refute the claims that scripture militates against Roman Catholic doctrines. Some of those doctrines are not so clearly spelled out in scripture as are others and to those we are indepted to the entire teaching history (Tradition) of the church. At the same time, that sacred Tradition does not contradict sacred Scripture - indeed, no such dichotomy between the two exists.

Again, this is a handy quick reference for one who is already familiar with the topic and not a treatise on the doctrines as a whole. Good to keep handy but only a start to understanding the faith fully. This is a very useful book and good to have handy for frequent reference.

"Where is that in the Bible?" by Patrick Madrid is the perfect brief book for anyone who has wondered what the Biblical basis is for some of the things that Catholics do and believe. "it is designed to be a handy reference guide, an overview of the major biblical passages that pertain to many issues that tend to come up between Catholics and non-Catholics." But even if you never use this book to debate with anyone regarding your faith, it is useful simply to have a deeper understanding of one's own faith.

There are six main divisions to the book dealing with authority, doctrines, the sacraments, customs and practices, moral issues and non-Catholic beliefs. The chapter on "Authority" discusses the roots of the papacy, the authority of the Church, the role of tradition and the role of Scripture. "Doctrines" discusses Catholic's understanding of Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Trinity, Purgatory, salvation and more. The roots of the seven sacraments are covered in the chapter on "The Sacraments." "Customs and Practices" covers many of the practices that others may take issue with in the Church. For example, the role of priestly celibacy, tithing, and repetition in prayer. "Moral Issues" covers many of the hot-button issues of our day including abortion, divorce, and homosexuality. The final chapter "Non-Catholic Beliefs" seems somewhat out of place in the book, but it deals with why certain non-Catholic beliefs are not biblically based such as the claim of Jehovah's witnesses that only 144,000 will be saved.

"Where is that in the Bible?" is not an exhaustive discussion of these beliefs and practices. Rather, it offers brief treatments with a few well-chosen Bible passages. It is a worthy introduction for those who have wondered about any of these issues.

I joined the Catholic Church at Easter in 2000. I used to be a Baptist/Congregational/Bible Church Protestant. With my past and my present, I'm one of those people who's literally been on both sides of the fence in the "who's right, who's wrong" debate. Patrick Madrid, a favorite apologist of mine, compiled this wonderful little "fieldguide" to Catholicism that takes major Catholic beliefs and supplies Biblical evidence for them. He also uses the Bible to debunk a few beliefs of other religions as well.

The book is broken down into six distinct areas of study: 1) Authority, 2) Doctrines, 3) The Sacraments, 4) Customs and Practices, 5) Moral Issues, and 6) Non-Catholic Beliefs. What makes this book unique is the fact that Madrid goes out of his way to eliminate Sacred Tradition, the Catechism, and those books of the Bible not accepted by most Protestants in order to defend each issue. He will sometimes hint at these sources, but primarily uses the Bible as accepted by most mainstream Protestant faiths. Much like his book, "Answer Me This!," which takes fifty frequently asked questions by Protestants of Catholicism and answers them, Madrid breaks each section of this book into short, to-the-point explanations. This isn't an exhaustive or thorough resource book, but it is easy enough to carry along with you most of the time. I'd also suggest toting along a Bible with you, as Madrid lists numerous references but does not print each one of them out on the pages of his book.

Overall, this book combined with "Answer Me This!" will provide any Catholic with a solid defense of their faith. It's also a wonderful book to use in day-to-day Bible study. It's a wonderful little resource to have around whenever friends or neighbors question your faith.

Highly recommended.

We had to read this book for our Survey of Israel's History class in Bible college. It does what it says; it provides an overview of the history of the nation of Israel from her foundation to the inter-testamental period. Both Wood, the original writer, and the editor for the revised edition, were theologically orthodox evangelical/fundamental folks who believed in verbal, plenary inspiration, and this true presupposition is demonstrated in their view of the history of God's chosen nation. Their commitment to Biblcial truth is demonstrated, for example, in their dating of the Exodus to the 1400's B. C., which accords with Biblical data correctly interpreted (and also fits the facts of history, as he demonstrates) while most of those who wish to have greater acceptability in the unconverted world opt for a 1200's date. Modernistic ideas about Israel's history, such as JEDP, alleged inaccuracies with archeological data, etc. are dealt with and refuted. Overall, it provides a fine introduction to its topic and is well worth the time of a reader. I did not give it five stars, not because it is not a fine book, but because it is not absolutely outstanding and one of a kind, which is presumably what five stars is for; in other reviews that I have read it seems that the entire spectrum of five stars is not much used, with the great majority of the books receiving either four or five stars. So, what I mean with my rating is that it is a very good book, but not absolutely field-determinative. Also, as a KJV/TR only fundamental Baptist, I disagree with their views on preservation and upon other details, but no book is perfect. Overall, despite these problems, it is a fine work.

This is a great look at Israel's history from a conservative standpoint. Be ready for lots of material. If you are not deep into this stuff the book can get kinda dry.

This book, `A Survey of Israel's History' is basically a chronological narration of the history of Israel. It traces the history from before its inception as a nation during the time of Abraham, till the period just before Jesus' birth.

Together with a narration and slight commentary based on the biblical text, the authors also provide arguments mostly based on archeological evidence to ascertain dates and locations of events and places in Israel's history. Using these evidences, they also paint the local geographical and cultural background of the places and surroundings of the events that they narrate.

Along they way, the authors also tackle some common arguments against the historical accuracy of the Bible, and very soundly argue for the validity of the inerrancy of the Biblical accounts. They defend the traditional conservative views of dates, places and events against modern liberal thought that seek to undermine the inerrancy of scripture.

The stance of the book is a conservative one, using the literal approach to scripture, especially of dates and genealogies. It assumes the factuality of scripture and views it as the highest and most correct truth, over and against tradition or archeological evidence. They hold strongly to the plain sense of scripture, choosing to accept the possibility of miraculous events against modernistic thought that seeks to explain away the miracles into natural events.

However, the book has quite a strong archeological focus. Whilst focus is still on the facts of the Bible, the authors, especially the reviser, tends to concentrate more on using the archeology to prove his case then the Bible itself.

Also, at times the spiritual significance of certain events are neglected in the commentary. The event is simply mentioned without any explanation of why God allows such or why it is recorded in such a way. A large portion of the book explains the `what' aspect of the events, but less of it is focused on the why.

Therefore this book would be useful for getting a good overview of the events in Israel's history from a conservative traditional viewpoint. These views are further enforced with archeological evidence. However, for a more biblically focused in depth study, a commentary of the individual books of the Bible would be required.

If you like history, you'll like just sitting down and reading this book. For others it is an excellent reference surveying the geographical, social, political and religious context of Israel from Abraham to the first century BC. Gives an excellent treatment of the inter-testamental period. Wood's chronology does tend to be off by one year on many dates in comparison to more widely accepted sources. Solidly evangelical.

I just recieved my Gothic & Lolita mook through the mail today! I jumped and squealed like a little girly when i saw the package waiting for me just outside my door. Well...i have to say i wasnt disappointed! The glossy cover and huge pages are really awesome-plus all the great articles and amazing pictures!XD Still i hope to see more skirt and blouse patterns instead of accessorie patterns in the future. So yeah-i'm totally in love when this mook! Really recommend it for all lolita lovers out there! :DDD

I agree with hikikomorihime's review - I bought this book hoping that there would be patterns for tops and skirts. There were just patterns for accessories. Most of the book is about the fashion and culture which you can find easily on the internet, but it's hard to find patterns on the internet. I plan to send Tokyopop some feedback and hopefully they will add better patterns in later issues. :-D If you sew and were expecting patterns, I suggest you do the same. Be nice though. ;-)

Also, the description mentions that this book covers 4 volumes of the original Gothic & Lolita Bible, so the assumption is that this covers volumes 1 through 4. However it doesn't - it covers volumes 15, 16, 21, and 23. That makes sense since they wouldn't want to give us dated fashion information. I just thought I'd mention that in case you were expecting translations of 1 through 4.

Wow! The photos of the girls in their Gothic and Lolita fashions are incredible. It was neat to see how the style varies from individual to individual. I only had a broad idea of what Gothic and Lolita fashion was prior to getting this magazine. Both the photos and interviews with girls gave me a more in depth understanding. I enjoyed the article about Japan rock star Nana Kitade. I also had no idea how cutting edge Japan was in the fashion world. I will definitely be buying them every month!

i have been waiting soo long for this to come out in English! i had expected so much but they were all blown away.. thank you soo much.

Really, my biggest problem is that they condensed so many of the mooks into this one, but only included a few accessory patterns, and none of the "how-to" craft/clothing mod instructions. Really, they wouldn't have to include full patterns, they could easily just dedicate a few pages to printed Japanese words commonly used in Japanese patterns and craft instructions, along with the English definitions. At that point, we could just locate the words, and figure out on our own what to do with our original mooks. Of course... that still wouldn't be of much help to those who just discover it, and want the dress patterns, the aprons, the pinafores, etc. Still, I'm hoping that they'll make that change in a future translated mook, if not at least host something of the sort on their site.

I'm glad I only paid $1 for this at a book sale.

I picked this up expecting to it to enhance 30 years of Bible study as a lay person. However, I came away with an understanding of how to create a pseudo-intellectual attack on translations of the Bible that disagree with the author's personal morality; i.e. how to make study of the Bible even more divisive and partisan than it already has become in 21st century America.

I always give my books to a local charity to sell, even books I didn't particularly enjoy. I threw this one away.

Although the authors try to be objective, the fact of the matter is that they do not seem to realize what the most fundamental error of dynamic equivalence translational methodology is. The statement of "rendering the accurate meaning of the original language to the receptor language" sounds innocent enough, until you ask the question "So what is the accurate meaning in the original language?". The fact of the matter is that such "functional equivalence" translations MAY well lose the accurate meaning of the original texts as certain points because of their unknowing misinterpretation of the original texts, and thus such "functional equivalence" translations may in fact lose the accurate meaning of the original language; ironically out of an intent to render that accurate meaning in the receptor language.

An example can be seen for example in the removal of the word "sword" in Rom. 13:4 in versions such as the NLT. Therefore, if capital punishment is indeed intended to be taught in Rom. 13:4 in the original language texts by means of the word "sword", the NLT would not have accurately render the correct meaning of the original language.

In conclusion therefore, the "funtional euqivalence" translational methodology fails on all counts. It fails in preserving the exact words of Scripture as much as possible, and it even fails in its own stated aim of preserving the accurate meaning in certain passages of Scripture. The position taken by Fee and Strauss therefore is indefensible when seen in this light, and their defense of Dynamic Equivalence is therefore in error.

Rather than reading this book, why not read a better book on the issue of Bible translation by Leland Ryken?
The Word of God in English: Criteria for Excellence in Bible Translation

One of the most controversial topics in modern Protestant Christianity is Bible translations (i.e. those that are good and those not so good). For instance, some believe that one translation is better than another, even possibly more inspired. Others may not care. In this book, Fee and Strauss work well together as they explain the importance on translations and how a Christian can determine what defines a good translation. After all, if God's Word is living and active, reading it in an accurate form using today's language has got to be important. The writing in the book does get a little scholarly in some areas, as the writers use some specific wording and language jargon that can be a little confusing for those not versed in the subject. Hence, I would not recommend this book to most of my high school students because many of them would not find the presentation very interesting. Yet understanding more about the differences in translations is going to take a little work. I recommend mature Bible readers picking up this book to study the 157 pages so, the next time the topic of Bible translation comes up, they will be fully educated on the matter.

My wish would be that every Christian read this book, barring that at least every Minister and Pastor. I was blown away by its easy readability, concise detail of translation issues yet in-depth coverage of such a complicated topic! If only it were possible to give this gem 10 stars!

Which Bible translation do you use?

In the early years of the Twentieth Century, the answer to that question was simple and obvious: the King James Version. In the middle of the Twentieth Century, however, readers had two major choices: the KJV and the Revised Standard Version. By the early 1970s; they had four: KJV, RSV, the New American Standard Bible, and the New International Version--not to mention Kenneth Taylor's Living Bible paraphrase. Now we have such a proliferation of Bible translations that choosing just one is a real chore.

In How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth, Gordon Fee and Mark Strauss give us "a guide to understanding and using Bible versions," as the subtitle puts it. Fee is a world-renowned New Testament scholar and Assemblies of God minister. With Douglas Stuart he authored How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (now in its third edition) and How to Read the Bible Book by Book. Strauss is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in San Diego, California. Both are members of the Committee for Bible Translation that produced Today's New International Version.

Let me explain why I am personally interested in this issue. For some time, I have struggled with which translation to use. I grew up with the NIV, but it has a number of features that bug me. One is its persistent translation of Paul's concrete language with abstractions. "Flesh" becomes "sinful nature" in Galatians. "Walk" becomes "live" in Ephesians. The meaning of "flesh" in Galatians is "sinful nature," just as the meaning of "walk" is "live" in Ephesians, but I prefer the concrete metaphor over the abstraction.

Recently, the English Standard Version (basically, a conservative update of the RSV) has been gaining ground among evangelicals. (The preaching team of James River Assembly of God uses it, for example, as does John Piper.) Leland Ryken, my college English professor, has written an extended explanation and defense of the translation theory underlying the ESV in his book, The Word of God in English. For a time, I found his reasoning persuasive. But the ESV doesn't live up to the hype, in my opinion. It retains the concrete images in Galatians and Ephesians, but sometimes it uses clunky syntax and archaic vocabulary. (Instead of "rainbow" in Genesis 9, for example, it uses "bow.")

The TNIV and NRSV follow the translation philosophies of the NIV and ESV, respectively, but with one crucial difference. They are "gender inclusive," "gender neutral," or "gender accurate." So, instead of translating Psalm 1 as "Blessed is the man...," for example, they translate it, "Blessed are they..." Similarly, the New Testament vocative, "brothers" becomes "brothers and sisters." And "man" becomes "human beings" or "mortals." This is either political correctness run amok or accurate translation, depending on your translation philosophy.

The difference between the NIV/TNIV and ESV/NRSV is the difference between "formal equivalence" and "functional equivalence." Formal equivalence translations seek to reproduce the form of the translation at the level of vocabulary and syntax. Functional equivalence translations seek to reproduce the meaning. So, while the ESV/NRSV both translate sarx as "flesh" in Galatians," which is the formally equivalent term, the NIV/TNIV both translate it as "sinful nature," which is its approximate meaning.

Fee and Strauss offer a brief articulation and defense of the functional equivalence theory of translation. They argue: "The goal of translation is to reproduce the meaning of the text, not the form." Furthermore: "the best translation is one that remains faithful to the original meaning of the text, but uses language that sounds as clear and natural to the modern reader as the Hebrew or Greek did to the original readers."

In the course of articulating and defending this theory, Fee and Strauss walk the reader through the thicket of issues translators must face: picking the right words, translating figurative language, dealing with the idiosyncrasies of Greek grammar, bridging cultural gaps between then and now, accurately translating gender, making correct text-critical decisions, and translating for audiences with varying reading levels and vocabularies. I put down this book with a lot more appreciation of what translators do, even if I don't always agree with their specific translations of this or that verse.

While I basically agree with Fee and Strauss regarding the correctness of their translation philosophy (i.e., meaning over form), I do wonder whether some of the translation choices functional equivalence translations make are really necessary. Fee and Stuart regularly write that modern readers just wouldn't understand this or that idiom if it were translated in a formally equivalent way. They have a right to their opinion, but I wonder if fair-minded readers of Galatians are really so confused by "flesh" in Galatians and "walk" in Ephesians. Even if functional equivalence is the right philosophy, in other words, it doesn't always make the right translation. Sometimes, it overinterprets the text for the reader and in doing so misses out on something else the text is trying to communicate. By translating sarx as "sinful nature," for example, the NIV/TNIV misses Paul's word play about the circumcision party. They cut the "flesh" (i.e., the foreskin) in pursuit of a form of justification that is based on the "flesh" (i.e., sinful nature). This wordplay was present to the original Greek readers but is totally absent to English readers today, unless they're reading the ESV or NRSV.

Of course, some figurative language must be explained. Even the ESV flattens out metaphors now and then. And it does not attempt to translate Paul's one-sentence doxology in Ephesians 1:3-14 as one sentence in English. In other words, translations make choices, and unless you expect every parishioner in your church to know Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, you'll just have to live with these choices.

The important thing is for all of us to realize that such choices need to be made--trading off literalness here for intelligibility there--and to be gracious when translations make choices different than our own. In pursuit of such grace, Fee and Strauss's book is an excellent resource.

For someone who learns best from short lists, organized thoughts, tables, flow charts, visual aids, this book is great! It breaks each book in the bible into a time line, main ideas or concepts, diagrams of travel routes, compares first and seconds appearences (or before and after ideas) of the same concept. (ex: Compares Paul's first and second voyage, compares Adam to Jesus) It's a wonderful tool for learning.

Adequate for my needs--often more information than I need for the class I am taking.

I was looking for a series of charts that would combine people and historical dates. For example, in Daniel, how do the various prophets line up with the various rulers? When do Daniel's dreams take place chronologically?

This book didn't come close. This book has outlines of each of the books. I can get that in almost any commentary. This book gave cursory discriptions and discussion about each Bible book. But, the authors did not provide enough detail to make the reading worthwhile. That level of detail made reading a waste of time.

This book is supposed to be a "Complete Book of Bible Charts and Maps!" It's NOT. Even the drawings of things like to ark of the covenant are small, roughly drawn and basically unuseable.

I was VERY disappointed with this book.

This was a decent resource, but I recommend instead:

Reproducible Maps, Charts, Time Lines and Illustrations: What the Bible Is All About Resources

I especially say this comment for homeschoolers!

This book has been an invaluable accessory to 4 years of Disciple Bible study. I love charts ... and this one has LOTS! Good timelines and explanations. It may not have the most up to date scholarship and archeological details but the amount of very helpful information in just this one volume can not (in my experience) be beaten!

This book is probably the best introduction to biblical interpretation out there. It's simple and straight forward as well as informative. It is definitely a book I would recommend from from which the reader will benefit.

The book covers the most common methods starting with literary competence and genre-recognition, on to literary, form and redaction criticism. Barton also covers the canonical approach, structuralism, historical-critical method, intentionalism, poetics. The 1997 edition of the book also addresses, albeit briefly, rhetorics and post-structuralist trends such deconstruction and postmodernism. It uses the book of Ecclesiastes as an example and a case study for the discussion of the methods presented in the book.


Additionally, I feel a need to respond to the objections presented by the previous reviewer. Judging by his first complaint about deconstruction, he is clearly speaking about the first edition of this book, the 1984 edition and not the current 1997 edition. As I've mentioned above, Barton addresses post-structuralist trends in this new edition, albeit briefly. Hence the first complaint isn't applicable to the present volume. As for the second complaint, I disagree with the reviewer that Barton leaves a little hope for those who believe the Bible to be the Word of God. Barton simply presents the reader with a set of tools and methods for the study of the Bible. These only enhance ones understanding of the Bible, not hinder it. One can still seek and come to know God -- understanding of literary forms or genre for example, does not prevent him or her from doing so.

Barton's book would serve as a fine introduction to any student interested in practical application of source, form, redaction, or structuralist criticism to the Bible. Barton's prose is lucid, his examples extraordinary. His discussion of structuralism is the clearest demonstration that I have read. The book suffers from two flaws. First, Barton's book was written prior to the time when deconstruction became a trendy approach to scripture. Thus, students should be aware the structuralism has transformed into another approach more suited for the nihilistic climate of our age. Second, for those of us who believe that God is speaking to us through his word, Barton leaves little hope. He concludes that future study should focus on the act of reading rather than the mimetic relationship between text and man. While perhaps an intriguing scholarly study, it does little for those of us seeking to know God more fully.

It was a fun book to read upon the authors endeavor in rendering the reflection in a list of Chinese characters with Genesis and related chapters in Hebrew Bible.

They picked a few Chinese character like `forbidden' composed of a forest and a notice - God's warning in Eden; boat, a floating vessel with eight mouths - in Noah's Ark. All in the lists is a beautiful allegation through the rosy lens of Chinese cultural background Christians who have the agenda to sell and convert. It reminded another Chinese Christian Yuan Zhiming, who, having been baptized, researched vigorously in Chinese Classics. In his book, Bible vs Lao Tzu (in Chinese), he claimed the holy man in Tao Te Ching referred to Jesus, the carpenter and heavenly king.

It is interesting to find Tao of Yin and Yang in Christian Bible with a few quotes:
1. Sermon on the Mount (Mark 5:3-12)
2. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant (Matthew 20:27)
3. He that loveth his life shall lost it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal (John 12:25)
4. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (Roman 1:22)
5. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good (Roman 12:21)
6. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is natural body, and there is a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44)
7. For if we have been planted together in the LIKENESS of his DEATH, we shall be also in the LIKENESS of his RESURRECTION (Roman 6:5)

Similarly, the English language is operated by the Tao of Yin and Yang with a few examples below:
1. cult, true cult is culture
2. excessive sucks will lead to SUCCESS
3. to live upside down is EVIL
4. to still find lie in BE(LIE)F
5. words can turn into SWORD
6. aid can become RAID
7. cash, sin, no, warning: CASINO ( a sin & no no place)
7. FAMILY - code word for FATHER AND MOTHER I LOVE YOU (family composed of yin and yang)

How to spell relief, freedom, salvation and enlightenment, God, Jesus, Tao?

This book has in depth history on the Chinese language and its characters. You can tell that the author has done her research. Great book for doing studies proving creation from secular history.

It was a wonderful discovery of God's Creation. I could find the human history very fresh and new from the sight of faith in God. Chinese letters, even though I used to write and read them very simply, are a real history of God's existence.

Very fascinating for me as Chinese is my first language. I even found my father's name, a theologian in Hong Kong, mentioned in the prologue. The explanation of how the chinese language relates to the Genesis story is incredibly fascinating, but may not be biblically based.

However, it's incredible for me to learn how chinese is the only pictographic language left of popular languages. I believe some of the characters have to do with the Genesis story, but may not be as much as what the book claims!

This book presents some intriguing information and historical-cultural analysis on Chinese ideographic characters. The historical and cultural analysis is very informative. The authors trace back possible meanings and origins of the complex characters of Chinese ideographs.

It was helpful to understand how various ideas are built up from combinations of simpler symbols, to tell a story of meaning, that often seemed to tell much about the context in which it developed. It appears, from a general historical-comparative perspective, that this method offers great promise for reconstructing details of cultural exchange and connections or merging of the many ethnic streams in the history of Asia.

It is possible that historical reconstructions have already been done on aspects of Chinese culture in this manner. But I have not had experience in the Chinese ideography, and this introduction was of great interest.

Both the authors served in Chinese contexts for long years as Christian missionaries, and Kang is a native speakers of a Chinese language, now retired in Singapore. They were particularly concerned to find ancient connections to the monotheistic concepts of God and the accompanying moral codes in the Semitic heritage as recorded in the Old Testament.

It is their contention that originally, Chinese culture was also based on a simple monotheism, and other forms of religion and devotion developed later as this heritage was forgotten. Some of the examples, however, seem over-drawn and analysis includes some pretty shaky connections.

I was surprised by the high instance of "could be," "might refer," and similar phrases in trying to make connections. One surprising aspect of the portrayal of some the biblical situations they reference is the cavalier handling of the actual biblical text. I was disappointed that the authors added a lot of detail and extended the context of several of the biblical passages to make their supposed connections work.

They give explanations and interpretations that the biblical text itself does not contain, and it is questionable that it could support them in many cases. Let me put it this way: the explanations of some of the biblical passages, and the contexts that make the Chinese connections work, are drawn from other perspectives or contexts than the simple biblical passage itself. I would like to see some of these investigated from a linguistic and historical perspective. Some of the connections are challenging and informative.

The basic premise argued in this book is that the original religious perspective of the ancient Chinese culture was monotheistic with similar concepts as those portrayed in the biblical book of Genesis.

The authors point out, though, that the development of the Chinese ideographs that seem to indicate a monotheistic origin would have been developed before the time the book of Genesis was written. Thus the knowledge was not derived from Hebrew/Jewish sources after the writing of Genesis (which occurred comparatively late in history), but separately derived from the same or similar primitive awareness in human knowledge.

This is of interest in the category of curiosity. But there just seem to be too many steps of supposition intalongthe way to their goal. There was some solid critical analysis done here, but it needed to be taken further, to more clearly establish the connections. Those connections shown do not definitively indicate a definite connection to any direct line of culture or faith back to the Hebrews, as they have presented it. There are too many details for which there could be other explanations, and the actual connections do not seem to be of a higher occurrence than would be accounted for by ordinary chance coincidence.

At any rate it was an interesting study, and I would recommend the book for its value on insights into ancient Chinese culture and language. This stands on its on aside from any contention related to Hebrew or Christian beliefs.