I was told this book would be a circumspect and honest review of the Old Testament from a scholarly perspective. Instead, I found readings of the texts that clearly came from a religious interpretation that departs radically from the actual text . For example, in chapter 4 the author reads "satan" into the eden story when anyone with a passing familiarity with the text knows that there is no such reference and the insertion of satan is a pure interpretation . He immediately goes on to, without evidence, claim that the biblical phrase "image of god" is a reflection of "freedom of choice" - which is additionally unsourced in the text, dismissive of the incredibly widespread debate about how to interpret the phrase, and clearly a philosophical/religious reading of the text. This is amidst suspicious and mostly unsourced generalizations about biblical theology and the beliefs of ancient peoples.
I am …
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Jack rated The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms: 5 stars
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned …
Jack rated A Study in Scarlet: 3 stars
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Originally named A Tangled Skein, this is the first Sherlock Holmes story. The real strength and the unique quality of …
Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
The story begins with Agnes Nitt leaving Lancre to seek a career at the Opera House in Ankh-Morpork. When Granny …
Jack rated Tress of the Emerald Sea: 4 stars
Jack rated Do Safety Differently: 4 stars
Supergod by Felipe Massafera, William Christensen, Warren Ellis, and 1 other
Jack reviewed Bible among the Myths by John N. Oswalt
Review of 'Bible among the Myths' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
I was told this book would be a circumspect and honest review of the Old Testament from a scholarly perspective. Instead, I found readings of the texts that clearly came from a religious interpretation that departs radically from the actual text . For example, in chapter 4 the author reads "satan" into the eden story when anyone with a passing familiarity with the text knows that there is no such reference and the insertion of satan is a pure interpretation . He immediately goes on to, without evidence, claim that the biblical phrase "image of god" is a reflection of "freedom of choice" - which is additionally unsourced in the text, dismissive of the incredibly widespread debate about how to interpret the phrase, and clearly a philosophical/religious reading of the text. This is amidst suspicious and mostly unsourced generalizations about biblical theology and the beliefs of ancient peoples.
I am sure this is a fine book if you want to learn about how christians read the bible, and I may yet finish it for that reason, but this is in not a scholarly work.
Jack rated Practical Monitoring: 5 stars
Jack rated The Wise Man’s Fear: 5 stars
The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger …
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
"The 39th installment in the New York Times bestselling "Discworld" canon from Terry Pratchett, "the purely funniest English writer since …
Jack rated The Doll's House: 5 stars
Jack rated Season of storms: 3 stars
Jack rated Preludes and Nocturnes: 5 stars
Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Todd Klein, Robbie Busch, and 3 others
Preludes and Nocturnes collects the first eight issues of The Sandman comic by Neil Gaiman published by DC Vertigo.
The …
The Truth by Terry Pratchett, Stephen Briggs
The Truth is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-fifth book in his Discworld series, published in …