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professor_x's review against another edition
This was a very thorough look at some the issues found within the bible. The chapters are setup in a way to ensure that the reader has a solid understanding of the more contentious parts of scripture. Bowen does a really good job at giving context, so that if the atheist finds himself in a debate with an apologist, the former can hold their own.
I found the audiobook tough to follow. There is a lot of information being thrown at you, and I couldn't keep up with a lot of it. Personally, I would go with the book instead so you can highlight/take notes etc. I'll have to revisit this one in the future.
I found the audiobook tough to follow. There is a lot of information being thrown at you, and I couldn't keep up with a lot of it. Personally, I would go with the book instead so you can highlight/take notes etc. I'll have to revisit this one in the future.
elentikvah's review against another edition
4.0
It is rare that I pick up a book because of the narrator - I think I could listen to Seth Andrews read the phone book! - and surprisingly discovered a book dealing with the Christian Old Testament in similar vein to Bart Ehrman with the Christian New Testament.
For someone raised cutting my teeth on Christian apologetics, and having read the Bible through multiple times during my life, and specifically focused on various portions on the Christian Old Testament as I pursued my life-long interest in Judiasm - I was happily surprised to learn more historical context to the texts that I have studied through my young/early adulthood. Additionally, I was so glad to have an objective, rationale view of these stories and the scholarly historical context - no "angry atheists" here, thank goodness!
This is a book that I will probably purchase a paper-copy for more detailed reading, notations, highlights, etc.
Rating 4/5 stars "really liked it"
11 hrs and 39 mins / ~425 pages
Audiobook
For someone raised cutting my teeth on Christian apologetics, and having read the Bible through multiple times during my life, and specifically focused on various portions on the Christian Old Testament as I pursued my life-long interest in Judiasm - I was happily surprised to learn more historical context to the texts that I have studied through my young/early adulthood. Additionally, I was so glad to have an objective, rationale view of these stories and the scholarly historical context - no "angry atheists" here, thank goodness!
This is a book that I will probably purchase a paper-copy for more detailed reading, notations, highlights, etc.
Rating 4/5 stars "really liked it"
11 hrs and 39 mins / ~425 pages
Audiobook
dean_issov's review
I just wasn't feeling the book. Dr. Bowen is a good author and this is definitely something atheists and Christians can benefit from. I just find it mostly dry and boring but only because I already know most of the stuff in it.
slapshottechnology's review against another edition
5.0
Great background on various discrepancies in the Old Testament. Easy read, very interesting. Especially the part on archaeology. Brings up lots of points that would be hard for Christians to honestly debate.
odonate's review against another edition
5.0
This book is carefully researched and even more carefully written. No matter your background knowledge, it is informative. If Chapter 1 is more of a recap for you, it's still helpful to have someone lay out the story with very little commentary and no major counter-arguments (in this section).
The chapter on Daniel was probably my favorite, because I hadn't been aware of how much data went into dating Daniel. Bowen does a fantastic job of explaining it. This is something that I've found lacking in some of the other books I've read on historicity of the Bible. Many of the books I've read have asked me to accept the analysis of experts at face value. I have no issues with accepting the consensus view on most topics, but I'm reading these books because I'm interested. And I feel a bit betrayed when someone cites (for example) sources tracing directly back to the person of Jesus, and it turns out they are referring to the hypothesized Q source. And Q - in turn - is based on textual analysis using methods that haven't been described to me.
So it was refreshing to read a book on the dating of Daniel that discusses the specific grammar, words and even characters that have gone into the analysis for Daniel. It was refreshing to read his analysis of where and when Daniel is historically inaccurate, and to use clear analogies that outline the logic behind the conclusions. And to then bring all of the separate analyses together and discuss the weight they bring as a whole to the consensus opinion.
It may be surprising, considering the title, but it's also clear that Bowen has done the work to clearly and fully examine the critical assumptions that go into this work. As such, he doesn't make some of the definitive claims you see in these spaces. He has no issues with allowing for uncertainty where the evidence requires it. He has no problem accurately portraying the strongest apologist arguments. And I don't have to worry that he's summarizing someone else's work with his own slant, because he includes full quotations from other experts within the text of the chapter.
He structures his chapters so that his points are clear and easy to follow. I will admit that - at times - the "here's what I'm going to explain, [meat of the argument], here's what we just covered" structure can be a bit repetitive. But it means that none of his points are lost, and the narrative structure of his arguments are made very clear. And it made this a very easy read.
I'm looking forward to the second volume.
The chapter on Daniel was probably my favorite, because I hadn't been aware of how much data went into dating Daniel. Bowen does a fantastic job of explaining it. This is something that I've found lacking in some of the other books I've read on historicity of the Bible. Many of the books I've read have asked me to accept the analysis of experts at face value. I have no issues with accepting the consensus view on most topics, but I'm reading these books because I'm interested. And I feel a bit betrayed when someone cites (for example) sources tracing directly back to the person of Jesus, and it turns out they are referring to the hypothesized Q source. And Q - in turn - is based on textual analysis using methods that haven't been described to me.
So it was refreshing to read a book on the dating of Daniel that discusses the specific grammar, words and even characters that have gone into the analysis for Daniel. It was refreshing to read his analysis of where and when Daniel is historically inaccurate, and to use clear analogies that outline the logic behind the conclusions. And to then bring all of the separate analyses together and discuss the weight they bring as a whole to the consensus opinion.
It may be surprising, considering the title, but it's also clear that Bowen has done the work to clearly and fully examine the critical assumptions that go into this work. As such, he doesn't make some of the definitive claims you see in these spaces. He has no issues with allowing for uncertainty where the evidence requires it. He has no problem accurately portraying the strongest apologist arguments. And I don't have to worry that he's summarizing someone else's work with his own slant, because he includes full quotations from other experts within the text of the chapter.
He structures his chapters so that his points are clear and easy to follow. I will admit that - at times - the "here's what I'm going to explain, [meat of the argument], here's what we just covered" structure can be a bit repetitive. But it means that none of his points are lost, and the narrative structure of his arguments are made very clear. And it made this a very easy read.
I'm looking forward to the second volume.
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