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A review by matthewwester
Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler
5.0
The author is pretty open throughout the book about his purpose. In the beginning of the project, he was emphatically not on a spiritual quest. His goal was to visit the places mentioned in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, interview biblical scholars, and spend time with the current-day residents of these biblical locations. As he reflects later in the book, his initial impulse was to test the facts of each story.
But of course as the project continues, the inevitable happens. The Bible seems less like an ancient text and more like a living document, reflecting timeless truths and encouraging personal application. And to fully understand the stories of Scripture, we must somehow step into the story ourselves. The author goes on to express how doubt and struggle can lead to a more complicated but richer understanding of the Bible.
I was surprised at how sensibly the author (and many of his interviewees) handled passages in the Bible. Often he shares several views on various questions/studies. This book probably doesn't answer every question it raises but I think that's kinda the point. And while he doesn't land spiritually where I would have liked to have seen (yes, I was rooting for a certain kind of internal shift in belief!), I really had a good time joining this guy on his trip. Good stuff.
But of course as the project continues, the inevitable happens. The Bible seems less like an ancient text and more like a living document, reflecting timeless truths and encouraging personal application. And to fully understand the stories of Scripture, we must somehow step into the story ourselves. The author goes on to express how doubt and struggle can lead to a more complicated but richer understanding of the Bible.
I was surprised at how sensibly the author (and many of his interviewees) handled passages in the Bible. Often he shares several views on various questions/studies. This book probably doesn't answer every question it raises but I think that's kinda the point. And while he doesn't land spiritually where I would have liked to have seen (yes, I was rooting for a certain kind of internal shift in belief!), I really had a good time joining this guy on his trip. Good stuff.