Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Walking the Bible SP : A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler, Feiler Bruce ISBN: 0-06-074342-5 Publisher: HarperAudio Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $9.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (56 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An amazing journey - an insightful view
Comment: This is an amazing book. While I doubt any of us would have the opportunity (or the traveling companion) that Feiler had in his quest to review the Pentauch, we are richer for his trip. Launching from the premise that the Bible had roots in history and developing culture (if not exactly a fact by fact account), the travelers look to tread where the stories come from, and to read the portions of the first 5 books of the Bible that relate to that location. Thus they can take the land, which is forever written about and under conflict, and the word, which often gets more remote from us, and joins them back together to see what we can learn. The connection begins with the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the fertile crescent giving birth to Genesis and the patriarchs, and continues through Israel, Egypt and Jordan until Feiler stands on the mountain top where Moses may have seen the promised land and then died.
In addition, there is an exploration of what the bible means today, and what it means to the people who live in the area where the stories take place. The five books of Moses are extremely important becuase they form the starting off point for Judiasm (and later Christianity) and Islam. Thus the area, and the book, have varying importance to a large amount of the world. But does a book written 2-3 thousand years ago still resonate today in the lands of desert and oasis? Feiler finds that it does, even more so than he expected. In the way of discovering a new nuance of our heritage - what is part of our collective cultural history.
The writing is easy going, insightful and fun. The author is able to draw out new visions and stories from one of the most written about areas of the world. I came away from the book with a much better and new understanding of the early stories of the Bible and look at their place in history in a new light. A great read, that teaches you without lecturing to you.
Rating: 4
Summary: Part travelogue, part history book, part pilgrimage
Comment: This book really should have been called "Walking the Torah," since it covers the Five Books of Moses and is written from a primarily Jewish perspective. I suppose the marketing people felt that "Bible" would have a wider sales appeal or something. Be that as it may, the most interesting thing about this book was the profound change in attitude that the journey brought to the writer himself. No, he didn't "get religion" and run off become an Orthodox Jew. However, he did gain a new appreciation for the Bible stories themselves, as well as the various people and places that the Bible describes.
By his own admission, Bruce Feiler was a secular/Reform Jew who started out simply wanting to connect to the physical places mentioned in the Torah, i.e., to literally walk where his ancestors had walked. At first, Feiler thought of the Bible as a sort of Baedekers travel guide. He spent most of his preparation time reading history, geography, and archaeology. Once he got on the road, however, he soon discovered that the Bible is also "in the people" (his words). Whether they are true believers of many faiths or secularists who see the Bible as literature, the people who actually live in these biblical locations have a deep, almost mystical connection to the land itself -- a bond which goes beyond merely occupying a particular piece of real estate. Feiler grew to have this inner experience, too. As he himself explains, somewhere along the line he stopped thinking of The Book as a travel guide, and started seeing it as The Bible.
Feiler's prose style is both creative and highly readable. While some have criticized his incessant junk food metaphors (chocolate mountains, cinnamon hills -- he was getting hungry maybe?), I found them rather amusing. On the one hand, here he is, talking about places mentioned in a Holy Book that is sacred to millions of people. On the other hand, he doesn't pontificate, nor does he idealize. He duly notes the the rampant commercialism at holy sites and, with a wry sense of humor, he comments on many strange justapositions of traditional and modern life. (The fire extinguisher kept near the "true burning bush" in St. Catherine's monastery on Mt. Sinai had me laughing out loud. Was the burning bush was expected to catch on fire?)
As with most personal travelogues, there are things in this one that Feiler doesn't get right, even with his famous tour guide, Israeli archaeologist Avner Goren. (Who, by the way, was paid by Feiler to do this project, but so what? Hiring a guide is a time-honored travel practice, and more than one scholar has financed his research with moonlighting.) What I got out of the book was a deeper understanding of how the lay of the land in the Middle East influenced the Bible. This, in turn, opened up many Torah passages in new ways for me.
Rating: 5
Summary: FANTASTIC!!
Comment: I just finished reading this book. INCREDIBLE! The author takes two years to walk through the Pentateuch (literally), meets all kind of people in the Middle East, does tremendous research into everything from geography to Bible history to Middle Eastern hospitality traditions, and serves the whole thing up as a delightful story and journey. His guide is a man named Avner who seems to know everyone who has any passion or interest in the Middle East. As he encounters God in the desert you encounter God with him.This was an intellectual and a faith building feast. I can't express how thankful I am for this book.
 |
Title: Abraham : A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths by Bruce Feiler ISBN: 0380977761 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 17 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: In the Steps of St. Paul by H. V. Morton, Bruce Feiler ISBN: 030681112X Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
 |
Title: Jewish Spirituality : A Brief Introduction for Christians by Lawrence Kushner ISBN: 1580231500 Publisher: Jewish Lights Pub Pub. Date: August, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: Jewish New Testament Commentary: A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament by David H. Stern ISBN: 9653590111 Publisher: Jewish New Testament Pubns Pub. Date: October, 1992 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
 |
Title: Looking for Class : Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge by Bruce Feiler ISBN: 006052703X Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
