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Strange and Mysterious Stuff from the Bible: From the Weird to the Wonderful by Stephen M. Miller
Stephen Miller, bestselling author of Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s Who and Where’s Where in the Bible , compares reading the Bible to driving a country road. “We’re cruising along reading a fine little story when suddenly we hit a jaw dropper of a narrative pothole. Right out loud we might say, ‘What on earth is this doing in God’s holy Word?’” You can’t read far in the Bible without being jolted by an account of polygamy, slavery, or gender inequality. Other stories read almost like comedies―like the one about a dead man springing to life when his corpse touches a prophet’s bones. How do you face these things honestly? With a touch of dry humor, Miller identifies bumps in the road, briefly offers popular interpretations, and leaves you with food for thought. This is a fast-paced, fun, and reliable guide for your tour through the Bible.
- GenresNonfictionChristian
Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
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About the author
Stephen M. Miller
88 books21 followersSTEPHEN M. MILLER was born in Oakland, Maryland on August 3, 1952. He was the first of six children--four boys, two girls--born to Clyde and Virginia Miller. Their sixth child, a boy, lived just a few hours. So Steve grew up in a family of five kids and both parents. At age 12, when his Grandpap died, Granny moved in with Steve's family. She's was Virginia's mom.
Steve's parents grew up two miles apart in coal country near Tunnelton, West Virginia, a deer hunter's long walk south of Morgantown.
After Steve came along, Clyde went looking for a job that didn't involve dragging a pick into a dark hole. He moved the family to Akron, Ohio where he became a tool and die maker, crafting steel parts for machinery.
His tax withholding statement for 1963 shows a salary of $5,990.51. By that time, all five kids were on board, the youngest age three.
Virginia didn't work outside the home until all the kids were in school. Then she took a part-time job as a sales clerk at JC Penney--as much for the clothing discount as for the slight salary.
Steve, at age 15, started working part-time after school at a Sohio service station, pumping gas, changing oil, and fixing flat tires. (Sohio stood for Standard Oil of Ohio.) It was a job he kept into his college years, until the owner died. The salary, which started at 75 cents an hour, paid for his first car. An extreme vehicle. Extremely used. Ford Galaxy, dingy green. The first time he drove it, he didn't know how to work the manual choke. A kid on a bicycle passed him.
NEWS JOURNALISM AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
In college, Steve knocked out his general courses at the nearby University of Akron. Then he transferred to Kent State University, where he got a bachelor's degree in news journalism. For those wondering where he was in 1970 when the Ohio National Guard came to Kent State to quell the Vietnam War protests and ended up killing four students in the parking lot outside the School of Journalism, Steve was a senior in high school.
His mother enrolled at Kent State the same year he did. She got a degree in elementary education, launching her career as a public school teacher. Don't ask Steve who finished college with a higher grade-point average.
Steve commuted to college; he couldn't afford to live on campus. He drove the 45 minutes each day to Kent, Ohio. After the owner of the Sohio service station died, Steve found a full-time summer job working in a factory. He ran heated molds that pressed uncured rubber into auto parts. Then he dug out the parts with a brass pick. He sweat through his clothes in the first 10 minutes, and through his boots by 30. At shift's end, his crust of body salt sculpted him into Lot's wife's brother.
WORKING AT THE NEWSPAPER
When Steve landed a summer internship his senior year, working as a news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune in central Ohio, life was looking up. He lived in a rented trailer and listened to his mouse traps snapping at night. Which wasn't as tough as listening to the girl next door match her oscillating voice to a record player with an rpm that couldn't decide which r to pm. But Steve was out of the rubber factory. And into an air-conditioned office.
After graduation, he took a job as a news reporter with the Alliance Review. He worked there a year and a half, covering general news and editing the religion section and the business section. Small paper. Pleasant town.
It was during those months that he decided the Christian publishing world needed a little help from writers and editors who had taken journalism 101.
further info...
http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/auth...
Steve's parents grew up two miles apart in coal country near Tunnelton, West Virginia, a deer hunter's long walk south of Morgantown.
After Steve came along, Clyde went looking for a job that didn't involve dragging a pick into a dark hole. He moved the family to Akron, Ohio where he became a tool and die maker, crafting steel parts for machinery.
His tax withholding statement for 1963 shows a salary of $5,990.51. By that time, all five kids were on board, the youngest age three.
Virginia didn't work outside the home until all the kids were in school. Then she took a part-time job as a sales clerk at JC Penney--as much for the clothing discount as for the slight salary.
Steve, at age 15, started working part-time after school at a Sohio service station, pumping gas, changing oil, and fixing flat tires. (Sohio stood for Standard Oil of Ohio.) It was a job he kept into his college years, until the owner died. The salary, which started at 75 cents an hour, paid for his first car. An extreme vehicle. Extremely used. Ford Galaxy, dingy green. The first time he drove it, he didn't know how to work the manual choke. A kid on a bicycle passed him.
NEWS JOURNALISM AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
In college, Steve knocked out his general courses at the nearby University of Akron. Then he transferred to Kent State University, where he got a bachelor's degree in news journalism. For those wondering where he was in 1970 when the Ohio National Guard came to Kent State to quell the Vietnam War protests and ended up killing four students in the parking lot outside the School of Journalism, Steve was a senior in high school.
His mother enrolled at Kent State the same year he did. She got a degree in elementary education, launching her career as a public school teacher. Don't ask Steve who finished college with a higher grade-point average.
Steve commuted to college; he couldn't afford to live on campus. He drove the 45 minutes each day to Kent, Ohio. After the owner of the Sohio service station died, Steve found a full-time summer job working in a factory. He ran heated molds that pressed uncured rubber into auto parts. Then he dug out the parts with a brass pick. He sweat through his clothes in the first 10 minutes, and through his boots by 30. At shift's end, his crust of body salt sculpted him into Lot's wife's brother.
WORKING AT THE NEWSPAPER
When Steve landed a summer internship his senior year, working as a news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune in central Ohio, life was looking up. He lived in a rented trailer and listened to his mouse traps snapping at night. Which wasn't as tough as listening to the girl next door match her oscillating voice to a record player with an rpm that couldn't decide which r to pm. But Steve was out of the rubber factory. And into an air-conditioned office.
After graduation, he took a job as a news reporter with the Alliance Review. He worked there a year and a half, covering general news and editing the religion section and the business section. Small paper. Pleasant town.
It was during those months that he decided the Christian publishing world needed a little help from writers and editors who had taken journalism 101.
further info...
http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/auth...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 19, 2014
I think a lot of my problems are because this book isn't sure what it's meant to be. Is it a random collection of mysterious trivia? Or is it giving historical context along with alternative theories to enlighten the reader, acting as a sort of short-form study guide?
It starts off strongly, implying in the introduction and first entry that this will explain those awkward bits we've always wondered about, and short explanations of some oddities as perceived by a modern Western reader. It does a pretty good job of explaining why, in Deuteronomy, a man convicted of raping a virgin has to marry her. Then it moves on to some trivia about camels, but that's okay; it gives us more context for David's escape. Then there's a weird entry about ghosts, but many people would miss the parts in 1 Samuel so although it's only loosely connected - making it feel more like an expanded concordance - it fits in with the title, and then an entry about linguistics that will be conceptually familiar to anyone who knows about the Dutch Resistance.
So there's plenty of good variation but this is - to use the author's original metaphor - swerving all over the road trying to hit every pothole, even if it involves turning around or driving in reverse, resulting in a book that sometimes reads like a primer for Trivial Pursuit, offers an unusual detail with no context or explanation, or which connects multiple unrelated events because they happen to use the same word. Some entries are well-explained, others add a little insight, and some just paraphrase.
Some verses are used multiple times, with the story and context split between the entries, and as this jumps around between OT/NT and the various books, a reader who isn't familiar with the Bible might not realize that Deborah's prophecy and Jael's action are actually linked, or how Tamar's relationship with Jacob and Onan fit together. Some lack essential context or don't give the outcome (rendering the entry pointless), a few were disjointed and confusing, and some try so hard to be amusing that they actually misrepresent the original text.
So overall I did gain increased insight in some areas and it was interesting to read the various scholarly opinions about these oddities, but I could feel myself frowning as I read, because the tongue-in-cheek tone felt inappropriate and the entries felt disorganized and too often repetitive.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It starts off strongly, implying in the introduction and first entry that this will explain those awkward bits we've always wondered about, and short explanations of some oddities as perceived by a modern Western reader. It does a pretty good job of explaining why, in Deuteronomy, a man convicted of raping a virgin has to marry her. Then it moves on to some trivia about camels, but that's okay; it gives us more context for David's escape. Then there's a weird entry about ghosts, but many people would miss the parts in 1 Samuel so although it's only loosely connected - making it feel more like an expanded concordance - it fits in with the title, and then an entry about linguistics that will be conceptually familiar to anyone who knows about the Dutch Resistance.
So there's plenty of good variation but this is - to use the author's original metaphor - swerving all over the road trying to hit every pothole, even if it involves turning around or driving in reverse, resulting in a book that sometimes reads like a primer for Trivial Pursuit, offers an unusual detail with no context or explanation, or which connects multiple unrelated events because they happen to use the same word. Some entries are well-explained, others add a little insight, and some just paraphrase.
Some verses are used multiple times, with the story and context split between the entries, and as this jumps around between OT/NT and the various books, a reader who isn't familiar with the Bible might not realize that Deborah's prophecy and Jael's action are actually linked, or how Tamar's relationship with Jacob and Onan fit together. Some lack essential context or don't give the outcome (rendering the entry pointless), a few were disjointed and confusing, and some try so hard to be amusing that they actually misrepresent the original text.
So overall I did gain increased insight in some areas and it was interesting to read the various scholarly opinions about these oddities, but I could feel myself frowning as I read, because the tongue-in-cheek tone felt inappropriate and the entries felt disorganized and too often repetitive.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2016
In a world where the Bible’s “mysteries” are routinely deconstructed and reinterpreted, both in print and visual media, it’s easy to understand why one might look at the title of this book and conclude it is just one more drop in a sea of confusion and skepticism. The conclusion, however, would be incorrect. The “strange and mysterious stuff” are those things in the Bible which cause even biblical scholars to do a double take and say: “Wait. That can’t be in the Bible…can it?” It happened to me when I read about a guy at one of St Paul’s sermons who, while sitting on the ledge of a third floor window, fell fast asleep, then tumbled out the window to the pavement below. I thought: “That’s not in the Bible, is it?” Fortunately, author Stephen Miller backs every little snippet of information with the appropriate scriptural reference. In this case, it was an incident from the Acts of the Apostles. I looked it up and there it was—Eutychus perched on the window sill, dropping off during the sermon…then really dropping off. There are 250 such snippets in the book, some strange, some mysterious, some just bizarre. Some of them take a story or reference that we may have glossed over before and make us view it in a new way to give it renewed meaning or relevance, such as an army’s high-speed retreat on camels, a lion who refused to eat a vegan, or (my favorite) how many Borg cubes could fit in Heaven. In examining the various personalities portrayed in the Bible, he often touches upon something many people seem not to realize, that while the Bible has many role-models whom we should emulate, it contains even more “anti-role-models” whose bad behavior and wretched ends should serve as cautionary tales for anyone treading the same paths. I found the book ingenious and delightful, but those expecting a staid and stuffy approach will be disappointed. Miller’s style is quite breezy, sometimes even a little flippant, but never disrespectful to his source.
October 14, 2015
Fasten Your Bible Belts You're In For A Bumpy Ride!, August 19, 2014
Stephen Miller's newest book is what I would call a novelty of Bible oddities and those things we never covered in Sunday School. His last book I nicknamed "100 Panic Attacks About the Bible" - now we have 250 more to stress over or relieve stress (makes a great bathroom book for our company).
We got everything from concubines, house mold, marrying a rapist for security, Paul's thorn, the mark of the Beast, the unpardonable sin, a baby contest, and Pilates wife's nightmare. It kind of reminds me of Ripleys Believe It or Not, but only weirder. This is a fun book -- so everyone just chill out (yes, Stephen is saved) -- this is not a theological treatise, but a nice hammock read. There were a few things I would love to fix in this book -- add a few more paragraphs for clarity, but that's just me. I do recommend that one follow along in a good commentary Bible and if something needs more clarity research it for yourself because many of these topics only briefly touch the surface.
So get ready for the weird and wonderful, the mysterious and strange, and you have just crossed over into a new "Miller Zone!"
Stephen Miller's newest book is what I would call a novelty of Bible oddities and those things we never covered in Sunday School. His last book I nicknamed "100 Panic Attacks About the Bible" - now we have 250 more to stress over or relieve stress (makes a great bathroom book for our company).
We got everything from concubines, house mold, marrying a rapist for security, Paul's thorn, the mark of the Beast, the unpardonable sin, a baby contest, and Pilates wife's nightmare. It kind of reminds me of Ripleys Believe It or Not, but only weirder. This is a fun book -- so everyone just chill out (yes, Stephen is saved) -- this is not a theological treatise, but a nice hammock read. There were a few things I would love to fix in this book -- add a few more paragraphs for clarity, but that's just me. I do recommend that one follow along in a good commentary Bible and if something needs more clarity research it for yourself because many of these topics only briefly touch the surface.
So get ready for the weird and wonderful, the mysterious and strange, and you have just crossed over into a new "Miller Zone!"
October 14, 2015
Fasten Your Bible Belts You're In For A Bumpy Ride!, August 19, 2014
Stephen Miller's newest book is what I would call a novelty of Bible oddities and those things we never covered in Sunday School. His last book I nicknamed "100 Panic Attacks About the Bible" - now we have 250 more to stress over or relieve stress (makes a great bathroom book for our company).
We got everything from concubines, house mold, marrying a rapist for security, Paul's thorn, the mark of the Beast, the unpardonable sin, a baby contest, and Pilates wife's nightmare. It kind of reminds me of Ripleys Believe It or Not, but only weirder. This is a fun book -- so everyone just chill out (yes, Stephen is saved) -- this is not a theological treatise, but a nice hammock read. There were a few things I would love to fix in this book -- add a few more paragraphs for clarity, but that's just me. I do recommend that one follow along in a good commentary Bible and if something needs more clarity research it for yourself because many of these topics only briefly touch the surface.
So get ready for the weird and wonderful, the mysterious and strange, and you have just crossed over into a new "Miller Zone!"
Stephen Miller's newest book is what I would call a novelty of Bible oddities and those things we never covered in Sunday School. His last book I nicknamed "100 Panic Attacks About the Bible" - now we have 250 more to stress over or relieve stress (makes a great bathroom book for our company).
We got everything from concubines, house mold, marrying a rapist for security, Paul's thorn, the mark of the Beast, the unpardonable sin, a baby contest, and Pilates wife's nightmare. It kind of reminds me of Ripleys Believe It or Not, but only weirder. This is a fun book -- so everyone just chill out (yes, Stephen is saved) -- this is not a theological treatise, but a nice hammock read. There were a few things I would love to fix in this book -- add a few more paragraphs for clarity, but that's just me. I do recommend that one follow along in a good commentary Bible and if something needs more clarity research it for yourself because many of these topics only briefly touch the surface.
So get ready for the weird and wonderful, the mysterious and strange, and you have just crossed over into a new "Miller Zone!"
September 5, 2014
I just love Stephen Miller's writing. I really thought Strange and Mysterious Stuff from the Bible to be pretty good. I enjoyed how he explained each section. Sometimes he was humorous and sometimes he was serious. He definitely knows the Bible. I think this book is good to get people to pick up their Bible and read more what is in it.
5 stars.
5 stars.
February 5, 2015
It was Ok. Some parts pretty cool. Then the rest here and there boring.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews