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The Bible's Greatest Stories
Roche has combined his scholar's knowledge and poet's sensibility to produce a remarkable new rendering of the Bible's greatest tales--casting them into contemporary English while preserving the rhythms, cadences, and verbal balances of the original text.
- GenresReligion
482 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 15, 2009
Okay, so I've cheated and read the cliff's notes once or twice.
December 20, 2024
Let me first say that this review is not a reflection of the Bible, one of the best books ever written, but of Paul Roche's terribly disappointing translation and frankensteinization of it here.
Paul Roche’s The Bible’s Greatest Stories is a poorly executed attempt at reimagining biblical texts, deserving no more than one out of five stars. This book fails on nearly every front, starting with its many factual inaccuracies—mislabelling Israel and Judea as "palestine" long before the Roman conquests, misrepresenting the celebration and meaning of the feast of tabernacles among other Israelite rituals, and presenting geographical errors that are inexcusable in a work of this kind. I am convinced signet classics printed this book because of Roche's contributions to Greek translation, because from the perspective of a biblical scholar, this work is at best a comedy of errors.
Roche, a Greek translator by trade, seems out of his depth here. His lack of native fluency in Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin, is apparent, and his approach to translation is erratic at best. He haphazardly selects passages from sources as diverse as the Vulgate, King James, and International versions of the Bible (notably, not the original texts), without any semblance of consistency or respect for the original narratives and their meanings.
Moreover, the text is incomplete. Large portions of the Bible are missing entirely, including key books like Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. What remains is a disjointed, poorly curated collection of scattered texts, leaving readers without a cohesive or meaningful experience.
The lack of context is another glaring flaw. The blurbs accompanying each section range from nonexistent to unhelpful, offering little to no insight into the historical, philosophical, or theological significance of the texts. Roche’s focus seems skewed; he devotes significant attention to certain New Testament books while glossing over or entirely ignoring some of the Bible’s most profound and thought-provoking writings.
This work also fails to stay true to either the Christian and Jewish narratives or historical authenticity. It is, at best, a highly subjective art project loosely inspired by biblical texts and traditions—a project that borders on propaganda and falsification. It should neither be consulted as a spiritual guide nor as a historical resource.
Paul Roche’s expertise lies in translating Greek texts, and it shows. The Bible’s Greatest Stories is an embarrassment, a misstep that should never have been published. If you’re looking for a narrative retelling of the Bible, there are far better options available. Save yourself the time and frustration—this is not worth reading.
Paul Roche’s The Bible’s Greatest Stories is a poorly executed attempt at reimagining biblical texts, deserving no more than one out of five stars. This book fails on nearly every front, starting with its many factual inaccuracies—mislabelling Israel and Judea as "palestine" long before the Roman conquests, misrepresenting the celebration and meaning of the feast of tabernacles among other Israelite rituals, and presenting geographical errors that are inexcusable in a work of this kind. I am convinced signet classics printed this book because of Roche's contributions to Greek translation, because from the perspective of a biblical scholar, this work is at best a comedy of errors.
Roche, a Greek translator by trade, seems out of his depth here. His lack of native fluency in Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin, is apparent, and his approach to translation is erratic at best. He haphazardly selects passages from sources as diverse as the Vulgate, King James, and International versions of the Bible (notably, not the original texts), without any semblance of consistency or respect for the original narratives and their meanings.
Moreover, the text is incomplete. Large portions of the Bible are missing entirely, including key books like Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. What remains is a disjointed, poorly curated collection of scattered texts, leaving readers without a cohesive or meaningful experience.
The lack of context is another glaring flaw. The blurbs accompanying each section range from nonexistent to unhelpful, offering little to no insight into the historical, philosophical, or theological significance of the texts. Roche’s focus seems skewed; he devotes significant attention to certain New Testament books while glossing over or entirely ignoring some of the Bible’s most profound and thought-provoking writings.
This work also fails to stay true to either the Christian and Jewish narratives or historical authenticity. It is, at best, a highly subjective art project loosely inspired by biblical texts and traditions—a project that borders on propaganda and falsification. It should neither be consulted as a spiritual guide nor as a historical resource.
Paul Roche’s expertise lies in translating Greek texts, and it shows. The Bible’s Greatest Stories is an embarrassment, a misstep that should never have been published. If you’re looking for a narrative retelling of the Bible, there are far better options available. Save yourself the time and frustration—this is not worth reading.
August 10, 2013
I've had this book for over 5 yrs now and I find myself constantly going back to picks stories that I want to reread at the moment which presently peak my interest. I love how he explains about the story you are going to read, it's written in a very captivating way IMO. I wish he would also right the lost books of the bible in a story manner as well since it helps me relax and fall asleep. I've read the whole book through out the years, but feel the need to read those I feel will calm me during the present time when I need some kind of piece with all the unanswered question I sometimes feel lost without any explanations. Such as the book of enoch and the lost books of the bible and the forgotten books of eden. He writes these stories in such a compelling matter and I know I will cherish and continue to reread the stories in this book for many years to come. You can now get in online from Barnes & Nobles for only $1.99, so I think for that price it's a steal, though I paid $8 when I first purchased it, which I would gladly pay many times over. This book is precious to me and I keep it near my bedside always.
September 11, 2018
Biblical literacy is on the wane. Today there are basically bible enthusiasts and those who don't know anything about the bible. This book treats bible as literature and tries to familiarise the reader with some of its great stories. The stories are well told and the introduction to each story is informative. It covers the so called duterio canonical books also.
August 12, 2012
Great summary of the Bible.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews