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The Book of Books
"There is in this world a wonderful book which no one has ever tired of reading. Whether you are a boy or a girl, old or young, rich or poor, you may be sure that when you open it, you will find thoughts in it that fit your mood. It is a book for all the hours of your life.
"This book is called the Bible, which means in Greek 'the Book of Books,' the book that exceeds all others and contains more than all others combined. It is, above all, God s Book. It tells how the Jewish people came to know Him and how they struggled and suffered in order to defend their faith in Him."
The Bible is less read and less familiar than it once was, and we need to rediscover its riches. How better to do that than through this delightful retelling by a master storyteller of the sacred tales of the Creation, the Fall, the Flood, and the Covenant made between God and His people?
In these pages, the greatest adventures of Hebrew history unfold vividly before your eyes Moses and the sojourn in Egypt, the wars between the Jewish kingdoms, the glory of David and of Solomon, the building of God s Temple in Jerusalem, and the Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people. By means of centuries of struggles of the Jewish prophets and heroes, God was preparing the world for the revelation of His Son.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
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About the author
Henri Daniel-Rops
392 books39 followersDaniel-Rops (Henri Petiot's literary pseudonym) was born in Épinal in 1901 and died in Chambéry in 1965. He was professor of history and director of Ecclesiae magazine (Paris), and became world-famous mainly for works of historiography: (1943), Jesus in his time (1945), and the ten volumes of the History of the Church of Christ (1948 - 1965). He has also authored several essays, works of children's literature and historical novels, among which are Death, where is your victory? (1934) and The Sword of Fire (1938). He was a voter for the French Academy in 1955.
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December 13, 2013
I was expecting to like this being familiar with the author from his 10 volume History of the Church of Christ. He was also the general editor of The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Catholicism, regularly spoke with Pius XII and received a papal honor from John XXIII. But try as I might, I couldn't get past this volume's major flaws.
Partly, it's a matter of age. When it was written in the 50s, the Latinate spellings of Hebrew names were fairly typical of books written for Catholics whose English Bible was the Douay-Rheims. But Pharao, Chanaan, Elias, Achab, Jezabel, Nabuchodonosor, Aggeus, Esdras, etc. all sound off to our modern ears and are a bit grating. There are also a few factual errors here and there (like having Daniel thrown to the lions by the Babylonians).
But I could overlook all of that if it were better written. In places, he summarizes and glosses so much that really good stories are simply omitted. That's to be expected I suppose in a book for children. But in other places, he adds the sort of detail and historical context that children could hardly be expected to follow much less make use of. Throughout, he seems to reduce the election and vocation of Israel to little more than just preserving the worship of One God until the Messias can come. Much of the DRAMA is missing as is the sense of the value of the Old Testament as a revelation in itself rather than merely the preparation for the New.
Of course, what REALLY dates the book for a modern audience is the very politically incorrect language that might have gone unnoticed at the time but sticks out like a sore thumb now:
"Women, we are told, are prone to curiosity. Once the serpent had spoken, Eve could not restrain hers." (p.30)
"It happened, however, that Lot's wife--you know what people say about the curiosity of woman!--could not resist a backward glance , and instantly she was turned into a pillar of salt." (p.15)
"Generally speaking, the men and women of the Israelites...had three outstanding characteristics: curling hair, a rather long nose, and full red lips...Almost all of them were intelligent, gifted equally in the art of poetry and business ability." (p.7)
"At this period of history, the greater portion of the Western world was sunk in barbarism. All Europe was populated by tribes who were less advanced in civilization than the African Negroes of today." (p. 11)
"Ever since the days of our mother Eve, women have been the cause of trouble for men, and Dalila deceived Sampson completely." (p. 77)
Enough said! A retelling of the Biblical stories for children is a valuable, even a necessary book to have. But it's time to let this one just go out of print.
Partly, it's a matter of age. When it was written in the 50s, the Latinate spellings of Hebrew names were fairly typical of books written for Catholics whose English Bible was the Douay-Rheims. But Pharao, Chanaan, Elias, Achab, Jezabel, Nabuchodonosor, Aggeus, Esdras, etc. all sound off to our modern ears and are a bit grating. There are also a few factual errors here and there (like having Daniel thrown to the lions by the Babylonians).
But I could overlook all of that if it were better written. In places, he summarizes and glosses so much that really good stories are simply omitted. That's to be expected I suppose in a book for children. But in other places, he adds the sort of detail and historical context that children could hardly be expected to follow much less make use of. Throughout, he seems to reduce the election and vocation of Israel to little more than just preserving the worship of One God until the Messias can come. Much of the DRAMA is missing as is the sense of the value of the Old Testament as a revelation in itself rather than merely the preparation for the New.
Of course, what REALLY dates the book for a modern audience is the very politically incorrect language that might have gone unnoticed at the time but sticks out like a sore thumb now:
"Women, we are told, are prone to curiosity. Once the serpent had spoken, Eve could not restrain hers." (p.30)
"It happened, however, that Lot's wife--you know what people say about the curiosity of woman!--could not resist a backward glance , and instantly she was turned into a pillar of salt." (p.15)
"Generally speaking, the men and women of the Israelites...had three outstanding characteristics: curling hair, a rather long nose, and full red lips...Almost all of them were intelligent, gifted equally in the art of poetry and business ability." (p.7)
"At this period of history, the greater portion of the Western world was sunk in barbarism. All Europe was populated by tribes who were less advanced in civilization than the African Negroes of today." (p. 11)
"Ever since the days of our mother Eve, women have been the cause of trouble for men, and Dalila deceived Sampson completely." (p. 77)
Enough said! A retelling of the Biblical stories for children is a valuable, even a necessary book to have. But it's time to let this one just go out of print.
Displaying 1 of 1 review