Asimov's Guide to the Bible
Encyclopedia
Asimov's Guide to the Bible is a work by Isaac Asimov
that was first published in two volumes, covering the Old Testament
in 1967 and the New Testament
(including the Apocrypha
) in 1969. He combined them into a single 1296-page volume in 1981. They included maps by the artist Rafael Palacios
.
Including numerous black-and-white maps, the guide goes through the books of the Bible
in KJV order, explaining the historical and geographical setting of each one and the political and historical influences that affected it, as well as biographical information about the main characters. Asimov treats the secular aspects of the Bible with intellectual instead of theological commentary. His appendix "Guides to the Old and New Testament" include biblical verse, footnotes, references and subject indices.
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
that was first published in two volumes, covering the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
in 1967 and the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
(including the Apocrypha
Biblical apocrypha
The word "apocrypha" is today often used to refer to the collection of ancient books printed in some editions of the Bible in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments...
) in 1969. He combined them into a single 1296-page volume in 1981. They included maps by the artist Rafael Palacios
Rafael Palacios (artist)
Rafael D. Palacios was a prolific and highly successful free-lance artist and illustrator specializing in book jackets and maps for major U.S. publishers in the mid- and late 20th century...
.
Including numerous black-and-white maps, the guide goes through the books of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in KJV order, explaining the historical and geographical setting of each one and the political and historical influences that affected it, as well as biographical information about the main characters. Asimov treats the secular aspects of the Bible with intellectual instead of theological commentary. His appendix "Guides to the Old and New Testament" include biblical verse, footnotes, references and subject indices.
Publication data
- Asimov's Guide to the Bible: The Old and New Testaments, Wings Books (Random House), 1981, ISBN 0-517-34582-X, also Gramercy Press reprint 1988 (same ISBN)
External links
- A review at "SalafiWatch" accessed May 29, 2011
- A detailed Christian criticism on various points accessed March 31, 2006
- Religion in Asimov's Writings essay accessed March 31, 2006
- Another discussion of his religious views accessed March 31, 2006