Kristin Swenson - Bible Babel: Making Sense of the Most Talked About Book of All Time

In an effort to help reunite lost pets with their owners, Bay County Animal Control in Floridas Panhandle offered to put a tiny microchip in cats and dogs free of charge. This seemingly harmless public service encountered surprising resistance. Some residentsfeel there might be a snake behind microchipping in general.1 The opposition had nothing to do with reptiles, stray animals, or the veterinary procedure: it stemmed from the Bible. They feel like its the mark of the devil. Ive had people tell me that, said Bridgett Miller, a technician who performs the procedure. Biblical references abound in our culture, often with far-reaching effectsfrom shaping personal belief to informing public policy. Unfortunately, few people know enough about the Bible to tell how or explain why.

For secular and religious people alike, there arent many opportunities to learn about the Bible. As a result, many think that the Adam and Eve story in Genesis equates its talking snake with Satan, that the fateful fruit was specifically an apple, and that to this day men have one less rib than women. None of these are truenot as that particular biblical narrative spells it out, anyway. Others are shocked to discover that the Jewish bible constitutes the bulk of the Christian bible, and predates the New Testament by centuries; that Paul wrote much of the New Testament (and Jesus didnt write any); and that the shepherds and three kings do not appear together in any biblical story of Jesus birth.2 The fear expressed by the Floridians is based on an interpretation of the New Testament book of Revelation. Yet, citing the relevant text, one commentator noted, Where there is an important translation dispute like this I go for the Jewish translator as being more familiar and painstaking with the language.3 But the New Testament is not part of the Jewish bible, and its language is Greek (not the Hebrew of the Jewish bible). The errors abound.

Most people know that the Bible has been enormously influential in the western world for millennia and continues to be so today, but there are surprisingly few opportunities to learn about it, believe it or not. Many churches and synagogues dont have the time or resources to devote to instructing about the Bibles historical context or the finer points of its literary characteristics, and public schools are understandably nervous about teaching the Bible. However, the Bible is the religious foundation for the vast majority of Americans, who read it for inspiration and instruction. And it continues to crop up in politics and popular culture. People argue whether or not the Ten Commandments should be posted in courthouses. Democratic presidential candidates were asked to name their favorite Bible verse in a 2007 debate. The Bible shows up frequently in The Simpsons , and in popular television dramas such as Law and Order and Lost . Biblical references permeate The Matrix film trilogy. What the Bible does and doesnt say is crucial to the plot and popularity of The Da Vinci Code ; and the Bible is so much a part of country music that its easy to confuse Country with Christian rock. Devout individuals contemplate the sense and meaning of scripture for their lives, basing their thoughts and actions on it above all else. Others want to understand how such religious readers do this, and to have fruitful discussions about issues of mutual concern. Some people grew up with the Bible but feel they know little about it. Others simply want to understand how something like the Sistine Chapels Creation of Adam interprets the biblical creation story.

A lot of people are curious and eager to learn about the Bible, but they dont want to be preached to on the one hand, or have their religious beliefs disrespected or belittled on the other. This book doesnt take a religious position or attempt to convert readers to a particular faith perspective. Neither does it scoff at belief or scorn those for whom the Bible is, well, the Bible. Rather, it gives big-picture information about the Biblewhat it is, whats in it, and how to understand Bible speak. This book aims to provide the kind of information that people want, no matter what their (non)beliefs, in order to make sense of and talk sensibly about the Bible; to help readers understand and evaluate for themselves biblical references; and to appreciate how people can get so riled up about it.

The Bible is a deceptively difficult book. It appears to be straightforward, but its really very complicated and seems downright contradictory at times. People today can be excused for approaching it like any other book (thats how it appears) and then promptly stumbling over its bewildering commands both to kill and not to kill, its strident monotheism and matter-of-fact references to other gods, its pages of genealogies, patriarchal declarations to silence women in church, strange agrarian metaphors, and plethora of Jesus portraits, not to mention the diversity of translations. Given all this, it helps to have a guide or at least some foundational information about the Bibles development, contents, and history. But there are so many candidates clamoring for that role and championing interpretation under the guise of information that its tough to know what to do.

This book begins with some background information about the Bible as a whole before it gets into specifics such as whos who, whats what, and wheres where, or modern debates for which the Bible is used on both sides. Although this book assumes no preliminary knowledge about the Bible, some chapters build on others, so its best to read this book straight through from the beginning. After all, its easier to understand how one person can argue that the Bible condemns homosexuality and another that it doesnt (and both have sound arguments), why David is such a big deal, why women get short shrift, why Jerusalem is also Zion, and why Catholics venerate the Virgin Mary, if youve learned about the different bibles, if you know some history in and behind the Bible, and if you are familiar with the drama of translation.4

The opening chapter describes what the Bible is in the first place, a little about the different ways that people read it, and how to find ones way around in it, including Bible lingo and organization. The second chapter briefly describes the different bibles that exist, notes a seldom-considered version that influenced them all, and gives a whirlwind overview of the Bibles contents, book by book. (A chart at the back compares the versions, in a side-by-side layout.) The third, fourth, and fifth chapters tell about historyin, behind, and of the Bible, respectively. (In other words, the third chapter relates the Bibles telling of history; the fourth chapter illustrates the historical contexts out of which particular biblical texts came; and the fifth chapter discusses how the Bible as a whole came to be the sacred scripture that it is today. Timelines at the back of the book help to visualize the order of these events.) The sixth and final chapter on foundational information deals with translation in history and today. There is no original Bible that we can consult, and few people other than academic specialists and some seminary graduates know biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, or koine Greek, so Chapter 6 takes some time to discuss issues of translationhow translators determine what text theyll translate from, some of the most influential translations of all time, and the variety that exist today.