A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible

Written by Kristin Swenson

Narrated by Pam Ward

The Bible, we are constantly reminded, is the bestselling book of all time. It is read with intense devotion by hundreds of millions of people, stands as authoritative for Judaism and Christianity, and informs and affects the politics and lives of the religious and non-religious around the world. But how well do we really know it? The Bible is so familiar, so ubiquitous that we have begun to take our knowledge of it for granted. The Bible many of us think we know is a pale imitation of the real thing.

In A Most Peculiar Book, Kristin Swenson addresses the dirty little secret of biblical studies that the Bible is a weird book. It is full of surprises and contradictions, unexplained impossibilities, intriguing supernatural creatures, and heroes doing horrible deeds. It does not provide a simple worldview: what "the Bible says" on a given topic is multi-faceted, sometimes even contradictory. Yet, Swenson argues, we have a tendency to reduce the complexities of the Bible to aphorisms, bumper stickers, and slogans. Swenson helps listeners look at the text with fresh eyes. A collection of ancient stories and poetry written by multiple authors, held together by the tenuous string of tradition, the Bible often undermines our modern assumptions. And is all the more marvelous and powerful for it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666151367

Reviews for A Most Peculiar Book

[John Mark Power · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful book for anyone curios about the Bible and how it shapes our lives, both good and bad. Kristen Swenson communicates the ideas and stories of the Bible in a straightforward, personal, and even humorous way. I definitely recommend this one!