The Essential Companion to Life in Bible Times: Key Insights for Reading God's Word

by Moisés Silva

From the customs of religious life to common domestic and social practices, The Essential Companion to Life in Bible Times is your quick and reliable guide to the cultural backgrounds that formed the backdrop of biblical writings. Unlike many similar works, this Bible companion is organized thematically, making it easier to scan over broad subjects at one go. Topics Between the brief introductions you might find in a study Bible and the overwhelming amount of detail in an exhaustive reference handbook, Essential Companion to Life in Bible Times strikes the perfect balance of manageable information, giving any student of Scripture the keys to unlock commonly misunderstood passages as well as deepen your appreciation of even the most familiar Bible stories.

Genres: Christian

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2011

About the author

Moisés Silva (PhD, University of Manchester) has taught biblical studies at Westmont College, Westminster Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He lives in Litchfield, Michigan.

Reviews

[Jeremy Gardiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a layman's guide to life in Bible times. It's an easy read that summarizes a lot of data in a readable way.

There are six chapters: Family, Household, Work, Society, Government and Religious Life. Each chapter is then broken down further into smaller sections. As an example, the chapter on society has sub-sections for population, slavery, dress, and music. This makes it really useful to referencing and quick-lookups. There are also many pictures throughout the book which is helpful. The only downside is that the only references are biblical (not secular) so you have to take Silva at his word since you don't know his sources. However, I think this is a feature that makes it layman friendly. It just means it won't be as helpful for advanced research.

I read this book as it was assigned in my Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds class at Moody Bible Institute.

[Ani Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend for those who want to dive deeper in spiritual or historical studies since this book goes over the cultural context during Biblical times.

This book covers 6 main categories: family, household, work, society, government, and religious life. Each category also has their own subcategories that go in-depth with certain concepts. I like how they included pictures as well as scripture & estimated dates.

At the end of the day the reminder while reading - whether you're a seasoned Christian or just curious about theology is that: this is simply a look into human history - just because it happened & was accepted by society doesn't make it right nor that YHWH accepted it (ie. rape, slavery, incest, polygamy, unequal gender roles, etc.) People are people 🤷🏻‍♂️

[John V. Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational

I found this book to be well written and
informative on the cultural aspects of Biblical times. A shot but worthy read .

[Harold Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Essential Companion to Life in Bible Times describes in topical fashion what is known about life and customs in biblical times. Knowledge of this background proves invaluable for a proper interpretation of the Bible.

The book provides helpful information as well as a generous array of beautiful photographs concerning 6 areas that relates to Bible Times. They are:

Family
Household
Work
Society
Government
Religious Life.

I have found the book to be a most helpful tool for me when I need information concerning life in Bible Times in the 6 areas that are covered in the book.

I received a complementary copy of The Essential Companion To Life In Bible Time from Zondervan Publishers for reviewing it.

[Steve Hazell · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all, a very comprehensive read on major aspects of life during Bible times. This isn't my favorite sort of read, but the book was easy to read and understand.