A Story of God and All of Us: A Novel Based on the Epic TV Miniseries "The Bible"

by Roma Downey, Mark Burnett

Scripture's greatest stories and most compelling characters come to life in this sweeping new novel by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett.

Beginning with the creation of man and ending with the revelation of a new world, readers will revel in this epic saga of warriors, rebels, poets, and kings, all called upon by God to reveal His enduring love for mankind. Ultimately, God's plan is fulfilled in the story of Jesus the Messiah, whose life, death and resurrection brings salvation to one and all.

A STORY OF GOD AND ALL OF US is a companion to The Bible, the epic ten-hour mini-series produced by the authors and televised around the world.

Genres: Religion, Christian, Spirituality, Inspirational, Nonfiction, Faith, Audiobook

337 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

In a career spanning 25 years, Roma Downey has earned multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe nominations as an actress and a producer. Born in Ireland and classically trained in London, Ms. Downey has performed on stage with the famed Abbey Theatre Company and has appeared both on and off Broadway. Among her many television appearances Downey is probably best known for her starring role as Monica, the tender-hearted angel on the hit show “Touched by an Angel" which ran on CBS for almost a decade. She also played the leading role of Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the Emmy® award winning six-hour miniseries for NBC ‘A Woman Named Jackie.' 

Downey is president of LightWorkers Media a joint venture with MGM. Downey along with her husband Mark Burnett produced the Emmy® nominated miniseries ‘The Bible’ for History Channel, which was watched by over 100 million people in the US alone. They also produced ‘Son of God’ the feature film that stunned the box office when it became the 2nd highest faith movie opening of all time. In 2016 Downey received the Irish Diaspora Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Screen from the IFTA as well as her star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood trade publication Variety recognized Downey as a "Trailblazer" and listed her as Variety’s ‘100 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood.’ The Hollywood Reporter included her and Burnett as their ‘Most Influential People of 2013’. In 2014, Downey won the ‘Movie Guide Grace Award’ for her role as Mother Mary. That same year, Downey was also honored on Variety’s Women of Impact. 

In addition to “The Bible” and “Son of God”, Downey and Burnett have produced numerous television series including "The Women of the Bible" for LIFETIME, ‘The Dovekeepers’ for CBS, ‘A.D. The Bible Continues’ for NBC, and “ answered Prayers” for TLC.   They were also executive producers on the feature films “ Little Boy” for Open Road Films, “ Woodlawn” for PureFlix, “Ben-Hur”  for MGM and Paramount and the documentary “Faithkeepers” about the persecution of Christians and other minorities in the middle east. 

Downey's new venture LightWorkers.com, sees her label come to life as a digital platform and movement.  The mission of LightWorkers.com is to create and curate engaging, empowering and inspirational short-form content and to build a community of sharing, while igniting a movement in the real world that motivates people to share the good all around them.

Reviews

[Eric Rohland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read for someone that struggles reading the Bible. While its certainly not a replacement, it sums up the context and detail of all major bible stories in an easy to read manner, some of which can be easily misinterpreted when read straight from the Bible.

[Victor Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett in their new book, “A Story of God and All of Us” published by FaithWords brings us A Novel Based on the Epic TV Miniseries “The Bible”.

From the inside jacket flap: Scripture’s greatest stories and most compelling characters come to life in this sweeping new novel by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett.

Beginning with the creation of man and ending with the revelation of a new world, readers will revel in this epic saga of warriors, rebels, poets, and kings, all called upon by God to reveal His enduring love for mankind. Ultimately, God’s plan is fulfilled in the story of Jesus the Messiah, whose life, death and resurrection brings salvation to one and all.

A STORY OF GOD AND ALL OF US is a companion to The Bible, the epic ten-hour mini-series produced by the authors and televised around the world.

When we tell Bible stories to our kids, or when they were told to us, we give the stories a dramatic spin and try to make the characters come alive a little more than how The Bible actually tells the story. Does that make our versions of these stories not true? No, it just makes them more real and relevant for us. That is what Roma Downey and Mark Burnett did for us in “A Story of God and All of Us” they gave us a retelling of The Bible the way we tell it to our kids. The book is based on the Television series the couple produced called “The Bible”. They felt it was necessary because surveys told them that people believed that Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc or that Sodom and Gomorrah were a married couple. So they brought specific stories from The Bible to life on the show and adapted them for the book. Are they The Bible stories? No. If you want the actual stories you read The Bible. If you want these same stories told to you in a fictional manner that weaves the whole thread of salvation through it then this is the book for you. I highly recommend this book not only for your bookshelf but to give as gifts to friends and family.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 hours non-stop, commercial free Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from FaithWords. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Kelley]

I love this book! Such an easy read in a clear understanding format. this was a mini-series on TV a couple years ago and I loved it then.

[Tyler Bray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very thankful for the disclaimer in the beginning of this book. "This book is not supposed to be a new translation of the Bible". If that was it's original purpose, then there would be some problems.

The book is derived from the script for the TV show "The Bible". It attempts to cover the major characters in the Bible in a narrative format.

The writing I can tell takes after a script for Hollywood as everything that was written I can imagine in a sort of epic movie. It is because of this I disliked the book.

Every supposed "Hero" of the Bible is portrayed as a character strong in faith, character, and seems morally unsurpassable. While supposed "Villains" were pictured as decrepit creatures who had no ounce of goodness among them. This book portrayed events in the Bible as scenes of good vs. evil with God being on the side of good.

It is true that God is on the side of good because he is good, however as humans we are all screw ups, even these supposed "heroes" of the Bible. The book fails to mention when Abraham attempts to sell his wife to Pharaoh in order to save his own skin, or when Noah got drunk off of his vineyard, or when Lot slept with his daughters. The book never touched the "dark side" of any of these characters and that to me brings no purpose to the story and in turn our story.

The only hero of the story is Jesus, which the book did alright portraying. But as humans we are all fallen, and what these stories should teach us is that we don't have to be these morally upright people in order to be used by God.

The book raised up these morally straight leaders as examples to follow, but I'd prefer to follow the scum of the earth who was changed for the better by the grace and glory of God.

[Lindsey Silvestrini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Story of God and All of Us was quite a unique undertaking for authors Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. I think we all wish that some of the holes in the stories of the Bible could be filled in for us instead of being left to ones own interpretation. This book does just that in a way that makes sense. The stories are told how you think that they would and should be. The book is the companion to the ten hour miniseries The Bible which I have not yet seen but am now eager to!

I grew up reading the Bible and as a child the stories were like fun adventures with kings and queens and heroes and villains. This book takes the Bible and turns it into a novel, dramatizing those same stories I grew up on and bringing them to life even more to the point that the characters jump off the page at you. I can only imagine how exciting the miniseries is.

Reading this book brings the Bible to life and adds depth to the characters already known to all of us. I take it all with a grain of salt as this is just the authors view of these stories and some of the Bible is meant to be subject to interpretation. It definitely adds more entertainment value to the Bible in a way that is still honoring to it.

The stories did seem to be pretty true to the originals just embellished a little with added detail. I like having some of these things complete in my mind, even if they aren’t entirely accurate. The characters that were chosen are the most influential and well known in the Bible including Abraham, Moses, David and of course, Jesus himself.

A Story of God and All of Us is a must read for every Bible reader to take Bible stories to a whole new level!

[Tom Roche · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read the actual Bible, I was interested to see how the miniseries, and this book, measured up. The writing style was OK, a few too many times it felt like the teleplay notes/directions slipped in – “he was backlit from behind” – that sort of thing. Plus, it was kind of funny how many of the male characters (Samson, David, even Pontius) had very sensual descriptions of their glistening, rippling muscles – I felt like I was reading a Harlequin romance! Maybe Roma’s not gettin’ enough at home … though I can’t say those parts weren’t written by Mark, now that I think about it. ;-)
If you’re looking for a telling of the story that reveals slightly more than childrens bibles do (where they leave out the most horrible parts of the stories) you’ll probably like this, but there are still many omissions and convenient tidying up that you should probably read the real thing if you want the full effect. This shouldn’t be a substitute.

[Jessica McKendry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3 stars because the story was very beautifully written, but there were some typos here and there. I'm also not sure how accurate the stories are but the last portion of it is worthy of 5 stars.

Favorite quote: "I did what I did because I was certain that I was right. I was certain that I knew the will of God. As certain as you are now. But then Jesus came to me. Not in righteous anger or in judgements, but in love. His love. Without love we are nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not jealous. It does not boast. It is not proud. It keeps no record of wrongs. It rejoices with the truth, bears all burdens, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. When everything else disappears, there still remains faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these, by far, is love. God's love is available to all. There is no longer Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free man. We are all one in Jesus Christ." —Paul

[Elizabeth]

I didn't have any interest in watching this miniseries, but when I learned there was a NOVELIZATION of it, I was morbidly curious and ILLed it.

Contrary to my ~expectation, it's not actually ridiculous over-the-top bad. There's not a lot that I'm really adamantly opposed to, though there are various things that make me uncomfortable, as well as various narrative changes that make me go, "But that's not how the story goes!"

There's a lot of telling rather than showing -- which given that this is a novelization of film is kind of ironic ... were there a lot of explainy voiceovers?

... and apparently there's a 20,000 character limit for GR reviews -- brb, making a blogpost. [I quote/cite/link a LOT.]

[David Pyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m likely the worst person to review this book, as I am both a minister and an English teacher. From a theological point of view, the necessary detail manipulation of fictionalizing such a well-known work as The Holy Bible is fraught with potential pitfalls. In some other cultures and religions, such actions might result in a fatwa being issued. Here, they just tempered my enjoyment of the work, somewhat.

My bigger issue was the typos and/or editorial errors I found, such as syntax errors and missing articles. Especially because one is fictionalizing the best-seller of all time, extra layers of editorial review would have been wise. Granted, I may have gotten an early edition, as I do tend to buy Bargain Books, but I would never allow such errors to see print, were I intimately involved in the project.

A worthy effort accomplished without the care it deserved, I would say.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very powerful read. As someone who is not really religious but believes in God, this was much easier to read than the Bible. It is a great story based off the TV mini-series, The Bible. I couldn't put it down and was finished in just over two days. It actually makes me want to try reading the Bible again. I had to subtract a star because of the abundance of grammar errors. There were numerous times where an entirely wrong word was used in place of what should have been used, which sometimes made the sentence look funky. It was still very readable, but there shouldn't be over a dozen grammar errors in a book.

[Yo Leo Ficción Cristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

RESEÑA COMPLETA

*NOTA: Este libro está basado en el guión de la miniserie de televisión “La Biblia”, pero no es un resumen de la Biblia.*


Este libro fue una sorpresa interesante. No sólo me gustó la narración, que tiene unos increíbles toques cinematográficos, sino también porque me hizo recordar todas aquellas historias bíblicas que tienen un lugar especial en mi corazón.

[Della Tingle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love, love, love this book! I read a lot of books, and most of them I pass on to others. However, this book is a keeper! It contains 10 stories from the Bible and is a companion to The Bible miniseries. It is a must read for any Christian as well as any historian. It is also an excellent read for those simply interested in knowing more about Jesus. 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

However, for editing, I give this book only one star. ⭐️ There are simple, simple mistakes throughout. The first few, I ignored, but by the time of the last story, I was finding myself quite annoyed at finding yet another editing issue. “I have very competent men to that for me” (155). Obviously, it should read, “I have very competent men to DO that for me.” This wonderful, marvelous, important book simply did not receive the proper editing it deserved. 😢

“Half of Americans cannot name the first five books of the Bible, 12 percent of American Christians believe that Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc, and many believe that Sodom and Gomorrah were a married couple” (Author’s Note).

“Life is too short to be so distant from God” (28).

“There is always hope, even in the darkest moments” (45).

“When we obey the Lord…anything is possible” (99).

“Why does the way of the wicked prosper?…Why do all the faithless live at ease when the faithful are hunted down like dogs?” (169).

I love this book and will read it again. My husband and I watched the miniseries a few years back, but we are both excited to watch it again. It is incredibly well done!

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw bits and pieces of the tv series from which this book is derived. My impression of it in that format was favorable. (I saw only random bits because it's a rare moment when I sit in front of a television for anything.)

My appreciation of this spinoff is marred by the substandard writing, replete with invented comic-book villains (such as Samson's opponent), clichés, and a distracting lack of variety in the use of modifiers. As an example of the latter, I jotted down the following during just a couple minutes of listening (corresponding to I Samuel 18:24–26):

A crushed Michal mourns ... "He wants our crown," says a paranoid Saul ... A sobbing and ecstatic Michal fights her way ... He bows low before a most unhappy Saul ... "What have you?" asks a curious Saul ... A furious Saul knows he has been beaten.

Granted, certain translations of the Bible are not easy for modern readers. Presumably, the purpose in doing this was to make its message more accessible. I agree with that objective, but as Dr. Johnson once observed, "What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." For me, the thing we have here gets in the way of that message.

Also, while I don't claim to be a Bible scholar, I do notice and wonder about liberties that are taken with the original. Granted, much is intentionally omitted in the interests of combining the most famous stories into a continuous narrative, but I have to wonder why they felt it was necessary to edit the dialog when, for example, Lot is defending the angels from the people of Sodom. (What he says in Scripture may well be disturbing, but is that why they chose to omit it? Are they trying to improve on the story?)

The Old Testament portion of this has value primarily in conveying a general understanding of the characters and what they did, for folks who missed that part of their education, or need a review. Regardless of whether one is a believer, I think it's important to be aware of that cultural background. However, there's more, in Genesis alone, that really ought to have been included (such as the story of Jacob and Esau), and so this is no substitute for the original.

I listened to it in hopes of finding some new perspective that I might have missed previously (and I might possibly have gotten a helpful new idea from the story of Jericho). But there are moments when the delivery is so lame I wondered why I was continuing.

A marked change seems to occur when it gets to the Gospels. The pace and the drama pick up, and I at least felt far more captivated and moved. That's hardly surprising, as the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old. As before, additional content was added to flesh out the Bible's bare-bones narrative, and a few memorable scenes and lines of dialog were omitted for no clear reason. Still, I am very glad to have persevered to the end.

[Nicole Ankenmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook: 13h.11m.

Though much of the Bible is written in a narrative format, it rarely indulges the senses to the degree that we are accustomed to in modern times. This book helps to set that cinematic, emotional backdrop for some of the most popular and important biblical scenes, fleshing each individual story and allowing a fictionalized peek into the minds of historically simplified characters. Even in its traditional format, these old stories can be compelling - but as told here, in driving present-tense, every account feels somehow more urgent and relevant. Certainly worth reading.

[Victoria Benoit · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The authors did an exceptional job bringing the biblical accounts to life, immersing me into the rich history and culture of the time. I felt transported into the very moments depicted, as though I were standing alongside the figures of the Bible. This book offers a compelling and comprehensive overview, spanning from Genesis all the way to the exile of Apostle John, to spend his final days on the remote island of Patmos. It not only informed but also touched my heart and soul, making it a deeply moving experience."

[Gleici · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que leitura abençoada, fantástica e revigorante. Eu até conheço as histórias bíblicas, mas este livro nos mostra de uma maneira tão clara em um linha do tempo a história como um todo. Dando início de Noé, Abraão , Isaque, Jacó, José, Moisés, Sansão, Samuel, Davi... Jesus de Nazaré e seus discípulos. Os dias de Jesus na terra, o que levou a sua crucificação, sua ressurreição e ascensão aos céus. A missão que foi dada aos seus discípulos e a certeza do legado e da salvação destinado as nós, filhos do Criador.

[Joshua Eason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for getting a quick glimpse at a lot of the major stories of the bible. It however, doesn't cover many smaller stories and sometimes moves quickly through other stories. It does insert how they felt the characters thought and felt about certain things which could definitely be up for discussion. Despite these things, it's a very good book that seems to be fairly accurate in what it does tell. It's definitely not a replacement for the bible but a very good start for many!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting interpretation of the Bible. Told in a simple story format that a child can understand. The story goes from Genesis to Revelations, with everything in between. No embellishments, no fancy explanations, just a simple telling of the basic story of the bible. Presented in ten parts, each covering a major time period of the history of Israel until the death of John. Read it and gain understanding of the underlaying story of the Bible.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. However, it reads more like daily Scripture, and I like books to read like books where I can read more than one chapter at a time and digest it. The pros are that it was accurate, heart felt, and easy to read. The love story between Roma and her husband is amazing, and the work they accomplish together. I did get greater understanding of some of the Scripture from their interpretation of it. An amazing book. Just be prepared to read it slowly to digest it.

[Rubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun dramatized novel that brings the Bible stories to life. The narrators did an incredible job too for the audiobook!
I've never seen the series so my rating is based purely on the audiobook. Enjoyed the storytelling but my only complaint is that they picked the usual same stories that are always told. Wish I'd heard more from some of the lesser known Bible characters and events 😊

[Tonya Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an inspirational book. The author did an amazing job of telling some of the greatest stories of all time. I loved this and felt more knowledgeable of the greatest book ever written. The Bible!

[Candy Shepard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of the book and the retelling of the stories of the Bible. Some are not completely accurate and that was disheartening. Inevitably, the story’s intent was accomplished. Jesus is the Savior of the world and He was represented well here.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE IT

[Osose · Rating 5 out of 5]

since i am a christian, i like the fact that this book talks about the things that God himsekf did. Things that make me feek attached to him. Its like one whole prayer in one book.

[TRISHA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! It's a great story leading up to Christianity. They fill in the blanks of the Bible! Listened to it they my library.

[Valari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book more than once, i love it.

[Kelly Camui · Rating 4 out of 5]

read like a screenplay. I enjoyed it

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abraham and circumcise, trust in God have faith via 2 sons Abraham and Moses and more, kings become tyrants and slaughter own, where man sin, forsaken God worship idols.

[Marcus Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Its just like reading the Bible but just in a story form.

[Ann-Maria Dyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!!

An excellent easy to read book. It is great as an overview of the bible. It encourages us all to find out more about the words of God.