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1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About the Bible
Who would steal a Bible? Among the stunning and enlightening nuggets you'll find in this one-of-a-kind fact-book is that the Bible is the most frequently shoplifted book in the world. If you think that's surprising, wait till you read the other 1,000.
1001 Surprising Things You Should Know about the Bible is packed with unusual, unfamiliar, and quirky details about the Book of Books that you won't find in scholarly or theological examinations. It provides thoughtful and entertaining answers to questions you never knew you had: Why weren't there any vowels in the original Old Testament? Who first translated Hebrew scriptures into Greek? Which Bible verses were "turned" into a hit song in the 1960s? How was William Shakespeare honored in the first printing of the King James Version? Which everyday words and phrases come straight from the Bible?
You'll discover striking similarities between Moses and Jesus, notable differences between Old Testament and New Testament miracles, and hundreds of facts about the ancient world in which biblical events took place. Whether you're in love with history, looking for great openers for a sermon or speech, or eager to learn more about the best-selling book ever, 1001 Surprising Things You Should Know about the Bible is for you!
Jerry MacGregor, Ph.D., is a literary agent for Alive Communications and the author of several books. A former pastor and seminary professor, he lives in Colorado with his family.
Marie Prys is a freelance writer and editor. A history buff and graduate of Dordt College, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and daughter. Prys and MacGregor are co-authors of 1001 Things You Should Know about God and 1001 Thing You Should Know about Christianity.
1001 Surprising Things You Should Know about the Bible is packed with unusual, unfamiliar, and quirky details about the Book of Books that you won't find in scholarly or theological examinations. It provides thoughtful and entertaining answers to questions you never knew you had: Why weren't there any vowels in the original Old Testament? Who first translated Hebrew scriptures into Greek? Which Bible verses were "turned" into a hit song in the 1960s? How was William Shakespeare honored in the first printing of the King James Version? Which everyday words and phrases come straight from the Bible?
You'll discover striking similarities between Moses and Jesus, notable differences between Old Testament and New Testament miracles, and hundreds of facts about the ancient world in which biblical events took place. Whether you're in love with history, looking for great openers for a sermon or speech, or eager to learn more about the best-selling book ever, 1001 Surprising Things You Should Know about the Bible is for you!
Jerry MacGregor, Ph.D., is a literary agent for Alive Communications and the author of several books. A former pastor and seminary professor, he lives in Colorado with his family.
Marie Prys is a freelance writer and editor. A history buff and graduate of Dordt College, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and daughter. Prys and MacGregor are co-authors of 1001 Things You Should Know about God and 1001 Thing You Should Know about Christianity.
- GenresChristianityNonfiction
221 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2002
5 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 22, 2012
Though the book was somewhat informative and interesting, it didn't exactly come across as unbiased as I'd hoped. In a lot of ways it read more as a summary of the bible instead of facts about the bible. Also, it was kind of redundant. Oh, and it repeated itself several times. Ha!
February 28, 2022
Interesting read.. didn’t focus a ton on it, but keyed in on the facts that were interesting.
Papyrus for scrolls came from a port in Lebanon called Byblos, which is where the Greek word biblia came from, which is what the Bible is named after.
Youngest boy in a family the shepherd
Gall-juice of a poisonous and bitter plant; best guess is hemlock, the poison Socrates died of
Apocrypha- Greek word that means hidden
Refers to small group of controversial books
Divided into chapters and verses in 16th century
Wycliffe made Bible more accessible
Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines
Jonah got swallowed by a “great fish” perhaps great white?
Women never ate with men in Old Testament, and men always ate first.
Levitate marriage was emphasized and failure to follow through with it was looked down upon.
KJV uses “candle” a lot, but the people of the Bible never used candles; they would’ve used lights or lanterns
Typical for women to lead in early church unlike synagogues of the day
Papyrus for scrolls came from a port in Lebanon called Byblos, which is where the Greek word biblia came from, which is what the Bible is named after.
Youngest boy in a family the shepherd
Gall-juice of a poisonous and bitter plant; best guess is hemlock, the poison Socrates died of
Apocrypha- Greek word that means hidden
Refers to small group of controversial books
Divided into chapters and verses in 16th century
Wycliffe made Bible more accessible
Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines
Jonah got swallowed by a “great fish” perhaps great white?
Women never ate with men in Old Testament, and men always ate first.
Levitate marriage was emphasized and failure to follow through with it was looked down upon.
KJV uses “candle” a lot, but the people of the Bible never used candles; they would’ve used lights or lanterns
Typical for women to lead in early church unlike synagogues of the day
June 24, 2018
Perhaps more correctly titled “1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About the Bible and the Judeo-Christian Faith,” as not every one of the 1001 things are actually in the Bible. Some tidbits aren’t surprises, either, such as the chapter outlining well-known parables of Jesus, which is hardly a surprise to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the Gospels. Still, there are some interesting gems (the Bible is the most stolen book) and amusements (a listing of Bibles with unfortunate errors, such as the Wicked Bible with a commandment that you “shall commit adultery”) that make this book worth the read. It’s a quick 200-some pages and should inspire those with limited Bible knowledge to give the Holy Book (actually, books; the Bible is an anthology) a closer look.
September 1, 2025
Loads of good info
September 2, 2018
Brief factlets about all phases of the Bible, written from a Christian perspective, and relying heavily on the King James version of the Bible. Covers mores and practices of biblical times and explains many obscure things. Gave to the church library.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews