Halley's Bible Handbook

by Henry H. Halley

More than 80 years after its initial publication, Halley’s Bible Handbook remains a bestseller in its various editions, with millions of copies sold worldwide. This world-renowned Bible handbook has been consistently updated and revised to accurately provide even greater clarity, insight, and usefulness.


Halley’s Bible Handbook makes the Bible’s wisdom and message accessible to people from all walks of life. Whether they’ve read the Bible many times or never before, readers will find insights that give them a firm grasp of God’s Word and an appreciation for the cultural, religious, and geographic settings in which the story of the Bible unfolds. Written for both mind and heart, this completely revised, updated, and expanded 25th edition retains Dr. Halley's highly personal style. It features:



All-new maps, photographs, and illustrations

Contemporary design

Practical Bible reading programs

Helpful tips for Bible study

Fascinating archaeological information

Easy-to-understand sections on how we got the Bible and on church history

Improved indexes

Genres: Reference, Christian, Religion, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, History

1136 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1924

About the author

aka: Henry Hampton Halley

Dr. Henry H. Halley was a well-respected author, minister, and Bible lecturer, dedicating his life to spreading his passion for Bible study and memorization. The original "Halley's Bible Handbook" grew from small pamphlets about the Bible that he gave away to encourage churches and individuals in Bible study.

Reviews

[KamRun · Rating 3 out of 5]

خوانشِ همراه با فهم کتاب‌مقدس بدون داشتن 1- هیچ پیش‌زمینه‌ای قبل از مطالعه و 2- راهنما حین مطالعه، آنچنان آسان نیست. کتاب‌های راهنما و تفسیری زیادی برای عهدین نوشته شده که عموما یا حجیم هستند و یا مختص باورمندان به کتاب‌مقدس. اما راهنمای فوق تا حد امکان مختصر و مفید نوشته شده و با جانبداری کمتری همراه است (توضیحات کتاب بیشتر جنبه‌ی تاریخی و تحیلی دارد تا تفسیری). ساختار راهنما مذکور بدین شکل است که پس از ذکر مقدمه‌ای کلی از تاریخ یهود، سیر نگارش و ترسیم جغرافیای کتاب‌مقدس، هر کتاب در مقیاس باب تفکیک و برای هر باب چند سطری توضیح و تفسیر نگاشته شده

لینک دانلود نسخه الکترونیک راهنمای کتاب‌مقدس

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize what I was getting into when I started this. I had given up secular reading for Lent and intended to read several Christian books during that time. But this overwhelmed me and kept me reading far beyond Lent. The other books I planned to read are still waiting.

Halley's Bible Handbook began in 1922 as a 16-page hand-printed pamphlet that Henry Halley gave out to encourage people to read and understand the Bible. Halley started as a clergyman but was told by his doctor that he had to get outside and do hard physical work for his health. He gave up pastoral work and went into the construction business, but he never gave up his faith or his love of the Bible. He memorized and could quote Scripture from every book of the Bible for 25 hours. He gave recitations in churches, always beginning each one with a brief description of the book he was quoting from. When note-taking by the audience distracted him, he decided to print up the information in a leaflet. Over 80 years and 25 editions, that little leaflet grew into this nearly 500-page-book, edited by Halley's great-granddaughter and her husband.

The book begins with explaining what the Bible is: "1) The Bible is God's Word. 2) Christ is the heart and center of the Bible." Halley gives background on the setting and time of the Bible, including archaeological discoveries and historical references.

He then goes through book by book and gives the main thought of each book. I intend to go through this the next time I read the Bible straight through. This year I'm following a chronological reading plan and since the year is half over, I will finish that plan. But next year, I'll start over reading the Bible from the beginning, and I will use this handbook as I read. Although I have done a lot of Bible studies, this was more effective than anything else I've done in helping me understand how the Old Testament is part of Christ's story. Many cross-references are very helpful.

There are a lot of maps and charts and information about places and people and events. But the most important message of this handbook is, in Henry Halley's words, "that every Christian should be a Constant and Devoted Reader of the Bible; and that the primary business of the Church and Ministry is to lead, foster, and encourage their people in that habit."

[Arman · Rating 3 out of 5]

1.
کتاب توسط باورمندان و از نگاهی مسیحی نوشته شده است؛ عموما تفسیرهای عهد عتيق معطوف به عیسی مسیح هستند (اگرچه تقریبا همه کتاب های تفسیری موجود، توسط مسیحیان تولید می شوند و به سختی می توان تفسيري یهودی از عهد عتیق يافت).
2.
بهتر است کتاب را در کنار و همراه با خوانش کتب مقدس مطالعه کرد. حجم بالای کتاب، خوانش مستقل آن را خسته کننده می کند.
3.
بزرگ ترین ضعف کتاب، پرداختن زیاد به باستان شناسی کتاب مقدسی ست؛ مثلا در داستان یوشع و فتح اریحا، نویسندگان تأکید زیادی بر شواهد باستانشناختی این حمله دارد، که به نظرم در این ماجرا، اهميت خاصی ندارند.


پ ن: با تشکر فراوان از کامران خان بابت اشتراک گذاری کتاب

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! Read the Bible and have this at hand and watch your life be transformed!!! God is Good. God provides if we just receive His message.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry Hampton Halley (1874-1965) was born in Kentucky, graduated from Transylvania College and the College of the Bible in 1895, and became a minister associated with Christian Churches in 1898. When he presented his well known “Bible Recitals” in which he quoted lengthy portions of Scripture and explained them, he would first reveal the historical background and contextual information of each passage. People began asking him for some of this information, so he decided to write his own introductory material and make it available. In 1924 he produced a sixteen page booklet of introductory information and began giving it out to people who wanted it. In time the booklet grew into a small volume, and he began calling it Halley's Pocket Bible Handbook, but before long “Pocket” was dropped from the name as the volume was too large for a shirt pocket.
After an introduction, the handbook gives a survey of each book in the Old Testament, a short explanation of the time “Between the Testaments,” a survey of each book in the New Testament, and finally an overview of “How We Got the Bible” and “Church History” since the first century. What I especially like about it is all the archaeological notes which accompany the discussion of the Bible history, along with the copious maps and photographs. A copy of this book, commonly known as “Halley’s Bible Handbook,” was in our home from my early days. I took it to college with me and have used it ever since. When each of our boys was in either seventh or eighth grade, I had them read a portion of the book each day all the way through as their Bible curriculum for that year. It has been said that “Halley's Bible Handbook contains more biblical information than any other book of its size.”
One may not necessarily agree with every statement that Halley makes, such as his allowance that the days of creation might have been long geological eras, his implication that Noah’s flood may have been a merely local deluge, or his suggestion that the ark rested on Mt. Ararat though the latter is a traditional view. However, in general he takes a basically conservative, creationist approach to the Scriptures. Of course, those who come from a liberal, modernist, and/or ecumenical standpoint will not like the book because of its “unquestioning literalist view of the entire Bible” or its “fundamentalist position” as well as its “anti-Catholic and anti-Muslim” language. Also, some have objected to Halley as a “white Christian supremacist” but I believe that this objection is the result of misunderstanding some things that he said. However, for those who accept the Bible as the divinely inspired, infallible, and authoritative revelation of God, the book is a useful resource for Biblical background information.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This popped up in my Recommendations and I realized I had read it in the 80's - maybe not every word, but I used it quite a bit as a good reference.

[Orpiment99 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The version of this book I am reviewing is the 24th edition, with the 28th printing in 1978.

First, the good:

1. Black-and-white photos of ruins, artifacts, and drawn maps. I know many people don't like these old layouts but I think the non-colored maps are easy to view. They are not hard on my eyes and while modern, geographical colored maps would be nice, these maps are good for general comprehension.

2. Incorporated archaeological notes and insights. While this book may be dated and it's archaeological information correct, it is interesting to compare the information we had then to the information we have now.

3. "Conservative" (for lack of a better word at the moment) information provided but also lists different interpretations of potentially controversial subjects found in the Bible (In Genesis, for example).


Next, the bad:

1. As I stated earlier, the archaeological information appears to be outdated and to be honest, that's a given for a book like this.

2. Halley's biases appear in many of his "archaeological notes." For example, on PG 166 there is a paragraph describing that the Canaanites (Phoenicians) sacrificed their babies and children and stuffed their burned ashes in jars. Then he talks about "foundation sacrifices" in the next paragraph, where apparently the Phoenicians sacrificed a child (or children) when a new house was built, and "it's body built into the wall" (PG 166).

While the Canaanites/Phoenicians most likely performed child sacrifices in times of extreme distress, it is no where near as common as Halley wants to believe. Infant and child mortality was high in different parts of the ancient world. The Canaanites/Phoenicians did a special kind of burial called a "tophet burial," where remains were cremated and then buried in urns/pots. Crematoriums were often located next to such "tophet burial" graveyards for convenience.

Many civilizations also buried their family's remains in their own homes (See information about the Neolithic site called "Khirokitia" on the island of Cyprus), which most likely accounts for Halley's description of "foundation sacrifices." He doesn't seem to investigate the other option that, just possibly, an infant/child could have died early and was buried before or AFTER a house was built.

3. I found that Halley trying to describe every other verse or provide commentary was not needed. In most cases, I would say his general commentary is distracting because he seems to be trying to interpret every other verse or chapter in the Bible.


And finally, the ugly:

1. The overall thing that completely ruined Halley's handbook was his section on Church History and "How We Got the Bible" section. His version of Church history is completely based upon the so-called "Great Apostasy," which is dismissed by most sane Church historians. He also makes it a point to send many cheap shots towards Catholics, even going so far as to describe us as "Romanists" (seriously, people still use this term?). He also follows the pseudo-historical belief that the Catholic Church suppressed the translation of the Bible into vernacular languages (books in the Middle Ages were expensive to create and were often chained to prevent theft, which was quite common in those days; the Bible has been translated into "vernacular" languages since the canon was put together). Plus, most of the population couldn't read anyway.

Basically, his church history section is garbage and to be honest, this book belongs in the garbage (or if we want to be very environmentally friendly, recycled). How anyone can take Halley seriously is beyond me. I know this handbook is meant for us "dumb" people but his scholarship-even for his time-was severely lacking. In fact I would not consider this a scholarly work.

For the sake of your sanity take a pass on this book. I am not sure how the newest edition of this handbook compares to his older editions. I would hope our rocket would finally get off the ground and launch into space, but perhaps the information provided exploded on take-off.

[Hadassah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich in historical facts with tolerable biblical commentary.
Absolutely poetic in conveying archaeological finds and summations of testament books in general.
Best thing by far was the church history section: detailed events and exact dates... breathtaking.
although somewhat brief it only proved the brilliant mind* of Doctor Halley.

*he would recite from memory entire books of the Bible, in abridged, connected form and in their own words. To the point he would hand a Bible to a person, have them read a random paragraph, then carry on with rest of the passage.

i am convinced this is one of the purest and simply beautiful handbooks written on the Bible.

[Rhonda DiGenova · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was on my pastor's "Book of the Month" list on time, and I've really enjoyed learning context, history, customs, geography and more in this compact little treasure!

[The Celtic Rebel (Richard) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful resource for anyone studying God's word.

[John Engelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Halley’s Bible Handbook,” by Henry H. Halley, is an excellent introduction to the Fundamentalist approach to the Bible. Broadly speaking there are two ways to study the Bible. There is the Fundamentalist, or the traditional approach. Then there is what can be called, for lack of a better term “the Higher Criticism.”

These are the most different in their approach to the first five books of the Bible. The Jews call these the “Torah.” Christians call these the “Pentateuch.” These are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. According to the Fundamentalist approach, and consequently “Halley’s Bible Handbook,” these were written by Moses.

According to the Higher Criticism, which for the Torah/Pentateuch is also called the “Documentary Hypothesis,” the first five books of the Bible were originally four other documents, that were eventually combined, perhaps by Ezra, when he still lived in Babylon, and before he moved to Jerusalem.

An excellent explanation of the Documentary Hypothesis is “Who Wrote the Bible,” by Professor Richard Elliott Friedman.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...


I believe that the Higher Criticism is more likely to be true. For the sake of this book review I will emphasize ways the Fundamentalist approach and the Higher Criticism differ, without trying to prove that the Higher Criticism is correct, and that "Halley’s Bible Handbook" is consequently mistaken.

“Halley’s Bible Handbook” discusses Biblical archaeology where it seems to confirm the Fundamentalist approach. It ends with a history of Christianity which struck me as being overly harsh toward Roman Catholicism.

As one reads the Old Testament there is little difference after the Torah/Pentateuch between the Fundamentalist approach and the Higher Criticism until we get to the book of Isaiah. The first two thirds of Isaiah were clearly written during the reign of King Hezekiah and probably by Isaiah, when the kingdom of Judah was threatened by Assyria. The last third appears to have been written about a century and a half later, after Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon and ended the Babylonian Captivity. The Fundamentalist approach believes that that the last third was written by Isaiah, and is a prediction of what is to come. The Higher Criticism holds that the last third of the book of Isaiah was written during the life of Cyrus the Great, and that it was written to encourage the Jews in Babylon to return to Jerusalem.

The Fundamentalist approach holds that the book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah. The Higher Criticism holds that another author wrote it.

The Fundamentalist approach holds that the book of Daniel was written by Daniel during the Babylonian captivity. The Higher Criticism holds that the book of Daniel was written five centuries later during the Maccabean Uprising, and that it was written to encourage that uprising.

The Fundamentalist approach holds that the book of Jonah is a historically valid story of Jonah being consumed by a huge fish. The Higher Criticism maintains that is it s short story written to promote Israelite tolerance of other ethnicities.

The Fundamentalist approach holds that the book of Nahum is a prophesy of the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. The Higher Criticism holds that Nahum is a contemporary celebration of the destruction of Nineveh by the Babylonians.

The Fundamentalist approach holds that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written in the order that they appear, and that Matthew and John were written by the disciples of those names. The Higher Criticism holds that Matthew and Luke were written using Mark as a source. Another source, which no longer exists, but which has been restored, is called “J.”

The Higher Criticism holds that the Gospels of Matthew and John in the form they appear to us were not written by the disciples by those names, but that the final authors probably used material written by those disciples. The Higher Criticism is in general agreement that the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts were written by a physician named Luke, who was a traveling companion of St. Paul.

The Fundamentalist approach holds that the book of Revelation was written by the author of the Gospel of St. John. The Higher Criticism disagrees.

The Higher Criticism holds that nothing in the New Testament was written by eye witnesses to the ministry of Jesus, but usually agrees that authors of the books in the New Testament had access to eye witnesses to the ministry of Jesus, and access to accounts written by eye witnesses to that ministry.

I recommend “Halley’s Bible Handbook” to Fundamentalists, and to those who which to learn about the Fundamentalist perspective.

[Nelda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positives: The maps, charts, side bars, notes, summaries, and photos help the reader understand the Bible more clearly and, of course, are best used while reading that particular portion of the Bible. Numerous charts are amazing--from lists of Kings and prophets and their audience or countries to a harmony of the gospels. I loved the included section on prayers from the Bible and other sources. Photos and pictures are taken from multiple sources and add necessary illustration to the text. It's one thing to read about Mars Hill but quite another to see it. It's one thing to read about ancient burial sites but quite another to see one that still exists. Truly interesting but basic was a rundown of original texts of the scriptures, translations, the men involved, and how the canon of the Bible came to be. The sections on archeological digs and why archeology is so important to the understanding and proofs of the Bible was also an interesting read. The book ends with a bio of Henry Halley, his life, his work, and this handbook through the decades. Wow!

Negatives:
I did have to dogear certain maps, as I kept going back to them. A separate list of the maps and page numbers would be helpful. The index could be more inclusive. Then, sometimes words are not defined where first mentioned. For example "tells," the hills of archeological digs, is first mentioned on page 1094 but will not actually be defined until p. 1099. Tsk. At least the text tells you where you can get the definition, but why not go ahead and include it at the first mention? Sometimes information is repeated many many times. I think of the informational sidebars on pp. 217, 228, 234, 250, 270, and 276 on the similarities and differences in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. It got rather old to see the same information repeated. A single sidebar with future references to it would be good enough. A few doctrinal interpretations may not be to everyone's taste. Some of these are nitpicks, I suppose. Otherwise, I do recommend the handbook. I will keep this one in my library!

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pure apologetic garbage. Sugar coats the fact that Yahweh endorsed slavery, makes excuses for Israelites holding slaves, pretends that Israelite held slaves were not treated as badly as Egyptian held slaves.
First, there is no evidence that millions of Israelites were ever held in Egypt.
Second, god gives rules on how to beat your slaves, that a master should only be punished if his slave dies from a beating. That is gentle?
Later on Halley with absolutely no evidence claims a slave owner freed a runaway slave because “tradition” claims it.
This is typical religious apologetics. Halley also claims that the Bible puts husbands and wives on the same footing, but ignores the rules given by Yahweh that clearly make the husband the master of the home and his wife.
This is a disgusting and dishonest attempt to sugar coat and twist deplorable actions and commandments into something it is not.
Read the Bible honestly with open eyes, this “handbook” is designed to give Christians a misleading idea of what is in their “good book.”
If you can justify a “god” committing genocide by drowning every living thing on earth save for the few on Noah’s ark, what can’t you justify?
Pathetic and repugnant

[Gareth Farrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't honestly say I have read all of this book as the part on the actual bible I didn't go through (only partly). That is because I prefer the ESV Study Bible book. Though this book isn't badly written, it's just preference. The parts of this book about the history of the world and religion of the times was very interesting and worth reading. Overall a book worth checking out if one is interested in religion and history.

[Joan K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Bible handbook is a must-have, I feel. As the handbook is written in the order of the Bible books, I use it as I read through the Bible. The archeological information is amazing and so interesting. Thoroughly well done. Great job by Dr. Halley!

[Travis Daggett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been better without the equivocation regarding the miraculous nature of the Red Sea crossing and the worldwide flood.

[April Stone]

Excellent book.

[Dante Ferrigno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really it's not bad, though three stars makes it look so, it's just that Unger's Bible Handbook is so much better. I was going to give it 2 stars because "It was OK" better describes my thoughts on the book than "I liked it" which is what 3 stars stands for, but 2 stars just makes it look worse than my true opinion of the book.

[Charlotte Fairchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first commentary I ever read. It was a birthday present for my birthday. I learned quite a bit about the archaeology being done to understand the Bible better that was included in this book. I still have my copy.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most books are rated related to their usefulness and contributions to my research.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
Read for personal research
- found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't yet completely read it cover to cover but It is a " must have"in Bible study . Along with a good Bible dictionary and an exhaustive concordance. Also a good Bible Atlas is helpful I do wish I had one of those

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

The issue for me is that this is a bit too concise. It does provide a broad outline of the biblical storyline, but you will need something more comprehensive for any details.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic reference book.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this when i was in middle school...not worth your time.

[Kimberly McRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book by book synopsis of the topical information contained in the Bible.

[Mom's Books]

1944 edition

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can i read this book?for free. Can anyone help me please,!

[Kev Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the most important chapter of this book

[Trinity Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think its an amazing book

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent source for help or interpretations of biblical passages.