Reliable, Interesting and Jargon-Free For anyone who who wants to better understand the Bible
Interesting to read and easy to consult, The Complete Guide to the Bible is a reliable, jargon-free handbook for average people who want to better understand the entire Bible. Captivating writing along with beautifully designed and illustrated pages entice readers into the book and keep them lingering throughout its 512 pages.
INSIDE: Whether you're casually leafing through pages or systematically pursuing a study of the entire Bible, you'll find The Complete Guide to the Bible lively, informative and uplifting. This latest project from Steve Miller, author of the best-selling Who's Who and Where's Where in the Bible , provides both the big-picture view of the whole Bible and its individual books, as well as fascinating detail on particular passages and topics.
STEPHEN M. MILLER was born in Oakland, Maryland on August 3, 1952. He was the first of six children--four boys, two girls--born to Clyde and Virginia Miller. Their sixth child, a boy, lived just a few hours. So Steve grew up in a family of five kids and both parents. At age 12, when his Grandpap died, Granny moved in with Steve's family. She's was Virginia's mom.
Steve's parents grew up two miles apart in coal country near Tunnelton, West Virginia, a deer hunter's long walk south of Morgantown.
After Steve came along, Clyde went looking for a job that didn't involve dragging a pick into a dark hole. He moved the family to Akron, Ohio where he became a tool and die maker, crafting steel parts for machinery.
His tax withholding statement for 1963 shows a salary of $5,990.51. By that time, all five kids were on board, the youngest age three.
Virginia didn't work outside the home until all the kids were in school. Then she took a part-time job as a sales clerk at JC Penney--as much for the clothing discount as for the slight salary. Steve, at age 15, started working part-time after school at a Sohio service station, pumping gas, changing oil, and fixing flat tires. (Sohio stood for Standard Oil of Ohio.) It was a job he kept into his college years, until the owner died. The salary, which started at 75 cents an hour, paid for his first car. An extreme vehicle. Extremely used. Ford Galaxy, dingy green. The first time he drove it, he didn't know how to work the manual choke. A kid on a bicycle passed him.
NEWS JOURNALISM AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY In college, Steve knocked out his general courses at the nearby University of Akron. Then he transferred to Kent State University, where he got a bachelor's degree in news journalism. For those wondering where he was in 1970 when the Ohio National Guard came to Kent State to quell the Vietnam War protests and ended up killing four students in the parking lot outside the School of Journalism, Steve was a senior in high school.
His mother enrolled at Kent State the same year he did. She got a degree in elementary education, launching her career as a public school teacher. Don't ask Steve who finished college with a higher grade-point average.
Steve commuted to college; he couldn't afford to live on campus. He drove the 45 minutes each day to Kent, Ohio. After the owner of the Sohio service station died, Steve found a full-time summer job working in a factory. He ran heated molds that pressed uncured rubber into auto parts. Then he dug out the parts with a brass pick. He sweat through his clothes in the first 10 minutes, and through his boots by 30. At shift's end, his crust of body salt sculpted him into Lot's wife's brother.
WORKING AT THE NEWSPAPER When Steve landed a summer internship his senior year, working as a news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune in central Ohio, life was looking up. He lived in a rented trailer and listened to his mouse traps snapping at night. Which wasn't as tough as listening to the girl next door match her oscillating voice to a record player with an rpm that couldn't decide which r to pm. But Steve was out of the rubber factory. And into an air-conditioned office. After graduation, he took a job as a news reporter with the Alliance Review. He worked there a year and a half, covering general news and editing the religion section and the business section. Small paper. Pleasant town. It was during those months that he decided the Christian publishing world needed a little help from writers and editors who had taken journalism 101. further info... http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/auth...
I’ve tried to read the Bible, but gave up many times. This guide helps tremendously! Now, I am able to read a stand alone bible with understanding references unknown to the modern and ordinary reader paving way to understand expanded knowledge or even hidden meanings. I was afraid the author was going impose his view, but he was VERY FACTUAL and wrote from an UNBIASED POINT OF VIEW, from which I greatly appreciate. It was as if he conveyed the information in a comprehensive and meaningful way and then left us the task to discern, for ourselves, what our beliefs are. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!
The BEST Overview of the Bible I Have Ever Found Written in a Simple But Scholarly Fashion!, September 4, 2009
This review is from: The Complete Guide to the Bible (Paperback)
Review of The Complete Guide of the Bible by Stephen M. Miller
Let me urge you all to visit [...] and see the wonderful world of Stephen Miller books. If you have ever had a negative reaction to the Bible from your past experiences (and we all have, right?) -- this book will cure that for you and take you on the greatest adventure in reading the "Book of Books"! Miller gives a scholarly, progressive, and direct overview of all the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation -- it was written to make people excited and to get them started understanding the Bible. Miller's book is neither conservative nor liberal and presents the facts without being dogmatic on any one view. I found the book very enjoyable and eye opening and I think many at your Church will enjoy it too. The artwork is breathtaking with a vast amount of charts and illustrations. Each book of the Bible is discussed in great detail from Time, Place, Author, Theme, and major sections explored. You can purchase the book on sale at www.amazon.com for $13.58 (Retails $19.95) -- a great price for a 512 page illustrated book! Miller has won many awards for his books and praise even from his critics because of his approach. The section on Genesis and Revelation is worth the price of the book alone! (Creation Account, Who are the "Sons of God?", What is 666, Is Revelation about the future?). His sidebars are very interesting -- especially his one after Romans Chapter 1 discussing the "Clobber" section used against GLBT people. Again he just gives the facts and the Roman culture and lets the reader decide. He does a marvelous job through the New Testament and the epistles -- you will get a new understanding of why Paul said what he did to the churches and what was going on at that time. Miller gives you the "facts" and views of scholars and leaves it at that, which I find refreshing and a new approach to religious reference material. This would make a wonderful Sunday school curriculum (Hint Hint) and would generate some wonderful discussions. His newest book "Jesus" was just released and retails for $14.97. I hope you all have the same excitement I did when you read this wonderful book! By the way, Fundementalists beware -- this book might open your eyes to real Bible truth on so many dogmas that are erroneously held (Like a Literal Six Day Creation and a 10,000 Year Old Earth) -- which Miller clearly reveals as ridiculous with humor and good common sense.
Alright, its a book about another book. Thus, two reviews in one.
I'm a Christianity novice. Never attempted to read the bible. Not a Christian. Just a European that went to a protestant elementary school and a Catholic high school without ever believing in god. With my background, this book gave me a much better understanding of both Christianity and Judaism.
Review 1: The guide Lets start with the guide. The guide is a systematic summary that works its way through all books in the bible. Every book is explained according to a set structure which is nice, especially when you're at a point where the books get repetitive. Its also nice that it often gives possible 'explanations' for the 'miracles of god', and elaborates on what can have happened. Of course, the writer is a christian, and thus some of the writing leans more to explanations that favor a positive angle for the Christian faith (although other explanations are usually so featured).
The only downside of this book is it treats all bible books approximately the same, independent of importance. In doing so, it treats genesis in as much detail as some of the less important gospels. As such, some important bible stories are barely covered. If you're interested in the classical stories of Genesis, you will be disappointed.
Review 2: The bible itself Reading the contents of the bible allowed me to better understand the Christian (and jewish) faith. The bible seems to focus on conveying one primary thing: you should live your life believing in God. And it needs 66 books for that.
After genesis, with the start of Abraham, the old testament is more 'autobiographical' than I was aware of. It's the history of the jewish people according to the jewish people. Writing a comprehensive story of stories written over the span of 500 years is trivially not easy, and hence, here and there, a book is added to clarify earlier confusions (i.e. Job). Most miracles of god can be explained by some natural phenomenon and some exaggeration (i.e. The 10 plagues). One which is never explained is the 'prophesying' throughout the books. Although one can guess.
The new testament starts with the 4 gospels, which tells jesus' story in 4 different ways. After that, its mostly Paul who writes the new testament with the aim of showing how the Christian faith is different of the jewish faith and why, as well as how to run a Church. This part is rather boring from a story point of view. However, its an interesting documentation on the start of the Christian faith. Its also interesting that the person who has had most influence on the new testament has never met Jesus in his life. The miracles of Jesus are not really explained, and are on another level compared to the old testament. So either Jesus was gods son, or we are having pure fantasy writing in the gospels. Depends on your faith.
Story wise, the old testament is superior. However, after reading the new testament, it is quite clear why Christianity ended up more popular. Its less strict. No circumcision, no kosher limitations, no tithing (word of the week). It ended up being easier on people (after legalization).
There is a lot about Judaism and Christianity I still don't understand. They believe in the same god, but Judaism doesn't acknowledge Jesus. Questions that arise for me are for example: How does one religion think of the other? Do they think there gods are the same? If so, wouldn't an attack on Judaism not also be an attack on Christianity (and vice versa)? If not, why is one of their books the same? So many questions. Guess I'm not done reading about religion.
Footnote: Religion intrigues me. After reading an intro on Buddhism, I realized I know frighteningly little about the Bible. However, I'm still on the lookout for something on Islam, as well as on religious iconography and symbolisms.
I used this book along with reading the Bible. I would read this overview of the book before actually reading the book in the Bible, it gave good background information and summary of the book which helped in understanding the Bible. Definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to understand the Bible more.
I was looking for something to get me up to speed on the various books of the Bible, something written in a down to Earth, easily accessible style. This is the book I was looking for. American author Stephen Miller acts as a whistle-stop tour guide, taking in the majority of the Bible's teaching from Geneis through to Revelation. He recounts all of the famous stories in his own words, which come in a chatty, unpolished, "blog" style I had no problem with; it's dryness that I struggle reading. Along the way, he takes in aspects of theology and Bible study and debate, as well as including maps of the areas and historical aspects concurrent from the eras described. Lots of images, too, to break up the brief paragraphs of text. It's hardly in depth, but nor is it meant to be: as an introduction to a massive topic, this does the trick.
For those who weren't given a religious education early in life, this is an outstanding handbook for understanding the Old and New Testaments. Easy and enjoyable to read, it enables the reader to find his own way through the sacred writings, poetry, literature, history and wisdom that comprise the Bible.
For each of its 66 "books", Miller provides a summary of contents, background on authorship, and an overview of highlights, with references to chapter and verse for further reading in the original. The book is brightened throughout with excellent illustrations, maps, and sidebars.
Written with great care and a healthy sense of humor, the "Complete Guide" makes the treasures of the Bible accessible to anyone. It would be a fine gift.
2.5 stars rounded up This book wasn't what I expected. The cover says it has book-by-book explanation's and fascinating details of the Bible's times. With that description, I bought it thinking it would be more about what was going on at the time each specific book of the Bible was written and what each book meant during that time. Instead this book was a really good synopsis of each book with a little extra background. If you struggle to read the Bible and are wanting to read the it, without reading it, this is a great book for you. If you are wanting to dive deeper and learn more of the background, this book is just ok.
This is a beautifully illustrated comprehensive handbook. Especially in the smaller format, it’s easy to see why this would be a best seller for anyone already interested in knowing more about the Bible. There are numbers of other Bible guides available in stores, each is thick, some are several volumes. My book, Markers, is entirely different; it is conceived as only a primer, a thoughtful fly-over of key Bible themes, not a full treatment of all the landscape. My search has brought up nothing else like my idea in a form that looks believable and authoritative.
There are far too many inaccuracies to scripture, let alone the fact the author uses many versions to suit his need. It seems as though the author is more concerned about being politically correct instead of showing what scripture actually says. there are some good parts, but Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. And so this book is going in the trash.
The pictures are colorful and pretty. I liked the archaeological pictures included. However, the reason for not finishing is the use of "the message" as scripture and inaccurate or misleading information as scripture. Honestly, this is not a good book for those reasons. I decided trying to weed through the false information for nuggets of truth wasn't worth the pretty pictures.
I read this book in conjunction with watching videos of the bible project on. YouTube. They both gave me a birds eye understanding of the bible its context and overall meaning .The journey from creation fallen man prophets laws wisdom Jesus birth and ministry Paul.s Gospel. It was a tour de force
While no substitute for reading the Bible, this serves as an excellent study guide to aid in understanding the writers and general themes found in the various books in the Bible.
I love the book but mine is almost brand new and one of the pages fell out and now they are all coming out. I'm very upset. Its hard to read a book when you're trying to hold it together.
A fantastic journey through each book of the bible, both old and New Testament which not only explains the theme of each book, main points, characters, and well known verses, but also introduces archaeological and non-Christian historical information to give you a full in depth understanding of the times in which the children of Israel, the prophets and saints walked and how to comprehend and apply this knowledge to today. This is a great book for new Christians and an excellent companion book for any Christian wanting to dig deeper into scripture and historical Christian themes. A must have for every Christian reference library.
My husband and I enjoyed reading this as our devotional after we finished Walk with the Word. We read about half a book summary per day to get an overview, background, and stats of the book so we could better understand the main details of the Bible. I love the slick, colorful pages full of pictures, maps, charts, and captions which give the book a magazinelike feel. It's clear that the author has his own interpretations and speculations but to be fair, he includes interpretations from a variety of others. I love how Revelation circles back to Genesis, the return to innocence in Paradise, which is what the Lord intended before the Fall. Moving!
Kind of hard to rate this book; I guess it depends on what you're looking for. It seems to hit the major points, albeit sometimes in a rather childlike (or, some might say childish) approach. Stephen Miller's book won't give you the in-depth insight you'll need for serious Bible study, but if you want a general understanding of what's in the Bible (and, if you want insights into differing viewpoints about some of its contents), then this is a good book for you. For me, the author's ability to show these differing viewpoints while still trying to honor God and the Bible is refreshing.
Es un libro que se puede leer de comienzo a final o solamente leer las partes que la persona está leyendo. Por ejemplo, estoy leyendo Génesis en mi Bíblia y puedo leer a medida que voy leyendo. Es un libro de referencia. Me gustó. Tiene páginas de color café claro comn muchas fotos y gráficas. El contenido es básico y esto se entiende pues es un libro que da una sipnópsis no una explicación completa.
Excellent resource for general knowledge and also for Sunday School curriculum if conducting a brief survey of Books in the Bible. All content including dates, illustrations with explanations, and specific and general content was very informative and as comprehensive as an overview can be. It was very easy to read and digest.
The title is misleading because it is NOT a COMPLETE guide at all.
Rather incomplete. I was disappointed because I wanted more in depth analysis instead of glossing over the high points of the Bible that many laymen already know.