Don't Know Much About® the Bible: Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned

Don't Know Much About

by Kenneth C. Davis

With wit, wisdom, and an extraordinary talent for turning dry, difficult reading into colorful and realistic accounts, the creator of the bestselling Don't Know Much About®, series now brings the world of the Old and New testaments to life as no one else can in the bestseller Don't Know Much About® The Bible. Relying on new research and improved translations, Davis uncovers some amazing questions and contradictions about what the Bible really says. Jericho's walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line. Moses never parted the Red Sea. There was a Jesus, but he wasn't born on Christmas and he probably wasn't an only child.

Davis brings readers up-to-date on findings gleaned from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Gnostic Gospels that prompt serious scholars to ask such serious questions as: Who wrote the Bible? Did Jesus say everything we were taught he did? Did he say more? By examining the Bible historically, Davis entertains and amazes, provides a much better understanding of the subject, and offers much more fun learning about it.

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

508 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Don't Know Much About® series of books and audios for adults and children. Don't Know Much About® History, the first title in the series, became a New York Times bestseller in 1991 and remained on the paperback list for 35 consecutive weeks. It has since been revised several times and now has more than 1.6 million copies in print. The 30th anniversary edition of the book was published with a new preface, "From an Era of Broken Trust to an Era of Broken Democracy."

Davis is, according to Publishers Weekly, "a go-to guy for historical insight and analysis."

AMERICA'S HIDDEN HISTORY also became a New York Times bestseller. A NATION RISING also uses dramatic narratives to tell the "stories your textbooks left out." His book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICA AT WAR (May 5, 2015) was called "searing" analysis by Publishers Weekly.

Kenneth C. Davis’s success aptly makes the case that Americans don’t hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. Davis’s approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight, and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word.

His IN THE SHADOW OF LIBERTY: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF SLAVERY, FOUR PRESIDENTS, AND FIVE BLACK LIVES looks at the lives of five people enslaved by four of America's most famous Presidents and the role of slavery in American history and the presidency. In May 2018, MORE DEADLY THAN WAR: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War was published.

STRONGMAN: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy was published by Holt. It was named among the best books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and the Washington Post.

In November 2022 GREAT SHORT BOOKS: A Year of Reading--Briefly was published by SCribner. A compendium of 58 great short works Davis read during the pandemic lock down, it is a joyous celebration of reading.

Coming in October 2024 is THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 WORKS OF GREAT SHORT NONFICTION. It is an accessible and comprehensive guide to some of the most influential and important works of nonfiction, from the earliest days of writing to contemporary times. Each entry includes information about the writers behind these consequential books and the time in which they lived.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

After not at all enjoying Kenneth C. Davis' Don't Know Much About Literature (and that is actually a bit of an understatement), I was of course and naturally more than a bit worried that I would have a similar if not even the same negative reaction to his Don't Know Much About the Bible. However, and fortunately, this has generally not at all been the case for me, as Don't Know Much About the Bible has proven to be both an enlightening and often engagingly humorous read, with Kenneth C. Davis' slightly irreverent attitude (and witty asides) neither feeling uncomfortable nor in any manner inappropriate.

But this having been said, I do in fact and indeed realise that for biblical literalists and for those readers, for those individuals who actually think that the Bible was either written by God or was directly dictated to Moses and other scribes by God, Don't Know Much About the Bible would and could likely be majorly if not totally anathema, blasphemy, you name it (even though it must be noted that most current, that most modern day biblical scholars worth their salt absolutely and no longer simply and naively believe that the Bible was written by God, that every word contained in the Bible is the absolute truth and that the many obvious contradictions just do not exist or are unimportant). And thus, while I do very highly recommend Don't Know Much About the Bible, I do, I must leave the caveat that Kenneth C. Davis always envisions and approaches the Bible critically and historically, and if you cannot accept this, if you are unwilling to consider this, then I would strongly suggest not bother reading Don't Know Much About the Bible as you would likely just end up rabidly angry and frustrated. But for me, personally, and as someone who while a believer has always thought that the Bible is for one a totally human construct, written by me/women and at best only somewhat inspired by God, and for two not in any way ever the be all and end all, that even in the Bible, there are errors and problematic passages, stories that for example rather disgustingly and evilly promote ethnic cleansing, gender stratification, bigotry etc., Kenneth C. Davis' narrative, his wit and criticism, his pointing out what works and what does not really in any manner appear logical in the Bible has been, has proven most refreshing and much appreciated (and the only reason I am giving Don't Know Much About the Bible three stars instead of the four stars that I was originally considering is that Kenneth C. Davis is sadly and frustratingly a bit inconsistent with regard to how he cites his academic sources, with some of them included within the text proper of Don't Know Much About the Bible whilst for many of his musings and presented information, he does not seem to make use of any source acknowledgments, period, which is indeed both frustrating for supplemental research and also potentially academically dishonest to a point, for if one gleans information from a given secondary book, from a given text, that specific tome, with page numbers etc. really does need to be cited either internally within the body of the narrative or externally as a footnote or endnote, and it is indeed more than obvious that there unfortunately are too many supplemental non biblical historical and cultural details presented in Don't Know Much About the Biblethat Kenneth C. Davis has obviously gleaned from secondary book sources but has not sufficiently and textually acknowledged).

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this I know (wait for it...wait for it) much more about the Bible. Davis manages to touch on every book of the Bible and gives the appropriate context and meaning including potential authorship. I had no idea the vast time periods that separated not just different books of the Bible but different sections within the books.

The Bible itself seems to be the victim of well-intentioned fine tuning and embellishing. Someone took something that they believed in and said "Hey, If we add this part to the story it will go a long way in illustrating this point and will help bring people to the faith!" That's all well and good, except when too many people do this too many times and the original stories are lost to the sands of time.

What surprised me most were the differences and contradictions within the Bible itself. The stories of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not just stylistically different, but often substantively too. I've always known to believe was to make a leap of faith. What frustrates me is having to choose what to believe from within the book that tells me what to believe. I literally can't choose to believe everything in the Bible because (much like the Koran) it often contradicts itself.

Ugg, to be a modern day believer struggling with this stuff. Now I see why the Catholic church liked it better before everybody could read.

Davis did a fine job with this book. I've seen some criticism about his super lame and cheesy sense of humor but it honestly reminded me of sitting through a college lecture. Professors are always trying to liven their talks up with pop culture references that they don't get quite right because they're old. It was endearing and didn't bother me at all.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several of the books from this series, and this was probably my favorite. Davis is a very entertaining writer, and he presents information in a way that makes it interesting even to someone who has never really wondered about the particular ideas he's writing about. The book, like all of Davis's books, is patterned in a question and answer format. He poses a question, such as "Where did Cain's wife come from?" or "How does God feel about cross-dressing?", and then he tries his best to answer the question and leave his readers more informed than before they picked up the book. This book is neutral about the Bible; that is, he doesn't say the bible is BS, nor does he try to prove that the Bible is the inspired word of God. He works into the book a brief summary of modern Biblical criticism, and some of the points he raises may challenge the beliefs of some readers. However, he is not hostile to the beliefs of his readers, and he allows readers to form their own judgment. (However, readers who believe the Bible is inerrant will not find Davis's views very friendly.) In the afterword, he asks, "Do people believe because we are spiritual suckers...? Or do we believe because believing is a valid choice?" One of the great things about this book is that Davis provides a lot of information to allow people to understand the Bible better, but he never tries to tell us whether or not we should believe in it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who just doesn't have the patience to get through the Bible, or wants to know what the heck Biblical scholars are doing these days, or just wants to know more about the most influential text in the history of Western civilization. But bring your sense of humor, and try not to be offended.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there were a filter I could put this through so I wouldn't have to endure Davis' humor. It just doesn't work for me. The content is here and he has done his research. But he isn't a particularly thoughtful fellow and he doesn't shy from giving his own interpretations of the bible and stating them as fact. Almost what I was looking for but at the same time really off.

I've yet to find something better. What is right about it? Gives detailed easy to understand summaries and notes on translation issues. Approachable but sort of like an educated uncle who might go on about how morality is slipping these days.
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I've finished the book now and am adding another star for the really excellent timelines of Roman and Egyptian history - and I loved his timeline that compared biblical dates to Homeric events. cool.

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally reached the New Testament - it has taken me about 3 years to read the Old Testament in my Bible, along with this informative and entertaining guide.
"Don't Know Much About the Bible" presents a study which explains the Bible from an unbiased, historic and modern point of view. It respectfully explains Jewish, Christian and Muslim teachings along side of each other, which I find interesting.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book about 12 years ago - but finally got around to reading it cover to cover. I've read two other "Don't Know Much About" books in the past - and this one follows the same formula: brief elementary questions about each topic, and answers delivered with a wry / satiric sense of humor. There are also references to pop culture and current events throughout to keep the books more light-hearted and easy to read. Despite the Bible's challenging depth, I felt like Mr. Davis was mostly successful applying his formula. However, I give it 3 stars because about 2/3 through the book I grew extremely tired of the author's humor, and wished he would just summarize the remainder of the Bible. Thankfully, the book contains an index, good chapter headings, and is easy to thumb through - so I'll probably hang on to it for its basic references. There was also one table that I found particularly interesting - the Gospel cross-reference listing of Jesus's miracles.

The best audience for this book is the person who knows very little about the Bible, or hardly remembers their Sunday School lessons. At the very least, you'll come away with a better understanding of Judaism and Christianity's intertwined relationship (Old Testament / Torah) - and a better understanding of these two religions' historical context. Given all the religious conflicts in the world today, and Americans' lack of religious education in school (I mean facts about religion, not faith education!) - a basic book such as this should be required reading for everyone! Unfortunately, we'd need the unwritten companion book - "Don't Know Much About Islam"!

[Jesse Winslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, this is probably the best book I've read on the subject. That subject being the history and idiosyncrasy of the Bible. Although not as detailed as Friedman's "Who Wrote the Bible?" it covers the entire Bible, not just the Old Testament. A fantastic book for believers and non-believers alike as it gives you quite a bit of insight into the background of the Good Book and many of the stories you were taught incorrectly in Sunday School.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an athiest, you will find this humorous. If you are of christian faith, you will find this offensive and blasphemous. I find it to be a very necessary educational manual that future schools should teach children. How silly wars based on religion would seem.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a great overview both of the stories of the bible and of scholarly opinion regarding the history of the bible. Ken Davis can definitely get pretty corny at times, but I appreciate his generally balanced presentation. Contrary to what another reviewer thought, I think he is somewhat religious and goes to some lengths to try to prevent that from overly coloring his approach. And wow, I would be surprised if many people already know all of the often bizarre, violent and/or contradictory stories and rules in the bible. Fascinating.

[Deborah Fransen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by an historian, this book approaches the Bible as a work of literature and history, not religion. It reveals in a witty and easy-to-read style about what the Bible says and what it DOESN'T say. Davis has performed exhaustive research, placing Biblical events and people within their historical contexts; he takes on misconceptions, mistranslations, and misinterpretations in a convincing manner, bringing the ancient civilizations and personalities to life.

The result is a great read, especially for history buffs, but really for anyone with wide-ranging literary interests.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am surprised that this book has kept my interest. The writing with touches of humor is excellent. I'll be looking for his other books on history and geography."

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to have as a reference so that you can combat crazies who misquote religious text.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finnished this book on Christmas Eve. It's a Christmas miracle! This book highlights the important and entertaining events in the Old and New Testament. I was surprised to found out how violent and sexual these times were. I found the events very engaging and somewhat reminicent of greek mythology which I also like learning about.

While I now have a better understanding of the bible I really disliked that the writer made it obvious that he does not believe that the bible's events took place. The writer took it upon himself to point out every contradiction and tried to relate biblical times to current times with a corny sense of humor. He reduces many of the miraculous events to science to determine if it's possible for certain things to have happened. I wish I had picked up a different intro bible book from a believer so I could have read it as it was meant to be understood.

What I did appreciate was the thorough historical background of these times, especially with Rome and Israel. He also included a timeline of different civilizations and their progress while the bible is being created so you can see what the rest of the world is up to.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your knowledge of the Holy Bible and its history sucks (like mine did), then pick up this book.

There were a few sections here and there where Davis seems to just recount a synopsis of what happened in the Bible, story-wise, but the rest of the book is great reading. He makes learning about the Bible a lot more interesting than Sunday school would typically do.

Great for believers and non-believers, alike.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect companion to everyones favorite religious book. Don't Know Much about the Bible goes chapter by chapter explaining the context of each book and the historical setting in which these stories were told. It is everything you have ever wanted to know about the Bible but were too afraid of the cleansing fires of hell to ask!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough, fair and even-handed, I found this book interesting and helpful. How much will I remember? Eh.

I was Ken Davis' publicist during my brief Harper Collins tenure, and his books really are fun, informative and easy to digest. And I really don't know much about the Bible. If the category showed up on my championship Jeopardy! it would be all over for me.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I was pretty ignorant about the bible this was a great introduction. I enjoyed getting to know the stories of the bible and also the examination of the authors of the bible, the likelihood of the people being real people, and the changes in the meanings of passages as they have been translated over the ages.

[Beth Kakuma-Depew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives the very basic standard interpretation of how the Bible was compiled. The Old Testament was written from four schools, and compiled at some point in 200-300 BCE. Elohist, Yahwist, Deurteronomist, and Priests are the names of the four.

His section on the New Testament was okay, but nothing special. Oh and yeah, his humor is like an in-law uncle -- mildly annoying.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davis makes a quality "every-man" intro book. His introduction is, admitidly, a bit dense, but the rest of the book does a great job at explaining the ins and outs of the Bible. It contains enough nuts and bolts to appeal to a non-believer, but gives enough respect to the Bible to make a diehard Christian happy.

[Lynn Erhorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as a new Christian, and was fascinated by some of the "explanations" offered for potentially difficult Bible passages. Though it was years ago, I still remember my "Aha!" moment reading that the parting of the Red Sea was likely a poor translation, and probably referred to "The Sea of Reeds," a shallow, easy-to-cross marshy body of water. Today, I'm annoyed every time I think of how this description minimizes God, disrespects the text, and disregards the entire point of the Holy Scriptures: To tell the story of God, His greatness, and His love for his children. I think the book is well-written, but the title is truer than the author realizes.

[Shanelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book was really interesting and brought some very good points to the table, it was just too disturbing and cynical for me to finish. Part of the appeal of the Bible is in the unknown, and for every last little detail to be challenged was difficult to swallow. I made it about halfway through before I finally stopped reading.

[Jennifer Orr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm currently reading an incredible book about the history of Catholicism and the Jews and haven't been to Sunday school in 20 years, so DKMuch has been a great reference for me (now I finally know what happened to Lot's wife). I especially appreciate that the author gives the actual historical perspective of the era in which the Bible was actually written.

[Peri · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you believe that everything in the Bible is an absolute fact, not metaphor nor a human interpretation of ancient events, it is not for you. While it does clarify some events and personalities, it's a little too flip for my taste.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This treatment of the scriptures is a good overview. It seeks to answer some difficult and compelling issues but does not provide enough information to be balanced. Although I agree with much of the work, it seems set-up to cause controversy for the sake of controversy.

[Mohamed I. Elgadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book to read about the origin of all current violence caused by radicals Muslims, Christians and Jews... Very weird stories that some still believe in literally and use as divine justification to all evil including slavery...

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend loaned this too me after I read The Red Tent and expressed an interest in certain biblical references. It is a good book. Informative and not religious.

[Nancy]

Obviously something that will stay on here a while as I work through this at the same time as I am doing some scriptural study - honking hardcovers - not something to cart around like other reads...

[Mila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, witty and easy to read. I like the way the chapters are outlined so you can leaf through and choose a chapter that sounds interesting so you don't have to read it in sequence.

[Cat Kelley]

Doug & I are both reading this so that we can have discussions along the way. I'm really enjoying this interesting and insightful compliation of interpreations of the "good Book".

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance]

Mmmm...then what made you think you could write this book???