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Asimov's Guide to the Bible #2
Asimov's Guide to the Bible: The New Testament
La Biblia, conjunto de libros tenidos por inspirados y consiguientemente por normativos en las religiones judía y cristiana, se ha convertido en la obra más divulgada de la civilización occidental, omnipresente en el lenguage, folklore y arte cotidianos. Asimov ha tratado de iluminar las pautas interpretativas del texto bíblico a partir de los datos que aportan, en la actualidad, los estudios arqueológicos, históricos, lingüísticos y geofráficos.
550 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
15 people are currently reading
657 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,336 books27.8k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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January 10, 2018
Poco que añadir a lo comentado en referencia al primer volumen (Antiguo Testamento). En éste, Asimov sigue realizando un análisis objetivo y laico de los contenidos bíblicos, como en el anterior. Decir más ya sería entrar en el contenido… aunque no puedo resistirme a realizar algunos comentarios sobre cosas que me han parecido bastante curiosas (probablemente si hubiera leído la biblia antes no me hubieran sorprendido tanto, pero en fin…)
Pues para empezar, el Nuevo Testamento empieza con un rollo macabeo. No, no soy irrespetuoso: de hecho, empieza con dos rollos macabeos, los dos libros (en sus tiempos, en forma de rollos) de los Macabeos. Como son bastante aburridos (bueno, en la línea del antiguo testamento, pero muy diferentes al resto del nuevo testamento, que nos resulta más “próximo”), imagino que de ahí derivó lo de rollo macabeo. Por cierto, esto no lo menciona Asimov (probablemente no existe esta expresión en inglés para designar a algo muy aburrido), pero la deducción es clara e inmediata. En esta obra hay otras explicaciones a muchas expresiones de hoy en día que, leyendo estos libros de Asimov, descubrimos que proceden de la Biblia; curioso, y buena muestra de la influencia de este libro en nuestra cultura.
Pasados los rollos macabeos, empieza 'lo bueno', las aventuras de Jesús (bueno, o Joshua, o como queráis…): los evangelios. Descubrimos que se escribieron hacia el año 100 d.C. (complicado que los evangelistas fueran alguno de los apóstoles), y no todos a la vez. De hecho, se observa una curiosa evolución… porque los cuatro evangelios son muy distintos, y hasta claramente contradictorios en ocasiones. Es curioso ver también cómo tienen enfoques muy diferentes: unos dirigidos a los judíos, otros dirigidos a los gentiles… También se ve cómo la historia se va adornando profusamente con el paso del tiempo. Y también me ha hecho gracia descubrir que lo que solemos conocer es una mezcla de los cuatro, cogiendo unas cosas de aquí, otras de allá, y obviando otras (supongo que dejándolo a gusto de la iglesia…)
Tras los evangelios vienen los hechos de los apóstoles, una curiosa crónica de los inicios de la iglesia. Es interesante observar cómo se iban gestando los fundamentos del cristianismo, casi siempre a partir de la evolución que aquellos iniciales cristianos (unos judíos, otros no) fueron dando a lo que empezó siendo una secta judía más (había varias) que terminó rompiendo completamente con el judaísmo, aparentemente por motivos “políticos” (era más fácil conseguir adeptos fuera que dentro).
Para terminar, el apocalipsis: de nuevo profecías al estilo del viejo testamento en las que los enemigos de Israel (fundamentalmente Roma, convenientemente oculta bajo metáforas para evitar persecuciones) sufren las peores consecuencias.
En resumen, como decía en el comentario al primer volumen, esta obra de Asimov es un ensayo muy interesante y recomendable para descubrir la Biblia desde un punto de vista neutro, objetivo y, lógicamente, laico. No es un libro ameno para pasar el rato, pero sí muy recomendable si te interesa la historia de las religiones y conocer los orígenes de una ideología básica en las civilizaciones occidentales: la religión judeo-cristiana.
Pues para empezar, el Nuevo Testamento empieza con un rollo macabeo. No, no soy irrespetuoso: de hecho, empieza con dos rollos macabeos, los dos libros (en sus tiempos, en forma de rollos) de los Macabeos. Como son bastante aburridos (bueno, en la línea del antiguo testamento, pero muy diferentes al resto del nuevo testamento, que nos resulta más “próximo”), imagino que de ahí derivó lo de rollo macabeo. Por cierto, esto no lo menciona Asimov (probablemente no existe esta expresión en inglés para designar a algo muy aburrido), pero la deducción es clara e inmediata. En esta obra hay otras explicaciones a muchas expresiones de hoy en día que, leyendo estos libros de Asimov, descubrimos que proceden de la Biblia; curioso, y buena muestra de la influencia de este libro en nuestra cultura.
Pasados los rollos macabeos, empieza 'lo bueno', las aventuras de Jesús (bueno, o Joshua, o como queráis…): los evangelios. Descubrimos que se escribieron hacia el año 100 d.C. (complicado que los evangelistas fueran alguno de los apóstoles), y no todos a la vez. De hecho, se observa una curiosa evolución… porque los cuatro evangelios son muy distintos, y hasta claramente contradictorios en ocasiones. Es curioso ver también cómo tienen enfoques muy diferentes: unos dirigidos a los judíos, otros dirigidos a los gentiles… También se ve cómo la historia se va adornando profusamente con el paso del tiempo. Y también me ha hecho gracia descubrir que lo que solemos conocer es una mezcla de los cuatro, cogiendo unas cosas de aquí, otras de allá, y obviando otras (supongo que dejándolo a gusto de la iglesia…)
Tras los evangelios vienen los hechos de los apóstoles, una curiosa crónica de los inicios de la iglesia. Es interesante observar cómo se iban gestando los fundamentos del cristianismo, casi siempre a partir de la evolución que aquellos iniciales cristianos (unos judíos, otros no) fueron dando a lo que empezó siendo una secta judía más (había varias) que terminó rompiendo completamente con el judaísmo, aparentemente por motivos “políticos” (era más fácil conseguir adeptos fuera que dentro).
Para terminar, el apocalipsis: de nuevo profecías al estilo del viejo testamento en las que los enemigos de Israel (fundamentalmente Roma, convenientemente oculta bajo metáforas para evitar persecuciones) sufren las peores consecuencias.
En resumen, como decía en el comentario al primer volumen, esta obra de Asimov es un ensayo muy interesante y recomendable para descubrir la Biblia desde un punto de vista neutro, objetivo y, lógicamente, laico. No es un libro ameno para pasar el rato, pero sí muy recomendable si te interesa la historia de las religiones y conocer los orígenes de una ideología básica en las civilizaciones occidentales: la religión judeo-cristiana.
August 17, 2012
My first exposure to Isaac Asimov was in the Super-Valu grocery store of Upper Lonsdale in 1971, when I was 12. I was accompanying my aunt Jackie on the weekly grocery shopping for our household (budget: $20), and while we were awaiting our turn to pass through the checkout I was perusing the single rotating stand of paperbacks for sale. One book leaped to my eye: The Universe by a guy called Isaac Asimov (what a cool name! I thought). Subtitled From Flat Earth to Quasar, it was a nonfiction work about the history of astronomy, and had a gorgeous magenta-and-violet cover featuring a photo of the Horsehead Nebula in deep space. I knew I had to have this book. Problem: it was 95 cents, and I had no money of my own. So I begged Jackie to buy it for me. She was reluctant to spend 5% of our grocery money on my book, so I earnestly and urgently assured her that it was no frivolous purchase but that it was a worthwhile book and that my interest in it was genuine and intense. She was a soft touch in reality, so to my joy she put the book on the conveyor belt with the packaged cube steak and canned lima beans. Yahoo!
As soon as we got home I whipped over to the sofa ("chesterfield" as we called it) and started reading. I was immediately engrossed. Expecting the early parts of the book, about ancient astronomy, to be a chore to read before I got to the cool recent stuff, I was surprised to find that Asimov made the story of astronomical discovery interesting right from the start. On that hot summer afternoon I sat in the dim recess of our living room, reading and reading. In the next few days, when I went on a boating vacation up the coast with a friend's family, I took the book with me and read it in every spare moment.
At that age I didn't think about Asimov's qualities as a writer, I just knew that he wrote about really cool stuff. A few years later, at about age 16, I made my first purchase of a nonfiction book with my own money when I saw his Life and Energy in a bookstore (price: $1.25). This was a work on biochemistry, which was outside my main interest area of space science and physics, but I knew that Asimov would present it in a cool way.
It was only years later, when I reread these books, and I had chosen the path of writing for myself, that I came to assess and appreciate Asimov specifically as a writer. And to this day he represents, for me, the gold standard of expository writing. (I'm less happy with his science fiction, which I find to be a bit flat and, well, expository.) He is a natural teacher, able to arouse and then satisfy one's curiosity, and to do so with clear, fluent, and seemingly effortless prose. He makes writing seem easy.
I knew that Asimov had written many books on different subjects, but I was still taken by surprise when, while visiting the New Westminster Public Library maybe 8 years ago, I saw, on their reference shelves, the two big hardback volumes of Asimov's Guide to the Bible. And, now working on an epic of my own about the events leading up to the action of the New Testament, I again had occasion to think, Wow! Cool!
I whipped out one of these volumes and quickly saw that it was just what I would hope for and expect in a work by Asimov: a clear, smooth-flowing examination of both testaments of the Bible, book by book, with plenty of accompanying maps. At some later time I made an online search for these books and found that they were available in paperback; I did not hesitate to buy a used set.
I'm glad I did. As ever, Asimov turns his clear, objective, common-sense eye to the matter at hand. He looks at the content of the Bible not from a theological point of view, but rather as an explicator of the places, persons, institutions, and terms used in it.
In the New Testament volume the largest chapter is on the book of Matthew. It contains about 82 subsections, the first of which is "The New Testament", where Asimov matter-of-factly sets out the mission of the New Testament as a whole and contrasts it with that of the Old Testament. In his words, "The central theme of the Bible, in Jewish eyes, is the contract or covenant entered into between God and the Jewish people. The first mention of this covenant is God's promise to give Canaan to the descendants of Abraham." This is followed by an extract from Gen 15:18, in which the Lord makes this promise to Abram. The book is liberally salted with verses from the Bible as Asimov makes his points, often drawing attention to connections and allusions between the different books. In this subsection Asimov describes how the vision of the writers of the Old Testament books evolves to the point where Jeremiah envisions "a triumphant day when God would make a new start, so to speak, with his people; wipe the slate clean and begin again"--with an extract from Jer 31:31 provided as evidence. Asimov then says simply that "The followers of Jesus came early to believe that in the teachings of Jesus was to be found exactly this new covenant; a new contract between God and man, replacing the old one with Israel that dated back to Sinai and even beyond that to Abraham."
Other subsections include examinations of who Matthew is; who the people are in the given genealogy of Jesus; where the term Holy Ghost comes from; what King of the Jews means; where and what Nazareth is; and much else. In general, Asimov sets out to answer, as much and as well as he can, your question, as you point to some element in the Bible, "What's that?" And he does a darned good job.
These volumes are more like a reference work that the other Asimov books I mentioned, which have, incredibly, a strong quality of narrative flow. Asimov's Guide to the Bible is not arranged around a central question, and this makes it a little less exciting to read. He's not providing any theory about the Bible, and although he is candid about the difficulties it can present to the modern rational person, he is in no way a skeptic or debunker. And while he can't avoid doing some interpretation, his mission is mainly factual.
I was a bit disappointed to discover that all those maps are actually in many cases just the same map, reproduced again and again to save the reader the inconvenience of flipping back to find it. Having a few more, different, and detailed maps would have made me feel I was getting more of an in-depth treatment.
But this is an excellent popular companion to the Bible. My favorite aspect is probably the many connections that Asimov makes between the different books and verses of both testaments. He doesn't name his sources, but they must have been many. He gives the same impression of complete, effortless, encyclopedic command over the content of the Bible that he does over astronomy, biochemistry, and so many other topics. The real measure of his accomplishment is the clarity of his writing, which stands as a paragon to all who would write expository prose.
As soon as we got home I whipped over to the sofa ("chesterfield" as we called it) and started reading. I was immediately engrossed. Expecting the early parts of the book, about ancient astronomy, to be a chore to read before I got to the cool recent stuff, I was surprised to find that Asimov made the story of astronomical discovery interesting right from the start. On that hot summer afternoon I sat in the dim recess of our living room, reading and reading. In the next few days, when I went on a boating vacation up the coast with a friend's family, I took the book with me and read it in every spare moment.
At that age I didn't think about Asimov's qualities as a writer, I just knew that he wrote about really cool stuff. A few years later, at about age 16, I made my first purchase of a nonfiction book with my own money when I saw his Life and Energy in a bookstore (price: $1.25). This was a work on biochemistry, which was outside my main interest area of space science and physics, but I knew that Asimov would present it in a cool way.
It was only years later, when I reread these books, and I had chosen the path of writing for myself, that I came to assess and appreciate Asimov specifically as a writer. And to this day he represents, for me, the gold standard of expository writing. (I'm less happy with his science fiction, which I find to be a bit flat and, well, expository.) He is a natural teacher, able to arouse and then satisfy one's curiosity, and to do so with clear, fluent, and seemingly effortless prose. He makes writing seem easy.
I knew that Asimov had written many books on different subjects, but I was still taken by surprise when, while visiting the New Westminster Public Library maybe 8 years ago, I saw, on their reference shelves, the two big hardback volumes of Asimov's Guide to the Bible. And, now working on an epic of my own about the events leading up to the action of the New Testament, I again had occasion to think, Wow! Cool!
I whipped out one of these volumes and quickly saw that it was just what I would hope for and expect in a work by Asimov: a clear, smooth-flowing examination of both testaments of the Bible, book by book, with plenty of accompanying maps. At some later time I made an online search for these books and found that they were available in paperback; I did not hesitate to buy a used set.
I'm glad I did. As ever, Asimov turns his clear, objective, common-sense eye to the matter at hand. He looks at the content of the Bible not from a theological point of view, but rather as an explicator of the places, persons, institutions, and terms used in it.
In the New Testament volume the largest chapter is on the book of Matthew. It contains about 82 subsections, the first of which is "The New Testament", where Asimov matter-of-factly sets out the mission of the New Testament as a whole and contrasts it with that of the Old Testament. In his words, "The central theme of the Bible, in Jewish eyes, is the contract or covenant entered into between God and the Jewish people. The first mention of this covenant is God's promise to give Canaan to the descendants of Abraham." This is followed by an extract from Gen 15:18, in which the Lord makes this promise to Abram. The book is liberally salted with verses from the Bible as Asimov makes his points, often drawing attention to connections and allusions between the different books. In this subsection Asimov describes how the vision of the writers of the Old Testament books evolves to the point where Jeremiah envisions "a triumphant day when God would make a new start, so to speak, with his people; wipe the slate clean and begin again"--with an extract from Jer 31:31 provided as evidence. Asimov then says simply that "The followers of Jesus came early to believe that in the teachings of Jesus was to be found exactly this new covenant; a new contract between God and man, replacing the old one with Israel that dated back to Sinai and even beyond that to Abraham."
Other subsections include examinations of who Matthew is; who the people are in the given genealogy of Jesus; where the term Holy Ghost comes from; what King of the Jews means; where and what Nazareth is; and much else. In general, Asimov sets out to answer, as much and as well as he can, your question, as you point to some element in the Bible, "What's that?" And he does a darned good job.
These volumes are more like a reference work that the other Asimov books I mentioned, which have, incredibly, a strong quality of narrative flow. Asimov's Guide to the Bible is not arranged around a central question, and this makes it a little less exciting to read. He's not providing any theory about the Bible, and although he is candid about the difficulties it can present to the modern rational person, he is in no way a skeptic or debunker. And while he can't avoid doing some interpretation, his mission is mainly factual.
I was a bit disappointed to discover that all those maps are actually in many cases just the same map, reproduced again and again to save the reader the inconvenience of flipping back to find it. Having a few more, different, and detailed maps would have made me feel I was getting more of an in-depth treatment.
But this is an excellent popular companion to the Bible. My favorite aspect is probably the many connections that Asimov makes between the different books and verses of both testaments. He doesn't name his sources, but they must have been many. He gives the same impression of complete, effortless, encyclopedic command over the content of the Bible that he does over astronomy, biochemistry, and so many other topics. The real measure of his accomplishment is the clarity of his writing, which stands as a paragon to all who would write expository prose.
April 5, 2019
Asimov hace en este libro (tanto en el tomo I, dedicado al Antiguo testamento, como en el tomo II, dedicado al Nuevo Testamento), un repaso de los libros de la Biblia.
Este repaso se hace desde un punto de vista racional, señalando el contenido de los libros pero, sobre todo, contextualizándolos en su época. Así, señala cuáles son lo hechos históricos posibles a los que se refiere el libro, pero también cuáles son sus errores comparándolos con el conocimiento real aportado por la historia y la arqueología.
Señala también la importancia de los libros para los gobernantes de su época, qué resaltan y qué ocultan para sus fines políticos, o cuáles son las incoherencias (tanto internas de cada libro como entre ellos).
Pese a todo, la arqueología de los lugares bíblicos es un tema controvertido que ha sido a menudo malinterpretado y que no ha podido se dilucidada con mayor claridad hasta basarse en métodos modernos como la datación por radiocarbono, que ha dado lugar a la revisión de muchas fechas.
En este sentido, los libros de Asimov fallan al contextualizar e interpretar libros del Antiguo Testamento. Por ello, resulta muy interesante leer "La biblia desenterrada" de Silverman y Filkenstein antes de afrontar la lectura de estos libros, a fin de tener conocimiento previo de en qué errores incurre Asimov (pues su guía es anterior a esta revisión de datos arqueológicos).
Pese a todo, la Guía de Asimov sigue siendo un libro muy interesante de leer para todo aquel que quiera interesarse por la Biblia de una forma objetiva y racional.
Este repaso se hace desde un punto de vista racional, señalando el contenido de los libros pero, sobre todo, contextualizándolos en su época. Así, señala cuáles son lo hechos históricos posibles a los que se refiere el libro, pero también cuáles son sus errores comparándolos con el conocimiento real aportado por la historia y la arqueología.
Señala también la importancia de los libros para los gobernantes de su época, qué resaltan y qué ocultan para sus fines políticos, o cuáles son las incoherencias (tanto internas de cada libro como entre ellos).
Pese a todo, la arqueología de los lugares bíblicos es un tema controvertido que ha sido a menudo malinterpretado y que no ha podido se dilucidada con mayor claridad hasta basarse en métodos modernos como la datación por radiocarbono, que ha dado lugar a la revisión de muchas fechas.
En este sentido, los libros de Asimov fallan al contextualizar e interpretar libros del Antiguo Testamento. Por ello, resulta muy interesante leer "La biblia desenterrada" de Silverman y Filkenstein antes de afrontar la lectura de estos libros, a fin de tener conocimiento previo de en qué errores incurre Asimov (pues su guía es anterior a esta revisión de datos arqueológicos).
Pese a todo, la Guía de Asimov sigue siendo un libro muy interesante de leer para todo aquel que quiera interesarse por la Biblia de una forma objetiva y racional.
January 4, 2021
Excelente libro de Isaac Asimov, aunque me gustó más el primer tomo (que habla sobre el antiguo testamento). Nuevamente el autor analiza el aspecto secular de la biblia y en esta oportunidad se intenta descubrir al Jesus histórico. Se trata de entender quien pudo haber sido y que pudo haber pasado realmente con este predicador de Galilea que nació alrededor del 4 AC y murió crucificado 33 años después aproximadamente. Evangelio por evangelio Asimov intenta explicar las referencias a profecías y pasajes del antiguo testamento y también las pequeñas, y no tan pequeñas, diferencias que se observan en los 4 relatos. Se explican también los hechos de los apóstoles y las epístolas, intentando situarlas en el tiempo y en el espacio para comprender lo sucedido en los años posteriores a la crucifixión. Por último se da cuenta del libro de las revelaciones, las visiones del día del juicio final y una posible interpretación desde el punto de vista del autor del documento. Entendiendo siempre que no hay mensaje divino ni sobrenatural sino que se trata de un relato escrito por creyentes, con la intención de acrecentar la fe de sus contemporáneos.
October 21, 2019
Айзък Азимов за пореден път не разочарова.
Както и с много от другите му книги, количеството информация, идеи, съждения качествено засенчва не чак толкова изпипания стил. Пътеводителят е блестящ спътник на самия Нов завет и е многократно по-информативен, образователен и, ако не се плашите от светотатстване – интересен.
Пълен от корица до корица с интересни факти и задълбочени изследвания, както и с не малко "аха!"-моменти (когато г-н Азимов помежду другото ви разкрие първоизточника на някакво съвременно име, фраза, традиция, които винаги сте приемали за даденост), Пътеводителят придава научен смисъл на иначе опиращата се на вяра религия.
Както и с много от другите му книги, количеството информация, идеи, съждения качествено засенчва не чак толкова изпипания стил. Пътеводителят е блестящ спътник на самия Нов завет и е многократно по-информативен, образователен и, ако не се плашите от светотатстване – интересен.
Пълен от корица до корица с интересни факти и задълбочени изследвания, както и с не малко "аха!"-моменти (когато г-н Азимов помежду другото ви разкрие първоизточника на някакво съвременно име, фраза, традиция, които винаги сте приемали за даденост), Пътеводителят придава научен смисъл на иначе опиращата се на вяра религия.
January 27, 2010
I read this book a number of years ago during my high school days. It's another example of Dr. Asimov's amazing erudition, which extended even to the Bible. No one can deny that it's an educated, skeptical, higher-criticism approach to the NT. For example, Asimov tries to explain biblical miracles using naturalistic explanations, and he points out instances of supposed biblical contradictions or inconsistencies. But I would challenge many of Asimov's interpretations and his underlying presuppositions.
December 31, 2011
I'm only on Asimov's historical break-down of Matthew so far and it's interesting, but I'm not really feeling his "historical" Jesus analysis. It's interesting, but Jesus was a bit more than just a historical person. I understand why Asimov is writing the way he is, but I'm not overly thrilled with it so far.
August 19, 2020
Fantástico recorrido por todo el nuevo Testamento desde un punto de vista laico. Muy informativo, muy detallado, muy interesante. Con una cantidad ingente de información. La tengo pendiente para relectura, que creo que definitivamente merece.
October 7, 2025
THE FAMED SCIENCE AUTHOR LOOKS AT THE BIBLE (NEW TESTAMENT)
Author Isaac Asimov wrote in this 1969 book about Isaiah 7:14/Mt 1:22-23, “[But] why the tale of the virgin birth… that a marginal Old Testament verse has to be searched for and found by Matthew to account for it? Perhaps we can indulge in a little speculation here… Mark, the oldest of the gospels, has nothing to say about [Jesus’] birth and childhood… After Jesus’ death, tales of his birth and childhood arose… concerning so remarkable a person as the Messiah and the Son of God… In Jesus’ time, the possibility of virgin birth may have taken on added force. The Roman historian Livy, who died just a few years before the start of Jesus’ ministry… tells the tale of the founding of Rome by … Romulus and Remus … as being of virgin birth… Greek-speaking Jews … might have … [had] the impulse to feel that if a virgin birth could be used to exalt the founders of the pagan city of Rome, how much more could one rightly be used to exalt the founding of the kingdom of God.” (Pg. 119-120)
Of the star of Bethlehem, “The most obvious solution would be that the star was a ‘nova’… Such events have indeed been known to happen… Could one have also appeared in Herod’s time? It seems doubtful. Surely such a supernova would have been noticed… Another possibility is that the star might have been the result of a close approach of two or more of the heavenly bodies, so that they would shine together with abnormal brightness for a short period of time… occasionally two or more [planets] approach fairly close to each other… for instance… in 7 B.C., Jupiter and Saturn approached each other quite closely… And, finally, there is the possibility of a bright comet… We can know of one comet that did appear in the reign of Herod. This was Halley’s Comet… One might suppose that in the decades following Jesus’ death… his disciples… might remember the appearance of an unusual phenomenon in the heavens at about the time of his birth… Matthew may well have picked up the story…” (Pg. 129-130)
He speculates about Judas, “Suppose Judas was heart and soul of those extremists who desired and demanded instant war against Rome. He may have attached himself to Jesus in the hope that this man might indeed be the Messiah whose coming would put an end to the hated Roman dominion at once… Judas may have felt sure that Passover would be the signal for the divine battle, so often foretold by the prophets… What changed things?... Judas wanted action---not having it postponed after the Messianic coming to a second coming… Judas might have been so sick with disillusionment as to have yearned for revenge… Or, it might be that Judas still felt Jesus to be the Messiah, but one who was, unaccountably, backing away from the final showdown.” (Pg. 214-215)
Of the story of the Roman guards at Jesus’ tomb, he comments, “To explain the disbelief of the Jews generally, Matthew advances a rather unlikely tale that is not found in the other gospels. He says the priestly authorities bribed the guardians of the tomb to say that they had fallen asleep and that while they slept, Jesus’ disciples stole the body and that Jesus had not really risen. What makes the tale [doubtful] is that sleeping while on patrol is a cardinal sin for soldiers at all times and it is unlikely that the guards would have let themselves be bribed into admitting such a thing. Even though the priests promised to protect them from the consequences if Pilate heard that they had slept on duty, it is doubtful that they would have taken the chance.” (Pg. 239-240)
Perhaps surprisingly, he says of the Census of Quirinius in Luke 2, “Quirinius was in charge of Roman military affairs in Syria, an office which placed him over the legions in Judea as well, on two different occasions: from 6 to 4 B.C. and from A.D. 6 to 9. All commentators agree that Jesus could not have been born as late as A.D. 6 to 9 and that the incidents surrounding Jesus’ birth, if they took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, had to take place during his first term, from 6 to 4 B.C. This would certainly harmonize Luke’s account with Matthew’s, at least in this respect. During Quirinius’ second administration, there was (according to Josephus) a census initiated for the purpose of determining some fair basis for the assessment of a special tax.” (Pg. 263)
Concerning the date of Jesus’ birth, he observes (after quoting Luke 2:7), “There is no indication at all at this point concerning the date of the Nativity. The feast is celebrated, now, by almost all Christian churches on December 25. This is Christmas (“Christ’s mass”). But why December 25? No one really knows. To Europeans and North Americans such a date means winter… Yet upon what is such a wintry association based? There is no mention of either snow or cold in either Luke or Matthew. In fact, in the verse after the description of the birth, Luke says: ‘Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.’ … Surely it is more likely that a night watch would be kept in the summertime when the nights would be mild and, in fact, more comfortable than the scorching heat of the day. For that matter it is but adding another dimension to the implausible nature of the census depicted by Luke if we suppose that all this unnecessary traveling was taking place in the course of a cold winter time.” (Pg. 268-269)
He continues, “Why, then, December 25? The answer might be found in astronomy and Roman history… The point at which the Sun comes to a halt is the winter ‘solstice’… The time of the winter solstice was the occasion for a great feast in honor of what one might call the ‘birth of the Sun.’ In Roman times, a three-day period, later extended to seven days … was the “Saturnalia’… In the Roman calendar… the Saturnalia was celebrated the [17th-19th] of December. Once Caesar established a sensible calendar, the winter solstice fell upon December 25… In the first centuries of the Roman Empire, Christianity had to compete with Mithraism… and in A.D. 274, the Roman Emperor, Aurelian, set December 25 as the day of the birth of the Sun… The celebration of the winter solstice was a great stumbling block to conversions to Christianity… But Christianity adapted itself to pagan customs where these… did not compromise the essential doctrines of the Church. The Bible did not say on which day Jesus was born… It might, therefore, be on December 25 as well as on any other. Once that was settled, converts could join Christianity without giving up their Saturnalian happiness. It was only necessary for them to joyfully greet the birth of the Son rather than the Sun.” (Pg. 269-271)
He points out, “while Paul urges kindness to the slave Onesimus, who is now Philemon’s brother in Christianity, there is no hint anywhere in Paul that slavery might be wrong and immoral as an institution. Indeed, Paul even admonishes slaves to obey their masters [Eph 6:5]… For that matter, nowhere else in the Bible … is slavery condemned in the abstract. Nor was slavery denounced by any ancient prophet or philosopher among the Gentiles… All that the moral leaders of antiquity would and did do, in and out of the Bible, was to urge humanity on slaveowners.” (Pg. 489)
Of the “666” in Revelation 13:18, he suggests, “down through medieval times it was common to use letters of the alphabet to signify numbers… words made up of these letters would also be seen to have a kind of numerical value. If an individual were named Dill McDix, for instance, one could set each letter equal to a number, add them, and reach a total of 2212… This form of endeavor was called ‘gematria’… The ‘number of the beast’ is an example of such gematria… Commentators have considered virtually every possible candidate for the beast and the one most frequently mentioned is Nero. If his name is written in the Greek form---Neron---and his title Caesar is added and if Neron Caesar is written in Hebrew letters, then the total numerical value is indeed 666. If the final ‘n’ is left out, the total is 616, and some old manuscripts of Revelation have 616 rather than 666 as the number of the beast… And yet Nero seems a poor candidate if the book were written in 95… At the time Revelation was being written, however, Domitian… was on the throne and his persecution of Christians was in high gear. It would be natural to refer to the living, persecuting emperor, and there is probably some way in which Domitian’s name and title could be so written as to add up to 666. It may be that he bore a nickname, commonly used by Christians…” (Pg. 551-552)
This book—despite being written fifty years ago---will be of great interest to those wanting a non-religious perspective on the Bible.
Author Isaac Asimov wrote in this 1969 book about Isaiah 7:14/Mt 1:22-23, “[But] why the tale of the virgin birth… that a marginal Old Testament verse has to be searched for and found by Matthew to account for it? Perhaps we can indulge in a little speculation here… Mark, the oldest of the gospels, has nothing to say about [Jesus’] birth and childhood… After Jesus’ death, tales of his birth and childhood arose… concerning so remarkable a person as the Messiah and the Son of God… In Jesus’ time, the possibility of virgin birth may have taken on added force. The Roman historian Livy, who died just a few years before the start of Jesus’ ministry… tells the tale of the founding of Rome by … Romulus and Remus … as being of virgin birth… Greek-speaking Jews … might have … [had] the impulse to feel that if a virgin birth could be used to exalt the founders of the pagan city of Rome, how much more could one rightly be used to exalt the founding of the kingdom of God.” (Pg. 119-120)
Of the star of Bethlehem, “The most obvious solution would be that the star was a ‘nova’… Such events have indeed been known to happen… Could one have also appeared in Herod’s time? It seems doubtful. Surely such a supernova would have been noticed… Another possibility is that the star might have been the result of a close approach of two or more of the heavenly bodies, so that they would shine together with abnormal brightness for a short period of time… occasionally two or more [planets] approach fairly close to each other… for instance… in 7 B.C., Jupiter and Saturn approached each other quite closely… And, finally, there is the possibility of a bright comet… We can know of one comet that did appear in the reign of Herod. This was Halley’s Comet… One might suppose that in the decades following Jesus’ death… his disciples… might remember the appearance of an unusual phenomenon in the heavens at about the time of his birth… Matthew may well have picked up the story…” (Pg. 129-130)
He speculates about Judas, “Suppose Judas was heart and soul of those extremists who desired and demanded instant war against Rome. He may have attached himself to Jesus in the hope that this man might indeed be the Messiah whose coming would put an end to the hated Roman dominion at once… Judas may have felt sure that Passover would be the signal for the divine battle, so often foretold by the prophets… What changed things?... Judas wanted action---not having it postponed after the Messianic coming to a second coming… Judas might have been so sick with disillusionment as to have yearned for revenge… Or, it might be that Judas still felt Jesus to be the Messiah, but one who was, unaccountably, backing away from the final showdown.” (Pg. 214-215)
Of the story of the Roman guards at Jesus’ tomb, he comments, “To explain the disbelief of the Jews generally, Matthew advances a rather unlikely tale that is not found in the other gospels. He says the priestly authorities bribed the guardians of the tomb to say that they had fallen asleep and that while they slept, Jesus’ disciples stole the body and that Jesus had not really risen. What makes the tale [doubtful] is that sleeping while on patrol is a cardinal sin for soldiers at all times and it is unlikely that the guards would have let themselves be bribed into admitting such a thing. Even though the priests promised to protect them from the consequences if Pilate heard that they had slept on duty, it is doubtful that they would have taken the chance.” (Pg. 239-240)
Perhaps surprisingly, he says of the Census of Quirinius in Luke 2, “Quirinius was in charge of Roman military affairs in Syria, an office which placed him over the legions in Judea as well, on two different occasions: from 6 to 4 B.C. and from A.D. 6 to 9. All commentators agree that Jesus could not have been born as late as A.D. 6 to 9 and that the incidents surrounding Jesus’ birth, if they took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, had to take place during his first term, from 6 to 4 B.C. This would certainly harmonize Luke’s account with Matthew’s, at least in this respect. During Quirinius’ second administration, there was (according to Josephus) a census initiated for the purpose of determining some fair basis for the assessment of a special tax.” (Pg. 263)
Concerning the date of Jesus’ birth, he observes (after quoting Luke 2:7), “There is no indication at all at this point concerning the date of the Nativity. The feast is celebrated, now, by almost all Christian churches on December 25. This is Christmas (“Christ’s mass”). But why December 25? No one really knows. To Europeans and North Americans such a date means winter… Yet upon what is such a wintry association based? There is no mention of either snow or cold in either Luke or Matthew. In fact, in the verse after the description of the birth, Luke says: ‘Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.’ … Surely it is more likely that a night watch would be kept in the summertime when the nights would be mild and, in fact, more comfortable than the scorching heat of the day. For that matter it is but adding another dimension to the implausible nature of the census depicted by Luke if we suppose that all this unnecessary traveling was taking place in the course of a cold winter time.” (Pg. 268-269)
He continues, “Why, then, December 25? The answer might be found in astronomy and Roman history… The point at which the Sun comes to a halt is the winter ‘solstice’… The time of the winter solstice was the occasion for a great feast in honor of what one might call the ‘birth of the Sun.’ In Roman times, a three-day period, later extended to seven days … was the “Saturnalia’… In the Roman calendar… the Saturnalia was celebrated the [17th-19th] of December. Once Caesar established a sensible calendar, the winter solstice fell upon December 25… In the first centuries of the Roman Empire, Christianity had to compete with Mithraism… and in A.D. 274, the Roman Emperor, Aurelian, set December 25 as the day of the birth of the Sun… The celebration of the winter solstice was a great stumbling block to conversions to Christianity… But Christianity adapted itself to pagan customs where these… did not compromise the essential doctrines of the Church. The Bible did not say on which day Jesus was born… It might, therefore, be on December 25 as well as on any other. Once that was settled, converts could join Christianity without giving up their Saturnalian happiness. It was only necessary for them to joyfully greet the birth of the Son rather than the Sun.” (Pg. 269-271)
He points out, “while Paul urges kindness to the slave Onesimus, who is now Philemon’s brother in Christianity, there is no hint anywhere in Paul that slavery might be wrong and immoral as an institution. Indeed, Paul even admonishes slaves to obey their masters [Eph 6:5]… For that matter, nowhere else in the Bible … is slavery condemned in the abstract. Nor was slavery denounced by any ancient prophet or philosopher among the Gentiles… All that the moral leaders of antiquity would and did do, in and out of the Bible, was to urge humanity on slaveowners.” (Pg. 489)
Of the “666” in Revelation 13:18, he suggests, “down through medieval times it was common to use letters of the alphabet to signify numbers… words made up of these letters would also be seen to have a kind of numerical value. If an individual were named Dill McDix, for instance, one could set each letter equal to a number, add them, and reach a total of 2212… This form of endeavor was called ‘gematria’… The ‘number of the beast’ is an example of such gematria… Commentators have considered virtually every possible candidate for the beast and the one most frequently mentioned is Nero. If his name is written in the Greek form---Neron---and his title Caesar is added and if Neron Caesar is written in Hebrew letters, then the total numerical value is indeed 666. If the final ‘n’ is left out, the total is 616, and some old manuscripts of Revelation have 616 rather than 666 as the number of the beast… And yet Nero seems a poor candidate if the book were written in 95… At the time Revelation was being written, however, Domitian… was on the throne and his persecution of Christians was in high gear. It would be natural to refer to the living, persecuting emperor, and there is probably some way in which Domitian’s name and title could be so written as to add up to 666. It may be that he bore a nickname, commonly used by Christians…” (Pg. 551-552)
This book—despite being written fifty years ago---will be of great interest to those wanting a non-religious perspective on the Bible.
January 17, 2024
As with the companion volume, The Old Testament, Asimov again demonstrates his willingness and ability to unravel the obscure and confusing (to this reader) history contained in the biblical books including all the canonical and some non-canonical writings. And, also as for the OT, he ferrets out history only, leaving the miraculous alone (for the most part).
Most interesting are the treatments of the four gospels, Acts, and Revelation.
The amount of research required to produce these volumes must have been enormous.
December 30, 2018
I read this as a commentary to my daily Bible readings and I'm thankful I did. Asimov explains the symbolism, astronomy, political situation, and any other elements relevant to the selected verse. In the New Testament's case, this really helped me understand the purpose and impact of the various church letters. Asimov also provided many prophetic cross-references between the two testaments to tie them together. Will keep for future reference.
April 22, 2019
Excelente y muy iluminador del contexto en que se escribe el nuevo testamento. Me queda más claro aún que es un cuento muy humano y muy de los judios en medio oriente. Quizas pudo haber tratado más sobre el "Jesús histórico " , pero me imagino que para la época que se escribió aún era tema tabú incluso para los ateos como Asimov.
July 3, 2019
Asimov continúa su revisión de la Biblia con el Nuevo Testamento, constata con las diferentes versiones de la Biblia de diferentes ramificaciones del cristianismo, compara los evangelios y cartas de los apóstoles con la historia y costumbres documentadas, lo que fue creando la Iglesia cristiana de los primeros tres siglos.
November 27, 2018
not pro or anti-Christian, but an objective statement about social and political forces of the times when the Bible was written. An intelligent look at the scriptures written by a very intelligent man.
August 11, 2022
Análisis histórico del nuevo testamento, con abundante información con todos los lugares y personajes involucrados. Un poco pesado de leer, dada la magnitud de la información. Muy completo el análisis de los 4 Evangelistas.
June 5, 2024
Asi does not miss. Worth reading just to understand the context that the New Testament was written in, but Asimov's occasional snark is a nice bow on top.
April 2, 2015
The Christian bible is a fascinating document, and the contents are open to a vast array of interpretations. In this book, Isaac Asimov examines it from a historical perspective. Despite the enormous attention that it has received from scholars of all types, the authorship of many of the sections has not been established, and Asimov makes that very clear. What is the most fascinating aspect is the interpretation of some of the passages based on the social and political conditions of the time. Whatever you may think about the early leaders of the Christian church, one fact remains very clear. They managed to take a small movement and turn it into an international one that survived fierce persecution by the Roman Empire, the greatest and most long-lived political power the world has ever seen. This is most impressive, and those who accept the Christian religion will find Asimov’s descriptions supportive of their beliefs, even though he was a secular humanist.
A book that describes the beginnings and growth of a powerful institution that outlived and outgrew all others that tried to destroy it, as a popular record of the history of the movement it has no equal.
This review also appears on Amazon
A book that describes the beginnings and growth of a powerful institution that outlived and outgrew all others that tried to destroy it, as a popular record of the history of the movement it has no equal.
This review also appears on Amazon
September 30, 2015
This fascinating book gave me a new perspective on the bible.
Don't get me wrong, I am still an Atheist but I do see this important book in a new light.
I now recognize the historical significance of these writings and know much more about it then I have ever learned in school (they taught us the Bible in such a simplistic way and only small, hand picked, parts of it).
Thanks to this book I now also have a more complete understanding of the empires and great powers of ancient Europe, Africa and the Near-East and how they connected and interacted with the Jewish nation (or more correctly- nations), of the birth of Christianity, its roots and its early history and of the real source of many modern phrases and rituals.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly for anyone interested in history or theology, whether he believes in god/s or does not.
Don't get me wrong, I am still an Atheist but I do see this important book in a new light.
I now recognize the historical significance of these writings and know much more about it then I have ever learned in school (they taught us the Bible in such a simplistic way and only small, hand picked, parts of it).
Thanks to this book I now also have a more complete understanding of the empires and great powers of ancient Europe, Africa and the Near-East and how they connected and interacted with the Jewish nation (or more correctly- nations), of the birth of Christianity, its roots and its early history and of the real source of many modern phrases and rituals.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly for anyone interested in history or theology, whether he believes in god/s or does not.
September 11, 2022
Lo leí porque no sabía de qué iba el Nuevo Testamento y por cultura general, pero es el libro de cuentos más inverosímil, absurdo, lleno de contradicciones y anacronismos, y aburrido que he leído en mi vida. Me parece increíble cómo la gente da a esta sarta de idioteces como palabras divinas. Vamos, "El Silmarillion" es igual de pesado, pero no se contradice entre sí y es mucho más creíble.
Pero bueno... los misterios de la humanidad y lo que hay detrás de ella.
Lo salvable son los datos históricos.
Pero bueno... los misterios de la humanidad y lo que hay detrás de ella.
Lo salvable son los datos históricos.
August 21, 2009
The Good Doctor employs his usual insight and erudition to describe the secular history behind each of the books of the New Testament.
July 16, 2022
Asimov’s non-fiction rarely disappoints. He takes a measured, historical approach to the Bible. Chock-full of fun facts, background, historical parallels, etymologies….Highly recommended.
March 21, 2016
Asimov has done his research. It makes for an interesting read.
Read
September 29, 2025Asimov wanted to prove that there is no God, and the Bible is complete deception and stupidity.
He proved that the Bible is a collection of myths based on real historical facts.
He proved that the Bible is a collection of myths based on real historical facts.
February 23, 2016
Dated book.
Read
April 23, 2018Guía de la Biblia es un libro publicado por Asimov dividido en dos volúmenes, el primero que comprende el Antiguo Testamento que fue publicado en 1967 y el segundo comprende el Nuevo Testamento publicado en 1969. Posteriormente, en 1981 se combinaron los dos publicándose un libro de 1300 páginas.En este libro Asimov analiza diferentes pasajes descritos en la Biblia desde el punto de vista histórico, tratando de establecer una relación, interpretación o explicación de lo que los escritores de la Biblia relatan frente a los hechos de los cuales existe información histórica.En los casos en los que no se cuenta con esta información, Asimov propone algunas conjeturas posibles. Por ejemplo, describe la ubicación probable de Edén en Mesopotamia, la causa probable de lo que se describió como el diluvio, etc. Escrito en el estilo característico de Asimov, este es un buen libro para las personas de mente abierta que gustan de buscar la verdad en base a los hechos disponibles y la razón.
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