Beasts of the Field: The Revealing Natural History of Animals in the Bible

by Michael Bright

Did the whale swallow Jonah, or could the culprit have been a great white shark? What kind of animals were Leviathan and Behemoth? What sort of lions confronted Daniel in the Den, and from where did they originate? Did the great plagues of Egypt really happen? Why are animals classified as “clean” and “unclean?” And why are mythical beasts—like unicorns, satyrs, and cocatrices—mentioned in the Bible? Beasts of the Field answers all these questions, and many more, about the birds, bees, and beasts that inhabit the extraordinarily varied landscape of the Levant. An award-winning wildlife filmmaker and biologist, Michael Bright is a senior producer with the BBC’s world-renowned Natural History Unit.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative. I learned a lot!

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out promising but quickly got bogged down by the author just listing animal after animal after animal and what little looking into their historical context within both the bible and the world that did happen just got lost in the aforementioned listing.

I did learn a few things about animals in the Middle East so I don't feel it was a waste of time to read, it just wasn't as interesting or engaging a read as I was hoping for.