An often compelling look at Judeo-Christian chronology.
Debut author, Dodge, a former U.S. Navy captain and Sunday school teacher, offers a thorough timeline of biblical history.
This assessment of the chronology of Scripture draws upon established sources as well as the author’s own research. He begins with the already well-documented timetable of the Old Testament, beginning with Creation and running through the ages of the Patriarchs, and then through the kings of Judah and Israel. Once he reaches the period from the Decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem (in 444 B.C.E.) to the birth of Jesus Christ, Dodge finds difficulties in established theories, which he then addresses. Later, he discusses the date of the birth of Christ, affirming the notion that the Star of Bethlehem was an extraordinarily close convergence of Venus and Jupiter occurring on June 17 of the year 2 B.C.E. After establishing this, Dodge begins the task of estimating a date for Jesus’ prophesized return. Using the establishment of modern Israel in 1948 as a baseline, he uses scriptural sources to predict that the rapture will occur within the lifetime of those who were born around the time of that event—therefore, soon. Three “absolute dates” that were not discernable until modern times, he says, have made such calculations possible—the date of the division of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah (930 B.C.E.); the aforementioned date of Jesus’ birth; and that of Israeli statehood. Overall, Dodge’s work is brief—just over 100 pages in length—yet complex and overarching. There are some arcane moments, however, which will likely leave the majority of readers a bit baffled. For instance, the author takes particular issue with the findings of the Scottish police commissioner and theologian Sir Robert Anderson (1841-1918) regarding the date of Jesus’ birth in a section that will perhaps be the most difficult one for lay readers; in it, Dodge delves into the intricacies of the Hebrew calendar and of the prophecies in the book of Daniel. However, the majority of his work is accessible and highly intriguing.
An often compelling look at Judeo-Christian chronology.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-973643-60-9
Page Count: 126
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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