Contemplative biblical tales with rough-hewn drawings for readers young and old.
An updated, fully illustrated guide to biblical parables that distills a wide range of perplexing morals.
Schenck (Priests and Warriors, 2013, etc.) translated parables from Koine Greek for the first edition of this book in 1990 and he’s enhanced these biblical stories with full-color illustrations for this 25th anniversary edition. Each story, often only a page or two long, offers a succinct parable with a spiritual lesson. Many supply straightforward advice that may be interpreted in religious and secular ways; for example, the parable of the 10 virgins in the Book of Matthew teaches that one should always be prepared because one knows “neither the day—nor the hour” that things may happen, including passage into heaven. An appendix provides a glossary of terms from the original Greek, such as “korkous” (a unit of measure) and “talent” (a type of coin). The final section offers an overview of Schenck’s previous works, including his in-depth analysis of the Gnostic Gospels. God, as depicted in these biblical parables, oscillates between anger and reassurance, smiting or soothing his people as they attempt to live according to his ways. A few recognizable parables give well-known stories new emotional depth, such as the tale of the prodigal son that ends with a bold confrontation between a father and his elder child who stayed at home. Other parables address topics fit for ethical debate, such as the implications of equally forgiving debtors who owe vastly different amounts. Although each story ends with a moral, their ambiguity leaves much room for philosophizing. At one point, for example, God casts out a useless slave for lacking faith that God will help him make money. The unclear resolution (“for everyone who has, more will be given...he who does not have, even that which he does have, will also be taken from him”) may cause readers to wonder about the cause of God’s anger. The enlarged text also features hand-drawn illustrations that call to mind coloring book depictions. Overall, these fablelike stories may serve as an introduction for young readers to biblical lessons or as an aid to spiritual rumination for older ones.
Contemplative biblical tales with rough-hewn drawings for readers young and old.Pub Date: April 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-1511564632
Page Count: 260
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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