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The Bible
- A Biography: Books That Changed the World
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
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Publisher's summary
In this seminal account, acclaimed historian Karen Armstrong discusses the conception, gestation, and life of history's most powerful book. Armstrong analyzes the social and political situation in which oral history turned into written scripture, how this all-pervasive scripture was collected into one work, and how it became accepted as Christianity's sacred text. She explores how scripture came to be read for information and how, in the 19th century, historical criticism of the Bible caused greater fear than Darwinism.
The Bible: A Biography is a brilliant, captivating book, crucial in an age of declining faith and rising fundamentalism.
Critic reviews
"Groundbreaking....Armstrong shows a depth of insight and transparent understanding of complex theological issues....[She is] simply one of the best writers ever on religion." ( Library Journal)
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By: Karen Armstrong
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The Qur'an
- A Biography: Books That Changed the World
- By: Bruce Lawrence
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Few books in history have been as poorly understood as the Qur'an. In this audiobook, the distinguished historian of religion Bruce Lawrence shows precisely how the Qur'an is Islam. He describes the origins of the faith and assesses its influence on today's societies and politics. Above all, he emphasizes that the Qur'an is a sacred book of signs that has no single message. It is a book that demands interpretation and one that can be properly understood only through its history.
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Not quite enough
- By Leigh A on 06-27-07
By: Bruce Lawrence
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David Lynch
- The Man from Another Place (Icons)
- By: Dennis Lim
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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At once a pop culture icon, cult figure, and film industry outsider, master filmmaker David Lynch and his work defy easy definition. Dredged from his subconscious mind, Lynch's work is primed to act on our own subconscious, combining heightened, contradictory emotions into something familiar but inscrutable. No less than his art, Lynch's life also evades simple categorization, encompassing pursuits as a musician, painter, photographer, carpenter, entrepreneur, and vocal proponent of Transcendental Meditation.
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Essential listening for Lunch fans
- By Michael P. Mesaros on 08-14-18
By: Dennis Lim
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Muhammad
- A Prophet for Our Time
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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From the best-selling author of Islam: A Short History comes an important addition to the Eminent Lives book series. A former Roman Catholic nun and winner of a Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award, Karen Armstrong shows how Muhammad's life can teach us a great deal about our world. More is known about Muhammad than any other major religion founder, yet he remains mysterious.
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down to the man
- By David S. on 05-10-12
By: Karen Armstrong
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Islam
- A Short History [Modern Library Chronicles]
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling author and renowned religious scholar Karen Armstrong presents a concise and articulate history of Islam, the world's fastest-growing faith. Beginning with the Prophet Muhammad's flight from Medina and concluding with an examination of modern Islamic practices and concerns, Armstrong delivers an unbiased overview. She contends that no religion is more feared and misunderstood by the Western world as Islam, and firmly challenges the notion that these two civilizations are on a collision course.
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Read the Book, pass on the audible!
- By J********** on 08-21-06
By: Karen Armstrong
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A History of the Bible
- The Story of the World's Most Influential Book
- By: John Barton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 21 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be listened to in its historical context - from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries....
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Engaging and comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 07-29-19
By: John Barton
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Beyond Belief
- The Secret Gospel of Thomas
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Spurred by personal tragedy, Elaine Pagels turns to a consideration of the Gnostic Gospels, in particular, the Gospel of Thomas. As opposed to the Gospel of John, which asserted that Jesus was an eternally existing aspect of God who came to earth to save humankind, the "secret" Gospel of Thomas agrees that Jesus was in some sense divine, but says that a streak of divinity can be found in all of us.
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Gospel of Thomas is somewhat a misnomer
- By Buford on 06-08-04
By: Elaine Pagels
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Religions of the World
- Judaism, Taoism, Christianity, Primal Religions, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, Hinduism
- By: Huston Smith
- Narrated by: Huston Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Original Recording
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With Huston Smith as your personal guide, you will examine the defining perspectives within the world's central religions - the teachings that have touched his own life directly - and learn how these traditions differ while retaining a common interior language that speaks to our highest aspirations. Religions of the World looks beyond information, beyond doctrine and dogma, into the wisdom at the very heart of these great traditions.
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Audio bad and not even the right book.
- By Ellie on 09-17-17
By: Huston Smith
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Zealot
- The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
- By: Reza Aslan
- Narrated by: Reza Aslan
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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From the internationally bestselling author of No god but God comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth. Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor.
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Vivid and well-researched
- By Tad Davis on 07-21-13
By: Reza Aslan
What listeners say about The Bible
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rev. Nicholas Pathenos
- 11-30-21
A MUST read
Chapter 8 and 9 are essential reads.
I would only hope that more people would not only read these chapters, but also take time to contemplate and promulgate the message
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- Dan
- 04-15-14
Expanded my perspective and compassion
Any additional comments?
Having grown up in a secular household which merely went through the motions of Christian holidays, I have only exposed myself to the Bible in small ways over the years, reading passages here and there and treating it like any other sacred text - a book that has more significance for other people than myself.
I assumed that the Bible had a rich and complex history, but I was not prepared for what I read in this book, and I emerged from it with a new perspective, and perhaps most importantly, a new found compassion and respect for Christianity.
Modern Christianity's focus on the literal interpretation of the Bible as a historical, factual document has always been one of my main reasons for avoiding that faith and its most ardent followers.
I did not know that the literal interpretation was a relatively recent phenomenon, and read with great interest the passages about mystical and allegorical traditions and how they changed over time. I have found inspiration in Bible stories - as allegories - over the years, and was pleased to read that some still consider the text useful to that end.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Shay
- 03-05-22
Enlightening
I was drawn to this book after hearing an interview with Karen Armstrong on a radio show. The book she was interviewed was not available but I decided to listen to this one instead. I took concentration and a few rewinds but I got through it. I found it to be a mix in Theology, archology, philosophy, history and more fact than I will ever remember. But above all, I found it hugely enlightening. I am better informed afterwards but I am also in awe of the vast amount of work that must have been put into this book not just by Karen Armstrong but hundreds if not thousands of people over many generations.
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- Dagmara Arents
- 11-28-15
Well researched, well narrated
The book contains a wealth of historical information, and is well written. Like any book of its kind, it needs to read more than once. I plan on getting either printed or a digital version so I can fully absorb and highlight it, and make notes, as is my habit when reading a text, which is as thought provoking as this. But first I want to read more of this author. I believe her books should be read by anyone who is searching for the meaning of religion in today's turbulent times, where religion is once again used as a basis to condemn people for their proclaimed beliefs, behaviors and traditions.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Tad Davis
- 11-14-19
Brisk and informative
In its general scope, this book resembles John Barton’s recent History of the Bible. Both are readable and richly detailed. But where Barton’s book adopts a more analytical tone, Armstrong focuses on the story: she has a flair for compressed dramatic narrative. Her first chapter in particular gives a fast-moving account that combines the history of the early Hebrews with the story of how the scriptures came to be.
Some of the details are surprising, but the account is engaging and persuasive. Her description of the context and reasoning that led from Torah to Talmud is fascinating. A particularly effective section traces the effect of the Enlightenment on Bible study for both Jewish and Christians, and the counter-currents of Hasidism, Christian fundamentalism, and the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. (That last is, as Armstrong correctly points out, a relatively new development.) In the wake of these changes, yeshivas and Christian Bible colleges began spreading; Zionism paradoxically joined hands with an antisemitic form of Christianity that sees the state of Israel as a key moment leading to the Rapture and the Tribulation.
There is an ongoing struggle, she says, between faith in the Book and the “nihilistic ruthlessness at the heart of modern culture.” Human beings have finally developed the technology to bring about the Apocalypse so many fundamentalists expect.
I wouldn't suggest this as an alternative to Barton’s book, which is fuller and more carefully reasoned. But it could jump-start someone’s interest in the subject.
Josephine Bailey gives a lively reading of the book.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Mariana
- 07-31-12
Very interesting history
Would you consider the audio edition of The Bible to be better than the print version?
No
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
I don't think this book would make a movie.
Any additional comments?
The audio was very good. The book has many details that I think would be worth reading, but I learned a lot from this oral presentation. I think Karen Armstrong is a great historian, a great writer and great thinker. I've read some of her books and I think they open many doors to important knowledge that all human beings should have in order to have a better understanding of the meaning of religion and God that we are in urgency to posses to reevaluate our realtionship as human beings. I very much recomend this and all of Armstrong's books.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Intazaar
- 02-27-18
loved it
a detailed and accurate account of the birth and the journey of the biggest text of our time
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- M. Nora
- 10-12-15
Tiresome performance great book
What did you love best about The Bible?
I was surprised about how little I knew about the origins of the bible
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bible?
How the threads of the story got weaved
What didn’t you like about Josephine Bailey’s performance?
Too fast for listening to an audiobook. Could hardly follow it.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The name Yaweh... Made me jump every time. Unbeatable. Loved it.
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-18-19
Good Stuff
This is the 7th book that I've read by Armstrong. It happens to be my least favorite so far, but her genius is evident and consistent. Most of her work stands firmly on its own, but "The Bible: a Biography" is best understood collectively with the whole of her publications. There is simply too much to cover and this book is shorter than most of her other stuff by a third. That said I understand lower ratings by people who aren't familiar with her. It's both too detailed and yet too brief. My advice is to first read any of her other work before you tackle this one. You will find some of that connective tissue in place that will help you navigate the details and connect the dots to a larger, global perspective.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Marcus
- 04-08-19
The Formation of the Bible
This short book provides excellent informations about the Bible, its formation process and its diverse exegesis. Karen Armstrong tells the history behind the cannon of the Scripture and the judaic tradition in interpreting the Hebrew Bible. Advancing a pluralistic (liberal) approach of the sacred texts, the author makes a strong case for a biblical understanding that considers both its historical context and modern claims of relevance. One will profit immensely reading (or listening to) this work.
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