It is easy to find ourselves lost among the centuries – millennia, even – of info on the history of mankind through the words of the prophets, disciples, and witnesses of the biblical events. It is not only the sheer quantity of names, places, kings, and queens that make us struggle; the very words in which the Bible was written can make the Word of God less accessible to the modern era.
What a graceful joy it was, then, to find this guide for research of the Holy Book! The Bible and Beyond: A Connection to Related Media is a guide to read and understand the Bible that simply cannot get enough praise.
Author Judith Marie Judy is not a preacher or ideologist of a specific way to interpret the Bible; she once observed that there were no real good guides that could elucidate what were all the locations, individuals, nations, and events that a thoughtful reading of the Bible requires – and then set her mind to make a detailed research and compile it all in her book.
This book can be thought of as a glossary (it is an actual tool provided in the latter pages), a dictionary of Hebrew expressions found in the text, an atlas and encyclopedia with detailed descriptions of places from Mesopotamia and all the surrounding cultures and religions, and the definitive reference to all that you can ever need to know when reading the Word. It goes as far as reflecting on the rise of Judaism, the expansion of Christianity, and a look at the Holy Land today.
An excellent companion tome that isn’t aimed at scholars, but at everyone who wants a deeper connection and understanding of the Bible, The Bible and Beyond: A Connection to Related Media is the perfect gift to all looking for the historical background of Judaism and Christianity.
– The Moving Words Review
Official Entry: The Most Moving Book Award, Jan. 3, 2022
About the Author
Thoughts of God have been with me since a very young age. As a child, I remember feeling comforted while sitting beside my father during church services. My life progressed and at the age of thirty-five, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Metropolitan State College in Denver and became a reading teacher. Written words have long been my guide to other times and places. Studies at the University of Colorado led to advanced degrees. Following retirement from Denver Public Schools, I taught at Denver Community College and the University of New Mexico in Taos. Over the years, I developed and taught courses focusing on Southwest Culture for Adams State College, which took me to Taos in the summers. Then, while living there, I self-published an eleven generational biographical account of a local family: Life on Torrez Road A Northern New Mexico Family History. Later, I compiled and printed Family Recipes Mirrored in History for my family. Volunteer work included helping a beginning library and years as a church treasurer. Finally, I dedicated my time to write about the Word of God. With gratitude, I acknowledge the Divine Source and the power and love which has sustained me always.