Old Testament Audio Blog

The Year of Living Biblically - Review

A little over a week ago I blogged that I had downloaded The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs with one of my June Audible.com credits. And, I have to say that it is one of the best books that I have read recently. It is an honest attempt by a person who considered himself an agnostic to live the Bible as literally as possible for one year. In the process he reveals both the loftiest aspects of religious of belief and also the dangers. The author is witty and honest, especially about his own shortcomings (one of the best features of the audiobook version is that it is read by the author himself). Read More...

Earworms Rapid Language Courses

After just finishing a couple of audiobooks, I decided this morning to begin a bit more language learning instead of another book. So, I started listening to the Earworms Rapid Language Course entitled Rapid Greek Vol. 1, which I had downloaded some time ago. And, I must say that Earworms is one of the best language learning audio resources that I have come across in a long time. Read More...

The Gnostic Gospels

This past weekend I just finished listening to The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels and wanted to write a brief review. My overall impression of the book was that it was a bit disappointing. My area of expertise is Biblical Hebrew language and Old Testament; however, I have always wanted to delve a bit more into Gnosticism. I had read some about Gnosticism in my New Testament courses, but felt as though I had barely scratched the surface. Read More...

The Bible: A Biography (Review)

This past week I listened to Karen Armstrong's The Bible: A Biography in audiobook format. And, I must say, I'm not sure if I have ever read a more poorly titled book. Overall, the information in the book was okay; however, there was a glaring issue that I simply could not get past. It was the lack of specificity in Armstrong's use of the phrase "the Bible," which could be extended to a lack of specificity in terminology in general. Certainly, this text was intended for a general audience; however, I do not think this problem stems from trying to make matters accessible. Read More...