Cracking the Bible Code [Paperback]

Jeffrey Satinover (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 1998

The recent scientific discovery that precise descriptions of world-shaking events seem to be encoded into the first five books of the Bible has captured the world's attention. No one in ancient times could have had such knowledge - from what grew in the Garden of Eden to details of the Gulf War and much more. But if no individual put the codes there, who did? If the codes are proved to be genuine - and as yet some of today's greatest scientific minds have been unable to disprove them - they would be tantamount to scientific proof of the existence of God. Cracking the Bible Code is the first accurate and fully documented account of the codes - a story far more rich, strange, and stunning than has yet been told. Dr. Jeffrey Satinover uncovers the codes' fascinating past, counters recent sensational and inaccurate representations of the codes, explains the current heated debate about their authenticity, and clarifies their profound implications for our view of God, faith, and fate.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A readable, responsible book on a profoundly important subject."--"Michael Medved, author and film critic[Cracking the Bible Code] reads like a detective story."--"Publishers Weekly""A deeply moving account of mankind's quest to reconcile the certainty of faith with the demands of science, "---Rabbi Daniel Lapin, president of Toward Tradition and of Cascadia Business Institute;

About the Author

Jeffrey Satinover, M.D., is a psychiatrist with degrees from MIT and Harvard and is studying physics at Yale. He writes and lectures on the interface between science and religion. Dr. Satinover lives with his family in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; First Quill Edition, 1998 edition (June 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068815994X
• ISBN-13: 978-0688159948
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #701,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Elegant, Powerful Book: Cracking The Bible Code, June 7, 2001

By 

Scott Konecky (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking the Bible Code (Paperback)

There have been several recent books concerning the potentially life-altering phenomenon, The Bible Code. The most widely known text, by Michael Drosnin, seems to be a highly drawn upon source of information. This is unfortunate, as it is written with such narrow scope and understanding, it leaves one feeling as if he has just stepped out of a $60 million special effects picture, entertained but not enlightened, not inspired. Cracking The Bible Code by Jeffrey Satinover, on the other hand, is written with the care and skill deserving of such complex and subtle material. A wonderfully thought out book that certainly explains the codes and their mind boggling implications, but also goes a step deeper, using a devastating combination of history and hard science relating to the math behind the codes, as well as the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and the Jews themselves. A very passionate mix. There is no doubt Satinover is sympathetic to the cause... However, unlike the aforementioned "pop" text by Drosnin, Cracking the Bible Code attempts (and succeeds) to do nothing more than this: Provide enough framework to warrant further exploration into the legitimacy of the Codes. This exploration would be intended not to "see into the future" as Drosnin strongly suggests, but rather to reveal an undeniable watermark: God's authorship. Religious or not, Jewish or not, this is powerful stuff.

121 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightened treatment of a lightning topic., October 13, 1997

By 

John M. Lowe (Knoxville, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cracking the Bible Code (Hardcover)

QUESTION: Which one of the following terms describes people's reactions to the discovery of the Bible codes? Amazing, astonishing, incredulous, questionable, impossible, puzzling, stunning, astounding, baffling, weird, implausible, curious, exciting. ANSWER: All of the above. Incidentally, these same words could be used to describe the reactions of people to miraculous happenings in Bible times, both Old Testament and New Testament. QUESTION: Which one of the following words describes the contents of Dr. Satinover's new book, Cracking the Bible Code? Mystical, psychological, statistical, philosophical, archaeological, technical, autobiographical, probable, theological, anecdotal, historical, fuzzy. ANSWER: All of the above. QUESTION: How would you compare and contrast the books by Michael Drosnin (The Bible Code) and Jeffrey Satinover (Cracking the Bible Code)? ANSWER: In comparison, (1) both authors think the Bible code is real. (2) Both men have helpful Jewish roots and connections. (3) Both are gifted writers. (4) Both aimed their books at a general readership. (5) Both ignore or discount the research of Christian codes' enthusiasts. (6) Both think that only the surface has been scratched by current scientific research and that there is more to come, particularly from the disciplines of quantum physics and quantum cryptology. In contrast, (1) Drosnin's book is sensational, the work of a journalist; Satinover's book is reasonable, the work of a scientist. (2) Drosnin says Bible codes are like crossword puzzles; Satinover says they are like cryptograms. (3) Paradoxically, Drosnin is both secular and Biblically apocalyptic; Satinover is both religious and scientifically restrained. (4) I had to keep my Bible concordance at hand while reading Drosnin; I had to keep my Webster's dictionary at hand while reading Satinover. (5) Drosnin preaches, prophesies, and warns; Satinover teaches, explains, and enlightens. (6) Drosnin says that Bible codes are not God's doing; Satinover says that Bible codes are a divine fingerprint, God's watermark, on the Torah scrolls.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A detailed, and thorough book, February 16, 2005

By 

A. Hernandez (Vancouver Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking the Bible Code (Paperback)

Dr. Satinover must be commended on assembling all the background and technical information on this topic that a lay reader could possibly want. In fact, some of the technical explanations of probability theory made for fairly boring reading. Having made this criticism, I would hasten to add that this should not deter anyone, with an honest interest in this topic, from reading this book. It is the best explanation of the Bible Code phenomenon I have so far come across, both in print and on-line. The historical account of jewish belief in a hidden code in the Torah adds a unique dimension to this book, and seems to add credibility to the "modern" discovery of the Bible Codes. Hopefully, after reading this book, you will conclude that the existence of the codes is not something to be immediately dismissed out of hand, but likewise is not a sensationalistic new crystal ball. There was one critical piece of information I found in this book. Dr. Satinover does not avoid the challenge of critics who have found "codes" hidden in for example Moby Dick. He very carefully examines these challenges, and draws a distinction between such random results, and the results obtained in the Torah. Probability theory shows the huge significant difference between the chances of such random codes occurring, and what appears to be the extremely high odds against the number and length of the Torah codes. I also appreciated that Dr. Satinover made it clear that the Torah codes cannot be used for fortune telling. If you are open minded about this topic, and looking for information to help you evaluate the Bible code phenomenon, this is the jackpot.