The Origins of Christianity & the Bible [Paperback]

Andrew D. Benson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Prudential Pub Co (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929372019
• ISBN-13: 978-1929372010
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,513,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book Available About Christianity's True Origins, September 2, 2001

By 

John P. Kesler "John Kesler" (Charleston, West Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Origins of Christianity & the Bible (Paperback)

There are many books that have been written about Christianity and the Bible, but Andrew D. Benson's *The Origins of Christianity and the Bible* is hands down the best I have read. The big difference between other books and Benson's is that this one backs up everything it says with proof in the form of ancient quotations, authoritative sources or the Bible itself. The author's strategy is simple: provide tremendous amounts of information without attacking anyone's beliefs and let the conclusions take care of themselves. And the only conclusion that one can rationally draw after reading this book is that the Bible, far from being the "inspired, inerrant word of God," is a book that reflects the attitudes, opinions, prejudices, and yes, the God, of its authors. Benson shows comparisons between ancient Canaanite writings about the God El (a word which is translated "God" over 200 times in the Hebrew Bible-Strong's number 410) and the Bible's descriptions of the Hebrew God Yahweh ("the LORD" in most English Bibles). Benson also demonstrates how New Testament authors took Old Testament passages out of context to further their agendas. And rather than just pointing out Bible contradictions, Benson explains why the contradictions occur-e.g. because of editing or differing oral traditions. Every serious student of the Bible-from Christians and Jews to atheists and agnostics-should own this book. Quite simply, it is the best available.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, thorough, excellent, September 6, 2001

By 

Steven Conifer (Hurricane, WV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origins of Christianity & the Bible (Paperback)

ORIGINS is extremely well-researched and thoroughly documented, perhaps the most accessible and in-depth study of Scripture available. It is a delight to read and an excellent reference that anyone interested in Christian theology ought to have in his/her personal library. I highly recommend this book. I should like to have written it myself.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What can I add to the other reviews, they say it all, March 8, 2006

By 

Lee Salisbury (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origins of Christianity & the Bible (Paperback)

Benson's book exemplifies thorough unbiased research. The 2,577 footnotes referencing 175 scholarly works demonstrates the incomparable extent of this research. It should be a MUST READ for those interested in The Origins of Christianity and the Bible. It is one of my most trusted reference sources because the author has no religious or denominational axe to grind. He simply lays out the facts with an abundance of footnoted references from reputable Christian and non-Christian scholarly resources. As a former evangelical preacher, bible school teacher and Christian conference speaker I will tell you Benson opens profound new perspectives necessarily obscured or avoided in bible schools and seminaries.