Return to Sodom and Gomorrah: Bible Stories from Archaeologists [Hardcover]

Charles Pellegrino (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 1994

The author of Unearthing Atlantis chronicles the work of archaeologists, scientists, and theologians who have drawn on the stories of the Old Testament to uncover the sites of Sodom and Gomorrah. 25,000 first printing. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If the sinful biblical city of Sodom actually existed, asserts paleontologist Pellegrino, it represents a telescoping of oral traditions from diverse places; one likely site, he believes, is Mashkan-shapir, now buried under Iraqi sands, a city which was permanently abandoned by its inhabitants around 1896 B.C., and mapped by archeologists Elizabeth Stone and Paul Zimansky in A.D. 1990. In this colorful, entertaining, often highly speculative excursion, Pellegrino (Unearthing Atlantis) describes the 1988 discovery of a layer of ash in the Nile Delta, reportedly deposited by a global dust cloud from a volcanic explosion which destroyed the Aegean island of Thera in 1628 B.C. Pellegrino contends that the biblical account of the Israelites' enslavement and flight from Egypt represents multiple migrations; that one of the pharaohs during this period was a woman, Hatsheput; and that the parting of the Red Sea to facilitate the Jews' escape was actually a tsunami or tidal wave triggered by the Theran winds and dust cloud. His unsubstantiated theories may irk scientists and scholars but will intrigue general readers. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Self-described agnostic Pellegrino (Unearthing Atlantis, Random, 1993) here presents a broad synthesis of the views of chaoticians, geologists, physicists, Jesuits, geneticists, and rabbis with the findings of biblical archaeology in order to trace the spiritual and technological evolution of humanity from early primates through the Dead Sea Scrolls controversy. The result is a smoothly flowing, entertaining narrative for a popular audience, with a selected bibliography but no references to specific sources. All works synthesizing many fields inevitably contain oversimplifications and errors, such as that the Apostle Paul's writings were compiled "500 years" after his death and that Egyptian hieroglyphs represented "each word" by pictographs. Nevertheless, this work will provide a useful interpretation of world history from a thoroughly secular viewpoint for adult readers who follow the author's admonition to "think for themselves."-Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 386 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (September 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679400060
• ISBN-13: 978-0679400066
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,629,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Save your Cheetos, May 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Return to Sodom and Gomorrah: Bible Stories from Archaeologists (Hardcover)

In addition to very fascinating excursions to Mesopotamia, where the author sends a camera up in a kite to take photos of the scorched lines in the earth left over from what he suspects may by either Sodom or Gomorrah, and the profile of ancient Ninevah including a canal system inside the city walls, Pellegrino takes a moment to let us know that prior to the elimination of coconut oil as an ingredient, Twinkies would burn for 20 minutes, and were a great back up source of light for underground explorations. Now, he makes do with giant Cheetos, held with a tweezers, which will burn for maybe 10 minutes. I tried it, and it's true.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, informative, transporting., February 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Return to Sodom and Gomorrah: Bible Stories from Archaeologists (Hardcover)

With wit and humor Dr. Pellegrino and his companions today led me on the most stirring and provacative tour of my life. Places once disconnected in my mind's eye are now alive, and full of fascination for me: the straight, steady Nile River Valley and its sluggish culture; the now-you-see-them-now-you -don't peoples of the fertile plains of Mesopotamia; and the ancient ancestors, cousins over the centuries from Asia, Africa, and Europe, woven together in the Middle East. The Gulf War, its rising up and falling down, make sense to me now, historically if not humanly, as does the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and the cyclic nature of life. Thank you, Charles, for a most interesting and illuminating day.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CLEAR, OBJECTIVE, AND UNBIASED; a must for history lovers., January 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Return to Sodom and Gomorrah: Bible Stories from Archaeologists (Hardcover)

Dr. Pellegrino welded my eyes, and mind, to his fascinating archaeological journey thorough the Holy Land. I enjoyed reading a book where the author doesn't use religious bias. His knowledge of the Bible is extremely extensive, which combines with his archaeological expertise to produce a book that gives the reader a better understanding, in clearer terms, of the fascinating stories of the Bible. Read this book with an open mind, and read it again once you are done with it. For those who are non-practicing Christians (like me), this book is an excellent companion guide to the Holy Scriptures. Once your mind is saturated in its informative content, you'll want to recomend it to the rest of your friends and family, and just about anyone else you meet from that day on. --Andrés Goyanes--