The Big Book of Bible Difficulties: Clear and Concise Answers from Genesis to Revelation [Paperback]

Norman L. Geisler (Author), Thomas Howe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2008

This comprehensive volume offers readers clear and concise answers to every major Bible difficulty from Genesis to Revelation, staunchly defending the authority and inspiration of Scripture. Written in a problem/solution format, the book covers over 800 questions that critics and doubters raise about the Bible. Three extensive indices--topical, Scripture, and unorthodox doctrines--offer quick and easy access to specific areas of interest.
Multipurpose in scope and user-friendly in format, The Big Book of Bible Difficulties offers the resources of five books in one:
• a critical commentary on the whole Bible
• an apologetics text
• a Bible difficulties reference
• a theology manual treating important doctrines
• a handbook on verses misused by cults

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your most difficult Bible questions--answered.

The Bible is full of difficult passages that are hard for believers to understand, let alone those who doubt Scripture. Where can you turn for solid answers on the thorny and complex parts of God's Word?

This comprehensive volume offers clear and concise answers to every major Bible difficulty from Genesis to Revelation, staunchly defending the authority and inspiration of Scripture. Written in a problem/solution format, the book covers over eight hundred questions that critics and doubters raise about the Bible. Three extensive indexes--topical, Scripture, and unorthodox doctrines--offer quick and easy access to the answers you need.

Multipurpose in scope and user-friendly in format, The Big Book of Bible Difficulties offers the resources of five books in one:

•a critical commentary on the whole Bible
•an apologetics text
•a Bible difficulties reference
•a theology manual treating important doctrines
•a handbook on verses misused by cults

Norman L. Geisler is cofounder and former dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary. He is the author of more than seventy books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics.

Thomas Howe is professor of Bible and biblical languages and director of apologetics at the Southern Evangelical Seminary and Bible College.

About the Author

Norman L. Geisler (PhD, Loyola University of Chicago) has taught at top evangelical schools for over fifty years and is distinguished professor of apologetics and theology at Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Murrieta, California. He is the author of more than seventy books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics.

Thomas Howe (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of Bible and biblical languages and director of apologetics at the Southern Evangelical Seminary and Bible College in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801071585
• ISBN-13: 978-0801071584
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 1.6 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Professor of Bible and Biblical Languages at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Matthews, North Carolina. A professor for 25 years. Ph.D. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Languages include Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Latin, Aramaic, and some English. Wife Patricia S. Howe. Three children and nine grandchildren.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful study aid July 20, 2008

By Hobgoblin VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I've sometimes bought a commentary or other book just to get insight into a single passage. This book tackles many of the more difficult in a single book. What I like here is that you aren't just given the opinions of the authors, but will sometimes see other solutions they may not agree with. So you don't always feel like you're being force fed the authors position but instead given pertinent information to digest for yourself. With a page or less devoted to most passages you're not going to get in depth exegesis here, but you will find decisive insight that often clears things up. You can dig deeper elsewhere if necessary.

5 stars for being a handy study aid.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great from Genesis to Revelation April 25, 2011

By Cornell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe do a great job helping us all figure out the difficulties. It was a great idea to mix up a philosopher with a bible professor. There aren't that many books on this subject, and I've heard good things about Geisler so I choose him over Ron Rhodes and a few others who had also written books on this subject. I'd have to say I made the right choice here.

Genesis starts off with the basics, such as the who married Cain and so forth. Geisler and Howe get to the very bottom of everything and I am amazing on how they use their references in other parts of the bible to back up their claims. This book will sharpen your skills in regards to coming up with an exegesis for those tough questions. At first look people will see a "supposed" contradiction, but when you actually do some studying on it, you find out why the specific scripture or passage is what it is, and in the end how the scripture makes more sense after you read it again and compare with another part of the bible.

This book can be read at the Beginner or Intermediate level of apologetics, or you can simply use this to learn more about the bible itself. Perhaps you will come up with a different interpretation this time.

I highly recommend this, as a must have for this subject.

59 of 78 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Misled : ( June 12, 2008

By Angel

Format:Paperback

I have not read enough of this book to give a fair opinion on it. I will say though, I bought this book thinking that it was a brand new Q/A book about bible difficulties and it ended up not being such. This book is a republication of an older book titled, When the critics ask, a popular hand book on bible difficulties by Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe - published in 1992. I checked and compared both books and it had the same information. (UPDATE: another reviewer wrote down that there are 12 new entries that weren't found in the older book that I'm referring to). The book does say on one of the beginning pages that it's a republication of the other book I mentioned but I felt misled because there was no way for me to check that on Amazon.com and the book was passed off as if it's brand new and not a republication. I was looking for a Q/A and commentary bible difficulties book that would present current issues that skeptics are using to discredit the bible, like about the stories of Jesus being a copy of other ancient myths, etc.

Maybe there's not that many newer criticisms of the bible or ones that are that different from the older criticisms but I still would rather look for more up-to-date book on objections to the Bible.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A useful book for bible study apologetics, less so if you're non-Protestant June 23, 2012

By Kurgan

Format:Paperback

This book pretty much assumes the reader accepts the Bible as the inspired word of God, or is hoping to find support for that belief in this apologetic tome. It attempts to answer common objections that are made that the Bible "contradicts itself" which often comes up in conversations between Christians and non-Christians. Therefore it seeks to be an apologetic resource for those wishing to defend the integrity of the Bible (and to the wider strategy of supporting the doctrine of "inerrancy" that the Bible, being an inspired text, is without error). It cannot possibly answer all objections one could imagine, but does deal with many of them, and it is not the only major book out there to do so (Gleason Archer's Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties is famous for having the same goal).

I recommended this book to some students of mine to help supplement their research (if they chose) on Old Testament books. On the other hand, I feel that the writer is often very fair-minded when dealing with differences between Protestant interpretations of different passages, normalizing these disagreements as options when one is reading the Biblical books. However, when it comes to something "Roman Catholics" say about a passage, the author(s) immediately attack that difference and do not present it as a possible option. So the Catholic reader may find themselves arguing with the writers of this book, since their beliefs are never given the option of being right, while differing Protestant views are usually treated much more charitably.... And extensive works HAVE been written addressing the types of criticisms of Catholic biblical interpretation given by the writers (such as the rather amusing claim that the Catholic Church "added the Apocrypha" to the Bible at the Council of Trent to spite Luther and the Reformers, as if there was a clear consensus of what "The Bible" was before the Reformation, which the Church sought to suddenly change after the fact; the authors also misread 2 Esdras 7:105 to say that prayers for the dead are forbidden by this book and this proves that the RCC was being arbitrary in "adding books to the bible" to support their doctrine when the book clearly speaks against such prayers ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT, that is, at the end of the world, not on the day any individual person dies while the rest of us are still alive on earth, additionally this book is accepted by many in the Eastern Orthodox Church, who nevertheless freely follow the same practice as Catholics in prayers for the dead. The argument that the belief in "purgatory" is an "insult" to the "sufficiency" of Christ's sacrifice on the cross is of course from their point of view only. One might argue that it is an "insult" to the sufficiency to say that anyone Christ died for would end up in hell--yet the authors do not therefore declare the strict Calvinist viewpoint to be the only correct one. Nor do they see an "insult" to the sufficiency in the individual Christian needing to repent of their sins--even after their conversion--and continuing to need to do good works and maintain their faith throughout their life. So some of these arguments may frustrate or alienate readers who are familiar with the history of the Protestant-Catholic debate).

Despite this weakness, I would consider this a helpful book, even in the age of the internet, for reference on how evangelical Protestants respond to claims of "contradictions" in the Bible. Some of the material is more universal amongst Christians who consider the Bible to be Sacred Scripture, but some of it is needlessly sectarian as mentioned. Again, I would not recommend this book as a sole guide or final word on the subject of biblical interpretation, but it is one helpful resource to be in one's library, though much of the same type of information is also available in electronic format for free online. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful October 7, 2009

By T. Chapman

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have had this product for a few weeks and find it very helpful covering difficult questions on the Bible. You are given answers and Scripture verses to back up the answers. This is a great tool to use but the best place to find answers is the Bible itself. I still would recommend this book to anyone needing help with tough questions.