The Unholy in Holy Scripture: The Dark Side of the Bible [Paperback]

Gerd Ludemann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997

The Bible is the most widely read and translated book in the world, and its influence is immeasurable. Nonetheless, according to Gerd Ludemann, its use by Christians is highly selective. Ludemann asks, what about those parts of the Bible that contain God's command to exterminate entire peoples or those texts which demonize other faiths? He focuses first on the practice of Holy War and then on the anti-Judaism of New Testament writings. He also tackles the question of how, given this destructive side of Scripture, we can continue to be Christians. In response, he points to the person of Jesus and his example.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

About the Author

Gerd Ludemann is Professor of New Testament at the University of Gottingen in Germany and Director of the Institute of Early Christian Studies. He taught for several years at Vanderbilt Divinity School and has authored several works of New Testament scholarship, including What Really Happened to Jesus: A Historical Approach to the Resurrection.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664257399
• ISBN-13: 978-0664257392
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,566,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Oppurtunity to Rethink Your Understanding of the Bible, January 6, 2002

By 

Bradley P. Rich (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Unholy in Holy Scripture: The Dark Side of the Bible (Paperback)

It is true that there are a number of texts that catalog scandalous events recorded in the Bible. ( The Encyclopedia of Bible Errancy by McKinsey, The Bible Handbook by The American Atheists, The Bible According to Mark Twain, The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine, as well as the wonderful stuff by Robert Ingersoll) It is also true that showing inconsistency and immorality in the Bible is not a particularly difficult task. It may also be a fool's errand since believers are unlikely to be swayed, and non-believers already recognize the brutality and immorality frequently portrayed in the Old Testament.

Nevertheless, I recommend this book for two reasons: Ludemann describes the scholarly methodology that allows passages to be understood in context and his analysis of anti-semitism in the New Testament. His discussion of anti-Judaism in the Gospels was new to me and very enlightening. Note that Ludemann spends some time discussing Martin Luther and is discussing Luther's translation, rather than the King James or other English translation.

Well worth reading along side the other works that I have listed above.

12 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars THe dark side of Ludemann, July 15, 2002

By 

matt smyth (Lyon, FRANCE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unholy in Holy Scripture: The Dark Side of the Bible (Paperback)

At first point, it seemed to be a good idea. But after a few pages it becomes quite clear that Ludemann's opus is a comlete failure. Bad anti-apologetics which is just as poor, ideological and biased, as the narrowest minded old apologetic. The worst bit is the part about NT. To make a long story short, here is an example of Ludemann's type of "reasoning": he just lines up a sample of antijewish polemic out of the NT (ignoring completely the context), puts it along with some nasty bits by Eusebius and Luther, and here we go. And this man (who, nervetheless, did some good job in the past) pretends to be a serious historian! Obviousely the poor man is undergoing deep psychological problems. One more ageing teenager desperatly trying to "kill the father"... What a pity.