October 2003

Contents of this issue:
- Review of Bruce Feiler's book, "Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths"
- Learn about Rahab at www.BibleWise.com
- Generous offer for Berenice Shotwell's book, "Getting Better Acquainted with Your Bible"
- Bible workshops in Montclair, New Jersey and London, England
- A new street address for Bible Teaching Press

Dear Readers,

A friend loaned me Bruce Feiler's book, "Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths" this summer, and I enjoyed reading it. The bestselling author is a young man who writes for the New York Times. Feiler is Jewish, but he explores Abraham from the Christian and Muslim perspectives as well as the Jewish.

This is a book aimed at the general reading public, and it presumes no previous knowledge of the patriarch revered by half the world. In other words, much of book covers fairly basic information about Abraham. Although I was familiar with the basic stories and facts, I nonetheless found it interesting to see how Feiler approached the subject.

Feiler's main contribution to the subject is his at-the-site interviews with a variety of respected and knowledgeable authorities. Feiler did his homework prior to meeting with these individuals. He studied the Bible stories, researched Abraham in libraries, and zeroed in on key questions facing society since the events of 9/11/01. Early in his book, Feiler reveals that less than one percent of the stories told about Abraham appear in the Bible. Happily, however, Feiler's emphasis in the book stays linked primarily to the canonical record.

Feiler's interview with Hanan Eschel, an Israeli archaeologist, was the highlight of the book for me. Eschel connected, in a very touching way, modern challenges and their solutions with the lessons we can learn from Abraham.

Eschel said, "If you ask me, it's a question of modesty. Why do religious people act the way they act? It's because of a lack of modesty. It's what happened in Jerusalem with Christian cults planning to blow up the Temple Mount to make way for the messiah. It's what happened in Israel with the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin after he made peace with the Palestinians. Some people read the text and suffer from a lack of modesty. They really believe they have all the answers. I am trying to understand the text and commentaries and know that somebody else will have more insights than I will."

Eschel continues: "What I'm trying to do, especially in this part of the world, is to teach people to be more modest. To explain to them that they don't have all the answers. If you'll be modest, you probably understand the text better, and there's much less chance that you'll do awful things in the name of God."

Feiler follows up with this question: "So can you find a basis in the Abraham story for modesty?"

Eschel replies: "The whole story is about modesty. Leave your family, leave what you know. Think of when God tells Abraham to follow what Sarah says in regard to Ishmael. We know Abraham felt bad about this; he had to send Ishmael away. But he knew he didn't understand everything."

Feiler's book is 220 pages long and consists of eight chapters. If you are looking for a thoughtful, well-written book that explores how the three monotheistic religions view Abraham, this is certainly one to consider.

Feiler, Bruce. "Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths." New York: William Morrow, 2002.

RAHAB

As I have mentioned in a previous issue of this e-newsletter, www.BibleWise.com presents about 100 pages of new material about the Bible on the first of every month. I have been writing short articles for this excellent webpage regularly for the last few months. To learn more about Rahab, the woman of Jericho who harbored Hebrew spies during the time of Joshua, please see my two pieces about her on BibleWise during the month of October 2003. (See "I Want to Know" and the Activities section of "Teaching the Bible.")

You'll note that I've written eleven new comprehension questions about Rahab that do not appear in my book, "That Ye May Teach the Children." If you like, you can easily copy those questions and others related to the story, and insert them on page 45 of the second edition of my book. Such questions are helpful in checking a child's comprehension of the Bible story and in encouraging discussions. Here are two sample questions from the webpage:

Did the spies keep their word to Rahab? Joshua 6:23-25
Why is it important to keep your promises?

A GENEROUS OFFER FROM SHADWOLD PRESS

"Getting Better Acquainted with Your Bible" by Berenice Shotwell was published in 1972. It is 576 pages long and includes an extensive index. Although some of the Bible scholarship is dated and no longer accurate, all in all, this book is a valuable and unique resource. I have read and used my copy for years, and I appreciate what a labor of love this book was for its author.

If you'd like to learn more about this book, please see the listing for it at www.amazon.com or go directly to the publisher's webpage at www.shadwold.com.

The Maine publisher is currently offering a free version of the book via searchable and printable PDF files! Just go to www.shadwold.com to download one or more chapters.

UPCOMING BIBLE WORKSHOPS

I'm traveling to Montclair, New Jersey and London, England during the month of November and giving two Bible workshops at each location. In London, in addition to my most popular workshop, Hezekiah, Godly King of Judah, I'll be doing a new one that directly focuses on my book and ways to teach the Bible to children. If you'd like specifics, please email me, and I'll happily send you the dates, times, locations and so on.

If your church or organization would like to sponsor one of my three Bible workshops, please email me for further information. I'm currently scheduling workshops for the mid-Atlantic region for spring 2003. Each workshop lasts 2 1/2 hours.

Yours truly,

Joan Koelle Snipes

Volume 3; No. 4
Published six times a year by:
Bible Teaching Press
1070 Willowdale Drive (Please note our new street address!)
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
304-876-1332

To read the preface, introduction and bibliography of my book, "That Ye May Teach the Children," please visit: www.signature-book.com and go to the book shelf section. To order the book for $29.95, please send me a reply email. For those who have already purchased a book, there is a discount for additional copies -- only $19.95 each.

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