Tag: archaeology

Book Briefs: “The Brotherhood Conspiracy” by Terry Brennan

~ Bob Hayton

The Brotherhood Conspiracy by Terry BrennanAn ancient Coptic monastery, a hidden desert hideout, the Oval office, and Jerusalem’s Temple mount — these are a few of the stops in Terry Brennan’s latest whirlwind novel. From Lebanon to Ireland, New York to the Suez, The Brotherhood Conspiracy weaves an intricate web of secrecy, espionage and discovery.

The sequel to Brennan’s earlier debut novel The Sacred Cipher, this book continues the adventures of Tom Bohannon and his motley crew of archaeological detectives. Having already discovered a hidden Jewish temple built on the Temple mount but below the Dome of the Rock, an even more outlandish prize lures the frazzled team back to the dangerous quest of discovery.

Once again the author pursues a relentless pace using a staccato rhythm, moving the story one bite-size portion to the next. That approach may be wearisome to some readers, and is frustrating in the earlier portion of the book for those readers who didn’t just put down his earlier book before beginning its sequel. The plot keeps one guessing as the potential of an end-times return of Christ cannot be dismissed, even as the role of a **spoiler alert** newly rediscovered Tabernacle **end spoiler**, doesn’t seem to fit any popular end-times Christian fancies.

Brennan appeals to the amateur archaeologist with his mention of cartouches (Egyptian hieroglyphic ovals), discussions of Demotic and Coptic languages, and his historical treatment of the Crusaders and Jewish history. Occasionally, I found some errors in his historical facts which stood out glaringly against the overall historical emphasis in the tale. 1 Maccabees is mentioned as a book that the Council of Trent removed from the Bible (in fact it was the Protestants who removed it and Trent affirmed its canonicity), and the prophet Jonah is mentioned as having preached 40 years (instead of days) to Nineveh. The story itself stretches credulity, but the first book’s miraculous find of a centuries-old Jewish temple sets the stage for anything being possible. Brennan’s masterful character development and ability to draw out a wide range of emotions from virtually all of his characters keeps the story tethered enough to reality, that the reader goes along with the incredible — and happily at that. One other quibble with the book is its lack of illustrations or maps. At several points in the tale, a visual depiction of what the author labored to describe would have helped immensely.

Fans of archaeological fiction, in the vein of Paul Maier (A Skeleton in God’s Closet) and Don Hoesel (Elisha’s Bones), will enjoy this latest offering from Terry Brennan. Those looking for a fast-paced read with characters striving to follow God’s leading in their lives even as they battle against Islamic assassins and try to evade Israeli intelligence — on a mission for the President of the United States, no less — will also enjoy this intriguing work. I recommend the book and look forward to the third (and final?) book in this series.

Pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers: Amazon, Christianbook.com, or direct from Kregel Publications.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Kregel Publications. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.

Quotes to Note 12: Sailhamer on Interpretating the OT

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

I have been reading through the introduction to John Sailhamer’s new book The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation (IVP). The introduction is available for free online (click the sample pages link from Westminster’s Bookstore page or see the book’s page on IVP’s site).

Now that I’ve seen the intro, I know I want this book! And I wanted it before I saw John Piper’s high praise for the book.

This section, I thought was quite good and important for those of us who aim to interpret the Old Testament. Enjoy, then download the whole introduction, or better yet get the book (from Westminster Bookstore or Amazon.com).

The goal of a theological study of the Pentateuch is the biblical author’s intent as realized in the work itself. The (human and divine) authors’ intent is the “verbal meaning” of the book. The author’s intent is what his words say as part of the book.

When talking about the meaning of the words of the Pentateuch, one should be careful to distinguish this from the “things” that the words point to in the real world. The Pentateuch is about real historical events, that is, “things that have happened” (res gesta) in the real world. Words are not the things themselves. Words only point to things and tell us about things.

In speaking about historical events (things), one may easily confuse what an author says about these events with the events themselves. As important as history and archaeology are for understanding the “things” that the Bible points to and talks about, they sometimes get in the way of understanding the “words” of Scripture. The Pentateuch may be compared to a Rembrandt painting of real persons or events. We do not understand a Rembrandt painting by taking a photograph of the “thing” that Rembrandt painted and comparing it with the painting itself. That may help us understand the “thing” that Rembrandt painted, his subject matter, but it will not help us understand the painting itself. To understand Rembrandt’s painting, we must look at it and see its colors, shapes and textures. In the same way, to understand the Pentateuch, one must look at its colors, contours and textures. To understand Rembrandt’s painting, one must study the painting itself. To understand the Pentateuch, one must study the Pentateuch itself (pg. 19-20).

“The Chronological Study Bible (NKJV)”

~ Bob Hayton ~ 7 Comments

Chronological Study Bible NKJV, order at Amazon.comAuthor: compilation of several scholars
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 1690
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 0718020685
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Chronological Study Bible (NKJV) by Thomas Nelson Publishers, is a very well done study Bible. The hardback book is beautifully designed with color and graphics on every page. In fact, pages without some kind of article or note are few and far between. The Bible is arranged chronologically, which means individual books and the order of groups of books are arranged according to a chronological ordering. Sometimes this is done according to the presumed date a book was written, often it relates to what time period the section describes. In any case, the Chronological Study Bible will always let you know why each section is included where it is.

What makes the book valuable for study are the many discussions of the history, customs and culture of the time period that the Scripture is addressing. Many parallels are drawn between ancient near-eastern culture and the writings of Scripture. Key archaeological finds which often testify to the historical veracity of Scripture are described or even pictured. Time-lines are given for the Biblical events as well as historical events of that same era.

I flipped through every page of this massive volume (1600+ pages), and read or skimmed through each article. It is both fascinating and educational, and brings the Bible alive. Such a view of the historical time-frame of Scripture, however, does bring up some questions. The introduction highlights this fact and explains that this study Bible “takes with equal seriousness the views of traditional, conservative Bible students and those of modern, critical scholarship.” (pg. xi) It doesn’t try to “persuade readers that one particular view is correct”, leaving that for the reader to decide.

This in my mind is the only real drawback of the book. In the main the Chronological Study Bible presents multiple views on various issues (such as the dates for the Exodus), but occasionally the perspective shared is not what I’d agree with. Sometimes the notes state that the Bible borrowed concepts from previous cultures, and the role of inspiration is ignored. See for instance the discussion of Satan on pg. 902. It also presents a consistent egalitarian view regarding the role of women in the church, in the notes on the relevant passages.

Often, however, the historical insights enlighten the text and help the reader better understand what’s going on. There’s a fascinating discussion of the phrase “offspring of vipers” on pg. 1124 which stands as a positive example in this light.

Ultimately, those who are serious Bible scholars will find this resource very helpful. And these kinds of questions do need to be addressed and thought through. For new Christians, an uncritical endorsement of this book may not be best, however. In every other respect this study Bible far exceeded my expectations.

I encourage you to check out the Bible for yourself at chronologicalstudybible.com. You’ll find a preview and other great information on the study Bible there.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Thomas Nelson.