Jeffrey Geoghegan, PhD and Michael Homan, PhD have authored and coauthored numerous books and articles about the Bible.

Introduction 1

Part 1: What the Bible Is All About 7

Chapter 1: From Moses to Modernity: Introducing the Good Book 9

Chapter 2: Lights, Camera, Action! Previewing the Bible's Stage and Storyline 25

Part 2: Exploring the Hebrew Bible - The Old Testament 35

Chapter 3: Creation, Paradise Lost, and Other Mysteries of Life (Genesis 1-3) 37

Chapter 4: The Fallout from "The Fall" (Genesis 4-11) 53

Chapter 5: The Babylonian Hillbillies: The Adventures of Abraham and His Family (Genesis 12-25:18) 67

Chapter 6: The Birth of a Nation: Isaac, Jacob, and Their Many Children (Genesis 25:19-50) 87

Chapter 7: Holy Moses! Exploring Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy 109

Chapter 8: An Experiment in Theocracy: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 135

Chapter 9: The King and "I Am": 1 and 2 Samuel 153

Chapter 10: A Tale of Two Kingdoms: 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles 175

Chapter 11: Strangers in a Strange Land: Israel in Exile with Daniel and Esther 197

Chapter 12: Home for the Holidays: Returning to the Promised Land with Ezra and Nehemiah 209

Chapter 13: More Than Mere Fortune-tellers: The Prophets 219

Chapter 14: Israel's Wisdom Literature and Love Poetry: Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs 237

Chapter 15: Rockin' the Temple: Music in Ancient Israel (Psalms) 251

Part 3: Revealing the Bible's Hidden Treasures in the Apocrypha 261

Chapter 16: Rebels with a Cause: The Books of 1 and 2 Maccabees 263

Chapter 17: The Apocrypha's Other "Hidden Treasures" 271

Part 4: Discovering What's New About the New Testament 281

Chapter 18: From Birth to Baptism: Jesus Prepares for the Ministry (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) 283

Chapter 19: Jesus Christ, Superstar: Jesus' "Ministry Years" (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) 301

Chapter 20: The Early Christian Church (Acts 1-8, 10-12, and 15) 333

Chapter 21: The Traveling Salesman of Tarsus: Paul's Life and Letters 347

Chapter 22: Wait a Minute, Mr Postman: The New Testament's General Letters 371

Chapter 23: The Beginning of the End: The Revelation of John 383

Part 5: That Was Then, This Is Now: Discovering the Bible's Enduring Influence 397

Chapter 24: The Bible and the Abrahamic Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 399

Chapter 25: Michelangelo, Milton, and Movies: Art, Literature, Life, and the Bible 407

Part 6: The Part of Tens 419

Chapter 26: Ten+ People You Should Know from the Bible 421

Chapter 27: Ten Holidays You Can Take Thanks to the Bible 429

Index 437