{"product_id":"a-most-peculiar-book-the-inherent-strangeness-of-the-bible-hardcover","title":"A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKristin Swenson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Bible, we are constantly reminded, is the best-selling book of all time. It is read with intense devotion by hundreds of millions of people, stands as authoritative for Judaism and Christianity, and informs and affects the politics and lives of the religious and non-religious around the world. But how well do we really know it? The Bible is so familiar, so ubiquitous that we have begun to take our knowledge of it for granted. The Bible many of us think we know is a pale imitation of the real thing. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eA Most Peculiar Book\u003c\/em\u003e, Kristin Swenson addresses the dirty little secret of biblical studies -- that the Bible is a weird book. It is full of surprises and contradictions, unexplained impossibilities, intriguing supernatural creatures, and heroes doing horrible deeds. It does not provide a simple worldview: what \"the Bible says\" on a given topic is multi-faceted, sometimes even contradictory. Yet, Swenson argues, we have a tendency to reduce the complexities of the Bible to aphorisms, bumper stickers, and slogans. Swenson helps readers look at the text with fresh eyes. A collection of ancient stories and poetry written by multiple authors, held together by the tenuous string of tradition, the Bible often undermines our modern assumptions. And is all the more marvelous and powerful for it. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRather than dismiss the Bible as an outlandish or irrelevant relic of antiquity, Swenson leans into the messiness full-throttle. Making ample room for discomfort, wonder, and weirdness, \u003cem\u003eA Most Peculiar Book\u003c\/em\u003e guides readers through a Bible that will feel, to many, brand new.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKristin Swenson\u003c\/strong\u003e is Associate Professor of Religious at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is the author of \u003cem\u003eBible Babel: Making Sense of the Most Talked About Book of All Time\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eLiving through Pain: Psalms and the Search for Wholeness\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 288\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 01, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52749771669811,"sku":"9780190651732","price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/NEtvRXdFVmV6WHNYUU1QaGl4dVA5UT09.webp?v=1764270204","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/a-most-peculiar-book-the-inherent-strangeness-of-the-bible-hardcover","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}