The Handy Bible Answer Book

The Bible is a beloved text owned by most Americans. It's on most everyone's reading list, but it's not always read as often as religious leaders would hope. It can be a daunting work to master. But the new, easy-to-use companion The Handy Bible Answer Book makes this endeavor less intimidating with easy-to-understand explanations to common questions about the Bible. From its origins and history to the meanings of chapters, verses, and parables, The Handy Bible Answer Book is user-friendly, avoiding dogma and defining key terms, people, places and events, It will bring richness and context to both experienced Bible readers and those reading it for the first time.

The importance of the Bible, whether as a master work of literature, a historical artifact, or religious canon, can not be overestimated. The Handy Bible Answer Book helps readers dig deeply into the Bible to analyze the foundations of Judaism, Christianity, Western civilization, and the teachings of Jesus. This comprehensive guide also leads readers through the Old Testament, the foundation for both Judaism and Christianity and the moral and political cornerstone for many nations of the Western world. The Bible is not always read cover-to-cover, and The Handy Bible Answer Book's layout and index allows quick access to any of its passages.

The Handy Bible Answer Book answers over 1,300 how-what-why questions, including:
How has archeology contributed to understanding the Bible?
Have artifacts of ancient Egypt influenced biblical studies?
Once the Bible was complete, how did people obtain copies of it?
What are some of the most notable Bible translations through the ages?
Has the Bible always been divided into chapters and verses?
What is the Gutenberg Bible?
Why are there two creation accounts?
How big was the ark?
What was the Day of Atonement?
What is the book of Ruth about?
Who became king of Israel after David?
When was the Book of Esther written?
Who wrote the Book of Job?
What was Daniel’s first recorded dream?
What did Jonah do while he was in the fish?
What is the Q document?
How did the wise men know to follow the star?
What parable appears in the Book of Mark but not in the other gospels?
What is the Book of Luke about?
How did Jesus describe his relationship to God?
What is Pentecost?
What was one food that Paul said was never okay to eat?
According to Peter, what was the benefit of faith?
What is the Apocrypha?

Jennifer R. Prince is a youth services librarian at a public library in North Carolina. She holds a bachelor’s degree in literature from UNC at Asheville and a master’s in library and information science from UNC at Greensboro. A long-time book reviewer for local newspapers and professional journals, including a weekly column about books for children and teens in the Asheville Citizen-Times and reviews in the School Library Journal, Ms. Prince has made a lifelong habit of reading and studying the Bible and participating in many in-depth Bible studies. She is excited that her first book is The Handy Bible Answer Book. Ms. Prince lives in Fairview, North Carolina.