Ask HN: Best resources for appreciating the Bible for non religious folk?

5 pointsdesio3y ago4 comments

I love literature and philosophy, I've found a couple great podcasts for appreciating Ecclesiastes and Book of Job from that standpoint:

(Ecclesiastes) https://www.verybadwizards.com/160

(Job) https://www.verybadwizards.com/171

I'm trying to find similar but for the remaining books. Most of the stuff I find when I google is very heavy handed religion, which isn't what I'm looking for.

4 comments

fromseashore3y ago

"Joseph and his brothers" by Thomas Mann.

quercusa3y ago

Here are a few excellent books worth considering:

The Poetics of Biblical Narrative: Ideological Literature and the Drama of Reading, Meir Sternberg

The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism, Berlin and Freedman

Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke, Kenneth E. Bailey

Robert Alter's translations of the Hebrew Bible have lots of interesting notes.

BMc20203y ago

https://www.amazon.com/Asimovs-Guide-Bible-Volumes-Testament...

CraigRo3y ago

The notes in the Oxford study bible are a good introduction. Lots of college courses cover this

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