What Is the Bible? audiobook cover - How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything

What Is the Bible?

How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything

Rob Bell

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Religion & SpiritualityHistory

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What Is the Bible?
Origins & Composition+
Evolution of Ideas+
Contradictions & Humanity+
How to Read It+
Modern Relevance+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
According to the text, how does the Bible differ from most historical texts regarding the status of its authors?
  • A. It was written primarily by kings and rulers to document their conquests.
  • B. It was penned by an oppressed minority rather than those in power.
  • C. It was recorded in a single generation by a small group of wealthy scholars.
  • D. It was written exclusively by military leaders to justify their empires.
Question 2 of 8
How would the original readers of the Bible have interpreted the story of God stopping Abraham from sacrificing his son?
  • A. As a punishment for Abraham's lack of faith and hesitation.
  • B. As a sign that all religious rituals were no longer necessary.
  • C. As a subversion of expectations, showing their God would not demand the brutal offerings common to other gods of the time.
  • D. As proof that Abraham was not worthy of being the father of the Jewish tribe.
Question 3 of 8
Why does the text argue that the differing Gospel accounts of women discovering Jesus's empty tomb actually underline the truth of the event?
  • A. Because women were the only ones allowed to visit tombs in ancient Jewish culture.
  • B. Because the testimony of women had no legal bearing at the time, making it an unlikely detail to invent.
  • C. Because the authors were intentionally trying to appeal to a predominantly female audience.
  • D. Because all four Gospels perfectly agree on exactly which women were present at the tomb.
Question 4 of 8
What is the broader narrative purpose of the violent stories in the Bible, such as Ehud using violence to rescue the Israelites?
  • A. To provide a manual for how to conduct successful military campaigns.
  • B. To prove that God favors the Israelites over all other nations regardless of their actions.
  • C. To demonstrate that military might is the only way to achieve lasting peace.
  • D. To show that senseless violence ultimately solves nothing, as the Israelites are quickly oppressed again.
Question 5 of 8
Why does the later book of Chronicles say Satan ordered David to take a census, when the earlier book of 2 Samuel says God ordered it?
  • A. The authors' concept of God evolved; later writers could not accept that a benevolent God would order an action associated with war and empire-building.
  • B. The authors of Chronicles made a translation error from the original Hebrew texts.
  • C. Satan disguised himself as God in the earlier text, a fact which was only revealed centuries later.
  • D. The census was a peaceful act, and later authors wanted to attribute the success of Israel's economy to an opposing force.
Question 6 of 8
According to the author, what is the true, overarching lesson of the story of Jonah and the fish?
  • A. God has complete physical control over all of nature and sea creatures.
  • B. Disobeying God's direct commands will result in immediate physical punishment.
  • C. God's followers are called to love and forgive everyone, including their bitter enemies.
  • D. The Assyrians were a righteous people who never deserved to be invaded by Israel.
Question 7 of 8
How does the biblical creation story significantly differ from the Babylonian creation myth involving Murnak and Tiamat?
  • A. The biblical story was written entirely as a historical, literal account rather than a poem.
  • B. The biblical story presents a nonviolent conception of divinity, with the world produced from divine joy rather than a violent tearing apart of a goddess.
  • C. The biblical story focuses entirely on human technology, whereas the Babylonian story focuses on nature.
  • D. The biblical story argues that multiple gods collaborated to build the earth out of chaos.
Question 8 of 8
Why might the author of Matthew have included the detail that 'some doubted' when Jesus met with his followers after the resurrection?
  • A. To discredit the other Gospel writers who claimed everyone believed instantly.
  • B. To explain why Christianity did not immediately spread to certain parts of the world.
  • C. To force readers to confront their own skepticism and consider profound issues of existence and open-mindedness.
  • D. To historically prove that Jesus had not actually risen from the dead.

What Is the Bible? — Full Chapter Overview

What Is the Bible? Summary & Overview

What Is the Bible? (2017) takes a fresh look at the best-selling book of all time: the Holy Bible. These blinks take the Bible for what it is – a conglomeration of books written by real people in real historical contexts that are at once subversive, timeless and transformative.

Who Should Listen to What Is the Bible??

  • Christians and non-Christians interested in learning about the Bible
  • Those who have left the Church
  • People with a negative view of religion who are open to new perspectives

About the Author: Rob Bell

Rob Bell is the New York Times best-selling author of Love Wins, among other titles and founder of the nondenominational Christian megachurch Mars Hill Bible Church. In 2011, he was named one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” by TIME magazine.

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