Bit Part Players of the Bible - Act 2

Ray Markham

Rating:

This book is a nicely written, easy to read study of some of the minor, and not so minor, characters in the Bible. It is the second volume by retired Religious Studies teacher Ray Markham. However, there is not enough socio-economic-historical rigour in the background of the characters to make it academically useful, which is a pity.

It would make a good volume for Christians to use in their personal devotions and is better to be read a chapter at a time rather than in large chunks, as each chapter is more or less the same; a retelling of the Biblical story with some homilies added in. The homilies can be a little tiring and obvious after several chapters, but if the reader is at the beginning of their Christian journey, this can be a good start in exploring characters in the Biblical narrative and applying some aspects of their stories to the reader’s life. Biblical references are added in, which makes it good for use in Bible study.

For a non-Christian there is much that needs further explanation, as the book pre-supposes basic knowledge of Christianity, Jesus and his story, Pharisees, Judaism and what the Early Church was and how it formed.

For a new Christian to use daily as a supplement to their own Bible study, this is a good resource and can act as a springboard to further more in-depth studies. It is not suitable for use in maintained schools, because of its overtly evangelical basis.

Reviewer: Moira Kleissner, School Librarian and Teacher, Hillside Community Primary School, Ipswich, Suffolk

Review posted on: 31 March 2010

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