Cliffsnotes the Bible

by Charles H. Patterson and Gary Carey

Book Overview

Finally! Summaries and Commentaries for Both the Old and New Testaments, including the Apocrypha, are available in one easy-to-access volume. The importance of the Old Testament as reflected in the influence it has had through the centuries can scarcely be overestimated. Its religious significance is indicated primarily by the fact that it is recognized as a part of the inspired sacred literature of three of the major religions of the world: the Hebrew...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822002361
• ISBN13: 9780822002369
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Straight forward, concise summaries

What I liked most about the CliffsNotes version of the Bible over The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Bible, Third Edition and The Bible for Dummies is that it takes a no-frills approach. The other two are humorous and certainly entertaining, but also a bit distracting for me. The one drawback I've noticed is that, in true CliffsNotes fashion, these are simply summaries without verse cross-referencing and not quite the step-by-step stories that are given in "Dummies" and "Idiot's". I'd say this book would be better suited for those who already know the Bible fairly well to be used for high-level commentary and "big picture" analysis. While this one is absolutely worth picking up, I'd also recommend getting either of the two others for a more user-friendly tool.

Super handy.

I'm a pastoral studies student and this book has been a jewel for all my related classes. If I have to read something in the Bible I read the section in the cliff notes book 1st then i grab the bible and read it. It helps a lot to put what I'm reading in the Bible into perspective. The author has some excellent commentaries.

a little odd, but quite useful

I was a good bit confused when I saw that Cliffs Notes had published a Notes on, of all things, the Bible. I mean, coming from someone who reads their Bible often, I never thought someone would need a copy of the Notes to understand the Bible. That being said, I found the Notes interesting, to say the least, but not really saying anything I didn't already know. For those of y'all out there who are having trouble understanding some particular Bible passages, I would recommend this to you... but make sure you've actually read the passage first. You might have learned something- you just didn't know it.

Finally a reprieve for the unremitting boredom

Wow, I really have to say--this is one Cliffs Notes that I can appreciate. It actually has a purpose. This is the perfect book for those of us who are forced by parents and sunday school teachers to read the Bible on penalty of everlasting suffering and torment. I wish this was available when I was growing up...it is the perfect tool to decieve those that would try to force us to read the incomphrensible gibberish that is the Bible. And frankly rounding out at just under 100 pages, I can say that this is about as much of the Bible that I can bear. Easy to read and understand and without the mind-altering, brainwashing side affects. A+, highly recommended!!!