Review
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Title: The Oxford Book of Bible Stories: Retold from the Old Testament by Berlie Doherty
Author: Berlie Doherty
Illustrator: Jason Cockcroft
Publisher: Oxford University Press. (November 1, 2014)
Genre: Nonfiction
Year Published: 2014
Number of Pages: 260
Binding: Paperback
ISBN13: 978-0192782106
Price: $18.95
Reviewed by Lynn Parsons, PhD. for the Association for Mormon Letters
This ambitious book contains a retelling of the most familiar stories from the Old Testament. Doherty has drawn on childhood experiences hearing these tales told as folklore and her fascination with them. Because they are inspired by scriptures rather than retold directly from the Bible, the author has rewritten these tales in a narrative style using modern language to make them more accessible to a contemporary audience.
A complete education includes knowledge of the Bible as literature. Students should learn the basics of Bible stories to understand history (the exodus of the Jews from Egypt), idioms (it happened before the flood), and classical references (they fought like Cain and Abel). This volume may make the basics of many Old Testament events available to those who would not consider reading the original work.
Unfortunately Doherty has some inaccuracies and embellishments that have a negative impact on the credibility of her accounts. For example, she implies that Moses saw the burning bush in a valley when it was actually on Mount Sinai. Conversations have been created that generally appear to be consistent with the various characters. However, in some instances, such as Eve telling Cain she is ashamed of him for offering a plant-based sacrifice rather than one of the required animal flesh, these additions make a serious change to the personalities and tone of the events. These differences may be due to a literary license, imperfect memory, or an over-reliance on the storytellers heard in childhood. However, they make changes that are at times rather serious, such as Joseph calling his brother Simeon a hostage when Joseph required he be left when the brothers returned home to bring Benjamin. This implies a hostile intent not seen in the Bible.
The visual representation of Bible stories is a challenge, as millions have created their own mental images. The illustrations in this volume are simple and pleasing to the eye, with expressive faces that help the reader feel King David’s song of grief and the worry on the faces of Joseph’s brothers as they try to decide how to proceed. The illustrations also suffer from the same challenges as the text in that details are omitted at times (Moses and the Israelites appear to be carrying no belongings as they cross the Red Sea), and there are inaccuracies, such as Adam observing Eve eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Overall, this work is good for those who wish to learn the basics of the Old Testament stories. It would have been improved by adding references the reader could use to look up the original versions and some more attention to detail. Those who seek more detailed knowledge would better be served by reading the Bible itself.