Saints and Sinners: An Insiders Guide to Bible People and Their Times
Gerald Wheeler
Paperback Book 159 pages Copyright: 2001
Review & Herald Publishing
Bible biographers often omit important information that would have been understood by a reader familiar with the culture. In this book Gerald Wheeler fills in the blanks, shedding new light on the text at every turn. He makes Bible characters come alive by revealing hidden details about the society in which they lived.
Were the Jerusalem leaders prejudiced against Jesus in part because of His accent? When did Satan call down a curse on himself? How did Jacob return the stolen birthright to Esau? What did the coat that Jacob made for Joseph look like? What secret did Joseph discover about his brothers that they wished to hide from their father Jacob? When did God "decreate" the world? How did the "unholy fire" offered by Aaron’s sons violate ritual protocol? Why did bears attack the 42 "boys" who ridiculed Elisha? What ancient prophecy doomed Haman? What does "Iscariot" mean? What woman almost succeeded in saving Jesus’ life?
Bible biographies illustrate humanity at its best and at its worst. To study the protagonists in the cosmic struggle with evil is to feel the ebb and flow of loyalty and betrayal, courage and cowardice, generosity and greed, truth and falsehood. This volume offers new insights into our common frailties and the God who loved us anyway, patiently weaving each unraveled life into His eternal pattern.
