Throughout, Cox provides "study tips," practical suggestions for further personal investigation. Finally, the book responds to the question, "How do we read the Bible today?" and concludes with some personal comments followed by an appendix on "What Language Did Jesus Speak?"

Along the way, Cox clears up a few things that Catholic readers should file away for future reference. Such as: "When scholars of religion use the word 'myth,' they do not mean something that, unlike a 'fact,' is simply untrue. Rather, 'myth' is a narrative that, although not necessarily factually accurate, is nonetheless true in a deeper and more significant sense."

Cecil B. DeMille to the contrary, this book wisely helps readers to "loosen the grip of literalism."

Cox also welcomes opportunities to connect biblical narratives with the world of the present era. The account, for example, of the battle fought by Joshua "now poses the blunt question ofwhether in a world armed with weapons of mass destruction we can continue to permit conquests of any sort, or ideologies and religions that validate them."

Finally, as far as this review is concerned, Cox's discussion of the New Testament's final document, the Book of Revelation, should be welcomed and studied by Catholic readers. His account of Revelation's wild and wooly history is gripping and informative. It also is the perfect antidote to any and all of the nutty interpretations Revelation frequently receives from fundamentalist Christian preachers.

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Finley is the author of more than 30 books including "What Faith is Not" (Sheed &Ward) and a best-seller, "The Rosary Handbook" (The Word Among Us Press).