I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible

Top Highlights

“Everyone in Abraham’s household witnessed the miracle of Isaac’s birth. From that point on, every male understood why they had been circumcised: Their entire race—their very existence—began with a miraculous act of God. Every woman was reminded of this when she had sexual relations with her Israelite husband and when her sons were circumcised. Circumcision was a visible, continuous reminder that Israel owed its existence to Yahweh, who created them out of nothing.” (Page 18)

“While God’s Word was written for us, it wasn’t written to us.” (Page ix)

“The Israelites believed in a universe that was common among the ancient civilizations of the biblical world. It encompassed three parts: a heavenly realm, an earthly realm for humans, and an underworld for the dead. These three tiers are reflected in the Ten Commandments: ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth’ (Exod 20:4).” (Page 3)

“The miraculous nature of Isaac’s birth is the key to understanding circumcision as the sign of the covenant.” (Page 18)

“The evidence suggests that circumcision did not distinguish Israelite men from their foreign neighbors.” (Page 17)