All the People in the Bible

All the People in the Bible

All the People in the Bible is just what its title promises, a comprehensive encyclopedia—from Aaron to Zophar—of every character to appear in the Bible (and even a few who did not). But this is no dry reference work. Author Richard R. Losch, a retired Episcopal Rector, reveals the all-too-human side of biblical figures great and small.

In particular, Losch dwells on their flaws. He notes that “most of the great leaders of Judaism and Christianity started out as the worst sort of scoundrels.” And so indeed we have the likes of Abraham, who “lied and cheated his way through Egypt in order to save his own skin”; Jacob, who cheated his own brother out of a birthright and a paternal blessing; David, who was a “liar, an adulterer and murderer, a terrible husband and a worse father”; and Mary Magdalene, who is traditionally considered to have been a reformed prostitute (a claim for which Losch claims there is actually no evidence). Yet God, Losch says, “working with such flawed material, molded them into spiritual powerhouses…. We who are equally flawed should find great encouragement in this.”

With A-list biblical figures like Abraham, Moses and Jesus, Losch acknowledges that he can’t really add much to their well-known stories. So instead, he focuses on less-familiar aspects of their lives, using information culled from various non-biblical sources. Even pop-cultural sources make an appearance: the entry for Jesus mentions The Da Vinci Code, for example, and explores the question of whether Jesus was married. (Losch says probably not, though “even the most conservative scholars admit that it is possible.”)

Of course, most of the entries in this encyclopedia are for minor players, characters often mentioned merely in passing. For those, Losch uses history and archaeology to “fill in the blanks and flesh them out as exciting human beings.” The author also includes figures who, though not actually mentioned in the Bible, were key players in the events of the day.

Some characters are mentioned too briefly to merit attention: of the 31 Azariahs mentioned in the Bible, for example, only two actually get entries here. So for all those who didn’t make the cut—like the rest of those Azariahs—the end of the book provides an alphabetical list of every person named in the Bible and Apocrypha, complete with pronunciations and, in some cases, names reproduced in the original Hebrew or Greek. And there are also charts of the Kings of the Jewish Monarchies, the Seleucid Emperors and the “amazingly dysfunctional” Family of the Herods and the Herodian Dynasty.

Ultimately, at close to 600 pages, All the People in the Bible is a hefty tome. But it’s not only an invaluable reference. It’s a thrilling, accessible read.

Softcover: 592 pages

Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company ( April 15, 2008 )

Item #: 43-1269

ISBN: 9780802824547

Product Dimensions: 7.0 x 9.0 x 1.35 inches

Product Weight: 30.0 ounces