The Uncensored Bible: The Bawdy and Naughty Bits of the Good Book

The book really isn't very bawdy or naughty. Rather it presents new interpretations of various places in the Hebrew Scriptures. Each of 23 chapters looks at a passage to provide a new interpretation, for instance: "what bone was Eve made from," or "does knowledge of good and evil refer to intercourse?" These interpretations are not original from the authors, who however provide references to original scholars for each chapter. Questions usually turn on one or two rare Hebrew words for which clear meanings are unknown. Neither the common readings of these passages, nor the new interpretations are reliable translations; something the authors make perfectly clear. It is an interesting book of new insights, particularly for the reader unfamiliar with biblical interpretation. The book convinced me of three things, which I am sure the authors did not intend. One, to claim literal interpretation of the Bible is laughable, because much of what is written can be read in various ways. Two, the Hebrew Scriptures have nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity, but are a legendary and mythical history of the Jewish tribes. Three, the god of the Bible does not exist.

This little book has given me more chuckles than I bargained for. It provoked gales of laughter from a rather straight laced, born again, son in law. He ordered his copy the next day. Written by a team of highly respected, well educated Biblical scholars, it explores the Testaments in a definitely unique fashion. From what Adam's Rib actually was, to recommendations on brewing and drinking beer, no chapter nor verse is immune. No pressure to believe nor disbelieve! Just a whole lot of well thought out and researched possibilities. Read it and make up your own mind! But be prepared to laugh your fool head off while so doing.

Light reading, funny and illustrative. It was a good bargain and I definitively recommend this book if you are into humane interpretations of the bible. Though is not that daring as I would expected, it is very scholar without being boring.

Don't give this book to your fundamentalist friends, but do tell everybody else about it. It is education, interesting, and amusing.