Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses Book

I read this book because the topic- wandering through the Middle East and connecting to sites/events mentioned in the first five books of the Bible- seemed interesting. Also, I knew that the author would be mentioning some places I visited last year.

The author's motivation for his trip was twofold: first, he felt the same longing that many people feel to experience the Bible more fully by visiting its home turf. Secondly, he wanted to write a book. His trip was work, basically. So here you have a sort of spiritual quest married to a job:
air and earth.

From the start it is clear that his visits to various places where Biblical events took place is extremely speculative. There are multiple possiblities as to where Moses crossed the Red or Reed Sea, where Jacob wrestled with an angel, which mountain God gave the Ten Commandments on, etc. How anyone manages to find deep meaning when no site is sure is beyond me...but it clearly wasn't beyond the author. He has emotional episode after emotional episode.

As if this wasn't enough, the author repeatedly trots out examples showing how the first five books could not factually be true and then claims that they don't have to be, that the main importance of the Bible is its story. He still finds value in what he reads even though he's sure it isn't true. (The problem here is that the Bible presents itself as factually true.)

So- what we have here is the author indulging in a form of romantic, religious superstition. (He doesn't claim that it's faith.) I can't imagine the Bible gained its appeal by asking its readers to turn off their brains and just FEEL whatever their imagination supplies.

As a result, reading this book was a long, difficult slog through shifting sands. It has been said that the Bible has timeless appeal because it reinvents itself. No, it doesn't. It has been reinvented by people like the author, to suit their personal wants and needs.