Bible Books: In Search of Biblical Morality

I once saw a bumper sticker that warned, “Read the Old Testament. It will scare the hell out of you!” While the religious intentions that probably lie behind that admonition are not congenial to my own way of thinking, the statement at least underscores that the Hebrew Bible includes many unsettling parts likely to disturb our modern moral sensibilities. John Barton, professor at Oxford University, moves beyond the usual hand-wringing over objectionable parts in the Bible—the bloodshed, the oppression and exploitation, the harsh punishments, the treatment of women and slaves, and more. Although he acknowledges all these troubling elements—stating […]