The first & second series of The People's Bible

• Complete biblical text, faithfully translated. Tiresome parts, such as geneological tables have been moved to the appendix.
  
• Modern but still dignified translation which read like epic adventures, love stories, poetry and thrillers.
  
• An 'easy read' - textual problems which could interrupt the reader's concentration are clarified within the text.
  
• An interactive bible - the traditional biblical narrative is so sparse that it leaves much to the imagination. On occasion the translator has responded by interacting with the text to fill out the story, such elabarations are indicated by a bold print.
  
• A user-friendly bible - the books are not divided by traditional verses and chapters, but refernces to these are found on the top of every page.
  
• Stimulating and informative introductions.
  
• Easily accessable footnotes at the bottom of pages explain and provide additional insights to the text.
  
• Attractively presented books of the bible that can be read on the train etc. without embarrasment.
  
• Each volume fits into a pocket or handbag
  
• Designed for everyone- from those who have never read the bible tothose who have tried and failed, to those who think it is only for the religious, and to those who love the bible and would be interested in another interpretation.

The recommended retail price is £6.99

Note From The Translator

I come from an Othodox Jewish background and was raised with a love for the bible and my literary heritage. I decided that there were many dimensions to human spiritual aspirations and that it was not reasonable to assume that any person or group had a monopoly on the 'word of God'. I became a Liberal Rabbi because it enabled me to hold on to the foundations of my faith without compelling me to surrender my free will. This view has enabled me to appreciate the faiths of others whether they were fundamental or radical. Also I could see that different spiritual faiths reflected different aspects of human psychological and religious needs, I have an enormous respect for Christianity, Islam and all the religions whose existance over hundred and thousands of years prove that they have successfully tapped into the nature of the human soul. For this reason I have written and been involved in ecumenical discussions and debates which reveal the similarites differences in human perspectives which has led to such an enrichment of civilisation.

While I have written on many theological issues, particulary the problem of evil in a world created by a caring and beneficent God, my present ambition is to return that, the greatest moral literature ever written, back to the ordinary person. It has always pained me that the bible, which I have read with such pleasure, even when I ceased to believe that its heroes were perfect and that every word of it was historically true, should be abandoned by the average reader. The preface and introduction to the first series of The People's Bible elaborate on this theme.

I have read the Old Testament many times, but in the course of translating the bible to make it more accessable I have, myself, learned so much. This I think was due to reading it not with a need to rationalise it as my religous heritage, but as a library of books which reveal so much about the nature of men and women, and their aspirations for a purpose in life, whether or not one believed in the sanctity of its origins.

As to the New Testament, this is the first time, I believe, that a Rabbi has ever translated it. I did so because I felt that as a Jew, I would have a different insight into the birth of Chrisitianity, than would Christians who were, so to speak, to the religion born. Already my translation of Luke & the Acts of the Apostles and the completion of my first draft of The Letters of Paul have given me a greater appreciation fo the revolutionary genius which led to the domination of Christianity in Western culture. Indeed I also now feel, and I direct this to my Jewish readers, that one cannot properly understand Judaism without understanding Christianity. They both present radically different, but equally valid methods for achieving a world living in harmony and peace.

I would welcome anyone interested The People's Bible to share their views with me with the promise that I will make every attempt to respond