Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible! was a quick read. Only 200ish pages, with large type and the typical blank space glut that happens when you have a series of short stories in a collection. So, it only took me a day and a half. But it was good. The stories were funny and did a great job of giving the Biblical characters a fully rounded background. The author worked to show why Cain might have killed Abel, what might have compelled Delilah to trick Samson, and how Joseph might have really felt about Mary's sudden pregnancy.
But it was all light hearted, which I appreciated. I loved that the stories were written to show how the characters were not only relatable, but that there was a funny side to them. This is not necessarily a go-to book as far as any kind of accuracy, but it was a great comedy. Adam and Eve were quite amusing, with the typical "new look" of Adam being an idiot and Eve a theologian. I saw that particular re-writing often in my Images of Eve and Mary class in college. Though, I don't know that it is really any better than the medieval view of it being all Eve's fault. Does one gender absolutely need to be the scapegoat?
In general, I think that the Biblical stories as they are printed in the Bible are somewhat dry to me because I've heard them over and over and over again. But then also, the stories have never held great comedy for me because I don't get the jokes. I am not an Ancient Hebrew who is aware of Babylonian or Roman culture, depending on the Testament. By virtue of cultural ignorance, I am missing a lot of nuance, and it stands to reason that some of that nuance is humor. Thanks to Goldstein for suggesting where it might be reinserted.
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