The Book that Built the World. (Part 3 of 5)

Timeless Tales: How the Bible’s Stories Connect Across Cultures

The Bible is Chock Full of Stories that Change Lives!

For people who love stories, the Bible is a gold mine.

Some 1,127 different stories in the Bible are there for us to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. These stories tell of the nature of good and evil in the world. They describe both the majestic and mediocre aspects of our humanity — our glory and propensity to mess things up. (i.e. Sin.) And, of course, they tell of the character of God, his glory, and his propensity to show patience, steadfastness, and long-suffering.

We sometimes think that the most memorable Bible stories are for children — made for Sunday School. However, parables like the Prodigal Son or the dual between David and Goliath are anything but bedtime stories.

Across cultures, century after century, these stories connect with adults of all ages. After all, who hasn’t been lost in a distant land, far away from home, and decided and go home when ought? And who among us has not had to face giants with only our wits and hopes and a few rocks?

Around the World

Across cultures, worldwide, and through the ages, the Bible has given us an entire compendium of narratives that, when we read them, are like a distant mirror. We read them over and over again — we look into them — and then suddenly, we see ourselves.

The Bible also provides models for redemption, reconciliation, restoration, forgiveness, the endurance of suffering, and the courage to face difficult days and even certain death. And because these ideals are told in a universally accessible medium — a story — they are easily translated into myriad languages.

(The Quran has been translated into perhaps over 110 languages; the Hebrew Bible into only a few dozen languages. But the Christian Bible — Old and New Testament — have been read in over 3000 languages. It is a truly universal book.)

But the Bible isn’t just about our life and problems. It is most decidedly a book about God. We will look at this in Part 4 of 5 of “The Book that Built the World.”