With color photos, drawings, maps, or works of art on nearly every two-page spread, illustrating more than a hundred commentaries on the major stories, places, characters, and events of the Bible, this guide distills the essence of this central work of Western civilization. Following an introduction discussing the origins and vast influence of the Bible, two main sections cover the Old Testament and the history of the Israelites—from the Garden of Eden to Noah's Ark, from the calling of Abraham to Moses and the Ten Commandments—and the New Testament, from the Gospels to the Book of Revelation. Boxes and sidebars provide additional information on key themes and symbols.

"Porter, a former fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, has written a general introduction to the Bible and the Apocrypha that shows how its most important ideas and images may be more reliably interpreted through comparison with the art and artifacts of ancient and modern cultures. Porter's introduction offers a survey of the formation, transmission, and translations of the Bible. His discussion of the role of archaeology and historiography in biblical interpretation is critical and well balanced; he also conveys the importance of the role of myth and mythological concepts. His richly illustrated work demonstrates his appreciation for Western art as a vehicle for conveying the history of scriptural interpretation. The appendixes feature a book-by-book summary of the Bible, separate glossaries of terms and abbreviations, a list of works for further reading, a subject index, and a list of illustration sources."—Library Journal