The new Lion Bible encyclopedia / Mike Beaumont.

Includes index.

The making of the Bible. The library book : many stories, one book ; The Old Testament : the story begins ; The Deuterocanonical books : the Apocrypha ; The New Testament : the story continues ; The Bible and history : can we trust the Bible? -- The story of the Bible. Beginnings : looking into the mists of time ; Patriarchs : a family begins ; Exodus : the great escape ; Promised land : home at last ; Israel's first kings : right request, wrong reason ; A kingdom divided : the results of folly ; Assyria and Israel's end : Judgment Day ; Babylon and Judah's end : the impossible happens ; Exile and return : making sense of disaster ; Between the two testaments : the silent years ; The life of Jesus : the promised messiah ; The birth of the Church : fired up for mission ; The growth of the Church : to the ends of the Earth -- The land of the Bible. The ancient Near East : the setting of the Bible's story ; The land of Canaan : a land flowing with milk and honey ; The Holy Land : a home for God's people ; Plants and flowers : not even Solomon-- ; Trees and shrubs : pleasing to the eye, good for food ; Domestic and working animals : gifts of God ; Wildlife : "God made the wild animals" -- The nations of the Bible. Mesopotamia : land of the rivers ; The Egyptians : the power of a river ; The Hittites : people of the north ; The Canaanites : a snare to Israel ; The Philistines : the sea people ; The Assyrians : the rod of God's anger ; The Babylonians : the pride before the fall ; The Persians : agents of God ; The Greeks : a challenge and a gift ; The Romans : from city to empire ; Other people groups : "the nations" -- Life in the Bible. The family : the gift of the relational God ; Marriage : two becoming one ; Children : a heritage from the Lord ; Education : knowledge and wisdom ; Homes : the heart of Jewish life ; Sanitation, water, and lighting : holy living ; Daily life : give us today our daily bread ; Food and drink : the Father's provision ; Clothing and cosmetics : the gift of God ; Villages, towns, and cities : community life ; Farming : living from the land ; Fishing : fishermen and fishers of men ; Crafts and skills : gifts of the creative God ; Trade and commerce : buying and selling ; Travel : journeys in life ; Money : blessing or snare? ; Weights and measures : the importance of honesty ; Government and justice : acting justly, loving mercy ; Writing and language : tools of communication ; Leisure and sport : finding refreshment ; Health and healing : searching for wholeness ; Slavery : serving another ; Warfare : swords and ploughshares -- Religion in the Bible. God : the one Lord ; Covenant : God's contract ; The law : God's gift to Israel ; Jewish identity markers : externals and internals ; Jewish festivals and holy days : celebrating God's goodness ; Worship : honouring God ; Prayer : talking to God ; The supernatural : the world beyond ; Places of worship : the God who cannot be contained ; Sacrifices and priests : renewing relationship ; Prophecy and prophets : bringing God's word ; Groups and sects : a divided people ; Jerusalem : the holy city ; Life's big questions : Finding God in life's challenges ; The Christian faith : following Jesus ; Death, burial, and beyond : life's end -- The focus of the Bible--Jesus. The Gospels : four accounts, one story ; His coming : the God who breaks in ; His birth and childhood : the real Christmas story ; His launch : the work begins ; His teaching : words that worked ; His parables : mysteries of the kingdom ; His miracles : demonstrating the kingdom ; His ethics and lifestyle : being good, doing good ; His new community : life together with Jesus ; His conflicts : encountering opposition ; His final week : approaching the goal ; His death and resurrection : God's ransom ; His commission and ascension : time to leave ; His gift of the spirit : God's empowering presence ; His message : ongoing truth ; His followers : God's new people ; His return : hope for the future.

An illustrated guide to the Bible brings together information on the book's history, the lands and nations in which its events take place, family and social life as related in the text, and the life of Jesus.