Men in the Bible: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

MEN IN THE BIBLE explores the lives of twelve men whose lives figure prominently in Scripture--six each from the Old and New Testaments. Throughout the text, John O'Grady is careful to keep these stories in perspective and focuses on the historical and archaeological evidence surrounding them. The profiles presented here represent the entire span of biblical history from Adam and Abraham to Jesus and his followers. Among them are such familiar figures as Moses, David, Jeremiah, Jesus, John the Baptist, Peter, and Judas. Apart from Jesus, all the subjects in this book have flaws--some of them quite serious. Often their noble qualities are obscured by such negative traits as pettiness, meanness, jealousy, anger, and pride. These bad and ugly aspects make the rough edges more than evident. Yet, these same individuals are bound together by a common faith in God. Even Judas must have had considerable talents and generosity to be included among the twelve disciples. As in biblical times, people today also represent a spectrum of traits, some good, some bad, and some downright ugly. But the author demonstrates that, because of the goodness of God, the bad and the ugly never eradicate the presence of goodness. He explains how such stories from the past can serve as examples for people today. By fully understanding the character of each of the men covered in this work, we can overcome the dark side of our natures and learn to become stronger and better people.