No other book in the history of civilization has gripped and shaped the world's collective imagination quite like the Bible. Its images, metaphors, and stories possess a unifying theme that speaks to the nature of the human condition in all of its guises. Unlike the other creatures of the earth that live by their primal instincts, humankind lives in a mythical universe. The Bible recognizes this truth; almost every narrative of the Bible, in one way or another, addresses the nature of our existential predicament. Certainly what is true of the Bible, in general, is especially true with respect...