"Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" - "The Book of Job." The trouble with reading the Bible is that it claims to be God's autobiography, so the first thing readers must do is decide what they understand by God and how they are going to interpret his role in the rambling library of books that claim his authorship. Richard Holloway's usefully dialectical approach to this central question will allow non-believers as well as believers to profit from a study of the most influential book in human history. The book discusses significant passages from both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures; and explores the evolution of the split between the two communities whose tragic consequences still reverberate powerfully today.