CHARLOTTE — In his latest book, “101 Surprising Facts About the Bible,” Rick Rotondi takes on the most famous, most translated book in history.
“The 101 Series is a series published by Saint Benedict Press. It’s a very engaging way to approach a subject in bite-sized pieces. You can get a great introduction to different subjects,” Rotondi explains.
“A lot of it is coming out of my work on a documentary series on Jesus called ‘Messiah’,” Rotondi adds. He has been working on the documentary for the past 18 months, which was filmed in the Holy Land and Rome and will be released this fall.
“It inspired me to research into the Bible and to share what I learned in this book,” he says.
To help readers explore the history and content of the Bible, Rotondi has divided the book into three parts: how the Bible was compiled, written and made; the prophecies of the Bible; and how the Bible speaks to us.
“The Bible is one book. What makes it one book? It is Christ. Christ provides that unity of Scripture. He is in the Old Testament and the New Testament,” Rotondi notes.
We see Him present in Genesis, in Exodus and in the prophets. That is the Road to Emmaus experience that the disciples had, he says. “That is really what I wanted to Give people; a Road to Emmaus experience.”
Rotondi provides a historical overview of the Bible, how the Bible has shaped civilization and culture. “It is the Bible that gives us respect for human dignity. It insists every human being is made in the image and likeness of God.”
He hopes anyone who is seeking sound, basic information to understand what the Bible is, where it comes from and how it has shaped history and the Christian faith, will take the time to explore the story of the Bible shared in this book.
Rotondi also hopes that readers take away a sense that Christ is the whole purpose of creation, that God is revealing Christ to us from the very beginning and that this is the way so we can know and love Him.
“God also wants to speak to us, but we need to dwell on His words, which is Scripture. He can draw our attention to passages that have meaning in particular times of our lives. It’s all about Christ, and it is all about God speaking to us. We need the Bible for that,” he says.
No one should be afraid of reading the Bible more often and more deeply, he emphasizes. “Biblical literacy is so crucial. We have forgotten about that in our age. We have lost the Bible as part of our culture. We need it.”
Even for people who are not believers, he says, “They need it because you can’t understand our history without it.”
“We should know the Bible as literature, and then as Catholics and Christians, we should know it more deeply as the Word of God,” he says. “It is a unifying text for us all.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Order a copy
At www.tanbooks.com: Get a copy of “101 Surprising Facts About the Bible”