The Bible is full of people. Who were they, really? How do Judaism, Christianity and Islam remember the same person differently? What can history and archaeology, psychology and philosophy tell us about their choices and their lives? People of the Bible takes one person at a time and follows these questions in turn.
We take no religion’s or school’s conclusion as given. We keep apart what the Bible text says, what history can confirm, and what traditions and scholars have made of it, and we say how much evidence stands behind each claim.
Two ways to read
The scholarly edition is the default. It goes into technical terms, the original languages, the history of research, named scholars and the limits of each method. The general edition is written separately for readers with no background in the field. It uses plain words but keeps the strength of the evidence and its limits. Both editions cover the same person and the same facts.
The order of a study
The person and the question → the Bible passages → history and archaeology → how religious traditions read this person → psychology, philosophy and science → weighing the evidence → questions to think further. Every study ends with the sources we read.
In English
This site began in Korean as 성경 속 인물 탐구. Each English study is a translation of a Korean study that was reviewed first. We translate the facts, sources and limits as they are and add no new claims. English pages show the World English Bible (public domain).
Read, comment and help us correct
Sign in with a Google account below a study to leave comments and replies. When you share a different view, please include the passage or source that helped you decide.
If you find an error of fact or quotation, tell us with the page address and the sentence. We check, correct, and record major corrections on the study.