Is the Bible just an abstraction or a real living entity? This volume aims to answer this question. Part adventure story, part archaeological detective work, part spiritual exploration, this is the account of Bruce Feiler's perilous 10,000 mile journey across the Middle East in search of the roots of the Bible. The book: traces Biblical events from the landing of Noah's ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey to the site of the legendary burning bush overlooking the promised land; gathers the latest archaeological research about each site; follows passages of the Bible in their actual settings; and explores how geography affects the larger narrative of the Old Testament.