Did the whale swallow Jonah, or could the culprit have been a great white shark? What kind of animals were Leviathan and Behemoth? What sort of lions confronted Daniel in the Den and from where did they originate? What were gledes, cankerworms, pygargs, ossifrages and palmerworms? Did the great plagues of Egypt really happen? Why are animals classified as 'clean' or 'unclean'? Why are mythical beasts, such as unicorns, satyrs and cockatrices, mentioned in the Bible? How much of the Supernatural has crept into English translations?

This unique book answers all of these questions, and poses others about the birds, bees and beasts that inhabit the extraordinarily varied landscape of the Levant. An original take on natural history as well as an introduction to Bible stories, 'Beasts of the Field' is a crossover title that sheds light on two subjects that are of immense importance and interest.